Daniel 5                                                                                              

Confusion could easily exist at this point in the book of Daniel because the fifth chapter should follow chapters 7 and 8. The fifth chapter concerns the end of the Babylonian reign, occurring 10-20 years later, while chapter 7 and 8 continue with Nebuchadnezzar's visions.

 

Keep this in mind as we proceed with chapter 5, but for those who may wish to read these chapters in the sequence of occurrence, the proper order is chapters 4, 7, 8, 5, and 6.

 

We start verse 1 with the King Belshazzar, who was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, so we realize Nebuchadnezzar has ended his reign and passed away. You will find Nebuchadnezzar referred to as "father", because they had no word in their language to indicate grandfather.

 

Belshazzar means "the prince of Baal" or the equivalent of Satan in Chaldean. Do not confuse it with Belteshazzar, which was Nebuchadnezzar's name for Daniel.

 

Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

• The date was 426 B.C., Daniel being eighty-seven.
• This was evidently a big party. It was discovered a few years back that the hall in which this took place was 60' wide by 172' long with fancy painting, and it was exceedingly beautiful.
• Belshazzar, he was the son of Nabonidus.
• The inscriptions show that he was made co-regent while he (Nabonidus) went to meet Cryrus.
• lords = great ones, or nobles

2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

• Bear in mind that these vessels were the ones from the temple of the living God and consecrated by Him for the seed of Israel, so you see Belshazzar is playing with fire.
• The word "father" is used by for ancestor. There is no word in Chaldee or Hebrew for "grandfather".
• Jeremiah 27:6 And now have I given all these lands unto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
  7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.

 

4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

• So you see they used vessels belonging to God to praise six gods and idols.
• Six is Satan number = Satan's gods = the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone

5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

• The word "hour" in Chaldean is "sha-ah" which means at the same moment rather than hour.
• "Against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall": or near probably above, the candlestick attached to the plaster of the wall.
• So you see at that very moment, God took action.

6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

• He was extremely frightened.

7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

• Be the third ruler = rule as one of three, the third: Nabonidus being the first,  Belshazzar the second.

8 Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

• A parallel might be drawn with today's wise men.
• With all the modern technology and know how of space ships and satellites, yet understanding of the Holy Bible is surrounded by confusion and misunderstanding.

9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.

• His lords were astonied = dumb foundered

10 Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

• The queen here is either his mother or his grandmother, and she's advising him to calm himself, and you will see that she knows of Daniel, although it is very obvious that Belshazzar does not know Daniel.

11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

• Father - grandfather
• His grandmother knew of Daniel

12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

• Stop and think about this in relationship to yourself.
• At this hour and at this time, your ears have been opened and you have eyes to see and you understand, so the same spirit that dwelt in Daniel dwells in you.
• God has chosen you, and there is a time coming when you will be delivered up as a witness, because you do in fact have the interpretation of God's word.

13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?

• The word Jewry, was taken from the word Judah and should have been translated Judah.
• Art thou, showing that the king had no personal knowledge of Daniel, or had disregarded him.

14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.

• Belshazzar is repeating of course what his grandmother just told him.

15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:

• All the wise men in my whole realm couldn't give me one iota of information on this.

16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

 

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

• Daniel had no doubts.

18 O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:

• Jeremiah 27:6 And now have I given all these lands unto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
  7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
• Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom

19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.

• Nebuchadnezzar had authority over life or death of his subjects, and remember, it was God who made it possible for him to over come Jehoiakim, who was the king of Israel.

20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

• They = Kenites
• Of course, he received a far greater reward when his kingdom was taken from him.
• Revelation 21:24, He prayed to the living God, and we believe that at the end of this earth age, he will stand as one of the kings of the ethnic nations.

21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

• Wet with dew of heaven, the word wet, in Hebrew means to "dip or dye"
• He was steeped in God's truth, and as you have learned, a great change came over him; the same that we ourselves feel when we learn this identity of Israel, because we no longer have have the same desires.
• Our whole life changes.

22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

 

23 But hast lifted up thyself against the LORD of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

• Daniel is telling him, you have shamed the living God inasmuch as you're taken the vessels from His very house and desecrated them in the sight of a thousand people and the whole realm.
• Thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone = Satan's six gods
• Judges 16:23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
  24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.

24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

• The divine prophetic meaning could not be know or understand till interpreted by Daniel.
• Written = or graven

25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

• MENE, MENE = Numbered, Numbered, = numbered yea ended
• MENE = the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it
• TEKEL = weight
• TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
• UPHARSIN = And Divided or Broken
• There is a further reference, or combination, to the Persians, by whom the kingdom of Babylon was broken up.

26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

• Jeremiah 27:6 And now have I given all these lands unto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
  7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
• The writing was "MENE, MENE", He wrote this twice!
• This king only desecrated the vessels out of the temple, and what is happening in your lifetime?
• I speak of the city of Jerusalem in the land of Judea.
• Jesus Himself said, Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains.
• Standing where he ought not...watchmen, be alert!
• Mark 13:30 and Matthew 24:34, When you see this, this generation shall not pass away until all these things come to pass.
• We know of course that New Jerusalem is coming with Him, but this is still the place of the temple that is geographically set forth to us in the scriptures, and the desecration of Jerusalem will bring God's retaliation, and He has numbered the days.
• Today Christ is not being taught there, and the city is being setup for the false christ who shall soon appear.
• Watchmen be alert !

27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

• TEKEL = weight

28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

• Medes and Persians = Iran of today
• Jeremiah 27:6 And now have I given all these lands unto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
  7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

 

30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.

• Ketal, the Chaldean word for slain, means a violent death.
• Either by the Persians or it may have been by assassination by one of his own followers, or accidentally in the tumult.

31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

• We have found that Babylon was drunken and thus overtaken.
• Jeremiah 51:30 The mighty men of Babylon have for born to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwelling places; her bars are broken.
  31 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,
  32 And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.
  33 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.
  34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.
  35 The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.
  36 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.
  37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.
  38 They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lion's whelps.
• 39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the Lord.
  40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.
  41 How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!
• Bear in mind Media and Persia were Adamic, and they were the only united group of states that existed at that time.
• Threescore and two: Born 488 B.C.

• Exactly 2520 years from the exile of Benjamin, Iceland became an independent nation.

 

•  The first tribe to be conquered by the Assyrians was Manasseh, in 745 B.C. Exactly 2520 years later America became a nation on July 4, 1776.

 

• Study the book: Abrahamic Covenant, (A study outline of the identity of God's people) By E. Raymond Capt - page 25