H4484 H4484
mene (Aramaic: 'numbered' or 'mina,' word from handwriting on wall)
An Aramaic word appearing in the mysterious handwriting on the wall at Belshazzar's feast. 'MENE' appears twice in the inscription (Daniel 5:25) and receives interpretation once (5:26). The word involves wordplay: it can mean 'numbered' (from the verb to number) or 'mina' (a weight measure). Daniel interprets it as 'God has numbered your kingdom and brought it to an end.' The double occurrence emphasizes certainty and finality of the divine decree.
Senses
1. sense 1 — This term appears as a transliterated Aramaic word 'MENE' in most translations, preserving the mystery and drama of the original scene. Daniel 5:25 records it written twice on the palace wall. Daniel 5:26 provides the interpretation based on the verbal root 'to number'—God has numbered Belshazzar's days and the kingdom's days, finding them complete. That very night the prophecy was fulfilled as Babylon fell to Persian forces, demonstrating divine sovereignty over earthly kingdoms. 3×
AR["مِنْاَ"]·ben["মেনে"]·DE["[מנא]"]·EN["MENE"]·FR["Noa"]·heb["מנא"]·HI["मेने"]·ID["MENE"]·IT["mene"]·jav["MENÉ"]·KO["메네", "메네-는"]·PT["MENE"]·RU["МЕНЕ"]·ES["MENE"]·SW["MENE"]·TR["MENE"]·urd["منے"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מְנֵא n. [m.] maneh, mina, a weight (v. BH; Old Aramaic מנה SAC75 Lzb313);—abs. Dn 5:25(×2), 26, v. ClGannJAs Juillet-Août, 1886, 36 ff. NöZA i. 414 f. Dr al.; its connexion in Dn with מְנָה is due to word-play; v. also פְּרֵס, תְּקֵל.