Daniel 5:19

Schlachter Bibel

und wegen seiner Majestät, die er ihm gab, zitterten und bebten vor ihm alle Völker, Stämme und Zungen; denn er tötete, wen er wollte, ließ leben, wen er wollte, erhöhte, wen er wollte, erniedrigte, wen er wollte.

Parallel Translations

Lutherbible (1912)
Und vor solcher Macht, die ihm gegeben war, fürchteten sich vor ihm alle Völker, Leute und Zungen. Er tötete wen er wollte; er ließ leben, wen er wollte; er erhöhte, wen er wollte; er demütigt, wen er wollte.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

that he: Daniel 3:4, Daniel 4:22, Jeremiah 25:9-14, Jeremiah 27:5-7, Habakkuk 2:5, Romans 13:1

whom he would he slew: Daniel 2:12, Daniel 2:13, Daniel 3:6, Daniel 3:20, Daniel 3:21, Daniel 3:29, Proverbs 16:14, John 19:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 44:18 - as Pharaoh 1 Kings 21:7 - Dost thou now 2 Kings 25:28 - the throne 1 Chronicles 29:25 - bestowed 2 Chronicles 32:13 - I and my Ezra 1:2 - hath given Proverbs 19:12 - king's Ecclesiastes 8:3 - for Jeremiah 4:7 - destroyer Jeremiah 27:6 - I given all Jeremiah 34:1 - all the kingdoms Jeremiah 43:10 - I will send Jeremiah 51:44 - the nations Jeremiah 52:32 - set Ezekiel 31:11 - the mighty Daniel 4:30 - and for Daniel 8:4 - but Daniel 11:3 - do Daniel 11:12 - his heart Matthew 4:9 - I give Matthew 20:25 - exercise dominion John 19:10 - knowest Ephesians 6:9 - forbearing 1 Timothy 6:17 - that they Revelation 6:4 - power

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And for the majesty that he gave him,.... The greatness of his power, the largeness of his dominions, and the vast armies he had at his command:

all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him; not only those that were subject to him, but those that had only heard of him: who dreaded his approach unto them, and their falling into his victorious hands, and being made vassals to him:

whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; he ruled in an arbitrary and despotic manner, and kept the power of life and death in his own hands; whom he would he put to death, though ever so innocent; and whom he would he preserved from death, though ever so deserving of it; he had no regard to justice, but acted according to his own will and pleasure. Jacchiades renders the last clause, "whom he would he smote": but both the punctuation of the word, and the antithesis in the text, require the sense our version gives, and which is confirmed by Aben Ezra and Saadiah:

and whom he would he set up: and whom he would he put down; according to his pleasure, he raised persons from a low estate to great dignity, and put them into high posts of honour and profit, as he did Daniel: and others he as much debased, turned them out of their places, and reduced them to the lowest degree of disgrace and poverty; and all according to his absolute and irresistible will, without giving any reason for what he did.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And, for the majesty that he gave him - That is, on account of his greatness, referring to the talents which God had conferred on him, and the power which he had put in his hands. It was so great that all people and nations trembled before him.

All people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him - Stood in awe of him. On the extent of his empire, see the note at Daniel 3:4; Daniel 4:1, Daniel 4:22.

Whom he would he slew ... - That is, he was an arbitrary - an absolute sovereign. This is exactly descriptive of the power which Oriental despotic monarchs have.

Whom he would he kept alive - Whether they had, or had not, been guilty of crime. He had the absolute power of life and death over them There was no such instrument as we call a “constitution” to control the sovereign as well as the people; there was no tribunal to which he was responsible, and no law by which he was bound; there were no judges to determine on the question of life and death in regard to those who were accused of crime, whom he did not appoint, and whom he might not remove, and whose judgments he might not set aside if he pleased; there were no “juries” of “peers” to determine on the question of fact whether an accused man was guilty or not. There were none of those safeguards which have been originated to protect the accused in modern times, and which enter so essentially into the notions of liberty now. In an absolute despotism all power is in the hands of one man, and this was in fact the case in Babylon.

Whom he would he set up - That is, in places of trust, of office, of rank, etc.

And whom he would he put down - No matter what their rank or office.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 19. Whom he would he slew — The genuine character of a despot, whose will is the only rule of his conduct.