Daniel 5:8

New Life Version

Then all the king's wise men came in. But they could not read the writing or tell the king 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.

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.

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 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 special supper for a thousand of his important men, and drank wine with them. ² When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he had all the gold and silver cups brought which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the Lord's house in Jerusalem. The king sent for them so that he and his important men and all his wives could drink from them. ³ So they brought the gold cups that had been taken from the house of God in Jerusalem. And the king and his important men and all his wives drank from them. ⁴ They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. ⁵ All at once the fingers of a man's hand were seen writing on the wall near the lamp-stand of the king's house. And the king saw the back of the hand as it wrote. ⁶ Then the king's face turned white, and his thoughts turned to fear. His legs became weak and his knees began shaking. ⁷ The king called in a loud voice for the wonder-workers, the men who learned from stars and those who used their secret ways. He said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man who can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed with purple clothing and have a chain of gold around his neck. And he will be the third in power in the nation." ⁸ Then all the king's wise men came in. But they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was very afraid. His face lost even more of its color, and his important men did not know what to do.

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.