DANIEL SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 5.24

Gleanings from the Book of Daniel:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

DANIEL

Chapter Five

The Feast of Belshazzar

The Handwriting on the Wall

The Fall of Babylon

 

 

Introduction

Soon into the evening of Belshazzar's Ball, out of nowhere, the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote a mysterious inscription on the plastered wall behind the grand table where Belshazzar was seated.

 

Frightened out of his drunken stupor, the King called for his soothsayers to translate the message, but to no avail. Nebuchadnezzar’s wife, the Queen, brought to mind a captive Jew gifted in the interpretation of dreams. Using his God-given gift, Daniel advanced to a high-ranking position in the government of Nebuchadnezzar. After hearing this, Belshazzar summoned Daniel to interpret the handwriting.

 

 

1. The Feast of Belshazzar (v. 1)

2. The Folly of Belshazzar (Vv. 2-4)

3. The Furor of God (v. 5)

4. The Fear of Belshazzar (Vv. 6-9)

5. The Fame of Daniel (Vv. 10-16)

6. The Faithfulness of Daniel (Vv. 17-23)

7. The Finger of God (Vv. 24-25)

(Verse 24)

 

Then was the part of the hand sent from Him; and this writing was written.

 

After concluding the history of his relationship with Belshazzar's grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, he told the King, the writing was from the God he had blasphemed.  Thenceforth, Daniel began to decipher its words.

 

 

(Verse 25)

 

And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

 

The message was brief, only four words. Unless Daniel rendered the words, it was impossible to understand. To that end, the phrase would seal the fate of Babylon.

 

It was common in the written form for the Aramaic language to use only consonants, not vowels. As such, MN, MN, TKL, and UPRSN would have been in view. These are all nouns. However, when Daniel explained, they became verbs – Verbs that reference ancient weights and measures.

 

 

8. The Forewarning of Daniel (Vv. 26-28)

(Verse 26)

 

This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

 

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

MENE is the first word meaning counted out, numbered, or measured. According to His standards, God had numbered the days of his kingdom and brought them to an end. So too, the word MENE is reiterated simply for the sake of emphasis.

 

 

(Verse 27)

 

TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

 

TEKEL simply means weighed. Belshazzar’s sacrilegious acts had been carefully weighed on God’s balanced scales of justice and were found wanting or deficient.

 

God uses His divine scales in various situations. Three examples may provide some insight, and are thus illustrated:

1. In answering her petition, Hannah joyfully praised God with a prayer of thanksgiving:

1 Samuel 2:3 - Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

 

2. Job besought God to consider his integrity, and vindicate him from his friends who condemned him:

Job 31:6 - Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.

 

3. One may be blind to their faults, but God knows the intents and motives of a person’s heart:

Proverbs 16:2 - All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

 

 

(Verse 28)

 

PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

 

PERES is the root word and singular form of PHARSIN, and U in UPHARSIN (v. 25) is noted as a conjunction. Its rendering is, to split up, halved, division, or break in two. The verb means “to be divided.” So, Belshazzar’s reign and Babylon (The Head of Gold) had come to an end. The Kingdom will be divided or separated and given over to the Medes and Persians, i.e., the chest and arms of silver in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (cf. 2:32b, 39a).

 

 

(Verse 29)

 

Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

 

Daniel’s interpretation of the handwriting must have profoundly disturbed Belshazzar to the point where he hastily elevated him on the spot. Belshazzar had made good on his promises of royal garments, a golden chain, and promotion to the third ruler of the Kingdom (cf. Vv.7, 16).

 

Ironically, the King’s promises would be short-lived and meaningless, since the honour would have lasted only a few hours. Perhaps that is the reason Daniel was disinterested in accepting the gifts in the first place (cf. v. 17).

 

 

(Verse 30)

 

In that [very] night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.

 

The Judgment of Babylon

(A Night to Remember)

Simultaneously, while Belshazzar and all his drunken companions were partying in the palace ballroom, the Medo-Persian army had breached the city walls. It is reported the soldiers entered the hall and slaughtered the King and all the attendees.

 

The Babylonian Chronicles state that they headed straight for the platform where Belshazzar was sitting, and slew him while Daniel was standing there watching. This event took place on the sixteenth day of Tishri (Between October 11 to 13) 539 B.C.

 

Notoriously called “The Glory of Kingdoms, the Beauty of the Chaldees, as well as the city of sin, evil, and idolatry, great Babylon, had fallen.    

 

Histories (paraphrased)

(One of the most ingenious military tactics in history)

Greek historian Herodotus reports that Cyrus the Persian was so intent on conquering Babylon that after besieging the City for several months, he realized two things:

1. The walls were too high (200 – 3000 feet)

a.  He couldn’t scale the walls

2. The walls were too thick (87 feet)

a.  He couldn’t break through the walls

So, he devised an alternative plan to go under the walls. He noticed the Euphrates River ran under the walls of the City. So, he planned to divert the river away from the city. Cyrus then stationed half of his special forces where the River entered the City and the other half where the River exited the City.

 

Then, Cyrus had his army corps of engineers dig a huge canal from the Euphrates River into a lake, which was previously a huge swamp area. When the water level receded, the soldiers marched on the riverbed underneath the front and back entrances of the walls. Coincidentally, the huge brazen city gates were left unguarded, and open that night where the river flowed through.

 

The residents, long after the center portion of the City where the King’s palace stood, knew nothing of what was occurring. But, the party continued with its reveling, drinking, and dancing until the city of Babylon was taken without any resistance (see also, Revelation Simplified Study 17.5a).

 

One poet elucidated the event this way:

            That night they slew him on his father’s throne,

              The deed unnoticed and the hand unknown:

                Crownless and sceptreless Belshazzar lay,

                  A robe of purple round a form of clay.

[Arnold, Edwin. Political Works. Boston. Roberts Brothers, 1889. p.170.]

 

Prophecy

Josephus reports, when Daniel was about 85 years of age, he approached Cyrus as he was riding into the City, and read to him a Bible passage written 150 years before he was born. Daniel said This is for you:

 

That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be [re] built; and to the Temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. (Isaiah 44:27-45:1-3)

 

At that point, Cyrus supposedly dismounted from his horse and fell on his knees before Daniel. Overwhelmed by what he had read, Cyrus did not destroy the City and allowed the captives of Israel to return to their land, and rebuild Jerusalem, and the Temple.

 

Post Note

The Medes were governed under Cyrus the Great, and the Persians under Darius the Great. They concurrently reigned. However, at age 62, Darius I Hystaspes, subordinate to Cyrus, became the monarch of Babylon.  

 

Daniel 6 begins a new era in the life of Daniel. Once again he faced a tremendous trial. Examine the extraordinary narrative of how Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, next.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   How did Belshazzar receive the writing on the wall?

2.   What was written on the wall?

3.   What was the interpretation of the writing?

4.   What was Daniel’s reward?

5.   What happened that very night?

6.   What was Cyrus’ strategy?

7.   Who succeeded Belshazzar?

 

 

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