Tekel

Tekel is one of the four words written on the wall of Belshazzar's banquet hall and interpreted by Daniel. The term occurs only in Daniel 5, where it functions both as part of the inscription and as the headword for one of Daniel's three interpretive glosses.

The Inscription

The writing that appears on the plaster of the king's palace is given in full: "And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN" (Da 5:25). Tekel stands as the third word in the sequence, set between the doubled MENE and the closing UPHARSIN.

The Interpretation

When Daniel turns to interpret the second word, the verdict is direct: "TEKEL; you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting" (Da 5:27). The judgment is rendered against Belshazzar personally — the verb is second-person singular — and the image is that of a balance-scale weighing the king and registering a deficit.