What does Daniel 5:13 mean?

During a drunken, blasphemous party (Daniel 5:1–4), Belshazzar was terrified to see disembodied fingers writing on the wall (Daniel 5:5–9). The queen, or queen mother, suggested he consult with Daniel (Daniel 5:10–12). Belshazzar knows of Daniel as one of the exiles Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Judah.

Daniel had been captured by Babylon as a young man during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:3–7). When Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, he also took some of the sacred objects from the temple (Daniel 1:1–2). It was these items which Belshazzar had desecrated during his carousing (Exodus 30:22–29). Not only was Daniel renowned for his ability to untangle mysteries, but he is also a faithful worshipper of the God whom Belshazzar has insulted. For this reason, it is no surprise that Belshazzar addresses him by his Hebrew name, just at the queen did—twice (Daniel 5:12).

Here, as in earlier verses, the word "father" refers to Belshazzar's ancestor: King Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar's faint knowledge of Daniel may suggest that Daniel was living in obscurity in Babylon when Belshazzar was king. However, God used the queen to put Daniel once again in the spotlight as His servant and prophet. God has a way of having His servants in the right place and at the right time (Esther 4:14).