Daniel5

King Belshazzar held a great feast, profaning sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple by drinking from them and praising pagan gods. Suddenly, a mysterious hand appeared, writing an unknown message on the palace wall, terrifying the king. When his wise men failed, Daniel was called, who interpreted the writing as divine judgment, declaring Belshazzar's kingdom numbered, weighed, and divided. That same night, Belshazzar was slain, and his kingdom was taken by Darius the Median.

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Belshazzar's Sacrilegious Feast

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, might drink therefrom.

Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, drank from them.

They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

The Writing on the Wall Appears

In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

Then the king’s countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Then came in all the king’s wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.

Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were perplexed.

Daniel Is Summoned

Nowthe queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.

There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.

Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, who art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?

I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in thee.

And now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing.

But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Daniel Rebukes the King

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty:

and because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down.

But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

and he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts’, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; until he knew that the Most High God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he setteth up over it whomsoever he will.

And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this,

but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine from them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.

Then was the part of the hand sent from before him, and this writing was inscribed.

The Interpretation: Mene, Tekel, Upharsin

And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end.

TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

PERES; thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Babylon Falls

In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.

And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

Study Notes for Daniel 5

Verse 1

Belshazzar was the son and co-regent of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon. This feast was held during a time of imminent military threat from the Medes and Persians.

Verse 2

Using the sacred vessels plundered from the Jerusalem Temple (605 BC) for pagan revelry was an act of profound hubris and direct blasphemy against Yahweh.

Verse 4

The contrast between the inanimate idols they praised and the living God whose vessels they profaned highlights the depth of their spiritual rebellion.

Verse 5

The supernatural appearance of the hand provided a dramatic, terrifying, and visible sign of divine judgment, disrupting the revelry instantly.

Verse 7

The promise to make the interpreter the 'third ruler' confirms Belshazzar was the second ruler, serving under his father, Nabonidus, the primary king.

Verse 10

The queen (likely the Queen Mother) remembers Daniel from the previous generation, suggesting Daniel had been marginalized during Belshazzar's reign.

Verse 11

The queen credits Daniel's wisdom to the 'spirit of the holy gods,' reflecting her pagan terminology while acknowledging Daniel's unique divine connection.

Verse 17

Daniel refuses the promised rewards, establishing that he speaks not for personal gain but as a faithful prophet delivering God’s judgment.

Verse 18

Daniel begins his prophetic address by reminding Belshazzar that all earthly power, even that of the great Nebuchadnezzar, is derived solely from God.

Verse 21

This verse summarizes the core theological lesson of Daniel 4: God’s sovereignty is absolute, and He determines who rules in the kingdom of men.

Verse 22

Belshazzar’s sin is presented as greater than Nebuchadnezzar’s because he had the benefit of witnessing God’s judgment on his father but chose willful pride and sacrilege anyway.

Verse 23

Belshazzar compounded his sins by actively defying the Lord of heaven through the misuse of the sacred vessels and by failing to glorify the God 'in whose hand thy breath is.'

Verse 25

These Aramaic words are nouns relating to weights or currency, which Daniel interprets as God's verdict concerning the kingdom’s value and lifespan.

Verse 26

Mene, meaning 'numbered,' signifies that God has counted the days of the Babylonian kingdom and brought its appointed time to a close.

Verse 27

Tekel, meaning 'weighed,' indicates that Belshazzar's actions and character have been measured against God’s standards and found severely lacking.

Verse 28

Peres (the singular of Upharsin) means 'divided' and is a deliberate pun on the word for 'Persia,' explicitly naming the conquerors of the kingdom.

Verse 29

Despite the dire prophecy, Belshazzar honored his promise to reward Daniel, emphasizing the swiftness and unexpected nature of the coming judgment.

Verse 30

The immediate fulfillment of the prophecy on the same night validates Daniel’s divine authority and demonstrates God's absolute control over historical transitions.

Verse 31

Darius the Mede is likely a title or sub-king appointed by the primary conqueror, Cyrus the Great, who had successfully encircled and taken the city of Babylon.

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Daniel5

Belshazzar's Sacrilegious Feast

The Writing on the Wall Appears

Daniel Is Summoned

Daniel Rebukes the King

The Interpretation: Mene, Tekel, Upharsin

Babylon Falls

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