They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. The drunken revelry includes explicit religious observance: praise of Babylon's gods made of various materials. The enumeration of materials (gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, stone) parallels the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, suggesting that despite that dream's prophecy of empire decline and divine supremacy, Belshazzar chooses to reinforce Babylonian polytheism and idol worship. The specific pairing of wine-drinking with idol praise suggests that the feast has become a religious ceremony of affirmation of Babylonian gods. This represents the opposite of Nebuchadnezzar's reformation; Belshazzar appears to have learned nothing from his father's experience of divine judgment and restoration. The celebration reaches its apex—and the narrative is poised for its reversal.

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