New American Standard Bible 2020

Daniel 5:4-9

4They 1drank the wine and praised the gods of 2gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5Suddenly the fingers of a human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. 6Then the king’s 3 4face became pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his 5hip joints 6loosened and his 7knees began knocking together. 7The king called aloud to bring in the 8sorcerers, the 9Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king began speaking and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Anyone who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be 10clothed with purple and have a 11necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as 12third ruler in the kingdom.” 8Then all the king’s wise men came in, but 13they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9Then King Belshazzar was greatly 14alarmed, his 15 16face grew even more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.

Read all of Daniel 5

Notes

1. Daniel 5:4 Is 42:8; Dan 5:23; Rev 9:20 ↩
2. Daniel 5:4 Ps 115:4; 135:15; Is 40:19, 20; Dan 3:1; Hab 2:19 ↩
3. Daniel 5:6 Lit brightness changed for him ↩
4. Daniel 5:6 Dan 5:9, 10; 7:28 ↩
5. Daniel 5:6 Ps 69:23 ↩
6. Daniel 5:6 Or shook ↩
7. Daniel 5:6 Ezek 7:17; 21:7; Nah 2:10 ↩
8. Daniel 5:7 Is 44:25; 47:13; Dan 4:6, 7; 5:11, 15 ↩
9. Daniel 5:7 I.e., probably master astrologers, diviners, etc., and so throughout the ch ↩
10. Daniel 5:7 Gen 41:42-44; Dan 5:16, 29 ↩
11. Daniel 5:7 Ezek 16:11 ↩
12. Daniel 5:7 Dan 2:48; 5:16, 29; 6:2, 3 ↩
13. Daniel 5:8 Gen 41:8; Dan 2:27; 4:7; 5:15 ↩
14. Daniel 5:9 Job 18:11; Is 21:2-4; Jer 6:24; Dan 2:1; 5:6 ↩
15. Daniel 5:9 Lit brightness was changing upon him ↩
16. Daniel 5:9 Is 13:6-8 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Daniel 5