The Meaning of Daniel 5:2 Explained

Daniel 5:2

KJV: Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

YLT: 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.

Darby: Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines, might drink in them.

ASV: Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, might drink therefrom.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Belshazzar,  whiles he tasted  the wine,  commanded  to bring  the golden  and silver  vessels  which his father  Nebuchadnezzar  had taken  out of  the temple  which [was] in Jerusalem;  that the king,  and his princes,  his wives,  and his concubines,  might drink  therein. 

What does Daniel 5:2 Mean?

Study Notes

father
Nebuchadnezzar was "father" of Belshazzar in the biblical sense that David is called "father" of Jesus, Luke 1:32 . Belshazzar was probably a grandson.

Context Summary

Daniel 5:1-16 - The Handwriting On The Wall
The name of Belshazzar has been deciphered in inscriptions found at Babylon, from which it is inferred that he was associated with his father in the kingdom, and was left to defend Babylon. He was therefore a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, the word "father," Daniel 5:11, being used in the sense of "ancestor." The great walls of the banqueting hall covered with sculptures and sumptuous decorations; the tablets covered by cuneiform descriptions of the triumphs of former kings; what a feast this was with the thousand lords; the most beautiful women of the land; the concourse of magnates of religion and the state! The wine flowed in rivers, and laughter rang through the vaulted hall. Upon the table stood the vessels of the Temple, and notably the seven-branched candlestick, which cast its radiance on the wall, clearly illumining the fingers of the hand that wrote. The words, though Chaldee, may have been written in Hebrew characters. Conscience anticipated Daniel, and filled the king's heart with foreboding. The queen may have been the great Nitocris, wife of Nebuchadnezzar, the ancestor of the present king. God has His own way of bringing His people to the front when He needs them. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 5

1  Belshazzar's impious feast
5  A hand-writing unknown to the magicians, troubles the king
10  At the commendation of the queen Daniel is brought
17  He, reproving the king of pride and idolatry,
25  reads and interprets the writing
30  The monarchy is translated to the Medes

What do the individual words in Daniel 5:2 mean?

Belshazzar gave the command while he tasted wine the to bring vessels gold the and silver which had taken Nebuchadnezzar his father from temple the which [had been] in Jerusalem that might drink from them king the and his lords his wives and his concubines
בֵּלְשַׁאצַּ֞ר אֲמַ֣ר ׀ בִּטְעֵ֣ם חַמְרָ֗א לְהַיְתָיָה֙ לְמָאנֵי֙ דַּהֲבָ֣א וְכַסְפָּ֔א דִּ֤י הַנְפֵּק֙ נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֣ר אֲב֔וּהִי מִן־ הֵיכְלָ֖א דִּ֣י בִירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם וְיִשְׁתּ֣וֹן בְּה֗וֹן מַלְכָּא֙ וְרַבְרְבָנ֔וֹהִי שֵׁגְלָתֵ֖הּ וּלְחֵנָתֵֽהּ

בֵּלְשַׁאצַּ֞ר  Belshazzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֵּלְאשַׁצַּר 
Sense: king of Babylon at the time of its fall; he to whom Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall.
אֲמַ֣ר ׀  gave  the  command 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֲמַר  
Sense: (P’al) to say, to speak, to command, to tell, to relate.
בִּטְעֵ֣ם  while  he  tasted 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: טְעֵם  
Sense: (P’al) to feed, cause to eat.
חַמְרָ֗א  wine  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: חֲמַר  
Sense: wine.
לְהַיְתָיָה֙  to  bring 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: אֲתָה  
Sense: to come, arrive.
לְמָאנֵי֙  vessels 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מָאן  
Sense: vessel, utensil.
דַּהֲבָ֣א  gold  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: דְּהַב  
Sense: gold.
וְכַסְפָּ֔א  and  silver 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: כְּסַף  
Sense: silver.
הַנְפֵּק֙  had  taken 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נְפַק  
Sense: to go or come out, bring or come forth.
נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֣ר  Nebuchadnezzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר  
Sense: the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah captive.
אֲב֔וּהִי  his  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אַב  
Sense: father.
הֵיכְלָ֖א  temple  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: הֵיכַל  
Sense: palace, temple.
דִּ֣י  which  [had  been] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: דִּי  
Sense: who, which, that mark of genitive.
בִירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם  in  Jerusalem 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשְׁלֶם  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
וְיִשְׁתּ֣וֹן  that  might  drink 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שְׁתָה  
Sense: (P’al) to drink.
בְּה֗וֹן  from  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
מַלְכָּא֙  king  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king.
וְרַבְרְבָנ֔וֹהִי  and  his  lords 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רַבְרְבָנִין  
Sense: lord, noble.
שֵׁגְלָתֵ֖הּ  his  wives 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁגַל  
Sense: king’s wife, king’s concubine, (royal) consort.
וּלְחֵנָתֵֽהּ  and  his  concubines 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לְחֵנָה  
Sense: concubine.