Daniel 5:19
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.
- KJV
- And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
- WEB
- Because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed whom he wanted to, and he kept alive whom he wanted to. He raised up whom he wanted to, and he put down whom he wanted to.
- ASV
- and because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down.
- DARBY
- and for the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he exalted, and whom he would he humbled.
- BLB
- And because of the majesty that He gave to him, all peoples, nations, and languages came to be trembling and fearful from before him. Whomever he would be willing, he would be slaying; and whomever he would be willing, he would be keeping alive; and whomever he would be willing, he would be raising up; and whomever he would be willing, he would be bringing low.
- ÅB
- og for den makts skyld han hadde gitt ham, bevet og fryktet alle folk, slekter og tungemål for ham; hvem han ville, slo han ihjel, og hvem han ville, lot han leve, og hvem han ville, opphøyet han, og hvem han ville, fornedret han.
- OTB
- På grunn av den storhet Han ga ham, fryktet og skjelvet alle folk, nasjoner og mennesker av alle språk for ham. Den han ønsket, drepte han; den han ønsket, sparte han; den han ønsket, opphøyet han; og den han ønsket, ydmyket han.
- B1930
- og for den makts skyld han hadde gitt ham, bevet og fryktet alle folk, ætter og tungemål for ham; hvem han vilde, slo han ihjel, og hvem han vilde, lot han leve, og hvem han vilde, ophøiet han, og hvem han vilde, fornedret han.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Daniel 3:6
And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Read in contextDaniel 2:12–13
For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Read in contextDaniel 3:4
Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
Read in contextJohn 19:11
Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
Read in contextProverbs 16:14
The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.
Read in contextDaniel 3:29
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Read in contextHabakkuk 2:5
Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
Read in contextJeremiah 25:9–14
Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
Read in context