“Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
My Notes
What Does Daniel 5:29 Mean?
"They clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom." Belshazzar rewards Daniel for interpreting the handwriting on the wall — even though the interpretation was judgment against Belshazzar himself. The king honors the prophet who just announced his destruction.
The rewards — scarlet clothing, gold chain, third-ruler status — are the highest honors the Babylonian court could offer. Daniel becomes the third most powerful person in the empire. But the honor is hollow: this very night (verse 30), Belshazzar will be killed and the empire will fall. Daniel is promoted to the third position in a kingdom that has hours left to exist.
The irony is painful: Daniel receives the kingdom's highest honor at the moment the kingdom ceases to exist. The scarlet and gold are funeral garments on a living man. The promotion to third ruler is a title in an empire that won't survive the night.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What rewards are you pursuing from systems that might not last?
- 2.How does accepting honors from a dying kingdom change how you value them?
- 3.What would it look like to speak truth without regard for the rewards it might produce?
- 4.How do you hold worldly honors lightly when you know their source is temporary?
Devotional
Daniel is promoted to third ruler of the kingdom. Scarlet robes. Gold chain. Public proclamation. The highest honor Babylon can bestow.
And Babylon falls that night.
The rewards arrive at the exact moment they become meaningless. Scarlet clothing in an empire that has hours to live. A gold chain from a king who will be dead by morning. Third ruler of a kingdom that will be conquered before sunrise. Everything Belshazzar gives Daniel is simultaneously the highest honor and the most worthless gift.
This is the ultimate statement about the value of worldly rewards: they're real, they're impressive, and they can evaporate in a single night. The scarlet and gold are genuine. The power is real. And it all becomes nothing when the Persians walk through the gates.
Daniel accepts the honors without appearing to be moved by them. He didn't interpret the handwriting for the rewards (verse 17: "let thy gifts be to thyself"). He spoke truth because it was true, not because it was profitable. The rewards came anyway, and they proved to be as temporary as the kingdom that gave them.
What rewards are you pursuing that might not survive the night? What honors would you accept knowing they came from a kingdom that was already falling? Daniel's story suggests: speak truth regardless. Let the rewards come or not. They're not what lasts.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then commanded Belshazzar,.... As soon as he had heard the writing read and interpreted; instead of being full of wrath,…
Then commanded Belshazzar - In compliance with his promise, Dan 5:16. Though the interpretation had been so fearful in…
Clothed Daniel with scarlet - ארגונא argevana, more probably with purple. The gold chain about the neck was an emblem of…
Here is, I. The information given to the king, by the queen-mother, concerning Daniel, how fit he was to be consulted in…
Belshazzar fulfils the promise given in Dan 5:5. The unconcern exhibited by the king at Daniel's interpretation,…