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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Daniel 5:25 Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/daniel/5-25.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/13/27_Dan_05_25.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Daniel 5:25 - Daniel Interprets the Handwriting" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN." /><script type="application/javascript" 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align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad5.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/daniel/5-24.htm" title="Daniel 5:24">◄</a> Daniel 5:25 <a href="/daniel/5-26.htm" title="Daniel 5:26">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/daniel/5.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/daniel/5.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />&#8220This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/daniel/5.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />“This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel , and Parsin .<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/daniel/5.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/daniel/5.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/daniel/5.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And this <i>is</i> the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/daniel/5.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />“And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/daniel/5.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“Now this is the inscription that was written: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/daniel/5.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220Now this is the inscription that was written out: &#8216MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.&#8217<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/daniel/5.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENE<LE>, MENE<LE>, TEKE<LE>L, UPHARSIN.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/daniel/5.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />“Now this is the writing that was inscribed: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/daniel/5.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“This is the inscription that was written, ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN [numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided].’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/daniel/5.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />“This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/daniel/5.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/daniel/5.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/daniel/5.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />And this is the writing that was inscribed, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/daniel/5.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />This is what has been written: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/daniel/5.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />"This is what was written: 'Number, number, weight, divisions.' <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/daniel/5.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />This is the written inscription: MENE, MENE, TEKEL AND PARSIN<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/daniel/5.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/daniel/5.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />"This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEQEL, and PHARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/daniel/5.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/daniel/5.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/daniel/5.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />“This is the writing that was inscribed: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’ <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/daniel/5.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />and this [is] the writing that is noted down: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/daniel/5.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> and this is the writing that is noted down: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/daniel/5.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And this the writing that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL and PHARSIN.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/daniel/5.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And this is the writing that is written: MANE, THECEL, PHARES. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/daniel/5.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />But this is the writing that has been decreed: MANE, THECEL, PHARES.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/daniel/5.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />“This is the writing that was inscribed: , , and<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/daniel/5.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />And this is the writing that was inscribed: mene , mene , tekel , and parsin .<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/daniel/5.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />And this is the writing that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/daniel/5.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And this writing was inscribed and this is the inscription that was inscribed: ’Meneh meneh teqal oufarseen’<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/daniel/5.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/daniel/5.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And this is the ordered writing, Mane, Thekel, Phares.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/daniel/5-25.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/shUZJK-vYxI?start=2045" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/daniel/5.htm">Daniel Interprets the Handwriting</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">24</span>Therefore He sent the hand that wrote the inscription. <span class="reftext">25</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/1836.htm" title="1836: ū·ḏə·nāh (Conj-w:: Pro-ms) -- This. (Aramaic) an orthographical variation of dek; this.">Now this</a> <a href="/hebrew/3792.htm" title="3792: ḵə·ṯā·ḇā (N-msd) -- A writing. (Aramaic) corresponding to kathab.">is the inscription</a> <a href="/hebrew/1768.htm" title="1768: dî (Pro-r) -- Who, which, that, because. ">that</a> <a href="/hebrew/7560.htm" title="7560: rə·šîm (V-Nifal-Perf-3ms) -- To inscribe, sign. (Aramaic) corresponding to rasham.">was written:</a> <a href="/hebrew/4484.htm" title="4484: mə·nê (N-ms) -- Maneh, mina (a measure of weight). (Aramaic) passive participle of mna'; numbered.">MENE,</a> <a href="/hebrew/4484.htm" title="4484: mə·nê (N-ms) -- Maneh, mina (a measure of weight). (Aramaic) passive participle of mna'; numbered.">MENE,</a> <a href="/hebrew/8625.htm" title="8625: tə·qêl (N-ms) -- To balance. (Aramaic) corresponding to shaqal; to balance.">TEKEL,</a> <a href="/hebrew/6537.htm" title="6537: ū·p̄ar·sîn (Conj-w:: N-mp) -- To break in two. (Aramaic) corresponding to parac; to split up.">PARSIN.</a> </span><span class="reftext">26</span>And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/2-28.htm">Daniel 2:28-30</a></span><br />But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these: / As you lay on your bed, O king, your thoughts turned to the future, and the Revealer of Mysteries made known to you what will happen. / And to me this mystery has been revealed, not because I have more wisdom than any man alive, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/4-24.htm">Daniel 4:24-27</a></span><br />This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree that the Most High has issued against my lord the king: / You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field. You will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes. / As for the command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/7-25.htm">Daniel 7:25</a></span><br />He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/8-19.htm">Daniel 8:19</a></span><br />and said, “Behold, I will make known to you what will happen in the latter time of wrath, because it concerns the appointed time of the end.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/9-24.htm">Daniel 9:24-27</a></span><br />Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. / Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress. / Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/12-9.htm">Daniel 12:9-10</a></span><br />“Go on your way, Daniel,” he replied, “for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. / Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/13-6.htm">Isaiah 13:6-9</a></span><br />Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty. / Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt. / Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/21-2.htm">Isaiah 21:2-4</a></span><br />A dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.” / Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see. / My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight I desired has turned to horror.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/47-10.htm">Isaiah 47:10-11</a></span><br />You were secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray; you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ / But disaster will come upon you; you will not know how to charm it away. A calamity will befall you that you will be unable to ward off. Devastation will happen to you suddenly and unexpectedly.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/25-12.htm">Jeremiah 25:12-14</a></span><br />But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation. / I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. / For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/50-1.htm">Jeremiah 50:1-3</a></span><br />This is the word that the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans: / “Announce and declare to the nations; lift up a banner and proclaim it; hold nothing back when you say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’ / For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/21-25.htm">Ezekiel 21:25-27</a></span><br />And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, the day has come for your final punishment.’ / This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted. / A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! And it will not be restored until the arrival of Him to whom it belongs, to whom I have assigned the right of judgment.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/habakkuk/2-2.htm">Habakkuk 2:2-3</a></span><br />Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it. / For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/24-15.htm">Matthew 24:15</a></span><br />So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/13-14.htm">Mark 13:14</a></span><br />So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.</p><p class="hdg">MENE.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/daniel/2-41.htm">Divided</a> <a href="/daniel/5-24.htm">Inscribed</a> <a href="/daniel/5-24.htm">Inscription</a> <a href="/daniel/5-26.htm">MENE</a> <a href="/daniel/5-24.htm">Noted</a> <a href="/ezekiel/44-26.htm">Numbered</a> <a href="/daniel/5-28.htm">Peres</a> <a href="/daniel/5-24.htm">Recorded</a> <a href="/daniel/5-27.htm">TEKEL</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-2.htm">Weighed</a> <a href="/daniel/5-24.htm">Writing</a> <a href="/daniel/5-24.htm">Written</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/daniel/5-28.htm">Divided</a> <a href="/daniel/10-21.htm">Inscribed</a> <a href="/zechariah/3-9.htm">Inscription</a> <a href="/daniel/5-26.htm">MENE</a> <a href="/daniel/10-21.htm">Noted</a> <a href="/daniel/5-26.htm">Numbered</a> <a href="/daniel/5-28.htm">Peres</a> <a href="/daniel/10-19.htm">Recorded</a> <a href="/daniel/5-27.htm">TEKEL</a> <a href="/daniel/5-27.htm">Weighed</a> <a href="/daniel/6-8.htm">Writing</a> <a href="/daniel/6-25.htm">Written</a><div class="vheading2">Daniel 5</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/daniel/5-1.htm">Belshazzar's impious feast.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">5. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/daniel/5-5.htm">A hand-writing unknown to the magicians, troubles the king.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">10. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/daniel/5-10.htm">At the commendation of the queen Daniel is brought.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">17. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/daniel/5-17.htm">He, reproving the king of pride and idolatry,</a></span><br><span class="reftext">25. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/daniel/5-25.htm">reads and interprets the writing.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">30. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/daniel/5-30.htm">The monarchy is translated to the Medes</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/daniel/5.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/daniel/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/daniel/5.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Now this is the inscription that was written:</b><br>This phrase introduces the mysterious writing on the wall during King Belshazzar's feast. The context is a royal banquet in Babylon, where sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple were profaned. This event occurs during the reign of Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, highlighting the impending fall of the Babylonian Empire. The writing is a divine message, emphasizing God's sovereignty and judgment.<p><b>MENE, MENE:</b><br>The repetition of "MENE" underscores the certainty and urgency of the message. "MENE" means "numbered," indicating that God has numbered the days of Belshazzar's kingdom and brought it to an end. This reflects the biblical theme of divine judgment and the transient nature of earthly kingdoms. The repetition also serves as a literary device to emphasize the finality of God's decree.<p><b>TEKEL:</b><br>"TEKEL" means "weighed." This signifies that Belshazzar has been weighed on God's scales and found wanting. It echoes the biblical principle that God examines the hearts and actions of individuals and nations. The imagery of weighing suggests a moral and spiritual evaluation, aligning with other scriptures that speak of God's righteous judgment.<p><b>PARSIN:</b><br>"PARSIN" is the plural form of "PERES," meaning "divided." It indicates that the kingdom will be divided and given to the Medes and Persians. This prophecy is fulfilled when Babylon falls to the Medo-Persian Empire. The division of the kingdom symbolizes the end of Babylon's dominance and the rise of a new power, illustrating the shifting dynamics of world empires under God's control. The term also plays on the word "Persians," hinting at the conquerors' identity.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/b/belshazzar.htm">Belshazzar</a></b><br>The king of Babylon during the time of this event. He held a great feast and used the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple, showing disrespect to God.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/d/daniel.htm">Daniel</a></b><br>A Jewish exile and prophet who was called upon to interpret the mysterious writing on the wall. Known for his wisdom and faithfulness to God.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/b/babylon.htm">Babylon</a></b><br>The setting of this event, a powerful empire known for its wealth and idolatry. It represents human pride and opposition to God.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_writing_on_the_wall.htm">The Writing on the Wall</a></b><br>A divine message written by a mysterious hand during Belshazzar's feast, signifying God's judgment on the king and his kingdom.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_fall_of_babylon.htm">The Fall of Babylon</a></b><br>The event that followed the interpretation of the writing, where Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians, fulfilling God's judgment.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty.htm">God's Sovereignty</a></b><br>God is in control of nations and leaders. He raises them up and brings them down according to His will.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_consequences_of_pride.htm">The Consequences of Pride</a></b><br>Pride and arrogance, especially against God, lead to downfall. Belshazzar's account is a warning against self-exaltation.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_reverence.htm">The Importance of Reverence</a></b><br>Treating what is holy with contempt invites God's judgment. We must approach God and His sacred things with reverence.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_certainty_of_god's_judgment.htm">The Certainty of God's Judgment</a></b><br>God's judgment is sure and will come to pass. We must live in a way that honors Him, knowing that He will hold us accountable.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_god's_servants.htm">The Role of God's Servants</a></b><br>Like Daniel, believers are called to be faithful and courageous, speaking truth even in difficult circumstances.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_daniel_5.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Daniel 5</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/meaning_of_'mene_mene_tekel_upharsin'.htm">What does "Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin" mean?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_happened_to_belshazzar.htm">What happened to Belshazzar during the feast?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_god_allow_evil_leaders.htm">Why does God permit evil and sinful leaders?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_do_some_'wicked_houses'_prosper.htm">Proverbs 14:11: Why have some “wicked houses” throughout history prospered instead of being destroyed? </a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/daniel/5.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(25) <span class= "bld">Mene</span> . . .--It should be remarked that the word <span class= "ital">Mene,</span> which occurs twice in the inscription, is found only once in the interpretation, and that the "Medes" who are mentioned in the interpretation are not spoken of in the inscription. Hence it has been conjectured that the second <span class= "ital">Mene</span> was originally <span class= "ital">Madai,</span> or Media. This, though it appears plausible, has no external support. The word <span class= "ital">Mene,</span> "numbered," is repeated twice for the sake of emphasis. The days of Babylon are numbered; it is God Himself who has numbered them. "Mene" is used in the double sense of "numbering" and "bringing to an end." Similarly, "Tekel" implies both the act of "weighing" and the fact of "being light." The "<span class= "ital">u"</span> in <span class= "ital">Upharsin</span> is the conjunction "and," while <span class= "ital">pharsin,</span> or, rather, <span class= "ital">parsin,</span> is the plural of <span class= "ital">peres,</span> a noun which implies "divisions" and also Persians. It appears from <a href="/daniel/5-28.htm" title="PERES; Your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.">Daniel 5:28</a> that the divided empire of Babylon and the Medo-Persian empire are signified.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/daniel/5.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 25-28.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians</span>. The Septuagint has two versions of this passage, one m the text, the other in the portion at the beginning, which we think is really composed of marginal readings. In the text the Aramaic is not given at all. As we have already seen, the verse which corresponds to ver. 25 here is really the latter part of ver. 17 of the Septuagint, "This is the writing: It hath been numbered; it is reckoned; it has been carried away." In the verses which are appended to the beginning of the chapter, we have the Aramaic words, but given in a different order, and without the repetition of the first word: "MANE, PHARES, THEKEL. MANE, It has been numbered; PHARES, It is carried away; TnEKEL, It has been set up." Here not only is the order different, but the meaning assigned to <span class="accented">phares</span> is singular. <span class="hebrew">פְרַס</span> means in Syriac, "spread out." It would seem that <span class="greek">ἐξαίρω</span> meant "stretched out" as well as "carried away." It is still more difficult to understand how <span class="accented">thekel </span>can mean "set up," unless the words, <span class="greek">ἐν ζυγῷ</span>, "on the balance," are understood. The Septuagint of the best version is briefer than the Massoretic, though less so than it is in some of the other passages, "Numbered is the time of thy kingdom; ceases thy kingdom; cut short and ended has been thy kingdom; to the Modes and the Persians has it been given." The word interpreted is not repeated as in the Massoretic text, and <span class="hebrew">תְקִל</span> is derived from <span class="hebrew">קְלַל</span>, which in some of the conjugations means "destroyed," whereas in ver. 17 it is rendered <span class="greek">κατελογίσθη</span>, "it is reckoned," a rendering of <span class="hebrew">תקל</span> which makes it mean "weigh." The Septuagint rendering of the first clause is an evident attempt at explaining the numbering implied. The Massoretic reading involves a pun in both the last words; there is a play between <span class="hebrew">תְקִל</span> (<span class="accented">teqel</span>), "to weigh," and <span class="hebrew">קְלַל</span> (<span class="accented">qelal</span>), "to be light," although the introduction of <span class="hebrew">שכח</span> rather conceals this. In the last the play is between <span class="hebrew">פרס</span>, "to divide," and <span class="hebrew">פדס</span>, "a Persian." Theodotion avoids the repetition of the first word, otherwise he is in somewhat close agreement with the Massoretic text, "MANE, God hath measured thy kingdom; THEKEL, It is set on the balance, and found wanting; PHARES, Thy kingdom is cut asunder, and given to the Medes and the Persians." The Peshitta is in close agreement with the Massoretic text. The actual meaning of the words, taking them as they appear in the Massoretictext, as Aramaic words, is, to give English equivalents, "a pound, a pound, an ounce, and quarters;" hence the impossibility of interpreting the words. We find all these words, <span class="accented">mena</span>, <span class="accented">teqel</span> (shekel), <span class="accented">pares</span>, in the Ninevite inscriptions. As the words are interpreted, we cannot fail to be impressed with the peremptory style of the inscription, as Hitzig has it. Zockler refers to the sculpturesque style (<span class="accented">lapidarstil</span>). This brevity rendered it difficult for the soothsayers to put any meaning into the words at all. In all the versions the fact that the kingdom is to be given to the Medes and Persians <span class="cmt_word">is</span> emphasized, but, moreover, the play on words in the last clause implies the Persians as the prominent assailants of the Babylonian power, but really that the two powers were united. It seems extraordinary that any one, in the face of this, should maintain that the author of Daniel separated the two powers, and thought the Median power succeeded the Babylonian, and then that the Persian succeeded the Median. We know now that Herodotus's representation of the history of Media and Persia is utterly false and misleading. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/daniel/5-25.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Now this</span><br /><span class="heb">וּדְנָ֥ה</span> <span class="translit">(ū·ḏə·nāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1836.htm">Strong's 1836: </a> </span><span class="str2">This</span><br /><br /><span class="word">is the inscription</span><br /><span class="heb">כְתָבָ֖א</span> <span class="translit">(ḵə·ṯā·ḇā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular determinate<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3792.htm">Strong's 3792: </a> </span><span class="str2">Something written, a writing, record, book</span><br /><br /><span class="word">that</span><br /><span class="heb">דִּ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(dî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - relative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1768.htm">Strong's 1768: </a> </span><span class="str2">Who, which, that, because</span><br /><br /><span class="word">was written:</span><br /><span class="heb">רְשִׁ֑ים</span> <span class="translit">(rə·šîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7560.htm">Strong's 7560: </a> </span><span class="str2">To inscribe, sign</span><br /><br /><span class="word">MENE,</span><br /><span class="heb">מְנֵ֥א</span> <span class="translit">(mə·nê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4484.htm">Strong's 4484: </a> </span><span class="str2">Maneh, mina (a measure of weight)</span><br /><br /><span class="word">MENE,</span><br /><span class="heb">מְנֵ֖א</span> <span class="translit">(mə·nê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4484.htm">Strong's 4484: </a> </span><span class="str2">Maneh, mina (a measure of weight)</span><br /><br /><span class="word">TEKEL,</span><br /><span class="heb">תְּקֵ֥ל</span> <span class="translit">(tə·qêl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8625.htm">Strong's 8625: </a> </span><span class="str2">To balance</span><br /><br /><span class="word">PARSIN.</span><br /><span class="heb">וּפַרְסִֽין׃</span> <span class="translit">(ū·p̄ar·sîn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6537.htm">Strong's 6537: </a> </span><span class="str2">To break in two</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/daniel/5-25.htm">Daniel 5:25 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/daniel/5-25.htm">OT Prophets: Daniel 5:25 This is the writing that was inscribed: (Dan. Da Dn) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/daniel/5-24.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Daniel 5:24"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Daniel 5:24" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/daniel/5-26.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Daniel 5:26"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Daniel 5:26" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>