And this is the writing that was inscribed: mene, mene, tekel, and parsin. Daniel 5:25 RSV
The story of “the writing on the wall” in the Book of Daniel is central to the inspired theme and purpose of the book.
If you remember, King Belshazzar was hosting a banquet and suddenly a human hand appeared and wrote three cryptic words, “Mene”, “Tekel”, and “Parsin” on the wall. Daniel was summoned by the King to interpret what the words meant (Daniel 5):
This is the interpretation of the matter: mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 5:26-28 RSV
Belshazzar is being judged by God.
Numbered. Weighed. Divided.
This section of the Book of Daniel was written in Aramaic, the common language of the day (“The Aramaic Language”). Aramaic, like its close cousin Hebrew, was a consonantal language – its alphabet consisted only of consonants. (Hartman, C.SS.R. and Di Lella, O.F.M. 414). The words that appeared on the wall, if transliterated into English, would have looked something like “Mn’, mn’, tql, and prs”. This feature of the language lent itself well to wordplay and puns, and we do see this throughout the Old Testament in its original language(s). For example, Hebrew scholar Robert Alter says:
“The three words are the names of three ancient coins: the mina, a valuable coin worth sixty shekels; the shekel (teqal is the Aramaic equivalent to that Hebrew term, sh in Hebrew converting to t in Aramaic); and the peras, which is a half-shekel.” (Alter 772)
That is not all: MENE is similar to a verb meaning “to number”; TEKEL looks like a verb meaning “to weigh”; and PARSIN resembles a verb meaning “to divide”. The word “parsin” also reminds us of the noun for “Persians”, the kingdom that will soon replace King Belshazzar’s dynasty. (Hahn and Mitch, Study Notes on 5:25)(NET Bible, Full Notes Edition 1640)
The use of puns or “paronomasia” serves to emphasize the judgment of Belshazzar. Imagine the shock induced at this sumptuous feast “for a thousand of his lords” (5:1) when the writing that first seems to be about wealth and money turns out to be about judgment and a catastrophic end of a monarchy!
The Visions and the Kingdoms
The vivid dreams of two Babylonian kings, King Nebuchadnez′zar and King Belshaz′zar and the interpretation of those dreams by Daniel occupies much of the Book of Daniel. In those dreams, the successive kingdoms that will dominate and oppress Israel are represented symbolically.
The Book of Daniel explicitly states that God alone establishes and removes authority five times:
Daniel’s prayer before interpreting a dream for King Nebuchadnez′zar:
He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; Daniel 2:21 RSVCE
To King Nebuchadnez′zar:
You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, Daniel 2:37 RSVCE
And again to him:
…you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men, and gives it to whom he will. Daniel 4:25 RSVCE
To King Belshaz′zar:
O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnez′zar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty; Daniel 5:18 RSVCE
Conclusion
The days of the influence and power of secular authorities, indeed of any authority, are numbered. They will be judged. As St. Paul said:
“…there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Romans 13:1b
Works Cited
Alter, Robert, translator. The Hebrew Bible, A Translation with Commentary. vol. 3, New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019.
“The Aramaic Language.” The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon, Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, https://cal.huc.edu/aramaic_language.html. Accessed 28 January 2025.
Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. Daniel. Edited by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, Ignatius Press, 2013.
Hartman, C.SS.R., Lous F., and Alexander A. Di Lella, O.F.M. “Daniel.” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, edited by Raymond Edward Brown, et al., Prentice-Hall, 1990, pp. 406-420.
NET Bible, Full Notes Edition. Thomas Nelson, 1996.