Daniel 5:30
That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain,
That very night
This phrase underscores the immediacy and suddenness of God's judgment. In the context of the narrative, it highlights the swift fulfillment of the prophecy given through the mysterious writing on the wall. The Hebrew word for "night" (לַיְלָה, laylah) often symbolizes a time of judgment or divine intervention in the Bible. This serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of life and the importance of being spiritually prepared at all times, as God's timing is perfect and His plans are executed with precision.

Belshazzar
Belshazzar, the central figure in this verse, was the co-regent of Babylon, ruling alongside his father Nabonidus. Historically, Belshazzar's existence was confirmed through archaeological discoveries, such as the Nabonidus Cylinder, which mentions him. His name means "Bel, protect the king," reflecting the Babylonian practice of invoking their gods for protection. However, despite his name and royal status, Belshazzar's reliance on false gods and his arrogance led to his downfall, illustrating the biblical principle that pride precedes destruction (Proverbs 16:18).

king of the Chaldeans
The term "Chaldeans" refers to the people of Babylon, a dominant empire known for its wealth, power, and idolatry. The Chaldeans were renowned for their advancements in astronomy and mathematics, yet their spiritual blindness and moral decay are evident in the narrative. The title "king of the Chaldeans" emphasizes Belshazzar's authority and responsibility over a great empire, yet it also serves as a stark reminder that earthly power is fleeting and subject to the sovereignty of God.

was slain
The phrase "was slain" indicates the finality of Belshazzar's fate. The Hebrew root for "slain" (קָטַל, qatal) conveys the act of killing or putting to death. This abrupt end to Belshazzar's life serves as a sobering testament to the consequences of defying the living God. It echoes the biblical theme that divine justice will ultimately prevail, and those who oppose God will face His righteous judgment. This event also marks the transition of power from the Babylonian Empire to the Medo-Persian Empire, fulfilling God's prophetic word and demonstrating His control over the rise and fall of nations.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Belshazzar
The last king of Babylon, known for his pride and blasphemy against God. He hosted a great feast using the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple, which led to his downfall.

2. Chaldeans
Refers to the Babylonians, specifically the ruling class and wise men of Babylon. They were known for their knowledge and influence in the empire.

3. Babylon
The capital city of the Babylonian Empire, known for its grandeur and as a center of idolatry and pagan worship.

4. The Feast
A lavish banquet hosted by Belshazzar, during which he and his guests drank from the holy vessels taken from the Jerusalem temple, leading to the writing on the wall.

5. The Fall of Babylon
The event where Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians, fulfilling the prophecy of its downfall due to its arrogance and defiance against God.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Pride
Belshazzar's account is a stark reminder of the dangers of pride and arrogance, especially when it leads to defying God. Pride can blind us to the truth and lead to our downfall.

The Sovereignty of God
Despite the power and might of Babylon, God's sovereignty is evident as He orchestrates the rise and fall of kingdoms according to His will. We can trust in God's ultimate control over world events.

The Importance of Reverence
Belshazzar's misuse of the temple vessels shows a lack of reverence for what is holy. We are called to honor and respect the sacred, recognizing God's holiness in our lives.

The Certainty of God's Judgment
The swift judgment on Belshazzar serves as a warning that God's judgment is certain and will come to pass. We must live with an awareness of God's righteous standards.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the account of Belshazzar illustrate the biblical principle that "pride goes before destruction" (Proverbs 16:18)? Can you identify areas in your life where pride might be leading you away from God?

2. In what ways does the fall of Babylon demonstrate God's sovereignty over nations and history? How can this understanding impact your trust in God during uncertain times?

3. Reflect on the misuse of the temple vessels by Belshazzar. What are some ways we might show irreverence to God in our daily lives, and how can we correct this?

4. Compare the fall of historical Babylon with the symbolic "Babylon" in Revelation 18. What lessons can we learn about the temporary nature of worldly power and wealth?

5. How can the certainty of God's judgment motivate us to live righteously and share the gospel with others? What practical steps can you take to align your life with God's standards?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 47
This chapter prophesies the fall of Babylon, highlighting its pride and eventual humiliation.

Jeremiah 51
Jeremiah's prophecy against Babylon, predicting its destruction and the end of its reign.

Revelation 18
The fall of "Babylon the Great" as a symbol of worldly pride and opposition to God, drawing parallels to the historical fall of Babylon.
On PrideJ. Mackenzie, D.D.Daniel 5:30
The Last Night of BabylonHomilistDaniel 5:30
At the Bar of GodH.T. Robjohns Daniel 5:17-31
The Word of God VerifiedJ.D. Davies Daniel 5:30, 31
People
Babylonians, Belshazzar, Belteshazzar, Daniel, Darius, Micah, Nebuchadnezzar, Persians
Places
Babylon, Jerusalem
Topics
Babylonians, Belshazzar, Belshaz'zar, Chaldaeans, Chaldean, Chalde'an, Chaldeans, Death, Slain
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Daniel 5:30

     1025   God, anger of
     8805   pride, results
     9023   death, unbelievers

Daniel 5:22-30

     1310   God, as judge

Daniel 5:22-31

     5878   honour

Daniel 5:25-30

     5512   scales and balances

Daniel 5:30-31

     4215   Babylon

Library
Mene, Tekel, Peres
'Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another: yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: 19. 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;
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Scales of Judgment
There has never been a deed of persecution--there has never been a drop of martyr's blood shed yet, but shall be avenged, and every land guilty of it shall yet drink the cup of the wine of the wrath of God. And especially certain is there gathering an awful storm over the head of the empire of Rome--that spiritual despotism of the firstborn of hell. All the clouds of God's vengeance are gathering into one--the firmament is big with thunder, God's right arm is lifted up even now, and ere long the
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

"So Then they that are in the Flesh Cannot Please God. "
Rom. viii. 8.--"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is a kind of happiness to men, to please them upon whom they depend, and upon whose favour their well-being hangs. It is the servant's happiness to please his master, the courtier's to please his prince; and so generally, whosoever they be that are joined in mutual relations, and depend one upon another; that which makes all pleasant, is this, to please one another. Now, certainly, all the dependencies of creatures one upon
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Human Government.
Human governments a part of the moral government of God. In the discussion of this subject I will,-- I. Inquire into the ultimate end of God in creation. We have seen in former lectures, that God is a moral agent, the self-existent and supreme; and is therefore himself, as ruler of all, subject to, and observant of, moral law in all his conduct. That is, his own infinite intelligence must affirm that a certain course of willing is suitable, fit, and right in him. This idea, or affirmation, is law
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Eastern Wise-Men, or Magi, visit Jesus, the New-Born King.
(Jerusalem and Bethlehem, b.c. 4.) ^A Matt. II. 1-12. ^a 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem [It lies five miles south by west of Jerusalem, a little to the east of the road to Hebron. It occupies part of the summit and sides of a narrow limestone ridge which shoots out eastward from the central chains of the Judæan mountains, and breaks down abruptly into deep valleys on the north, south, and east. Its old name, Ephrath, meant "the fruitful." Bethlehem means "house of bread." Its modern
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Messiah Unpitied, and Without a Comforter
Reproach [Rebuke] hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. T he greatness of suffering cannot be certainly estimated by the single consideration of the immediate, apparent cause; the impression it actually makes upon the mind of the sufferer, must likewise be taken into the account. That which is a heavy trial to one person, may be much lighter to another, and, perhaps, no trial at all. And a state
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Sovereignty of God in Administration
"The LORD hath prepared His Throne In the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all" (Psa. 103:19). First, a word concerning the need for God to govern the material world. Suppose the opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument, let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws (which men term "the laws of Nature"), and that He then withdrew, leaving the world to its fortune and the out-working of these laws. In such a case, we should have a world over which there was no intelligent,
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision A. Reasons for Retiring to Galilee. ^A Matt. IV. 12; ^B Mark I. 14; ^C Luke III. 19, 20; ^D John IV. 1-4. ^c 19 but Herod the tetrarch [son of Herod the Great, and tetrarch, or governor, of Galilee], being reproved by him [that is, by John the Baptist] for Herodias his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done [A full account of the sin of Herod and persecution of John will be found at Matt. xiv. 1-12 and Mark vi. 14-29. John had spoken the truth to Herod as fearlessly
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Eternity of God
The next attribute is, God is eternal.' Psa 90:0. From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.' The schoolmen distinguish between aevun et aeternum, to explain the notion of eternity. There is a threefold being. I. Such as had a beginning; and shall have an end; as all sensitive creatures, the beasts, fowls, fishes, which at death are destroyed and return to dust; their being ends with their life. 2. Such as had a beginning, but shall have no end, as angels and the souls of men, which are eternal
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

That Upon the Conquest and Slaughter of vitellius Vespasian Hastened his Journey to Rome; but Titus his Son Returned to Jerusalem.
1. And now, when Vespasian had given answers to the embassages, and had disposed of the places of power justly, [25] and according to every one's deserts, he came to Antioch, and consulting which way he had best take, he preferred to go for Rome, rather than to march to Alexandria, because he saw that Alexandria was sure to him already, but that the affairs at Rome were put into disorder by Vitellius; so he sent Mucianus to Italy, and committed a considerable army both of horsemen and footmen to
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ, to his Poor Servant, John Bunyan
In this my relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul, it will not be amiss, if in the first place, I do in a few words give you a hint of my pedigree, and manner of bringing up; that thereby the goodness and bounty of God towards me, may be the more advanced and magnified before the sons of men. 2. For my descent then, it was, as is well known by many, of a low and inconsiderable generation; my father's house being of that rank that is meanest, and most despised of all the families in
John Bunyan—Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

There is a Blessedness in Reversion
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Matthew 5:3 Having done with the occasion, I come now to the sermon itself. Blessed are the poor in spirit'. Christ does not begin his Sermon on the Mount as the Law was delivered on the mount, with commands and threatenings, the trumpet sounding, the fire flaming, the earth quaking, and the hearts of the Israelites too for fear; but our Saviour (whose lips dropped as the honeycomb') begins with promises and blessings. So sweet and ravishing was the doctrine of this
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
Presented to the World in a Familiar Dialogue Between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive. By John Bunyan ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The life of Badman is a very interesting description, a true and lively portraiture, of the demoralized classes of the trading community in the reign of King Charles II; a subject which naturally led the author to use expressions familiar among such persons, but which are now either obsolete or considered as vulgar. In fact it is the only work proceeding from the prolific
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

The Greater Prophets.
1. We have already seen (Chap. 15, Nos. 11 and 12) that from Moses to Samuel the appearances of prophets were infrequent; that with Samuel and the prophetical school established by him there began a new era, in which the prophets were recognized as a distinct order of men in the Theocracy; and that the age of written prophecy did not begin till about the reign of Uzziah, some three centuries after Samuel. The Jewish division of the latter prophets--prophets in the more restricted sense of the
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Meditations Before Dinner and Supper.
Meditate that hunger is like the sickness called a wolf; which, if thou dost not feed, will devour thee, and eat thee up; and that meat and drink are but as physic, or means which God hath ordained, to relieve and cure this natural infirmity and necessity of man. Use, therefore, to eat and to drink, rather to sustain and refresh the weakness of nature, than to satisfy the sensuality and delights of the flesh. Eat, therefore, to live, but live not to eat. There is no service so base, as for a man
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Chorus of Angels
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour and glory, and blessing! I t was a good report which the queen of Sheba heard, in her own land, of the wisdom and glory of Solomon. It lessened her attachment to home, and prompted her to undertake a long journey to visit this greater King, of whom she had heard so much. She went, and she was not disappointed. Great as the expectations were, which she had formed from the relation made her by others,
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Daniel
Daniel is called a prophet in the New Testament (Matt. xxiv. 15). In the Hebrew Bible, however, the book called by his name appears not among the prophets, but among "the writings," between Esther and Ezra. The Greek version placed it between the major and the minor prophets, and this has determined its position in modern versions. The book is both like and unlike the prophetic books. It is like them in its passionate belief in the overruling Providence of God and in the sure consummation of His
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Daniel 5:30 NIV
Daniel 5:30 NLT
Daniel 5:30 ESV
Daniel 5:30 NASB
Daniel 5:30 KJV

Daniel 5:30 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Daniel 5:29
Top of Page
Top of Page