Page 145 - Daniel

therefore not entirely unknown to the wise men. Goldingay offers a
simple suggestion. “It is not specified what made the words unreadable
as well as unintelligible (v. 8)…. But most straightforwardly the story
envisages them written as unpointed consonants: being able to read out
unpointed text is partly dependent on actually understanding it, and

Daniel later reads the words out one way and interprets them
another.” 17

In any case Daniel read the writing as Aramaic, and the suggestion of
puns in the language (see later discussion) depends upon the Aramaic.
The difficulty of the wise men in reading the writing may have been that
it was written in Aramaic script without the vowels being supplied; but
if written in cuneiform, the vowels would have been included. Daniel
did not explain the difficulty in reading the writing on the wall, but
apparently the language was in a form of Aramaic that the wise men

could neither read nor understand—nor, of course, could they interpret
its significance. (For further discussion, see exposition of vv. 24–28.)

The wise men’s failure to decipher the writing only increased
Belshazzar’s concern. Perhaps the full force of his wickedness in using
the vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem had begun to dawn upon
him, or the fears suppressed concerning the armies surrounding Babylon
may have emerged. His concern was shared by the entire assembly.

Belshazzar’s predicament is another illustration of the insecurity and
powerlessness of the rulers of this world when confronted by the power
and wisdom of God. God holds in derision the rulers of the world who
take counsel against Him (Ps. 2:1–4). Like Nebuchadnezzar before him,

Belshazzar was soon to experience divine judgment, but without the
happy ending.

DANIEL SUGGESTED AS THE INTERPRETER (5:10–12)

5:10–12 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords,

came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live
forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. There
is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the
days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the