PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Read it in contextDaniel Interprets the Handwriting
Start reading at Daniel 5:13 (Daniel 5:13 to Daniel 5:31).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
5:13Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
5:14I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
5:15And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:
5:16And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
5:17Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
5:18O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
5:19And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
5:20But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
5:21And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
5:22And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
5:23But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
5:24Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
5:25And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
5:26This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
5:27TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
5:28PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
5:29Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
5:30In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
5:31And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Daniel is the traditional author and the named recorder of the later visions. Jesus refers to Daniel the prophet; the date and compilation of the book are debated in historical scholarship. Biblical references: Daniel 7:1; Daniel 8:1; Daniel 12:4; Matthew 24:15. traditionally held
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Daniel 5:1–5:31): Belshazzar, his banquet guests, the queen, the wise men, and Daniel are involved in the writing-on-the-wall scene. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? God's people living under foreign empires and later faithful readers seeking understanding. Within the stories, messages are also delivered to particular Babylonian and Persian rulers. Biblical references: Daniel 1:6; Daniel 4:1; Daniel 12:4. book background
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? Daniel Interprets the Handwriting. Read Daniel 5:13 through Daniel 5:31 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The narratives and visions name rulers of Babylon and succeeding powers. Dates of visions and periods represented by symbols are different kinds of information. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? The narratives are set in exile under foreign rulers, while visions portray additional realms and future conflicts. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in Daniel Interprets the Handwriting (Daniel 5:13 to Daniel 5:31).
Start reading at Daniel 5:13. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Jesus uses the title Son of man and refers to Daniel. The New Testament supplies connections to Daniel's visions; precise modern identifications and timetables still require careful argument. See Daniel 7:13, Matthew 24:15, Matthew 26:64. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Remain faithful under pressure and reject confidence rooted in human power. Distinguish the book's supplied interpretations from later attempts to identify every symbol. interpretation
Cited: Daniel 5:13, Daniel 5:31, Daniel 7:13, Matthew 24:15, Matthew 26:64
Who wrote it, and how we know
DanielNamed in Scripture
What Scripture saysLarge sections are written in the first person by Daniel, and Jesus refers to Daniel the prophet. Daniel 7:2Daniel 8:1Matthew 24:15
Early traditionJewish and Christian tradition names Daniel in the sixth century B.C.
What is debatedMany critical scholars date the book to the second century B.C. because of its detailed prophecy of that period. Jesus naming Daniel as a prophet is a significant argument for the traditional view.
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Daniel 5
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Daniel places its narratives and visions in the setting of foreign empires and exile. The book itself supplies some interpretations of symbols; further timetables and modern identifications require separate argument and should be labeled accordingly. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Daniel
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Daniel places its narratives and visions in the setting of foreign empires and exile. The book itself supplies some interpretations of symbols; further timetables and modern identifications require separate argument and should be labeled accordingly.