Daniel 5:19 Meaning: Greatness Given and Pride's Fall
Because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed whom he wanted to, and he kept alive whom he wanted to. He raised up whom he wanted to, and he put down whom he wanted to.
And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
and because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down.
and because of the greatness that He gave to him, all peoples, nations, and languages were trembling and fearing before him: whom he willed he was slaying, and whom he willed he was keeping alive, and whom he willed he was raising up, and whom he willed he was making low;
and for the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he exalted, and whom he would he humbled.
Meaning in one sentence
God gave Nebuchadnezzar absolute power, but his pride led to humbling. This verse warns us that all authority is a trust, not a possession.
Context
The scene is Belshazzar's banquet. A hand appears and writes on the wall, terrifying the king. None of his wise men can read it, so the queen remembers Daniel. When Daniel is brought in, he refuses the king's gifts and then delivers a hard truth. He reminds Belshazzar of what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, his father in the sense of predecessor. God gave that king breathtaking power. Peoples from every language group trembled at his word. He held life and death in his grasp. But the same God who gave that power also took it away when Nebuchadnezzar's heart grew proud. Daniel is laying the groundwork for the verdict: Belshazzar knew all this and still did not humble himself.
Key Words
The word for greatness here is re.vu.Ta, Aramaic for majesty or vastness. It is a gift: God gave it (the verb yehav). Nebuchadnezzar did not create his own power. That truth makes everything else in the verse sting. The words trembled and feared are participles, a continuing state. People existed in dread of him. But the most loaded word is the one repeated four times: tza.Ve', meaning he was pleased, he willed. The verse says, literally, “whom he was pleased he was killing … whom he was pleased he was letting live …” His will was the only law. Commentators note that the exact same Hebrew phrasing is used of God in Deuteronomy and First Samuel. Nebuchadnezzar had begun to act as if he were the Most High. The power was real, but it was borrowed. The language itself warns: when a mortal uses divine verbs, a fall is coming.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers across traditions have seen this verse as a stark picture of human authority under God. Early Reformed commentators like Matthew Henry emphasize that Daniel is not flattering the king but telling the truth: the greatness was from God, and it was temporary. Anglican scholar A. A. Bevan (Cambridge Bible) notes that the description of absolute power uses words normally applied to God, a warning against a king who takes divine attributes. Catholic tradition, reading through the lens of history, sees here a lesson on the right ordering of earthly rule under divine law. All agree: the verse sets up the crash that follows in verse 20. The power was not the problem. Forgetting the Giver was.
A common misunderstanding
Some read this verse and think that God endorsed Nebuchadnezzar's tyranny, that He gave the king a blank check to kill and exalt anyone on a whim. In fact, the verse describes what God gave, not what He approved. The following verses show that when Nebuchadnezzar's heart grew proud, God deposed him. The greatness was a trust, not a license. The same power that made nations tremble could not keep one king from eating grass like an ox.
Living This Out
This week, notice the authority you hold, however small. It might be as a parent, a supervisor, a teacher, or just someone whose opinion carries weight in your circle. The question this verse asks is not whether you use that authority, but whether you remember where it came from. Try this: before you make a decision that affects someone else today, pause and say under your breath, ‘This is Yours, not mine.’ That one sentence can keep greatness from becoming a trap. The people who trembled before Nebuchadnezzar are gone. The God who gave him everything still stands.
Main takeaway: God gives power and authority, but He alone is sovereign; pride that forgets the Giver leads to a fall.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a lot of power. The king forgot God gave it. He thought he was the one in charge. That made him proud, and God had to remind him who is really the King.
For ages 9, 12
Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful king on earth. He could decide who lived and who died just because he felt like it. But Daniel tells Belshazzar something important: that power was a gift from God, not something the king earned. When Nebuchadnezzar started to act like he was God, God humbled him. This is a warning for anyone who thinks they’re in charge all by themselves. Even the strongest person answers to someone higher.
Questions People Ask
Why did God give Nebuchadnezzar so much power if He knew the king would become proud?
God can use any ruler, even a proud one, to accomplish His purposes. Jeremiah 25:9 calls Nebuchadnezzar 'my servant' because God used him to judge other nations. The gift of power was also a test: would Nebuchadnezzar acknowledge the Giver? When he failed, God humbled him to teach both him and everyone watching that the Most High rules over all.
Does this verse mean God approves of a king killing people on a whim?
No. The verse simply describes what happened, Nebuchadnezzar had that kind of absolute, arbitrary power. But the Bible does not present it as right or good. In fact, the surrounding story shows that God judged Nebuchadnezzar for his pride and eventually brought down the Babylonian empire. Power is never a blank check; it is always accountable to God.
How does this apply to modern leaders or bosses?
The same principle applies: any authority a person holds comes from God (John 19:11; Romans 13:1). The danger is forgetting that and acting as if one's will is the only law. Leaders should use their position humbly, knowing they will answer to God for how they treated people. Even a CEO or a president holds delegated power, not absolute power.
What was Daniel trying to tell Belshazzar by recounting Nebuchadnezzar's story?
Daniel was warning Belshazzar that he was repeating his predecessor's mistake. Belshazzar had seen what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, the humbling, the recovery, the lesson. Yet here he was, drunk and defiant, praising idols instead of the God who held his breath in His hand. The message was clear: judgment was coming for him too.
Who is speaking in Daniel 5:19? Is it God or Daniel?
Daniel is speaking. He is describing Nebuchadnezzar's power to Belshazzar. But Daniel is recounting what God actually did, the verse begins with 'Because of the greatness that he gave him,' where 'he' refers to God. So the words are Daniel's, but the content is a faithful report of God's sovereign gift and the king's misuse of it.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study