V.
(1) Belshazzar. — On this king see Excursus C. As he was the son of Nabonidus, a space of about thirty years must have elapsed since the event recorded in the last chapter. The Babylonian empire survived the death of Nebuchadnezzar only twenty-five years.
A thousand. — There is nothing unreasonable in the number of the guests; in fact, the LXX. have doubled the number. (See Esther 1:3-4.)
Before the thousand. — The king appears to have had a special table reserved for himself apart from the guests. For this custom comp. Jeremiah 52:33.