18 24<\/strong>. Before interpreting the writing Daniel reads the king a lesson. Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, combined with his refusal to recognize the sovereignty of the true God, had brought upon him a bitter humiliation: Belshazzar has exhibited the same faults yet more conspicuously: and the present sign has been sent in order to warn him of the impending punishment.<\/p>\n 18 the<\/strong> kingdom, and<\/em> greatness<\/strong>, and glory, and<\/em> majesty<\/strong> ] Cf. Dan 4:22<\/span>; Dan 4:36<\/span>.<\/p>\n O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom … – <\/B>This reference to Nebuchadnezzar is evidently designed to show to Belshazzar the wickedness of his own course, and the reason which he had to apprehend the Divine vengeance, because he had not learned to avoid the sins which brought so great calamities upon his predecessor. As he was acquainted with what had occurred to Nebuchadnezzar; as he had doubtless seen the proclamation which he had made on his recovery from the dreadful malady which God had brought upon him for his pride; and as he had not humbled himself, but had pursued the same course which Nebuchadnezzar did, he had the greater reason to apprehend the judgment of heaven. See Dan 5:22-23<\/span>. Daniel here traces all the glory which Nebuchadnezzar had to the most high God, reminding the king that whatever honor and majesty he had he was equally indebted for it to the same source, and that he must expect a similar treatment from him.<\/P> <\/p>\n Verse 18. Nebuchadnezzar thy father<\/B><\/I>] Or grandfather<\/I>, as the margin<\/I> reads, Da 5:2<\/span>. See Clarke on Da 5:1<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n This the prophet repeats, to put Belshazzar in mind how God dealt with his father; for it is good for kings to read over the story of their ancestors, and take warning, and take example. In the first they are seamarks, in the second landmarks. <\/P> <\/p>\n 18. God gave<\/B>It was not hisown birth or talents which gave him the vast empire, as he thought.To make him unlearn his proud thought was the object of God’svisitation on him. <\/P> majesty<\/B>in the eyes ofhis subjects. <\/P> glory<\/B>from hisvictories. <\/P> honour<\/B>from theenlargement and decoration of the city.<\/P><\/p>\n O thou king<\/strong>,…. “Hear” t, O king; so Aben Ezra supplies it; what he was about to say first, in order to prepare him for the meaning of the handwriting, and the cause of it; or, “thou knowest”, as Saadiah supplies it; namely, what follows:<\/p>\n the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom<\/strong>: a very large one, which reached to the ends of the earth: this was not to be ascribed to his predecessor that left it to him; or to his victorious arms, which increased it; or to his idol gods, to whom he attributed it; but to the most high God, from whom promotion alone cometh; and who, being above all gods and kings, sets up, and pulls down, as he pleases; he gave him his large dominions:<\/p>\n and majesty, and glory, and honour<\/strong>; greatness among men; glory and honour from them, on account of the majesty of his person and kingdom; the victories he obtained, and the great things he did to make him famous while he lived, and to perpetuate his memory after death.<\/p>\n t So Pagninus, Munster.<\/p>\n Before Daniel recites the writing, and adds its interpretation, he explains to King Belshazzar the origin of this prodigy. He did not begin the reading at once, as he might conveniently have done, saying Mene, Mene! as we shall see at the end of the chapter, since the king could not have pro-fired by his abrupt speech. But here Daniel shews it to be by no means surprising, if God put forth his hand and shewed the figure of a hand describing the king’s destruction, since the king had too obstinately provoked his anger. We see then why Daniel begins by this narrative, since King Nebuchadnezzar was a most powerful monarch, subduing the whole world to himself and causing all men to tremble at his word, and was afterwards hurled from the throne of his kingdom. Hence it more clearly appears that Belshazzar did not live in ignorance, for he had so signal and remarkable an example [hat he ought to have conducted himself with moderation. Since then that domestic admonition did not profit him, Daniel shews the time to be ripe for the denunciation of God’s wrath by a formidable and portentous sign. This is the sense of the passage. Passing on to the words themselves, he first says, To King Nebuchadnezzar God gave an empire, and magnificence, and loftiness, and splendor; as if he had said, he was magnificently adorned, as the greatest monarch in the world. We have stated elsewhere, and Daniel repeats it often, that empires are bestowed on men by divine power and not by chance, as Paul announces, There is no power but of God. (Rom 13:1<\/span>.) God wishes his power to be specially visible in kingdoms. Although, therefore, he takes care of the whole world, and, in the government of the human family even the most miserable things are regulated by his hand, yet his singular providence shines forth in the empire of the world. But since we have often discussed this point at length, and shall have many opportunities of recurring to it, it is now sufficient just briefly to notice the principle, of the exaltation of earthly kings by the hand of God, and not by the chances of fortune. <\/p>\n When Daniel confirms this doctrine, he adds, On account of the magnificence which God conferred upon him, all mortals trembled at the sight of him! By these words he shews how God’s glory is inscribed on kings, although he allows them to reign supreme. This indeed cannot be pointed out with the finger, but the fact is sufficiently clear; kings are divinely armed with authority, and thus retain under their hand and sway a great multitude of subjects. Every one desires the chief power over his fellow-creatures. Whence happens it, since ambition is natural to all men, that many thousands are subject to one, and suffer themselves to be ruled over and endure many oppressions? How could this be, unless God entrusted the sword of power to those whom he wishes to excel? This reason, then, must be diligently noticed, when the Prophet says, All men trembled at the sight of King Nebuchadnezzar, because God conferred upon him that majesty, and wished him to excel all the monarchs of the world. God has many reasons, and often hidden ones, why he raises one man and humbles another; yet this point ought to be uncontroverted by us. No kings can possess any authority unless God extends his hand to them and props them up. When he wishes to remove them from power, they fall of their own accord; not because there is any chance in the changes of the world, but because God, as it is said in the Book of Job, (Job 12:18<\/span>,) deprives those of the sword whom he had formerly entrusted with it. <\/p>\n It now follows, Whom he wished to slay he slew, and whom he wished to strike he struck Some think the abuse of kingly power is here described; but I had rather take it simply, for Nebuchadnezzar being able to east down some, and to raise others at his will, since it was in his power to give life to some and to slay others. I, therefore, do not refer these words to tyrannical lust, as if Nebuchadnezzar had put many innocent persons to death, and poured forth human blood without any reason; or as if he had despoiled many of their fortunes, and enriched others and adorned them with honor and wealth. I do not take it so. I think it refers to his arbitrary power over life and death, and over the rise of some and the ruin of others. On the whole, Daniel seems to me to describe the greatness of that royal power which they may freely exercise over their subjects, not through its being lawful, but through the tacit consent of all men. Whatsoever pleases the king, all are compelled to approve of it, or at least no one dares to murmur at it. Since, therefore, the regal license is so great, Daniel here shews how King Nebuchadnezzar was not carried away by his own plans, or purposes, or good fortune, but was entrusted with supreme power and rendered formidable to all men, because God had designed him for his own glory. Meanwhile, kings usually despise what they are permitted to enjoy, and what God allows them. For powerful as they are, they must hereafter render an account to the Supreme King. We are not to gather from this, that kings are appointed by God without any law, or any self-restraint; but the Prophet, as I have said, speaks of the royal power in itself. Since kings, therefore, have power over their subjects for life and death, he says, the life of all men was in the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar. He now adds, When his heart was exalted, then he was cast down (or ejected) from the throne of his kingdom, and they deprived him of his majesty He follows up his own narrative, tie wishes to shew King Belshazzar how God bears with the insolence of those who forget him, when they have obtained the summit of power. Desiring to make this known, he says, King Nebuchadnezzar, thy grandfather, was a mighty monarch. He did not obtain this mightiness by himself, nor could he have retained it, except he had been supported by God’s hand. Now his change of circumstances was a remarkable proof that the pride of those who are ungrateful to God can never be endured unto the end, as they never acknowledge their sway to proceed from his benevolence. When, therefore, says he, his heart was raised up and his spirit strengthened in pride, a sudden change occurred. Hence you and all his posterity ought to be taught, lest pride still further deceive you, and ye profit not by the example of your father; as we shall afterwards relate. Hence this writing has been set before thee, for the purpose of making known the destruction of thy life and kingdom. <\/p>\n (18) The most high God<\/strong>.Comp. this and the three following verses with Dan. 4:16-17<\/span>; Dan. 4:22-25<\/span>.<\/p>\n “O you who are king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingdom and greatness and glory and majesty. And because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive. And whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down.”<\/p>\n We are probably to see in this ‘you who are king’, followed by the description, both an indication of the pride that Belshazzar felt in his position, and a reminder to him that Nebuchadnezzar was far, far greater than he. For Nebuchadnezzar had ruled over all, and no Medan or Persian had dared to trespass on his empire. Furthermore there was even now a king greater than Belshazzar, his own father. He was ‘melek, not ‘sharru’. But there had been no one greater than Nebuchadnezzar. He truly was the supreme lord, in whose presence all the known world trembled. He had total control, the power of life and death over his whole empire, and the power to give honour or to remove honour which really counted for something. Daniel had cause to remember both.<\/p>\n It was true that in a sense Belshazzar was like this. His word was law where he was and he had already shown that he could dispose of honours. But his power was not total. He had always to be aware that his father may step in and alter what he did. When his father had forbidden the annual akitu festivals from being held, Belshazzar had dared not interfere. He dared not take for himself the title ‘sharru’ (overall king). (Although Nabonidus and Belshazzar appear to have been on good terms. But it did not mean he could disregard his authority). There were limits to his power. And furthermore he would be very much aware that those ‘people, nations and languages’ were now mainly controlled by another, the great Cyrus, who would soon be knocking on the gates of Babylon. He may appoint a ‘third ruler’, but over what?<\/p>\n Note also the repetition of phrases and ideas from earlier chapters, denoting the unity of the whole (compare Dan 3:4<\/span>; Dan 3:7<\/span>; Dan 3:29<\/span>; Dan 4:1<\/span>; Dan 4:22<\/span>; Dan 4:34<\/span>; Dan 4:36<\/span>).<\/p>\n Dan 5:18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:<\/p>\n Ver. 18. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebachadnezzar.<\/strong> ] See here the necessary and profitable use of history, which hath its name, saith Plato, , from stopping the flux and overflow of impiety in others; <\/p>\n “ Exemplo alterius qui sapit, ille sapit.<\/em> ”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Domestic examples are most prevalent; as not to profit by them is a great provocation, and yet all too common. Psa 49:14 Lamech was nothing bettered by Cain’s punishment, but the contrary. Jude inveigheth against such as made no use of Sodom’s ruin; this was a just presage and desert of their own. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour.<\/strong> ] His offences were much increased by these many obligations.<\/p>\n the MOST HIGH. Same as Hebrew. ‘elyon. App-4. <\/p>\n Dan 5:18-21<\/p>\n Dan 5:18 O thouH607 king,H4430 the most highH5943 GodH426 gaveH3052 NebuchadnezzarH5020 thy fatherH2 a kingdom,H4437 and majesty,H7238 and glory,H3367 and honour:H1923 <\/p>\n Dan 5:19 And forH4481 the majestyH7238 thatH1768 he gaveH3052 him, allH3606 people,H5972 nations,H524 and languages,H3961 trembledH1934 H2112 and fearedH1763 beforeH4481 H6925 him: whomH1768 he wouldH1934 H6634 he slew;H1934 H6992 and whomH1768 he wouldH1934 H6634 he kept alive;H1934 H2418 and whomH1768 he wouldH1934 H6634 he set up;H1934 H7313 and whomH1768 he wouldH1934 H6634 he put down.H1934 H8214 <\/p>\n Dan 5:20 But whenH1768 his heartH3825 was lifted up,H7313 and his mindH7308 hardenedH8631 in pride,H2103 he was deposedH5182 fromH4481 his kinglyH4437 throne,H3764 and they tookH5709 his gloryH3367 fromH4481 him: <\/p>\n Dan 5:21 And he was drivenH2957 fromH4481 the sonsH1123 of men;H606 and his heartH3825 was madeH7739 likeH5974 the beasts,H2423 and his dwellingH4070 was withH5974 the wild asses:H6167 they fedH2939 him with grassH6211 like oxen,H8450 and his bodyH1655 was wetH6647 with the dewH4481 H2920 of heaven;H8065 tillH5705 H1768 he knewH3046 thatH1768 the most highH5943 GodH426 ruledH7990 in the kingdomH4437 of men,H606 and that he appointethH6966 overH5922 it whomsoeverH4479 H1768 he will.H6634 <\/p>\n Dan 5:18-21<\/p>\n O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.<\/p>\n Daniel preambles the interpretation by recounting to Belshazzar the lesson king Nebuchadnezzar had learned the hard way way about pride and who was really in charge of the kingdoms of earth. Belshazzar did not learn from his predecessor’s lessons. <\/p>\n O thou: Dan 3:17, Dan 3:18, Dan 4:22, Dan 6:22, Act 26:13, Act 26:19 <\/p>\n the most: Dan 2:37, Dan 2:38, Dan 4:17, Dan 4:22-25, Dan 4:32, Deu 32:8, Psa 7:17, Psa 9:2, Psa 47:2, Psa 92:8, Lam 3:35, Lam 3:38, Act 7:48 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Jos 6:2 – I have Jdg 3:12 – and the Lord 1Ki 3:7 – thou hast 2Ki 9:3 – I have anointed 2Ki 25:28 – the throne 1Ch 29:12 – power 1Ch 29:25 – bestowed 2Ch 13:5 – the Lord 2Ch 36:23 – All the kingdoms Est 1:4 – excellent Job 9:24 – earth Job 12:9 – the hand Job 36:22 – God Psa 56:2 – most Psa 75:7 – he putteth Psa 92:1 – most Psa 107:40 – contempt Pro 8:15 – By Ecc 6:2 – a man Isa 47:7 – thou saidst Jer 9:23 – neither Jer 27:6 – I given all Jer 43:10 – I will send Jer 52:32 – set Eze 28:14 – and I Eze 31:11 – the mighty Dan 1:2 – the Lord Dan 3:24 – O king Dan 4:30 – and for Dan 5:2 – father Dan 5:13 – father Dan 5:22 – thou Dan 7:4 – lifted Mic 6:6 – the high Mat 4:9 – I give Act 12:23 – because Act 16:17 – the most Rom 8:39 – height Rom 9:17 – I raised Rom 13:1 – there 1Co 4:7 – why Eph 4:6 – who Heb 7:1 – the most Rev 9:5 – it was Rev 13:7 – and power<\/p>\n Dan 5:18. Before going into the subject of the writing, Daniel related to Belshazzar the background that led up to the present crisis. The meaning of father” for Nebuchadnezzar is explained by a quotation from history given at verse 2. It should be noted that Daniel says God gave to Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom and his glory.<\/p>\n Dan 5:18-19. O thou king Before Daniel reads the writing, he judges it proper to remind the king of Gods dealings with Nebuchadnezzar, his progenitor, and of those remarkable instances of divine providence, both in mercy and in judgment, which were intended to be an instructive lesson, as to all princes that should hear of them, so especially to all the descendants of that great monarch. He also, with great fidelity and seriousness, sets Belshazzars profane conduct before him, that he might be humbled and brought to repentance. The most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, &c. His great power, and vast extent of empire, were the gifts of God to him, and were not acquired by his own policy or bravery, or those of his generals and armies. Grotius explains the different terms of this verse thus: A kingdom, that is, a widely-extended empire; majesty, or magnificence among his subjects; glory from his victories; and honour from the enlargement of the city, the building of its walls, temple, and palace. And for the majesty that he gave him For the vast power, riches, and victorious hand which he gave him; all people, nations, &c., trembled and feared before him, &c. We have here a strong picture of the absolute and independent power of these princes; they regarded their subjects only as slaves. Xerxes, having assembled the great men of his kingdom, when he had determined to undertake the war against Greece, said to them, I have assembled you that I might not seem to act solely by my own counsel; but remember that I expect obedience, not advice from you. Calmet.<\/p>\n 5:18 O thou king, the most high God gave {l} Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:<\/p>\n (l) Before he read the writing, he declares to the king his great ingratitude toward God, who could not be moved to give him the glory, considering God’s wonderful work toward his grandfather, and so shows that he does not sin from ignorance but from malice.<\/p>\n Daniel reminded Belshazzar, and undoubtedly everyone else in the room, of the lesson in humility that God had taught the king’s forefather, Nebuchadnezzar (ch. 4). The Most High God had given his grandfather his authority, and had taught him that he was under His greater sovereignty. Nebuchadnezzar’s pride had led him to behave arrogantly, as Belshazzar was doing by drinking from the sacred vessels of Yahweh-the Most High God. Even though Belshazzar knew all about this, he had not humbled his heart before the Lord of heaven and glorified Him. Therefore the God who held Belshazzar’s life and his ways in His hand<\/span>, had sent the hand<\/span> to write the inscription on the wall.<\/p>\n "One of the most amazing spectacles in this world is how little men really profit from the judgments of God." [Note: Feinberg, p. 69.] <\/span><\/p>\n Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah used the title "the God of heaven" to describe Yahweh because this was the title of the chief Syrian god and a title that other people in the Persian Empire gave to their chief god (c. Ezr 1:2; Ezr 5:11-12; Ezr 6:9-10; Ezr 7:12; Ezr 7:23; Neh 1:4-5; Neh 2:4; Neh 2:20; Dan 2:18-19; Dan 2:34; Dan 2:44; Dan 5:23). This title implies God’s transcendence over all. [Note: Waltke, An Old . . ., p. 375.] <\/span><\/p>\n O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor: 18 24. Before interpreting the writing Daniel reads the king a lesson. Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, combined with his refusal to recognize the sovereignty of the true God, had brought upon him a bitter humiliation: Belshazzar has exhibited … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 5:18”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21903\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"