In what language was the handwriting on the wall? (Daniel 5:25)
25 “This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin
Daniel 7:1
NASB - 1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.
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Asked September 04 2019
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Jack Gutknecht
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Tim Maas
In my opinion, the actual words written by the supernatural man's hand on the wall in Daniel 5 were not in any intelligible earthly language. However, Daniel was given the ability by God to translate the writing into terms in the Aramaen language (Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Upharsin), as noted in the Bible. As I understand it, these words, aside from having the symbolic meaning assigned to them by Daniel (numbered, numbered, weighed, divided) also denoted monetary units or units of weight. The mena (which comes from a root meaning "to count or number") equalled (as a monetary unit) fifty shekels (tekel) which was the basic unit by which larger units were weighed or valued, and the upharsin equalled 25 shekels (thus representing the division of the mena into two halves).
Jack Gutknecht
One of my 3 study Bibles says that the words were Aramaic, a language well known in the Gentile world. Why Belshazzar's wise men could not read them is puzzling so Daniel's explanation was sorely and surely needed (Daniel 5:26-28). And don't forget to see the big picture: The Feast to Belshazzar Dan. 5 1 A Glamorous Feast Dan. 5:1; Jer. 51:39 (Millions are at Sin’s feast, monarchs to menials, potentates to paupers) 2 A Ghastly Fear—when the king saw the writing on the wall Dan. 5:6; Jer. 50:43 3 A Grievous Failure—to humble himself and repent Dan. 5:22,23; Jer. 50:31 4 A Great Fall—‘that night was Belshazzar—slain’ Dan. 5:30; Jer. 50:32 THE WRITING— Mene—Numbered—the days of life Tekel—Weighed—the ways of life Peres—Broken—the thread of life [Dan 5:5] Handwriting On The Wall, The At the feast of Belshazzar and a thousand of his lords, While they drank from golden vessels, as the Book of Truth records, In the night, as they reveled in the royal palace hall, They were seized with consternation—’twas the Hand upon the wall! Refrain ’Tis the hand of God on the wall! ’Tis the hand of God on the wall! Shall the record be “Found wanting!” Or shall it be “Found trusting!” While that hand is writing on the wall? See the brave captive, Daniel, as he stood before the throng, And rebuked the haughty monarch for his mighty deeds of wrong; As he read out the writing—’twas the doom of one and all, For the kingdom now was finished—said the Hand upon the wall! Refrain See the faith, zeal and courage, that would dare to do the right, Which the Spirit gave to Daniel—’twas the secret of his might, In his home in Judea, or a captive in the hall, He understood the writing of his God upon the wall! Refrain So our deeds are recorded—there’s a Hand that’s writing now: Sinner, give your heart to Jesus, to His royal mandates bow; For the day is approaching—it must come to one and all, When the sinners’ condemnation will be written on the wall! Refrain
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