Daniel Chapter 5: Pride before the Fall

[Rose]

Who was King Belshazzar? How was he related to Nebuchadnezzar? How much time had passed since Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation and restoration and Belshazzar's reign? Who was the queen in v.10? Why was she the only one who remembered Daniel when the king's wise men could not interpret the writing? Why did Daniel initially refuse the king's rewards in v. 17? Why did he later accept the purple robe, gold chain and position as third ruler? How was Belshazzar killed? Why is MENE written twice? What did the words “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” reveal about God’s view of Belshazzar’s kingdom? Why do you think God chose to write the message on the wall rather than simply send a prophet to warn Belshazzar?

Is ignorance the same as knowing the truth and deliberately refusing to act on it? What does Belshazzar’s response in Daniel 5 teach us about the accountability that comes with knowing?
How does Belshazzar’s response in Daniel 5 differ from Nebuchadnezzar’s response in Daniel 4, and what does that reveal about accountability?

 

[David]

Daniel 5 is one of those chapters that really makes you stop and think about how quickly things can change when someone decides they can openly mock God and get away with it.

Here is Belshazzar, king of Babylon, throwing a huge party for a thousand of his nobles. Everyone is drinking and having a good time, but apparently that wasn't enough. Belshazzar decides to bring out the gold and silver vessels that had been taken from God's temple in Jerusalem. He and his guests begin drinking from them while praising their false gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

Can you imagine the scene? One minute everyone is celebrating, and the next, the fingers of a man's hand appear out of nowhere and begin writing on the palace wall. Suddenly, the king isn't feeling quite so powerful anymore. Scripture says his face changed, his knees knocked together, and he was terrified. All that wealth, power, and royal authority couldn't help him understand what was happening.

Then Daniel is brought in, and I really like how he handles the situation. The king offers him expensive gifts and a position of authority if he can explain the writing. But Daniel isn't interested in being bought. He tells the king to keep his rewards, and then proceeds to tell him exactly what God has said.

What caught my attention was Daniel's reminder that Belshazzar already knew what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar. He knew how God had humbled that powerful king until he acknowledged that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of men. Yet Belshazzar learned nothing from it. Daniel tells him plainly, "But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this" (Daniel 5:22).

Think about that for a moment. Belshazzar wasn't being judged because he had never heard about God's power. He knew what God had done, but he deliberately chose to exalt himself against the Lord anyway.

And then Daniel says something that ought to get everyone's attention: "And the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified" (Daniel 5:23).

What a reminder of just how dependent we are on God. Belshazzar thought he controlled everything around him, but he couldn't even take his next breath apart from the God he was mocking.

The message written on the wall was unmistakable. God had numbered his kingdom and brought it to an end. Belshazzar had been weighed in the balances and found wanting. His kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

And here is what makes this account especially sobering. Scripture doesn't say Belshazzar had years to think it over or another opportunity to humble himself. Daniel 5:30 simply says, "That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain."

Think about how quickly everything changed. Belshazzar had gathered a thousand of his nobles for a great feast, drinking wine and praising gods that could neither see, hear, nor understand. Yet before that very night was over, the king himself was slain. Daniel 5:31 then tells us that Darius the Mede received the kingdom. The judgment God had announced through Daniel had come to pass.

There is a lesson here that goes far beyond Belshazzar. God is patient, but His patience should never be mistaken for His approval. Knowing what God has said and deliberately refusing to humble ourselves before Him is a dangerous place to be.

As Galatians 6:7 reminds us, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."

It makes me wonder how many people today are living much like Belshazzar, enjoying their lives, ignoring what God has said, and assuming tomorrow will be just another day.

Belshazzar certainly didn't expect his last night to be that night.

Daniel 5 leaves us with a serious question: Are we humbling ourselves before the God who holds our very breath in His hand, or are we living as though we will never have to answer to Him?

 

[David]

Who was King Belshazzar? How was he related to Nebuchadnezzar? How much time had passed since Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation and restoration and Belshazzar's reign? Who was the queen in v.10? Why was she the only one who remembered Daniel when the king's wise men could not interpret the writing? Why did Daniel initially refuse the king's rewards in v. 17? Why did he later accept the purple robe, gold chain and position as third ruler? How was Belshazzar killed? Why is MENE written twice? What did the words “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” reveal about God’s view of Belshazzar’s kingdom? Why do you think God chose to write the message on the wall rather than simply send a prophet to warn Belshazzar?

Is ignorance the same as knowing the truth and deliberately refusing to act on it? What does Belshazzar’s response in Daniel 5 teach us about the accountability that comes with knowing?
How does Belshazzar’s response in Daniel 5 differ from Nebuchadnezzar’s response in Daniel 4, and what does that reveal about accountability?

1.​

Belshazzar was the king of Babylon during the events recorded in Daniel chapter 5. He was the ruler who held a great feast for a thousand of his lords and commanded that the gold and silver vessels taken from God's temple in Jerusalem be brought out for drinking. While drinking from those vessels, they praised gods made of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone (Daniel 5:1-4). That same night, God pronounced judgment against him, and Belshazzar was killed (Daniel 5:30).

2.​

Daniel 5 repeatedly refers to Nebuchadnezzar as Belshazzar's father, and Daniel calls Belshazzar his son. However, the Bible does not explain their exact biological relationship. The word "father" can also refer to an ancestor or predecessor. What matters most in this chapter is that Belshazzar knew what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar and failed to learn from it. Daniel specifically confronted him about this in Daniel 5:22.

3.​

Scripture does not give us the exact number of years between Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation in Daniel 4 and Belshazzar's reign in Daniel 5. We know these events occurred during different periods of Babylon's history, but the Bible does not provide enough information to calculate the precise interval from Nebuchadnezzar's restoration. What Scripture emphasizes is that enough time had passed for Belshazzar to know what had happened, yet he still refused to humble himself.

4.​

Daniel 5:10 identifies her simply as "the queen." Some believe she may have been the queen mother because she entered the banquet and spoke with authority, but Scripture never identifies her exact relationship to Belshazzar. What we do know is that she remembered Daniel and his remarkable wisdom during Nebuchadnezzar's reign. She encouraged Belshazzar to call Daniel because she knew he had previously interpreted dreams and explained difficult matters.

5.​

The Bible does not say she was the only person who remembered Daniel. It simply records that she was the one who brought Daniel to Belshazzar's attention. She knew Daniel's reputation and remembered that Nebuchadnezzar had appointed him chief of the wise men. The other wise men could not interpret the writing because understanding God's message was beyond their ability. Daniel, however, had received wisdom and understanding from God, as we see throughout the book of Daniel.

6.​

Daniel was not interested in being paid to deliver God's message. He told Belshazzar, "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" (Daniel 5:17). Daniel made it clear that God's truth was not for sale. He would faithfully deliver God's message regardless of whether the king rewarded him. Scripture does not directly state Daniel's private motivation, but his response certainly shows that the rewards were not necessary for him to speak the truth.

7.​

Daniel 5:29 says that Belshazzar commanded Daniel to be clothed in scarlet, given a gold chain, and proclaimed the third ruler in the kingdom. Notice that Scripture does not say Daniel asked for these rewards or changed his mind about them. The king ordered them given to Daniel after hearing the interpretation. There is no indication that Daniel compromised God's message to receive anything. In fact, he had already delivered the complete judgment against Belshazzar before the rewards were given.

8.​

Daniel 5:30 tells us, "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." The very night God announced the end of his kingdom, Belshazzar was killed. The following verse tells us that Darius the Median took the kingdom. Scripture does not explain the exact circumstances of Belshazzar's death or identify the person who killed him. We should not add details that God has not revealed.

9.​

The message on the wall read, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN" (Daniel 5:25). Daniel explained that MENE meant God had numbered Belshazzar's kingdom and finished it. The repetition emphasizes the certainty of God's judgment, although Scripture does not specifically explain why the word appeared twice. What is unmistakable is that Belshazzar's time had run out. God had determined that his kingdom was finished.

10.​

They revealed that God had judged Belshazzar and found him wanting. Daniel explained that MENE meant the kingdom had been numbered and finished. TEKEL meant Belshazzar had been weighed in the balances and found wanting. PERES meant his kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:26-28). Belshazzar may have thought himself powerful and secure, but God's judgment revealed the truth. No earthly ruler or kingdom is beyond God's authority.

11.​

Scripture does not tell us why God chose this particular method. However, we can see the immediate effect it had on Belshazzar. Daniel 5:6 says his countenance changed, his thoughts troubled him, and his knees struck together. The king who had been arrogantly celebrating was suddenly terrified. God then brought Daniel before him to explain the message. The writing confronted Belshazzar with something none of his wealth, authority, or wise men could explain or control. It showed that the God he had dishonored was the One who held his kingdom and his very life in His hands.

12.​

No, ignorance and knowingly rejecting the truth are not the same. Jesus made that distinction in Luke 12:47-48 when He explained that the servant who knew his master's will and refused to obey would receive greater punishment than the servant who acted without that knowledge. Belshazzar was especially accountable because he already knew what God had done to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel told him, "And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this" (Daniel 5:22).

That is a serious warning for us today. Knowing what God's Word says and deliberately refusing to obey it is not something to take lightly. James 4:17 says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Belshazzar had knowledge, but he refused to humble himself before God. His knowledge made his rebellion all the more serious.

13.​

The difference is striking. Nebuchadnezzar was filled with pride, and God humbled him by taking away his understanding and allowing him to live like an animal until he acknowledged that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of men. After his understanding returned, Nebuchadnezzar praised and honored God. Daniel 4:37 records his words: "Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase."

Belshazzar knew this had happened, yet he refused to humble himself. Instead, he lifted himself up against the Lord of heaven and praised lifeless idols while dishonoring the vessels from God's temple. Nebuchadnezzar was humbled and eventually acknowledged God's authority. Belshazzar refused to humble himself despite knowing what had happened, and his judgment came that very night.

The lesson is that God holds us accountable for the truth we know. Belshazzar had the example of Nebuchadnezzar before him, but he ignored it. His story reminds us that knowing about God's power and judgment is not the same as submitting to Him. As Daniel told Belshazzar in Daniel 5:23, God is the One "in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways."

That is probably the most sobering truth in Daniel chapter 5. Belshazzar was not judged because he had never heard about God. He knew what God had done, refused to humble himself, and continued in his pride. Nebuchadnezzar learned that God is able to humble the proud. Belshazzar learned it when his time had already run out.

 

[Rose]

Could you explain who Belshazzar was based on extra-biblical historical records?
Why was Belshazzar's sin more serious because he already knew what God had done to Nebuchadnezzar?
What does it mean to be weighed by God and found wanting?

 

[David]

Could you explain who Belshazzar was based on extra-biblical historical records?

When we read Daniel chapter 5, we meet a man named Belshazzar, the king who held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles on the very night his kingdom fell. But who was Belshazzar, and what do we know about him outside the Bible? The historical evidence is actually quite interesting.

For many years, critics questioned the accuracy of Daniel because they could not find Belshazzar mentioned in the historical records available to them. Ancient accounts identified a man named Nabonidus as the last king of Babylon, not Belshazzar. Some took that as evidence that Daniel had gotten his history wrong. But then archaeological discoveries brought something important to light.

Ancient Babylonian clay cylinders bearing inscriptions from Nabonidus were discovered, and one of them specifically mentions Belshazzar as his son. Other records confirm that Nabonidus spent an extended period away from Babylon, living at a place called Tema in Arabia, while Belshazzar exercised royal authority back in Babylon.

So here is the picture. Nabonidus was the official king, but Belshazzar was the crown prince who governed in his father's absence. Think of a king leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son. The father still holds the highest royal position, but the son is the one exercising authority at home. That helps us understand why Daniel calls Belshazzar king even though the historical records identify Nabonidus as the last official king of Babylon.

And here is another interesting detail. In Daniel 5:16, Belshazzar offers to make Daniel the third ruler in the kingdom if he can interpret the handwriting on the wall. Why third? Why not second? The historical arrangement provides a reasonable explanation. Nabonidus held the first position, Belshazzar held the second, and the highest position Belshazzar could offer Daniel was third. It is a small detail, but an important one.

There is also the question of Belshazzar's relationship to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel refers to Nebuchadnezzar as Belshazzar's father, yet historical records identify Nabonidus as his father. The Aramaic words translated as father and son can also describe an ancestor and descendant. Some have suggested that Nabonidus married a daughter or widow of Nebuchadnezzar, connecting Belshazzar to that royal family. However, that particular family relationship has not been established by the surviving historical records. We should not claim certainty where the evidence does not give us certainty.

Now consider what was happening when Daniel chapter 5 opens. The Babylonian Empire was coming to an end. The Persian forces under Cyrus were conquering its territory, and Babylon itself was about to fall. Yet Belshazzar was holding a great feast, drinking wine with a thousand of his nobles, and using the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from God's temple in Jerusalem.

Imagine being so confident in your position and the strength of your kingdom that you are celebrating while everything around you is falling apart. That is the picture Daniel gives us. Belshazzar was surrounded by wealth, power, and people praising false gods, but none of those things could protect him from the judgment of God.

Daniel confronted him with these words:

"And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven." (Daniel 5:22-23, KJV)

Belshazzar knew what God had done to Nebuchadnezzar. He knew how God had humbled that powerful king until he acknowledged that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of men. Yet Belshazzar refused to humble himself.

Then came the handwriting on the wall. God had numbered his kingdom and finished it. He had been weighed in the balances and found wanting. His kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

And how did it end?

"In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." (Daniel 5:30, KJV)

The ancient Babylonian records confirm that Babylon fell to the Persians in 539 BC. Although those records do not independently describe the feast or the handwriting on the wall, they provide important historical confirmation of the people and political circumstances recorded in Daniel.

What stands out to me is that Belshazzar had every reason to humble himself before God, but he refused. He had the example of Nebuchadnezzar before him. He had knowledge of what God had done, yet he chose pride and rebellion.

And that is what makes Daniel chapter 5 such a serious warning. A person can know what God has said, know what God has done, and still refuse to humble himself before Him.

Belshazzar thought he had another night to celebrate. He didn't know that before the night was over, his life and his kingdom would be finished.

As Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

Complete clay cylinder, of Nabonidus, 2 columns of inscription, 26 lines, neo-Babylonian; describes work on the temple of the moon god Sin at Ur by Nabonidus and includes a prayer for the king himself and Belshazzar, his son.

 

[David]

Why was Belshazzar's sin more serious because he already knew what God had done to Nebuchadnezzar?
What does it mean to be weighed by God and found wanting?

Belshazzar's sin was especially serious because he was not acting out of ignorance. He already knew what God had done to Nebuchadnezzar, yet he deliberately refused to humble himself before the same God. Daniel made that very clear when he confronted him in Daniel 5:22-23:

"And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven."

Notice those words, "though thou knewest all this." That is the heart of the matter. Belshazzar knew how Nebuchadnezzar had become proud, how God had removed him from his throne, and how he had been humbled until he acknowledged that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of men. Belshazzar had that example right before him, yet he refused to learn from it.

Think about someone who watches another person ignore a warning, suffer the consequences, and then turns around and does the very same thing. That person cannot honestly say he didn't know what might happen. Belshazzar had been given a clear warning through Nebuchadnezzar's experience, but instead of humbling himself, he openly defied God.

Jesus taught this same principle in Luke 12:47-48. The servant who knew his master's will and refused to obey received a more severe punishment than the servant who did not know. Jesus concluded, "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required."

Greater knowledge brings greater responsibility. Belshazzar was not condemned merely because he had heard about God. Daniel specifically confronted him because he had refused to humble himself, exalted himself against the Lord, and praised lifeless idols while failing to glorify the God who held his very breath in His hand.

Now, what does it mean to be weighed by God and found wanting?

Daniel 5:27 gives us the answer:

"TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."

In those days, balances were used to weigh things. A standard weight would be placed on one side of the scale, and whatever was being measured would be placed on the other. If it failed to meet the required weight, it was found lacking.

That is the picture God gave Belshazzar. He had been weighed in God's judgment and found deficient. His wealth, royal position, military power, and outward glory could not change God's verdict. He had failed to honor the One who had given him everything.

But we need to understand something important here. Belshazzar was not being judged because he lacked enough good works to outweigh his bad works. Scripture does not teach that salvation is determined by placing our good deeds on one side of a scale and our sins on the other. Daniel was announcing God's judgment against a proud king who knowingly rebelled against Him.

This should also cause every one of us to examine ourselves. Romans 3:23 declares, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." None of us can stand before God claiming that our own righteousness makes us acceptable to Him. We all fall short.

That is why we need Jesus Christ. We cannot remove our sins through good works or religious activity. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that we are saved by grace through faith, "Not of works, lest any man should boast." And Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Belshazzar's story is a warning about the danger of knowing the truth and refusing to respond to it. He had seen what pride had cost Nebuchadnezzar, but he continued in his rebellion. When God finally pronounced judgment, his wealth and power were worthless.

And there is another lesson here. Belshazzar was enjoying a great feast when his judgment came. He apparently believed he was secure, but before that night ended, he was dead and his kingdom was gone.

That reminds me of Proverbs 29:1:

"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

The warning for us is not that we must somehow become good enough to balance God's scales. It is that we must not harden our hearts against the truth God has revealed. We need to humble ourselves, repent, and place our faith in Jesus Christ, because He alone can save us from the judgment our sins deserve.

 

[David]

The message of Daniel 5 is that God judges pride, idolatry, blasphemy, and willful rejection of truth. Belshazzar knew how God had humbled Nebuchadnezzar, yet he refused to humble himself and deliberately dishonored God by using the temple vessels while praising false gods. Daniel told him plainly, “thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this” (Daniel 5:22). Pasted text

God’s judgment came in the words, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” Belshazzar’s kingdom had been numbered, he had been “weighed in the balances, and art found wanting,” and his kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and Persians. That very night Belshazzar was killed and Babylon fell. Pasted text

The main lesson is simple: human power, wealth, pleasure, and security cannot protect anyone from God’s judgment. Pride brought Belshazzar down, while Daniel remained faithful and uncompromising. Sin leads to judgment, and the proper response to God is humility, repentance, and faithfulness to His Word.

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