Daniel 2:40-49

40 And ¹there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron ²breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall ³break and crush all these.

41 And as you saw ⁴the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the ⁵firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.

42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.

43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, ^[a] but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.

44 And in the days of those kings ⁶the God of heaven will set up ⁷a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. ⁸It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and ⁹it shall stand forever,

45 just as ¹⁰you saw that ¹¹a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that ¹²it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A ¹³great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure. ”

Daniel Is Promoted

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar ¹⁴fell upon his face and ¹⁵paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that ¹⁶an offering and ¹⁷incense be offered up to him.

47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your ¹⁸God is God of gods and ¹⁹Lord of kings, and ²⁰a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery. ”

48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great ²¹gifts, and made him ruler over the whole ²²province of Babylon and ²³chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he ²⁴appointed ²⁵Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of ²⁶the province of Babylon. But Daniel ²⁷remained at the king’s court.

Daniel 2:40-49 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.

Cross References

• 1. 2:40 [ch. 7:7, 23]
• 2. 2:40 See ver. 34
• 3. 2:40 See ver. 34
• 4. 2:41 [ver. 33]
• 5. 2:41 [See ver. 40 above]
• 6. 2:44 ver. 19
• 7. 2:44 ch. 4:3, 34; 6:26; 7:14, 27; Mic. 4:7; [Matt. 3:2; Luke 1:33; John 18:36]
• 8. 2:44 [Isa. 60:12]; See ver. 34
• 9. 2:44 ch. 4:3, 34; 6:26; 7:14, 27; Mic. 4:7; [Matt. 3:2; Luke 1:33; John 18:36]
• 10. 2:45 [ver. 34]
• 11. 2:45 [Isa. 28:16]
• 12. 2:45 [See ver. 44 above]
• 13. 2:45 ver. 28
• 14. 2:46 [2 Sam. 14:22]
• 15. 2:46 [Matt. 8:2; Acts 10:25]
• 16. 2:46 [Acts 14:13]
• 17. 2:46 [Ezra 6:10]
• 18. 2:47 Deut. 10:17
• 19. 2:47 [1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16]
• 20. 2:47 See ver. 22
• 21. 2:48 [ver. 6]
• 22. 2:48 ch. 3:1, 12, 30; [Esth. 1:1]
• 23. 2:48 ch. 5:11; [ch. 4:9]
• 24. 2:49 ch. 3:12
• 25. 2:49 [ch. 1:7]
• 26. 2:49 [See ver. 48 above]
• 27. 2:49 Esth. 2:19

Footnotes

• [a] 2:43 Aramaic 'by the seed of men'