Daniel 5:5 kjv
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Daniel 5:5 nkjv
In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Daniel 5:5 niv
Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.
Daniel 5:5 esv
Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote.
Daniel 5:5 nlt
Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king's palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote,
Daniel 5 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel 5:5 | "Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing..." | Daniel 5:5 (Direct fulfillment) |
| Exodus 31:18 | "...tablets of stone, written with the finger of God." | Exodus 31:18 (Divine writing) |
| Deuteronomy 9:10 | "The LORD gave me two stone tablets written by the finger of God..." | Deuteronomy 9:10 (Divine writing) |
| Isaiah 44:3 | "...I will pour out water on the thirsty land, and rivers on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring..." | Isaiah 44:3 (Divine provision and speaking) |
| Psalm 32:9 | "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding..." | Psalm 32:9 (Need for discernment) |
| Proverbs 1:24-26 | "Because I have called and you refused to listen, because I have stretched out my hand and no one has attended..." | Proverbs 1:24-26 (God's persistent calls) |
| Isaiah 29:16 | "You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay..." | Isaiah 29:16 (Inverting roles of creator/created) |
| Jeremiah 18:6 | "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand..." | Jeremiah 18:6 (God's sovereign control) |
| Jeremiah 10:23 | "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not his own; it is not for man who walks to direct his own steps." | Jeremiah 10:23 (Human limitations) |
| Psalm 9:20 | "Bring them into subjection to your discipline, O LORD, that the nations may know that they are but men." | Psalm 9:20 (Nations knowing divine power) |
| John 8:28 | "...as the Father has directed me, so I speak." | John 8:28 (Speaking by divine direction) |
| Acts 10:38 | "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power..." | Acts 10:38 (God's empowering presence) |
| 1 Corinthians 12:7 | "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." | 1 Corinthians 12:7 (Manifestations of the Spirit) |
| 2 Corinthians 4:4 | "...by faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God..." | 2 Corinthians 4:4 (God's creative word) |
| Romans 9:20 | "Who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?'" | Romans 9:20 (God's sovereign rights) |
| Philippians 2:13 | "...for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." | Philippians 2:13 (God's work within believers) |
| Revelation 13:8 | "...everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered." | Revelation 13:8 (Book of life) |
| Psalm 139:16 | "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me..." | Psalm 139:16 (God's foreknowledge) |
| Isaiah 8:1 | "Then the LORD said to me, 'Take a large tablet and write on it with an ordinary stylus...'" | Isaiah 8:1 (Prophetic writing on a tablet) |
| Hebrews 4:12 | "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword..." | Hebrews 4:12 (Power of God's word) |
Daniel 5 verses
Daniel 5 5 Meaning
The verse describes the sudden appearance of a disembodied hand during a royal feast. This hand begins writing specific words on the plaster wall of the king's palace.
Daniel 5 5 Context
Chapter 5 of Daniel describes the downfall of Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, during a grand feast. Belshazzar, in an act of defiant arrogance, had the sacred vessels stolen from the Jerusalem Temple brought out to be used for drinking and praising his pagan gods. It was during this blasphemous event that a supernatural hand appeared, writing a prophetic judgment on the wall, signifying the imminent end of his kingdom. The event takes place on the night Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians.
Daniel 5 5 Word Analysis
מִן--פִּתְאֹם (min-pittǎʾōm): "Suddenly," "unexpectedly." Indicates an abrupt and supernatural intervention, catching everyone off guard.
אֶצְבַּע (ʾeṣbaʿ): "Finger." The singular form emphasizes a distinct, separate digit.
יַד (yaḏ): "Hand." Denotes the complete limb, yet here the fingers are highlighted, a specific and intimate part of a person.
אֱנָשׁ (ʾĕnāš): "Human," "mortal." Points to the hand being recognizable as belonging to a person, contrasting with a divine manifestation’s usual form.
דַּר (ḏar): "Hand" (Aramaic equivalent of Hebrew yad). Reinforces the concept of a literal limb.
כְּתַב (kəṯaḇ): "Writing." The act of inscribing words.
עַל (ʿal): "Upon," "on." Indicates the surface where the writing appeared.
טִיחַ (ṭîaḥ): "Plaster." The material of the palace wall, common in ancient construction, providing a visible medium for the divine message.
קִיר (qîr): "Wall." A prominent part of the building, making the writing public and visible.
הֵיכַל (hêḵal): "Palace." Specifically, the royal palace, emphasizing the public and regal setting of this divine judgment.
Grouped Analysis: The phrase "the fingers of a human hand" is significant. It signifies a tangible, physical manifestation that is simultaneously terrifying in its unnaturalness (disembodied) and strangely familiar (human). This creates a powerful contrast, demonstrating God's ability to assert His authority through both awe-inspiring and recognizable means. The direct inscription on the palace wall underscores the public nature of God's judgment against Babylonian hubris.
Daniel 5 5 Bonus Section
The Aramaic phrase for "writing" here is k'tab (כְּתַב). The verb form would be katav (כְּתַב), which means "he wrote." The word itself carries the weight of divine communication and historical recording. The action of writing by a divine entity echoes earlier instances in scripture where God's finger wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10), establishing a precedent for God directly inscribing His laws and judgments. This event in Daniel is a unique, terrifying manifestation of God's power and His judgment on earthly kings who presume to usurp divine authority.
Daniel 5 5 Commentary
The appearance of the writing hand serves as a direct divine judgment against Belshazzar's blasphemy and pride. The hand, a distinct human appendage but unnaturally disembodied, writing on the royal wall, signifies that God, the Creator of all humanity and powers, is making a public pronouncement. This miraculous event is designed to shock and terrify, conveying a message of imminent doom. It underscores the biblical principle that human power and authority are ultimately subject to God's sovereign decree, and that any attempt to defy or dishonor Him will result in His judgment.