Daniel 5:26-28
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.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The word "Mene" isn't just a random sound; it’s a divine pronouncement meaning "numbered." God didn't just see Belshazzar’s reign as happening, He meticulously counted every day, and that count had now run out.
This is the climactic moment where Daniel reveals the meaning of the mysterious words written on the wall during Belshazzar's drunken feast. After Belshazzar’s panicked summoning of him, Daniel first rebukes the king for his arrogance and misuse of sacred vessels before interpreting the divine message. The following verses will detail the immediate fulfillment of this prophecy as the Medes and Persians conquer Babylon that very night.
Have you ever felt like time was running out? The words on the wall in Daniel 5 speak to a very real sense of divine reckoning.
The word "MENE" isn't just a random sound; it's a divine declaration. Daniel interprets it as "numbered." Think about what that means: God, in His sovereignty, knows the exact duration of everything – kingdoms, lives, and even our actions. He doesn't just see a general span of time, but a precise count. When Daniel says "God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end," it signifies that Belshazzar's reign had reached its divinely appointed limit. There was no more time, no more opportunity for repentance or change. The scales had tipped, and the final tally was complete.
Imagine a scale, precisely balanced. Belshazzar's kingdom was weighed, and the verdict was in. What does it mean for a kingdom to be 'finished'?
The divine message wasn't just about time running out, but about the kingdom reaching its full, allotted measure. The accompanying words, "Tekel" (weighed) and "Peres" (divided), found in the full inscription, reveal the full picture. "Tekel" means weighed and found deficient. "Peres" signifies division and the end of the empire. So, when Daniel says the kingdom is "finished," it’s not a mere cessation of time, but a judgment based on its character and actions. God had evaluated its worth, its obedience, and its sin, and found it wanting. It had reached the completion of its divinely permitted time and, more importantly, the completion of its allotted measure of sin and unfaithfulness.
Understand the original words
menaʾ · Aramaic Verb
The divine sovereign action of determining, counting, or decreeing the duration or limits of something, often used in relation to time, life, or nations. It implies that God holds ultimate control over the boundaries of human history and individual existence.
sĕlam · Aramaic Verb
The state of human history or existence reaching its divinely appointed conclusion or cessation. It signifies the point where divine patience or predetermined temporal limits are exhausted, leading to judgment or transition.
tĕqil · Aramaic Verb/Noun
A divine judicial process where human character, deeds, or morality are measured against God’s standard of holiness and justice. It signifies accountability before the Creator, where human pretensions are revealed as insufficient.
The phrase 'God has numbered the days of your kingdom' resonates deeply with the 70-year exile prophecy. This verse, spoken during the fall of Babylon to Cyrus, declares that the divinely appointed time for Babylon's rule was precisely over.
c. 626-586 BC
Nebuchadnezzar II Reigns
Nebuchadnezzar II, under whom Babylon rose to its greatest power, conquered Jerusalem and initiated the first deportations of Judeans. His reign set the stage for the Babylonian Empire's dominance.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
King Zedekiah of Judah rebels, leading to the final destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The majority of the remaining population is deported to Babylon, fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy of a 70-year exile.
539 BC— this verse
Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylon
Cyrus the Great, leader of the Persian Empire, overthrows the Babylonian Empire. This event is traditionally understood to mark the end of the 70-year exile prophesied for the Jews.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus Issued
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, a pivotal moment marking the beginning of the return and restoration period.
This passage speaks of a 'full measure' of sin, paralleling God's numbered and completed judgment on Belshazzar's kingdom. It highlights the concept of a divinely set limit before consequences arrive.
Jeremiah 25:11-12This prophecy directly foretold the 70 years of Babylonian captivity, which was coming to its end. Daniel's interpretation of 'Mene' directly fulfills this prophetic timeline, showing God's sovereign hand over nations.
Proverbs 16:18The verse states, 'Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.' This connects to Belshazzar's pride and his kingdom being 'numbered' and finished due to his arrogant defiance of God.
Isaiah 10:5-7This passage describes God using Assyria as a tool of judgment, but also notes that God has 'appointed' and 'ordained' their limits. This echoes the 'numbered' and 'finished' aspect of Daniel 5, where God dictates the end of kingdoms.
barnesDaniel 5:26: "This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it."
This is the interpretation of the thing - It may seem not to have been difficult to interpret the meaning of the communication, when one was able to read the words, or when the sense of the words was understood. But, if the words are placed together, and considered in their abstract form, the whole communication would be so enigmatical that the interpretation would not be likely to occu…
pooleDaniel 5:26: "This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it."
Mene, Mene; He hath numbered, or, It is numbered, it is numbered. These words are doubled for the greater confirmation, to note that the number of his sins and of his days, both of life and reign, are full. It relates to the number of the seventy years’ captivity now completed, or to the seventy years for the overthrow of the Babylonish empire, or the translation of it to the Medes and…
The word "Mene" isn't just a random sound; it’s a divine pronouncement meaning "numbered." God didn't just see Belshazzar’s reign as happening, He meticulously counted every day, and that count had now run out.
This is the climactic moment where Daniel reveals the meaning of the mysterious words written on the wall during Belshazzar's drunken feast. After Belshazzar’s panicked summoning of him, Daniel first rebukes the king for his arrogance and misuse of sacred vessels before interpreting the divine message. The following verses will detail the immediate fulfillment of this prophecy as the Medes and Persians conquer Babylon that very night.
"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 P…" — The word "Mene" isn't just a random sound; it’s a divine pronouncement meaning "numbered." God didn't just see Belshazzar’s reign as happening, He meticulously counted every day, and that count had n…
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ḥasîr · Aramaic Adjective/Participle
Describes a person or thing that fails to meet the required standard or value when measured against divine righteousness. It denotes a deficiency, moral bankruptcy, or the state of being spiritually insufficient to pass God's test.
pĕras · Aramaic Verb/Noun
Refers to the act of partitioning or breaking apart, frequently used in Scripture for the judgment of nations or kingdoms. It symbolizes the removal of divine favor and the subsequent dissolution of authority or unity.
