mene mene tekel upharsin

US/ˈmɛni ˈmɛni ˈtɛkəl juˈfɑɹsɪn/UK/ˈmiːniː ˈmiːniː ˈtɛkəl juːˈfɑːsɪn/

phrase

Words written by a mysterious hand on the wall of Belshazzar's palace, and interpreted by Daniel as predicting the doom of the king and his dynasty.

OriginAramaic מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין →
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Meanings

phrase
  1. Words written by a mysterious hand on the wall of Belshazzar's palace, and interpreted by Daniel as predicting the doom of the king and his dynasty.

Origin

  1. Aramaicמְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין“a mina, a mina, a shekel, and half-shekels”
  2. Englishmene mene tekel upharsin

A transliteration of Aramaic מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין (mənē mənē təqēl ūp̄arsīn, “a mina, a mina, a shekel, and half-shekels”) from Daniel 5:25.

More words from Aramaic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mene mene tekel upharsin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mene%20mene%20tekel%20upharsin

MLA

“mene mene tekel upharsin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mene%20mene%20tekel%20upharsin. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mene mene tekel upharsin,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mene%20mene%20tekel%20upharsin.

Source: mene mene tekel upharsin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.