Daniel 5:28

PERES means that your kingdom has been divided: God would divide the Babylonian Empire and give it to two peoples, the Medes and the Persians.

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN: These Aramaic units of measure are used on a balance to weigh goods being bought and sold. Belshazzar knew the words, but Daniel explained their meaning in this context. The God of Israel measures kings and kingdoms using the balances of justice and righteousness (compare Daniel 4:27).

All earthly kingdoms eventually end. Nebuchadnezzar's dream suggested that Babylon would fall and a new kingdom would rise (Daniel 2:39).

After Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 BC, violence and corruption grew in Babylon's palaces. During Belshazzar's feast in 539 BC, they even defiled God's holy vessels. God's judgment came quickly that night (Daniel 5:30), and the next kingdom took over (see 2:32, 39; 5:31).

This section contains stories and dreams from the experiences of Daniel and his friends in Babylon. Daniel used his special gift to understand dreams and showed great skill in the study of literature and science (Daniel 1:17). Chapter 2 provides a broad overview of history until God's kingdom appears (Daniel 2:44–49). Daniel 3–6 describes the fall of Babylon and the rise of Persia. History is moving toward a clear goal. That goal is the everlasting kingdom of God (Daniel 2:44; 4:2–3, 34; 6:26).