Daniel 5
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 539 BC · Exile in Babylon · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
31 verses · 924 words · ~5 min read · ~6 min listen
Belshazzarʼs Feast
1Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. 2Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.
3Thus they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king drank from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. 4As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
The Handwriting on the Wall
5At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing, 6his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.
7The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
8So all the kingʼs wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or interpret it for him. 9Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were bewildered.
10Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale. 11There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like that of the gods.
Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners. Your own father, the king, 12did this because Daniel, the one he named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the interpretation.”
Daniel Interprets the Handwriting
13So Daniel was brought before the king, who asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom.
15Now the wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this inscription and interpret it for me, but they could not give its interpretation. 16But I have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
17In response, Daniel said to the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the inscription for the king and interpret it for him. 18As for you, O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness, glory and honor. 19Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.
20But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21He was driven away from mankind, and his mind was like that of a beast. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind, setting over it whom He wishes.
22But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways. 24Therefore He sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25Now this is the inscription that was written:
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
26And this is the interpretation of the message:
29Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain, 31and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.
Footnotes (9)
- a v1 Aramaic does not include Later. Some translators include Many years later to account for the time elapsed, probably about 30 years, since the previous chapter.
- b v2 Or predecessor or grandfather; also in verses 11, 13, and 18
- c v7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 11
- d v10 Or queen mother
- e v22 Or descendant or successor or grandson
- f v26 Mene sounds like the Aramaic for numbered.
- g v27 Tekel sounds like the Aramaic for weighed.
- h v28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) sounds like the Aramaic for divided and for Persia.
- i v30 That is, the Babylonians
Study notes on this chapter · 2
Babylon overthrown by the Medes
Isaiah foretells that God will stir up the Medes against Babylon and that the city, 'the jewel of kingdoms', will become like Sodom and Gomorrah. Babylon fell to Cyrus of Persia (with Median forces) in 539 BC. The claim that it would never again be inhabited is read differently: the city declined over centuries, but was occupied for a long time afterward.
When: Isaiah, c. 740–700 BC (or later, if the oracle is dated to the exile); Babylon fell in 539 BC and was largely deserted by late antiquity.
Ways people read this (3)
- Fulfilled in the Persian conquest and the long decline of the city.
- The language of total desolation has been read as awaiting a future fulfillment, as in Revelation's picture of Babylon's fall.
- Critical scholars often date the oracle to shortly before 539 BC and read it as describing events about to happen.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
The fall of Babylon in a night
Isaiah and Jeremiah say Babylon will fall to the Medes, that its waters will be dried up and its gates will be left open. Daniel records that Belshazzar was killed the night the kingdom passed to Darius the Mede. Greek historians report that Cyrus took the city in 539 BC by diverting the Euphrates, though accounts differ about details.
When: Jeremiah's oracle against Babylon, c. 594 BC; Babylon fell on 12 October 539 BC (by the usual reckoning).
Ways people read this (3)
- The prophecies were fulfilled in 539 BC, as Herodotus and Xenophon describe.
- Some of Jeremiah 50–51 describes a more thorough destruction than occurred in 539 BC, and may refer to later events or to a future fall.
- Darius the Mede's identity is debated (Cyrus under another title, Gubaru/Ugbaru, or another figure).
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.