Daniel 5:20

20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became hard with pride, he was put down from his place as king, and they took his glory from him:

Daniel 5:20 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 5:20

But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened it
pride
When his heart was elated with his successes and victories, with the enlargement of his dominions, and with his grandeur and glory he had arrived unto; and his pride increased yet more, till he was strengthened and hardened in it: or, "to deal proudly" ^F21; and behave haughtily to God and man: or, "to do wickedly", as Jarchi interprets it; for pride and haughtiness of mind puts men, especially great men, kings and monarchs, on doing things extremely vile and wicked: he was deposed from his kingly throne;
not by his nobles and subjects, but by the hand of God, which struck him with madness, and made him unfit for government; obliged him to quit the throne, and to range among the beasts of the field, as is afterwards observed: and they took his glory from him;
the watchers, the angels, or the divine Persons that ordered the tree to be cut down to the roots, ( Daniel 4:14 Daniel 4:17 Daniel 4:23 ) , or it may be rendered impersonally, "and his glory was taken from him" ^F23; his glory as a man, being deprived of his reason, and acting like a brute beast; and his glory as a king, which departed from him for a season, while he was driven from men, from his royal palace and court, and lived among beasts, and fed as they did, as follows:

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 (hdzhl) "ad superbe agendum", Junius & Tremellius; "ad superbiendum", Piscator, Michaelis; "ut superbe ageret", Cocceius.
F23 (hnm wydeh hyrqyw) "et gloria ejus ablata est", V. L.; "honor ejus translatus fuit", Michaelis.

Daniel 5:20 In-Context

18 As for you, O King, the Most High God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, your father, the kingdom and great power and glory and honour:

19 And because of the great power he gave him, all peoples and nations and languages were shaking in fear before him: some he put to death and others he kept living, at his pleasure, lifting up some and putting others down as it pleased him.

20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became hard with pride, he was put down from his place as king, and they took his glory from him:

21 And he was sent out from among the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts', and he was living with the asses of the fields; he had grass for his food like the oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he was certain that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and gives power over it to anyone at his pleasure.

22 And you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not kept your heart free from pride, though you had knowledge of all this;