The phrase the writing on the wall comes from this chapter. A king threw a party for a thousand of his lords, called for the holy vessels from God’s temple, and praised idols. In the same hour, a hand appeared and began to write.
No one in the room could read it. The man who finally could had served under Nebuchadnezzar years before, and the message he read was not one Belshazzar wanted to hear. It was fulfilled before morning.
The Story of the Writing on the Wall
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. While he tasted the wine, he commanded them to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king, his princes, his wives, and his concubines could drink from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
In 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. His countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. He cried aloud for the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and promised that whoever read the writing would be clothed with scarlet, wear a chain of gold, and be the third ruler in the kingdom. But they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
Then the queen came into the banquet house. O king, live for ever, she said: let not thy thoughts trouble thee. She told him there was a man in his kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made master of the magicians – Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.
Daniel was brought in, and the king offered him the same scarlet, chain of gold, and third place in the kingdom. Daniel answered, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king. First he reminded Belshazzar of Nebuchadnezzar: the most high God had given him a kingdom and majesty, but when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed and driven from men until he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this. He had lifted himself against the Lord of heaven, drunk from the vessels of his house, and praised gods which see not, nor hear, nor know, while the God in whose hand thy breath is he had not glorified.
Then Daniel read it: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 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.
Belshazzar kept his word. They clothed Daniel with scarlet, put a chain of gold about his neck, and proclaimed that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Key Verses
“In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall” Daniel 5:5
“Hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this” Daniel 5:22
“MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN” Daniel 5:25
“TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” Daniel 5:27
“In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain” Daniel 5:30
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of the Writing on the Wall Teaches Us
Belshazzar’s sin was not ignorance. Daniel told him, thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this. He knew what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar when his heart was lifted up in pride, and he chose the same path anyway, using the holy vessels of God’s house to praise idols.
Daniel spoke the truth without being bought. He told the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another, and then read a message of judgment to a king’s face. He did not soften it to protect himself or to win favor.
God’s judgment in this chapter is measured and exact. God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it, and the king was weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. The God in whose hand thy breath is had given Belshazzar his kingdom, and he was the one who ended it – in that night.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did the writing on the wall say?
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN (Daniel 5:25). Daniel interpreted it: God had numbered the kingdom and finished it, the king was weighed in the balances, and art found wanting, and the kingdom was divided and given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:26-28).
Who wrote the writing on the wall?
The fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote on the wall (Daniel 5:5). Daniel told the king, Then was the part of the hand sent from him, meaning from God (Daniel 5:23-24).
Why was God angry with Belshazzar?
Daniel said Belshazzar had not humbled his heart though he knew what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, had drunk from the vessels of God’s house, and had praised idols instead of glorifying the God in whose hand thy breath is (Daniel 5:22-23).
What does Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting mean?
It is Daniel’s interpretation of the word TEKEL in Daniel 5:27. Like goods weighed on a scale, Belshazzar had been judged and did not measure up.
What happened to Belshazzar after the writing on the wall?
Daniel 5:30 says, In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. Darius the Median took the kingdom (Daniel 5:31).
Where is the writing on the wall in the Bible?
It is in Daniel 5, at the feast of King Belshazzar of Babylon.