Daniel 5

Daniel · Chapter 5

Daniel 5:15

1Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.2Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.3Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.4They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.5In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.6Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.7The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.8Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.9Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.10Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:11There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;12Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.13Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?14I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.15And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:16And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.17Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.18O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:19And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.20But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:21And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.22And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;23But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:24Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.25And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.26This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.27TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.28PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.29Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.30In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.31And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
15And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:Now the wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this inscription and interpret it for me, but they could not give its interpretation.And now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

At his feast Belshazzar saw a hand write on the palace wall, and none of his wise men could read it. Daniel has now been brought in, and in this verse the king tells him that the wise men and astrologers failed. He is setting up his request that Daniel do what they could not. Daniel 5:5Daniel 5:8Daniel 5:13Daniel 5:15Daniel 5:16

SpeakingBelshazzar, king of Babylon, is speaking. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:13

ToHe speaks to Daniel, a captive from Judah whom the queen had recommended. Daniel 5:10Daniel 5:12Daniel 5:13

Also involvedThe verse is about Babylon's wise men and astrologers, who were called in and could not explain the writing. Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:8Daniel 5:15

The king admits that his expert advisers failed. They could not read the writing or give its meaning. Then he offers Daniel scarlet clothing, a gold chain and the rank of third ruler if Daniel can explain it. Daniel 5:8Daniel 5:15Daniel 5:16

The scene is the banquet house of the king's palace in Babylon. The writing appeared on the plaster of the palace wall. Daniel 5:5Daniel 5:10Daniel overview

BABYLONIAMEDIABabylon 1SusaUlai

The eventsThis happened on the night Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Median took the kingdom. That was the night Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians. Daniel 5:30Daniel 5:31Daniel overview

WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote the book in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date its final form to about 167-164 BC, while others keep the traditional date. Daniel overview

HereThe verse puts the failure of Babylon's wise men on record before Daniel speaks. This makes clear that the meaning comes from God, not from the king's experts. Daniel goes on to say the hand was sent from God. Daniel 5:15Daniel 5:17Daniel 5:24

In the whole of ScriptureIt repeats a pattern from chapter 2. There the king's wise men said only the gods could reveal what he asked, and God then revealed it through Daniel. The book shows that God reveals secrets and rules over the kingdoms of men. Daniel 2:11Daniel overview

For readersHuman cleverness and enchantments cannot uncover what God is saying. Isaiah also mocked Babylon's enchantments as unable to profit it. True understanding of God's word comes from God. Daniel 5:15Isaiah 47:12Daniel overview

  • astrologersאָשַׁף
    Aramaic · ash.shaph · H0826

    The lexicon defines this word as conjurer or enchanter. It names the magic-workers of Babylon's court, the same kind of people the king summoned in 5:7. Strong's H0826Daniel 5:7

  • interpretationפְּשַׁר
    Aramaic · pe.shar · H6591

    This word means interpretation, especially of a dream. It is the very thing the king's experts could not give, and it is what Daniel provides in 5:26-28. Strong's H6591Daniel 5:26

  • couldכְּהַל
    Aramaic · ke.hal · H3546

    The word means to be able. The verse stresses that the wise men lacked the ability, which repeats 5:8. Strong's H3546Daniel 5:8

Takeaway

Belshazzar's best advisers could not explain God's writing, but God made it known through his servant. What God says cannot be unlocked by human skill alone. Daniel 5:15Daniel 5:17Daniel 2:11

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.

The world around the text

About 605-536 BC. King of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Where Daniel lived and served for about seventy years. The capital of the Babylonian empire, on the Euphrates south of modern Baghdad, in the land the Bible calls Shinar and Chaldea.

Who ruled
  • King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar605-562 BC

    The king who besieged Jerusalem, carried Daniel and the temple vessels to Babylon, and later destroyed the city and temple. His own building inscriptions boast of the Babylon he built. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 24:12 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 25:1Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)

  • Last king of Babylon, and his son who ruled in his placeNabonidus and Belshazzar556-539 BC

    Nabonidus spent about ten years at the oasis of Tema in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar to rule in Babylon. That is why Belshazzar could only offer Daniel the place of "third ruler in the kingdom": he was himself second. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:29Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Verse Account of Nabonidus

  • Received the kingdom after Babylon fellDarius the MedianFrom 539 BC

    Daniel says he "took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" and set 120 princes over it. Records outside the Bible do not name him; he has been identified with Gubaru, the governor Cyrus set over Babylon, or with Cyrus himself. Daniel 5:31Daniel 6:1Daniel 9:1Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)

  • King of PersiaCyrus559-530 BC

    He united the Medes and Persians, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the exiles go home to rebuild the temple, as Isaiah had named him beforehand. Daniel 1:21Daniel 6:28Daniel 10:1Ezra 1:1-4Isaiah 44:28-45:1Cyrus Cylinder

  • King of JudahJehoiakim609-598 BC

    Judah's king when Daniel was taken. Jeremiah warned him and his people that the land would serve Babylon seventy years. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 23:36-24:6Jeremiah 25:1-11

What was happening, 612 BC to 167 BC
  1. 612 BC
    WarNineveh falls

    Babylon and the Medes destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, as Nahum and Zephaniah had foretold. Babylon became the great power of the region. Nahum 3:7Zephaniah 2:13Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)

  2. 605 BC
    WarBattle of Carchemish

    Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Carchemish on the Euphrates, in Jehoiakim's fourth year. The same year he came against Jerusalem and took the first captives, Daniel among them. Jeremiah 46:2Daniel 1:1-4Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)

  3. 597 BC
    WarJerusalem surrenders

    Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his nobles and craftsmen to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel went into exile with them. 2 Kings 24:10-17Ezekiel 1:2Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)

  4. 586 BC
    WarJerusalem and the temple destroyed

    Babylon's army burned the temple and the city and broke down its walls. Daniel later prays over "the desolations of Jerusalem" and asks God to shine on his "sanctuary that is desolate." 2 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 52:12-14Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:17

  5. c. 575 BC
    BuildingBabylon rebuilt in splendor

    Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon with great walls, palaces and the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate, and his inscriptions praise his own work. Compare his boast: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" Daniel 4:30Nebuchadnezzar's East India House InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 1.178-183

  6. 562 BC
    RulersNebuchadnezzar dies

    His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34

  7. c. 553-543 BC
    RulersNabonidus leaves Babylon to Belshazzar

    King Nabonidus stayed at Tema in Arabia for about ten years, and the yearly New Year festival in Babylon was not held. Belshazzar governed in Babylon. Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Daniel 5:1Daniel 7:1

  8. 550 BC
    WarCyrus unites the Medes and Persians

    Cyrus of Persia defeated Astyages king of the Medes, joining the two peoples in one kingdom. Daniel's vision names the ram's two horns as "the kings of Media and Persia," the higher coming up last. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:20Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.127-130

  9. October 539 BC
    WarBabylon falls to Cyrus

    Cyrus's army entered Babylon without a long siege. Herodotus says the people were feasting when the city was taken. Daniel records that "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.191Cyrus Cylinder

  10. 538 BC
    God's peopleCyrus lets the exiles return

    In his first year over Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed that the Jews could go back and build the LORD's house in Jerusalem. Daniel "continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Daniel 1:21Cyrus Cylinder

  11. c. 536 BC
    God's peopleThe temple's foundation is laid

    The returned exiles rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple. In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel was still in the east, mourning and praying. Ezra 3:1-11Daniel 10:1-3

  12. 334-331 BC
    WarAlexander the Great conquers Persia

    Alexander of Macedon crossed into Asia and overthrew the Persian empire within four years. Daniel 8:21 names the rough goat as "the king of Grecia" and its great horn as "the first king." Daniel 8:5-8Daniel 8:21Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 1-3

  13. 323-301 BC
    WarAlexander's empire is divided

    Alexander died young, and after twenty years of war his generals divided his empire, chiefly into four kingdoms. Daniel 8:22 says "four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Diodorus Siculus, Library 18-20Plutarch, Demetrius 28-30

  14. 167 BC
    WarAntiochus IV defiles the temple

    The Greek king Antiochus IV banned Jewish worship and set up a pagan altar on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Maccabees calls it "the abomination of desolation." Two centuries later Jesus spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as still to come. 1 Maccabees 1:54-59Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4Matthew 24:15

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records of these years (the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Diodorus, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Original Aramaic words

This passage was written in Aramaic, the common language of the Babylonian and Persian empires, which the Jews of the exile also spoke. It uses the same alphabet as Hebrew.

EnglishAramaicSay itStrong'sMeaning
and nowוּכְעַ֞ןu-khe-'ANH3705
now

כְּעַן (ke.an) now, at this time, until now Aramaic equivalent: ke.e.net (כְּעֶ֫נֶת "now" H3706)

they have been broughtהֻעַ֣לּוּhu-'A-luH5954
to come

עֲלַל (a.lal) 1) to thrust in, go in, come in 1a) (P'al) to go in, come in 1b) (Aphel) to bring in 1c) (Hophal) to be brought in

before meקָֽדָמַ֗יka-da-MAIH6925
before

קֳדָם (qo.dam) 1) before, in front of 1a) before 1b) from before

wise men theחַכִּֽימַיָּא֙cha-ki-mai-YA'H2445
wise

חַכִּים (chak.kim) wise man, wise

conjurers theאָֽשְׁפַיָּ֔א'a-she-fai-YA'H0826
enchanter

אָשַׁף (ash.shaph) conjurer, enchanter, (CLBL) necromancer Aramaic of ash.shaph (אַשָּׁף "enchanter" H0825)

thatדִּֽי־di-H1768
that

דִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because

writing theכְתָבָ֤הkhe-ta-VAH'H3792
inscription

כְּתָב (ke.tav) 1) a writing 1a) writing, inscription 1b) written decree, written requirement

thisדְנָה֙de-NAHH1836
this

דְּנָה (de.nah) demons pron 1) this, on account of this adv 2) therefore

they will read aloudיִקְר֔וֹןyik-RONH7123
to read

קְרָא (qe.ra) 1) to call, read aloud, read out, shout 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to call, proclaim 1a2) to read aloud, read out 1b)(Ithp'el) to be summoned, be called

and interpretation itsוּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּu-fish-REHH6591
interpretation

פְּשַׁר (pe.shar) interpretation (of dream) Aramaic of pit.ron (פִּתְרוֹן "interpretation" H6623)

to make known to meלְהוֹדָעֻתַ֑נִיle-ho-da-'u-TA-niH3046
to know

יְדַע (ye.da) 1) to know 1a) (P'al) to know 1b) (Aphel) to let someone know, communicate, inform, cause to know

and notוְלָֽא־ve-la'-H3809
not

לָא (la) no, not, nothing Aramaic of lo (לֹא "not" H3808)

[they were] ableכָהֲלִ֥יןkha-ha-LINH3546
be able

כְּהַל (ke.hal) 1) to be able 1a) (P'al) to be able

[the] interpretation ofפְּשַֽׁר־pe-shar-H6591
interpretation

פְּשַׁר (pe.shar) interpretation (of dream) Aramaic of pit.ron (פִּתְרוֹן "interpretation" H6623)

matter theמִלְּתָ֖אmi-le-TA'H4406
word

מִלָּה (mil.lah) 1) word, thing 1a) word, utterance, command 1b) thing, affair, matter

to declareלְהַחֲוָיָֽה׃le-ha-cha-va-YAHH2324
to show

חֲוָה (cha.vah) 1) to show, interpret, explain, inform, tell, declare 1a) (Pael) to show, interpret 1b) (Aphel) to show

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.