An interesting verse. With it’s explaination.
I first encountered it many years ago in as a favorite of Dr. John Patrick, one the the CMDA speakers. It makes a good test on one’s Biblical Knowledge. I’ve added Old John Gill’s comments below.
Dan 5:25 And this H1836 is the writing H3792 that H1768 was written, H7560 MENE, H4484 MENE, H4484 TEKEL, H8625 UPHARSIN. H6537
Dan 5:26 This H1836 is the interpretation H6591 of the thing: H4406 MENE; H4484 God H426 hath numbered H4483 thy kingdom, H4437 and finished H8000 it.
Dan 5:27 TEKEL; H8625 Thou art weighed H8625 in the balances, H3977 and art found H7912 wanting. H2627
Dan 5:28 PERES; H6537 Thy kingdom H4437 is divided, H6537 and given H3052 to the Medes H4076 and Persians. H6540
Dan 5:25 ודנה H1836 כתבא H3792 די H1768 רשׁים H7560 מנא H4484 מנא H4484 תקל H8625 ופרסין׃ H6537
Dan 5:26 דנה H1836 פשׁר H6591 מלתא H4406 מנא H4484 מנה H4483 אלהא H426 מלכותך H4437 והשׁלמה׃ H8000
Dan 5:27 תקל H8625 תקילתה H8625 במאזניא H3977 והשׁתכחת H7912 חסיר׃ H2627
Dan 5:28 פרס H6537 פריסת H6537 מלכותך H4437 ויהיבת H3052 למדי H4076 ופרס׃ H6540
John Gill
Daniel 5:25
And this is the writing that was written,…. They are such and such letters, and so to be read, as follows:
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN; which are Chaldee words, and may be literally rendered, “he hath numbered, he hath numbered”; that is, God hath certainly, perfectly, and exactly numbered; “he hath weighed”, God hath weighed thee, Belshazzar; “and they divide the kingdom”; that is, the Medes and Persians, as appears from the following interpretation:
Daniel 5:26
This is the interpretation of the thing,…. Or, “word” (z); for they might all seem as one word; or this is the sense of the whole:
MENE; as for this word, it signifies,
God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it; God had fixed the number of years, how long that monarchy should last, which he was now at the head of, and which was foretold, Jer 25:1, and also the number of years that he should reign over it; and both these numbers were now completed; for that very night Belshazzar was slain, and the kingdom translated to another people: and a dreadful thing it is to be numbered to the sword, famine, and pestilence, or any sore judgment of God for sin, as sometimes men are; so more especially to be appointed to everlasting wrath, and to be numbered among transgressors, among the devils and damned in hell.
(z) מלתא “sermonis”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; “verborum”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Broughtonus; “verbi”, Cocceius; “illius verbi”, Michaelis.
Daniel 5:27
TEKEL,…. As for the meaning of this word, and what it points at, it is this:
thou art weighed in the balances: of justice and truth, in the holy righteous law of God; as gold, and jewels, and precious stones, are weighed in the scales by the goldsmith and jeweller with great exactness, to know the worth of them:
and art found wanting; found to be adulterated gold, reprobate silver, bad coin, a false stone; found to be a worthless man, a wicked prince, wanting the necessary qualifications of wisdom, goodness, mercy, truth, and justice.
The Scriptures of truth, the word of God, contained in the books of the Old and New Testament, are the balances of the sanctuary, in which persons, principles, and practices, are to be weighed; and sad it is where they are found light and wanting: men, both of high and low degree, when put here, are lighter than vanity.
The Pharisee, or self-righteous person, when weighed in the balance of God’s law, which is holy, just, and good, will be found wanting of that holiness and righteousness he pretends to, and appear to be an unholy and an unrighteous man; his righteousness, neither for the matter of it, nor manner of performing it, being agreeable to that law, and so no righteousness in the sense of it, Deu 6:25, it being imperfect, and so leaves him to the curse of it, Gal 3:10, and not being performed in a pure and spiritual manner that it requires, is rejected by it; and miserable will be the case of such a man at the day of judgment, when his works will be found wanting, and not answerable to the demands of a righteous law, and he without the wedding garment of Christ’s righteousness, and so naked and speechless.
The hypocrite, and formal professor, when weighed in the balance of the Scripture, will be found wanting the true grace of God; his faith will appear to be feigned, and his hope groundless, and his love to be in word and in tongue only, and not at all to answer to the description of true grace given in the word of God; and bad will it be with such persons at last, when at the bridegroom’s coming they will be destitute of the oil of true and real grace; only have that which is counterfeit, and the mere lamp of an outward profession, which will then stand them in no stead, or be of any avail unto them: in the same balances are the doctrines and principles of men to be weighed;
and, such as are according to them are solid and weighty, and are comparable to gold, silver, and precious stones; but such as are not are light, and like wood, hay, and stubble, which the fire of the word will reveal, try, and burn up, not being able to stand against it;
and if these are weighed in the balances, they will be found wanting of real truth and goodness, and be but as chaff to wheat; and what is the one to the other? there is no comparison between them; and dreadful will be the case of false teachers, that make and teach an abomination and a lie; and of those that are given up to believe them, these will not be able to stand the trying hour of temptation, and much less the last and final judgment.
Sad for preachers of the word to be found wanting in their ministry, and hearers to be wanting in their duty; not taking care neither what they hear, nor how they hear, or whether they put in practice the good they do hear.
Rainbow Trout 