The (hand)writing on the wall is an idiom meaning there are very apparent and obvious signs that something bad will happen in the future. The phrase comes from the Book of Daniel chapter 5, in which the prophet interprets some mysterious writing that a disembodied hand has inscribed on the palace wall.
The expression ‘the writing is on the wall’ is used whenever an inevitable result or imminent danger has become apparent; it came to refer to any prediction or omen that a venture was doomed to failure.
In our Modern understanding we think graffiti is writing or drawings, humorous, rude, or political, scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place usually as a form of artistic expression, without permission and within public view.
Although the common image of graffiti is a stylistic symbol or phrase spray-painted on a wall by a member of a street gang, some graffiti is not gang-related.
One dictionary definition is: Drawings or inscriptions made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and so as to be seen by the public.
God certainly did not need permission to write but it was an inscription made on a wall so as to be seen by the public!
This was no trendy slogan or tag! For Belshazzar it was a day of reckoning
Day of reckoning meaning: God’s judgment of wickedness – the time when one is called to account for one’s actions.
Brief explanation of who was the king in this verse and why the Temple Menorah was in his possession.
Timeline of Jeremiah / Daniel (3304-3399 / 457-362 BCE)
Date Ref 553 BC Dan 7 30 has dream of the 4 beasts
551 BC Dan 8 31 in 3rd yr of Belshazzar, vision of Ram & Goat
539 BC Dan 5 32 Daniel brought to Belshazzar to read writing on the wall by a hand.
I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:1-2)
Daniel is from David’s royal family For hundreds of years, a descendant of David had been on the throne in Jerusalem. In 605 B.C., the dynasty was in its twilight years.
Nebuchadnezzar successfully besieges Jerusalem and carries off some of the treasure from the temple of God to Babylon.
Judah’s exile from Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s prophecy of a 70-year exile was fulfilled
Daniel 5 tells the story of the 539 BC Babylonian ruler Belshazzar, a rich and debauched king/ co-regent of Babylon and a descendant of the great Nebuchadnezzar.
He is referred to as the son of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:18, 22), although he was not Nebuchadnezzar’s immediate successor (Jeremiah 52:31).
Belshazzar gave a banquet to his court. During the drunken party, the sacred vessels from the Jewish temple, stolen by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, were used in a blasphemous manner including using them to ‘toast’ and honor their gods and giving praise to idols.
Note Over by the candlestick was a reference to the temple Menorah
The lampstand in front of the wall where Nebuchanezzer saw the finger of God write was the Temple menorah. He was abusing and disrespecting the Holy/set apart things of the Lord and the words written were a warning and a judgment
At the height of the festivities, a man’s hand was seen writing on the palace wall the mysterious words (verse 25).
The biblical account of the mysterious and shocking/frightening appearance of the phrase was no doubt the origin to the modern expression “the handwriting on the wall,” meaning “a portent or warning of inevitable misfortune.”
The biblical record in Daniel 5 has Belshazzar’s knees knocking in fear.
Daniel 5:5-6 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosened, and his knees knocked against each other.
The king was terrified. But no one could understand what the words meant.
All attempts at interpretation by Belshazzar’s wise men failed. Interestingly it was a woman who told him who to ask. Reminds us of Pilates wife giving wise counsel and advice at critical times. She recognized the True God as she said in 5:10-12 and Daniel was given the name Belteshazzar by the king. (Verse 12)
Daniel was one of the captives from Judah brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, so taking the advice given, Daniel is called out of retirement to interpret the writing for Belshazzar, he references Nebuchadnezzar’s eventual obedience to God,
Nebuchadnezzar’ was cut down like tree to a stump until he acknowledged there was a God in heaven who controls everything
He was to be humbled and cut down as the great tree was cut down. As the stump of the tree remained with a protective band of iron and bronze, so Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom would eventually be restored.
Daniel 4:15 But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the wild animals among the plants of the field.
The Tree would sprout again from the stump so his kingdom would be restored.
Natsar
(reminds us of another branch that sprouted from a root!) see
https://www.minimannamoments.com/who-or-what-is-the-mystery-of-the-choter-or-is-it-both-conclusion/
Daniel advised the king to humble himself, turn away from his sins, and show mercy to the poor.
Daniel 4:24-27. God sent a clear warning to Nebuchadnezzar. Through Daniel, the Lord encouraged Nebuchadnezzar to repent of his sin before it was too late.
However, the King did not take this warning to heart.
Now the same warning had come to Belshazzar,
and then Daniel says this:
“But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.”
He was cut down like a tree to a stump, until he acknowledged there was a God in heaven who controls everything.
Daniel was given wisdom from God to read and translate the words, which meant:
“numbered, numbered, weighed, divided.”
Daniel told the king, “Here is what these words mean:
Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (Daniel 5:26–28).
Peres is the singular form of upharsin.
The Bible never identifies what language the words were in.
Some translations spell upharsin as parsin.
Parsin – ‘to divide (into many pieces)’
Peres – ‘to divide (once)’
mene mene tekel upharsin
you are weighed in the balance and found wanting
here wanting means empty.
As a menorah lamp is empty of oil and is no longer capable of supporting a flame and thus gives forth no light, If we are empty as the lamps in the parable of the 10 virgins awaiting their bridegroom; we too will be found wanting and will not be inside after the door closes.
Daniel read it Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin and explained it to mean that God had numbered the kingdom of Belshazzar and brought it to an end; that the king had been weighed and found wanting; and that his kingdom was divided and given to the Medes and Persians (Dan. v. 1-28).
MENE – ‘numbered’ or ‘mina’.
Mina is a measure of weight and money weight
TEKEL – ‘weighed’ or ‘shekel’ Shekel is a unit of weight and money
UPHARSIN – ie ‘Parsin’ (singular Peres (verse 28)),
Parsin – ‘to divide (into many pieces)’
Peres – ‘to divide (once)’
As can be seen the words ‘mene’ and ‘tekel’ carry meanings which indicate weight and monetary value. (As a result of this observation many have felt the word ‘upharsin’ should likewise be understood as ‘half mene’ or ‘half shekel’.)
Belshazzar, co-regent of the Babylonian Empire, watched as these words were supernaturally written on the palace wall the very night his kingdom fell (539 BC).
Each of the words the hand wrote on the wall is a measure of weight (like our ounce, pound, and ton, or milligram, gram, and kilogram).
The basic unit of the Babylonian/Chaldaic monetary system was the Gerah.
The unit of weight/table of measures, was the gold Shekel (Tekel in this verse).
The Mena equalled 50 shekels;
the Upharsin (half a mena), equalled 25 shekels.
The four words stood for:
Mena 1000 Gerahs or 50 shekels/tekels;
Mena 1000 Gerahs or 50 shekels/tekels;
Tekel, 20 Gerahs or 1 shekel;
Upharsin, 500 Gerahs or 25 shekels.
The total equalled 2520 Gerahs or 126 shekels.
Twenty of these Gerahs formed one Shekel, or Tekel.
One thousand Gerahs made a Minah or Mena.
Peres or Upharsin (the plural of Peres) means division and was used as we use the word half, for e.g. a half dollar. It referred to a half Minah which was equal to 500 Gerahs
The people of Babylon use shekels and mina for their currency. One shekel weighed one fourth of an ounce. One mina was worth 50 shekels. Sometimes if a Babylonian had to pay a large amount they would sometimes use clay tablets. The people of Babylon could also trade money. E.G one mina for 50 shekels etc.
In addition, each shekel can be divided into even smaller units (as a pound can be divided into ounces, for example). The shekel was equal to 20 gerahs (Ezekiel 45:12). The 126 shekels of Daniel 5:25 is equivalent to 2,520 gerahs.
mene: maneh, mina (a measure of weight) 4484
Original Word: מְנֵא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mene
Phonetic Spelling: (men-ay’)
Definition: maneh, mina (a measure of weight)te’-kel (teqel)
tqal: Tekel 8625
Original Word: תְּקַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tqal
Phonetic Spelling: (tek-al’)
Definition: to weighTekel, be weighed
means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the scales/balances and have not measured up.
shaqal: to weigh 8254
Original Word: שָׁקַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: shaqal
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-kal’)
Definition: to weigh
UPHARSIN is plural: divisions;
PERES is singular: divided.
Babylon is being divided once into two branches
(Media and Persia will take their respective portions).
There is no contradiction here, just a linguistic variation to highlight two different aspects of this prophecy, (one separation into two pieces).
Upharsin and they divide, or, And they are dividing.
A Chaldee word, an active plural form with the conjunction prefixed; while PERES or PHARES, from the same root, is a passive participle, and means divided, It is a pure Chaldean word. Peres is only a simple form of the same word.
The u in Upharsin is the conjunction and, while pharsin, or, rather, parsin, is the plural of peres, a noun which implies divisions and also Persians. It appears from Daniel 5:28 that the empires of Babylon and the Medo-Persian empire are those signified as being divided.
The Difference between Upharsin and Peres.
Specifically, the fact that one verse reads upharsin while another has the word peres. Apparently both share the meaning of being divided. The difference is that upharsin is the singular form while peres is the plural.
Most prophetic scriptures clearly portray a time dimension.
The words of the handwriting on the wall symbolize that God had weighed Belshazzar’s kingdom and found it wanting (Daniel 5:26-27). Empty of anything to do with the true living God.
The empire would be given to the Medes and the Persians, who entered and captured the city of Babylon that same night.
Belshazzar is slain by Darius that night and Darius becomes king that night, (he is a Mede, son of Xerxes.
God was about to punish Belshazzar’s realm for 2,520 years.
This is confirmed by another prophecy found in Daniel 4.
Through Daniel, God told King Nebuchadnezzar that a total of seven times of punishment would befall Babylon (verses 16, 25). In prophecy, a time equals a year of 360 days.
This can be seen by noting that 3 1/2 times equals 42 months or 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6, 14; 13:5).
Seven times, therefore, equals 2,520 days, and Nebuchadnezzar himself spent seven years without his human reason, living like a beast (Daniel 4:31-37).
In certain prophecies, however, such as in Daniel 5, each day represents a year in fulfillment (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). These back-to-back prophecies in Daniel 4-5 show the type (Nebuchadnezzar) and anti-type (Babylon) fulfillment of many biblical prophecies. This is the prophetic principle of duality.
So, then, from the experiences of both Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, it is evident Babylon would be punished for a period of 2,520 years.
Interesting notes: After that time, it will rise again, as symbolized by the tree that sprouted and grew after the iron band was removed (Daniel 4:10-16, 19-26).
Since this period of 2,520 years expired in 1982, we can expect to see the rise of modern Babylon in this present generation (also foretold in Revelation 18); it may even now be well advance in its formation.
Also Daniel is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my judge”!
Daniel Interprets the Handwriting … 26 And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. 27 TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. 28 PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”…
The Aramaic tekel, similar to the Hebrew shekel, used in the writing on the wall during the feast of Belshazzar according to the Book of Daniel and defined as weighed, shares a common root with the word shekel and may even additionally attest to its original usage as a weight. Second Temple period half-Shekel Temple tax
Hebrew: מָנֶה, māne (H4488)
Strong’s Number: H4488
Hebrew Base Word: מָנֶה
Part of speech: Noun Masculine
Usage: Maneh, pound
Definition: Properly, a fixed weight or measured amount, i.e., (technically) a maneh or mina.
As for the bones of fire………
the prophet Jeremiah had been the one to warn Belshazzar’s predecessor Nebuchanezzer and we usually associate Jeremiah with his sadness and distress over Gods rebellious People when he had repeatedly called for them to repent in the generations before Daniels time.
in Jeremiah 46 13 25 because of 44:20-23 he was warning that God would come and strike the land of Egypt.
This description of Jeremiah is not the usual one we see of him weeping over the nation for he was Gods chosen mouthpiece. He was laughed at and even told from the beginning that he would declare God’s word and that no one would listen.
What a calling!
And if he decides to keep his mouth closed and not speak any more in Gods Name, speaking forth His Word, he says; describing it as a burning fire shut up in his bones; he says he is weary of holding it in, indeed he is unable to refrain from speaking.
Is this the case with us or is it that we simply fear the ridicule and rejection of peoples reactions and if we do is it because we are unsure of what we believe what is true reality to us.
Jeremiah was overwhelmed by the power of the word of God not just dwelling but burning within him and he had no choice but to voice Gods words of warning.
Are we like Jeremiah or do we say I am not able. We should be saying I am not able to stop.
The love of God compels us to share, to speak,
to be the voice of hope,
to be the voice of warning,
the voice of comfort,
the voice of faith,
loving kindness compassion, truth and love.
The Voice of declaring the Way to salvation.
Let us no longer be weary of well doing.
Let us desire of the Lord that He ignite a fire in us that cannot be contained.
Let us burn with the Holy Fire of Pentecost/shavuot…
That same fire that filled the room….
The same fire that flowed out to 3000 souls in a day.
Let the fire burn up all flesh that limits those life-giving words…
The Ruach of Shavuot did not come to make us feel comfortable but to burn up everything that is not of Himself.
Let us be the fire brand in the hand of God setting ablaze all that is in our path,
אֵשׁ ʼêsh, aysh;
fire (literally or figuratively):—
burning, fiery, fire, flaming, hot.
A CONSUMING FIRE – KAESH כאשׁ
Jeremiah 20:9: “Then I said, I will not make mention of him nor speak anymore in his name. But his word was in my heart as a burning fire and shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forebearing and I could not stay.”
The metaphor that God is a Consuming Fire suggests that He is both indescribable and passionately concerned with our devotion to Him.
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” ( Heb. 12:28-29).
Consuming Fire in Hebrew: ’Esh ’okhlah. Strong’s Concordance numbers: 784, 398.
Esh Oklah is literally translated from the Hebrew to eat by fire. Interesting to think that for a moment there are people who claim to commit crimes in the heat of passion.
Burning fire in the Hebrew text is kaesh which is a destructive or all consuming fire as used in this context. In Semitic literature a kaesh or consuming fire is a metaphor for passion.
As Jeremiah was voicing his complaint to God, God allowed Him to enter His heart and feel His passion. When he felt it he just couldn’t contain it.
As Moses recounts for the people the events of Sinai and commands them to keep the covenant, Moses declared,
“For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24).
He would not tolerate worship of others; He was a consuming fire in the sense that He desired all of the worship of the Israelites. Deuteronomy 9:3 also refers to the Lord as a consuming fire. In this context, God would serve as a consuming fire to destroy Israel’s enemies.
Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not hold back.
aish – esh – fire –
alef, sheen/shin,
aysh
Eshshah – strongs# 800
eshshah: a fire
Original Word: אֶשָּׁה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: eshshah
Phonetic Spelling: (esh-shaw’)
Definition: a fire
Esh – strongs#784
Feminine of ‘esh; fire — fire.
esh: a fire
Original Word: אֵשׂ
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: esh
Phonetic Spelling: (aysh)
Definition: a fire
the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.
Sometimes we forget this…. We forget that we only live because He deems that we can still be here. We breathe and live at the hand of God and for no other reason. As the Presidents people serve at the Presidents pleasure, it is the same in Gods kingdom. Everything we do is known to the king: not just people like Daniel, who acknowledge Him, but those like Belshazzar who turn and spit in His face and choose to worship other gods.
And there will be a day of reckoning for all.
In case we might choose to relegate this standard to the old testament time and therefore has no relevance to us; consider…. Jesus/Yeshua, said He had the keys of hell and death; and this means no one dies but it is in His hand. He has the keys of death so He approves the timing. We belong to Him not to ourselves. The spirit returns to God who gave it! If we are not His at death then hell follows immediately after… as Rev. 6:8 tells us it will be for those who have not repented and turned to Him.
Yes we are in the age of grace, but grace is not a license to sin and live how we please, we are still required to obey His written Word and Jesus/Yeshua’s teaching as He is the Living Word.
Just as on the road to Emmaus our hearts will burn within us as we allow Him to open the scriptures to us.
The consuming fire is the Akal Esh
pronounced: okhlah aish
Akal is translated consuming and is spelled
Aleph
Kaf 
Lamed.
Aleph
is the picture of the ox
and means the strong leader, the first, or God the Father.
Kaf
is the picture of the palm
of the hand and means to cover or uncover, to open, or to allow.
Lamed
is the picture of the shepherd staff
and means to control, to have authority, or can mean the tongue.
Ancient Paleo Hebrew
Modern Hebrew
Esh – Fire – Alef Shin/Sheen, we find a clear picture of God the Father consuming or destroying.
What He is going to allow or not allow has something to do with the Esh / the fire.
Our Heavenly Father is also a consuming fire, it is an indication that our heavenly Father is going to exercise His control over us by applying Esh to either consume and destroy us or not.
Look at the pictographs of Esh combined with those of Akal.
Esh or fire is spelled Aleph Sheen and is translated fire, flames, or burning.
The fire of God will consume those who refuse to follow and obey His commands, but His fire will also be allowed to lead His faithful followers through any darkness, as well as burn away the dross in the process of purifying their lives.
This process is tied in to the Kapporet/Mercy Seat and the High Priest/Kohen haKadol. Both are connected to Jesus/Yeshua in Lev. 16. The cloud in which God would appear above the mercy seat was the cloud of fire or Esh. Heb. 10 reassures us how each of us can enter the Holy place without fear of destruction. ( Being consumed by fire)
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
Only by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha-Mashiach, that we can enter the Holy place and we are allowed there because we are under the authority and control of the Heavenly Father who has intended all along that we should be guided and purified by the fire we will experience there and not consumed by it.
The handwriting on the wall proved true.
In fact, it proved fatal for the rebellious Belshazzar.
Just as Daniel had said, the kingdom of Babylon was divided between the Meded and Persians (Modern day Iraq), and it happened
that very night.5:30
When Belshazzar was killed, and his kingdom passed to Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:30–31).
It was his day of reckoning
The scriptures say there are days of reckoning ahead for everyone so we need to be like Jeremiah…on fire for Messiah!
The appearance of mene mene tekel upharsin on the king’s wall is a reminder that whatever we sow, that we will also reap (Galatians 6:7–8).
God is the Judge; He justly weighs all matters and metes out retribution in His time (Psalm 94:2).
Sometimes God speaks very clearly into our lives, convicting us of sin and warning us of pending judgment (see John 16:8).
It does not pay to ignore the “handwriting on the wall.”
The graffiti is for our benefit!
We are to seek to acknowledge a King who holds us, all we do. All our ways, where we live, move and have our being: all of this too is in the hand of God and is of importance to Him.
He love is unconditional and unchanging,
He is always there for us in time of need.
Is our passion for the living God of Yisrael/Israel, a burning raging fire on the inside of us, or has our affection for Him waned and been reduced to a glow?
Has the fire gone out?
Sometimes circumstances overwhelm us and that is when we need encouragement to keep the fire going!
Songs by Janny Grein
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