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Daniel 5:23

in Daniel 5

Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine from them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.

KJV

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

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This verse in Daniel 5

Commentary

11 notes on this verse

A commentator

Ephrem the Syrian

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:16 · Written before 373.

"You have exalted yourself against God." … Certainly, he says, you were brought to such madness that you placed yourself above God and overcame your father in arrogance and luxury. Indeed, [Nebuchadnezzar] thought that nobody among humankind was equal to him, but you believed that …

This site's exposition

have not humbled your heart

on Daniel 5:22-23

Daniel turns to Belshazzar's guilt: “you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this”. The charge follows in full, “you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven,” with the temple vessels in his hand and praise for gods.

This site's exposition

your very breath

Daniel sets the gods that cannot see, hear or understand beside the God who holds the king's breath in His hand. Theodoret of Cyrus read this as teaching the whole hall to glorify the unseen Creator. Matthew Henry held that the charge stands against every man.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers4 voices

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 3.17.5-6 · Written before 235.

proposed

And after saying these things he added the following, at once rebuking the king and not receiving his face so that having heard this the king would be afraid and so that he who committed trespasses might immediately recognize them. And so it says, "And you his son, Belshazzar, you have not humbled your heart before God; do you not know all these things? And you have been exalted against the Lord God of heaven and have brought the vessels of his house before you and you and your magistrates and your mistresses and your concubines drank wine from them, and you have praised golden and silver and bronze and iron and wooden and stone gods, which do not see and which do not hear and which do not understand, and God, of whom your breath is in his hand and all your ways are as well, you have not glorified him. On account of this the fingers of a hand have been sent from his face and he ordered this writing: 'Mane, Thekel, Fares.' This is the interpretation of the phrase: 'Mane,' God has measured your kingdom and ended it, 'Thekel,' it has been weighed in the balance and been found wanting, 'Fares,' your kingdom is divided and has been given to the Medes and Persians." [Daniel 5:22-28]

A commentator

Theodoret of Cyrus

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:23 · Written before 458.

proposed

He did well to instruct those present to worship not visible things but their Creator and Lord. At the same time he also convicts the king of conceit and teaches him that the highest heaven has for its creator the unseen God. You, he is …

A commentator

Theodoret of Cyrus

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:23 · Written before 458.

proposed

Now, [Daniel] did well and showed much wisdom in putting in parallel the idols and the God of all with a view to the benefit felt by the hearers; after emphasizing that the former neither see nor hear, instead of proceeding to say in regard …

A commentator

Jerome

St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER FIVE · Written before 420.

proposed

Verses 22, 23. "'Thou too, his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, even though thou knewest all these things, but hast lifted thyself up against the ruler of heaven...'" Because thy great-grandfather, he says, lifted up his heart and hardened his spirit in pride, he therefore was put down from his royal throne and his glory was taken away, and so on (Jer. 4).

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven,....
3 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

(3.) That he had not answered the end of his creation and maintenance: The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified. This is a general charge, which stands good against us all; let us consider how we shall answer it.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord - And the highest evidence of this rebellion was, the profaning the sacred vessels of the Lord’s house.
But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven - The God who had so signally rebuked and humbled Nebuchadnezzar. The monarch had done this, it would seem, during the whole of his reign, and now by a crowning act of impiety he had evinced special disregard of him, and contempt for him, by profaning the sacred vessels of his temple. And they have brought the vessels of his house before thee ... - See the note at Dan 5:

The words behind it

40 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְעַ֣לand against

    vealH5922 →104 times

  • מָרֵֽא־[the] lord of

    mare'-H4756 →4 times

  • שְׁמַיָּ֣א׀heavens the

    shemaiya'H8065 →38 times

  • הִתְרוֹמַ֡מְתָּyou have lifted yourself up

    hitromamtaH7313 →4 times

  • וּלְמָֽאנַיָּ֨אand <obj.> vessels the

    ulemanaiya'H3984 →7 times

  • דִֽי־of

    di-H1768 →345 times

  • בַיְתֵ֜הּhouse his

    vaytehH1005 →44 times

  • הַיְתִ֣יוthey have brought

    haytivH858 →16 times

  • קָֽדָמָ֗ךְbefore you

    kadamayikhH6925 →42 times

  • וְאַ֨נְתְּand you

    veantahH607 →15 times

  • וְרַבְרְבָנָ֜ךְand nobles your

    veravrevanayikhH7261 →8 times

  • שֵֽׁגְלָתָ֣ךְwives your

    shegelatakhH7695 →3 times

  • וּלְחֵנָתָךְ֮and concubines your

    ulechenatokhH3904 →3 times

  • חַמְרָא֮<the> wine

    chamra'H2562 →6 times

  • שָׁתַ֣יִן[are] drinking

    shatayinH8355 →5 times

  • בְּהוֹן֒with them

    behon

  • וְלֵֽאלָהֵ֣יand <obj.> [the] gods of

    velelaheiH426 →95 times

  • כַסְפָּֽא־<the> silver

    khaspa-ʾH3702 →13 times

  • וְ֠דַהֲבָאand <the> gold

    vedahava'H1722 →23 times

  • נְחָשָׁ֨א<the> bronze

    nechasha'H5174 →9 times

  • פַרְזְלָ֜א<the> iron

    farzela'H6523 →20 times

  • אָעָ֣א<the> wood

    ʾaa'H636 →

  • וְאַבְנָ֗אand <the> stone

    veavna'H69 →8 times

  • דִּ֠יwho

    diH1768 →345 times

  • לָֽא־not

    la'-H3809 →82 times

  • חָזַ֧יִן[are] seeing

    chazayinH2370 →31 times

  • וְלָא־and not

    vela'-H3809 →82 times

  • שָׁמְעִ֛ין[are] hearing

    shameinH8086 →9 times

  • וְלָ֥אand not

    vela'H3809 →82 times

  • יָדְעִ֖ין[are] knowing

    yadeinH3046 →47 times

  • שַׁבַּ֑חְתָּyou have praised

    shabachtaH7624 →5 times

  • וְלֵֽאלָהָ֞אand <obj.> God the

    velelaha'H426 →95 times

  • דִּֽי־who

    di-H1768 →345 times

  • נִשְׁמְתָ֥ךְbreath your

    nishmetakhH5396 →

  • בִּידֵ֛הּ[is] in hand his

    bidehH3028 →17 times

  • וְכָל־and all

    vekholH3606 →82 times

  • אֹרְחָתָ֥ךְways your

    ʾorechatakhH735 →

  • לֵ֖הּ[are] to him

    leh

  • לָ֥אnot

    la'H3809 →82 times

  • הַדַּֽרְתָּ׃you have glorified

    hadartaH1922 →

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Job 12:10The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.9 worksActs 17:28‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’9 worksRevelation 9:20Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.9 worksProverbs 20:24A man’s steps are from the LORD, so how can anyone understand his own way?7 worksDaniel 5:4As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.7 worksDaniel 4:37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.6 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Isaiah 42:5This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:6 works1 Corinthians 4:7For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?6 worksIsaiah 37:23Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!5 worksIsaiah 2:12For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—5 worksJeremiah 10:23I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.5 worksPsalms 115:4–8Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.4 worksJeremiah 50:29Summon the archers against Babylon, all who string the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.4 worksJob 31:4Does He not see my ways and count my every step?4 worksJob 15:25For he has stretched out his hand against God and has vaunted himself against the Almighty,4 worksEzekiel 16:49Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy.4 worksIsaiah 44:9All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame.4 worksPsalms 146:4When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground; on that very day his plans perish.4 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Jeremiah 10:23

    I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 20:24

      A man’s steps are from the LORD, so how can anyone understand his own way?

    • Proverbs 16:1

      The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD.

    • Psalms 37:23

      The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.

    • Psalms 119:116–117

      Sustain me as You promised, that I may live; let me not be ashamed of my hope.

    • Psalms 17:5

      My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.

  • Through

    Job 12:10

    The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.

    it leads to

    • Acts 17:28

      ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’

    • Job 33:4

      The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

  • Through

    Daniel 4:37

    Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in…

    it leads to

    • James 4:6–7

      But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Where this verse is studied

About Daniel

Daniel Interprets the Writing on the Wall — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Daniel Interprets the Writing on the Wall — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Daniel: the study guide →Read Daniel 5 →
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:16; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 3.17.5-6; Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER FIVE; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:23.

Read on in Daniel 5 →