Daniel 5:15

Now the wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this inscription and interpret it for me, but they could not give its interpretation.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — King Belshazzar addresses Daniel and his court at the banquet, recounting how his advisors were summoned to decipher a mysterious wall inscription but failed.

The words — The Hebrew הֻעַלּוּ (hu.'A.lu) means "they have been brought," and חַכִּֽימַיָּא (cha.ki.mai.Ya') translates to "the wise men."

The thread — This account of court diviners failing to read the inscription runs parallel to the summoning of Babylonian enchanters in Daniel 5:7 and the warning against exhausting oneself with spells in Isaiah 47:12.

Why it lands — The passage records the concrete failure of human divination to establish that interpretation belongs to God alone.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וּכְעַ֞ןu./khe.'Anand/ now הֻעַ֣לּוּhu.'A.luthey have been brought קָֽדָמַ֗יka.da.Ma/ibefore/ me חַכִּֽימַיָּא֙cha.ki.mai.Ya/'wise men/ the אָֽשְׁפַיָּ֔א'a.she.fai.Ya/'conjurers/ the דִּֽי־di-that כְתָבָ֤הkhe.ta.Vah/'writing/ the דְנָה֙de.Nahthis יִקְר֔וֹןyik.Ronthey will read aloud וּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּu./fish.Re/hand/ interpretation/ its לְהוֹדָעֻתַ֑נִיle./ho.da.'u.Ta./nito/ make known to/ me וְלָֽא־ve./la'-and/ not כָהֲלִ֥יןkha.ha.Lin[they were] able פְּשַֽׁר־pe.shar-[the] interpretation of מִלְּתָ֖אmi.le.Ta/'matter/ the לְהַחֲוָיָֽה׃le./ha.cha.va.Yahto/ declare

King James Version

And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:

Cross-references

Daniel 5:7 The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
Isaiah 47:12 So take your stand with your spells and with your many sorceries, with which you have wearied yourself from your youth. Perhaps you will succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror!
Isaiah 29:10 For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers.
Daniel 2:3 he said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand it.”