Chapter V.

BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST.

VERSE 1. Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

The chief feature of interest pertaining to this chapter is the fact that it describes the closing scene of the Babylonish empire, the transition from the gold to the silver of the great image, and from the lion, to the bear of Daniel's vision in chapter 7. This feast is supposed by some to have been a stated annual festival, the anniversary of the conquest of Judea. On this account, Cyrus, who was then besieging Babylon, learned of its approach, and knew when to lay his plans for the overthrow of the city. Our translation reads that Belshazzar, having invited a thousand of his lords, drank before the thousand. Some translate it, "drank against the thousand," showing him, with all his other vile and contemptible propensities, to have been an enormous drinker.

VERSE 2. Belshazzar, while 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. 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. 4. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

That this festival had some reference to former victories over the Jews, may be inferred from the fact that the king, when he began to be heated with his wine, called for the sacred vessels which had been taken from Jerusalem. It would be most likely that, lost to a sense of all sacred things, he would use them to celebrate the victory by which they were obtained. No other king, probably, had carried his impiety to such a height as this. And while they drank wine from vessels dedicated to the true God, they praised their gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. Perhaps, as noticed on chap. 3. 29, they celebrated the superior power of their gods over the God of the Jews, from whose vessels they now drank to their heathen deities.

VERSE 5. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 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. 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 show 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. 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. 9. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.

No flashes of supernatural light, no deafening peals of thunder announced the interference of God in their impious revelries. A hand silently appeared tracing mystic characters upon the wall. It wrote over against the candlestick. In the light of their own lamp they saw it. Terror seized upon the king; for his conscience accused him. Although he could not read the writing, he knew it was no message of peace and blessing that was traced in glittering characters upon his palace wall. And the description the prophet gives of the effects of the king's fear cannot be excelled in any particular. The king's countenance was changed, his heart failed him, pain seized him, and so violent was his trembling, that his knees smote one against another. He forgot his boasting and revelry; he forgot his dignity; and he cried aloud for his astrologers and soothsayers to solve the meaning of the terrible apparition.

VERSE 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 forever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed. 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; 12; Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing 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 show the interpretation. 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? 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. 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 show the interpretation of the thing. 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.

It seems that the knowledge of Daniel had been lost from the court and palace. As in the case of the Israelites in Egypt, a king rose who knew not Joseph, so in this case, Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by kings that knew not Daniel. The queen who came in and made known to the king that there was such a person in his kingdom, is supposed to have been the widow of Nebuchadnezzar, in whose memory the wonderful part Daniel had acted in his reign, was still fresh and vivid. Nebuchadnezzar is here called Belshazzar's father according to the usage common in those times of calling any paternal ancestor, father, and any male descendant,

son.

Nebuchadnezzar was really his grandfather. Daniel was brought in, and the king inquired if he was the Daniel who was of the children of the captivity of Judah. This captivity was the great subject of that occasion; and thus acute was the vengeance God was about to take on the king; that is, that while they were celebrating their victory over the Jews, and drinking from the sacred vessels then taken, God so orders that at that moment they become paralyzed with terror, and one of those very captives has to be called in to pronounce the merited dooin their wicked course. upon

VERSE 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. 18. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor. 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. 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. 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. 22. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; 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