Hamnik (ืึทืึฐื ึดืืึฐ) is an Aramaic loanword appearing in Daniel 5:29, referring to a gold chain or necklace placed around the neck as a mark of royal honor and high office. The word appears in the context of Belshazzar rewarding Daniel for interpreting the writing on the wall.
In the ancient Near East, a golden chain around the neck was a visible sign of royal appointment and delegation of authority. When Belshazzar placed the hamnik of gold around Daniel's neck and made him third in the kingdom, he performed an act of formal investiture โ even though Daniel had just delivered a devastating prophecy of Belshazzar's doom. The irony is profound: the king honored the prophet who pronounced his death sentence, unable to suppress the recognition of divine authority even in judgment.
The gold chain recalls Joseph's elevation in Egypt (Genesis 41:42) โ both Hebrew men, in foreign courts, received chains of office as God raised them to positions of influence. The hamnik symbolizes God's ability to exalt His servants in the courts of the world's empires.