Daniel 5:25
New International Version
“This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin

New Living Translation
“This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel , and Parsin .

English Standard Version
And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.

Berean Standard Bible
Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.

King James Bible
And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

New King James Version
“And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

New American Standard Bible
“Now this is the inscription that was written: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’

NASB 1995
“Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’

NASB 1977
“Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’

Legacy Standard Bible
“Now this is the writing that was inscribed: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’

Amplified Bible
“This is the inscription that was written, ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN [numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided].’

Christian Standard Bible
“This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.

American Standard Version
And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

English Revised Version
And this is the writing that was inscribed, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is what has been written: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.

Good News Translation
"This is what was written: 'Number, number, weight, divisions.'

International Standard Version
This is the written inscription: MENE, MENE, TEKEL AND PARSIN

Majority Standard Bible
Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.

NET Bible
"This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEQEL, and PHARSIN.

New Heart English Bible
This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

Webster's Bible Translation
And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

World English Bible
“This is the writing that was inscribed: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and this [is] the writing that is noted down: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.

Young's Literal Translation
and this is the writing that is noted down: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.

Smith's Literal Translation
And this the writing that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL and PHARSIN.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And this is the writing that is written: MANE, THECEL, PHARES.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But this is the writing that has been decreed: MANE, THECEL, PHARES.

New American Bible
“This is the writing that was inscribed: , , and

New Revised Standard Version
And this is the writing that was inscribed: mene , mene , tekel , and parsin .
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And this is the writing that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And this writing was inscribed and this is the inscription that was inscribed: ’Meneh meneh teqal oufarseen’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And this is the ordered writing, Mane, Thekel, Phares.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Daniel Interprets the Handwriting
24Therefore He sent the hand that wrote the inscription. 25Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. 26And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.…

Cross References
Daniel 2:28-30
But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these: / As you lay on your bed, O king, your thoughts turned to the future, and the Revealer of Mysteries made known to you what will happen. / And to me this mystery has been revealed, not because I have more wisdom than any man alive, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

Daniel 4:24-27
This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree that the Most High has issued against my lord the king: / You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field. You will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes. / As for the command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules. ...

Daniel 7:25
He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.

Daniel 8:19
and said, “Behold, I will make known to you what will happen in the latter time of wrath, because it concerns the appointed time of the end.

Daniel 9:24-27
Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. / Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress. / Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. ...

Daniel 12:9-10
“Go on your way, Daniel,” he replied, “for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. / Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

Isaiah 13:6-9
Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty. / Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt. / Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear. ...

Isaiah 21:2-4
A dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.” / Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see. / My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight I desired has turned to horror.

Isaiah 47:10-11
You were secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray; you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ / But disaster will come upon you; you will not know how to charm it away. A calamity will befall you that you will be unable to ward off. Devastation will happen to you suddenly and unexpectedly.

Jeremiah 25:12-14
But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation. / I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. / For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.’”

Jeremiah 50:1-3
This is the word that the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans: / “Announce and declare to the nations; lift up a banner and proclaim it; hold nothing back when you say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’ / For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee.”

Ezekiel 21:25-27
And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, the day has come for your final punishment.’ / This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted. / A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! And it will not be restored until the arrival of Him to whom it belongs, to whom I have assigned the right of judgment.’

Habakkuk 2:2-3
Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it. / For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.

Matthew 24:15
So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),

Mark 13:14
So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.


Treasury of Scripture

And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

MENE.

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Divided Inscribed Inscription MENE Noted Numbered Peres Recorded TEKEL Weighed Writing Written
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Divided Inscribed Inscription MENE Noted Numbered Peres Recorded TEKEL Weighed Writing Written
Daniel 5
1. Belshazzar's impious feast.
5. A hand-writing unknown to the magicians, troubles the king.
10. At the commendation of the queen Daniel is brought.
17. He, reproving the king of pride and idolatry,
25. reads and interprets the writing.
30. The monarchy is translated to the Medes














Now this is the inscription that was written
This phrase introduces the mysterious writing on the wall, a divine message delivered during King Belshazzar's feast. The context is crucial: Babylon, once a mighty empire, is on the brink of collapse. The phrase sets the stage for a revelation from God, emphasizing the seriousness and divine origin of the message. Historically, the use of inscriptions was common in ancient Near Eastern cultures for decrees and divine messages, underscoring the gravity of what is to follow.

MENE
The word "MENE" is repeated for emphasis, indicating certainty and urgency. In Aramaic, it is derived from the root "m-n-h," meaning "to number" or "to count." This word signifies that God has numbered the days of Belshazzar's kingdom, and it is coming to an end. The repetition underscores the finality and inevitability of God's judgment. In a broader biblical context, it reflects the theme of divine sovereignty over human affairs, reminding believers that God is the ultimate arbiter of history.

TEKEL
"TEKEL" comes from the Aramaic root "t-q-l," meaning "to weigh." This word conveys the idea of being weighed on a balance and found wanting. It is a direct judgment on Belshazzar's reign, indicating moral and spiritual deficiency. The imagery of weighing is common in biblical literature, symbolizing God's righteous judgment. For believers, it serves as a sobering reminder of the need for integrity and righteousness in the sight of God.

PARSIN
"PARSIN" is the plural form of "PERES," derived from the root "p-r-s," meaning "to divide" or "to break." This word foretells the division of Belshazzar's kingdom, which will be given to the Medes and Persians. The use of the plural form suggests completeness and thoroughness in the impending judgment. Historically, this prophecy was fulfilled when Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian Empire. Theologically, it highlights the transient nature of earthly kingdoms and the enduring sovereignty of God.

(25) Mene . . .--It should be remarked that the word Mene, which occurs twice in the inscription, is found only once in the interpretation, and that the "Medes" who are mentioned in the interpretation are not spoken of in the inscription. Hence it has been conjectured that the second Mene was originally Madai, or Media. This, though it appears plausible, has no external support. The word Mene, "numbered," is repeated twice for the sake of emphasis. The days of Babylon are numbered; it is God Himself who has numbered them. "Mene" is used in the double sense of "numbering" and "bringing to an end." Similarly, "Tekel" implies both the act of "weighing" and the fact of "being light." The "u" in Upharsin is the conjunction "and," while pharsin, or, rather, parsin, is the plural of peres, a noun which implies "divisions" and also Persians. It appears from Daniel 5:28 that the divided empire of Babylon and the Medo-Persian empire are signified.

Verses 25-28. - And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. The Septuagint has two versions of this passage, one m the text, the other in the portion at the beginning, which we think is really composed of marginal readings. In the text the Aramaic is not given at all. As we have already seen, the verse which corresponds to ver. 25 here is really the latter part of ver. 17 of the Septuagint, "This is the writing: It hath been numbered; it is reckoned; it has been carried away." In the verses which are appended to the beginning of the chapter, we have the Aramaic words, but given in a different order, and without the repetition of the first word: "MANE, PHARES, THEKEL. MANE, It has been numbered; PHARES, It is carried away; TnEKEL, It has been set up." Here not only is the order different, but the meaning assigned to phares is singular. פְרַס means in Syriac, "spread out." It would seem that ἐξαίρω meant "stretched out" as well as "carried away." It is still more difficult to understand how thekel can mean "set up," unless the words, ἐν ζυγῷ, "on the balance," are understood. The Septuagint of the best version is briefer than the Massoretic, though less so than it is in some of the other passages, "Numbered is the time of thy kingdom; ceases thy kingdom; cut short and ended has been thy kingdom; to the Modes and the Persians has it been given." The word interpreted is not repeated as in the Massoretic text, and תְקִל is derived from קְלַל, which in some of the conjugations means "destroyed," whereas in ver. 17 it is rendered κατελογίσθη, "it is reckoned," a rendering of תקל which makes it mean "weigh." The Septuagint rendering of the first clause is an evident attempt at explaining the numbering implied. The Massoretic reading involves a pun in both the last words; there is a play between תְקִל (teqel), "to weigh," and קְלַל (qelal), "to be light," although the introduction of שכח rather conceals this. In the last the play is between פרס, "to divide," and פדס, "a Persian." Theodotion avoids the repetition of the first word, otherwise he is in somewhat close agreement with the Massoretic text, "MANE, God hath measured thy kingdom; THEKEL, It is set on the balance, and found wanting; PHARES, Thy kingdom is cut asunder, and given to the Medes and the Persians." The Peshitta is in close agreement with the Massoretic text. The actual meaning of the words, taking them as they appear in the Massoretictext, as Aramaic words, is, to give English equivalents, "a pound, a pound, an ounce, and quarters;" hence the impossibility of interpreting the words. We find all these words, mena, teqel (shekel), pares, in the Ninevite inscriptions. As the words are interpreted, we cannot fail to be impressed with the peremptory style of the inscription, as Hitzig has it. Zockler refers to the sculpturesque style (lapidarstil). This brevity rendered it difficult for the soothsayers to put any meaning into the words at all. In all the versions the fact that the kingdom is to be given to the Medes and Persians is emphasized, but, moreover, the play on words in the last clause implies the Persians as the prominent assailants of the Babylonian power, but really that the two powers were united. It seems extraordinary that any one, in the face of this, should maintain that the author of Daniel separated the two powers, and thought the Median power succeeded the Babylonian, and then that the Persian succeeded the Median. We know now that Herodotus's representation of the history of Media and Persia is utterly false and misleading.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now this
וּדְנָ֥ה (ū·ḏə·nāh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 1836: This

is the inscription
כְתָבָ֖א (ḵə·ṯā·ḇā)
Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 3792: Something written, a writing, record, book

that
דִּ֣י (dî)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 1768: Who, which, that, because

was written:
רְשִׁ֑ים (rə·šîm)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7560: To inscribe, sign

MENE,
מְנֵ֥א (mə·nê)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4484: Maneh, mina (a measure of weight)

MENE,
מְנֵ֖א (mə·nê)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4484: Maneh, mina (a measure of weight)

TEKEL,
תְּקֵ֥ל (tə·qêl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8625: To balance

PARSIN.
וּפַרְסִֽין׃ (ū·p̄ar·sîn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6537: To break in two


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OT Prophets: Daniel 5:25 This is the writing that was inscribed: (Dan. Da Dn)
Daniel 5:24
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