Simple answer
Daniel 5 records the handwriting on the wall and the fall of Belshazzar’s Babylon. Daniel interprets the message as divine judgment and explicitly says the kingdom is given to the Medes and Persians.
Daniel 5:1–9 — Belshazzar’s feast
Daniel 5:1–9 describes Belshazzar using vessels from the Jerusalem temple during a feast while praising gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. A hand then writes on the palace wall, terrifying the king.
Daniel 5:10–24 — Daniel confronts the king
Daniel 5:10–24 brings Daniel before Belshazzar. Daniel reminds him of Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation in Daniel 4 and says Belshazzar knew that history yet did not humble his heart.
The chapter presents judgment as morally connected to pride, idolatry, and deliberate disregard for revealed truth.
Daniel 5:25–28 — Mene, Tekel, Peres
Daniel 5:25–28 gives the words and Daniel’s interpretation: God has numbered the kingdom and finished it, the king has been weighed and found wanting, and the kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
This is one of Daniel’s clearest internal historical identifications: Medo-Persia is named directly in the narrative.
Daniel 5:29–31 — Babylon falls
Daniel 5:29–31 says Belshazzar is killed that night and Darius the Mede receives the kingdom. The fall of Babylon prepares the political setting for Daniel 6 and supports the broader kingdom succession seen in Daniel 2, 7, and 8.
Frequently asked questions
What did the handwriting on the wall mean?
Daniel 5 interprets it as Babylon’s kingdom being numbered and finished, Belshazzar being weighed and found wanting, and the kingdom being divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
Does Daniel 5 directly name Medo-Persia?
Yes. Daniel 5:28 says the kingdom is given to the Medes and Persians.