Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his face was changed in him, and his lords were perplexed.
Parallel translations
- KJV Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
- BSB Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were bewildered.
- NKJV Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.
- NASB Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.
- NLT So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Belshazzar grows even more terrified and his nobles are bewildered. The unsolved sign deepens the dread hanging over the feast.
Overview
With no one able to interpret the message, the king's alarm intensifies and his court is left in confusion. The festive atmosphere has wholly given way to fear, underscoring the weight of God's word even when its meaning is still hidden. The scene leaves the powerful of Babylon paralyzed, awaiting a word they cannot supply for themselves.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Dan 5:6Then the king’s face was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; and the joints of his thighs were loosened, and his knees struck one against another.
- Dan 2:1In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.
- Jer 6:24We have heard its report; our hands become feeble: anguish has taken hold of us, and pains as of a woman in labor.
- Isa 21:2–4A grievous vision is declared to me. The treacherous man deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; attack! I have stopped all of Media’s sighing.
- Isa 13:6–8Wail; for the day of Yahweh is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
- Ps 18:14He sent out his arrows, and scattered them; Yes, great lightning bolts, and routed them.
- Dan 10:8So I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me; for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
- Job 18:11–14Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall chase him at his heels.
- Ps 48:6Trembling took hold of them there, pain, as of a woman in travail.
- Jer 30:6Ask now, and see whether a man travails with child. Why do I see every man with his hands on his waist, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned pale?
- Matt 2:3When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
- Rev 6:15The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Daniel sees the stone cut without hands that shatters the kingdoms, and 'one like a son of man' given everlasting dominion — titles and visions Jesus claims as his own.
How Daniel 5:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.