TEKEL
Tekel is a term with multiple meanings in religious, linguistic, and historical contexts. In Semitic languages, tekel (from Aramaic teqel) means “weighed.” It appears in the biblical Book of Daniel as part of the phrase Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin, written on the wall during Belshazzar’s feast. The passage is commonly interpreted as a divine judgment, with Mene meaning “numbered,” Tekel meaning “weighed,” and Upharsin meaning “divided.” The sentence is taken to signify that the kingdom has been weighed in the balance and found wanting, presaging its end.
In Turkish usage, Tekel refers to the former state monopoly over tobacco and alcoholic beverages, and to
Thus, tekel can denote an ancient weighing term in biblical or linguistic contexts, or a historical reference