Daniel 5:11

"The queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house. The queen spoke and said, “O king, live forever; don’t let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your face be changed."

Key Reflection

In Daniel 5:11, Queen Vashti is responding to King Belshazzar's troubling request by coming into the banquet house where he and his lords were drinking wine. Her words—“O king, live forever; don’t let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your face be changed”—were a formal and respectful way of addressing the king, acknowledging his authority while attempting to soothe him and maintain decorum amidst what was likely an already tense situation. The original audience would have recognized this as a diplomatic and deferential response typical of court etiquette in ancient Mesopotamia, aimed at calming the monarch rather than directly refusing his command.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

There is a man in thy kingdom -To wit, Daniel. As the queen-mother had lived in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and recollected the important service which he had rendered in interpreting the dream of the king, it was natural that her mind should at once recur to him. It would seem, also, that though Daniel was no longer employed at court, yet that she still had an acquaintance with him, so far at least as to know that he was accessible, and might be called in on this occasion.

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