Discovery BoxDaniel 5:5 
Context5:5 At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared 1 and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. 2 The king was watching the back 3 of the hand that was writing.
Daniel 5:25-29
Context5:25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, 4 TEQEL, and PHARSIN. 5 5:26 This is the interpretation of the words: 6 As for mene 7 – God has numbered your kingdom’s days and brought it to an end. 5:27 As for teqel – you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking. 5:28 As for peres 8 – your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
5:29 Then, on Belshazzar’s orders, 9 Daniel was clothed in purple, a golden collar was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom.
1 tn Aram “came forth.”
2 sn The mention of the lampstand in this context is of interest because it suggests that the writing was in clear view.
3 tn While Aramaic פַּס (pas) can mean the palm of the hand, here it seems to be the back of the hand that is intended.
4 tc The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the repetition of מְנֵא (mÿne’, cf. NAB).
5 tc The Aramaic word is plural. Theodotion has the singular (cf. NAB “
6 tn Or “word” or “event.” See HALOT 1915 s.v. מִלָּה.
7 tn The Aramaic term מְנֵא (mÿne’) is a noun referring to a measure of weight. The linkage here to the verb “to number” (Aram. מְנָה, mÿnah) is a case of paronomasia rather than strict etymology. So also with תְּקֵל (tÿqel) and פַרְסִין (farsin). In the latter case there is an obvious wordplay with the name “Persian.”
8 sn Peres (פְּרֵס) is the singular form of פַרְסִין (pharsin) in v. 25.
9 tn Aram “Belshazzar spoke.”
