51 Belshazzar the king hath made a great feast to a thousand of his great men, and before the thousand he is drinking wine; 2 Belshazzar hath said—while tasting the wine—to bring in the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple that 'is' in Jerusalem, that drink with them may the king, and his great men, his wives, and his concubines. 3 Then they have brought in the vessels of gold that had been taken out of the temple of the house of God that 'is' in Jerusalem, and drunk with them have the king and his great men, his wives and his concubines; 4 they have drunk wine, and have praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 5 In that hour come forth have fingers of a man's hand, and they are writing over-against the candlestick, on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king is seeing the extremity of the hand that is writing; 6 then the king's countenance hath changed, and his thoughts do trouble him, and the joints of his loins are loosed, and his knees are smiting one against another. 7 Call doth the king mightily, to bring up the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. Answered hath the king, and said to the wise men of Babylon, that, 'Any man who doth read this writing, and its interpretation doth shew me, purple he putteth on, and a bracelet of gold 'is' on his neck, and third in the kingdom he doth rule.' 8 Then coming up are all the wise men of the king, and they are not able to read the writing, and the interpretation to make known to the king; 9 then the king Belshazzar is greatly troubled, and his countenance is changing in him, and his great men are perplexed.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Daniel 5:1-9
Commentary on Daniel 5:1-9
(Read Daniel 5:1-9)
Belshazzar bade defiance to the judgments of God. Most historians consider that Cyrus then besieged Babylon. Security and sensuality are sad proofs of approaching ruin. That mirth is sinful indeed, which profanes sacred things; and what are many of the songs used at modern feasts better than the praises sung by the heathens to their gods! See how God struck terror upon Belshazzar and his lords. God's written word is enough to put the proudest, boldest sinner in a fright. What we see of God, the part of the hand that writes in the book of the creatures, and in the book of the Scriptures, should fill us with awful thoughts concerning that part which we do not see. If this be the finger of God, what is his arm when made bare? And what is He? The king's guilty conscience told him that he had no reason to expect any good news from heaven. God can, in a moment, make the heart of the stoutest sinner to tremble; and there needs no more than to let loose his own thoughts upon him; they will give him trouble enough. No bodily pain can equal the inward agony which sometimes seizes the sinner in the midst of mirth, carnal pleasures, and worldly pomp. Sometimes terrors cause a man to flee to Christ for pardon and peace; but many cry out for fear of wrath, who are not humbled for their sins, and who seek relief by lying vanities. The ignorance and uncertainty concerning the Holy Scriptures, shown by many who call themselves wise, only tend to drive sinners to despair, as the ignorance of these wise men did.