Daniel 5:28

"TEKEL: you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting."

Key Reflection

In Daniel 5:28, the phrase "TEKEL" is a Babylonian wordplay that means "you have been weighed and found wanting," symbolizing judgment. It underscores that King Belshazzar's rule was now measured against divine standards and found insufficient, leading to his downfall.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Peres -InDaniel 5:25this is “Upharsin.” These are but different forms of the same word - the word inDaniel 5:25being in the plural, and here in the singular. The verb (פרסperas) means, to “divide;” and in this form, as in the previous cases, it is, according to Gesenius, participle meaning “divided.” As it stands here, it would be applicable to anything that was “divided” or “sundered” - whether a kingdom, a palace, a house, territory, etc. “What” was divided could be known only by Divine revelation.

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