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THE BOOK OF DANIEL
CHAPTER 5
Daniel 5: 1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
The scripture plainly states that Belshazzar was king of Babylon at the conquest by the Medes and Persians and that he was slain the night Darius entered the city. Ancient historians do not mention Belshazzar but that Nabonidus was the last king of Babylon. Both the scriptures and historians agree that Nabonidus was absent from the city when the Persians captured it. Tablets have been unearthed which testify that Nabonidus was the father of Belshazzar and we know that Belshazzar was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah 27: 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.
Daniel 5: 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.
Daniel 5: 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.
Daniel 5: 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
When they drink wine out of the vessels take from the Temple, the moral fiber of the gentiles was gone. They praise the god of gold and silver.
Proverbs 20: 1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Proverbs 23: 29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Proverbs 23: 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Daniel 5: 5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
The During this time Babylon was under siege the river that went under the city was diverted and the city was taken by the army going in on the dry river bed. God wrote the message with His finger.
Exodus 8: 19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
The finger writes against the candlestick, which gives light on the 12 loafs of show bread.
Exodus 25: 30 And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before me always.
Exodus 25: 31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.
Daniel 5: 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.
The king's fear was so great that his knees knocked against each other
Daniel 5: 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.
Daniel 5: 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.
Daniel 5: 9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
The king as in the past always called in his wise men but forgot about Daniel.
Daniel 5: 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:
Daniel 5: 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;
Daniel 5: 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.
The queen remember that there was a man in the kingdom named Daniel that could give the interpretation.
Daniel 5: 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?
Daniel 5: 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.
Daniel 5: 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:
Daniel 5: 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.
Belshazzar don't remember Daniel but the queen told him that he had the spirit of the holy God. He offers Daniel the position of the third rule in the kingdom. This show that there were already two rules in the kingdom but Belshazzar's father was not in Babylon when it was taken by Darius the Median.
Daniel 5: 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 5: 18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
Daniel 5: 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.
Daniel 5: 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:
Daniel 5: 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.
Daniel 5: 22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
Daniel 5: 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:
Belshazzar did not humble himself and he knew that God would judge him but he glorified Him not.
Daniel 5: 24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
Daniel 5: 25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
Daniel 5: 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
Daniel 5: 27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
Daniel 5: 28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Mene is a number. Tekel is a measure of weight. Perse is singular for upharsin, which means to divide.
Belshazzar does not believe Daniel but gives Daniel the gifts he had promised.
Daniel 5: 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.
Daniel 5: 30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
Daniel 5: 31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Darius the Median took the kingdom but there is another rule that name is Cyrus the Persian.
