Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Daniel 5:1
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Belshazzar the king made a great feast, etc.] This king was not the immediate successor of Nebuchadnezzar, but Evilmerodach, (<245231>Jeremiah 52:31), who, according to Ptolemy’s canon, reigned two years; then followed Neriglissar, his sister’s husband, by whom he was slain, and who usurped the throne, and reigned four years; he died in the beginning of his fourth year, and left a son called Laborosoarchod, who reigned but nine months, which are placed by Ptolemy to his father’s reign, and therefore he himself is not mentioned in the canon; and then followed this king, who by Ptolemy is called Nabonadius; by Berosus, Nabonnedusf187 by Abydenusf188, Nabannidochus; by Herodotusf189, Labynitus; and by Josephusf190, Naboandelus, who, according to him, is the same with Belshazzar; whom some confound with the son of Neriglissar; others take him to be the same with Evilmerodach, because he here immediately follows Nebuchadnezzar, and is called his son, (<270511>Daniel 5:11,13,18), and others that he was a younger brother, so Jarchi and Theodoret; but the truth is, that he was the son of Evilmerodach, and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, which agrees with the prophecy in (<242707>Jeremiah 27:7), for though Nebuchadnezzar is called his father, and he his son, (<270502>Daniel 5:2,11,13,18,22) this is said after the manner of the eastern nations, who used to call ancestors fathers, and their more remote posterity sons. He had his name Belshazzar from the idol Bel, and may be rendered, “Bel’s treasurer”: though, according to Saadiah, the word signifies “a searcher of treasures”, of his ancestors, or of the house of God. Hillerus translates it, “Bel hath hidden”. This king made a great feast; or “bread”f191, which is put for all provisions; it was great, both on account of plenty of food, variety of dishes, and number of guests, and those of the highest rank and quality. On what account this feast was made is not easy to say; whether out of contempt of Cyrus and his army, by whom he was now besieged, and to show that he thought himself quite safe and secure in a city so well walled and fortified, and having in it such vast quantities of provision; or whether it was on account of a victory he had obtained that morning over the Medes and Persians, as Josephus Ben Gorionf192 relates; and therefore in the evening treated his thousand lords, who had been engaged in battle with him, and behaved well: though it seems to have been an anniversary feast; since, according to Xenophon and Herodotus, Cyrus knew of it before hand; either on account of the king’s birthday, or in honour to his gods, particularly Shach, which was called the Sachaenan feast; (see Gill on “<242526>Jeremiah 25:26”) (see Gill on “<245141>Jeremiah 51:41”) which seems most likely, since these were praised at this time, and the vessels of the temple of God at Jerusalem profaned, (<270502>Daniel 5:2-4), this feast was prophesied of by Isaiah, (<232105>Isaiah 21:5) and by Jeremiah, (<245139>Jeremiah 51:39), it had its name from Shach, one of their deities, of which (see Gill on “<270104>Daniel 1:4”) (see Gill on “<270107>Daniel 1:7”) the same with Belus or the sun. The feasts kept in honour of it were much like the Saturnalia of the Romans, or the Purim of the Jews; and were kept eleven days together, in which everyone did as he pleased, no order and decorum being observed; and, for five of those days especially, there was no difference between master and servant, yea, the latter had the gover…
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