“And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew ; and whom he would he kept alive ; and whom he would he set up ; and whom he would he put down .”
My Notes
What Does Daniel 5:19 Mean?
Daniel reminds Belshazzar of Nebuchadnezzar's absolute power: whom he would, he killed. Whom he would, he kept alive. Whom he would, he promoted. Whom he would, he demoted. Four verbs of sovereign authority. Total control over life, death, promotion, and demotion. And all of it — given by God (verse 18: "the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour").
The four verbs create a complete circuit of power: killing (removing life) and keeping alive (preserving life). Setting up (elevating) and putting down (humiliating). Both pairs are binary and absolute. The king controlled both directions of both axes: life/death and promotion/demotion.
The point Daniel is building toward: the power was real, but it was given. And the one who gave it can take it away. Nebuchadnezzar learned this through seven years of madness. Belshazzar hasn't learned it — and the lesson is about to arrive on the wall.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the four-verb power (kill, spare, promote, demote) describe any authority you hold — and do you recognize it as given?
- 2.How does 'though thou knewest all this' (Belshazzar saw the lesson but didn't learn it) apply to truths you know but don't apply?
- 3.Does power feeling inherent (rather than lent) produce the arrogance that attracts divine humiliation?
- 4.What lesson has been demonstrated in your life that you haven't yet humbled yourself before?
Devotional
He killed whoever he wanted. He spared whoever he wanted. He promoted whoever he wanted. He humiliated whoever he wanted. And all of that power was a gift.
Daniel reminds Belshazzar of his grandfather's authority: Nebuchadnezzar's power was absolute. Four axes of control: life (he could kill at will), survival (he could spare at will), elevation (he could promote at will), humiliation (he could demote at will). The most complete human authority ever held. And every bit of it — a gift from the Most High God.
Four verbs. Each one terrifying: whom he WOULD, he killed. Not whom he should. Whom he wanted to. The authority wasn't just legal. It was arbitrary. The most powerful human exercised power based on preference, not principle. And no one could stop him.
Daniel's point isn't to celebrate Nebuchadnezzar's power. It's to establish its source — and its revocability. The God who GAVE the authority also TOOK it away (verse 20-21: when his heart was lifted up, his glory was taken). The power that seemed inherent was always lent. The authority that seemed permanent was always conditional.
Belshazzar's crime (verse 22-23): "thou his son... hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this." You KNEW the lesson. You watched your grandfather eat grass for seven years. You saw the most powerful man on earth reduced to an animal by the God who gave him his power. And you didn't humble yourself. You threw a party with temple vessels instead.
The knowledge that power is given should produce humility. Belshazzar had the knowledge. He chose the feast. And the handwriting arrived that same night.
Every power you hold was given. Every authority you exercise was lent. The lesson Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way (seven years of madness) is the lesson Belshazzar refused to learn at all. And the refusal cost him the kingdom — and his life — that night.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And for the majesty that he gave him,.... The greatness of his power, the largeness of his dominions, and the vast…
And, for the majesty that he gave him - That is, on account of his greatness, referring to the talents which God had…
Whom he would he slew - The genuine character of a despot, whose will is the only rule of his conduct.
Here is, I. The information given to the king, by the queen-mother, concerning Daniel, how fit he was to be consulted in…
and because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages, &c. Cf. Dan 3:4.
trembled and feared…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture