Daniel 2:37

37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given a powerful and strong and honourable kingdom,

Daniel 2:37 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 2:37

Thou, O king, art a king of kings
Having many kings subject and tributary to him, or would have; as the kings of Judah, Ammon, Moab, and others, and who were even his captives and prisoners; see ( Jeremiah 52:32 ) . Jarchi and Saadiah join this with the next clause, "the God of heaven", and interpret it of him thus, thou, O King Nebuchadnezzar, "the King of kings, who is the God of heaven, hath given unto thee"; so some in the Talmud understand it of God F11; but this is contrary to the accents: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength,
and glory;
that is, a very powerful, strong, and glorious kingdom, famous for its mighty armies, strong fortresses, and great riches, from all which the king had great honour and glory; and this he had not by his ancestors, or his own military skill and prowess, but by the favour and gift of God.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 T. Bab. Shebuot, fol. 35. 2.

Daniel 2:37 In-Context

35 Then once for all the earthenware, the iron, the brass, the silver, the gold, were ground to powder, and became as chaff from the summer threshingfloor; and the violence of the wind carried them away, and no place was found for them: and the stone which had smitten the image became a great mountain, and filled all the earth.
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given a powerful and strong and honourable kingdom,
38 in every place where the children of men dwell: and he has given into thine hand the wild beasts of the field, and the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and he has made thee lord of all.
39 Thou art the head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, an a third kingdom which is the brass, which shall have dominion over all the earth;

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.