Daniel 5:18-31

18 Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar.

19 Because of the greatness He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were terrified and fearful of him.^[a] He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted.

20 But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him.

21 He was driven away from people, his mind was like an animal's, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over the kingdom of men and sets anyone He wants over it.

22 "But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.

23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house^[b] were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in His hand and who controls the whole course of your life.^[c]

24 Therefore, He sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed.

The Inscription's Interpretation

25 "This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

26 This is the interpretation of the message: MENE^[d] [means that] God has numbered [the days of] your kingdom and brought it to an end.

27 TEKEL^[e] [means that] you have been weighed in the balance and found deficient.

28 PERES^[f] [means that] your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

29 Then Belshazzar gave an order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, [placed] a gold chain around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed,

31 ^[g] and Darius the Mede^[h] received the kingdom at the age of 62.

Daniel 5:18-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 5

This chapter gives an account of a feast made by King Belshazzar, attended with drunkenness, idolatry, and profanation of the vessels taken out of the temple at Jerusalem, Da 5:1-4, and of the displeasure of God, signified by a handwriting on the wall, which terrified the king, and caused him to send in haste for the astrologers to read and interpret it, but they could not, Da 5:5-8, in this distress, which appeared in the countenances of him and his nobles, the queen mother advises him to send for Daniel, of whom she gives a great encomium, Da 5:9-12, upon which he was brought in to the king, and promised a great reward to read and interpret the writing; the reward he slighted, but promised to read and interpret the writing, Da 5:13-17 and after putting him in mind of what had befallen his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar, and charging him with pride, idolatry, and profanation of the vessels of the Lord, Da 5:18-23 reads and interprets the writing to him Da 5:24-28, when he had honour done him, and was preferred in the government, Da 5:29 and the chapter is concluded with an account of the immediate accomplishment of ancient prophecies, and of this handwriting, in the slaying of the king of Babylon, in the dissolution of the Babylonish monarchy, and the possession of it by Darius the Mede, Da 5:30,31.

Footnotes

• [a] Dn 6:26
• [b] God's temple
• [c] Lit and all your ways belong to Him
• [d] Or numbered, or a mina; a weight of 500 to 600 grams
• [e] Or weighed, or a shekel; a weight of 10 grams
• [f] Or divided, or half a shekel; sg form of PARSIN in v. 25
• [g] Dn 6:1 in Hb
• [h] Dn 6:1; 9:1; 11:1