Daniel 5:1

Daniel 5:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
• New International Version (NIV)King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them.
• English Standard Version (ESV)King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand.

Context of Daniel 5:1

Belshazzar the king [who was a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar] gave a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking his wine in the presence of the thousand [guests]. 2Belshazzar, as he tasted the wine, gave a command to bring in the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3Then they brought in the gold and silver vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.

Daniel 5:1 word by word

בֵּלְשַׁאצַּ֣ר מַלְכָּ֗א עֲבַד֙ לְחֶ֣ם רַ֔ב לְרַבְרְבָנ֖וֹהִי אֲלַ֑ף וְלָקֳבֵ֥ל אַלְפָּ֖א חַמְרָ֥א שָׁתֵֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Belshazzarבֵּֽלְאשַׁצַּר, בֵּלְשַׁאצַּרbêlsha'tstsar · BelshazzarH1113
• the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4430
• madeעֲבַד‛ăbad · to makeH5648
• a greatרַבrab · greatH7229
• feastלְחֵםlechem · feastH3900
• to a thousandאֲלַ֑ף'ălaph 'eleph · thousandH506
• of his lordsרַבְרְבָןrabrebân · nobleH7261
• and drankשְׁתָהshethâh · to drinkH8355
• wineחֲמַרchămar · wineH2562
• beforeקֳבֵלqebêl qŏbêl · beforeH6903

Cross-references for Daniel 5:1

• Genesis 40:20Now on the third day, [which was] the Pharaoh’s birthday, he [released the two men from prison and] made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker [that is, presented them in public] among his servants.
• Esther 1:3in the third year of his reign he held a banquet for all his officials and his attendants. The army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the officials of the provinces were there in his presence.
• Isaiah 21:4My mind reels, horror overwhelms me; The twilight I longed for has been turned into fear and trembling for me.
• Isaiah 22:12Therefore in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping, to mourning, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth [in humiliation].
• Jeremiah 51:39When they are inflamed [with wine and lust during their drinking bouts], I will prepare them a feast [of My wrath] And make them drunk, that they may rejoice And may sleep a perpetual sleep And not wake up,” declares the Lord.
• Nahum 1:10Like tangled thorn branches [gathered for fuel], And like those drowned in drunkenness, The people of Nineveh are consumed [through fire] Like stubble completely withered and dry [in the day of the Lord’s wrath].
• Mark 6:21But an opportune time [finally] came [for Herodias]. Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his officials (nobles, courtiers) and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

Commentaries on Daniel 5:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Belshazzar the king made a great feast - This chapter is out of its place, and should come in after the seventh and eighth. There are difficulties in the chronology. After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-merodach his son ascended the throne of Babylon. Having reigned about two years, he was slain by his brother-in-law, Neriglissar. He reigned four years, and was succeeded by his son Laborosoarchod, who reigned only nine months. At his death Belshazzar…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Belshazzar the king - See Introduction to the chapter, Section II. In the Introduction to the chapter here referred to, I have stated what seemed to be necessary in order to illustrate the history of Belshazzar, so far as that can be now known. The statements in regard to this monarch, it is well understood, are exceedingly confused, and the task of reconciling them is now hopeless. Little depends, however, in the interpretation of this book, on the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Belshazzar's impious feast; the hand-writing on the wall. (Dn 5:1-9) Daniel is sent for to interpret it. (Dn 5:10-17) Daniel warns the king of his destruction. (Dn 5:18-31) Verses 1-9 Belshazzar bade defiance to the judgments of God. Most historians consider that Cyrus then besieged Babylon. Security and sensuality are sad proofs of approaching ruin. That mirth is sinful indeed, which profanes sacred things; and what are many of the songs used at modern…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Later: This chapter begins with events that took place in October 539 BC (see study note on Daniel 5:30). The name Belshazzar means “Bel Protects [the King].” Bel was a Babylonian god. Nabonidus, who ruled from 556 to 539 BC, placed his son Belshazzar on the Babylonian throne around 553 BC to rule in his place. Nabonidus then moved to Tema in northwest Arabia, where he stayed for ten years. He returned to Babylon only in a failed attempt to resist the…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-311. Belshazzar--Rawlinson, from the Assyrian inscriptions, has explained the seeming discrepancy between Daniel and the heathen historians of Babylon, Berosus and Abydenus, who say the last king (Nabonidus) surrendered in Borsippa, after Babylon was taken, and had an honorable abode in Caramania assigned to him. Belshazzar was joint king with his father (called Minus in the inscriptions), but subordinate to him; hence the Babylonian account suppresses the…Read the comment

Topics related to Daniel 5:1

• Belshazzar
• Drunkenness
• Feasts
• Gluttony
• Happiness
• King
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Belshazzar
• Gift
• Light
• Loose
• Wine
• Aramaic; Aramaic Language
• Baltasar
• Baruch, Book of
• Bible, the
• Cyrus

Commentaries on Daniel 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings