Daniel 5:7 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Daniel 5:7

Comments

Belshazzar ‘cried aloud’ – the Aramaic says he cried with strength, that is, with all his might. He is frightened at this supernatural visitation, and fear has made him lose control of his bodily coordination. He turns to his own wise men first. For although he is frightened, he would rather give credit to them than to the God who provided answers to Nebuchadnezzar. They are to bring in the customary list of wise men that we have seen before in the Book of Daniel – ‘the astrologers, Chaldeans, soothsayers.’ They were all Chaldeans of course, but here ‘the Chaldeans’ is used as a term for a particular school of wise men and philosophers, and in they come. The king could not read the writing. This is a point of debate. What was the writing? What language was it in? Some say it was ancient Phoenician. That is a guess of course; it is not clear how they would arrive at that conclusion. Others say it was a form of old Babylonian that only a very considerable scholar would still be familiar with. Others say, no it was ordinary Chaldean that was written – which it was of course – but God just blinded them in some way. He so worked that they couldn't read it, they couldn't make it out until Daniel explained it. So we really don’t know whether it was by God's act that they were unable to read it, or whether it was in a script that wasn't readable, but the words which Daniel reads are perfectly familiar ones. Belshazzar is a pitiful man, so vulnerable, so weak. Just before he had been boasting childishly of his prowess. Now he is trembling, scared, no longer troubling to protect his dignity or self-composure. Desperate to get an answer, he will give away all.

Application

Who do we turn to in our greatest moments of fear? Belshazzar was faced with this supernatural visitation. In such moments men seek comfort from knowing that there is at least someone on earth who understands what has happened. They are ready to give away much in order to get help, because a glimpse of the supernatural fills the soul with such dread, and anything is better than to have it unanswered. Men find comfort in each other in the face of death and in the face of eternity, but they know in their hearts that their fellow man is no more able to cope with these things than they are. It is an act of deliberate self-deception. For the unbeliever there is in all such encounters a sense that they face unparalleled danger; that God is not pleased with them, and that they face him as their judge. But the king is desperate for an answer; even the worst of news was going to be a relief to him.

Questions

The king then makes this extravagant promise. He offers an unparalleled reward to the one who interprets the writing on the wall. But it seems a surprising reward to offer. Why was the interpreter offered the third place in the kingdom, and not the second? Who would occupy the second place? The Scripture simply gives us the facts, and to many this seemed unexplained and unlikely. But, as noted in the introduction, the explanation readily came forth from archaeological investigation. Belshazzar was the acting king, but his father Nabonidus was still alive. Nabonidus was more concerned with religious matters and left the task of ruling to his son. This is confirmed by various Babylonian tablets held by the British Museum. The interpreter of the writing was being offered the highest place available in the land: after Nabonidus and Belshazzar, he would be the third ruler in the land.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Daniel 5:7 Commentary and Bible Study