Daniel 2:12

12 Because of this the king was angry and ¹very furious, and ²commanded that all ³the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

Daniel 2:12 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 2:12

For this cause the king was angry, and very furious
Not only because they could not tell his dream, and the interpretation of it; but because they represented him as requiring a thing unreasonable and impossible, which had never been done by any potentate but himself, and could never be answered but by the gods: this threw him into an excess of wrath and fury; which in those tyrannical and despotic princes was exceeding great and terrible: and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon;
not only those that were now in his presence, but all others; concluding from this instance that they were an useless set of men, yea, deceivers and impostors.

Daniel 2:12 In-Context

10 The 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 Chaldean.

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

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

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

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

Cross References

• 1. [Daniel 3:19]
• 2. [ver. 24]
• 3. Daniel 4:6