Daniel 5
It sounds like Belshazzar wanted to hear the interpretation of the words from anyone but Daniel. Either that our Daniel was not retained in his court when he replaced Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel refused to engage in priestcraft by taking gifts for calling upon the Lord and receiving answers. I suspect that Belshazzar gave the gifts to Daniel in hopes that Daniel would change his tune or else in hopes that Daniel would be slain as a ruler in the kingdom when his prophecy came true.
Reading about Belshazzar I realized that while this was not universally the case, in the case of a wicked man concubines were not just lesser wives to satiate his own desires but also favors that he could share with his friends. Today we would find equivalent expression in a group of friends with “open marriages” who felt free to share conjugal relations with their friends wives and allow their friends the same liberty – which runs directly contrary to the concept of marriage.
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