Daniel 2:39-49

Medo-Persia and Greece

39 "After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.

Rome

40 "Then there will be a ¹fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch * * as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.

41 "In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch * * as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.

42 "As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some * of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.

43 "And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one * another *, even as iron does not combine with pottery.

The Divine Kingdom

44 "In the days of those kings the ²God of heaven will ³set up a ⁴kingdom which will never * be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will ⁵crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

45 "Inasmuch * * as you saw that a ⁶stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the ⁷great God has made known to the king what ⁸will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy."

Daniel Promoted

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did ⁹homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and ¹⁰fragrant incense.

47 The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely * * ¹¹your God is a ¹²God of gods and a Lord of kings and a ¹³revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery."

48 Then the king ¹⁴promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole ¹⁵province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 And Daniel made request of the king, and he ¹⁶appointed ¹⁷Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king's ¹⁸court.

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Daniel 2:39-49 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIAL 2

The subject of this chapter is a dream which Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed, but had forgot; upon which he calls his magicians and astrologers together, to tell him it, and the interpretation of it; threatening them with death if they did not, and promising them great rewards and honour if they did, Da 2:1-6, they urge the unreasonableness of the demand, and the impossibility of the thing; which so highly incensed the king, that he ordered their immediate destruction, Da 2:7-13, Daniel and his companions being in danger, he goes in to the king, and desires time, and he would show him what he had dreamed; which being granted, he spent it in prayer to God, Da 2:14-18, and the thing being revealed to him, he gave thanks to God, Da 2:19-23, and being introduced to the king, he both told him his dream, and the interpretation of it; which concerned the four monarchies of the world, and the everlasting kingdom of the Messiah, Da 2:24-45, upon which he was highly honoured, and greatly promoted by the king, Da 2:46-49.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 18

1. Daniel 7:23
2. Daniel 2:28, 37
3. Isaiah 9:6, 7
4. Psalms 145:13; Ezekiel 37:25; Daniel 4:3, 34; Daniel 6:26; Daniel 7:14, 27; Micah 4:7; Luke 1:32, 33
5. Psalms 2:9; Isaiah 60:12; Daniel 2:34, 35
6. Daniel 2:34
7. Deuteronomy 10:17; 2 Samuel 7:22; Psalms 48:1; Jeremiah 32:18, 19; Daniel 2:29; Malachi 1:11
8. Genesis 41:28, 32
9. Daniel 3:5, 7; Acts 10:25; Acts 14:13; Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:8
10. Leviticus 26:31; Ezra 6:10
11. Daniel 3:15; Daniel 4:25
12. Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalms 136:2, 3; Daniel 11:36
13. Daniel 2:22, 30; Amos 3:7
14. Genesis 41:39-43; Daniel 2:6; Daniel 5:16, 29
15. Dan 3:1, 12, 30
16. Daniel 3:12
17. Daniel 1:7
18. Esther 2:19, 21; Amos 5:15

Footnotes 9

[a]. Lit "clay of mud"
[b]. Lit "clay of mud"
[c]. Or "with"
[d]. Or "passed on to"
[e]. Lit "after this"
[f]. Lit "sweet odors"
[g]. Lit "made great"
[h]. Lit "of the prefects"
[i]. Lit "gate"