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Daniel Chapter
Five
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 5
This
chapter gives an account of a feast made by King Belshazzar, attended with
drunkenness, idolatry, and profanation of the vessels taken out of the temple
at Jerusalem, Daniel 5:1, and of
the displeasure of God, signified by a handwriting on the wall, which terrified
the king, and caused him to send in haste for the astrologers, &c. to read
and interpret it, but they could not, Daniel 5:5, in this
distress, which appeared in the countenances of him and his nobles, the queen
mother advises him to send for Daniel, of whom she gives a great encomium, Daniel 5:9, upon
which he was brought in to the king, and promised a great reward to read and
interpret the writing; the reward he slighted, but promised to read and
interpret the writing, Daniel 5:13 and
after putting him in mind of what had befallen his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar,
and charging him with pride, idolatry, and profanation of the vessels of the
Lord, Daniel 5:18 reads
and interprets the writing to him Daniel 5:24, when
he had honour done him, and was preferred in the government, Daniel 5:29 and the
chapter is concluded with an account of the immediate accomplishment of ancient
prophecies, and of this handwriting, in the slaying of the king of Babylon, in
the dissolution of the Babylonish monarchy, and the possession of it by Darius
the Mede, Daniel 5:30.
Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar
the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the
presence of the thousand.
YLT 1Belshazzar the king hath
made a great feast to a thousand of his great men, and before the thousand he
is drinking wine;
Belshazzar the king made a great feast,.... This king
was not the immediate successor of Nebuchadnezzar, but Evilmerodach, Jeremiah 52:31,
who, according to Ptolemy's canon, reigned two years; then followed
Neriglissar, his sister's husband, by whom he was slain, and who usurped the
throne, and reigned four years; he died in the beginning of his fourth year,
and left a son called Laborosoarchod, who reigned but nine months, which are
placed by Ptolemy to his father's reign, and therefore he himself is not
mentioned in the canon; and then followed this king, who by Ptolemy is called
Nabonadius; by Berosus, NabonnedusF20Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l.
1. by AbydenusF21Apud Euseb. Evangel. l. 9. c. 41. p. 457. ,
Nabannidochus; by HerodotusF23Clio, sive l. 1. c. 188. , Labynitus;
and by JosephusF24Antiqu. l. 10. c. 11. sect. 2. , Naboandelus, who,
according to him, is the same with Belshazzar; whom some confound with the son
of Neriglissar; others take him to be the same with Evilmerodach, because he
here immediately follows Nebuchadnezzar, and is called his son, Daniel 5:11, and
others that he was a younger brother, so Jarchi and Theodoret; but the truth
is, that he was the son of Evilmerodach, and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, which
agrees with the prophecy in Jeremiah 27:7, for
though Nebuchadnezzar is called his father, and he his son, Daniel 5:2 this is
said after the manner of the eastern nations, who used to call ancestors
fathers, and their more remote posterity sons. He had his name Belshazzar from
the idol Bel, and may be rendered, "Bel's treasurer": though,
according to Saadiah, the word signifies "a searcher of treasures",
of his ancestors, or of the house of God. Hillerus translates it, "Bel
hath hidden". This king
made a great feast; or "bread"F25לחם "panem", Montanus, Piscator. All food is
called bread, Jarchi in Lev. xxi. 17. , which is put for all provisions; it was
great, both on account of plenty of food, variety of dishes, and number of
guests, and those of the highest rank and quality. On what account this feast
was made is not easy to say; whether out of contempt of Cyrus and his army, by
whom he was now besieged, and to show that he thought himself quite safe and
secure in a city so well walled and fortified, and having in it such vast
quantities of provision; or whether it was on account of a victory he had
obtained that morning over the Medes and Persians, as Josephus Ben GorionF26Hist.
Hebr. l. 1. c. 5. p. 24. relates; and therefore in the evening treated his
thousand lords, who had been engaged in battle with him, and behaved well:
though it seems to have been an anniversary feast; since, according to Xenophon
and Herodotus, Cyrus knew of it before hand; either on account of the king's
birthday, or in honour to his gods, particularly Shach, which was called the
Sachaenan feast; See Gill on Jeremiah 25:26, Jeremiah 51:41
which seems most likely, since these were praised at this time, and the vessels
of the temple of God at Jerusalem profaned, Daniel 5:2, this
feast was prophesied of by Isaiah, Isaiah 21:5 and by
Jeremiah, Jeremiah 51:39, it
had its name from Shach, one of their deities, of which See Gill on Daniel 1:4, Daniel 1:7 the same
with Belus or the sun. The feasts kept in honour of it were much like the
Saturnalia of the Romans, or the Purim of the Jews; and were kept eleven days
together, in which everyone did as he pleased, no order and decorum being observed;
and, for five of those days especially, there was no difference between master
and servant, yea, the latter had the government of the former; and they spent
day and night in dancing and drinking, and in all excess of riot and revellingF1Athenaei
Deipnosophist. l. 14. c. 10. ex Beroso & Ctesia. ; and in such like manner
the Babylonians were indulging themselves, when their city was taken by Cyrus,
as the above writers assertF2Xenophon. Cyropaedia, l. 7. c. 23.
Herodot. Clio, sive l. 1. c. 191. ; and from the knowledge Cyrus had of it, it
appears to be a stated feast, and very probably on the above account. According
to StraboF3Geograph. l. 11. p. 352, 353. , there was a feast of this
name among the Persians, which was celebrated in honour of the goddess Anais,
Diana, or the moon; and at whose altar they placed together Amanus and
Anandratus, Persian demons; and appointed a solemn convention once a year,
called Saca. Some say the occasion of it was this; that Cyrus making an
expedition against the Sacse, a people in Scythia, pretended a flight, and left
his tents full of all provisions, and especially wine, which they finding,
filled themselves with it; when he returning upon them, finding some overcome
with wine and stupefied, others overwhelmed with sleep, and others dancing and
behaving in a bacchanalian way, they fell into his hands, and almost all of
them perished; and taking this victory to be from the gods, he consecrated that
day to the god of his country, and called it Sacaea; and wherever there was a
temple of this deity, there was appointed a bacchanalian feast, in which men,
and women appeared night and day in a Scythian habit, drinking together, and
behaving to one another in a jocose and lascivious manner; but this could not
be the feast now observed at Babylon, though it is very probable it was
something of the like nature, and observed in much the same manner. And was
made "to a thousand of his lords"; his nobles, the peers of his
realm, governors of provinces, &c.; such a number of guests Ptolemy king of
Egypt feasted at one time of Pompey's army, as Pliny from Varro relatesF4Nat.
Hist. l. 33. c. 10. ; but Alexander far exceeded, who at a wedding had nine
(some say ten) thousand at his tables, and gave to everyone a cup of gold, to
offer wine in honour of the godsF5Plutarch. in Vit. Alexand. ; and
Pliny reportsF6Ut supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 33. c. 10.) of one Pythius
Bythinus, who entertained the whole army of Xerxes with a feast, even seven
hundred and eighty eight thousand men.
And drank wine before the thousand; not that he strove with
them who should drink most, or drank to everyone of them separately, and so a
thousand cups, as Jacchiades suggests; but he drank in the presence of them, to
show his condescension and familiarity; this being, as Aben Ezra observes,
contrary to the custom of kings, especially of the eastern nations, who were
seldom seen in public. This feast was kept in a large house or hall, as
JosephusF7Antiqu. l. 10. c. 11. sect. 2. says, afterwards called the
banqueting house, Daniel 5:10.
Daniel 5:2 2 While
he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver
vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had
been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his
concubines might drink from them.
YLT 2Belshazzar hath said --
while tasting the wine -- to bring in the vessels of gold and of silver that
Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple that [is] in Jerusalem,
that drink with them may the king, and his great men, his wives, and his
concubines.
Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine,.... As he was
drinking his cups, and delighted with the taste of the wine, and got merry with
it: or, "by the advice of the wine"F8בטעם
חמרא "vino dictante", Tigurine version. ,
as Aben Ezra and Jarchi interpret it, by a personification; as if that dictated
to him, and put him upon doing what follows; and which often puts both foolish
and wicked things into the heads of men, and upon doing them: then he
commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels, which his father
Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; what these
vessels were, and the number of them, we learn from the delivery of them
afterwards to the prince of Judah by Cyrus, Ezra 1:9, these
were put into the temple of Bel by Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 1:2 and from
thence they were now ordered to be brought to the king's palace, and to the
apartment where he and his nobles were drinking:
that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines,
might drink therein; Saadiah says, this day the seventy years' captivity ended; and
so, in contempt of the promise and prophecy of it, he ordered the vessels to be
brought out and drank in, to show that in vain the Jews expected redemption
from it.
Daniel 5:3 3 Then
they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house
of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his
wives, and his concubines drank from them.
YLT 3Then they have brought in
the vessels of gold that had been taken out of the temple of the house of God
that [is] in Jerusalem, and drunk with them have the king and his great men,
his wives and his concubines;
Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the
temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem,.... That is,
the servants to whom the orders were given fetched them from the temple of Bel,
and brought them to the king's house; and though only mention is made of golden
vessels, yet no doubt the silver ones were also brought, according to the
king's command:
and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines,
drank in them; by which they were profaned, being dedicated to holy uses, but
now put to common use, and that by such impious persons; and who did it, not on
account of the value and antiquity of these vessels, and in admiration of them,
and to the honour of their festival; but in contempt of them, and in a profane
and scurrilous way, as follows:
Daniel 5:4 4 They
drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and
stone.
YLT 4they have drunk wine, and
have praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and
of stone.
They drunk wine,.... That is, out of the vessels of the
temple at Jerusalem, and perhaps till they were drunk:
and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of
wood, and of stone; for they had gods of all these materials; See Gill on Daniel 1:2, and
these they praised by offering sacrifices unto them; or rather by singing
songs, and drinking healths, and by ascribing all their victories over the
nations of the world to them; as that by their means they had got such large
dominions, and such great wealth and treasures, and particularly these vessels
of gold and silver; and so insulted and triumphed over the God of Israel, and
defied the prophecies and promises of the deliverance of them that went under
his name.
Daniel 5:5 5 In
the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the
lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the
part of the hand that wrote.
YLT 5In that hour come forth
have fingers of a man's hand, and they are writing over-against the
candlestick, on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king is
seeing the extremity of the hand that is writing;
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, &c. From
heaven, as Jarchi; or they came forth as if they came out of the wall: this was
done by the power of God, though it might be by the intervention or means of an
angel; so Josephus Ben GorionF9Hist. l. 1. c. 5. p. 24. says, that
an angel came and wrote what follows; and Saadiah says it was Gabriel, called a
man, Daniel 11:21, but
this is conjecture; however, at the very time the king and his nobles were
feasting and revelling, praising their idols, and reproaching the God of
Israel, this wonderful phenomenon appeared:
and wrote over against the candlestick, upon the plaster of the
wall of the king's palace; this candlestick was either upon the table,
as Saadiah; or affixed to the wall, or hung as a chandelier in the midst of the
hall; or, be it where it will, right over against it this hand appeared, and
wrote, that, by the light of it, it might be clearly and distinctly seen:
though GussetiusF11Ebr. Comment. p. 424. thinks, not a candlestick,
but a "buffet", is meant; where stood the drinking cups and vessels,
and which he takes to be more agreeable to the signification of the word; and
moreover observes, that it is not likely this feast should be made in the
night, or at least it is not certain it was, or that it was yet night when this
affair happened: however, this writing was upon the plaster of the wall, made
of lime, and was white; and if the writing was with red colour, as Ben Gorion
says, it was the more visible:
and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote; the back part
of the hand; had he only seen a writing, but no hand writing it, he might have
thought it was done by some present; but seeing a hand, and only part of one,
or however not any other members of the body of a man, nor a man himself, it
struck him with surprise, and he concluded at once there was something
extraordinary in it; whether any other saw the hand besides himself is not
certain; however, he saw it for whom it was particularly designed.
Daniel 5:6 6 Then
the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the
joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.
YLT 6then the king's countenance
hath changed, and his thoughts do trouble him, and the joints of his loins are
loosed, and his knees are smiting one against another.
Then the kings countenance changed,.... Or, "his
brightness"F12זיוהי "splendores
ejus", Montanus, Vatablus, Michaelis. ; his ruddy countenance, his florid
looks, his gay airs; all his jollity and mirth, that appeared in his face, were
changed into paleness, sadness, and confusion:
and his thoughts troubled him; what should be the
meaning of this; perhaps he might immediately fear it presaged ruin and
destruction to him; the sins of his former life might at once come into his
thoughts, and those particularly he had now been guilty of; his luxury and
intemperance, his idolatry and profanation of the vessels of the sanctuary,
which his conscience might accuse him of, and give him great distress and
trouble:
so that the joints of his loins were loosed; or, "the
girdles of his loins"F13קטרי חרצה "cingula lumborum ejus", Pagninus, Junius
& Tremellius, Cocceius. ; which were loosed or broke, through the agitation
he was in; or he was all over in a sweat, so that he was obliged to loose his
girdle; or, as persons in great fear and consternation, he was seized with a
pain in his back; it opened as it were; nor could he hold his urine; as Grotius
and others; see Isaiah 45:1, where
this seems to be prophesied of:
and his knees smote one against another; as is the
case of persons in a great tremor, or under a panic. "Et subito genua
intremuere timore".--Ovid.
Daniel 5:7 7 The
king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the
soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever
reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with
purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the
third ruler in the kingdom.”
YLT 7Call doth the king
mightily, to bring up the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers.
Answered hath the king, and said to the wise men of Babylon, that, `Any man who
doth read this writing, and its interpretation doth shew me, purple he putteth
on, and a bracelet of gold [is] on his neck, and third in the kingdom he doth
rule.'
The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans,
and the soothsayers,.... Or, "with strength"F14בחיל "cum virtute", Vatablus; "in
virtute", Montanus; "fortiter", Cocceius; "cum
robore", Michaelis. ; with a strong voice, as loud as he could; which is
expressive of the fright he was in, and of his eagerness and impatience of
information; laying aside all decency, and forgetting his royal majesty, like a
man out of his senses, quite distracted, as it were: of the
"astrologers", &c. See Gill on Daniel 1:20, Daniel 2:2, this
was the usual course the kings of Babylon took, when they had matters of
difficulty upon them, as appears from Daniel 2:2 and
though they found it oftentimes fruitless and vain, yet still they pursued it;
so besotted and addicted were they to this kind of superstition:
and the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon; who were
presently brought in from the several parts of the city where they dwelt, and
probably many of them might be at court at that time; and being introduced into
the hall where the king and his nobles were, he addressed them in the following
manner;
whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation
thereof: pointing to the writing upon the wall, which continued; and
which neither the king nor any about him could read or interpret, and therefore
both are required to be done:
he shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about
his neck; or "with purple"F15ארגונא
"purpura", Vatablus, Pagninus; Montanus; Grotius, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis. ; the colour wore by persons of rank
and figure; and the chain of gold was an emblem of honour and dignity, and more
to be regarded for that than for the value of the gold of which it was made:
and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom; not rule over
the third part of the kingdom, as Aben Ezra; but be the third man in the
kingdom; next to the king and the queen mother, or to the king and the heir apparent;
or one of the third principal rulers; or one of the three presidents of the
kingdom, as Daniel afterwards was.
Daniel 5:8 8 Now
all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or
make known to the king its interpretation.
YLT 8Then coming up are all the
wise men of the king, and they are not able to read the writing, and the
interpretation to make known to the king;
Then came in all the king's wise men,.... The whole
college of them, the persons before described; over whom, in Nebuchadnezzar's
time, Daniel was the chief of the governors, Daniel 2:48, these
came in readily, in hope of getting both riches and honour:
but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king
the interpretation thereof; for if they could not do the former, it
must be impossible to do the latter; of the reason of which, various are the
conjecturesF16Vid. Jac. de Clerice Dissertat. de Epulo Belshazzar,
in Thesaur. Theolog. Philol. vol. 1. p. 885. : as that, though these words were
written in Chaldee, yet in characters, as the Samaritan or Phoenician, they did
not understand; or were written without points, and so they knew not which were
the proper ones to put to them; or they were written according to the position
of the letters of the alphabet, called "athbash", of which See Gill
on Jeremiah 25:26, or
the words were placed so as to be read backward, or else downward, and not
straightforward; or they were all in one word; or only the initial letters of
words; but the true reason was, that it was so ordained by the Lord, that they
should not be able to read and interpret them; this being reserved for another
man, Daniel, that he might have the honour, and God the glory.
Daniel 5:9 9 Then
King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his
lords were astonished.
YLT 9then the king Belshazzar is
greatly troubled, and his countenance is changing in him, and his great men are
perplexed.
Then was King Belshazzar greatly troubled,.... A second
time, and perhaps more than before; since he had conceived some hope that his
wise men would have informed him what this writing was, and the meaning of it;
but finding that they were nonplussed by it, it gave him still greater
uneasiness:
and his countenance was changed in him; again; very
likely, upon the coming in of the wise men, he had a little recovered himself,
and became more composed and serene; which appeared in his countenance; but,
upon this disappointment, his countenance changed again, and he turned pale,
and looked ghastly:
and his lords were astonished; were in the utmost
consternation and confusion, when they understood that the writing could
neither be read nor interpreted; neither the dignity of their station, nor
their numbers, nor their liquor, could keep up their spirits; so that the king
had not one with him, to speak a comfortable word to him, or give him any
advice in this his time of distress; they were all in the same condition with
himself.
Daniel 5:10 10 The
queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet
hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts
trouble you, nor let your countenance change.
YLT 10The queen, on account of
the words of the king and his great men, to the banquet-house hath come up.
Answered hath the queen, and said, `O king, to the ages live; let not thy
thoughts trouble thee, nor thy countenance be changed:
Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords,
came into the banquet house,.... Not the wife of Belshazzar, as Porphyry
would have it; but rather the queen mother, as Jacchiades, the widow of
Evilmerodach his father, whose name was Nitocris; and is spoken of, by
HerodotusF17Clio, sive l. 1. c. 185, 188. , as a very prudent woman;
and as this seems to be by her words and conduct: though JosephusF18Antiqu.
l. 10. c. 11. sect. 2. says it was his grandmother, she who had been the wife
of Nebuchadnezzar; and of this opinion were some mentioned by Aben Ezra; whose
name was Amyitis; and it appears, by what she says afterwards, that she was
well acquainted with affairs in his time; and, being an ancient woman, might be
the reason why she was not among the ladies at the feast in the banqueting
house; but came into it, without being sent for, on hearing the consternation
and distress the king and his lords were in, and the moanful despairing words
they expressed on this occasion:
and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever; the usual
salutation given to the kings of Babylon, and other eastern monarchs; see Daniel 2:4,
let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be
changed; at this affair, as if it could never be understood, and the true
meaning of it be given; but be of good: cheer, and put on a good countenance;
there is hope yet that it may be cleared up to satisfaction.
Daniel 5:11 11 There
is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in
the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of
the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father
the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and
soothsayers.
YLT 11there 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 -- as the wisdom of the gods --
was found in him; and king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, chief of the scribes,
enchanters, Chaldeans, soothsayers, established him -- thy father, O king –
There is a man in thy kingdom,.... She does not say in
his court; very probably, after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, perhaps in one of
the former reigns, he was removed from his offices; for, had he been in one,
very likely the queen would have described him by it; and this seems to receive
confirmation by the question Belshazzar put to him upon his coming into his
presence,
art thou that Daniel, &c.; and only says
that he had heard of him, Daniel 5:13,
in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; something
divine, something more than human; she uses the very words of Nebuchadnezzar;
which seems to confirm that opinion, that she was his widow, Daniel 4:8,
and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom,
like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; "light" in the
knowledge of things obscure; understanding in the interpretation of dreams; and
"wisdom" in things both human and divine, like that of an angel of
God, as Jacchiades interprets "Elohim": of this instances were given
in the days of his grandfather, for so Nebuchadnezzar was; nor is it unusual
for a grandfather to be called a father, and even a more remote ancestor; which
instances were, telling him his dream when he had forgot it, as well as the
interpretation of it; and explaining his dream or vision of the tree cut down
to its stump; of which see Daniel chapters two and four:
whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy
father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers, Daniel 2:48 she
seems tacitly to upbraid him with his neglect of such a man, or with turning
him out of his office, when so great a prince as his grandfather was took so
much notice of him, and so highly advanced him.
Daniel 5:12 12 Inasmuch
as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving
riddles, and explaining enigmas[a] were found
in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and
he will give the interpretation.”
YLT 12because that an excellent
spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing
of enigmas, and loosing of knots was found in him, in Daniel, whose name the
king made Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and the interpretation he
doth show.'
Forasmuch as an excellent spirit,.... A superior spirit to
all the wise men in Babylon for natural knowledge and political wisdom; and he
had yet a more excellent spirit which she knew nothing of, and was no judge of;
a spirit of real grace, and true piety and devotion:
and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams; of which
interpreting two of Nebuchadnezzar's was a proof:
and showing hard sentences: or explaining enigmas
and riddles, or proverbial, parabolical, and figurative phrases and
expressions:
and dissolving of doubts: or untying knots,
solving problems, and answering knotty, intricate, and difficult questions:
were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar; the prince of
his eunuchs gave him that name, perhaps by the king's order; however, it was
confirmed by him; he called him by it, and says it was according to the name of
his god; see Daniel 1:7,
now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation; this she was
confident of, from the knowledge she had of the above facts.
Daniel 5:13 13 Then
Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are
you that Daniel who is one of the captives[b] from
Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
YLT 13Then Daniel hath been
caused to come up before the king; answered hath the king, and said to Daniel,
`Thou art that Daniel who [art] of the sons of the Removed of Judah, whom the
king my father brought in out of Judah?
Then was Daniel brought in before the king,.... Proper
officers being sent to seek and find him; and having fetched him from his house
or apartment where he lived, which seems to have been in the city of Babylon,
though not very probably at court as formerly, he was introduced in form into
the king's presence;
and the king spake and said unto Daniel, art thou that Daniel,
which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father
brought out of Jewry? by which it appears he did not know him, at least had forgot
him; not having admitted him to any familiarity with him, as his grandfather
had done; and though the queen had given such great commendations of him, yet
the king does not treat him with that respect as might have been expected, and
as Nebuchadnezzar did, Daniel 4:9, but
seems to reproach him with his servile condition, being a captive whom his
grandfather had brought out of Judea, as it were triumphing over him and his
people; which shows the haughtiness of his heart, and that it was not brought
down by this consternation and fright he was thrown into.
Daniel 5:14 14 I
have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that
light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
YLT 14And I have heard of thee,
that the spirit of the gods [is] in thee, and light, and understanding, and
excellent wisdom have been found in thee.
I have even heard of thee,.... Very probably he had
heard often of him, though he did not think fit to honour him, and use him with
that familiarity his grandfather had; or however he had now just heard of him
by the queen, whose encomiums of him he recites in her own words:
that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and
understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee; which are the
express words of his mother, Daniel 5:11.
Daniel 5:15 15 Now
the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they
should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they
could not give the interpretation of the thing.
YLT 15`And now, caused to come up
before me have been the wise men, the enchanters, that this writing they may
read, and its interpretation to cause me to know: and they are not able to shew
the interpretation of the thing:
And now the wise men; the astrologers, have been brought in before
me,.... For it seems they came not of themselves, or upon hearing
his loud cry; but were sent for by him, and came by his orders, and were
introduced into his presence by the proper officers:
that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the
interpretation thereof; pointing to the writing upon the wall:
but they could not show the interpretation of the thing; nor even read
it; though it may be some of them might attempt to read it, and did read it in
their way, as well as they could, or at least pretended to read; yet could make
no manner of sense of it, which was the thing the king was intent upon.
Daniel 5:16 16 And
I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now
if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall
be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and
shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
YLT 16and I -- I have heard of
thee, that thou art able to give interpretations, and to loose knots: now, lo
-- thou art able to read the writing, and its interpretation to cause me to
know -- purple thou dost put on, and a bracelet of gold [is] on thy neck, and
third in the kingdom thou dost rule.'
And I have heard of thee,.... That is, by the
queen, which he repeats for the sake of observing what she had said of him, and
which gave him encouragement to send for him:
that thou canst make interpretations; of dreams,
and of things hard to be understood:
and dissolve doubts; untie knots, solve
difficulties, and answer hard and intricate questions:
now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the
interpretation thereof; that which is upon the wall before thee, and which the wise men
of Babylon could not:
thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about
thy neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom; the same
reward he had proposed to the astrologers and soothsayers, Daniel 5:7 but what
was no temptation or motive to Daniel, as appears by what follows:
Daniel 5:17 17 Then
Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and
give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make
known to him the interpretation.
YLT 17Then hath Daniel answered
and said before the king, `Thy gifts be to thyself, and thy fee to another
give; nevertheless, the writing I do read to the king, and the interpretation I
cause him to know;
Then Daniel answered and said before the king,.... With
great freedom, boldness, and intrepidity:
let thy gifts be to thyself; remain with thee; I
neither want them, nor desire them; nor will I receive them on condition of
reading and interpreting the writing:
and give thy rewards to another; which he had promised to
those that could read and interpret the handwriting on the wall; even to be
clothed with scarlet, have a golden chain, and be the third ruler in the
kingdom. It may be rendered, "or give thy rewards to another"F19ונבזביתך לאחרן הב "tua tibi dona et munera habeto: aut in alios
conferto": Castalio. ; either keep them thyself, or give them to
whomsoever thou pleasest: should it be asked, why Daniel refused gifts now,
when he received them from Nebuchadnezzar? it may be answered, he was then
young, and wanted them, and could make use of them for the benefit of his
countrymen, but now was old, and needed them not; besides, he knew then that
the captivity would continue long, but that it was now just at an end, and the
monarchy coming into other hands, when these gifts and rewards would be of
little use; as also this king was a very wicked one, worse than his
grandfather, and he did not choose to receive from him; and especially since
the interpretation of the writing would be bad news to him; as well as to let him
know that he did not do these things for fee and reward, but for the glory of
God; and that as he had freely received such knowledge, he freely communicated
it: and therefore adds,
yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the
interpretation; in reverence of him as a king, and in subjection to him, and to
satisfy him in this matter; for he refused his gifts, not from pride and
vanity, and a supercilious contempt of the king and his affairs; nor as being
doubtful of success in reading and interpreting the writing; which he well knew
he was able to do, and therefore promises it.
Daniel 5:18 18 O
king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty,
glory and honor.
YLT 18thou, O king, God Most
High, a kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and honour, gave to Nebuchadnezzar
thy father:
O thou king,.... "Hear"F20So Pagninus, Munster. , O
king; so Aben Ezra supplies it; what he was about to say first, in order to
prepare him for the meaning of the handwriting, and the cause of it; or,
"thou knowest", as Saadiah supplies it; namely, what follows:
the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom: a very large
one, which reached to the ends of the earth: this was not to be ascribed to his
predecessor that left it to him; or to his victorious arms, which increased it;
or to his idol gods, to whom he attributed it; but to the most high God, from
whom promotion alone cometh; and who, being above all gods and kings, sets up,
and pulls down, as he pleases; he gave him his large dominions:
and majesty, and glory, and honour; greatness among men;
glory and honour from them, on account of the majesty of his person and
kingdom; the victories he obtained, and the great things he did to make him
famous while he lived, and to perpetuate his memory after death.
Daniel 5:19 19 And
because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages
trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he
wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished,
he put down.
YLT 19and because of the
greatness that He gave to him, all peoples, nations, and languages were
trembling and fearing before him: whom he willed he was slaying, and whom he
willed he was keeping alive, and whom he willed he was raising up, and whom he
willed he was making low;
And for the majesty that he gave him,.... The
greatness of his power, the largeness of his dominions, and the vast armies he
had at his command:
all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him; not only
those that were subject to him, but those that had only heard of him: who
dreaded his approach unto them, and their falling into his victorious hands,
and being made vassals to him:
whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; he ruled in
an arbitrary and despotic manner, and kept the power of life and death in his
own hands; whom he would he put to death, though ever so innocent; and whom he
would he preserved from death, though ever so deserving of it; he had no regard
to justice, but acted according to his own will and pleasure. Jacchiades
renders the last clause, "whom he would he smote": but both the
punctuation of the word, and the antithesis in the text, require the sense our
version gives, and which is confirmed by Aben Ezra and Saadiah:
and whom he would he set up: and whom he would he put down; according to
his pleasure, he raised persons from a low estate to great dignity, and put
them into high posts of honour and profit, as he did Daniel: and others he as
much debased, turned them out of their places, and reduced them to the lowest
degree of disgrace and poverty; and all according to his absolute and
irresistible will, without giving any reason for what he did.
Daniel 5:20 20 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.
YLT 20and when his heart was
high, and his spirit was strong to act proudly, he hath been caused to come
down from the throne of his kingdom, and his glory they have caused to pass
away from him,
But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened it pride,.... When his
heart was elated with his successes and victories, with the enlargement of his
dominions, and with his grandeur and glory he had arrived unto; and his pride
increased yet more, till he was strengthened and hardened in it: or, "to
deal proudly"F21להזדה "ad
superbe agendum", Junius & Tremellius; "ad superbiendum",
Piscator, Michaelis; "ut superbe ageret", Cocceius. ; and behave
haughtily to God and man: or, "to do wickedly", as Jarchi interprets
it; for pride and haughtiness of mind puts men, especially great men, kings and
monarchs, on doing things extremely vile and wicked:
he was deposed from his kingly throne; not by his
nobles and subjects, but by the hand of God, which struck him with madness, and
made him unfit for government; obliged him to quit the throne, and to range
among the beasts of the field, as is afterwards observed:
and they took his glory from him; the watchers, the
angels, or the divine Persons that ordered the tree to be cut down to the
roots, Daniel 4:14, or it
may be rendered impersonally, "and his glory was taken from him"F23ויקריה העדיו מנה
"et gloria ejus ablata est", V. L.; "honor ejus translatus
fuit", Michaelis. ; his glory as a man, being deprived of his reason, and
acting like a brute beast; and his glory as a king, which departed from him for
a season, while he was driven from men, from his royal palace and court, and
lived among beasts, and fed as they did, as follows:
Daniel 5:21 21 Then
he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his
dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen,
and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High
God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.
YLT 21and from the sons of men he
is driven, and his heart with the beasts hath been like, and with the wild
asses [is] his dwelling; the herb like oxen they cause him to eat, and by the
dew of the heavens is his body wet, till that he hath known that God Most High
is ruler in the kingdom of men, and whom He willeth He raiseth up over it.
And he was driven from the sons of men,.... From
their company, and from conversation with them; his madness was of that kind,
that he chose rather to be with beasts than men; it drove him from men, and
made him more desirous of being with beasts; or it was so intolerable, that his
family, friends, and courtiers, were obliged to remove him from them, from his
palace and court, and from all conversation with men, which he was incapable of
through his frenzy and madness:
and his heart was made like the beasts; to have the
same affections and desires as they have; to crave the same things they did,
and like what they liked, and live as they lived: or, "he put his heart
with the beasts"F24ולבבה עם חיותא שוי
"cor ejus cum bestiis posuit", Vatablus, Calvin; "animum suum
cum bestis posuit", Cocceius. ; either Nebuchadnezzar himself chose to be
with them, and delighted in a beastly life; or God did it; he put such a heart
into him, or so disposed it, that it became brutish; though to read the words
impersonally, as before, seems best:
and his dwelling was with the wild asses; in a
wilderness or field; or rather in some enclosed place, in one of his parks,
where such creatures were kept for hunting; among these he dwelt, as being like
them, having lost the use of his reason, and so was become stupid and sottish
as they:
and they fed him with grass like oxen; as they are
fed, and which he chose above any other food:
and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; being without
clothes, and lying naked in some open place all night:
till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men,
and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will: till he came
to his senses, and was brought to see and own the sovereign dominion of the
one, true, and living God, over all the kingdoms of the earth, and that they
are at his dispose; Daniel 4:32.
Daniel 5:22 22 “But
you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all
this.
YLT 22`And thou, his son,
Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though all this thou hast known;
And thou his son, O Belshazzar,.... His grandson; See
Gill on Daniel 5:1,
hast not humbled thine heart; so as to acknowledge the
most high God, and his dependence on him; to own him as his Sovereign, by whom
he held his crown and kingdom, and to whom he was accountable; but, on the
contrary, lifted up his heart in pride and haughtiness against him:
though thou knewest all this; either by the relation
of others, his father and mother, and others; or being an eyewitness of it himself;
wherefore his sin was the more aggravated, since he had had an example before
him of pride being humbled in a very awful manner, and yet took no warning by
it.
Daniel 5:23 23 And
you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the
vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your
concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver
and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know;
and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways,
you have not glorified.
YLT 23and against the Lord of the
heavens thou hast lifted up thyself; and the vessels of His house they have
brought in before thee, and thou, and thy great men, thy wives, and thy
concubines, are drinking wine with them, and gods of silver, and of gold, of
brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, that are not seeing, nor hearing, nor
knowing, thou hast praised: and the God in whose hand [is] thy breath, and all
thy ways, Him thou hast not honoured.
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 yet, though so high and
great, such was the insolence of this king, that he dared to lift up himself
against him, as if he was above him, and greater than he; and indeed so it may
be rendered, "above the Lord of heaven"F24על מרי שמיא
"super Dominum coeli", Montanus; "super Dominum scelorum",
Michaelis. ; which showed his great pride and vanity, his want of knowledge,
both of himself, and of the true God. This name of God is the same with
BeelsamenF25Sanchoniatho apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 1. c. 9.
p. 34. ; by which the Phoenicians used to call him:
and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee; that is, his
servants by his orders had brought the vessels of the temple at Jerusalem,
which Nebuchadnezzar had took from thence, and set them upon his table for him
and his company to drink out of; which is an instance of the pride of his
heart, and of his daring boldness and impiety; see Daniel 5:2,
and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drank
wine in them; even that very day or night: this Daniel had knowledge of by
some means or another; and his intelligence was so good that he could with
great certainty affirm it:
and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass,
iron, wood, and stone; see Daniel 5:4,
which see not, nor hear, nor know; no more, than the
various metals and materials of which they are made; and therefore it must be
great madness and folly to praise such as gods that are below men, and even
brutes; have neither the sense of animals, nor the knowledge of men; see Psalm 115:4,
and the God in whose hand thy breath is; who gave it
to him at first, and as yet continued it in him, and could take it away when he
pleased: and whose are all thy ways; counsels and designs, works and actions;
under whose direction and control they all are; the events, issue, and success
of which all depend upon him; see Jeremiah 10:23,
him hast thou not glorified; by owning him as the
only true God; ascribing all he was and had unto him, and giving due worship,
adoration, and honour to him; but, on the contrary, setting up his idol gods
above him, and treating him, and everything belonging to him, with ignominy and
contempt.
Daniel 5:24 24 Then
the fingers[c] of the
hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
YLT 24`Then from before Him sent
is the extremity of the hand, and the writing is noted down;
Then was the part of the hand sent from him,.... That is,
from God: being thus reproached and blasphemed, at that very instant, and for
that reason, because the vessels of his sanctuary were profaned, and idol gods
were praised, and he despised; he caused part of a hand, the writing fingers of
it, to appear on the wall of the king's palace:
and this writing was written; which was then upon the
wall, and he points to it.
Daniel 5:25 25 “And
this is the inscription that was written: MENE,[d] MENE,
TEKEL,[e] UPHARSIN.[f]
YLT 25and this [is] the writing
that is noted down: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.
And this is the writing that was written,.... They are
such and such letters, and so to be read, as follows:
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN; which are Chaldee words,
and may be literally rendered, "he hath numbered, he hath numbered";
that is, God hath certainly, perfectly, and exactly numbered; "he hath
weighed", God hath weighed thee, Belshazzar; "and they divide the
kingdom"; that is, the Medes and Persians, as appears from the following
interpretation:
Daniel 5:26 26 This
is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your
kingdom, and finished it;
YLT 26This [is] the
interpretation of the thing: Numbered -- God hath numbered thy kingdom, and
hath finished it.
This is the interpretation of the thing,.... Or,
"word"F26מלתא
"sermonis", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; "verborum", Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator, Broughtonus; "verbi", Cocceius;
"illius verbi", Michaelis. ; for they might all seem as one word; or
this is the sense of the whole:
MENE; as for this word, it signifies,
God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it; God had fixed
the number of years, how long that monarchy should last, which he was now at
the head of, and which was foretold, Jeremiah 25:1, and
also the number of years that he should reign over it; and both these numbers
were now completed; for that very night Belshazzar was slain, and the kingdom
translated to another people: and a dreadful thing it is to be numbered to the
sword, famine, and pestilence, or any sore judgment of God for sin, as
sometimes men are; so more especially to be appointed to everlasting wrath, and
to be numbered among transgressors, among the devils and damned in hell.
Daniel 5:27 27 TEKEL:
You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;
YLT 27Weighed -- Thou art weighed
in the balances, and hast been found lacking.
TEKEL,.... As for the meaning of this word, and what it points at, it
is this:
thou art weighed in the balances: of justice and truth, in
the holy righteous law of God; as gold, and jewels, and precious stones, are
weighed in the scales by the goldsmith and jeweller with great exactness, to
know the worth of them:
and art found wanting; found to be adulterated
gold, reprobate silver, bad coin, a false stone; found to be a worthless man, a
wicked prince, wanting the necessary qualifications of wisdom, goodness, mercy,
truth, and justice. The Scriptures of truth, the word of God, contained in the
books of the Old and New Testament, are the balances of the sanctuary, in which
persons, principles, and practices, are to be weighed; and sad it is where they
are found light and wanting: men, both of high and low degree, when put here,
are lighter than vanity. The Pharisee, or self-righteous person, when weighed
in the balance of God's law, which is holy, just, and good, will be found
wanting of that holiness and righteousness he pretends to, and appear to be an
unholy and an unrighteous man; his righteousness, neither for the matter of it,
nor manner of performing it, being agreeable to that law, and so no
righteousness in the sense of it, Deuteronomy 6:25,
it being imperfect, and so leaves him to the curse of it, Galatians 3:10, and
not being performed in a pure and spiritual manner that it requires, is
rejected by it; and miserable will be the case of such a man at the day of
judgment, when his works will be found wanting, and not answerable to the
demands of a righteous law, and he without the wedding garment of Christ's
righteousness, and so naked and speechless. The hypocrite, and formal
professor, when weighed in the balance of the Scripture, will be found wanting
the true grace of God; his faith will appear to be feigned, and his hope
groundless, and his love to be in word and in tongue only, and not at all to
answer to the description of true grace given in the word of God; and bad will
it be with such persons at last, when at the bridegroom's coming they will be
destitute of the oil of true and real grace; only have that which is
counterfeit, and the mere lamp of an outward profession, which will then stand
them in no stead, or be of any avail unto them: in the same balances are the
doctrines and principles of men to be weighed; and, such as are according to
them are solid and weighty, and are comparable to gold, silver, and precious
stones; but such as are not are light, and like wood, hay, and stubble, which
the fire of the word will reveal, try, and burn up, not being able to stand
against it; and if these are weighed in the balances, they will be found
wanting of real truth and goodness, and be but as chaff to wheat; and what is
the one to the other? there is no comparison between them; and dreadful will be
the case of false teachers, that make and teach an abomination and a lie; and
of those that are given up to believe them, these will not be able to stand the
trying hour of temptation, and much less the last and final judgment. Sad for
preachers of the word to be found wanting in their ministry, and hearers to be
wanting in their duty; not taking care neither what they hear, nor how they
hear, or whether they put in practice the good they do hear.
Daniel 5:28 28 PERES:
Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”[g]
YLT 28Divided -- Divided is thy
kingdom, and it hath been given to the Medes and Persians.'
PERES,.... The singular of "Pharsin", Daniel 5:25. The
sense of this word is,
thy kingdom is divided: which, though it
consisted of various provinces, united under Belshazzar, now should be broken
and separated from him:
and given to the Medes and Persians; to Darius the Mede, and
to Cyrus the Persian, who was a partner for a while with his uncle Darius in
the government of the empire: there is an elegant play on words in the words
"Peres" and "Persians"; and a grievous thing it is to
sinners, not only to have body and soul divided at death, but to be divided and
separated from God to all eternity; and to hear that sentence, "depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels".
Daniel 5:29 29 Then
Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put
a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he
should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
YLT 29Then hath Belshazzar said,
and they have clothed Daniel with purple, and a bracelet of gold [is] on his
neck, and they have proclaimed concerning him that he is the third ruler in the
kingdom.
Then commanded Belshazzar,.... As soon as he had
heard the writing read and interpreted; instead of being full of wrath, as
might have been expected, he orders the reward promised to be given, to show he
had a regard to his word and honour, as a king; and to secure his credit with
his nobles and people; and perhaps he might not understand, by Daniel's
interpretation, that the destruction of him and his kingdom was so near at hand
as it was; or he might put this evil day far from him, and hope it might be
prevented:
and they clothed Daniel with scarlet; the king's
servants by his orders: or,
that they should clothe Daniel with scarletF1והלבישו "ut induerent", Gejerus. ; these were his orders; but
whether executed is not certain; probably not, since the king was slain the
same night; and so the rest of the clauses may be read,
and should put a chain of gold about his neck, and should make
proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom; all which was
the reward promised to him that should read and interpret the writing, Daniel 5:7, but
that this was done, the king's death being so sudden, does not appear; and
therefore it is needless to inquire the reasons of Daniel's acceptance after
his refusal.
Daniel 5:30 30 That
very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.
YLT 30In that night Belshazzar
king of the Chaldeans is slain,
In that night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, slain. Not by a
servant of his own, as Jacchiades; or by an eunuch, one of his guards, as
Saadiah and Joseph ben GorionF2Hist. Heb. l. 1. c. 6. p. 26. ; but
by Gadales and Gobryas, who led Cyrus's army up the river Euphrates into the
city of Babylon, its course being turned; the inhabitants of which being
revelling and rioting, and the gates open, these men went up to the king's
palace; the doors of which being opened by the king's orders to know what was
the matter, they rushed in, and finding him standing up with his sword drawn in
his own defence, they fell upon him, and slew him, and all about him, as
XenophonF3Cyropaedia, l. 7. sect. 22, 23. relates; and this was the
same night the feast was, and the handwriting was seen, read, and interpreted.
This was after a reign of seventeen years; for so Josephus saysF4Antiqu.
l. 10. c. 11. sect. 4. , that Baltasar or Belshazzar, in whose reign Babylon
was taken, reigned seventeen years; and so many years are assigned to him in
Ptolemy's canon; though the Jewish chronicleF5Seder Olam Rabba, c.
28. p. 81. allows him but three years, very wrongly, no more of his reign being
mentioned in Scripture: see Daniel 7:1. His
death, according to Bishop UsherF6Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3466. ,
Mr. WhistonF7Chronological Tables, cent. 10. , and Mr. BedfordF8Scripture
Chronology, p. 711. , was in the year of the world 3466 A.M., and 538 B.C. Dean
PrideauxF9Connexion, &c. par. 1. p. 120. places it in 539 B.C.
Daniel 5:31 31 And
Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
YLT 31and Darius the Mede hath
received the kingdom, when a son of sixty and two years.
And Darius the Median took the kingdom,.... This was
Cyaxares the son of Astyages, and uncle of Cyrus; he is called the Median, to
distinguish him from another Darius the Persian, that came after, Ezra 4:5, the same
took the kingdom of Babylon from Cyrus who conquered it; he took it with his
consent, being the senior prince and his uncle. Darius reigned not long, but
two years; and not alone, but Cyrus with him, though he is only mentioned.
XenophonF11Cyropaedia, l. 8. c. 36. says, that Cyrus, after he took
Babylon, set out for Persia, and took Media on his way; and, saluting Cyaxares
or Darius, said that there was a choice house and court for him in Babylon,
where he might go and live as in his own:
being about threescore and two years old; and so was
born in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar, the year in which Jechoniah was
carried captive, 2 Kings 24:12, thus
God in his counsels and providence took care that a deliverer of his people
should be raised up and provided against the appointed time. Darius was older
than Cyrus, as appears by several passages in Xenophon; in one placeF12lbid.
l. 6. c. 2. Cyaxares or Darius says,
"since
I am present, and am "elder" than Cyrus, it is fit that I should
speak first;'
and
in another placeF13lbid. l. 4. c. 21. , Cyrus, writing to him, says,
"I
give thee counsel, though I am the younger'
and
by comparing this account of the age of Darius with a passage in Cicero, which
gives the age of Cyrus, we learn how much older than he Darius was; for, out of
the books of Dionysius the Persian, he relatesF14De Divinatione, l.
1. , that Cyrus dreaming he saw the sun at his feet, which he three times
endeavoured to catch and lay hold upon, but in vain, it sliding from him; this,
the Magi said, portended that he should reign thirty years, and so he did; for
he lived to be seventy years of age, and began to reign when he was forty; which,
if reckoned from his reigning with his uncle, then he must be twenty two years
younger; or if from the time of his being sole monarch, then the difference of
age between them must be twenty four years; though it should be observed that
those that make him to reign thirty years begin his reign from the time of his
being appointed commander-in-chief of the Medes and Persians by CyaxaresF15See
the Universal History, vol. 5. p. 181. and vol. 21. p. 64, 65. , which was
twenty three years before he reigned alone, which was but seven yearsF16Xenophon,
Cyropaedia, l. 8. c. 45. ; and this account makes but very little difference in
their age; and indeed someF17Nicol. Abrami Pharus Vet. Test. l. 12.
c. 24. p. 338. Pererius in ib, Graeci Patres apud Theodoret. Orat. 6. in
Daniel. have taken them to be one and the same, their descent, age, and
succession in the Babylonian empire, agreeing.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)