Daniel 5:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting;

NIV: Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

NASB: ‘TEKEL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.

CSB: Tekel' means that you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient.

NLT: Tekel means ‘weighed’ — you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up.

KJV: TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

NKJV: TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;

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).

Daniel 5:17–28 reveals Daniel's humility, his loyalty to the Most High God, and his courage. Daniel read and interpreted the handwriting. God is judging Babylon: the empire will be defeated and split among the Medes and Persians. Though Daniel said he wanted no payment, his interpretation prompts the rewards from Belshazzar, which were likely as short-lived as he was (Daniel 5:29–30).

After Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation, a succeeding ruler, Belshazzar, fails to learn the proper lesson. During a drunken party, he brings out Jewish objects to use in idolatry. The celebration is interrupted by disembodied fingers leaving strange markings on the wall. Daniel is summoned when no one else can read or interpret these. After boldly rebuking Belshazzar's immorality, Daniel explains the event as a prophecy of doom. That same night, Belshazzar dies, and the kingdom eventually comes under a new leader.

The first four chapters of Daniel occur under the rule of Babylon's king, Nebuchadnezzar. This chapter falls between his reign and when the Medo-Persians conquered in 539 BC. This chapter focuses on Belshazzar, who may have ruled Babylon concurrently with his father Nabonidus. This was probably from 553 BC until his death in 539 BC, when the city was captured. After this, Daniel serves under Darius and / or Cyrus.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.