Daniel 5:24-29 - Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary

There is some little difficulty to an ordinary Reader in observing, that the words of the hand writing on the wall, and the manner of Daniel's interpreting them are not the same. The word MENE is twice! which everyone who knows anything of the Hebrew language, knows, is a common way of expressing a thing as certain. TEKEL, thou art weighed and found light: these words, are as the hand writing of the wall represented them. But the other word, UPHARSIN, differs from what Daniel made it, PERES. But when the Reader be told, that PERES is the singular number of UPHARSIN, this explains it, and removes the difficulty. PERES, He divideth it, that is, God hath done it. UPHARSIN, They divided it, that is, the Medes and Persians, as God's ministry. As the Chaldean and the Hebrew languages had no doubt upon many occasions been thrown together, there seems to have been here a compound of both: so that it is probable Daniel had both in view; the one to the dividing the kingdom, and the other of the nation to whom it was given, that is, both the Medes and Persians. Cyrus the Persian conquered it; and Darius the Mede, a confederate prince in colleague with Cyrus, by agreement was made king over it. It doth not appear that the poor Prophet ever made a public appearance in his scarlet and gold; and indeed, from the death of the king the same night, it should seem improbable that he ever did. But what were such things then, or what are they now, but as the toys of children to the Lord's servants!