Daniel 2:26-36

26 The king answered and said to Daniel whose name was Beltshatzar, Art thou able to give da’as unto me of the chalom (dream) which I have seen, and the pesher (interpretation, explanation) thereof?

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, The raz which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the enchanters, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;

28 But there is a G-d in Shomayim that revealeth razim, and maketh known to the king Nevuchadnetzar what shall be in the acharit hayamim. Thy chalom (dream), and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:

29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and He that revealeth razim (secrets) maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

30 But as for me, this raz is not revealed to me for any chochmah that I have more than any living, but in order that the pesher (interpretation, explanation) may be known to the king, and that thou mightest understand the thoughts of thy heart.

31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great tzelem (image, idol, statue). This great tzelem, whose brightness was extraordinary, stood before thee; and the form thereof was awesome.

32 This tzelem’s head was of fine gold, his chest and his arms of silver, his middle and his thighs of bronze,

33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

34 Thou sawest till that an even (stone [Moshiach; see Tehillim 118:22; Yeshayah 53:3, Tehillim 2:9]) was cut out without hands, which struck the tzelem upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no trace was found of them; and the even (stone) that struck the tzelem became a great mountain, and filled kol ha’aretz.

36 This is the chalom (dream); and we will tell the pesher thereof before the king.

Daniel 2:26-36 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.