Indeed, the phrase ‘you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting’ is sometimes used about someone who fails to impress, especially when compared with someone else: in other words, compared to the empires of the ‘Medes’ and the Persians, the Babylonian’s empire’s days are numbered. Sure enough, this is what ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN’ meant for Belshazzar and his kingdom.
This is why ‘the writing is on the wall’ is now used to denote a state of doom that is about to fall upon someone or something. Daniel promptly interprets the meaning of these enigmatic words which have puzzled all of the king’s other astrologers and sages:ĥ:26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.ĥ:27 TEKEL Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.ĥ:28 PERES Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
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