Daniel 5 5

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 verses

Daniel 5 5 meaning

Daniel 5:5 vividly describes the supernatural and terrifying appearance of disembodied human fingers, which mysteriously begin to write on the plastered wall of King Belshazzar's palace during a sacrilegious feast. This sudden divine manifestation served as a direct and immediate judgment from God upon Belshazzar's pride and his desecration of the sacred temple vessels, profoundly shaking the king and his assembly by its unmistakable and undeniable reality.

Daniel 5 5 Context

Daniel chapter 5 details the sacrilegious feast of King Belshazzar, grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, in Babylon. Despite knowing the humbling lessons of his predecessor (recounted in Daniel 4), Belshazzar defiantly used the sacred gold and silver vessels from the Jerusalem temple for drinking and praising his pagan gods (Dan 5:1-4). This act of profaning holy items and worshipping idols marked the apex of Babylonian hubris and disrespect towards the true God. The sudden appearance of the writing hand in Daniel 5:5 is the immediate, direct, and terrifying divine response to this unparalleled blasphemy and moral bankruptcy, serving as an ominous warning and a clear sign of impending judgment. This event occurs on the very night Babylon falls to the Medes and Persians.

Daniel 5 5 Word analysis

• בְּהַ֣הּ שַׁעֲתָ֗א (bə-haʔ shaʿăṯā) - "In the same hour" / "At that very moment":
  • Significance: This phrase emphasizes immediacy and the instantaneous nature of divine judgment. There was no delay; God's response was swift and direct, underscoring His sovereignty over time and events.
• נֶפְקַ֤ת (nep̄qaṯ) - "appeared" / "came forth":
  • Significance: Aramaic for "to come out," "to appear." It suggests a sudden, unexpected, and inexplicable manifestation, distinct from normal human or physical occurrences. This supernatural emergence is key to the terror it invokes.
• אֶצְבְּעָן֙ דִּֽי־יַ֣ד אֱנָ֔שׁ (ʾeṣbbəʿān dī-yaḏ ʾĕnāš) - "fingers of a man's hand":
  • "אֶצְבְּעָן֙" (ʾeṣbbəʿān): "fingers." While resembling human fingers, their disembodied nature intensified the horror.
  • "דִּֽי־יַ֣ד אֱנָ֔שׁ" (dī-yaḏ ʾĕnāš): "of a hand of a man." This phrase makes the image both recognizable (human-like) and terrifyingly unnatural (disembodied). The lack of a visible arm or body amplifies the supernatural origin and the sense of impending, unknown doom. It suggests a tangible yet unseen force at work.
• וְכָתְבָ֔ן (wə-ḵāṯəḇān) - "and wrote":
  • Significance: This is the active verb, showing the purpose of the manifestation. The fingers were not merely present but were actively engaged in a purposeful, communicative act, creating a permanent, public inscription.
• עַל־גִּירָ֖א (ʿal-gīrāʾ) - "on the plaster":
  • "גִּירָ֖א" (gīrāʾ): Aramaic for "plaster," "whitewash." This refers to the light-colored, smooth surface on the palace wall, making the inscription highly visible and distinct. It highlights that the message was meant to be seen clearly by all.
• דִּי־כְתַ֣ל הֵיכְלָ֑א (dī-ḵəṯal hêḵlāʾ) - "of the wall of the palace":
  • Significance: This specifies the prominent, public location within the king's grand residence. The message was for all present, undeniable and unavoidable, challenging the very seat of power and pride.
• לָקֳבֵ֣ל נֶבְרַשְׁתָּ֔א (lāqōḇēl neḇraštāʾ) - "opposite the lampstand":
  • "נֶבְרַשְׁתָּ֔א" (neḇraštāʾ): Aramaic for "lampstand."
  • Significance: Positioning "opposite the lampstand" means the writing was illuminated, making it starkly visible in the feast's revelry. This ensures that the message was clearly seen by everyone, rather than being hidden in shadows, intensifying the terror by its undeniable clarity.
• וּמַלְכָּ֥א חָזֵ֖ה פַּ֥ס יְדָֽא כָּתְבָֽה (ūmalḵā ḥāzēh paṣ yāḏāʾ kāṯəḇāh) - "and the king saw the palm of the hand as it wrote":
  • "חָזֵ֖ה" (ḥāzēh): "saw." This verb emphasizes Belshazzar's direct eyewitness account, making the event deeply personal and horrifying for him.
  • "פַּ֥ס יְדָֽא" (paṣ yāḏāʾ): "palm of the hand." The previous mention was "fingers of a man's hand." Now it specifies the palm of the hand. This subtly shifts focus, not just to the tool (fingers) but to the originating, broader part of the hand, possibly emphasizing the tangibility and the deliberate action of the divine writer, giving the king a fuller, more horrifying view of the manifestation's source as it performed its task. It clarifies that he didn't just glimpse fingers but saw the greater portion of a hand without a body, actively engaged in writing.
  • "כָּתְבָֽה" (kāṯəḇāh): "as it wrote." Reinforces the active and continuous nature of the divine message being inscribed.

Daniel 5 5 Bonus section

The immediate and horrifying reaction of Belshazzar, as described in the subsequent verses (Daniel 5:6 - his knees knocking together and his loins giving way), attests to the profound psychological impact of this supernatural event. This goes beyond simple fear; it is terror inspired by divine power and inescapable judgment. The use of "fingers of a man's hand" could be a polemic against Babylonian divination systems that relied on complex omens, liver examinations, or astrological charts; here, God's message is directly delivered, clear (even if uninterpreted), and undeniable, bypassing all pagan methods. Furthermore, the visible writing challenges the idea that any earthly king, no matter how powerful, operates outside the gaze and authority of the Most High God. This singular event also foreshadows a pattern of divine communication where God directly intervenes to expose human pride and deliver judgment, an echo of His writing the Law on tablets of stone, but now manifesting as a terrifying sign rather than a gift of covenant.

Daniel 5 5 Commentary

Daniel 5:5 encapsulates the abrupt and undeniable intrusion of divine judgment into human affairs. At the peak of impious revelry and idolatrous contempt for God, a physical, visible manifestation shattered the festivities. The disembodied fingers of a hand, appearing suddenly, starkly, and clearly illuminated, delivered a divine message of doom on the palace wall. This wasn't a prophetic dream, a whispered warning, or an oracle from human lips; it was a direct, visual, and tangible act of God, specifically witnessed and profoundly terrifying to King Belshazzar. It highlights God's sovereignty, His immediate awareness of human transgression, and His unwavering commitment to judging pride, idolatry, and sacrilege, particularly when His holy things are desecrated. The specificity of the location ("on the plaster of the wall, opposite the lampstand") underscores that this was a public, unmistakable message designed for all to see and none to deny, setting the stage for Babylon's imminent fall.