Daniel 5:25 kjv
And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
Daniel 5:25 nkjv
"And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
Daniel 5:25 niv
"This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin
Daniel 5:25 esv
And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.
Daniel 5:25 nlt
"This is the message that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.
Daniel 5 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Dan 5:25 | "This is the inscription that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin." | Directly quoted text of the verse |
| Gen 40:12 | "Joseph said to him, 'This is its interpretation: The three branches are three days.'" | Parallel interpretation of symbolic numbers |
| Gen 40:18 | "Joseph answered him, 'This is its interpretation: The three baskets are three days.'" | Parallel interpretation of symbolic numbers |
| Isa 10:5 | "'Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger, and the staff that is in their anger!'" | Divine judgment against an arrogant nation |
| Isa 14:24 | "The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:" | God's sovereign plans and pronouncements |
| Jer 25:11 | "This whole land shall become a ruin and an object of horror, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." | Prophecy of Babylonian dominion and its end |
| Jer 27:6 | "'Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given the wild animals of the field also to serve him.'" | God's sovereignty over earthly kings |
| Jer 51:1 | "Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up against Babylon a destroyer of nations from the nations that come from the north...'" | Prophecy against Babylon |
| Jer 51:15 | "He made the earth by his power, and by his wisdom he established the world; he stretched out the heavens by his understanding." | God as Creator and Sustainer of all |
| Dan 2:21 | "he changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;" | God's absolute control over human history |
| Dan 2:38 | "to wherever the sons of man dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the heavens, he has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all..." | God granting authority to earthly rulers |
| Dan 4:17 | "The decision is a decree of watchers, and the sentence is a command of holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.'" | Divine sovereignty in bestowing kingdoms |
| Dan 4:25 | "and that they shall drive you from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall feed you with grass like an ox..." | Divine judgment of Nebuchadnezzar |
| Dan 4:30 | "‘Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my might, to be a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?’" | King Nebuchadnezzar's pride and self-aggrandizement |
| Dan 5:4 | "They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone." | Idolatry and defilement of sacred vessels |
| Dan 5:18 | "O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty." | God's role in establishing kingdoms |
| Dan 5:19 | "And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him." | Effect of God-given power |
| Dan 5:21 | "He was driven from among the sons of men, and his mind was like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens, till he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of men and sets over it whom he will." | Nebuchadnezzar's humbling and restoration |
| Dan 5:26 | "'Mene, mene, tekel, parsines.'..." | The Aramaic words for weighing and dividing |
| Dan 5:27 | "'Tekel: you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.'" | Specific interpretation of "Tekel" |
| Dan 5:28 | "'Pares: your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.'" | Specific interpretation of "Pares" |
| Matt 6:24 | "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." | Principle of exclusive allegiance |
| Rev 17:4 | "and the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication." | Imagery of a decadent and idolatrous empire |
| Rev 18:2 | "He cried out with a mighty voice, saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!'" | Prophetic announcement of Babylon's fall |
Daniel 5 verses
Daniel 5 25 Meaning
The inscription foretells the imminent division and destruction of the Babylonian kingdom due to its king's pride and impiety. It signifies God's judgment upon Belshazzar and his kingdom for their defiant actions against the Lord and His people. The writing signifies a divine decree, the pronouncement of doom.
Daniel 5 25 Context
Daniel chapter 5 describes the final night of Belshazzar's reign as king of Babylon. The king, in a fit of arrogance, hosts a lavish feast using the sacred vessels that his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had plundered from the temple in Jerusalem. During this blasphemous celebration, a disembodied hand appears and writes mysterious words on the wall: "Mene, mene, tekel, parsines." The writing serves as a divine pronouncement of judgment upon Belshazzar and his kingdom. The historical context is the Babylonian Empire, which was soon to fall to the Medes and Persians. The original audience, likely comprised of Jews in exile, would have understood this as God's justice being enacted against their oppressors.
Daniel 5 25 Word Analysis
Mene, Mene:
- Aramaic transliteration: mnh, mnh
- Meaning: "numbered, counted." This signifies that the days of Belshazzar's kingdom and his own reign have been divinely counted and brought to an end. It implies a completed measure or tally of time and actions. This word appears twice, emphasizing the finality and certainty of God's decree. It suggests that God has measured the duration and the deeds of the kingdom.
Tekel:
- Aramaic transliteration: tkl
- Meaning: "weighed." This word indicates that Belshazzar and his kingdom have been put on God's scales and found wanting. It speaks to an assessment of moral and spiritual deficiency, a failure to meet divine standards. The action implies an examination and judgment based on a righteous measure.
Parsines:
- Aramaic transliteration: prsyn (plural of pr's)
- Meaning: "divided." This word foretells the immediate future of the kingdom: its partition and dissolution. It is the plural form of "Peres" which also means "Persian." This dual meaning is significant, highlighting not only the division but also the agency through which the division will occur – the Medes and Persians.
- Paras (singular of prsn) is the root word which means "Persian" and also "to divide." The inscription uses the plural parsines which directly links to the Medes and Persians dividing the kingdom.
Daniel 5 25 Bonus Section
The Aramaic words on the wall, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin, were deeply significant. The repetition of "Mene" ("numbered") emphasizes finality, a completed count of days. "Tekel" ("weighed") speaks to an ethical evaluation; Belshazzar's character and actions were found lacking by God's standards. The final word, "Parsin" (a form of Paras), meaning "Persian" and "divided," directly foreshadowed the kingdom's partition and conquest by the Medes and Persians. This inscription, occurring during a moment of blatant sacrilege (using temple vessels for idolatrous worship), demonstrates God's immediate and potent response to human transgression and arrogance. The wise men were unable to interpret this, highlighting their lack of true spiritual insight, in contrast to Daniel, who, through divine wisdom, accurately discerned the message's meaning and significance.
Daniel 5 25 Commentary
The divine inscription on the wall is a powerful metaphor for God's absolute sovereignty and His active involvement in human history. The repetitive "Mene" signifies the definite, divinely appointed end to Belshazzar's reign. "Tekel" points to an uncompromising spiritual accounting, revealing a king and kingdom found deficient in righteousness and piety. "Parsines" unequivocally declares the impending fragmentation of the Babylonian Empire. This prophetic message underscores the consequence of pride, idolatry, and disrespect towards God’s sacredness, echoing the principles seen throughout Scripture where nations and individuals face divine judgment for their defiance.