FocusGod's rule over earthly power
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
interpretation Daniel 5:4
KJVThey drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
Read it in context
Belshazzar’s Feast
Start reading at Daniel 5:1 (Daniel 5:1 to Daniel 5:4).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
- 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
- 5:2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
- 5:3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
- 5:4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Daniel is the traditional author and the named recorder of the later visions. Jesus refers to Daniel the prophet; the date and compilation of the book are debated in historical scholarship. Biblical references: Daniel 7:1; Daniel 8:1; Daniel 12:4; Matthew 24:15. traditionally held
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Daniel 5:1–5:31): Belshazzar, his banquet guests, the queen, the wise men, and Daniel are involved in the writing-on-the-wall scene. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? God's people living under foreign empires and later faithful readers seeking understanding. Within the stories, messages are also delivered to particular Babylonian and Persian rulers. Biblical references: Daniel 1:6; Daniel 4:1; Daniel 12:4. book background
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Belshazzar’s Feast. Read Daniel 5:1 through Daniel 5:4 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The narratives and visions name rulers of Babylon and succeeding powers. Dates of visions and periods represented by symbols are different kinds of information. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? The narratives are set in exile under foreign rulers, while visions portray additional realms and future conflicts. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Belshazzar’s Feast (Daniel 5:1 to Daniel 5:4). Start reading at Daniel 5:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Jesus uses the title Son of man and refers to Daniel. The New Testament supplies connections to Daniel's visions; precise modern identifications and timetables still require careful argument. See Daniel 7:13, Matthew 24:15, Matthew 26:64. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Remain faithful under pressure and reject confidence rooted in human power. Distinguish the book's supplied interpretations from later attempts to identify every symbol. interpretation
Cited: Daniel 5:1, Daniel 5:4, Daniel 7:13, Matthew 24:15, Matthew 26:64
Who wrote it, and how we know
Daniel
Named in Scripture
What Scripture saysLarge sections are written in the first person by Daniel, and Jesus refers to Daniel the prophet.
Daniel 7:2Daniel 8:1Matthew 24:15
Early traditionJewish and Christian tradition names Daniel in the sixth century B.C.
What is debatedMany critical scholars date the book to the second century B.C. because of its detailed prophecy of that period. Jesus naming Daniel as a prophet is a significant argument for the traditional view.
Related passages
- praised Dan 5:23 Dan 4:37 Judg 16:23-24 Isa 42:8 Hos 2:8-13 Rev 9:20-21
- of gold Dan 3:1-18 Ps 115:4-8 Ps 135:15-18 Isa 40:19-20 Isa 42:17 Isa 46:6-7 Jer 10:4-9 Hab 2:19
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Daniel 5
Daniel places its narratives and visions in the setting of foreign empires and exile. The book itself supplies some interpretations of symbols; further timetables and modern identifications require separate argument and should be labeled accordingly. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Daniel 1:1 Daniel 2:37 Daniel 7:17
The Handwriting on the Wall
Daniel 5:5–12FocusGod's rule over earthly power
Connection to the wholeDreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
interpretation Daniel Interprets the Handwriting
Daniel 5:13–31FocusGod's rule over earthly power
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Daniel
Daniel places its narratives and visions in the setting of foreign empires and exile. The book itself supplies some interpretations of symbols; further timetables and modern identifications require separate argument and should be labeled accordingly.
Daniel 1:1 Daniel 2:37 Daniel 7:17
The Judean youths in Babylon
Daniel 1:1–21FocusFaithfulness in exile
Connection to the wholeThe opening establishes the youths' displacement, training, and resolve before the court narratives and visions develop.
interpretation FocusGod's rule over earthly power
Connection to the wholeDreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
interpretation Visions of kingdoms
Daniel 7:1–8:27FocusConflict and divine judgment
Connection to the wholeThe visions present kingdoms and conflict with explanations supplied within the text, preparing the later revelations.
interpretation Confession and the answer concerning the people
Daniel 9:1–27FocusPrayer and announced purposes
Connection to the wholeDaniel's attention to Jeremiah leads to confession and an answer concerning his people and the holy city.
interpretation The final revelation
Daniel 10:1–12:13FocusConflict, endurance, and resurrection
Connection to the wholeThe final vision extends the conflict and hope, closing with instructions about the words and Daniel's own appointed end.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.