דניאל, פרק ה׳, פסוק ח׳

Drawn by the king's promises of gifts and great wealth, the greatest minds of the Babylonian empire gather to face a mysterious heavenly message [אלשיך]. Despite their full attendance, they stand completely helpless. They fail at two distinct tasks: they are unable to read the writing, and consequently, they cannot explain its meaning to the king.

This double failure raises a natural question, as it seems obvious that an inability to read the text would automatically prevent anyone from explaining it [מצודת דוד]. The primary approach among commentators is that the wise men simply could not read the script or grasp its meaning [ביאור שטיינזלץ, יוסף אבן יחיא]. However, others see a deeper significance in this twofold defeat, viewing it as the total collapse of the Babylonian mystic systems. In normal circumstances, a person might read a text without understanding it, or conversely, magicians and astrologers might foresee the future through the stars even without a written message. In this case, the king's advisors fail entirely on both fronts [מלבי״ם]. Taking a different perspective, some suggest the wise men actually did identify the letters, reading them as a meaningless string of words. Their true failure lay in not understanding the correct reading method, which was from top to bottom. Because they could not read the text in the proper direction, they could not arrive at a logical solution [אלשיך].

This collective failure is not a random occurrence, but a deliberate plan directed by God. The purpose is to elevate Daniel's status and increase his prestige ahead of the approaching regime change, ensuring he will be highly respected by Darius, who is soon to take the throne. Furthermore, this event brings a historical cycle from the days of Nebuchadnezzar to a close. The Jewish children who were originally taken captive to entertain the king with their wisdom ultimately become the very messengers who deliver the prophecies of doom and disaster decreed upon the kings of Babylon [אלשיך].