The idiom “writing on the wall” refers to a warning sign or a clear indication that something bad is about to happen. It originates from a dramatic episode in the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible.
Around 539 BCE, King Belshazzar of Babylon hosted a lavish feast for a thousand nobles. In a shocking act of sacrilege, he ordered that sacred gold and silver vessels looted from the Temple in Jerusalem be brought out and used to drink wine. As they praised pagan gods (gods worshipped by ancient cultures like the Babylonians, but not accepted by other religions like Judaism, Christianity, or Islam), a mysterious hand appeared and wrote cryptic words on the palace wall: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.
The prophet Daniel was summoned to interpret them:
- Mene – God has numbered your days and brought your reign to an end.
- Tekel – You have been weighed and found wanting.
- Upharsin – Your kingdom will be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
Belshazzar’s arrogance, irreverence, and failure to learn from his ancestor Nebuchadnezzar’s mistakes sealed his fate. (Years earlier, Nebuchadnezzar had been warned in a dream to humble himself. When he ignored it and boasted about his glory, a voice from heaven struck him with madness. He lived like a wild animal for seven years, eating grass, until he acknowledged God’s authority. Only then was his kingdom restored.) That very night, Babylon fell, and Belshazzar was killed.
Today, the phrase reminds us to notice early warnings, and act before it’s too late.
Pic Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
