Daniel 5:20

20 Forsooth when his heart was raised [up], and his spirit was made obstinate in pride, he was put down off the seat of his realm (he was taken down off the throne of his kingdom); and his glory was taken away,

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:


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 O! thou king, [the] highest God gave realm, and great worship, and glory, and honour, to Nebuchadnezzar, thy father. (O! thou king, the Most High God gave kingdom, and great worship, and glory, and honour, to Nebuchadnezzar, thy predecessor.)
19 And for [the] great worship which he had given to that Nebuchadnezzar, all peoples, lineages, and languages, trembled and dreaded him; he killed which he would, and he smote which he would, and he enhanced which he would, and he made low which he would. (And for the great power which he gave to that Nebuchadnezzar, all the peoples, and the tribes, or the nations, of every language, trembled and feared him; he killed whom he would, and he struck down whom he would, and he exalted, or he lifted up, whom he would, and he made low whom he would.)
20 Forsooth when his heart was raised [up], and his spirit was made obstinate in pride, he was put down off the seat of his realm (he was taken down off the throne of his kingdom); and his glory was taken away,
21 and he was cast out from the sons of men; but also his heart was set with beasts, and his dwelling was with wild asses; also he ate hay as an ox doeth, and his body was coloured with the dew of heaven, till he knew, that the Highest hath power in the realm of men, and he shall raise on it whomever he will. (and he was thrown out from among people; and his mind became like that of the beasts, and his habitation was with the wild donkeys, or with the wild beasts; and he ate grass, like an ox doeth, and his body was sprinkled with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged, that the Most High God hath power over the kingdom of people, and that he shall raise upon it whomever he will.)
22 And thou, Belshazzar, the son of him, meekedest not thine heart, when thou knewest all these things; (And thou, Belshazzar, his successor, hast not humbled, or made meek, thy heart, even though thou knewest all these things;)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.