Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 5:5
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
5. In the same hour ] in the midst of their godless revelry ( Dan 5:4). Cf. for the expression Dan 3:6; Dan 3:15, Dan 4:33.
over against ] in front of, or opposite to, the candlestick; and hence a part of the wall where the light was particularly bright.
the plaister ] lit. the chalk. The place was consequently white: and any dark object moving upon it would be immediately visible. In the great halls of Babylonian palaces the brick walls were probably, as in the palaces of Assyria, lined to a height of 10 12 ft. above the ground with slabs of a kind of alabaster, ornamented with elaborate bas-reliefs, and often brilliantly coloured (cf. Eze 23:4): in their upper part, also, the walls seem to have been usually painted, but the plaster may sometimes have been left white. Comp. Layard, Nineveh and its Remains 5 , i. 254 7, 262 f., Nineveh and Babylon, p. 651, Rawl., Anc. Mon. 4 ii. 283.
the part ] the palm or hollow; the word (in the fem.) is used in the Targums and in Syriac in this sense (e.g. 1Ki 18:44). “We must suppose the hand to have appeared above the place where the king was reclining” (Bevan).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In the same hour – On the word hour, see the note at Dan 4:19.
Came forth fingers of a mans hand – Not the whole hand, but only the parts usually employed in writing. Not a man writing; not even an arm, but fingers that seemed to move themselves. They appeared to come forth from the walls, and were seen before they began to write. It was this that made it so impressive and alarming. It could not be supposed that it was the work of man, or that it was devised by man for the purpose of producing consternation. It was perfectly manifest to all who were there that this was the work of some one superior to man; that it was designed as a Divine intimation of some kind in regard to the scene that was then occurring. But whether as a rebuke for the sin of revelry and dissipation, or for sacrilege in drinking out of the consecrated vessels, or whether it was an intimation of some approaching fearful calamity, would not at once be apparent. It is easy to imagine that it would produce a sudden pause in their revelry, and diffuse seriousness over their minds.
The suddenness of the appearance; the fingers, unguided by the hand of man, slowly writing in mysterious characters on the wall; the conviction which must have flashed across the mind that this must be either to rebuke them for their sin, or to announce some fearful calamity, all these things must have combined to produce an overwhelming effect on the revellers. Perhaps, from the prevalent views in the pagan world in regard to the crime of sacrilege, they may have connected this mysterious appearance with the profane act which they were then committing – that of desecrating the vessels of the temple of God. How natural would it be to suppose – recognizing as they did the gods of other nations as real, as truly as those which they worshipped – that the God of the Hebrews, seeing the vessels of his worship profaned, had come forth to express his displeasure, and to intimate that there was impending wrath for such an act.
The crime of sacrilege was regarded among the pagan as one of the most awful which could be committed, and there was no state of mind in which men would be more likely to be alarmed than when they were, even in the midst of scenes of drunken revelry, engaged in such an act. The pagan, says Grotius, thought it a great impiety to convert sacred things to common uses. Nuerous instances are on record of the sentiments entertained among the pagan on the subject of sacrilege, and of the calamities which were believed to come upon men as a punishment for it. Among them we may refer to the miserable end of the Phocians, who robbed the temple of Delphos, and whose act was the occasion of that war which was called the Holy War; the destruction of the Gauls in their attempt upon the same temple; and of Crassus, who plundered the temple of Jerusalem, and that of the Syrian goddess. – See Lowth, in loc. That a conviction of the sin of sacrilege, according to the prevalent belief on the subject, may have contributed to produce consternation when the fingers of the hand appeared at Belshazzars feast, there is no good reason to doubt, and we may suppose that the minds of the revellers were at once turned to the insult which they had thus offered to the God of the Hebrews.
And wrote over against the candlestick – The candlestick, or lamp-bearer, perhaps, which had been taken from the temple at Jerusalem, and which was, as well as the sacred vessels, introduced into this scene of revelry. It is probable that as they brought out the vessels of the temple to drink in, they would also bring out all that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Two objects may have been contemplated in the fact that the writing was over against the candlestick; one was that it might be clearly visible, the other that it might be more directly intimated that the writing was a rebuke for the act of sacrilege. On the probable situation where this miracle occurred, the reader may consult Taylors Fragments to Calmets Dictionary, No. 205. He supposes that it was one of the large inner courts of the palace – that part of the palace which was prohibited to persons not sent for. See the note at Dan 5:10.
Upon the plaster of the wall – The Chaldee word means lime, not inappropriately rendered here plaster. The manner of the writing is not specified. All that is necessary to suppose is, that the letters were traced along on the wall so as to be distinctly visible. Whether they seemed to be cut into the plaster, or to be traced in black lines, or lines of light, is not mentioned, and is immaterial. They were such as could be seen distinctly by the king and the guests. Compare, however, the remarks of Taylor in the Fragment just referred to.
And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote – It is not necessary to suppose that the others did not see it also, but the king was the most important personage there, and the miracle was intended particularly for him. Perhaps his eyes were first attracted to it.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Dan 5:5
In the same hour came forth fingers of a mans hand.
The Handwriting on the Wall
1. There are many Belshazzars in the world, even at this present moment. There is, in human nature, an evil rebelling principle against the God who made us; and men are to be found whose wills are in violent opposition to His laws and authority. They have idols of their own hearts whom they resolve to serve, let the consequences be what they may. Such are not singled out by miracle as warnings to the reprobates, but there is a handwriting against them, and that of terrible import, which they can neither see nor read. Their days are numbered, their career fixed, their punishment entered in the great book of life and death.
2. Men do not sufficiently consider the omniscience of God. They would persuade themselves that there are places where He cannot see them; that there are things which He does not know. How stubborn and perverse is the will of man! It effectually closes his eyes to the truth, and makes him believe what he wishes. It makes him fancy that God is absent whenever he dares to insult Him, and that God is blind to the sins which he could in his wickedness desire Him not to behold. Among the most perilous delusions of sin, must it be considered by the Christian, that his very heart can be so seared against the convictions of truth, that he can for a moment being himself, like some of the heathen, to imagine the all-seeing, ever-present, all-pervading Godhead, stripped of his very nature, and slumbering, absent, or unobservant in the recesses of wickedness.
3. How would it be with each of us if there were a handwriting against the wall to warn us of the end of our career and the arrival of our day of account? Sudden death, under any circumstances, is indeed sufficiently terrible. Even to the good, it is very awful; but what must be its horrors to the wilfully wicked? The Almighty now has recourse to the ordinary means of providence, for the most part, to check the sinner in his career. If a man die in his sins, let him not plead ignorance or incapacity. (A. B. Evans, D.D.)
The Awakening Hour of Conscience
This chapter develops two solemn facts.
1. That neither the revolutions of time nor the opposition of man can hinder the fulfilment of the Divine word.
2. That at the period when men fancy themselves most secure the peril is frequently the most imminent.
I. THAT IT IS AN HOUR THAT MUST DAWN ON THE MOST OBDURATE NATURES. There are two classes of dormant consciences; those that have never been aroused–infants and savages; and those that have been partially quickened, but deadened again–seared. There is an hour for the awakening of each–even the most lethargic. It was so now with Belshazzar. Other consciences of the same class have had their awakening hour–Cain, Herod, Judas, Felix, etc.
II. THAT IT IS AN HOUR INTRODUCED BY A DIVINE MANIFESTATION. There came forth fingers of a mans hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the kings palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
1. It was very quiet; no lightning flashed, no thunder pealed, but the gentle movements of a mystic hand.
2. It was very unexpected; it was in the midst of the gladness, when the tide of festive joy ran high.
3. It was very palpable; there was no way of ignoring it. It moved against the light of the candlestick. It is in this quiet, unexpected, and palpable manner that God frequently brings that idea of Himself into the soul, which ever rouses the conscience.
III. THAT IT IS AN HOUR ASSOCIATED WITH GREAT MENTAL DISTRESS. Then the kings countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. Two things are observable here
1. The influence of an awakened conscience upon thoughts. Our thoughts are governed by different principles. Sometimes intellect controls them, and we are ever in the region of investigation; sometimes imagination has the command, and then we sport in the realms of beauty; sometimes avarice, and then the market is our home, and good bargains the joy of our heart; sometimes fleshly lusts, and then the whole nature is brutalised. But here the guilty conscience controls them, and this is Hell. A guilty conscience always throws the thoughts upon three subjects–the wrong of the past, the guilt of the present, and the retribution of the future.
2. The other thing observable is the influence of troubled thoughts upon the physical system. The joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. David felt thus, for he said, When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
IV. IT IS AN HOUR WHICH IS SOMETIMES THE HARBINGER OF ETERNAL RETRIBUTION. Oftentimes the hour of moral awakening ushers in the bright and propitious morning of conversion. It was so in the case of Zaccheus, the sinners on the day of Pentecost, the Philippian gaoler, and others. Indeed, such an hour must always precede the dawn of true religion in the soul. But here, as with Judas, it was the harbinger of retribution. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. What a night! That night separated him for ever from his pleasures, his friends, and his empire; that night terminated for ever his opportunities of spiritual improvement, and quenched every ray of hope within his breast; that night every star in the firmament of his being went down to rise no more, and left the whole of the boundless expanse overhung with clouds surcharged with the elements of inconceivable storms. Sinner, the day of grace is waning fast; the hour of awakening steals on. That hour shall either issue in the dawn of a new and happy life, or the chaos of moral anguish and despair! (Homilist.)
Called to Account
Observe how many and great offences Belshazzar crowded into a single festival, into a single day. In the midst of this scene of guilty riot, the Almighty alarmed them with the messenger of his displeasure. The remarkable prophecy of the handwriting was no less remarkably fulfilled. Thus was it shown to the Assyrian, as well as to the Jew, that the Most High ruleth in the kingdoms of men. Thus was exhibited a most impressive instance of His power, His government, His justice. In these days the government of the Almighty has not ceased. The mode of its administration only is changed. Though the justice of God may appear to be delayed, it is not abolished. His laws, far from being repealed, are more fully explained and enforced by more powerful sanctions. The day of account must come; and to us it will come with augmented weight and solemnity. Our conduct in the present transitory state must determine our fate for ever. Seeming suspension and delay faust not be depended on. The king of Babylon was suddenly called to judgment. We do not want the supernatural writing on the wall, nor the prophet to give us its interpretation. We possess the permanent writing of the Gospel, and that in characters which every man can read. The Gospel, however, contains no promise that we shall not be suddenly called to our account. It ought, indeed, to be one powerful caution against any criminal pursuit, that we may not live to enjoy the fruits of success, or even to complete the crime. Whatever may have been our place or station in society, we shall be finally punished or rewarded, not according to the extent of our endowments or possessions, but according to the zeal and diligence with which they have been employed and improved. (W. Barrow, LL.D.)
Retribution
Belshazzar was the king of Babylon, one of the most splendid cities in the world. It was built in an immense plain; and its walls measured a circumference of sixty miles. A hundred gates of brass adorned it; and hanging gardens, terrace above terrace, clothed its regal palace with living verdure. Through the midst flowed the great river Euphrates, painting in its depths the surrounding magnificence, and shedding beauty on temple and tower, that looked boldly from its banks. Yet the crowned lord himself of this wondrous city was a worthless wretch. He spent his time in luxurious repose, pampering the baser appetites, and permitting all the glory of his great abode to be sustained by the debauchery of his people. Many years he went on, and did his pleasure. God permitted him to choose his own course, and work out his own destiny, in the station assigned. The scene of our text is laid at the return of a certain idolatrous festival. The king had prepared a rich feast to grace it. He called in a thousand of his lords to the sparkling tables. His wives with his concubines came to join the company. And they reclined at the costly viands, spread all around in grateful abundance. So they went on, hour by hour, intoxicating their senses, and burying their souls in unbounded revelry. At length, heated with wins, Belshazzar ordered the sacred vessels, taken by Nebuchadnezzar from the temple of God at Jerusalem, to be brought for service in this scene of rioting and drunkenness. And they all, king, prince, wives, and concubines, used these instruments of holiness as their own goblets. They polluted them with their voluptuous lips, and poured out libations to the idols, and sang impious songs in honour of false gods.
Then, suddenly, they saw the fingers, as of a mans hand, writing over against the candlestick, upon the plastered wall. Dim grew the lamps before those letters of fire. Wherefore those letters written on the wall? Simply to announce a punishment for the crime committed that very night! Thus are they generally understood. But the reference was, doubtless, larger and more solemn. It embraced the kings whole being, and was a final judgment on the long course of his guilty life. Thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting. Was the king utterly at a loss, even at the first, to know the meaning inscribed by that miraculous hand? So it is commonly supposed. And the idea seems to be justified by his offering a reward to anyone who should be able to read it. But, affrighted as he was at the terrible appearance, there is reason to believe that he was not altogether surprised. For, you will observe, it was not the wondrous miracle nor the blinding splendour that most moved the king. No; the text informs us it was his thoughts that troubled him. It was not stupid amazement and blind fear. No; his thoughts, rising clear and strong, and breaking at once through the fumes of intoxication, troubled him. And how was it that the kings thoughts troubled him? Oh, was it not by the interpretation they gave of the miraculous writing? Did not they translate that burning symbol, whose separate words he could not read, into one large commentary on his whole sinful life? Yea; guilty conscience woke from her slumber in his bosom, and compelled even the monarch to travel with her far away from the brilliant hall of felting to scenes of cruel bloodshed and dungeons of unjust imprisonment. Far into years long gone and forgotten, she hurried him as ghosts are said to hurry their victims; and, once more to the kings awakened mind, they were filled with their own fresh scenes and real characters. Yet he called in the wise man of God to read the writing, and, as he had promised, rewarded him with a chain of gold about his neck, and by proclaiming him the third ruler in the kingdom. But not for a moment could he stay the righteous goings of the Divine law. Hard on the sentence pronounced pressed its dreadful execution. Terrible interruption came to that scene of joy, where a thousand hearts beat happily, and music arose with its voluptuous swell. That very night the Persian general, having turned the river Euphrates from its course, marched his troops along the empty channel. The drunken Chaldeans had left open their brazen gates. I have but pictured the operation in a single instance of a law which is universal and eternal–the law of retribution. It is not Belshazzar alone, and Babylon, and two thousand years ago, of which I have spoken, but of every wilful offender against Gods law who walks our own streets. It is to be feared most of us do not live with a practical regard to this law of retribution. And wherefore? Is it because we have not found conclusive evidence of its reality? It cannot be; for not only is it a law expounded in Scripture. It is suggested by all the analogies of nature which Scripture has used for its illustration. It is written everywhere in history. It is taught in all civil regulations. We see the same law governing domestic life. How many families, rising to riches and honour by the path of the virtues, have as surely fallen by that of the vices! Two or three generations measured their ascent, and two or three more have sunk them in poverty and shame; and then men talk of the wheel of fortune. Nay, it is the revolution of Providence; it is the justice of God! This moral law, too, while exactly adjusting individual fortunes, as easily weighs kingdoms. The Roman empire was built from the feeblest beginnings, by the force of temperance, industry, and valour. She spread her arms over the nations, gave law to savage tribes, made the mention of her citizens a universal joy and terror, and became another name for the world. But luxury flowed in, stagnant sloth extended, corruption prevailed, ambition battled; and she that had ruled mankind by virtue, dissolved in vice, fell a prey to barbarians. All known religions, too, of merely human invention, have confessed the same principle. How deeply have they sunk caverns of torment in the world of spirits! In fine, the vilest sinner himself has fearful anticipations of his doom. Retribution, then, is not only a solemn doctrine of holy writ, but a great fact in human nature. Our disregard of it comes not from any want of proof. How, then, is it to be accounted for? Doubtless, we may say generally, by our own guilty negligence. Yet there are more special reasons. First, the very strength with which it has been believed by some, and the terrific manner in which it has been set forth, have produced unbelief in others. Morbidly excited religionists have averred that the slightest offence is worthy of eternal punishment. No wonder that our ideas of God, of justice, of mercy, yea, and our human hearts, should rebel against such representations. But, recoiling in horror from this over-statement and extravagance, many have gone into a perilous extreme of indifference and doubt. Men have lived as if there were to be no day of reckoning at all, and put their souls to imminent hazard. How many, too, view retribution simply as a doctrine of the understanding, to be uncertainly reasoned about, refuted, or proved, and a fit subject for sectarians to try their armour upon in theological warfare! We have received it too much as an opinion to be discussed, rather than a reality to be felt in a perpetual pressure on the heart. This account shows us, in the first place, that men generally allowed to go on for a while as they please, really to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. It is sometimes said, guilt always receives its full punishment immediately in this life. But this is plainly not true, as matter of fact; and, if it were, we can hardly conceive how sin or virtue should exist at all. Were the stripes inflicted at once, and for every even the smallest offence, transgression would be a thing to be avoided just as we avoid tasting poison, plunging into deep water, or handling coals of fire. Probation, a trial of men to see whether they will do right, would be entirely out of the question. There could be no free moral will but would at once break down. We should he machines, moving with regularity as the sun and moon do. Bat how was it with Belshazzar? Time was given him to degrade himself fully, and offer abundant sacrifices to the gods of flesh and sense. Nearly seventeen years had he reigned. He had gathered everything rich and beautiful around him. And yet the angel of judgment had not sensibly touched him. But, secondly, the account from Scripture, while it shows we have a season of clear and proper probation, makes retribution something equally positive and distinct. Though not now mingled in equal proportions with sin, it will at length break in upon it suddenly and sharply. Our own experience will furnish us with cases of commencing retribution similar to that of the Asiatic king. We have seen the young man despising wholesome restraints, neglecting regular duties, moving joyously through all the rounds of sinful pleasure. Was the sword of vengeance stretched at once over his head, and his soul summoned to its trial? No; year after year he went on, and spent his substance in riotous living, and robbed his brothers patrimony. Noble were the powers of his mind, and, like jewels, they might have shone in his noble frame. But, alas! their strength was all melted down in the fires of appetite and the heats of passion. At length the too-sorely taxed system began to tremble from the height of its proud strength. Loathsome disease infected the nerves, and loosened every fibre. And death is not the end of retribution, but the signal of its more perfect reign. Death is often piously spoken of as a circumstance in life. But it is not a small circumstance. The time arrives for this temple of the human body to be taken down. Finally, the account from Scripture presents retribution, not only as a principle thus sure and dreadful in its operations, but as a law of rigorous justice. Even to the dissolute king it was said, Thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting. Retribution shall be measured and meted out to thee in exact proportion to thy sin. Thou shall suffer as much as thou deservest, and no more and no less. The unbounded and unqualified declarations which are so common are apt to make us forget this just and guarded style of the Scriptures. A man is to reap exactly what he sows, of the same kind and in the same degree. Turning aside, then, from all ingenious speculations, here is the solemn fact that should press upon our hearts and control our lives. We must eat the fruit of our own doings, and all of it. Oh! were we but once thoroughly persuaded of this simple truth, what revolutions would take place in our lives! How should we avoid every inordinate passion as a raging fire! How should we cast all envious and uncharitable thoughts, like vipers, from our bosoms! What immense interest would life gain in our eyes! Steadily and for ever the work goes on. Events sweep by us, ever taking some stamp from the moral tamper of our minds, the transcript of which is entered in the book of judgment. As not the smallest particle of dust is ever annihilated, so not a thought we have cherished, not a feeling we have indulged, not the most trivial act done in the most sportive mood, shall be lost. Buried these things may be, and are, for a time, like seed in a field. The traveller walks over the smooth surface, and dreams not of the mighty process going on beneath. But, nevertheless, soon does the full harvest wave wide its golden treasure. Thus, too, the harvest-season of life shall come. Now is the spring-time of the moral year! (C.A. Bartol.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. Fingers of a man’s hand] The fingers were collected about the style or pen as in the act of writing.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In the same hour: by this it did appear what was the cause of the kings punishment and ruin, namely, his reproaching of God and profaning the holy vessels.
Fingers of a mans hand; the likeness of a mans hand, which Rabbi Solomon saith was managed by the angel Gabriel; it is clear it was immediately from God. This was a plainer testimony then that of his fathers dream, for hereof were above a thousand witnesses, besides his conscience that shook him, a thousand more.
Over against the candlestick by this it appears how the feast continued far in the night in which Babylon was taken and Belshazzar slain, Dan 5:30.
The king saw the part of the hand that wrote: God intended it for him, and that he should see it with his own eyes, and it should not be brought him by report, which affords ground of doubting; but here was undeniable proof and conviction, the visible hand of God was here; and it was also for terror to him, and spoiled his draughts of wine, and was a cooler to their jollities.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. In the same hourthat thecause of God’s visitation might be palpable, namely, the profanationof His vessels and His holy name.
fingers of . . . handGodadmonishes him, not by a dream (as Nebuchadnezzar had been warned),or by a voice, but by “fingers coming forth,” theinvisibility of Him who moved them heightening the awfulimpressiveness of the scene, the hand of the Unseen One attesting hisdoom before the eyes of himself and his guilty fellow revellers.
against the candlestickthecandelabra; where the mystic characters would be best seen. BARNESmakes it the candlestick taken from the temple of Jerusalem, thenearness of the writing to it intimating that the rebuke was directedagainst the sacrilege.
upon the plaster of the wallof the king’s palaceWritten in cuneiform letters on slabs onthe walls, and on the very bricks, are found the perpetuallyrecurring recital of titles, victories, and exploits, to remind thespectator at every point of the regal greatness. It is significant,that on the same wall on which the king was accustomed to read theflattering legends of his own magnificence, he beholds the mysteriousinscription which foretells his fall (compare Pro 16:18;Act 12:21-23).
part of the handtheanterior part, namely, the fingers.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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 Gorion i says, that an angel came and wrote what follows; and Saadiah says it was Gabriel, called a man, Da 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 Gussetius k 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.
i Hist. l. 1. c. 5. p. 24. k Ebr. Comment. p. 424.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Here Daniel begins his narration of the change which took place, for at that instant the king’ acknowledged something sorrowful and disturbing to be at hand. Yet, as he did not at once understand what it was, God gave him a sign as an omen of calamity, according to the language of the profane. In this way God sent him warning when he saw the king and his nobles raging with mad licentiousness. There appeared, then, the hand of a man, says the Prophet, using this expression from its similitude and form. We are sure it was not a man’s hand; it had the appearance of one, and hence was called so. Scripture often uses this method of expression, especially when treating external symbols. This is, then, a sacramental form of speech, (251) if I may use the expression. God, indeed, wrote the inscription by his own power, but he shews King Belshazzar the figure as if a man had written it on the wall; hence the fingers of a hand were put forth. This expression conduces in no slight degree to the reality of the miracle; for if Belshazzar had seen this on the wall from the very first, he might have supposed some artifice had placed the hand there; but when the wall was previously bare, and then the hand suddenly appeared, we may readily understand the hand to have been a sign from heaven, through which God wished to shew something’ important to the king. The fingers of a hand, then, were put forth, and wrote from the midst of the candlestick, or lamp. Clearly, then, this was a feast by night, and Babylon was taken in the midst of the night. No wonder their banquets were protracted to a great length, for intemperance has no bounds. When men are accustomed to spend the day in luxury, I confess indeed they do not usually continue their banquets till midnight; but when they celebrate any splendid and remarkable feast, they do not find the daylight sufficient for their festivites and the grosser indulgences of the table.
Hence the hand appeared from the candlesticks to render it the more conspicuous. That hand, says the Prophet, wrote on the surface of the palace wall. If any one had announced to the king this appearance of a human hand, he might have doubted it; but he says the king was an eye-witness, for God wished to terrify him, as we shall afterwards see, and hence he set before him this spectacle. The king, then, perceived it; perhaps his nobles did not; and we shall afterwards see how the terror operated upon the king alone, unless, indeed, some others trembled with him. When, therefore, they saw his countenance changed and exhibiting proofs of terror, they began to fear, although they were all desirous of affording him some consolation. Hence God wished to summon this impious king to His tribunal when the hand of a man appeared before him in the act of writing. We shall see what it wrote in its proper place.
(251) This phrase is worthy of notice. The Latin is “ sacramentalis locutio ; ” the French, “ est aussi sacramentale ” See our Ezekiel, volume 2, p. 312 and note, where the Sabbath is termed a Sacrament.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) In the same houri.e., suddenly and unexpectedly. (Comp. Dan. 3:6.) Observe that it was only a portion of the hand that the king saw (comp. Dan. 5:24), and that we are not told whether the guests saw the hand or not. That the writing was visible to all is plain from Dan. 5:8. We remark here, as in other supernatural manifestations recorded in Scripture, that a portion only has been witnessed by many, while the whole has been seen only by one or by a few. (Comp. Joh. 12:28-29; Act. 9:7.)
Candlestick.This, of course, would make both the hand and the writing more distinctly visible to the king.
Plaister.This was invariably used in the inner chamber of the Assyrian and Babylonian palaces. (See Layard, Nineveh and Babylon, p. 529.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Poetry and story have done their best to make vivid this climax of the feast, when Belshazzar, having publicly scorned Jehovah, drinking from his holy cup amid the laughter of his lords, suddenly felt the boisterous company grow deathly silent, and looking up saw on the plaster (literally, stucco) of the wall, under the full light of the golden chandelier, a ghostly hand appear, and saw the “palm” of that supernatural hand as it wrote strange words before his eyes,
And wrote, and wrote, on the white wall Letters of fire
The fact that the king saw the “hollow” of the hand would suggest that no pen seemed to be used, but the writing was accomplished by the stroke of the “fingers.” The “hand” was the organ of divine power (compare Eze 8:3). In a famous Egyptian papyrus the hand, with its fingers as digits, represents certain mystic numbers and stands, in different positions, for certain well-known deities. The symbol of the “hand of might” has always been common in the Orient and may he seen in Jerusalem to this day sculptured, or colored with vermilion, on the lintel or above the arch of the door. While this symbol might, among the Jews, have been connected with the tradition of the deliverance of Israel from the last Egyptian plague, yet the uplifted open hand was prominent above the doors in ancient Carthage, and remains as an emblem of power in modern Turkey and Persia. So Siva, the Destroyer, in the Hindu triad, had as his symbol a hand “token of might and life.” The king of Babylon could not be recognized as a legitimate ruler until he had lifted up his hand and clasped the hand of the image of Bel, his “father.” This mysterious hand, which the Assyrians as well as the Phoenicians, Egyptians, and other ancient nations regarded as a divine symbol of power, and which often, if not always, includes the thought of covenant relations between God and man (Trumbull, Threshold Covenant, 1896), here appears to write the doom of the king and dissolve his covenant with life.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man’s hand 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.’
Excavation has revealed that the walls of the Babylonian palace were covered with white plaster so that any dark object would be highlighted against it in the light of the great lampstand. Only the king is actually mentioned as seeing the hand that wrote. But it does not necessarily mean that no other saw it, although it is possible. Perhaps the emphasis is rather on the fact that the blasphemous king, who had ordered the blasphemy, also saw the hand because the message was for him. We can imagine the mysteriousness of the scene. The dark hall, the flickering of the lamps, the inebriated condition of those present, the boisterous singing, and then the awed silence as they became aware of what was happening in the flickering light from the lampstand.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
DISCOURSE: 1126
BELSHAZZAR WARNED OF HIS IMPENDING RUIN
Dan 5:5-6. In the same hour came forth fingers of a mans hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the kings palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the kings countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
IN former days, God was pleased to reveal his mind and will to men by dreams, and visions, and signs of different kinds; and this he did, not to his friends only, but also to his enemies. To Nebuchadnezzar he revealed his purposes towards the world at large, in the successive establishment and ruin of four mighty empires, and of the final erection of the Messiahs kingdom, which should stand for ever. His purposes also towards this monarch in particular he was pleased to make known through the same medium of communication. In like manner, to the impious Belshazzar he here in a miraculous manner foretold the impending destinies of himself and of his falling empire. The effect of this revelation upon the mind of Belshazzar is described in the words which we have just read; and it will give occasion to many useful reflections, whilst we consider,
I.
His overwhelming fears
[That the sight of a hand-writing upon the wall of his room should surprise him, we may well expect. But why should it create in him such terror as is described in our text? What though he did not understand the writing? he need not on that account to be dismayed, if he had no inward reason to interpret the sign itself as auguring ill of him. But conscience, which had long been silenced by him, now lifted up its voice, and spoke to him in the language of keen remonstrance, and of dire foreboding: and this it was that made his loins to shake, and his knees to smite one against the other.
Now this is a striking and instructive incident. We may, by carelessness and dissipation, drown for a season the voice of conscience; (unhappily for them, many succeed in this too well!) but sooner or later it will speak, and that too in such an authoritative tone as will make the stoutest sinner tremble. Every one, whether willingly or not, must listen to it at last: and the longer our attention to it is delayed, the more poignant and terrible will its reproaches be. Behold the convictions of the converts on the day of Pentecost, or the desponding and self-destroying attitude of the jailor! Yet these were the kindlier offices of conscience for their good [Note: Act 2:37; Act 16:26-30.]. In many who continue to withstand its dictates, it stings, it rankles, it corrodes, it fills with gloom and melancholy, destroying all their peace, and leaving them nothing but a certain fearful looking-for of judgment and fiery indignation to consume them. And oh! with what horrors does it fill them at the instant of their departure from the body, and will fill them in the day when they shall be summoned to the judgment-seat of Christ! What fearfulness will then surprise the hypocrites, when they see nothing before them but dwelling with devouring fire and in everlasting burnings [Note: Isa 33:14.]! How will they then call upon the rocks to fall upon them, and the hills to cover them from the wrath of that Lamb of God, whom here they have neglected and despised! Brethren, listen to the voice of this faithful monitor: let not its slightest whispers be unheeded by you: cherish it; consult it on all occasions; labour to the uttermost to keep it pure; attend to it, and it will prove your kindest friend: neglect it, and it will be to all eternity your bitterest enemy.]
Consequent on these terrors were,
II.
His anxious inquiries
[He cried aloud to bring in all the magicians, that he might inquire of them the import of what was written: and when they were unable to give a satisfactory reply, he was induced to send for Daniel, who on former occasions had expounded the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar, but had since been neglected by the weak ungrateful prince who now sat upon the Chaldean throne: now was he glad to learn, even from him, a just interpretation of the words before him.
Here again then we see what sinners will be driven to, when Conscience summons them to its bar, and constrains them to call their former ways to remembrance. Then they will be glad to be instructed in the written word of God: yea, they will request instruction even from a neglected and despised Daniel, in whose judgment and fidelity they can trust, when they have seen, that those on whom they before relied were physicians of no value. But let not these inquiries be delayed. There is a hand-writing against us all; a writing so plain and intelligible, that he who runs may read it. It requires no Daniel, no person of extraordinary wisdom, to expound it. We may see in the sacred volume, which lies open before our eyes, the wrath of God revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. You need not go to men to interpret this to you: go to God; and he will expound it to you, and by his Spirit will give you an understanding to understand it. But it is not a sentence of condemnation only that is written there: no; blessed be God! there are many glorious sentences which proclaim pardon and peace through the atoning blood of Christ Read these; meditate on these: and your fears shall speedily be dispelled, and your sorrows be turned into joy. Mark the answers given to those whose terrors we have before spoken of, and the effect of those answers on their souls; and then you will see what you may assuredly expect as the result of your inquiries, if only they be made in sincerity and truth [Note: Act 2:37-38; Act 2:46-47; Act 16:26-30; Act 16:34.].]
The instruction given him was however unavailing: it had no effect on,
III.
His confirmed obduracy
[He listened not only to the instructions, but also to the reproofs of Daniel, who set before him the guilt lie had contracted, by his misimprovement of those judgments which had been inflicted on Nebuchadnezzar for his pride; as also by his utter neglect of Jehovah, in whose hand his life was; and particularly in so heinously insulting God, as to take the sacred vessels of the sanctuary and profane them in his drunken revels, and make them an occasion of exalting his gods of wood and stone above him. Having set before him these grounds of Gods displeasure, Daniel proceeded to explain the writing, and to tell him from God, that his life and kingdom were just ready to be delivered over to his enemies. All this he heard without offence; and he even gave orders, that the promised rewards should instantly be conferred on this faithful servant. But we hear not one word of humiliation on account of all his wickedness: he does not, like Ahab, humble himself in sackcloth and ashes [Note: 1Ki 21:27.]; he does not, like the Ninevites, proclaim a fast; he does not even, like Pharaoh, say, I have sinned; nor does he even, like Simon Magus, desire Daniels intercession, that these judgments might not fall upon him [Note: Act 8:24.]. He seems altogether insensible, given over to a reprobate mind and an obdurate heart.
And do we not often see a similar result from all the most faithful expositions of Gods word? A momentary fear perhaps may be excited, even to terror; but no solid improvement follows it; no godly sorrow is produced in the soul; no humiliation before God; no cries for mercy; no departure from iniquity. But, if we thus harden ourselves against God, can we prosper? No: he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without a remedy.]
In reading this account, we cannot but observe,
1.
The vanity of all earthly enjoyments
[What can we conceive more gratifying to flesh and blood, than to be entertaining, as Belshazzar did, such multitudes of his nobles, together with all his wives and concubines? Yet, behold, how in an instant all his pleasure vanished, and was turned into insupportable agony of mind! Nor is such a change uncommon: many in the midst of the most licentious scenes have been struck with horror, and made to anticipate their final doom: even a thought passing through the mind has been sufficient to cast a damp over the spirits, and to rob the soul of all its gaiety. What folly then to seek our happeness in things which are so unsatisfactory at best, and which may so speedily become an occasion of our more aggravated woe! Let us remember, that all which the world can afford is vanity and vexation of spirit. As for laughter, it is mad; and of mirth, it may be asked, What doeth it? Yea, even in laughter, the soul is often sorrowful; and the end of all such mirth is heaviness.]
2.
The comfort of a good conscience
[Daniel was not alarmed, notwithstanding his life was in jeopardy, as well as the life of all who dwelt in Babylon. But Daniel enjoyed the testimony of a good conscience, and therefore had confidence towards God. He knew that the enemy could only kill the body; and that the death of the body would translate his soul into the more immediate presence of his God. Thus Paul, when ready to be offered up a sacrifice, contemplated his departure with joy, assured, that the Lord, the righteous Judge, had prepared for him a never-fading crown of righteousness and glory. And Peter also, when on the very eve of expected martyrdom, and chained to two soldiers, was sleeping as sweetly, as if he had known that God had decreed to liberate him from his prison. Such are the effects of peace with God, and peace in our own conscience. Let us but maintain a conscience void of offence towards God and man, and nothing shall have power to disturb our rest. Assured that nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, we shall smile at all the storms that encompass us around, and commit ourselves with confidence into the hands of a faithful Creator.]
3.
The blessedness of an interest in Christ
[Whatever hand-writing there is against us in the Scriptures of truth, Christ has blotted it out, and taken it out of the way, nailing it, as a cancelled bond, unto his cross [Note: Col 2:14.]. Search the sacred volume from one end to the other, and not one word will be found menacing to a believing penitent. The very moment we believe in Christ, all our iniquities, of whatever kind, are blotted out as a morning cloud, and shall never more be remembered against us. Is there then any one amongst us that trembles at Gods word? let him know, that the more he trembles, the less reason he has to tremble; since God looks upon him with complacency [Note: Isa 66:2.], and engages in no wise to cast him out. Suppose that such an one beheld at this moment written on the wall before him, Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin; and that we were authorized to expound it to him, Thy days are numbered; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting; and all that thou hast shall now be divided by thy surviving relatives, thy soul being summoned into the presence of its God; even were this so, he need not fear, because Christ, being apprehended by faith, shall be put into the scale, and make it preponderate in his favour. We do not mean by this, that Christ and his merits are to be added to something of our own; (for He alone must be put into the scale against our sins;) but this we mean; that if there were the sins of the whole world lying on the soul of a single individual, the blood of Christ, applied by faith, should cleanse him from it, and the righteousness of Christ be a sufficient plea for his acceptance with God. Seek then, Beloved, to be united unto Christ by faith; and then, instead of trembling at his approach, you shall rejoice before him at his coming.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Behold, Reader! on what a slender thread the happiness of man hangs, when in a moment the appearance on a wall can snap it asunder! What was it so alarmed the reveling prince, and his drunken lords? Simply the view of a man’s hand, writing on the wall! But what did he write! In truth, none of the company could tell, for none of them could read it. But what none of them could do, conscience did for them. Belshazzar felt the whole of the evil before it was explained; and more than anticipated all. I beg the Reader to remark with me, the beautiful correspondence between the prediction of this event, and the accomplishment. Isaiah had been commissioned to tell of this two hundred years at least before. Cyrus was named by the Lord as his servant, to the ruin of Babylon, to open the two-leaved gates, and that the Lord would loose, it was said, the loins of kings. And here we learn, that Belshazzar, (and no doubt his princes also,) literally had this prophecy accomplished in his own person. See Isa 45:1-4 . Historians relate, that Cyrus found out a passage to enter Babylon through the river Euphrates, where there was two-leaved gates. What a wonderful coincidence of providences there must have been, to bring about such events! Reader! never forget that the Lord cannot need instruments for the accomplishment of his will, whenever that will is about to be manifested to his creatures!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Dan 5:5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Ver. 5. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand.] Taken off from the arm. This strange sight marred all the mirth immediately, making good the proverb, Ubi uber, ibi tuber; ubi mel, ibi fel. Lege Dei aeterna sancitum est ut illicita voluptas pariat ultricis conscientiae furias et supplicia, iuxta illud, Where the breast is, there is the friut, where the honey is, there is the venom. Eternity is confirmed by the law of God that forbidden pleasures give birth to vengeful and enraged conscience and that just punishment is near. Rev 18:7 . Carnal mirth goeth out in a snuff.
Upon the plaster of the wall.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Dan 5:5-9
5Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. 6Then the king’s face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together. 7The king called aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom. 8Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.
Dan 5:5 the lampstand Bible readers are familiar with the lampstands of both the tabernacle (seven branched, cf. Exo 25:31-40) and Solomon’s temple (ten branched, cf. 2Ch 4:19-22). It is uncertain if this lamp from YHWH’s temple (cf. Jer 52:19) was brought to the party room along with the bowls or if this refers to one of the lamps, which normally lit the room. If it is YHWH’s lampstand then the supernatural hand of revelation from heaven wrote its riddle right above this special holy item. Whichever is true the writing was placed in a conspicuous place where it was easily seen!
plaster of the wall of the king’s palace This is also the Aramaic word for lime, quicklime, or plaster (BDB 1086 and 162). From current archaeology we have learned that the main throne room in Babylon had white plaster on two walls.
the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing Whether everyone saw the hand or just the king is uncertain. The word hand (BDB 1094) can mean arm, palm, or finger. It was a human hand with an arm, possibly to the elbow (cf. Peter-Contesse, Ellington, A Handbook On The Book of Daniel, p. 134) or just to the wrist (cf. The Anchor Bible, vol. 23, p. 184).
Dan 5:6 This is an eyewitness account of the physical deterioration of the king in light of his drunkenness and the supernatural appearance of the hand (cf.Dan. Dan 5:9). This also occurred to Daniel in Dan 7:28.
his hip joints went slack This is a metaphorical phrase describing fear (cf. Nah 2:10; Psa 69:23; Isa 21:3), as is knees began knocking together (cf. Eze 7:17; Eze 21:7; Nah 2:10).
Dan 5:7 bring in the conjurers; the Chaldeans and the diviners Again the impotence of Babylon’s wise men is emphasized (cf. Dan 5:8; Dan 5:15). Apparently Daniel had retired from active service (cf. Dan 5:11).
purple The King James Version has scarlet and we must remember that the names of ancient colors varied greatly. Purple was the color of royalty (cf. Xenophon, Anabasis Dan 1:5; Dan 1:8). Scarlet was very expensive cloth worn only by the very wealthy.
necklace of gold Necklaces were symbols of rank and authority in the Ancient Near East(cf. Gen 41:42; Son 4:9; Eze 16:11). However, the Aramaic phrase (BDB 1090 and 1087) might refer to a solid gold collar, designating rank, not a necklace at all.
third ruler of the kingdom This word (BDB 1118) is very ambiguous. It can mean (1) simply a high official; (2) an army official; or (3) it may fit in with Belshazzar’s co-reign with Nabonidus. He could only give third place to someone.
Dan 5:8 they could not read the inscription It is uncertain if the writing was in Aramaic or Hebrew. It seems that they should have been able to read the words, but possibly did not understand their meaning. The words may have been written in consonants only or, as the rabbis say, not horizontally, but vertically. It is obvious that Daniel was needed to interpret the words.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
In the same hour = At the same moment. See note on “hour”, Dan 3:5.
man’s. Chaldee ‘enash. App-14.
candlestick = larnpstand.
saw = was gazing on.
the part = the end: i.e. the fingers.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Dan 5:5
Dan 5:5 In the same hourH8160 came forthH5312 fingersH677 ofH1768 a man’sH606 hand,H3028 and wroteH3790 over againstH6903 the candlestickH5043 uponH5922 the plaisterH1528 ofH1768 the wallH3797 ofH1768 the king’sH4430 palace:H1965 and the kingH4430 sawH2370 the partH6447 of the handH3028 thatH1768 wrote.H3790
Dan 5:5
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Belshazzar’s use of the sacred vessels in his feast for the worship of false gods also demonstrated contempt for and ridicule of the God of the Jews. God did not let this go unanswered. In a very short period of time following the use of the temple vessels, Belshazzar saw the fingers of a man’s hand holding some kind of a writing instrument and announcing his downfall as the king of Babylon in a form he could not understand. Belshazzar saw this as it took place and regardless of how intoxicated he was, it made quite an impression on him.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the same: Dan 4:31, Dan 4:33, Job 20:5, Psa 78:30, Psa 78:31, Pro 29:1, Luk 12:19, Luk 12:20, 1Th 5:2, 1Th 5:3
wrote: Dan 5:8, Dan 5:15, Dan 5:24-28, Col 2:14, Rev 20:12-15
Reciprocal: 2Ch 21:12 – a writing Est 7:6 – was afraid Psa 107:40 – contempt Isa 13:8 – pangs Isa 21:3 – I was bowed Isa 21:4 – the night Jer 50:43 – king Jer 51:41 – the praise Eze 2:9 – an hand Eze 8:3 – he put Dan 4:5 – a dream Joh 8:6 – But 1Th 5:7 – and they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Dan 5:5. The familiar expression handwriting on the wall is not technically correct, for this verse begins and ends with a distinction between the hand and its fingers. A well known commentator thinks that when the king saw the writing but could not see Him to whom the hand belonged, the invisibility of that One would heighten the awful impressiveness of the scene. I will agree with that opinion, but will add that the “impressiveness” of the scene would he even more awful to see only the fingers that held the writing instrument. Such a scene would eliminate every hint of any mechanical trick of some objector to the merrymaking.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Dan 5:5-6. In the same hour At the very time; came forth fingers of a mans hand The likeness of a mans hand; and wrote over against the candlestick The angel Gabriel, say the rabbins, directing this hand, and writing by it. Belshazzar seems to have filled up the measure of his iniquity, by this act of gross impiety and dishonour done to the true God. And the king saw It seems, first saw; the part of the hand that wrote It is probable this candlestick was a hanging sconce, near the king, and that the light it cast made him see the hand while it was writing, as well as the writing which remained on the wall. His seeing the hand, but not the person whose hand it was, made the thing more frightful. Then the kings countenance was changed, &c. His face became pale with terror: for although he could not read the writing, and therefore did not know what was its purport, yet a sense of guilt made him forebode that the words had some dreadful meaning; and his thoughts troubled him His remorse of conscience respecting the past, and his fearful apprehensions with regard to the future; so that the joints of his loins were loosed He discovered the disorder of his mind by the trembling which seized his whole body. And his knees smote one against another So soon can the terrors of God shake the loftiest cedars, and terrify the tyrants of the earth! Thus can the Lord spoil the mad mirth of drunken atheists in a moment! The expressions in this verse, in a collected view, contain such a description of terror as is rarely to be met with; the dead change of the countenance, the perturbation of the thoughts, the joints of the loins becoming relaxed, and the knees smiting against each other, are very strong indications of horror. Horace has, Et corde et genibus tremit; and Virgil, Tarda trementi genua labant; but these are far inferior to the picturesque description of Daniel. Wintle.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over {e} against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
(e) That it might the better be seen.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. God’s revelation to Belshazzar 5:5-9
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Like Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar received an omen from God. In Nebuchadnezzar’s case it was two dreams (chs. 1; 4). In Belshazzar’s, it was handwriting on a wall. The night of revelry became a night of revelation. [Note: Campbell, p. 59.]
"In the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar’s palace archeologists have uncovered a large throne room 56 feet wide and 173 feet long which probably was the scene of this banquet. Midway in the long wall opposite the entrance there was a niche in front of which the king may well have been seated. Interestingly, the wall behind the niche was covered with white plaster as described by Daniel, which would make an excellent background for such a writing." [Note: Walvoord, p. 120. Cf. Montgomery, p. 253; Kraeling, p. 327; and Young, p. 120.]