Daniel 5:4

Sin

² Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

³ Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.

They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

⁵ In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

⁶ Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
KJV: They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
WEB: They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of bronze, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
ASV: They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
DARBY: They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
BLB: They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

ÅB: De drakk vin og priste sine guder av gull og sølv, av kobber, jern, tre og stein.
OTB: Mens de drakk vinen, priste de gudene av gull og sølv, av bronse, jern, tre og stein.
B1930: De drakk vin og priste sine guder av gull og sølv, av kobber, jern, tre og sten.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

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 in 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:
Read in context
Habakkuk 2:19
Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
Read in context
Psalms 135:15–18
The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
Read in context
Revelation 9:20–21
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Read in context
Psalms 115:4–8
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
Read in context
Isaiah 40:19–20
The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
Read in context
Jeremiah 10:4–9
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
Read in context
Acts 17:29
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
Read in context