God’s Word Translation
Daniel 5:20
20But when he became so arrogant and conceited that he became overconfident, he was removed from the royal throne. His honor was taken away from him.
Daniel 5:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
- New International Version (NIV)But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.
Context of Daniel 5:20
18“Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, might, honor, and glory. 19People from every province, nation, and language trembled and were terrified by him, because God gave him power. Nebuchadnezzar killed whomever he wanted to kill, and he kept alive whomever he wanted to keep alive. He promoted whomever he wanted to promote, and he demoted whomever he wanted to demote. But when he became so arrogant and conceited that he became overconfident, he was removed from the royal throne. His honor was taken away from him. 21He was chased away from people, and his mind was changed into an animal’s mind. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like cattle, and his body became wet with dew from the sky. This happened until he realized that the Most High God has power over human kingdoms. God puts whomever he wishes in charge of them. 22“Belshazzar, you are one of Nebuchadnezzar’s successors. You didn’t remain humble, even though you knew all this.
Read all of Daniel 5Daniel 5:20 word by word
וּכְדִי֙ רִ֣ם לִבְבֵ֔הּ וְרוּחֵ֖הּ תִּֽקְפַ֣ת לַהֲזָדָ֑ה הָנְחַת֙ מִן־כָּרְסֵ֣א מַלְכוּתֵ֔הּ וִֽיקָרָ֖ה הֶעְדִּ֥יוּ מִנֵּֽהּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But when his heartלְבַבlebab · heartH3825
- was lifted upרוּםrûm · to riseH7313
- and his mindרוּחַrûach · spiritH7308
- hardenedתְּקֵףteqêph · to grow strongH8631
- in prideזוּדzûd · be proudH2103
- he was deposedנְחֵתnechath · to descendH5182
- fromמִן־min · fromH4481
- his kinglyמַלְכוּmalkû · kingdomH4437
- throneכׇּרְסֵאkorsê' · throneH3764
- and they tookעֲדָה‛ădâ' ‛ădâh · to pass on/over/awayH5709
- his gloryיְקָרyeqâr · honorH3367
Cross-references for Daniel 5:20
- Daniel 4:30The king thought, “Look how great Babylon is! I built the royal palace by my own impressive power and for my glorious honor.”
- Exodus 9:17You are still blocking my people from leaving.
- Exodus 18:11who treated Israel with contempt. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods.”
- Job 15:25He stretches out his hand against God and attacks the Almighty like a warrior.
- Job 40:11Unleash your outbursts of anger. Look at all who are arrogant, and put them down.
- Proverbs 16:5Everyone with a conceited heart is disgusting to the Lord. Certainly, ⌞such a person⌟ will not go unpunished.
- Isaiah 14:12How you have fallen from heaven, you morning star, son of the dawn! How you have been cut down to the ground, you conqueror of nations!
- Luke 1:51“He displayed his mighty power. He scattered those who think too highly of themselves.
- Luke 18:14“I can guarantee that this tax collector went home with God’s approval, but the Pharisee didn’t. Everyone who honors himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be honored.”
- 1 Samuel 6:6Why should you be as stubborn as the Egyptians and their Pharaoh were? After he toyed with the Egyptians, didn’t they send the Israelites on their way?
- 2 Kings 17:14But they refused to listen. They became as impossible to deal with as their ancestors who refused to trust the Lord their God.
- 2 Chronicles 36:13Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had made Zedekiah swear an oath of allegiance to him in God’s name. But Zedekiah became so stubborn and so impossible to deal with that he refused to turn back to the Lord God of Israel.
- Hebrews 3:13Encourage each other every day while you have the opportunity. If you do this, none of you will be deceived by sin and become stubborn.
- Isaiah 47:1Go, sit in the dirt, virgin princess of Babylon! Sit on the ground, not on a throne, princess of the Babylonians! You will no longer be called soft and delicate.
- Jeremiah 13:18Say to the king and his mother, “Come down from your thrones, because your crowns have fallen off your heads.”
- Jeremiah 48:18“People of Dibon, come down from your place of honor and sit on the dry ground. The destroyers of Moab will attack you. They will destroy your fortresses.
Commentaries on Daniel 5:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20He was deposed from his kingly throne - Became insane; and the reins of government were taken out of his hands.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-31Verses 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 they will be judged by One to whom all things are open. Daniel reads the sentence written on the wall. All this may well be applied to the doom of every sinner. At death, the sinner's days are numbered and finished; after death is the judgment, when he…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20A person who rebels against God often has a heart and mind filled with arrogance (or a hardened heart; see Exodus 7:13; Joshua 11:20; Isaiah 14:3–5). Nebuchadnezzar was humbled when he became arrogant, and the same would happen to Belshazzar.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 5:20
In the dictionaries
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
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