PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
The word פרס, Pheres, is added, for the word Phersin, meaning his kingdom was divided among the Medes and Persians. I have no doubt that by this word God signified the dispersion of the Monarchy which was at hand. When, therefore, he says Upharsin, and they shall divide, it signifies the instability of the Monarchy, since he wished to destroy or utterly abolish it.
Here is, I. The information given to the king, by the queen-mother, concerning Daniel, how fit he was to be consulted in this difficult case. It is supposed that this queen was the widow of Evil-Merodach, and was that famous Nitocris whom Herodotus mentions as a woman of extraordinary prudence.
Commenting on Daniel 5:10-29
PERES,.... The singular of "Pharsin", Dan 5:25. The sense of this word is, thy kingdom is divided: which, though it consisted of various provinces, united under Belshazzar, now should be broken and separated from him: and given to the Medes and Persians; to Darius the Mede, and to Cyrus the Persian, who was a partner for a while with his uncle Darius in the government...