<P> Belshazzar's feast, or the story of the writing on the wall (chapter 5 in the Book of Daniel) tells how Belshazzar holds a great feast and drinks from the vessels that had been looted in the destruction of the First Temple . A hand appears and writes on the wall . The terrified Belshazzar calls for his wise men, but they are unable to read the writing . The queen advises him to send for Daniel, renowned for his wisdom . Daniel reminds Belshazzar that his father Nebuchadnezzar, when he became arrogant, was thrown down until he learned that God has sovereignty over the kingdom of men . Belshazzar had likewise blasphemed God, and so God sent this hand . Daniel then reads the message and interprets it: God has numbered Belshazzar's days, he has been weighed and found wanting, and his kingdom will be given to the Medes and the Persians . </P> <P> That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean (Babylonian) king was killed, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom . </P>

Where does the phrase the writing is on the wall come from