Daniel 5:8-16

b. TURMOIL

TEXT: Daniel 5:8-16

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.

9

Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were perplexed.

10

Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever; 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, were found in him; and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

12

forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of dark 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. The king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, who art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?

14

I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in thee.

15

And now the wise men, the enchanters, 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

But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

QUERIES

a.

Is this change in the king's countenance a second change?

b.

Who is the queen and why was she not in the banquet at the start?

c.

What was third ruler in the kingdom?

PARAPHRASE

And as the wise men kept coming in and were finally all assembled, it was found that none of them could interpret the writing inscribed on the wall or tell the king what it meant. The king grew more and more hysterical; his face reflected the terror he felt, and his officers, too, were shaken. But when the queen-mother heard what was happening, she rushed to the banquet hall and said to Belshazzar, Pull yourself together and try to be calm, your Majesty; don-'t be so pale and frightened over this. There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods within him. In the days of your forefather, king Nebuchadnezzar, this man was found to be as full of wisdom, insight and understanding as if he had the very spirit of the gods in him. And in the reign of your forefather Nebuchadnezzar he was made chief of all the magicians, astrologers, wise-men and soothsayers of Babylon. Call for this man, Danielor Belteshazzar, as the king called himfor his mind is filled with superhuman knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, solve riddles and solve knotty problems. He will tell you what the writing means. So Daniel was rushed in to see the king. The king said, So you are Daniel! You are the Daniel that my forefather, king Nebuchadnezzar, brought from Judah as a captive of war! Well, I have been reminded that you manifest the spirit of the holy gods within you by the insight, enlightenment and extraordinary wisdom you displayed during Nebuchadnezzar's reign. These wisemen, soothsayers and enchanters of mine were assembled to interpret for me this handwriting on the wall, but they are not able to do so. I have been informed that you are able to give interpretations and solve knotty problems. If you are able to make the interpretation of this handwriting known to me, I will clothe you in a robe of purple and put a golden chain of authority about your neck and elevate you to the position of talti in the kingdom.

COMMENT

Daniel 5:8-9 THEN CAME IN ALL THE KING'S WISE MEN. The original language indicates that the wise men did not all come in at once in one body but kept coming in until finally, when they were all assembled, it was found that not one could offer the least bit of help. Why the wise-men could not interpret these characters on the wall we shall deal with in Daniel 5:24-28. Suffice it now to say the king was filled with consternation at not knowing their meaning.

It became evident to Belshazzar that the terrifying frustration of not being able to know what was written would not be solved by the mighty brain-trust of Babylon (all its wise men together). He grew very nearly hysterical and his countenance reflected his terror. Staring into the face of this august body of wise men he recognized that they, too, were as much at a loss as he was to calm his fears for they were seized with perplexity also.

Daniel 5:10-12 NOW THE QUEEN. CAME. AND SAID. THERE IS A MAN. Undoubtedly the queen mother was the widow of Nebuchadnezzar, because she was so familiar with past events concerning the relationship of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, Queen mothers held a very significant position in ancient oriental courtseven more authoritative than that of the reigning queen. She entered the banquet hall of her own accord and without pausing to obtain permission of the monarch. Leupold suggests she had absented herself from this banquet in moral protest against the profligacy and indifference to duties of defense by Belshazzar. Whatever her reason for being absent it is evident that the reason for her coming to the banquet hall is to bring some calm reason and valuable information to this play-boy despot who was coming unglued. The queen mother had probably received a report from someone at court that the situation was critical, and, in view of the fact that the Medes and Persians were camped outside the great city, someone was going to have to take the hysterical king in hand and bring the head of the government to his senses.

Boutflower says of the queen, She was not the mother of Nabonidus. That lady, as we learn from the Annalistic Tablet, died in the camp at Sippara in the ninth year of Nabonidus. But since she appears in Daniel 5, in the character of queen-mother, and speaks with remarkable dignity and self-possession, it is reasonable to suppose that she was the widow of Nebuchadnezzar, whom Nabonidus had married, and whonow that her husband was a prisoner in the hands of the enemyhad assumed the post of queen-mother.

The queen speaks to Belshazzar of Daniel as if Belshazzar should have remembered this prophet. She informs the emperor that Daniel had had a very close and significant relationship to Nebuchadnezzar. She informs the king of the belief that the spirit of the gods resided in Daniel, and that the king's grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, had promoted Daniel to chief of the magicians. In other words, the queen is informing Belshazzar that Nebuchadnezzar had put this wise man Daniel thoroughly to the test and he had demonstrated supernatural knowledge, discernment and ability to solve knotty matters, which is the literal meaning of dissolving of doubts. The queen's advice is that Daniel be called to solve this knotty problem.

Daniel 5:13-16. ART THOU THAT DANIEL. I HAVE HEARD OF THEE. THAT THOU CANST GIVE INTERPRETATIONS. There is no indication in the original language that the statement of the king is interrogative. Even if it is a question, it is only rhetorical, for the king apparently did not expect an answer, since he proceeds with his request immediately. The king may have made a simple declaration with a tone of surprise, So you are that Daniel about whom I have heard. Belshazzar may even have heard of Daniel long before this but indulging himself in profligacy and frivolity, had never taken the trouble to consult him. It is noteworthy that Belshazzar, in spite of all his indifference to administration of the city and his indulgence in riotous living, did not forget all the details of his grandfather's military history.

The remainder of Belshazzar's speech is verbatim quotation of the queen's speech, except the promise of reward. Since all his own wisemen had failed, the king was now willing to reward this Hebrew if he could tell him the interpretation of the words on the wall.
Thanks to the excavations of Koldewey, not only has the throne-room of the Neo-Babylonian kings been discovered, but the doubly-recessed niche opposite the central entrance, which marks the spot where the throne must have stood, and precisely where the conscience-stricken Belshazzar must have sat!

QUIZ

1.

Describe the confusion and consternation of Belshazzar and his wise men.

2.

Who was the queen, and why was she not at the banquet?

3.

Why did the queen come to the feast at this particular time?

4.

What was her advice to Belshazzar and why?

5.

What sort of archaeological evidence do we have concerning this event?