Daniel 5:10

10 Forsooth the queen entered into the house of feast, for the thing that had befelled to the king, and (his) best men; and she spake, and said, (O) King, live thou without end. Thy thoughts disturb not thee, and thy face be not changed (Let not thy thoughts disturb thee, and thy face be so pale).

Daniel 5:10 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 5:10

Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his
lords, came into the banquet house
Not the wife of Belshazzar, as Porphyry would have it; but rather the queen mother, as Jacchiades, the widow of Evilmerodach his father, whose name was Nitocris; and is spoken of, by Herodotus ^F17, as a very prudent woman; and as this seems to be by her words and conduct: though Josephus ^F18 says it was his grandmother, she who had been the wife of Nebuchadnezzar; and of this opinion were some mentioned by Aben Ezra; whose name was Amyitis; and it appears, by what she says afterwards, that she was well acquainted with affairs in his time; and, being an ancient woman, might be the reason why she was not among the ladies at the feast in the banqueting house; but came into it, without being sent for, on hearing the consternation and distress the king and his lords were in, and the moanful despairing words they expressed on this occasion: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever;
the usual salutation given to the kings of Babylon, and other eastern monarchs; see ( Daniel 2:4 ) ( 6:21 ) : let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed;
at this affair, as if it could never be understood, and the true meaning of it be given; but be of good: cheer, and put on a good countenance; there is hope yet that it may be cleared up to satisfaction.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Clio, sive l. 1. c. 185, 188.
F18 Antiqu. l. 10. c. 11. sect. 2.

Daniel 5:10 In-Context

8 Then all the wise men of the king entered, and might not read the scripture, neither show to the king the interpreting thereof. (Then all the wise men of the king entered, but they could not read the writing, nor could they tell the king its interpretation.)

9 Wherefore king Belshazzar was disturbed enough, and his cheer was changed, but also his best men were disturbed. (And so King Belshazzar was greatly disturbed, and his face was pale, and also his best men were disturbed.)

10 Forsooth the queen entered into the house of feast, for the thing that had befelled to the king, and (his) best men; and she spake, and said, (O) King, live thou without end. Thy thoughts disturb not thee, and thy face be not changed (Let not thy thoughts disturb thee, and thy face be so pale).

11 A man is in thy realm, that hath the spirit of holy gods in himself, and in the days of thy father knowing and wisdom were found in him; for why and Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, made him prince of astronomers, of enchanters, of Chaldees, and of diviners by looking on altars; soothly thy father, thou king, did this; (There is a man in thy kingdom, who hath the spirit of the holy gods in himself, and in the days of thy predecessor, knowledge and wisdom were found in him; because of this, Nebuchadnezzar, thy predecessor, made him the chief of the astrologers, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners by looking on altars; truly thy predecessor, O king, did this;)

12 for [the] more spirit, and more prudent, and understanding, and interpreting of dreams, and showing of privates, and solving of bound things were found in him, that is, in Daniel, to whom the king putted the name Belteshazzar. Now therefore Daniel be called, and he shall tell the interpreting. (for great ability, and much prudence, or wisdom, and understanding, and the interpreting of dreams, and the revealing of mysteries, or of secrets, and the solving of bound things were found in him, that is, in Daniel, to whom the king gave the name Belteshazzar. And so now let Daniel be called, and he shall tell thee the interpretation.)