Daniel 5:28

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

Daniel 5:28 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 5:28

PERES
The singular of "Pharsin", ( Daniel 5:25 ) . The sense of this word is, thy kingdom is divided:
which, though it consisted of various provinces, united under Belshazzar, now should be broken and separated from him: and given to the Medes and Persians;
to Darius the Mede, and to Cyrus the Persian, who was a partner for a while with his uncle Darius in the government of the empire: there is an elegant play on words in the words "Peres" and "Persians"; and a grievous thing it is to sinners, not only to have body and soul divided at death, but to be divided and separated from God to all eternity; and to hear that sentence, "depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels".

Daniel 5:28 In-Context

26 This is the interpretation of the sentence: Mane; God has measured thy kingdom, and finished it.
27 Thekel; it has been weighed in the balance, and found wanting.
28 Phares; thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 Then Baltasar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put the golden chain about his neck, and proclaimed concerning him that he was the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 In the same night was Baltasar the Chaldean king slain.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.