Daniel 8, A Ram and a Goat

Chapters 2 through 7 have been in Aramaic, the language of the great empires of Assyria and Babylon.  Chapter 8 is back to Hebrew, possibly aimed at Jewish readers. (The Jews in Jesus’ day spoke Aramaic.)

This vision also occurs during the reign of Belshazzar, before the events of chapter 5.

Daniel 8:1-8, A ram and a goat and horns

In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 

I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 

As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. He came toward the twohorned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and none could rescue the ram from his power. 

The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel has a vision in which he sees himself in Susa, along the Ulai Canal. A ram with two horns, one bigger than the other, charges west, north and south (but apparently not east.) Just when the ram seems to be at the height of his power, a goat comes rapidly from the west, shattering the two horns of the ram. Just when this ram is at the height of his power, his large horn is broken off and replaced by four horns growing towards the four winds,

This vision occurs along a canal in Susa. Susa was a major Persian city, capital of the First Persian Empire and a place to escape in the brutal summer heat near the Persian Gulf. It is the setting for the book of Esher. It is mentioned briefly in Ezra 4:9 as the city of the Elamites and Nehemiah 1:1 as the city in which Nehemiah lived as cupbearer to the king. It is likely that Daniel lived there for at least the last portion of his life as later Susa will claim the tomb of Daniel. When Muslims invaded Susa a thousand years later, the alleged locations of Daniel's remains had apparently been given a magical, cult-like reverence. 

Daniel 8:9-12,... and the little horn

Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. Because of rebellion, the host [of the saints] and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.

The four horns are replaced by a little horn which grows in power, reaching out towards Israel. It attacks, in some way, the sanctuary and take over sacrificial system and the temple. This horn, in its power, "throws truth to the ground."

Daniel 8:13-14, 2300 days

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled – the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?"

He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."

The overtaking of the sacrificial system and the surrender of the sanctuary is to take 2300 days, about six years and four months (if this is literal.)

Daniel 8:15-19, Gabriel

While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. And I heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, "Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision."

As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end." While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. He said: "I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. 

Gabriel speaks to Daniel. Gabriel promises to explain the vision. (Daniel is the only Old Testament book to name angels.  Gabriel & Michael are named; they are also named in the New Testament.)

Daniel 8:20-26, Interpretation

The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

"The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future."

The players here are fairly carefully described, especially for apocalyptic literature. There are future kings of Media and Persia and a future king of Greece. The large horn is the first king (of Greece?) who will conquer the region; four kingdoms will emerge from his one kingdom. Some information is sealed and apparently Daniel is not to reveal that part of the vision.

Old Testament scholars disagree in their interpretation of Daniel and this vision. Those who do not believe in supernatural revelations argue that this material was written much later, after the predicted events. Others argue that Daniel did supernaturally foresee, far ahead of time, actual events. Both sides tend to identify the Greek king as Alexander the Great, who created a vast empire which broke into four pieces shortly after his death.

Daniel 8:27, Daniel's reaction

I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

Daniel is exhausted for a time but eventually returns to administrative work. Here we note that although the new king Belshazzar was in power, Daniel did have a role in his administration.

Daniel 7, The Four Beasts and the Son of Man

This chapter is in Aramaic. The book changes back to Hebrew in chapter 8.  Most of this chapter is in first person; Daniel describing a dream vision that he had. This vision occurred earlier, during the reign of Belshazzar, before the writing on the wall in chapter 5. 

Daniel 7:1, The first three beasts

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. 

House dates the first year of Belshazzar's reign as 550-549 BC (other scholars give slightyl different dates.) House claims that this is the year Nabonidus appointed Belshazzar co-regent and also about the same time as the victory by Cyrus over the Medes. Cyrus is not yet king of Babylon but he is headed that way.

This vision occurs in the first year of a new ruler, Belshazzar. A new king would have upset the previous administration and surely Daniel had concerns about the direction of this new king and new administration. 

The chapter begins in third person Aramaic, presumably written by someone other than Daniel. In a moment it will switch to first person, quoting Daniel and his dream. 

Daniel 7:2-6, The first three beasts

Daniel said: 

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

 

"The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.

 

"And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, `Get up and eat your fill of flesh!' 

  

"After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule."

All the beasts are vicious, frightening predators. The first beast seems to be a combination of lion and eagle, a flying lion? The second beast is a bear, with ribs in its mouth, already eating. The third is a winged leopard with four heads. The fourth and ultimate beast will be described in the next passage.

The vision begins with the "great sea" (the Mediterranean) being churned up by four winds. Then four beasts appear. Recall that the statue of Daniel 2 had four parts, four nations. Here too we have four beasts, presumably four nations. (It is possible that these four nations are not the same as in chapter 2, for there the first nation was that of Nebuchadnezzar. Old Testament scholars debate the identity of these four nations.)

Viewing nations as animals is not unusual. This was as common in the ANE as it is today. In Hosea 13:4-8, YHWH describes Himself as an animal among the nations; indeed as lion, leopard and bear.

Daniel 7:7-8, The fourth beast

"After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

 

While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully."

The final beast is especially terrifying, but is not identified with a particular creature; it is noted for it large iron teeth and ten horns. Suddenly an eleventh horn, a smaller one, comes up and uproots three of the horns. Like all conquerors, this horn "spoke boastfully"; all these kings are arrogant and proud.

There is a combination of these creatures in the first beast of Revelation 13, see Revelation 13:1-10.

There have been many attempts to draw or paint these creatures. The seventeenth century artist Matthaus Merian (the elder) did an engraving of the four beasts and Daniel. The picture below is from the Wikipedia page on The Four Kingdoms of Daniel.

Daniel 7:9-10, The Ancient of Days

As I looked,

"thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. 

His clothing was as white as snow;

the hair of his head was white like wool.

His throne was flaming with fire,

and its wheels were all ablaze.

A river of fire was flowing, 

coming out from before him.

Thousands upon thousands attended him;

ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. 

The court was seated, and the books were opened.

While the beasts are present, the Ancient of Days, the One from the beginning of the world, takes His seat on the Throne. A judgment is about to occur.

House says that white clothing represents purity; white hair represents wisdom (attributed to great age.)

Daniel 7:11-12, The Ancient of Days

"Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) 

The powerful beasts are destroyed. The horn seems to be the first to go, thrown into a blazing fire. The others are destroyed eventually, but not right away.

Daniel 7:13-14, The Son of Man

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The one called "son of man" now appears and is led into the presence of the Ancient of Days. This individual, the anointed one (in Hebrew, "Messiah") will bring an everlasting kingdom. The "son of man" title will be used in the New Testament as another term for the Messiah. (See, for example, Matthew 12:1-8.)

Daniel 7:15-18, The meaning of the four beasts

"I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. "So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things:

`The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever–yes, for ever and ever.' 

Daniel asks one of the beings standing in the presence of YHWH and asks the meaning of the vision and events. Daniel is told that the four beasts are four kingdoms but not to worry -- those set apart for YHWH will receive an eternal kingdom. Indeed, they will "possess" (chasan) it forever. (Once again there is a suggested of a future resurrected life for the "saints".)

The identity of these four kingdoms in debated. House points out that the phrase "four kingdom that will rise..." indicates that all four kingdoms are in the future and so Belshazzar's kingdom is not in this list. Gleason Archer, however, identifies the four kingdoms as (1) Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, (2) the Persian-Median Empire now coalescing under Cyrus, (3) the coming Greek Empire under Alexander, and (4) finally, the vast Roman Empire.

It is possible that the identification is intended to be fluid. But in the next chapter there will be a vision that is more precise.

Daniel 7:19-20, The meaning of the four beasts 

"Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

The fourth and last beast seems to be the most significant. It defeats everything it faces. It has ten horns and then a new one that defeats three others. We learn here that the fourth beast, first described in verse 7, now has bronze claws.

Daniel 7:21-27, The End Times and the Fourth Beast

As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. 

 

"He gave me this explanation: `The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.  "

 

`But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.'

The little horn of the fourth beast is a threat to "the saints", presumably the righteous of Israel. The little horn appears to be winning ... until the Ancient of Days shows up. At that point, an eternal everlasting kingdom is set up.

In the week before his crucifixion, Jesus talked to his disciples about the endtimes. In Luke 21:5-28, we read a description with similarities to this vision of Daniel's.

Daniel 7:28, The End Times and the Fourth Beast

"This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself."

Daniel's vision frightens him. There will be more visions to follow.

Daniel 6, The Lions' Den

Darius the Mede overthrows the Babylonian empire and Belteshazzsr. (He was apparently 62 years old when he became king.)  He was followed by Cyrus (see verse 28).

Daniel 6:1-4, Jealousy

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.

Although Belteshazzar has been deposed and killed, Darius appoints some of Belteshazzar's administrators to continue running the kingdom. One of them is Daniel. Pulled back into administrative service, Daniel once again excels. 

Daniel 6:5-9, A trap

Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God." 

So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: 

"O King Darius, live forever!   The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be alteredin accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." 

So King Darius put the decree in writing.

We have here a portrait of classic power and corruption. David's enemies conspire to remove Daniel by convincing Darius to outlaw worship of anyone but Darius. This is certainly an attractive proposal for the king, as it meets his ego, and he sees no particular reason to deny this request from his worshipers.

The Babylonian religious hierarchy was polytheistic and so the decree is only for a short time. It is likely (says House) that the new king sees this as a chance to consolidate power for a time early in his reign.

Daniel 6:10, Continued prayer

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.  

Daniel's response to the decree is to change nothing. This includes praying at a window open towards Jerusalem.

Daniel 6:11-13, Caught

Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.  So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: "Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?" 

The king answered, "The decree stands in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed."  

Then they said to the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day." 

Of course the conspirators are ready to catch Daniel in the act. And so they go to the king and rat out Daniel. (We are not given any description of their evidence.)

Daniel 6:14-15, King distress

When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, "Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed."

Surely the king should not be surprised at a conspiracy like this. Yet he seems unable to do anything about it.

Daniel 6:16-18, Daniel in the den

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!" 

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. 

Darius reluctantly assigns Daniel to death in the lions' den. He does this with a rather tepid wish that maybe Daniel's god will save Daniel. The king then returns to his palace and frets throughout the night.

Daniel 6:19-22, Saved!

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"

Daniel answered, "O king, live forever!  My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."

The king is shocked to discover that Daniel is alive. Daniel, of course, makes sure to praise God for his salvation.

Daniel 6:23-24, Bloody aftermath

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

In a poetic turn, the king assigns Daniel's accusers to the den and they are immediately destroyed. The Hebrew words achalu kartzohi, translated "maliciously accused" literally mean "eat a piece". Both words have, at their root, the metaphorical meaning of chewing someone up. Here author hints that the advisors sought to "chew Daniel up" (literally!) and instead they were the ones chewed up!

As was common in the ANE, families suffered with their leaders.

Daniel 6:25-28, Praise

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: 

"May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. "For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." 

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

The end result is that Darius decrees that Daniel's god is really awesome. In the polytheism of Babylon, this may simply mean that Darius adds YHWH into the pantheon, but at a high level. As it thematic in the book of Daniel (see 3:28-29, 4:1-5 and 4:34-37), Daniel's steadfast character in this pagan administration leads to the king recognizing the power of YHWH.

Some Random Thoughts

Daniel has a certain prayer ritual, praying three times a day, on his knees, with window open towards Jerusalem. 

I have never been very good at ritual. At times I have seen ritual promote legalism and my personal psyche reacts quickly against rules imposed from outside. (Those who know me will nod here.) But I can see the beauty in a regular physical statement of submission and worship. Daniel's ritual represents who he is, in relation to YHWH and he will not abandon that, even in the face of a new law. He practices one ritual and resists another, for good reasons.

Daniel 5, A Hand at a Party

After the praise chapter by Nebuchadnezzar, we move to an event late in the life of Daniel. By this time there have apparently been a number of rulers of Babylon.

Daniel 5:1-4, A great banquet

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.  

So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.  As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.  

Belshazzar was the son of Nabodinus, a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar, says House, and was probably second in command in Babylon while his father, Nabodinus, was in the field. In preparing this enormous banquet, Belshazzar gloats over past victories, using he plunder from the Jerusalem temple as drinking glasses for his guests.  In addition to abusing these treasured gifts, Belshazzar goes further and praises the "gods of gold and silver...", an additional mockery of the Jewish religion. House points out that in general the Babylonians did not mock the religion of conquered peoples -- in their polytheism, there was always a concern that a mocked god might retaliate -- why not just let the conquered peoples keep their religions and idols.

Ezra 1:7-11 records the later King Cyrus allowing the Israelites to return to Jerusalem with many of these treasures.

Daniel 5:5-7, How to kill a party

Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.  His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.  

The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, 

"Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."

Belshazzar had assumed he could mock the gods of the conquered peoples. But One of those gods is real and reacts!  In the midst of the revelry, the fingers of a human hand appear and write something in the plaster of a visible portion of the palace wall, "near the lampstand." This supernatural appearance is frightening to a drunk king, who quickly calls for help.

Daniel 5:8-12, Remember Daniel

Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.  So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.  

The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. 

"O king, live forever!" she said. "Don't be alarmed! Don't look so pale!  There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father, the king, I say, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means."

The king's advisers, as in previous events in this book, are no help. The queen remembers Daniel (and his reputation) from previous events under other rulers.  She tells the king to seek out Daniel.

Josephus, in the Antiquities of the Jews, Book X, 11.2, identifies the queen as the grandmother of Belteshazzar. This probably explains her memory of Daniel.

Daniel 5:13-16, Daniel enters the room

So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, 

"Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?  I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.  The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.  Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."

Daniel is brought in. (He must have been available nearby.) The king quizzes him as to his identity and asks if he, Daniel, can interpret the writing on the wall. The king offers to make Daniel "third" in the kingdom, possibly because he, Belshazzar, is second in power. In addition, Daniel will be clothed in royal purple and be given a gold chain.

Daniel 5:17-21, Daniel reviews Nebuchadnezzar's experience

Then Daniel answered the king, 

"You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.   

 

"O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.  Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.  But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.  He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes."

 

Daniel spurns the gifts (for a number of very good reasons) and then begins his answer with a review of YHWH's interaction with Belshazzar's forefather Nebuchadnezzar (as described in chapter 4.) Daniel's review is a theological statement about the power of the "Most High God" and Nebuchadnezzar's eventual submission to Him.

There are several reasons for Daniel's spurning of the king's gifts. First, the standards for a true prophet would have expected the prophet to speak freely, without being bribed or receiving gifts. Truth was all that mattered. In addition, as the prophecy plays out, there are dangers to being too closely aligned to the deposed monarch!

Daniel 5:22-24, Confrontation

"But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.  Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

Daniel then continues his message with a description of Belshazzar's arrogance and taunting of YHWH. There is very little diplomacy here, only righteous confrontation.

Daniel 5:25-28, Interpretation

“This is the inscription that was written: 

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.

This is what these words mean:

• "God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
• You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
• Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

The words, mene, tekel, upharsin, were probably all weights.  Upharsin meant “half” or “portion” as in “half of a weight” or “half of a pound”.  So the words would most likely have been read by Belshazzar as something like “hundred-pound, pound, half”.  Daniel interprets them (loosely) as “heavy, heavy, not so heavy, split”.

Daniel's message is a dramatic one. From the four words on the wall he recognizes that Babylon is about to be split.

Jeremiah (Jeremiah 27:3-7) prophesies that the dynasty of Nebuchadnezzar will end with his grandson.

Daniel 5:29-31, A new king

Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.  That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

Daniel's prophecy comes true and Belshazzar lives only a few more hours. Just as God had delivered Judah and Jehoiakim over to Babylon (Daniel 1:2) now God delivers Belshazzar over to Darius.