Daniel 5, Part 2

Daniel Called

Daniel 5:13–17 ESV

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.

The shaken ruler is ready to follow the queen’s suggestion. Belshazzar’s drunken arrogance is gone. Nor does he exercise royal prerogatives to demand Daniel’s service. Instead, he approaches Daniel quite chastened, appealing for help to overcome his terror and frustration. Belshazzar attempts to establish rapport with Daniel by citing his background, spirit, and abilities. In describing Daniel as one of the exiles of Judah, the king goes beyond the information supplied by the queen. The effect of this note is to highlight the oddity of the scene. A God-fearing Israelite will appear in the presence of a pagan emperor to give witness to Israel’s God! Such an identification reminds readers of these strange historical events in which a victim of a king’s power becomes the problem-solver for his captor!

Through identifying Daniel’s person and accomplishments in a complimentary way, the king attempts to secure Daniel’s help. The king’s repetition of Daniel’s qualifications, given earlier by the queen, is a characteristic Hebrew storytelling technique. It also serves to spotlight Daniel in the story, even before he comes forward with the interpretation of the writing. By the speeches, attention is focused both on Daniel’s gifts and on Belshazzar’s monstrously evil deeds.

Next Belshazzar tells Daniel about his disappointment and frustration with the wise men because they are unable to interpret the inscription. Then, without a direct request or command, he invites Daniel’s help. Finally, Belshazzar promises Daniel generous rewards if he gives a plausible explanation. The rewards are the same as those offered to the wise men. Belshazzar seems to think that anything can be secured if the price is right!

Though not stated in the text, Daniel likely rejects Belshazzar’s gifts for several reasons. First, he does not want to be under obligation to Belshazzar. Second, he does not want the interpretation to appear connected with personal profit. Third, Daniel uses God’s gifts for God’s glory rather than for personal advantage. Daniel tells Belshazzar to keep his gifts and give your rewards to someone else!

Setting the Stage

Daniel 5:18–23 ESV

18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.

In order for the God-sent handwriting to make sense, Daniel has to provide a context for his interpretation. The context contains two parts: a historical background and Belshazzar’s arrogant behavior.

In the historical background, Daniel reviews the experience of king Nebuchadnezzar, briefly rehearsing material found in chapter 4 and noting God’s action. God gave Nebuchadnezzar kingship, greatness, glory, and majesty. He also gave him a universal domain. But as a typical despot, Nebuchadnezzar did what he pleased, when he pleased, and to whom he pleased without accountability. He walked in pride and tried to act as a god. But, as Daniel points out, the God who gave him dominion was also able to bring him low. Daniel recalls the steps of Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation: (1) deposed from the throne, (2) glory taken away, (3) driven from society, (4) lost his mind, (5) lived and ate outdoors like the animals.

Nebuchadnezzar’s fortunes were reversed when he came to know that the Most High God has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and sets over it whomever he will. Thus Daniel reviews Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation and restoration, and identifies Nebuchadnezzar as your father, your predecessor. This confrontation leaves Belshazzar without excuse. He might have learned from his “father,” but like others before him, he has failed to do so (cf. Isaac repeating his father’s techniques of deception and Jehoiakim’s failure to learn from Josiah.

Daniel indicts Belshazzar for prideful behavior on three counts: First, Belshazzar has not learned from Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation; instead, he has elevated himself. Second, he has defied the Lord of heaven when he and his fellow banqueters defiled the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple, using them to drink wine and to praise the idols of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Third, Belshazzar has refused to honor the God in whose power is your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways. The speech is primarily an indictment, and the announcement of judgment is brief. This format corresponds to prophetic judgment speeches, customarily in two parts: accusation and announcement. The accusation provides a reason for the judgment.

Daniel, not afraid to face Belshazzar, becomes a model. Instead of allowing himself to be used by this politician, he abruptly confronts the king with his understanding of the will and way of God. As Daniel earlier confronted Nebuchadnezzar, so now he exposes Belshazzar’s pride, desecration of the temple vessels, and idolatrous worship. Though Nebuchadnezzar had taken the vessels from Jerusalem, in the course of time he had come to honor and respect the God to whom the vessels point. Belshazzar knows of this, yet brazenly defies the Lord of heaven as he and his lords in drunken revelry use them to worship powerless, senseless idols. Daniel highlights the evils of using religious vessels for banquet revelry, and of praising the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Both these actions are also described by the narrator. Daniel’s longer comment on Nebuchadnezzar echoes the queen-mother’s reference to that king. Repetition is a technique which both focuses and reinforces the emphasis.

There is a real sting in Daniel’s confrontation. In effect, Daniel says to Belshazzar, “You have not learned a thing!” Nebuchadnezzar learned that his arrogance as head of a mighty empire and his pride as builder of a great city were fleeting and bordered on insanity. This learning, however, was short-lived. Belshazzar demonstrates anew the pride and arrogance associated with political power in a mighty empire. As God intervened in the life of Nebuchadnezzar, so God will intervene again to demonstrate his power in contrast to the powerlessness of the politicians and their gods.

Daniel reminds Belshazzar that his life and destiny are in the hands of God. He makes it clear that Belshazzar is not simply an automaton; he is responsible for his actions. Belshazzar’s arrogant behavior will lead to his downfall: You have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this! You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! You have been drinking wine from the vessels of his temple. You have praised the gods of silver and gold; you have not honored God. Politicians, though challenged time and again about their arrogant ways, never seem to learn. In the tradition of earlier prophets, Daniel brings a powerful, needed witness. That witness is one of addressing and unmasking government. God judges arrogance. The speech by Daniel serves as a critique of any government which may function in a way unmindful of God’s controlling sovereignty. In the words of Millard Lind, “Imperial political arrogance is political insanity” (private correspondence).

The queen-mother has to remind Belshazzar of Daniel and his gifts. Daniel has to remind Belshazzar of Nebuchadnezzar’s experiences in learning about the sovereignty of the Most High God. These reminders warn us and illustrate that faithfulness and spiritual insights can quickly be lost from one generation to the next!

Interpretation Given

Daniel 5:24–28 ESV

24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

The storyteller has been building suspense by describing the terrified king’s physical condition, the intervention and counsel of the queen-mother, Belshazzar’s repetition of her account of Daniel and his gifts, and his indirect request for the interpretation. Further suspenseful delay is added by Daniel’s long response to Belshazzar, refusing rewards, retelling Nebuchadnezzar’s story, and enumerating Belshazzar’s sins. Up to this point, each segment of the story contributes to the whole, but the question filling Belshazzar with terror goes unanswered. Now the mystery will be revealed.

First, Daniel tells Belshazzar that the hand was sent from the presence of the Lord of heaven. This God is living and able to act. His works are in stark contrast to the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone that are carried into the city to provide protection. In the great hall, the idols sit where they have been placed. They can not see, hear, nor respond.

Then Daniel reads the mysterious words written on the wall:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.

What has God decreed in these words? Many theories have been offered to explain their meaning. But the meaning does not reside simply in the words themselves. Rather, the meaning is found in secondary meanings from plays on the words.

Many commentators believe the words refer to weights and to coinage. For perspective, note that a talent is about what a man is expected to carry, a little over seventy-five pounds. The Aramaic word mene means a mena or mina, likely about twenty ounces, eventually also the name of a coin. Tekel is an Aramaic form of shekel, less than half an ounce, eventually also the name of a coin of low value. Parsin is plural, for “men dividing” (a mina), so it likely means two half-minas. In North American coinage, it might read, “Half dollar, half dollar, cent, two bits (a quarter).” Hence, this may refer to the line of kings after Nebuchadnezzar: Evil-merodach and Neriglissar are each worth a mina, Labashi-Marduk is worth only a shekel, and Belshazzar and his father, Nabonidus, are worth half a mina each.

The words naming the weights and coins may also be read as verbs with similar sounds. Such plays on words are also found in prophetic writings, as in šaqed/šoqed (Jer. 1:11–12, “almond tree/ watching”) and in qayiṣ/qeṣ (Amos 8:1–2, “summer fruit/end”). In the form of a pun, mene brings to mind a verb meaning numbered. Tekel suggests a verb meaning weighed. Parsin relates to a verb meaning divided. In his interpretation, Daniel uses the perfect-tense forms of the verbs, thus giving the sense that God’s actions are already completed.

Based on the verb numbered, Daniel reiterates the common theme of God’s ultimate control of history: God raises up, God puts down. In God’s time clock, the days of Belshazzar’s kingdom are numbered, and God has brought it to an end. Based on the verb weighed, Daniel indicates that God has been evaluating Belshazzar’s performance and has found it lightweight. Based on the verb divided, Daniel announces that Belshazzar’s kingdom is ending by division between the Medes and Persians. In a further pun, parsin may also refer to Persia.

Interpretation Comes True

Daniel 5:29–31 ESV

29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Apparently Daniel’s interpretation makes sense to Belshazzar. Even though the interpretation offers him no hope, he proceeds to give Daniel the promised rewards. In light of his earlier protest, it is surprising that Daniel accepts them without any recorded protest.

Nebuchadnezzar repented of his pride and was restored. Belshazzar, however, does not repent. He gives no evidence of personal introspection nor of a desire to change his ways. When he meets Daniel, he simply parrots the queen’s statements about him. He reveals no appreciation for Nebuchadnezzar’s experience and does not defend himself in the face of Daniel’s indictments. Nor does the imminent judgment revealed in the mysterious words lead him to ask for mercy or for a time of grace. Belshazzar shakes in terror when the hand appears. But having heard the dreadful implications that the words imply for him personally, Belshazzar simply continues as before. He seems to believe in the protection of Bel and the efficacy of his gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

That very night, Belshazzar is slain. There is no verbal message to the nations. The event itself speaks loudly and clearly enough. Although not specifically noted, it is generally assumed that Belshazzar’s death comes with the capture of Babylon by the Medo-Persians. With the death of the monarch, the Neo-Babylonian empire comes to an end. The fall of Babylon has been foretold by the prophets. In Isaiah 21:9, the watcher announces, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground.”

According to the Cyrus Cylinder, “Without any battle [Marduk] enabled [Cyrus] to enter his city Babylon, sparing Babylon any calamity. He delivered into his hands Nabonidus, the king who did not worship him [Marduk]”. Nabonidus was the premier figure in the Nabonidus-Belshazzar coregency. There are other records, and the Babylonian Chronicle offers a more detailed and somewhat varied account. Nabonidus was arrested when he returned to Babylon after it welcomed the Medo-Persian army under Gubaru/ Ugbaru, governor of Gutium, in Media. The gods were soon returned to their sacred cities. Some reports say that the invaders diverted the Euphrates River so they could enter the city through the riverbed.

It is unfortunate that a chapter break occurs at this point in the English Bible. The historical note of verse 31 concerning receiving the kingdom and the ruler’s age should be tied to the king’s first administrative acts (6:1), as in the Hebrew Bible. This Darius the Mede is most plausibly Gubaru (Gobyras), who was about sixty-two years of age when he led the Medo-Persian army into Babylon. Under Cyrus, he was vice-regent for Babylon and Mesopotamia until he died eight months later. Some think Darius the Mede is a throne name for Cyrus, whose grandfather was a Mede, according to legend. In any case, having a Mede rule Babylon at this point fits prophecy that Media would conquer Babylon and the ancient idea that there would be a succession of four world empires, Assyria or Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece.

The story of Daniel and Belshazzar illustrates how spiritual insights can be forgotten. Nebuchadnezzar’s learnings about the Most High God seemed to be quickly lost, even though clearly recorded in his letter to all peoples, nations, and languages that live throughout the earth (4:1; cf. 4:2–3, 34–37) and presumably in the king’s annals (cf. Esther 6:1). Belshazzar seems unaware of the implications of Nebuchadnezzar’s learning: “The Most High God has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and sets over it whomever he will” (5:21). Consequently, Belshazzar does not walk humbly nor honor God. Instead, he exalts himself and profanes the sacred vessels taken from the temple of the Lord of heaven. When the handwriting appears on the wall, the terrified young regent is at his wits’ end.

The queen-mother is the one who remembers Daniel and comes to the banquet hall to tell Belshazzar about him. This Daniel, the queen adds, was made chief of the wise men by Nebuchadnezzar because he is endowed with a spirit of the holy gods. Daniel then reminds Belshazzar of Nebuchadnezzar’s painful experience and its meaning.

Teaching the decrees and commandments of God has always been taken seriously by the people of God (Deut. 6:1–3). In the OT, teaching was largely oriented around the home. The central issues of faith were to be taught diligently to children. Parents were to talk of them when in the house, traveling, going to bed, and arising (Deut. 6:4–9). The central religious festival, Passover, though observed in the Jerusalem temple, was also a home observance. Undoubtedly, the faithfulness of Daniel and his companions in Babylon had its roots in their home life before being taken captive.

Teaching in the church has continuity with that in Israel. As in Israel, parents are to rear their children in “the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). But the church encompasses considerable differences and is not an ethnic group. Entrance and participation in the church do not hinge on blood or background. Birth usually assures entrance into a biological family. New birth from above, however, signifies entrance into a new family, the family of God, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. While Paul clearly stresses responsibility for one’s biological family (1 Tim. 5:8), the new family of God is to take first place (Mark 3:32–35; Luke 14:26). Baptism symbolizes entrance into this new family, and communion celebrates the p 124 new covenant based on Christ which binds the family together.

The Gospels were written for congregations, and most of the NT letters were addressed to congregations. This suggests that Christian teaching takes the route from congregation to parents and children. Strong teaching in the congregation makes for strong families, and not the other way around, as commonly stated.

The congregation is essential for maintaining the faith from generation to generation (Dan. 4:3, 34). The congregation reviews the mighty acts of God when it meets to worship (1 Tim. 2:3–7). Congregations are to deal openly with moral issues and agonize about apostasy and backsliding (1 Tim. 1:6; 3:6; 4:3; 6:9; 2 Tim. 2:17–18; 4:3–4, 10). The most effective type of Christian education for children and youth is in observing believers who model discipleship and in observing the congregation. Members participate in discussions, testimonies, preaching, prayers, screening of volunteers, scrutiny of leaders, ministering to suffering, dealing with love of money, facing persecution, and exposing all that is false.

These activities not only teach but also evangelize, as persons long to be part of a group that cares, helps, and has purpose. The practical demonstration of what life can be like when persons live together in the love of Christ, is a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matt. 5:14). Such a community of believers is a springboard for God’s action in the whole world. God is doing his work for the church and through the church (Eph. 1:19–23; 2:9–10).

Indirectly, the story of Belshazzar provides a significant warning to the church. If the church fails to teach the knowledge of God, his works and ways, it may quickly be forgotten, and at great peril. If that occurs, the church will be unable to confront society and its power structures with a prophetic witness or to endure the opposition which such witness arouses.

Lederach, Paul M. 1994. Daniel. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press.