Lexical Summary mene: Numbered Original Word: מְנֵא Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Mene (Aramaic) passive participle of mna'; numbered -- Mene. see HEBREW mna' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to maneh Definition maneh, mina (a measure of weight) NASB Translation MENE (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְנֵא noun [masculine] maneh, mina, a weight (see Biblical Hebrew; Old Aramaic מנה SAC75 Lzb313); — absolute Daniel 5:25 (twice in verse); Daniel 5:26, see ClGann:JAs Juillet-Août, 1886, 36 ff. NöZA i. 414 f. Dr and others; its connection in Daniel with מְנָה is due to word-play; see also מְּרֵס, תְּקֵל. Topical Lexicon Etymological and Contextual Background The word מְנֵא appears within the Aramaic section of Daniel and functions as part of the triad “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin.” While the individual terms are Aramaic, their inclusion in the Hebrew canon embeds them in Hebrew thought. Repetition (“Mene, Mene”) establishes certainty and urgency, a common Semitic rhetorical device. Canonical Context in Daniel Daniel 5 records Babylon’s final royal banquet, where Belshazzar profanes vessels from the Jerusalem temple. In response, the divine hand writes the cryptic inscription. Daniel interprets the first clause: “MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end” (Daniel 5:26). The term appears twice in Daniel 5:25 and once in Daniel 5:26, underscoring divine finality. The prophecy is fulfilled that very night when the Medo-Persian forces overthrow Babylon, verifying Scripture’s reliability. Theological Significance of Divine Accounting 1. Divine Sovereignty: מְנֵא testifies that God, not human kings, sets the boundaries of empires (compare Job 12:23; Acts 17:26). Historical and Cultural Setting Belshazzar’s feast (circa 539 BC) occurs on the eve of Babylon’s fall. Archaeology confirms a co-regency between Nabonidus and Belshazzar, lending credibility to Daniel’s narrative. The sudden shift from revelry to ruin illustrates the fragility of human power when confronted by God’s timetable. Prophetic and Eschatological Implications מְנֵא foreshadows end-time accounting. Just as Babylon’s days were fixed, so are the days of the present world order (Revelation 10:6). The phrase establishes a pattern: worldly kingdoms rise and fall, but “His dominion is an everlasting dominion” (Daniel 7:14). Implications for Ministry and Discipleship 1. Urgency in Evangelism: Since God has numbered human history, believers proclaim the gospel “while it is day” (John 9:4). Christological Foreshadowing The fall of Babylon prefigures Christ’s triumph over worldly systems (Revelation 18). Jesus, the “Stone cut without hands” (Daniel 2:34-35), ultimately replaces every numbered kingdom with an unending one. מְנֵא therefore directs attention forward to the decisive moment when the King of Kings judges all nations. Cross-References and Thematic Parallels Job 14:5 – “Man’s days are determined; You have decreed the number of his months…” Psalm 139:16 – “All my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.” 1 Peter 4:5 – “They will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” These passages align with מְנֵא’s core message: God’s meticulous governance over time and destiny. Forms and Transliterations מְנֵ֕א מְנֵ֖א מְנֵ֥א מנא mə·nê meNe mənêLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 5:25 HEB: דִּ֣י רְשִׁ֑ים מְנֵ֥א מְנֵ֖א תְּקֵ֥ל NAS: that was written out: 'MENE, MENE, KJV: that was written, MENE, MENE, INT: that was written MENE MENE TEKEL Daniel 5:25 Daniel 5:26 3 Occurrences |
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