Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
DANIEL 5
The Writing on the Wall
1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.
7 The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.
10 The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”
13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. 15 The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. 16 Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.
18 “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.
22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25 “This is the inscription that was written:
mene, mene, tekel, parsin
26 “Here is what these words mean:
Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.
Application Notes
5:1 Sixty-six years had elapsed since the events of Daniel 1, which tells of Nebuchadnezzar's first strike against Jerusalem in 605 BC. Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 after a reign of 43 years. His son, Awel-Marduk, ruled from 562 to 560; his brother-in-law Neriglissar reigned four years, from 560 to 556. After a two-month reign by Labashi-Marduk in 556, the Babylonian Empire continued from 556 to 539 under the command of Nabonidus. Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus. He reigned alongside his father from 553 to 539.
5:1 Archaeologists have discovered Belshazzar's name on several documents. He ruled with his father, Nabonidus, staying home to administer the affairs of the kingdom while his father tried to reopen trade routes taken over by Cyrus and the Persians. Belshazzar was in charge of the city of Babylon when it was captured.
5:7 Nabonidus was first in command as king, and Belshazzar, his son, was second. The person who could read the writing would be given third place in command, which was the highest position and honor that Belshazzar could offer.
5:8 Although the writing on the wall contained only three simple words in Aramaic, a language understood by Babylonians (see 2:4), the people could not determine its prophetic significance. God gave Daniel alone the ability to interpret the message of doom to Babylon. No matter how great the reward offered, the wise men of the kingdom couldn't interpret the message because they lacked God's wisdom. Daniel did not rush into the banquet hall with the others. His loyalty was to God, not money.
5:10 This queen was either Nabonidus's wife or the wife of one of his predecessors, possibly even of Nebuchadnezzar. She was not Belshazzar's wife, because his wives were with him in the banquet hall.
5:17 The king offered Daniel beautiful gifts and great power if he would explain the writing, but Daniel turned him down. Daniel was not motivated by material rewards. His entire life had been characterized by doing what was right in God's eyes. Daniel was not showing disrespect in refusing the gifts, but he was growing older and knew the gifts would do him little good. Besides, being the third-highest ruler in a kingdom Daniel knew was about to be destroyed was not exactly motivating! Daniel wanted to show that he was giving an unbiased interpretation to the king. Doing what God wants should be our first priority, not gaining power or rewards. Do you love God enough to do what he wants, even if it means giving up comfort, influence, or financial reward?
5:21-23 As king, Belshazzar would have known Babylonian history, so he was familiar with the story of how God had humbled Nebuchadnezzar. Nevertheless, Belshazzar's banquet was a rebellious challenge to God's authority. He took the gold goblets from Gotj's temple and drank from them (5:2-4). No one who understands that the Most High God rules over the whole universe should be foolish enough to challenge him.
5:22 Often kings would kill the bearers of bad news. But Daniel was unafraid and told the truth. He had been steadfast in living and telling the truth since his youth. In this case, he knew Babylon would be overrun and Belshazzar would be killed. Daniel still used this opportunity to reveal the sin of Belshazzar and his companions, pointing them to God and urging them to humble themselves before him. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, however, Belshazzar did not humble himself. We should tell the truth, even when we face pressure to please others or conform. Like Daniel, we should be bold when we are in a position to speak against those who defy God's authority and lovingly point them to the saving grace of Jesus, even when it seems they will not listen.
5:23-24 Belshazzar was using the gold goblets from the temple for his party, and God condemned him for this act. We must not use for sinful purposes what has been dedicated to God. Today this would include church buildings, financial donations, and anything else that has been set apart for serving God. Be careful how you use what is God's.
5:27 The writing on the wall was a message for all those who defy God. Although Belshazzar had power and wealth, his kingdom was totally corrupt, and he could not withstand the judgment of God. God's time of judgment comes for all people. If you have forgotten God and slipped into a sinful way of life, turn away from your sin now before he removes the opportunity to repent. Ask God to forgive you, and begin to live by his standards.
5:28 The Medes and Persians joined forces to overthrow Babylon. This event was predicted in the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had in Daniel 2. It was represented in the statue's silver chest and arms.
5:31 Darius and his soldiers entered Babylon by diverting the river that ran through the city and then walking in on the dry riverbed.
5:31 This Darius is not to be confused with Darius I, mentioned in Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah, or Darius II (the Persian), mentioned in Nehemiah. Darius the Mede is named only in the book of Daniel. Other records name no king between Belshazzar and Cyrus. Thus, Darius may have been (1) appointed by Cyrus to rule over Babylon as a province of Persia; (2) another name for Cyrus himself or for his son, Cambyses; or (3) a descendant of Xerxes I.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)