|
[Daniel Ch.5: Belshazzar's Riotous Feast] II.
Handwriting on the Wall (5:5-29)
DAN
5:5 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:
The fingers of a mysterious, unattended hand suddenly appeared out of
nowhere and wrote somethings on the walls of the huge banquet hall.
The young king became sober in a hurry. DAN
5:7 The king cried aloud...Whosoever shall read this writing, and
shew me the interpretation...shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Even in his debauched state, Belshazzar knew that he was just an acting
king. His father Nabonidus was the titular head of the empire, and he was
second ruler, being delegated with royal authority by his father. DAN
5:10 Now the queen...came into the banquet house: and the queen
spake and said
She could not have been Belshazzar's wife, as she was already in the
banquet hall (5:3). Neither was she Belshazzar's mother Nitocris, who was
far away with his father in Tima. This God-fearing lady was Amytis, known
in ancient history as the recipient of Nebuchadnezzar's Hanging Gardens.
From her words in 5:10-12 and her calling Daniel by his Hebrew name, it is
possible that Amytis was a true believer.
Late in years, Daniel the prophet was called into the banquet hall to read
these mysterious words.
DAN
5:17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts
be to thyself...yet I will read the writing unto the king
Here was a man who determined, since teenage days, to maintain his
integrity, and unwaveringly remained steadfast in his old age. DAN
5:25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN.
The words may have been actually heavenly language, as no one knew how to
read it. If someday, archaelogists discover three bricks with these words,
we perhaps would know what heaven's language is! DAN
5:26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath
numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
MENU meant "numbered." It was repeated for emphasis. God was
through with the days of Belshazzar's kingdom. DAN
5:27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found
wanting.
TEKEL
meant "weighed." The king did not measure up to God's standard.
He was spiritually all hollow. DAN
5:28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and
Persians.
PERES meant "broken" or "divided." God was shattering
the empire and giving it to the Medo-Persians. PERES is also a
play-on-words with the sound "Persia." Daniel described it as an
accomplished fact. (Originally, the handwriting was "UPHARSIN," not PERES. Both are the same word. UPHARSIN simply added the prefix "U" ( or And) and Hebrew plural ending "SIN."
|
|
Return to Tan's DANIEL:Verse by Verse Main Menu