Daniel 5:13-31

Daniel Deciphers and Interprets the Writing

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king, [and] the king {spoke} and said to Daniel, "You [are] Daniel {who are one of the exiles} of Judah whom my {predecessor}, the king, brought from Judah.

14 And I have heard that a spirit of the gods [is] in you and enlightenment and insight and excellent wisdom was found in you.

15 And now the wise men [and] the conjurers were brought in before me [so] that they could read this writing [in order to] make its explanation known to me, but they were not able to disclose the explanation of the matter.

16 But I have heard concerning you that you are able {to produce interpretations} and to solve riddles; now if you are able to read the writing and to make known its explanation to me, you will be clothed [in] purple and [a] necklace of gold [will be placed] around your neck and you will rule [as] third [in command] in the kingdom."

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself or your rewards give to another; nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and I will make known to him the explanation.

18 {O king}, the Most High God gave the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your {predecessor}.

19 And because of the greatness that he gave to him, all the peoples, the nations and languages trembled and feared before him; whomever he wanted he killed, and whomever he wanted he let live, and whomever he wanted he honored, and whomever he wanted he humbled.

20 But {when} his heart became arrogant and his spirit became hard [so as] to act proudly, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom and the glory {was taken away from him}.

21 And he was driven away {from human society} and his mind was made like the animals and his dwelling [was] with the wild asses; [and] {he was given} grass like oxen to eat, and with the dew of heaven his body was bathed, until he acknowledged that the Most High God [is] sovereign over the kingdom of humankind, and {whoever} he wants he sets over it.

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

23 And [now] you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his temple you have brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have been drinking wine from them, and you have praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone that [do] not see and [do] not hear and [do] not know, but the God {who holds your life in his hand} and all of your ways {come from him}, you have not honored.

24 So then the palm of the hand was sent out from his presence and this writing was inscribed.

25 "Now this was the writing that was inscribed: 'Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin.'

26 "This [is] the explanation of the matter: 'Mene'--God has numbered your kingdom and brought an end [to] it.

27 " 'Tekel'--you have been weighed on scales and you have been found wanting.

28 " 'Peres'--your kingdom has been divided and given to [the] Medes and Persians.'"

29 Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel [with] purple and [placed] a necklace of gold around his neck, and they made a proclamation concerning him that he would be [the] third ruler [in authority] in the kingdom.

30 {That same night} Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed.

31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom {when he was about sixty-two years old}.

Daniel 5:13-31 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]. Literally "answered"
• [b]. Literally "who from sons of the exile"
• [c]. Aramaic "Jehud"
• [d]. Literally "father"
• [e]. Aramaic "Jehud"
• [f]. Or "enchanters"
• [g]. Or "interpretation"
• [h]. Or "interpretation"
• [i]. Literally "to interpret interpretations"
• [j]. Or "interpretation"
• [k]. Or "interpretation"
• [l]. Literally "You, O king"
• [m]. Literally "father"
• [n]. Literally "as that"
• [o]. Or "his"
• [p]. Literally "they took away"
• [q]. Literally "from the sons of the humankind"
• [r]. Aramaic "with the animals"
• [s]. Literally "they gave him"
• [t]. Aramaic "from"
• [u]. Literally "to from that"
• [v]. Literally "son"
• [w]. Literally "all of because that"
• [x]. Or "nobles"
• [y]. Aramaic "with"
• [z]. All the materials in this list have the definite article that does not have to be translated into English
• [aa]. Literally "who your breath [is] in his hand"
• [ab]. Literally "[belong] to him"
• [ac]. Or "word, message"
• [ad]. Or "deficient"
• [ae]. Literally "In it, in the night"
• [af]. Daniel 5:31-6:28 in the English Bible is 6:1-29 in the Hebrew Bible
• [ag]. Literally "when a son of sixty and two years"