John Calvin Commentary Daniel 5:13-16

"Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, who art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in thee. And now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing. But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and dissolve doubts; now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom." — Daniel 5:13-16 (ASV)

Here the king does not acknowledge his own folly. Instead, without any modesty, he questions Daniel, and as a captive at that: Are you that Daniel, one of the captives of Judah, whom my father brought here? He seems to speak contemptuously in this instance, to keep Daniel in servile obedience.

However, we may also read this sentence as if Belshazzar inquired, Are you that Daniel? Truly, I have heard of you! He had heard before and had said nothing; but now, when extreme necessity compels him, he pays the greatest respect to Daniel.

I have heard, therefore, that the spirit of the gods is in you, since you can unravel intricacies and reveal secrets. Regarding the “spirit of the gods,” we have already mentioned how King Belshazzar, following the common custom of all nations, indiscriminately mixed angels with God. This was because those pitiable individuals could not praise God as they should, nor could they regard angels as entirely under His feet.

But this statement shows that people were never so unperceptive as not to ascribe all excellence to God, as we see in secular writers. Whatever promotes human advantage and is remarkable for superiority and dignity, they treat as benefits derived from the gods. Thus, the Chaldeans called the gift of intelligence “a spirit of the gods,” it being a rare and singular power of insight, since people acknowledge they do not acquire or attain the prophetic office by their own efforts, but that it is a heavenly gift.

Therefore, people are compelled by God to give Him His due praise. But because the true God was unknown to them, they speak implicitly; and, as I have said, they called angels gods, since in the darkness of their ignorance they could not discern who the true God was.

Whatever the case, Belshazzar here shows the esteem in which he holds Daniel, saying he depends on reports received from others, thus displaying his own slothfulness. He should have known the Prophet by personal experience. But by being content with mere rumor, he proudly neglected the teacher offered to him and neither reflected on nor wished to confess his own disgrace.

Yet in this way, God often extracts a confession from the impious by which they condemn themselves, even if they greatly wish to escape blame.

The following phrase conveys a similar idea: All the wise men were brought before me, and the soothsayers or diviners, to read this writing to me and to reveal its interpretation; and they could not do it, he said. For God punished him by showing how useless all the Chaldeans and soothsayers were, in whom he trusted at the moment of his dire need.

Thus disappointed in his hopes, he acknowledges that he had been deceived. When he preferred the magi and soothsayers, he thought himself strengthened by their counsel as long as they were on his side. Meanwhile, his rejection of the holy Prophet was rightly intolerable to God.

Belshazzar confesses this without intending to do so; therefore, as I said, his confession was not sincere or voluntary, but forcibly extracted by the hidden prompting of God. He also promises Daniel what he had previously promised the magi: You shall be clothed in purple if you can read this writing, and wear a golden chain around your neck, and you shall reign as the third person in the kingdom.

But the end of his reign was now near, and yet, with a sense of security, he offers this dignity to Daniel. This shows how rapidly the terror that God had caused him had vanished.

He is agitated by the greatest uneasiness, just like madmen; for, having no certainty, they exult amidst their terror and wish to leap or fly towards heaven itself. In the same way, this tyrant, though he trembles at God’s judgment, yet retains a hidden obstinacy in his heart and imagines his kingdom will continue permanently, even while he promises wealth and honors to others.