Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:
Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king ... came into the banquet house - the queen-mother, or grandmother, Nitocris, had not been present until now. She was wife either of Nebuchadnezzar or of Evil-merodach; hence, her acquaintance with the services of Daniel. She completed the great works which the former had begun. Hence, Herodotus attributes them to her alone. This accounts for the deference paid to her by Belshazzar. See my note, Daniel 4:36. Compare similar rank once given to the queen-mother of Asa, Maachah, among the Hebrews, 1 Kings 15:13.