In my previous study, we came to understand the implication that Belshazzar, through drunken arrogance, challenged the Lord God of the Jews to prevent him from blaspheming him by drinking from the vessels taken from the Temple at Jerusalem. Immediately after the act was committed, the king saw the fingers of a hand, like the fingers of a man, write upon the wall, and this troubled not only the king but all the princes with him. Belshazzar called for the wise men of the kingdom, but none could help the king understand what was written. However, the queen mother reminded Belshazzar that Daniel, who was made the lord of the wise men of Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, would be able to interpret the writing, because in him rested the Spirit of God. Therefore, the king called for Daniel to be brought before him (Daniel 5:10-13).
After Daniel came into the presence of the king, Belshazzar, probably in the state of awe, asked Daniel if he were the man of the children of Judah, held captive in Babylon. He claimed he heard of him, but he only repeated the words of his mother (Daniel 5:14; cp. verse-11), so it isn’t clear how much Belshazzar knew of Daniel himself. The king then told Daniel that none of the wise men were able to interpret the writing on the wall, which the fingers in the vision wrote. (Daniel 5:15). The king went on to say, again, that he had heard of Daniel and his powers of understanding, and he asked, if he could read the writing. Belshazzar then promised Daniel great wealth, if he would do so. Moreover, he promised to make him the third ruler in Babylon, presumably behind himself and his father (Daniel 5:16).
Nevertheless, Daniel wasn’t impressed with the king’s promises. In fact, he told Belshazzar that, although he would interpret the writing on the wall, the king could keep his gifts and give his reward of rulership to another (Daniel 5:17).
Addressing the king, Daniel reminded him what great majesty, glory and honor the Lord God had given his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar. His glory was such that all the people and nations throughout his kingdom trembled before him, because they knew he did according to his will. He decided whomsoever would live or die, and whomsoever would govern or not (Daniel 5:18-19). Nevertheless, at the height of his power, he was deposed, due to his great pride, and he lived like an animal in the field, until such a time that he admitted that the Most High God ruled in the kingdoms of men, and it was he, not Nebuchadnezzar, who appointed whatever men should govern or not (Daniel 20-21).
Then, addressing Belshazzar once again, Daniel accused him of willful arrogance, refusing to humble himself before the God of heaven, even though he knew these things occurred. In other words, Belshazzar was alive, when his grandfather was humbled by this great God, but he, Belshazzar, refused to humble himself. Instead, he committed drunken blasphemy before him, by handling the things of the House of the Great God, as though those vessels of gold and silver were common vessels for ordinary use by men at a drunken festival (Daniel 5:22-23). Thus, is Daniel’s open contempt for the king understood (cp. Daniel 5:17).
At this point, Daniel began interpreting the vision and the handwriting on the wall. He said the king saw part of the hand (the fingers) as it was writing, and the words it wrote read: “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” (Daniel 5:24-25).
The interpretation is:
Mene (H4484), God has reckoned or estimated your kingdom, and finished it (verse-25).[1]
Tekel (H8625), you have been reckoned or weighed in the balance and found wanting or deficient (Daniel 5:27).
Peres (H6537), your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:28).[2]
Immediately, Belshazzar ordered that Daniel be clothed in scarlet and that a chain of gold be hung about his neck, and it was done. Moreover, he was also made the third in authority over the kingdom (Daniel 5:29). Nevertheless, Belshazzar was slain during that very night, and Darius the Median conquered the Kingdom of Babylon, and he was 62 years old (Daniel 5:30-31), just as the Lord said would occur through the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 27:7).
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[1] ‘Mene’ – the word means “measured, weighed, divided” and used in connection with the challenge Belshazzar made to God, God answered that he who sets up kings and removes them has weighed the king’s words and his kingdom and divided it. The double use of mene shows that the thing is certain. It cannot and will not be prevented and will be done shortly (cp. Genesis 41:32).
[2] ‘Upharsin’ (H6537) is the same word as ‘Peres’ except that the former is the participle form of the verb peres (H6537). Moreover, the fact that Daniel also included who would conquer Babylon, shouldn’t be a surprise, because it was revealed by God to his prophets that the Medes would destroy the Babylonian kingdom (Isaiah 13:17-18; Jeremiah 51:11, 28). Therefore, Daniel already knew whom the Lord would use to destroy Babylon for what that empire did to his people and for destroying Jerusalem and the Temple.
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