What does Daniel 5:27 mean?

Daniel continues the interpretation of the mysterious handwriting on the palace wall (Daniel 5:5, 24–25).

Tekel suggests a weight, such as those used to assess precious metals or money. Quantities of coins not weighing the right amount were suspect—and probably corrupted with counterfeits or impurities. A balance was often used for this purpose. Some dishonest merchants would use false weights to cheat (Proverbs 11:1; 20:23). When the payment didn't match an honest weight, it was rejected. God had weighed Belshazzar's moral and spiritual character and determined that it fell short of the standard of His righteousness. Therefore, God rejected Belshazzar. Very soon, he would lose his kingdom. Belshazzar's sinful character showed in his pride, his drunken feast, his promiscuity, his blasphemy, his desecration of the temple vessels, and his idolatry (Daniel 5:1–4).

While Belshazzar's example was extreme, Romans 3:23 teaches that every person fails to meet God's perfect standard. Everyone falls short of God's glory. A self-righteous person may think his morality parallels God's, but the Bible compares every human's righteous deeds to "a polluted garment" (Isaiah 64:6). Romans 3:10 says, "None is righteous, no, not one." The only remedy is to be cleansed by Jesus' blood (Romans 5:8–9).