Discovery BoxDaniel 5:2 
Context5:2 While under the influence 1 of the wine, Belshazzar issued an order to bring in the gold and silver vessels – the ones that Nebuchadnezzar his father 2 had confiscated 3 from the temple in Jerusalem 4 – so that the king and his nobles, together with his wives and his concubines, could drink from them. 5
Daniel 6:24
Context6:24 The king gave another order, 6 and those men who had maliciously accused 7 Daniel were brought and thrown 8 into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. 9 They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Daniel 5:23
Context5:23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone – gods 10 that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control 11 your very breath and all your ways!
1 tn Or perhaps, “when he had tasted” (cf. NASB) in the sense of officially initiating the commencement of the banquet. The translation above seems preferable, however, given the clear evidence of inebriation in the context (cf. also CEV “he got drunk and ordered”).
2 tn Or “ancestor”; or “predecessor” (also in vv. 11, 13, 18). The Aramaic word translated “father” can on occasion denote these other relationships.
3 tn Or “taken.”
4 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
5 sn Making use of sacred temple vessels for an occasion of reveling and drunkenness such as this would have been a religious affront of shocking proportions to the Jewish captives.
6 tn Aram “said.”
7 tn Aram “had eaten the pieces of.” The Aramaic expression is ironic, in that the accusers who had figuratively “eaten the pieces of Daniel” are themselves literally devoured by the lions.
8 tn The Aramaic active impersonal verb is often used as a substitute for the passive.
9 tc The LXX specifies only the two overseers, together with their families, as those who were cast into the lions’ den.
10 tn Aram “which.”
11 tn Aram “in whose hand [are].”
