Daniel 5:31 kjv
And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Daniel 5:31 nkjv
And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
Daniel 5:31 niv
and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.
Daniel 5:31 esv
And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
Daniel 5:31 nlt
And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.
Daniel 5 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Dan. 5:30 | "That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was killed." | Fulfilment of prophecy |
| Isa. 14:22 | "I will rise up against them," declares the Lord Almighty, "and cut off from Babylon the name and survivor, offspring and issue," declares the Lord." | Prophecy against Babylon |
| Jer. 51:36-37 | "Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance for you...and drink her blood as from a cup, so that they of Babylon may say, ‘Wodon!" | Judgment on Babylon |
| Ezek. 26:14 | "And you shall be a place for the spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt,"... | Destruction of powerful cities |
| Luke 12:20 | But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things that you have prepared, whose will they be?’" | Judgment for unpreparedness |
| Rev. 18:8 | "Therefore her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up completely by fire, for the Lord God, who judges her, is strong." | Divine judgment on a decadent city |
| Rev. 17:17 | "For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled." | God orchestrating kingdom shifts |
| Psalm 148:13 | "Let them praise the name of the Lord! For his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and heavens." | God's sovereignty and exaltation |
| Psalm 75:6-7 | "For promotion comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the judge! He puts down one, and he exalts another." | God's role in raising and lowering |
| Dan. 2:21 | "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have insight." | God's control over kingship |
| Dan. 4:17 | "The decision is a decree of watchers, and the sentence is a command of holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men." | God granting kingdoms |
| Isa. 44:28 | "who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall carry out all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’" | God using Gentile rulers |
| Isa. 45:1 | "Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:" | God empowering Cyrus |
| Jeremiah 29:10 | "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place." | Timing of Babylonian fall |
| John 19:11 | "Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.’" | Temporal authority from God |
| Acts 17:26 | "And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation," | God ordaining times and places |
| Romans 13:1 | "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." | Authority from God |
| 1 Peter 2:13-14 | "Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good." | Submission to rulers |
| 1 Samuel 15:23 | "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and treachery as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king." | Rejection of God's Word, loss of kingship |
| Revelation 14:8 | "and another angel, a second, followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality!’" | Fall of symbolic Babylon |
Daniel 5 verses
Daniel 5 31 Meaning
The verse signifies the transition of power from the Babylonian Empire, represented by Belshazzar, to the Medes and Persians, personified by Darius the Mede. It marks the end of a significant geopolitical era and the beginning of another, aligning with God's sovereign control over human kingdoms and history. The judgment on Belshazzar for his blasphemy and desecration of holy vessels directly precedes this transfer of dominion.
Daniel 5 31 Context
Daniel chapter 5 recounts the final night of Belshazzar's reign as king of Babylon. The chapter details a lavish feast held by Belshazzar where he and his guests desecrated the sacred vessels taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. During this sacrilegious act, a supernatural hand wrote a message on the wall, which Daniel interpreted as a divine judgment and the impending end of Babylon's rule. Verse 31 introduces the immediate aftermath of this pronouncement. Historically, Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians under Cyrus the Great. This event marked the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The context of this chapter within the broader book of Daniel highlights God's sovereignty over earthly empires, His judgment on pride and idolatry, and His faithfulness to His people.
Daniel 5 31 Word Analysis
- "Then": Indicates immediate sequence.
- "Darius": Name of the Mede who took the kingdom. Identified with Darius the son of Xerxes, a historical figure who ruled Media.
- "The Mede": Refers to his ethnicity and his position within the conquering coalition, highlighting the rise of the Median empire as a significant world power, later consolidated by the Persians.
- "Received": Implies taking possession, indicating the transfer of authority and control.
- "The kingdom": Encompasses the dominion, governance, and territories previously held by the Chaldeans and Belshazzar.
- "was": Past tense verb, signifying completed action.
- "about": Approximates the age of Darius, indicating he was around sixty-two years old.
- "sixty-two": Specifies his age at the time of his accession.
Word-by-Word Breakdown:
- "Then": This connective particle ("And" or "Then") establishes the chronological link from the previous events. The immediate action of the king's death (verse 30) directly leads to this succession.
- "Darius": The name is of Persian/Median origin. While there's historical debate on the precise identity of "Darius the Mede" in relation to the known rulers of the era (e.g., Cyrus the Great, Gobryas), biblical scholarship generally recognizes him as a viceroy or regional ruler appointed by the Medo-Persian command structure after Babylon's fall. Some see him as a title rather than a personal name, possibly an appanage of Cyrus.
- "the Mede": This specifies the ethnic and political affiliation of the new ruler. The Medes, along with the Persians, formed the Medo-Persian Empire, which conquered Babylon. This highlights the shift in power from a Babylonian dynasty to this new ruling power.
- "received": The Hebrew/Aramaic root implies taking possession, taking over, or grasping. It signifies a formal assumption of power and authority over the conquered territory.
- "the kingdom": This refers to the entire Babylonian empire, its lands, people, and government structures. The empire was not destroyed but transferred to a new sovereign power.
- "was about": Indicates approximation of age.
- "sixty and two": This numeral "sixty and two" (Aramaic:
shnin we-tarit- שְׁנִין וְתְרֵיסַר) specifically quantifies the age of Darius. It's a notable detail, perhaps emphasizing his maturity or the age of the leadership taking control during this transitional period.
Daniel 5 31 Bonus Section
The "Darius the Mede" mentioned here is a subject of much scholarly discussion. Some commentators identify him with Gobryas (also known as Ugbaru), a general of Cyrus the Great who played a crucial role in the conquest of Babylon and was appointed governor of the captured city. Others propose he might be Cyrus himself, adopting a Median title, or a different relative of Cyrus. Regardless of precise historical identification, his emergence signifies the end of Babylonian sovereignty and the inauguration of Medo-Persian rule, as prophesied by Daniel. This succession highlights the predictive power of Scripture and God's overarching hand in historical events, even within the tumultuous landscape of ancient Near Eastern empires. The fall of Babylon to Darius foreshadows the broader prophetic themes of end-times kingdoms and their ultimate judgment.
Daniel 5 31 Commentary
This verse marks the literal and historical fulfillment of the prophetic warnings delivered by Daniel to Belshazzar. Belshazzar's impiety and blasphemy culminated in his immediate demise, clearing the way for a new regime. Darius the Mede, acting either as the supreme ruler or as a high-ranking official in the conquering Medo-Persian force (likely a viceroy appointed by Cyrus), takes control of the Babylonian kingdom. His age, stated as sixty-two, underscores that this was an established individual assuming power, not a young or inexperienced leader. This event is a pivotal moment demonstrating God's orchestration of world events, as foretold through Daniel's visions and the judgment written on the wall. The shift in rulership illustrates the divine principle that kingdoms are temporary and subject to God's sovereign will, a theme powerfully depicted throughout the book of Daniel and echoed in scripture regarding the rise and fall of empires. The consistent biblical theme is God's ultimate authority over all earthly powers, using human instruments, whether pagan kings or His own people, to accomplish His purposes.