Daniel 5:25-31

25 Soothly this is the scripture which is described, Mene, Tekel, Peres. (Truly this is the writing that is written there, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.)

26 And this is the interpreting of the word. Mene, God hath numbered thy realm, and hath [ful]filled it; (And this is the interpretation of the words. Mene, God hath numbered the days of thy kingdom, and hath finished, or hath ended, it;)

27 Tekel, thou art weighed in a balance, and thou art found having less; (Tekel, thou art weighed in a balance, and thou art found wanting;)

28 Peres, thy realm is parted, and is given to Medes and Persians. (Peres, thy kingdom is parted, or divided, and it is given to the Medes and the Persians.)

29 Then, for the king commanded, Daniel was clothed in purple, and a golden band was given about his neck; and it was preached of him, that he had power, and was the third in the realm. (Then, for the king commanded, Daniel was clothed in purple, and a gold band was put around his neck; and it was preached of him, that he had power, and was the third in the kingdom.)

30 In the same night, Belshazzar, the king of Chaldees, was slain; (On that same night, Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was killed;)

31 and Darius of Media/and Darius of Medes was successor to the realm, and he was two and sixty years eld. (and Darius the Mede was his successor in the realm/and Darius the Mede took his kingdom, and he was sixty-two years old.)

Daniel 5:25-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 5

This chapter gives an account of a feast made by King Belshazzar, attended with drunkenness, idolatry, and profanation of the vessels taken out of the temple at Jerusalem, Da 5:1-4, and of the displeasure of God, signified by a handwriting on the wall, which terrified the king, and caused him to send in haste for the astrologers to read and interpret it, but they could not, Da 5:5-8, in this distress, which appeared in the countenances of him and his nobles, the queen mother advises him to send for Daniel, of whom she gives a great encomium, Da 5:9-12, upon which he was brought in to the king, and promised a great reward to read and interpret the writing; the reward he slighted, but promised to read and interpret the writing, Da 5:13-17 and after putting him in mind of what had befallen his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar, and charging him with pride, idolatry, and profanation of the vessels of the Lord, Da 5:18-23 reads and interprets the writing to him Da 5:24-28, when he had honour done him, and was preferred in the government, Da 5:29 and the chapter is concluded with an account of the immediate accomplishment of ancient prophecies, and of this handwriting, in the slaying of the king of Babylon, in the dissolution of the Babylonish monarchy, and the possession of it by Darius the Mede, Da 5:30,31.