Daniel 5 · The Lantern

Belshazzar’s Feast

Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his great ones, and before the thousand he drank wine.

And so after the death of Nebuchadnezzar his son Evil Merodoch succeeded to his kingdom, of whom the Scripture does not mention, surely because he lived reverently, surely because there was nothing monstrous in him. He reigned twelve years and after him his brother Belshazzar reigned, concerning whom Scripture now makes a narrative.

Verse 1. "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for his one thousand nobles; and each one drank in the order of his age." It should be known that this man was not the son of Nebuchadnezzar, as readers commonly imagine; but according to Berosus, who wrote the history of the Chaldeans, and also Josephus, who follows Berosus, after Nebuchadnezzar's reign of forty-three years, a s…

This man was the son of Nebuchadnezzar but did not directly succeed him.… After Nebuchadnezzar, then, Evil-merodach ruled, and after him Belshazzar.

Belshazzar, at the taste of the wine, said to bring the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought out from the temple that is in Jerusalem, so that the king and his great ones, his consorts and his concubines might drink from them.

While they were drunk, the king, being puffed up, commanded that the golden and silver vessels, which Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought out from the Temple which was in Jerusalem, to be brought forth, that the magistrate and his mistresses may drink from them.

In other words, intoxication confused his thinking, and intemperance gave rise to this insane action against God: the vessels consecrated to the worship of God, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had seized when God surrendered them but had honored in the way he thought fit and had kept from human use, this man presumed to use like ordinary vessels, not only giving the order but g…

The words "at the taste of the wine, [Belshazzar] said," that is, after he became drunk and unreasonable as a consequence of tasting wine.

Then they brought the vessels of gold that had been brought out from the temple of the house of God that is in Jerusalem; and the king and his great ones, his consorts and his concubines drank from them.

They drank wine, and they praised the gods of gold and of silver, of bronze, of iron, of wood and of stone.

The Handwriting on the Wall

In that same hour the fingers of a man’s hand came out and wrote, opposite the lampstand, on the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king; and the king was looking at the palm of the hand that was writing.

Then the king — his brightness changed on him, and his thoughts alarmed him, and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees knocked one against the other.

The king called with force to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king answered and said to the wise men of Babylon: Any man who reads this writing and declares its interpretation to me will be clothed in purple, with a chain of gold on his neck, and will rule as third in the kingdom.

Then all the wise men of the king came in, and they were not able to read the writing or to make known its interpretation to the king.

Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his brightness changed on him, and his great ones were perplexed.

The queen, because of the words of the king and his great ones, came into the house of the drinking. The queen answered and said: O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you, and do not let your brightness be changed.

Then at this point, "the queen, having heard what happened, came into the house of the drinking bout and said to the king, 'Let not your thoughts trouble you, and let not your form be changed. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of God, and in the days of your father watchfulness and understanding were found in him.

Verse 10. "Now the queen, by reason of what had happened to the king and his nobles, entered into the banquet-hall..." Josephus says she was Belshazzar's grandmother, whereas Origen says she was his mother. She therefore knew about previous events of which the king was ignorant.

This was probably an introduction offered at that time to kings by their subjects; even to this day this custom prevails.

There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, light and insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar your father made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans and diviners — your father, the king —

inasmuch as a surpassing spirit and knowledge and insight, interpreting dreams and declaring riddles and loosing knots, were found in him, in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will declare the interpretation.

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel: Are you that Daniel who is from the sons of the exile of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah?

And I have heard of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and insight and surpassing wisdom are found in you.

And now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known its interpretation to me; and they were not able to declare the interpretation of the word.

And I have heard of you, that you are able to interpret interpretations and to loose knots. Now if you are able to read the writing and to make known its interpretation to me, you will be clothed in purple, with a chain of gold on your neck, and you will rule as third in the kingdom.

Then Daniel answered and said before the king: Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. But I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.

But the blessed Daniel, not taking pleasure in earthly gifts nor being lifted up at kingly glory answered, "Let your gifts, O king, be to you and give the present of your house to another. But I shall read the writing and I shall make known the interpretation to you." [Daniel 5:17]

Why then, you ask, being so humble did Daniel not repel either the adoration that was paid him by the king or the offerings?

Verse 17. "To this Daniel made answer before the king, saying: 'Thy gifts be unto thyself, and bestow the presents of thy house upon someone else...'" We should follow the example of a man like Daniel, who despised the honor and gifts of a king, and who without any reward even in that early day followed the Gospel injunction: "Freely have ye received, freely give." (Matthew 10:…

You, O king — the Most High God gave the kingdom and the greatness and the honor and the majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.

And in this way, having begun, he described to the king all the things which happened to his father in their order, and at the same time he thoroughly explained to him the things which happened, in order to cause him to understand not to brag, nor to be arrogant, but that one must be under the authority of God.

And in the Old Testament also this may be found, in that grace hath oftentimes wrought upon unworthy persons, that it might do good to others.… And why marvel if He hath bestowed gifts on men that have believed on Him, though without life suitable to their faith, when even on those who have fallen from both these, He is unquestionably found working?

Do not think it was by relying on his own strength that your father subjected the whole world and brought under one kingdom the countless races of the nations speaking various tongues.

And because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations and tongues were trembling and fearing before him. Whom he willed he killed, and whom he willed he kept alive; and whom he willed he raised up, and whom he willed he brought low.

And when his heart was lifted up and his spirit grew hard in presumption, he was brought down from the throne of his kingdom, and his honor was taken from him.

And he was driven from the sons of man, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses. They made him taste grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens, until he knew that the Most High God is ruler in the kingdom of man, and sets up over it whom he wills.

And you, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this.

And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of the heavens, and they brought the vessels of his house before you; and you and your great ones, your consorts and your concubines have been drinking wine from them. And the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, of iron, of wood and of stone, which do not see and do not hear and do not know, you have praised; and the God in whose hand is your breath, and to whom all your ways belong, you have not honored.

Then from before him was sent the palm of the hand, and this writing was inscribed.

And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL and PARSIN.

This is the interpretation of the word. MENE — God has numbered your kingdom and finished it.

TEKEL — you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.

PERES — your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

Then Belshazzar said, and they clothed Daniel in purple, with a chain of gold on his neck, and they proclaimed concerning him that he was to be ruler as third in the kingdom.

For the king, after he heard the writing and its interpretation, was grieved at what was spoken, but he commanded Daniel to be clothed in purple and to be the third position in the kingdom.

The vain king did not do that in order to give honor to Daniel for those sad omens, which he had announced to him by interpreting the writing, but he tried to catch his benevolence, as if he had understood that Daniel was extremely pleasing to God, and therefore he hoped that he would have dispelled his ruin, which the hand sent from above had signed, and Daniel himself had ann…

Verse 29. "Then at the kings order Daniel was clothed with purple and a golden chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed to have authority as third ruler in the kingdom." Or else, it might be construed as having authority over a third part of the kingdom.

In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.

And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Daniel5

Belshazzar’s Feast

The Handwriting on the Wall

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting