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The mysterious message written on the wall filled the king with deadly fear. He cried
aloud for the Chaldeans and soothsayers, offering the highest place in the realm to any
who could show the meaning of the mystic words. But none was able to interpret the
message of doom. At this juncture "the queen" came into the banqueting house.
Evidently she had not associated herself with the impious carousal, and she it was who
remembered Daniel. Daniel, with true spiritual nobility, tells the king to give his rewards
where he will, but says that he will interpret the writing. Before doing so Daniel
rehearses the story of Nebuchadnezzar's pride and humbling: "till he knew that the most
high God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that He appointeth over it whomsoever He
will" (Dan. 5: 21). Belshazzar's sin was against light and knowledge: "And thou his son,
O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but 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" (Dan.5: 22, 23).
Belshazzar not only stands condemned as an individual, but he is, in turn, a type both
of the last Babylonian ruler and of the Gentile world. Look at the parallels that there are
between the indictment of Belshazzar by Daniel, and the indictment of the Gentiles world
by Paul:--
Dan. 5: 22-28.
Rom. 1: 21-26.
"Thou knewest all this."
"When they knew God."
"Hast thou not glorified."
"They glorified Him not as God."
"Gods of silver and gold, . . . . . which
"An image made like to corruptible man,
neither see, hear or know."
and to birds, and fourfooted beasts,
and creeping things."
"Thou hast not humbled thine heart."
"Their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise
they became fools."
"The Lord God of heaven."
"His eternal power and Godhead."
"Numbered, weighed, divided."
"God also gave them up."
The words written on the wall were in the ordinary Chaldaic language. It was not
therefore their literal meaning but their significance that baffled the king and his wise
men.
Mene.--The word occurs in Dan. 2: 24, 49 and 3: 12 where it is translated
"ordained" and "set", and in 1: 5, 10 & 11 "appoint" and "set". It is possible that
Belshazzar and his wise men, when they looked at the word Mene, could associate it with
none other than the god of that name, which meant the god of destiny, and is written
Manu on the Assyrian inscriptions. Isa. 65: 11, 12 says: "But ye are they that forsake
the Lord . . . . . and furnish the drink offering unto Meni (see margin); therefore will I
number (Heb. manithi) you to the sword." Here we have a paronomasia on the two
words Meni and manithi, similar to Dan. 5: where a double reference may have been
intended. There was a "wonderful Numberer" (Palmoni) (Dan. 8: 13), of Whom the