Daniel 5:7

The king cried aloud to bring the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers.

He cries for the men whose business it is to interpret omens, dreams, and to foretell the future. The astrologers are those who read fates in the stars, by casting the horoscope and finding the stars that rule the birth. On the plains of Mesopotamia astronomy was first studied and the first use was to predict events by the stars. The Chaldeans were the same as the magicians,. class of enchanters and diviners. Balaam may be accepted as. representative of this class. The soothsayers. Another class of diviners who relied upon various matters, such as the flight of birds, the moon, the entrails of slain birds, thunder, etc., to enable them to interpret omens. All these classes were called that out of so large. counsel, the king might receive some light.

Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation.

This language makes it evident that even the characters were unknown. It is idle to speculate whether they were Hebrew or of some other language. It is certain they were unknown to the king, his lords and to his learned men.

Shall be clothed in scarlet.

The great anxiety of the king leads him to offer. magnificent reward. The man who reads and interprets shall be clad in, not scarlet, but purple, as given in the margin, the princely color, shall have. chain of gold,. mark also of rank and authority. See Genesis 41:42.

And shall be made third ruler of the kingdom.

There has been much discussion why the successful candidate should be made third instead of second ruler. The discovery of Sir Henry Rawlinson, mentioned in the Introduction, makes all clear. The father of Belshazzar, Nabonedus, was first king, but besieged at Borsippa; Belshazzar, associated with his father in the monarchy, stood second, and the one thus honored would be third in rank.