Charles Ellicott Commentary Daniel 5:1

"Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand." — Daniel 5:1 (ASV)

Belshazzar. —On this king, see Excursus C. As he was the son of Nabonidus, a space of about thirty years must have elapsed since the event recorded in the last chapter. The Babylonian empire survived the death of Nebuchadnezzar only twenty-five years.

A thousand. —There is nothing unreasonable in the number of the guests; in fact, the Septuagint have doubled the number. (See Esther 1:3-4.)

Before the thousand. —The king appears to have had a special table reserved for himself apart from the guests. For this custom, compare Jeremiah 52:33.