Daniel 2:24-49

24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, "Don't kill the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation."

25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, "I have found a man among the Judean exiles who can let the king know the interpretation."

26 The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?"

27 Daniel answered the king: "No wise man, medium, diviner-priest, or astrologer^[a] is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about.

28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days.^[b] Your dream and the visions [that came into] your mind [as you lay] in bed were these:

29 Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came [to your mind] about what will happen in the future.^[c] The revealer of mysteries has let you know what will happen.

30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

The Dream's Interpretation

31 "My king, as you were watching, a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying.

32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze,

33 its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay.

34 As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it,^[d] struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.

35 Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 "This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation.

37 Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.

38 Wherever people live-or wild animals, or birds of the air-He has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all.^[e] You are the head of gold.

39 "After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth.

40 A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others.^[f]

41 You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter's fired clay and partly of iron-it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay,

42 and that the toes of the feet were part iron and part fired clay-part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle.

43 You saw the iron mixed with clay-the peoples will mix with one another^[g] but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.

44 "In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.

45 You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it,^[h][i] and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future.^[j][k] The dream is true, and its interpretation certain."

Nebuchadnezzar's Response

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down, paid homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him.^[l]

47 The king said to Daniel, "Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery."

48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.^[m]

49 At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.

Daniel 2:24-49 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Dn 4:7; 5:7,11
• [b]. Gn 41:25,28
• [c]. Lit happen after this
• [d]. Lit off not by hands
• [e]. Jr 27:6; 28:14
• [f]. Lit all these
• [g]. Lit another in the seed of men
• [h]. Lit mountain, not by hands
• [i]. Dn 2:34
• [j]. Lit happen after this
• [k]. Dn 2:29
• [l]. 1 Kg 1:31; Isa 49:23
• [m]. Gn 41:41