STUDIES IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL.

August 5, 2021

“Belshazzar’s Impious Feast—The Handwriting on the Wall Interpreted by Daniel of the Doom of Babylon and its King. JFB”

When Nebuchadnezzar died, his son, Evil-Merodach came to the throne of the Babylonian empire 2Kg. 25:27-30, Jer. 52:31-34. However, there was a rebellion which led to his assassination and the crisis in the empire on who to rule finally brought Nabonidus a son-in-law to Nebuchadnezzar to the throne. Belshazzer was a son to Nabonidus, and was made a coregent with Nbonidus. Rogers R. Dickson

  1. Belshazzar’s impious feast. Dab. 5:1-4. Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple…that they might drank in them…They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
  2. He made a feast. “A thousand of lavish feasts were common among royalty in the ancient”. FSB Gen. 40:20. Est. 1:3. Is. 21:4, 5; 22:12, 14. Jer. 51:39, 57. Nah. 1:10. Mak. 6:21, 22. Gentiles royal feasts has one thing in common, it has both evil and good report, but generally characterize with evil report.
  3. “Drank … before the thousand—“Drunken worshippers, who are not men, but beasts, are the most proper for the service of dunghill deities, that are not gods, but devils. They have erred through wine, Isa. 28:7. They drank wine, and praised their idol-gods” M. Henry
  4. He 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. ‘His father’ father or, grandfather. ver. 11, 13, 18. 2Sam. 9:7. 2Kg. 8:25–27. 2Chr. 11:20; 15:16. Jer. 27:7. So “Jesus … the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Mt 1:1). “Daniel does not say that the other kings mentioned in other writers did not reign between Belshazzar and Nebuchadnezzar, as Evil-merodach (Je 52:31)… Daniel, whose statement that Belshazzar was son (grandson) of Nebuchadnezzar is corroborated by Jeremiah (Je 27:7)” JFB
  6. They drank and praised the god of wood… Is. 42:8, Re. 9:20, 21, of gold. ch. 3:1–8, etc. Ps. 115:4–8; 135:15–18, Is. 40:19, 20, Jer. 10:4–9, Ac. 17:29. “This ripened Babylon for ruin—that no songs would serve them but the songs of Zion (Ps. 137:3), no vessels but the vessels of the sanctuary… He put an affront upon God himself…” M. Henry