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Commentaries:
Barnes' Notes
Belshazzar the king - See Introduction to the chapter, Section II. In the Introduction to the chapter here referred to, I have stated what seemed to be necessary in order to illustrate the history of Belshazzar, so far as that can be now known. The statements in regard to this monarch, it is well understood, are exceedingly confused, and the task of reconciling them is now hopeless. Little depends, however, in the interpretation of this book, on the attempt to reconcile them, for the narrative here given is equally credible, whichever of the accounts is taken, unless that of Berosus is followed. But it may not be improper to exhibit here the two principal accounts of the successors of Nebuchadnezzar, that the discrepancy may be distinctly seen. I copy from the Pictorial Bible. "The common account we shall collect from L' Art de Verifier les Dates, and the other from Hales' "Analysis," disposing them in opposite colums for the sake of comparison: | | From L'Art de Verifier | | B.C. | | | 605 | Nebuchadnezzar, who was
succeeded by his son
| | 562 | Evil- Merodach, who,
having provoked general
indignation by his tyranny
and atrocities, was, after
short reign of about two
years, assassinated by his
brother-in-law
| | 560 | Nerigilassar, or Nericasso-
lassar, who was regarded as
a deliverer, and succeeded by
the choice of the nation. He
perished in a battle by Cyrus,
and was succeeded by his
son
| | 555 | Laborosoarchod, notorious
for his cruelty and oppression,
and who was assassinated
by two nobles, Gobryas and
Gadatas, whose sons he had
slain | | | | 554 | Nabonadius, the Labynetus of
Herodotus, the Naboandel of
Josephus, and the Belshazzar
of Daniel, who was the some of
Evil-Merodach, and who now
succeeded to the throne of his | | 538 | father. After a voluptuous
reign, his city was taken by the
Persians under Cyrus, on which
occasion he lost his life.
| | | | | From Hale's Analysis. | | B.C. | | | 604 | Nebuchadnezzar was
succeeded by his son
| | 561 | Evil-Merodach, or
Ilverdam, who was
slain in a battle against
the Medes and Persians,
and was succeeded by
his son
| | 558 | Neriglissar, Niricassolasssar, or
Belshazzar, the common
accounts of whom seem to
combine what is said of both of
Neriglissar, and his son, opposite.
He was killed by conspirators on
the night of the impious feast,
leaving a son(a boy),
| | 553 | Laborosoarchod, on whose
death, nine months after, the
dynasty became extinct, and
the kingdom came peaceably to
"Darius the Mede," or Cyasares
who, on the well known policy
of the Medes and Persians,
appointed a Babylonian nobleman,
named Nabonadius, or Labynetus,
to be king or viceroy. This
person revolted against Cyrus,
who had succeeded to the
united empire of Medes and
Persians. Cyrus could not
immediately attend to him, but
at last marched to Babylon, took
the city, B.C.536, as foretold by
the prophets. | | It will be observed that the principal point of difference in these accounts is, that Hales contends that the succession of Darius the Mede to the Babylonian throne was not attended with war; that Belshazzar was not the king in whose time the city was taken by Cyrus; and, consequently, that the events which took place this night were quite distinct from and anterior to that siege and capture of the city by the Persian king which Isaiah and Jeremiah so remarkably foretold. Made a great feast - On what occasion this feast was made is not stated, but is was not improbably an annual festival in honor of some of the Babylonian deities. This opinion seems to be countenanced by the words of the Codex Chisianus, "Belshazzar the king made a great festival ̓ ̔́ͅ ̓͂ ͂ ́ en hēmera engkainismou tōn basileiōn ) on the day of the dedication of his kingdom;" and in Daniel 5:4 it is said that "they praised the gods of gold, of silver, and of brass," etc. To a thousand of his lords - The word thousand here is doubtless used as a general term to denote a very large number. It is not improbable, however, that this full number was assembled on such an occasion. "Ctesias says, that the king of Persia furnished provisions daily for fifteen thousand men. Quintus Curtius says that ten thousand men were present at a festival of Alexander the Great; and Statius says of Domitian, that he ordered, on a certain occasion, his guests ' to sit down at a thousand tables.' "- Prof. Stuart, in loc . And drank wine before the thousand - The Latin Vulgate here is, "And each one drank according to his age." The Greek of Theodotion, the Arabic, and the Coptic is, "and wine was before the thousand." The Chaldee, however, is, as in our version, "he drank wine before the thousand." As he was the lord of the feast, and as all that occurred pertained primarily to him, the design is undoubtedly to describe his conduct, and to show the effect which the drinking of wine had on him. He drank it in the most public manner, setting an example to his lords, and evidently drinking it to great excess.
Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Daniel 5:1:
1 Kings 20:16
Jeremiah 27:7
Jeremiah 39:3
Jeremiah 50:24
Jeremiah 51:32
Jeremiah 51:39
Daniel 5:2-3
Daniel 5:4
Daniel 5:11
Daniel 5:13
Daniel 5:31
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