Daniel 5.8-Belshazzar's Wise Men Are Unable To Read Or Interpret The Inscription On The Wall
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday November 29, 2012
Daniel: Daniel 5:8-Belshazzar’s Wise Men Are Unable To Read Or Interpret The Inscription On The Wall
Lesson # 149
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 5:1.
Daniel 5:1 King Belshazzar threw an enormous banquet for a thousand of his nobles. He even drank wine excessively directly in front of the thousand. 2 Belshazzar issued an order while under the influence of the wine causing the gold and silver articles to be brought in which Nebuchadnezzar, his great-grandfather caused to be confiscated from the temple, which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king, his nobles as well as his wives and in addition his concubines could drink with them. 3 Therefore, the gold and silver articles were brought in, which were confiscated from the temple, which was God’s house, which was in Jerusalem so that the king, his nobles as well as his wives and in addition his concubines could drink with them. 4 They drank wine while they praised gods composed of gold as well as silver, bronze, iron, wood and in addition stone. 5 During this time, the fingers of a human hand appeared while writing on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, directly in front of the lampstand so that the king observed the palm of the hand which was writing. 6 Then the king, his countenance was changed for him. Also, his thoughts caused him to be terrified so that his hip joints gave way resulting in his knees knocking together, one against the other. 7 The king authoritatively shouted out an order for the purpose of causing the necromancers, astrologers as well as diviners to be brought in. He declared to the city of Babylon’s wise men, “Any person who can read aloud as well as can make known its interpretation to me will be clothed with a purple robe as well as a golden chain around his neck. Indeed, they will rule as third in the kingdom.” (My translation)
Daniel 5:8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. (NASB95)
“Then all the king’s wise men came in” is a result clause since the temporal adverb ʾěḏǎ∙yin, “then” is a marker of result meaning that it is introducing a statement which says that the wise men entered Belshazzar’s presence, which is the result of the statement in verse 7 that the king ordered them to do so.
This word does not show consecutive events in the narrative as is often the case in the book of Daniel (2:15, 17, 25, 35, 46, 48; 3:3, 24; 4:19) but rather it is a marker of result as it was used in Daniel 5:6.
If ʾěḏǎ∙yin means “then” marking consecutive events in the narrative, this would indicate that the wise men entering the king’s presence took place after the king spoke to the wise men.
This obviously does not make sense.
Some like Butler and Leupold attempt to resolve the problem by appealing to the participle form of the verb ʿǎlǎl as being progressive meaning “kept coming in” which would indicate the wise men did not come in as a corporate unit but individually until they were all assembled before the king.
However, it is better to interpret ʾěḏǎ∙yin as a marker of result marking the relationship between the first statement in verse 7, which says Belshazzar ordered his wise men to be brought into his presence and the first statement in verse 8 which says the wise men obeyed the king’s order.
The word is therefore, not marking the relationship between the king’s statement to the wise men at the end of verse 7 promising the wise men rewards if they can read and interpret the inscription and the statement in verse 8 that they entered his presence.
It would seem to make much better sense for Daniel to have placed the first statement in Daniel 5:8 that Belshazzar ordered the wise men to be brought in immediately after the first statement in Daniel 5:7 that Belshazzar ordered the wise men to be brought into his presence.
Then after telling the reader that the wise men entered the king’s presence, he could have presented what the king said to the wise men followed by the adversative clause in verse 8, which says that the wise men could not read or interpret the inscription.
However, he does not do this because in Daniel 5:7, Daniel wants to emphasize with the reader the purpose of Belshazzar’s order to bring the wise men to the banquet, which of course, was to read and interpret the inscription on the wall.
On the other hand, in Daniel 5:8, he wants to emphasize with the reader that the wise men could not meet the king’s request.
If Daniel put the statement in verse 8 that wise men came into the king’s presence after the first statement in verse 7 that he ordered the wise men to be brought to him, he would be emphasizing their obedience to the king’s command.
However, by structuring verse 7 as he does, Daniel emphasizes the purpose of the king’s order to bring the wise men into his presence which was to read and interpret the inscription
Also, by structuring verse 8 the way he does, he is emphasizing the inability of the wise men to meet the king’s request.
In other words, by structuring verses 7 and 8 as he does, Daniel is presupposing the obedience of the wise men’s to the king’s request to come into his presence.
There is no question about the wise men obeying the king’s order to come to him.
It is assumed they were obedient.
What is in question is whether or not the wise men can meet the king’s request to read and interpret the inscription.
“But they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king” stands in contrast to the statement at the end of verse 8, which records Belshazzar telling the wise men that if any of them could read and interpret the inscription for him, they would be clothed with a purple robe as well as a golden chain around his neck.
Indeed, they will rule as third in the kingdom.
Now, here in verse 8, the conjunction wa, “but” is introducing a statement which records that the wise men could not read or interpret the inscription and thus could not meet his urgent request.
Therefore, the contrast that this conjunction is marking is between the king requesting that the wise men read and interpret the inscription for him with the wise men’s inability to meet his request.
Daniel 5:8 Therefore, each and every one of the king’s wise men came in but they were totally unable to read or cause the interpretation to be made known to the king. (My translation)
Daniel 5:8 tells the reader that Belshazzar’s wise men were totally unable to read or interpret the dream.
We can understand why they couldn’t interpret but it seems strange that they could not read the inscription since it was written in Aramaic.
The wise men’s difficulty in reading the writing may have been that it was written in Aramaic script without the vowels being supplied.
However, if it was written in cuneiform, the vowels would have been included.
Daniel does not explain the difficulty in reading the writing on the wall, but the problem apparently was not that it was a strange language but rather what the words signified prophetically.
The vowels would be supplied in ordinary discourse.
However, in a cryptic statement such as found with this inscription the addition of vowels is a problem.
The inscription on the wall may have appeared like this, “MN’ MN’ TQL UPRSN.”
The order of the letters in the Aramaic, of course, would be the reverse of this, that is, from right to left.
Also, if, some unfamiliar form of these characters was used, it would indeed have required divine revelation to not only provide an interpretation for the inscription but also to read it.
This helps us to understand why Belshazzar requested that someone read the inscription for him.
The wise men could not interpret it since to receive the interpretation would require meeting four qualifications.
First, they would have to be a believer.
Secondly, they would have to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, they would have to be in fellowship with God.
Lastly, God the Holy Spirit must desire to give them the interpretation.
Daniel like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego met the first three qualifications.
The book of Daniel does not give us any indication that any of the wise men became a believer while they were under Daniel’s authority.
Although this does not mean none of them became believers in Yahweh.
The Holy Spirit chose to give the interpretation to Daniel and not his three friends or any of the wise men who might have become a believer because it was His sovereign will that this would be the case.
It was pleasing to the Spirit to give the interpretation to Daniel and to no one else.