Upharsin

Upharsin (Aramaic: u-pharsin, meaning and they divide) is the third word of the mysterious inscription written by a supernatural hand on the wall of Belshazzar's palace during his great feast (Dan. 5:25): MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. It is a plural participle of the Aramaic root paras (to divide or break), closely related to the word Peres (one that divides) which Daniel uses in his interpretation.

Daniel's reading of the inscription connected the three words to three judgments on Belshazzar: MENE — God has numbered the days of his kingdom and finished it; TEKEL — he has been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES (singular of UPHARSIN) — his kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. The wordplay on PERES also evoked "Persia" (Paras in Aramaic), giving the interpretation a prophetic double meaning. That very night Belshazzar was killed (Dan. 5:30).