Lexical Summary lechem: feast Original Word: לְחֶם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance feast (Aramaic) corresponding to lechem -- feast. see HEBREW lechem NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to lechem Definition a feast NASB Translation feast (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs לְחֵם (K§ 54, 3. 7) noun masculine feast (ᵑ7 Syriac bread, so Biblical Hebrew, q. v. v II.לחם); — absolute ׳עֲבַד ל Daniel 5:1 made a feast. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Scope The word לְחֶם (H3900) denotes a formal banquet or feast rather than ordinary bread or daily fare. It points to a public occasion of lavish hospitality where food and drink are lavished on esteemed guests, highlighting both the honor of the host and the collective mood of celebration. Historical Context In the Ancient Near East, royal banquets functioned as political theatre. Kings demonstrated power, secured loyalty, and paraded wealth before high officials. Babylon in the sixth century B.C. was famed for such spectacles, and its rulers used opulent feasts to display supposed invulnerability even as the empire’s foundations were eroding. Daniel 5:1—The Sole Biblical Occurrence “King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them” (Daniel 5:1). Here לְחֶם frames the scene of the final night of the Neo-Babylonian kingdom. While the outer walls stood formidable, inside the palace self-indulgence dulled spiritual perception. The banquet’s hubris—drinking from vessels seized from the Jerusalem temple—provoked the writing on the wall (Daniel 5:2–4, 23-24). Thus לְחֶם becomes an emblem of human pride confronted by divine sovereignty. Theological Themes 1. Divine Judgment amid Excess: Scripture repeatedly couples reckless feasting with impending doom (Isaiah 22:13–14; Luke 12:19-20). Belshazzar’s לְחֶם dramatizes the pattern: celebrants mock the holy, yet judgment is already at the door. Related Biblical Motifs • Royal Banquets for Glory: Ahasuerus in Esther 1 hosts a feast “for all the people… for seven days,” foreshadowing national peril. Practical and Ministry Implications • Discern the Moment: Leaders must read God’s “writing on the wall” in their own generation, resisting cultural complacency. Typological Significance Belshazzar’s banquet prefigures the contrast between worldly glory and the Kingdom of God. The final Babylon of Revelation similarly boasts and feasts before sudden collapse (Revelation 18:7-10). Daniel 5 therefore serves as a living parable, and לְחֶם, though occurring only once, captures the decisive moment when human arrogance meets divine verdict. Summary לְחֶם (H3900) is far more than an Aramaic term for “feast.” Its solitary appearance encapsulates the tension between earthly pomp and God’s unassailable rule. For believers it issues a sober call: celebrate under the Lord’s authority, revere what is holy, and watch expectantly for the true banquet prepared for the faithful. Forms and Transliterations לְחֶ֣ם לחם lə·ḥem leChem ləḥemLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 5:1 HEB: מַלְכָּ֗א עֲבַד֙ לְחֶ֣ם רַ֔ב לְרַבְרְבָנ֖וֹהִי NAS: a great feast for a thousand KJV: a great feast to a thousand INT: the king held feast A great of his nobles |
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