DAN 5:26 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT This is the interpretation of the matter: ‘Mene,’ ‘God has numbered your kingdom and brought it to an end.’

UST This is what those words mean:
⇔ ‘Mene’ means ‘numbered.’ That means that God has been counting the days that you will rule, and he has decided that you will not rule anymore.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE “This is the interpretation of the thing:
§ MENE: God has counted your kingdom, and brought it to an end.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET This is the interpretation of the words: As for mene – God has numbered your kingdom’s days and brought it to an end.

LSV This [is] the interpretation of the thing: Numbered—God has numbered your kingdom, and has finished it.

FBV Here is the meaning: Number—God has numbered your reign and brought it to an end.

T4T This is what those words mean: • Mene means ‘numbered/counted’. That means that God has been counting the days that you will rule, and he has now decided that you will not rule any more.

LEB “This is the explanation of the matter:[fn] ‘Mene’—God has numbered your kingdom and brought an end to it.

5:26 Or “word, message”

BBE This is the sense of the words: Mene; your kingdom has been numbered by God and ended.

Moff The meaning of it is: Mene (numbered), God has numbered the days of your kingdom and ended it;

JPS This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE, God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end.

ASV This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end.

DRA And this is the interpretation of the word. MANE: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.

YLT This [is] the interpretation of the thing: Numbered — God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.

Drby This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE, [fn]God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it;

5.26 Elohim

RV This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end.
(This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath/has numbered thy/your kingdom, and brought it to an end. )

SLT This the interpretation of the word: Mene; God numbered thy kingdom and completed it.

Wbstr This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

KJB-1769 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
(This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath/has numbered thy/your kingdom, and finished it. )

KJB-1611 This is the interpretation of the thing, MENE, God hath numbred thy kingdome, and finished it.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Now the interpretation of the thing is this: MENE, God hath numbred thy kingdome, and brought it to an ende.
(Now the interpretation of the thing is this: MENE, God hath/has numbered thy/your kingdom, and brought it to an end.)

Gnva This is the interpretation of the thing, MENE, God hath nombred thy kingdome, and hath finished it.
(This is the interpretation of the thing, MENE, God hath/has numbered thy/your kingdom, and hath/has finished it. )

Cvdl Now the interpretacion off the thynge is this: Mane, God hath nombred thy kyngdome, and brought it to an ende:
(Now the interpretation off the thing is this: Mane, God hath/has numbered thy/your kingdom, and brought it to an end:)

Wycl And this is the interpretyng of the word. Mane, God hath noumbrid thi rewme, and hath fillid it;
(And this is the interpreting of the word. Mane, God hath/has numbered thy/your realm, and hath/has filled it;)

Luth Und sie bedeutet dies: Mene, das ist, GOtt hat dein Königreich gezählet und vollendet.
(And they/she/them bedeutet dies: Mene, the is, God has your(s) kingdom counted and completed.)

ClVg Et hæc est interpretatio sermonis. Mane: numeravit Deus regnum tuum, et complevit illud.
(And these_things it_is interpretation speech. Mane: numeravit God kingdom your(sg), and finished it/this/that. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–31: God judged King Belshazzar

The author continued to write in the Aramaic language. He wrote about how King Belshazzar gave a big banquet and made use of the sacred treasures from the Jerusalem temple. Belshazzar saw a hand writing a mysterious message on the wall. Only Daniel was able to explain the message, that God was about to punish Belshazzar. That same night an army of Medes and Persians conquered the city and killed Belshazzar.

English versions give different headings to Daniel 5. These include:

The Handwriting on the Wall (GW)

The Writing on the Wall (NIV)

King Belshazzar’s Banquet (CEV)

In some languages it may be more natural to write the heading in the form of a clause. For example, you could say:

King Belshazzar saw a hand write on the wall.

King Belshazzar had/gave a banquet/feast.

Some versions give headings to the subsections of Daniel 5. For example, the NLT has two headings:

The Writing on the Wall (5:1)

Daniel explains the writing (5:13)

The NRSV has three headings:

Belshazzar’s Feast (5:1)

The Writing on the Wall (5:5)

The Writing on the Wall Interpreted (5:13)

You should decide the number of headings that is best in your translation. The purpose of headings is to help readers to follow the events of the story. Headings also help the reader understand the relationships between the different parts of the story. You should try not to have more headings than necessary.

Historical Background:

Nabonidus was the king of Babylon from 556 to 539 B.C. Historical records indicate that he married Nitocris, the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, and that Belshazzar was their oldest son.See the ancient Greek historian Herodotus and the Nabonidus Chronicles. While Nabonidus was absent from Babylon during the last ten years of his reign, Belshazzar acted as king in his place.

Daniel 5 describes the last night of the Babylonian empire. From other historic sources we know that Cyrus, the king of Persia, attacked the Babylonian army during the 7th month of the year 539 B.C. On the 15th day of that month, they attacked the town of Sippar and King Nabonidus fled. The next day Cyrus’ army entered the city of Babylon without any battle and killed its ruler, Belshazzar. Daniel 5 describes what Belshazzar was doing on the last day of the Babylonian empire.

Paragraph 5:26–28

In these three verses Daniel interpreted the words on the wall. He explained what they meant.

5:26a

And this is the interpretation of the message:

¶ “I will now tell you what these words mean:
¶ “This is what the message means:

And this is the interpretation of the message: This verse part introduces Daniel’s explanation of the words on the wall. Here are some other ways to translate this:

This is its meaning: (GW)

And I will tell you what they mean

I will now interpret/explain it for you

And this: The word this refers forward to what Daniel was about to say in 5:26b–28.

the message: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as the message is a general one referring to things or matters in general. Here it refers to the message that God wrote on the wall.

5:26b

MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign

‘Mene’ means ‘counted.’ God has been counting the days you have been ruling/reigning,
‘Mene,’ or ‘measured,’ means/indicates that God has measured the length of your rule.

MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign: The Aramaic consonants of the word MENE could be read as either a noun or a verb. Daniel interpreted it as a verb, supplying God as the subject. In your translation, you should use the same form of the word MENE as you did in 5:25b:

You may transliterate the word Mene. For example:
MENE: God has measured your sovereignty (NJB)
You may translate the meaning. For example:
Numbered—God has numbered the days of your kingdom (GW)
You may both transliterate and supply the meaning. For example:
MENE means ‘numbered’: God has numbered the days of your reign (NLT)

the days of your reign: The Aramaic expression is literally “your kingdom/kingship.” The BSB has supplied the word days, referring to a length or period of time. God had determined the length of time that Belshazzar would rule over the kingdom of Babylonia.

5:26c

and brought it to an end.

and he will now end them.
He has now decided that your rule is over/finished.

and brought it to an end: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as brought it to an end describes a decision God had made regarding an event in the future. Belshazzar’s kingdom had not yet come to an end, but it was about to end. This was certainly going to happen, because God had decided and determined it. The Aramaic verb is in the past tense, but in some languages it may be natural to use a future tense, as it refers to a future event. For example:

and will bring it to an end (GW)

until your kingdom will end (NCV)

Parallel DAN 5:26

Section 5:1–31: God judged King Belshazzar

Paragraph 5:26–28

5:26a

5:26b

5:26c