Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 5:23

"but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine from them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified." — Daniel 5:23 (ASV)

But you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven - The God who had so markedly rebuked and humbled Nebuchadnezzar. The monarch had done this, it would seem, during his entire reign, and now by a crowning act of impiety he had shown special disregard for Him, and contempt for Him, by profaning the sacred vessels of His temple.

And they have brought the vessels of His house before you ... - See the note at Daniel 5:2.

And the God in whose hand your breath is - Under whose power, and at whose disposal, is your life. While you have been celebrating the praises of idol gods, who can do you neither good nor evil, you have been showing special contempt for that great Being who keeps you in existence, and who has power to take away your life at any moment.

What is said here of Belshazzar is true of all people—high and low, rich and poor, enslaved and free, princes and commoners. It is a deeply affecting consideration that the breath, on which our life depends and which is itself so frail, is in the hand of a Being who is invisible to us. We have no control over this Being, who can arrest our breath when He pleases. He has given us no intimation when He will do it, and He often does it so suddenly as to defy all previous calculation and hope.

Nothing is more absolute than the power which God holds over the breath of people, yet there is nothing which is less recognized than that power, and nothing which people are less inclined to acknowledge than their dependence on Him for it.

And whose are all your ways - That is, He has power to control you in all your ways. You can go nowhere without His permission; you can never, when abroad, return to your home without the direction of His providence.

What is said here is also as true of everyone else as it was of the Chaldean prince. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. A man’s heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. None of us can take a step without His permission; none can set out on a journey to a distant land without His constant superintending care; none can return without His favor. And yet how little is this recognized!

How few feel it when they go out and come in; when they set out for their daily work; when they start on a voyage or journey; when they plan to return to their homes!

Have you not glorified - That is, you have not honored Him by a suitable acknowledgment of dependence on Him.