Daniel 5:8

Easy-to-Read Version

So all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or understand what it meant.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So all the king’s wise men came in, but none could read the inscription or make its interpretation known to him.

Hebrew Names Version
Then came in all the king's wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.

King James Version
Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

English Standard Version
Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation.

New American Standard Bible
Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.

New Century Version
Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.

Amplified Bible
Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or reveal to the king its interpretation.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then came all the Kings wise men, but they could neither reade the writing, nor shewe the King the interpretation.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.

Berean Standard Bible
So all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or interpret it for him.

Contemporary English Version
All of King Belshazzar's highest officials came in, but not one of them could read the writing or tell what it meant,

Complete Jewish Bible
But although all the king's sages came in, none could read the inscription or tell the king what it meant.

Darby Translation
Then came in all the king's wise men, but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.

George Lamsa Translation
Then came in all the kings wise men; but they could not read the writing nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

Good News Translation
The royal advisers came forward, but none of them could read the writing or tell the king what it meant.

Lexham English Bible
Then all the wise men of the king came in, but they were not able to read the writing or to make known its explanation.

Literal Translation
Then all the king's wise men came in. But they could not read the writing or make the meaning known to the king.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Vpon this, came all the kynges wyse men: but they coude nether rede the wrytinge, ner shewe the kynge what it signified.

American Standard Version
Then came in all the king's wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.

Bible in Basic English
Then all the king's wise men came in: but they were not able to make out the writing or give the sense of it to the king.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.

King James Version (1611)
Then came in all the kings wise men, but they could not reade the writing, nor make knowen to the king the interpretation thereof.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Upon this came al the kinges wise men, but they coulde neither reade the wryting, nor shewe the king the interpretation.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known the interpretation to the king.

English Revised Version
Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.

World English Bible
Then came in all the king's wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne alle the wise men of the kyng entriden, and miyten not rede the scripture, nether schewe to the kyng the interpretyng therof.

Update Bible Version
Then all the king's wise men came in; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then came in all the king's wise [men]: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation of it.

New English Translation
So all the king's wise men came in, but they were unable to read the writing or to make known its interpretation to the king.

New King James Version
Now all the king's wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation.

New Living Translation
But when all the king's wise men had come in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant.

New Life Bible
Then all the king's wise men came in. But they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.

New Revised Standard
Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king the interpretation.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then were coming in all the wise men of the king, - but, the writing, could they not read, nor, the interpretation, make known to the king.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then came in all the king’s wise men, but they could neither read the writing, nor declare the interpretation to the king.

Revised Standard Version
Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation.

Young's Literal Translation
Then coming up are all the wise men of the king, and they are not able to read the writing, and the interpretation to make known to the king;

THE MESSAGE
One after the other they tried, but could make no sense of it. They could neither read what was written nor interpret it to the king. So now the king was really frightened. All the blood drained from his face. The nobles were in a panic.

Contextual Overview

¹ King Belshazzar gave a big party for 1000 of his officials. The king was drinking wine with them. ² As Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he ordered his servants to bring the gold and silver cups. His grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken these cups from the Temple in Jerusalem. King Belshazzar wanted his royal people, his wives, and his slave women to drink from those cups. ³ So they brought the gold cups that had been taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his officials, his wives, and his women slaves drank from them. ⁴ As they were drinking, they gave praise to their idol gods, which were only statues made from gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. ⁵ Suddenly, a person's hand appeared and began writing on the wall. The fingers scratched words into the plaster on the wall, near the lampstand in the king's palace. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. ⁶ King Belshazzar was very afraid. His face became white from fear, and his knees were shaking and knocking together. He could not stand up because his legs were too weak. ⁷ The king called for the men of magic and the Chaldeans to be brought to him. He said to these wise men, "I will give a reward to anyone who can read this writing and explain to me what it means. I will give him purple robes to wear and will put a gold chain around his neck. I will make him the third highest ruler in the kingdom." ⁸ So all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or understand what it meant. ⁹ King Belshazzar's officials were confused, and the king became even more afraid and worried. His face was white from fear.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

but: Because, probably, it was written in the ancient Hebrew or Samaritan character. Daniel 2:27, Daniel 4:7, Genesis 41:8, Isaiah 47:9, Isaiah 47:12-15

Reciprocal: Exodus 8:18 - they could Isaiah 41:28 - I beheld Isaiah 47:13 - Let now Jeremiah 50:35 - her wise men Daniel 1:20 - the magicians Daniel 2:4 - tell Daniel 4:18 - forasmuch Daniel 5:5 - wrote Daniel 5:15 - General Colossians 2:14 - the handwriting

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then came in all the king's wise men,.... The whole college of them, the persons before described; over whom, in Nebuchadnezzar's time, Daniel was the chief of the governors, Daniel 2:48, these came in readily, in hope of getting both riches and honour:

but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof; for if they could not do the former, it must be impossible to do the latter; of the reason of which, various are the conjectures p: as that, though these words were written in Chaldee, yet in characters, as the Samaritan or Phoenician, they did not understand; or were written without points, and so they knew not which were the proper ones to put to them; or they were written according to the position of the letters of the alphabet, called "athbash", of which

Daniel 2:48- :, or the words were placed so as to be read backward, or else downward, and not straightforward; or they were all in one word; or only the initial letters of words; but the true reason was, that it was so ordained by the Lord, that they should not be able to read and interpret them; this being reserved for another man, Daniel, that he might have the honour, and God the glory.

p Vid. Jac. de Clerice Dissertat. de Epulo Belshazzar, in Thesaur. Theolog. Philol. vol. 1. p. 885.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then came in all the king’s wise men - The classes above referred to, Daniel 5:7.

But they could not read the writing - The character was an unknown character to them. It may have been a character which was not found in any language, and which made the power of Daniel to read it the more remarkable, or it may have been, as suggested in the notes at Daniel 5:7, a foreign character with which they had no acquaintance, though familiar to Daniel.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Daniel 5:8. They could not read the writing — Because it was in the pure Hebrew, not the Chaldean character. See below.