Daniel 2:1-16

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; ¹his spirit was troubled, and ²his sleep left him.

2 Then the king commanded that ³the magicians, ⁴the enchanters, the ⁵sorcerers, and ⁶the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and ⁷stood before the king.

3 And the king said to them, "I had a dream, and ⁸my spirit is troubled to know the dream."

4 Then ⁹the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,^[a]10"O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."

5 The king answered and said to ¹¹the Chaldeans, "The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be ¹²torn limb from limb, ¹³and your ¹⁴houses shall be laid in ruins.

6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, ¹⁵you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. ¹⁶Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation."

7 They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation."

8 The king answered and said, "I know with certainty that you are trying to ¹⁷gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm--

9 if you do not make the dream known to me, ¹⁸there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till ¹⁹the times change. ²⁰Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation."

10 ²¹The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or ²²Chaldean.

11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except ²³the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."

12 Because of this the king was angry and ²⁴very furious, and ²⁵commanded that all ²⁶the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought ²⁷Daniel and his companions, to kill them.

14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to ²⁸Arioch, the ²⁹captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.

15 He declared^[b] to Arioch, the king's captain, "Why is the decree of the king ³⁰so urgent?" Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.

16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.

Daniel 2:1-16 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.

Cross References

• 1. [Daniel 4:5; Daniel 5:9; Genesis 41:8]
• 2. [Daniel 6:18; Esther 6:1]
• 3. [See Daniel 1:20 above]
• 4. [See Daniel 1:20 above]
• 5. Deuteronomy 18:10, 11; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Isaiah 47:9, 12
• 6. See Daniel 1:4
• 7. See Daniel 1:5
• 8. [See ver. 1 above]
• 9. [See ver. 2 above]
• 10. Daniel 3:9; Daniel 5:10; Daniel 6:6, 21; See 1 Kings 1:31
• 11. [See ver. 2 above]
• 12. Daniel 3:29
• 13. Daniel 3:29
• 14. Ezra 6:11; [2 Kings 10:27]
• 15. [Daniel 5:7, 16]
• 16. [ver. 7, 9]
• 17. Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5
• 18. Esther 4:11
• 19. [ver. 21; Daniel 7:25]
• 20. ver. 6; [ver. 7]
• 21. See Daniel 1:4
• 22. See Daniel 1:4
• 23. [Daniel 5:11, 14]
• 24. [Daniel 3:19]
• 25. [ver. 24]
• 26. Daniel 4:6
• 27. See Daniel 1:4-7
• 28. ver. 24, 25
• 29. [Genesis 37:36]
• 30. Daniel 3:22

Footnotes

• [a]. The text from this point to the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic
• [b]. Aramaic answered and said; also verse 26