Lexical Summary
shethah: Surface, expanse, field
Original Word:שְׁתָה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:shthah
Pronunciation:sheh-tah
Phonetic Spelling:(sheth-aw')
NASB:drank, drinking, drink
Word Origin:[(Aramaic) corresponding toH8354 (שָׁתָה - drink)]
1. drink
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
drink
(Aramaic) corresponding toshathah -- drink.
see HEBREWshathah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
shathahDefinitionto drink
NASB Translationdrank (2), drink (1), drinking (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] ( , , Syriac
; see Biblical Hebrew I. ); —
Perfect3masculine plural (K§ 11, 4,a))Daniel 5:3,4;Imperfect3masculine pluralDaniel 5:2;Participle activeDaniel 5:1, plural ; —drink, accusative wineDaniel 5:1,4, + of vesselDaniel 5:23 and (accusative omitted)Daniel 5:2;Daniel 5:3.
Topical Lexicon
Topical Bible Encyclopedia Entry: שְׁתָה (Strong’s 8355)Narrative Setting of All Five Occurrences
Every use of שְׁתָה appears inDaniel 5, the record of Belshazzar’s last night. The verb is repeated to underline the king’s carousing with “a thousand of his nobles” (Daniel 5:1), the introduction of the Temple vessels (5:2-3), the idolatrous toast to false gods (5:4), and the divine rebuke delivered through Daniel (5:23). The repeated “drinking” forms the literary backbone of the chapter, moving the reader from revelry to judgment.
Historical Background
Nebuchadnezzar had taken the sacred vessels from Solomon’s Temple nearly seventy years earlier (2 Kings 24:13;2 Chronicles 36:7). Belshazzar, serving as co-regent under Nabonidus, summoned those consecrated objects for his banquet the very night Babylon fell to the Medo-Persians (Daniel 5:30-31). Archaeology confirms the practice of royal feasts and graffiti on palace walls, lending weight to the biblical scene.
Theological Themes
1. Holiness versus Profanity
The same cups that once received libations in Yahweh’s sanctuary are now filled with wine for pagan revelry. The use of שְׁתָה emphasizes the collision of two spheres—holy and common. By drinking from holy vessels, Belshazzar crosses a divinely drawn line. Scripture consistently warns against mingling what is holy with idolatry (Leviticus 10:10;Ezekiel 22:26).
2. Divine Sovereignty and Judgment
Daniel’s indictment centers on the verb itself: “you and your nobles… have been drinking wine from them” (Daniel 5:23). The king’s act becomes the final provocation that triggers the handwriting on the wall. God controls empires and calendars; a single night of drinking seals Babylon’s fate, fulfillingIsaiah 21:9 andJeremiah 51:57.
3. Idolatry Exposed
“As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver” (Daniel 5:4). שְׁתָה links physical indulgence with spiritual blindness. The passage illustratesRomans 1:25 in narrative form: exchanging the glory of the incorruptible God for images.
Ministry and Discipleship Implications
• Reverence for Sacred Things
Leaders and congregations must guard against casual or manipulative use of what is set apart for God—whether ordinances, offerings, or Scripture itself. Belshazzar’s feast warns that irreverence invites swift correction.
• Sobriety and Watchfulness
Excessive drinking dulls spiritual perception (Proverbs 20:1;Luke 21:34). Babylon’s nobles sleep in wine while the enemy breaches the gates (Isaiah 21:5). The church is called instead to be “sober-minded” (1 Peter 5:8).
Christological Reflections
Where Belshazzar used holy vessels to exalt himself, Jesus “took the cup” and gave thanks (Matthew 26:27). His self-giving reverses Babylon’s self-indulgence. At the cross the true Temple is honored, not desecrated, and the New Covenant cup becomes a means of grace rather than judgment.
New Testament Echoes
Paul reminds believers that “whether you eat or drink… do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The apostle’s choice of mundane verbs shows that even ordinary drinking is theological; it can glorify God or bring reproach, as illustrated inDaniel 5.
Devotional Insight
Daniel 5 challenges worshipers to examine how they employ the gifts God entrusts to them. The vessels themselves were powerless; the moral weight lay in the hands that lifted them. Likewise, talent, treasure, and time can become instruments of either praise or profanation. The question remains: to whom—and for what—do we raise the cup?
Forms and Transliterations
אִשְׁתִּ֖יו אשתיו וְאִשְׁתִּ֣יו וְיִשְׁתּ֣וֹן ואשתיו וישתון שָׁתֵֽה׃ שָׁתַ֣יִן שתה׃ שתין ’iš·tîw ’ištîw ishTiv šā·ṯa·yin šā·ṯêh šāṯayin šāṯêh shaTayin shaTeh veishTiv veyishTon wə’ištîw wə·’iš·tîw wə·yiš·tō·wn wəyištōwn
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