Charles Ellicott Commentary Daniel 5:8

"Then came in all the king`s wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation." — Daniel 5:8 (ASV)

Then—that is, after the king had addressed the wise men whom he had summoned. But why could they not read an inscription which Daniel deciphered at first sight? It has been conjectured:

1. that the character was old Semitic, or one which the wise men did not know;
2. that the language of the inscription was unknown to them;
3. that the words were written in vertical columns, and the wise men attempted to read them horizontally.

The only true explanation is to be found in the supernatural character of the inscription and in the inspiration of Daniel. In this way, God asserts Himself against the false wisdom of the pagans.