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Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Daniel 5:23

Gods of silver... — Comp. Deuteronomy 4:28. Belshazzar had exceeded those limits of authority over Israel which he had by right of conquest. The Israelites were, indeed, his subjects, but he had no right to blaspheme their God. For similar instances of men exceeding the limits of their authority while acting as ministers of God’s chastisement, see Isaiah 10:5; Jeremiah 51:20; Hosea 14:5.

Not glorified — i.e., dishonoured.

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See also Daniel 5:23 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse 23. _BUT HAST LIFTED UP THYSELF AGAINST THE LORD_] And the highest evidence of this rebellion was, the profaning the sacred vessels of the Lord's house....

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    BUT HAST LIFTED UP THYSELF AGAINST THE LORD OF HEAVEN - The God who had so signally rebuked and humbled Nebuchadnezzar. The monarch had done this, it would seem, during the whole of his reign, and now...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 5 BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST _ 1. Belshazzar's licentious feast (Daniel 5:1)_ 2. The writing on the wall (Daniel 5:5) 3. Forgotten Daniel (Daniel 5:10) 4. The message of Daniel ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    DANIEL 5. Belshazzar, who is represented as king of Babylon, makes a great feast, using the vessels which his father had brought to Babylon from the Temple at Jerusalem. During the feast the fingers o...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    THE LORD. Chaldee. _mare._ The equivalent for the Hebrew Adonai. App-4. Compare _Maran_ in " _Maranatha_ " (1 Corinthians 16:22). WHICH SEE NOT, &C. Compare Psalms 115:4; Psalms 135:

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Before interpreting the writing Daniel reads the king a lesson. Nebuchadnezzar's pride, combined with his refusal to recognize the sovereignty of the true God, had brought upon him a bitter humiliatio...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    But Belshazzar, in spite of the warning afforded by Nebuchadnezzar's fate, has sinned still more deeply, and by wanton sacrilege has deliberately defied the God of heaven....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _and they have brought_, &c. See Daniel 5:2. _which see not, nor hear, nor know_ Cf. Deuteronomy 4:28; Psalms 115:5-6;...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 1128 BELSHAZZAR’S IMPIETY AND OURS COMPARED Daniel 5:23. _The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified_. WHEN we look around us, and see what in...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    c. TRANSGRESSION TEXT: Daniel 5:17-23 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the writing unto the k...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    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 thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST Belshazzar, king of Babylon, holds a great feast, at which he profanely uses the sacred vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple at Jerusalem (Daniel 5:1). He is terrified at...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE MEN WHO WERE LOYAL TO GOD DANIEL _ROBERT BRYCE_ CHAPTER 5 V1 King Belshazzar had a big party. He invited a thousand important people and he drank wine with them. V2 As Belshazzar drank wine,...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וְ עַ֣ל מָרֵֽא ־שְׁמַיָּ֣א ׀ הִתְרֹומַ֡מְתָּ וּ...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE FIERY INSCRIPTION IN this chapter again we have another magnificent fresco-picture, intended, as was the last-but under circumstances of aggravated guilt and more terrible menace-to teach the les...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    WEIGHED AND FOUND WANTING Daniel 5:17-31 Daniel was unperturbed and undismayed. Calm and collected, he recognized his Father's handwriting, and read it, as the instructed may decipher a scroll which...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The next scene is cast in the reign of Belshazzar. He had succeeded to the throne of his father, and was a man of profligate habits. No details are given of his reign, but a graphic picture is set bef...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Vessels. Only part had been returned to Sedecias: (Chap. i. 2.) but they were taken again, and kept in the palace, or in the temple of Bel. (Haydock) --- Breath, or soul. (Genesis ii. 7.) (Calmet)_...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Who but must admire the faithfulness and honesty of Daniel. And who but must bless the Lord for making him so! It was now many a year since Daniel was first brought before the king on such an occasion...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _FAILURE TO GLORIFY GOD_ ‘The God in Whose hand thy breath is, and Whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.’ Daniel 5:23 Such, in one single sentence, brief, pregnant, inexorable, is the su...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    The Prophet continues his own sentence, and confirms what I have said, namely, King Belshazzar was intractable and willfully blind to God’s judgment. _For thou hast raised thyself, _says he, _against...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    In chapter 5 the iniquity of the head of the Gentiles with respect to the God of Israel reaches the highest point, and assumes that character of insolence and contempt which is but the effort of weakn...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    BUT HAST LIFTED UP THYSELF AGAINST THE LORD OF HEAVEN,.... Who made it, and dwells in it; from whence he beholds all the actions of the children of men, and will bring them to an account for them; and...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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 thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _But when his heart was lifted up_ The expressions here have a peculiar force, in marking the haughty insolence of King Nebuchadnezzar. His authority, as mentioned in the last verse, had been raised t...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven, in blasphemous pride; AND THEY HAVE BROUGHT THE VESSELS OF HIS HOUSE, of the Temple of Jehovah, the one true God, BEFORE THEE, AND THOU AND THY L...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE INTERPRETATION AND THE FULFILMENT...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    18-31 Daniel reads Belshazzar's doom. He had not taken warning by the judgments upon Nebuchadnezzar. And he had insulted God. Sinners are pleased with gods that neither see, nor hear, nor know; but t...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    He instanceth in three or four things. 1. They have brought the vessels of his house before thee to drink wine in them, to profane them in your idolatrous feast, and ye have all polluted them with yo...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Daniel 5:23 lifted H7313 (H8712) against H5922 Lord H4756 heaven H8065 brought H858 (H8684) vessels H3984 house...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    “And you his descendant, O Belshazzar, you have not humbled your heart; though you knew all this. But you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven, and they have brought the vessels of his h...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Daniel 5:1 I. Belshazzar's feast was characterised by great intemperance. II. It was characterised by great profanity. III. This night was one of supernatural visitation. IV. This was a night of t...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Daniel's personal history under Belshazzar and Darius. The pride of Belshazzar and his downfall. The writing on the wall. Its interpretation and fulfillment. CHARACTERS: God, Belshazzar, Qu...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Daniel 5:2. _Belshazzar his father Nebuchadnezzar._ Belshazzar was the son of Evilmerodach, and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. The empire therefore falling at this time, fulfilled the prophecy, that all...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _And the God in whose hand thy breath is._ Providence, when it pleases, can soon humble the haughtiest, and alarm the boldest sinner. I. Let us CONSIDER THE ACCOUNT GIVEN OF OUR DEPENDENCE UPON GOD:...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this._ THE PROPHET’S INDICTMENT It included three counts. 1. The teaching of God had been disregarded. The sovereignty of Nebuchadnezzar had b...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    DANIEL—NOTE ON DANIEL 5:1 Daniel explains to Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, that the writing on the wall is a message that the true God rules over all. In his own time, this true God will vindi...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    DANIEL—NOTE ON DANIEL 5:13 Daniel alone is able to decipher the writing on the wall. It is a message from the true God, telling of the end of the Babylonian Empire. ⇐...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    DANIEL—NOTE ON DANIEL 5:23 Belshazzar knew of Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling, yet he LIFTED himself UP... AGAINST THE LORD OF HEAVEN by using the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple for an idolatrous...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _HOMILETICS_ SECT. XVII.—BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST (Chap. 5.) This chapter deservedly a favourite with general readers [126]. The magnificence, excitement, and revelry of the royal feast; the profligate kin...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION DANIEL 5:1 BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST. In regard to this chapter the peculiar state of the Septuagint text has to be noted. At the beginning of the chapter there are three verses which seem to be...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Shall we turn now in our Bible to Daniel, chapter 5. Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousands (Daniel 5:1). There are men who call themse...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Corinthians 8:4; 1 Samuel 5:1; 1 Timothy 3:6; 2 Kings 14:10; Act

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