Daniel 5:7

Geneva Study Bible - Daniel 5:7

5:7 The king cried aloud to bring in {g} 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.(g) Thus the wicked in their troubles seek many means, which draw them from God, because they do not seek for him who is the only comfort in all... read more

James Gray

James Gray's Concise Bible Commentary - Daniel 5:1-31

FROM NEBUCHADNEZZAR TO CYRUS The effect of the interpretation of his dream on Nebuchadnezzar is the inflation of his pride. To be sure, he was grateful to Daniel (Daniel 2:46-49 ), to whom he offered worship, although the latter rejected it no doubt, as did Paul later (Acts 14:11-18 ). His apprehension of Daniel’s God, however, is yet only as one amongst the national or tribal gods, although greater than they. This is clear from what follows in Daniel 3:1-7 , which is an attempt “to unify... read more

Joseph Parker

The People's Bible by Joseph Parker - Daniel 5:1-31

The Hand At the Feast Daniel 5:0 This reads like a torrent king, and feast, and great feast, and lords a thousand strong, and wine-drinking worthy of the occasion. That is the beginning. If it were a piece of music the last note would be as the first; whether it be another note, we must wait a while to know: it will be a grand note, whether harmonious and sympathetic with the beginning we shall see. There was no harm in making a great feast to a thousand lords. Many persons are content to stop... read more

Robert Hawker

Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary - Daniel 5:5-9

Behold, Reader! on what a slender thread the happiness of man hangs, when in a moment the appearance on a wall can snap it asunder! What was it so alarmed the reveling prince, and his drunken lords? Simply the view of a man's hand, writing on the wall! But what did he write! In truth, none of the company could tell, for none of them could read it. But what none of them could do, conscience did for them. Belshazzar felt the whole of the evil before it was explained; and more than anticipated... read more

George Haydock

George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary - Daniel 5:7

Purple. This and the chain were reserved for the highest nobility. --- Third, or one of the three great officers. (Chap. vi. 1. and 2 Kings xxiii. 8. 19.) read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 5:1-9

1-9 Belshazzar bade defiance to the judgments of God. Most historians consider that Cyrus then besieged Babylon. Security and sensuality are sad proofs of approaching ruin. That mirth is sinful indeed, which profanes sacred things; and what are many of the songs used at modern feasts better than the praises sung by the heathens to their gods! See how God struck terror upon Belshazzar and his lords. God's written word is enough to put the proudest, boldest sinner in a fright. What we see of God,... read more

Frank Binford Hole

F. B. Hole's Old and New Testament Commentary - Daniel 5:1-99

Daniel 5 THE PERIOD OF Babylonian supremacy was comparatively brief, and the 'head of gold' had to give place to the 'breast and arms of silver.' As we begin to read chapter 5, we find ourselves transported to the last hours of that period. The great city was still marked by scenes of wealth and much voluptuous splendour. Years ago, learned critics claimed that the Book of Daniel was largely legendary and written several centuries after the events it related. Belshazzar, they regarded as an... read more

Paul E. Kretzmann

The Popular Commentary by Paul E. Kretzmann - Daniel 5:1-16

The Feast and the Handwriting. v. 1. Belshazzar, the king, the son of Nabonidus, either natural or adopted, and coregent with him, apparently the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, made a great feast to a thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand, the banquet becoming a drunken orgy. He was in command of the capital at that time and excelled in most of the vices for which Oriental rulers were known. v. 2. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, sitting before them on a platform or... read more

Johann Peter Lange

Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal and Homiletical - Daniel 5:1-31

5. Belshazzar’s feast, and Daniel’s foreshadowing of the downfall of the Chaldœan Empire, based upon the mysterious handwriting on the wallDaniel 5:1-301Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank 2wine1 before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tested [in the taste of] the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father2 Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that [and] the king and his princes [lords], his... read more

Frederick Brotherton Meyer

F.B. Meyer's 'Through the Bible' Commentary - Daniel 5:1-16

the Handwriting on the Wall Daniel 5:1-16 The name of Belshazzar has been deciphered in inscriptions found at Babylon, from which it is inferred that he was associated with his father in the kingdom, and was left to defend Babylon. He was therefore a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, the word “father,” Daniel 5:11 , being used in the sense of “ancestor.” The great walls of the banqueting hall covered with sculptures and sumptuous decorations; the tablets covered by cuneiform descriptions of the... read more