Daniel 5:27 — Word Study
WLCתְּקֵ֑ל תְּקִ֥ילְתָּה בְמֹֽאזַנְיָ֖א וְהִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַתְּ חַסִּֽיר׃
BSATEKELtᵉqal [weighed, to measure worth] means that you have been weighedtᵉqal [evaluated, assessed] on the scalesmôʼzên△ [balance, instrument of judgment] and foundshᵉkach■ [discovered, determined] deficientchaççîyr△ [lacking, wanting, to be insufficient]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| תְּקֵ֑ל | teqel | Noun common, both singular absolute |
| תְּקִ֥ילְתָּה | you have been weighed | Verb plural, second person masculine singular |
| בְמֹֽאזַנְיָ֖א | in scales the | Preposition, noun common masculine plural determined, particle |
| וְהִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַתְּ | and you have been found | Conjunction, verb plural second person masculine singular |
| חַסִּֽיר׃ | lacking | Adj |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. |
| KJV | TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. |
| ASV | TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. |
| YLT | Weighed — Thou art weighed in the balances, and hast been found lacking. |
| WEB | TEKEL: you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting. |
| BBE | Tekel; you have been put in the scales and seen to be under weight. |
Where they part company is חַסִּֽיר — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has a main clause followed by two phrases that provide context and result, clearly outlining the divine judgment.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
2 of 5 occur nowhere else in the Old Testament — words chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Daniel 5:27
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Interpretation of the Writinggenerated
Daniel 5:27 reveals the interpretation of God's message to Belshazzar, emphasizing that his reign has been weighed and found wanting. This moment serves as a divine judgment, illustrating the consequences of his actions and the end of his authority. The surrounding verses provide context for the message, highlighting the seriousness of God's evaluation of leadership and moral conduct.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 31:6 | let God weigh me with honest scales, that He may know my integrity. |
| 2 | Psalm 62:9 | Lowborn men are but a vapor, the exalted but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor. |
| 3 | Jeremiah 6:30 | They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.” |
| 4 | Ezekiel 22:18–20 | “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver. |
| 5 | Matthew 22:11–12 | But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — תְּקֵל, te.Kelgenerated
The noun תְּקֵל (teqel) means 'to weigh' and is closely related to the concept of a shekel, a standard unit of weight. In this verse, it conveys the idea of evaluation or measurement, indicating that Belshazzar's life and reign have been subject to divine scrutiny.
The parsing as a noun indicates it is used here to signify a unit of measurement, underscoring the importance of being weighed in the balance of justice. The use of this term in the context of judgment highlights the seriousness of the assessment being made.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against. The BSB has deficient, and so do the KJV and the ASV, maintaining the notion of lacking or insufficiency.
Where others part company with the BSB they part company over the word חַסִּֽיר — wanting (KJV, ASV) emphasizes a need, while lacking (FBV, NETB) suggests a deficiency. This reflects a subtle difference in the interpretation of Belshazzar's state.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb תְּקִ֥ילְתָּה (you have been weighed) governs the main clause, with a prepositional phrase בְּמֹאזַנְיָא (in scales) describing the context of the weighing, and another verb וְהִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַתְּ (and you have been found) indicating the result of that weighing.
The structure emphasizes the action of weighing and the subsequent finding, illustrating a clear cause-and-effect relationship in the judgment being pronounced.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Daniel 5:27 means that God has weighed Belshazzar's reign and found it lacking. This judgment shows the consequences of his actions and serves as a warning about the importance of moral integrity in leadership.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies that God evaluated his reign and conduct, determining that he did not measure up to the standards expected of him.
It indicates that Belshazzar's rule was found lacking in righteousness and moral integrity, leading to his downfall.
It illustrates the principle that God holds leaders accountable for their actions and decisions, emphasizing the need for just and righteous governance.
We learn the importance of living with integrity and the consequences of failing to heed God's warnings.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I feel I need to be more accountable to God's standards?
- How can I ensure that my actions align with my values and beliefs?
- What lessons can I take from Belshazzar's failure to heed divine warnings?
- How can I apply the principle of being weighed in the balance to my daily decisions?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Daniel 5:27 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleTEKEL,.... As for the meaning of this word, and what it points at, it is this: thou art weighed in the balances: of justice and truth, in the holy righteous law of God; as gold, and jewels, and
Read John Gill on Daniel 5 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryTEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances. The Egyptians thought that Osiris weighed the actions of the dead in a literal balance.
Read Robert Jamieson on Daniel 5 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThou art weighed in a hanging balance, alluding to the weighing of goods exactly in scales; and God is said to weigh the mountains in scales: it shows his just proceeding; God is not hasty in punishing, but will give just allowance in weighing, he will hold the scales, he will do it fairly before all the world. Art found wanting; thou dost not hold weight, but comest short vastly. There is no weight nor worth in thee. Thou hast made light of God in his honour, people, vessels; and the Lord makes light of thee, thou art reprobate silver, false coin; thou art of no value.
Read Matthew Poole on Daniel 5 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsDaniel 5:27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Ver. 27. TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.] As the former was a term taken from creditors, so this from light coin; deprehensus es minus habere, thou art not current. Others may think thee weighty enough and worthy, but God pondereth the hearts, and thinketh thee fit to be refused, ut nummus reprobus so money rejected. Iupiter ipse duas aequato examine lances Sustinet. - Virg.
Read John Trapp on Daniel 5 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges25–28. The reading and interpretation of the writing.
Read Cambridge on Daniel 5 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleTekel - This word (תקל teqēl) is also, according to Gesenius, a passive participle (from תקל teqal - “to poise, to weigh”), and means “weighed.” It would be used with reference to anything placed in
Read Albert Barnes on Daniel 5 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
TEKEL: you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.
TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
As for teqel – you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking.
Tyndale line
TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
TEKEL, thou art wayed in the balance, and art found too light.
Strictly literal
TEKEL, Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting;
Weighed — Thou art weighed in the balances, and hast been found lacking.
Weighed—You are weighed in the balances, and have been found lacking.
T'kel, Thou least been weighed in the balances, and been found wanting.
'Tekel,' 'you are weighed in the scales and are found lacking.'
From the Latin
THECEL: thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting.
Simplified
Weighed—you have been weighed on the balances and you were found lacking.
Tekel; you have been put in the scales and seen to be under weight.
Word by word, the decisions they made
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads תְּקֵ֑ל תְּקִ֥ילְתָּה בְמֹֽאזַנְיָ֖א וְהִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַתְּ חַסִּֽיר׃, while the Septuagint matches four of the five words, indicating a strong agreement in the core message but differing in word order.
תְּקֵ֑ל תְּקִ֥ילְתָּה בְמֹֽאזַנְיָ֖א וְהִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַתְּ חַסִּֽיר׃
4 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Daniel 5:27
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
תְּקַל (teqal) primarily means 'to weigh' and is associated with the noun תְּקֵל (teqel), which refers to a 'shekel,' a unit of weight. The verb appears in Daniel 5:27, where it conveys the idea of weighing. The entries indicate a close relationship between the concepts of weighing and the shekel.
[תְּקַל] vb. weigh;—Pe‛îl Dn 5:27
ref
תְּקֵל n.[m.] shekel
base
H8625a תְּקַל weigh H8625b תְּקֵל shekel
8625 tqal tek-al'
(Aramaic) corresponding to 8254; to balance:--Tekel, be
weighed.
see HEBREW for 08254
תְּקַל (te.qal) — to weigh.
v
1) to weigh
1a) (P'il) to be weighed
תְּקֵל (te.qel) — shekel.
1) tekel, shekel
1a) (P'al) tekel-a unit of weight, shekel
Adj — Noun common · both singular absoluteANcbsa
תְּקַל (teqal) primarily means 'to weigh' and is associated with the noun תְּקֵל (teqel), which refers to a 'shekel,' a unit of weight. The verb appears in Daniel 5:27, where it conveys the idea of weighing. The entries indicate a close relationship between the concepts of weighing and the shekel.
[תְּקַל] vb. weigh;—Pe‛îl Dn 5:27
ref
תְּקֵל n.[m.] shekel
base
H8625a תְּקַל weigh H8625b תְּקֵל shekel
8625 tqal tek-al'
(Aramaic) corresponding to 8254; to balance:--Tekel, be
weighed.
see HEBREW for 08254
תְּקַל (te.qal) — to weigh.
v
1) to weigh
1a) (P'il) to be weighed
תְּקֵל (te.qel) — shekel.
1) tekel, shekel
1a) (P'al) tekel-a unit of weight, shekel
Adj — Verb plural · second person masculine singularAVQp2ms
The Hebrew word מֹאזֵנְיָא (*mo'zen*) means 'scale' or 'balance.' It is an Aramaic term derived from מֹאזֵן (*mozen*), which also means 'balance.' The word appears in Daniel 5:27.
מֹאזֵנְיָא n.m.emph. scale, balance;—Dn 5:27
ref
H3977 מֹאזֵנְיָא, מֹאזֵן
3977 mo'zen mo-zane'
(Aramaic) corresponding to 3976:--balances.
see HEBREW for 03976
מֹאזֵנְיָא (mo.zen) — scale.
scale, balance
Aramaic of mo.zen (מֹאזֵן "balance" H3976)
Adj | N-mp | Art — Preposition · noun common masculine plural determined · particleAR/Ncmpd/Ta
skalz
(1) qasqeseth "fish-scales";
(2) meghinnah, maghen, "scales of the crocodile";
(3) lepis, with verb lepizo "scale away" (Tobit 3:17; 11:13)):
(1) The first Hebrew word qasqeseth means the imbricated scales of fish, which together with the dorsal fin were a distinguishing mark of all fish allowed as food to the Israelite (Le 11:9 ff; De 14:9 f). In the figurative sense the word is used of a coat of mail (1Sa 17:5,38).
שְׁכַח (shkach) means 'to find' and can also imply the state of being found. It is built from the idea of discovering something that was covered or forgotten. The entries indicate its use in both literal and figurative contexts, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[שְׁכַח] vb. Haph. find
Hithpe. be found
base
H7912 שְׁכַח
7912 shkach shek-akh'
(Aramaic) corresponding to 7911 through the idea of
disclosure of a covered or forgotten thing; to discover
(literally or figuratively):--find.
see HEBREW for 07911
שְׁכַח (she.khach) — to find.
1) to find
1a) (Aphel) to find
1b) (Ithp'al) to be found
Adj | V-u-Perf-2ms — Conjunction · verb plural second person masculine singularAC/Vup2ms
חַסִּר (chas.sir) means lacking, wanting, or deficient. It is derived from a root related to the word for deficiency and is used in the context of something that is not present or is insufficient. The only specific reference noted is in Daniel 5:27.
חַסִּר adj. lacking, wanting, deficient;—Dn 5:27.
ref
H2627 חַסִּר, חַסִּיר
2627 chacciyr khas-seer'
(Aramaic) from a root corresponding to 2637;
deficient:--wanting.
see HEBREW for 02637
חַסִּר (chas.sir) — lacking.
lacking, wanting, deficient
Adj — AdjAAabsa