Daniel 2

1 In the second year of the realm of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar saw a dream; and his spirit was afeared, and his dream fled away from him. (In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream; and his spirit was afraid, and then his dream fled away from him.)
2 Therefore the king commanded, that the (false) diviners, and astronomers, and witches, and Chaldees should be called together, that they should tell to the king his dreams; and when they were come, they stood before the king. (And so the king commanded, that the fortunetellers, and the astrologers, and the witches, and the Chaldeans should be called together, so that they could tell the king about his dream; and when they had come, they stood before the king.)
3 And the king said to them, I saw a dream, and I am shamed in mind, and I know not what I saw. (And the king said to them, I had a dream, and I am confused, and I do not know what I saw/and I do not know what it meant.)
4 And Chaldees answered the king by Syriack language, King, live thou without end; say thy dream to thy servants, and we shall show to thee the expounding thereof. (And the Chaldeans answered the king in the Syrian, or in the Aramaic, language and said, O King, may thou live forever; first tell thy dream to thy servants, and then we shall tell thee its interpretation.)
5 And the king answered, and said to [the] Chaldees, The word is gone away from me; if ye show not to me the dream, and the expounding thereof, ye shall perish, and your houses shall be forfeited. (And the king answered, and said to the Chaldeans, The dream hath gone away from me/This is what I have decided; if ye do not tell me the dream, and its interpretation, then ye shall die, and your houses shall be laid waste.)
6 Forsooth if ye tell the dream, and the expounding thereof, ye shall take of me meeds and gifts, and much honour; therefore show ye to me the dream, and the interpreting thereof. (But if ye tell me the dream, and its interpretation, then ye shall receive from me rewards and gifts, and much honour; and so tell me the dream, and its interpretation.)
7 They answered the second time, and said, The king say the dream to his servants, and we shall show the interpreting thereof. (They answered a second time, and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and then we shall tell its interpretation.)
8 The king answered, and said, Certainly I know, that ye again-buy the time, and know that the word is gone away from me. (And the king answered, Certainly I see, that ye be trying to gain time, for ye know that the dream hath gone away from me/because ye know that this is what I have decided.)
9 Therefore if ye show not to me the dream, one sentence is of you, for ye make an interpreting both false and full of deceit, that ye speak to me till the time pass; therefore say ye the dream to me, that I know that ye speak also the very interpreting thereof. (And so if ye do not tell me the dream, one punishment shall be for all of you, for ye make an interpretation both false and full of deceit, and ye shall just speak to me until the time pass; and so tell me the dream, so that I know that ye also say its true interpretation.)
10 Therefore [the] Chaldees answered before the king, and said, King, no man is on earth that may [ful]fill thy word; but neither any great man and mighty of kings asketh such a word of any (false) diviner, and astronomer, and of a man of Chaldea. (And so the Chaldeans answered the king, and said, O king, there is no one on earth who can fulfill thy request; nor would any great king, or mighty man, ask such a request of any fortuneteller, or astrologer, or a man of Chaldea.)
11 For the word which thou, (O) king, askest, is grievous, neither any shall be found that shall show it in the sight of the king (nor shall anyone be found who can tell it to the king), except (the) gods, whose living is not with men.
12 And when this word was heard, the king commanded, in strong vengeance and in great ire, that all [the] wise men of Babylon should perish. (And when this word was heard, the king commanded, with strong vengeance and with great anger, that all the wise men of Babylon should be put to death.)
13 And by the sentence gone out, the wise men were (to be) slain; and Daniel and his fellows were sought, that they should perish. (And by the order gone out, the wise men were to be killed; and Daniel and his fellows were sought, so that they could be put to death.)
14 Then Daniel asked of the law and sentence of Arioch, prince of [the] chivalry of the king, that was gone out to slay the wise men of Babylon. (And Daniel asked about the law and the sentence, or the order, to Arioch, the leader of the king's cavalry, or of his bodyguard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.)
15 And he asked him, that had taken power of the king, for what cause so cruel a sentence went out from the face of the king. Therefore when Arioch had showed the thing to Daniel, (And he asked him, who had received the power of life and death from the king, for what cause such a cruel order had gone out from the king. And so when Arioch had told the reason to Daniel,)
16 Daniel entered, and prayed the king, that he should give time to him to show the solving to the king. (Daniel entered in, and beseeched the king, that he would give him some time, so that he could tell the interpretation to the king. And the king agreed.)
17 And he entered into his house, and showed the need to Hananiah, and Mishael, and Azariah, his fellows,
18 that they should ask mercy of the face of God of heaven on this sacrament, (or hid truth); and that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with other wise men of Babylon. (that they should ask for mercy from the God of heaven, and that he explain this secret, or this hidden truth, so that Daniel and his fellows would not die along with the other wise men of Babylon.)
19 Then the private was showed to Daniel by a vision in night. And Daniel blessed (the) God of heaven, (Then the mystery, or the secret, was revealed to Daniel by a vision in the night. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven,)
20 and said, The name of the Lord be blessed from the world, and till into the world, for wisdom and strength be his; (and said, The Lord's name be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and strength be his;)
21 and he changeth times and ages, he translateth realms and ordaineth; he giveth wisdom to wise men, and knowing to them that understand teaching, either chastising; (and he changeth times and ages, he transfereth kingdoms and ordaineth them; he giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who understand teaching, or the disciplines;)
22 he showeth deep things and hid (he revealeth secrets, or mysteries, and hidden things), and he knoweth things set in darknesses, and light is with him.
23 God of our fathers, I acknowledge to thee, and I praise thee, for thou hast given wisdom and strength to me; and now thou hast showed to me those things which we prayed thee, for thou hast opened to us the word of the king. (God of our forefathers, I acknowledge to thee, and I praise thee, for thou hast given wisdom and strength to me; and now thou hast shown me those things for which we prayed to thee, for thou hast opened to us the matter concerning the king.)
24 After these things Daniel entered to Arioch, whom the king had ordained, that he should lose the wise men of Babylon, and thus he spake to him, Lose thou not the wise men of Babylon; lead thou me in before the sight of the king, and I shall tell the solving to the king. (And after these things Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had ordered, that he should destroy the wise men of Babylon, and he said this to him, Destroy thou not the wise men of Babylon; lead thou me in before the king, and I shall tell the interpretation to the king.)
25 Then Arioch hasting led in Daniel to the king, and said to him, I have found a man of the sons of (the) passing over of Judah, that shall tell the solving to the king. (Then Arioch, making haste, led Daniel in to the king, and said to him, I have found a man of the sons of the captivity of Judah, who shall tell the interpretation to the king.)
26 The king answered, and said to Daniel, to whom the name was Belteshazzar, Whether guessest thou, that thou mayest verily show to me the dream which I saw, and the interpreting thereof? (And the king said to Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar, Thinkest thou, that thou can truly tell me the dream which I saw, and its interpretation?)
27 And Daniel answered before the king, and said, The private which the king asketh, [the] wise men, and astronomers, and (false) diviners, and lookers of altars, may not show to the king. (And Daniel answered the king, and said, The mystery, or the secret, which the king asketh about, the wise men, and the astrologers, and the fortunetellers, and the lookers on altars, cannot tell the king.)
28 But God is in heaven that showeth privates, which hath showed to thee, thou king Nebuchadnezzar, what things shall come in the last times. Thy dream and visions of thine head, in thy bed, be such. (But there is God in heaven who revealeth mysteries, or secrets, and he hath shown thee, O King Nebuchadnezzar, what things shall come in the last times, or at the end of the age. Thy dream and the visions in thy head, on thy bed, be such.)
29 Thou, king, begannest to think in thy bed, what was to coming after these things; and he that showeth privates (and he who revealeth mysteries, or secrets), showed to thee what things shall come.
30 And this sacrament, [or hid truth], is showed to me not by wisdom which is in me more than in all living men, but that the interpreting should be made open to the king, and thou shouldest know the thoughts of thy soul. (And this secret, or this hidden truth, is shown to me not by any wisdom which is in me more than in anyone else alive, but so that the interpretation can be made open to the king, and so that thou wouldest know the thoughts in thy mind.)
31 Thou, king, sawest, and lo! as one great image (Thou, king, sawest, lo! one great image, or one large figure); that image was great, and high in stature, and stood before thee, and the looking thereof was fearedful.
32 The head of this image was of best gold, but the breast and arms were of silver; certainly the womb and thighs were of brass, (The head of this figure was made of the best gold, and the chest and the arms were made of silver; the belly and the thighs were made of bronze,)
33 but the legs were of iron; forsooth some part of the feet was of iron, some was of earth. (and the legs were made of iron; and a part of the feet was made of iron, and a part was made of clay.)
34 Thou sawest thus, till a stone was cut down (out) of the hill, without hands, and smote the image in the iron feet thereof and earthen, and all-brake those. (Thou sawest it so, until a stone was cut down from the hill, without the use of any hands, and it struck the figure on its iron and clay feet, and broke them all in pieces.)
35 Then the iron, tilestone, either earthen vessel, brass, silver, and gold, were all-broken (al)together, and driven as into a dead spark of a large summer hall, that be ravished of wind, and no place is found to those; forsooth the stone, that smote the image, was made a great hill, and filled all earth. (Then the iron, the tilestone, or the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, were all broken in pieces, and driven like dead sparks on a threshing floor in the summer, that be carried away by the wind, and there is no place where they can be found; and then the stone, that struck the figure, was made into a great mountain, and it filled all the earth.)
36 This is the dream. Also, thou king, we shall say before thee the interpreting thereof. (That is the dream. And, O king, now we shall tell thee its interpretation.)
37 Thou art king of kings, and God of heaven gave to thee realm, strength, and empire, and glory; (Thou art king of kings, and the God of heaven gave thee a kingdom, and power, and empire, and glory;)
38 and he gave in(to) thine hand all things in which the sons of men, and the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air dwell, and ordained all things under thy lordship; therefore thou art the golden head.
39 And another realm less than thou shall rise after thee; and the third realm, another of brass, that shall have the empire of all earth. (And after thee, another kingdom less than thou, shall rise up; and then the third kingdom, one of bronze, that shall have rule over all the earth.)
40 And the fourth realm shall be as iron; as iron maketh less, and maketh tame all things, so it shall make less, and shall all-break all these realms. (And the fourth kingdom shall be like iron; and like iron shattereth, or breaketh in pieces, and maketh everything tame, or subdueth all things, so it shall make less, and shall all-break all these kingdoms.)
41 Forsooth that thou sawest a part of the feet, and fingers, (or toes,) of earth, [or clay,] of a potter, and a part of iron, the realm shall be parted (And that thou sawest that a part of the feet, and the toes, was made of the clay of a potter, and a part was made of iron, the kingdom shall be divided); which nevertheless shall rise (up out) of the planting of (the) iron, by that that thou sawest iron mingled with a tilestone of clay,
42 and the toes of the feet, in part of iron, and in part of earth, in part the realm shall be firm, and in part broken. (and like the toes of the feet, were in part made of iron, and in part made of clay, so the kingdom in part shall be firm, or shall be strong, and in part it shall be broken, or shall be weak.)
43 Forsooth that thou sawest iron mingled with a tilestone of clay, soothly those shall be mingled together with man's seed; but those shall not cleave to themselves, as iron may not be meddled with tilestone. (And that thou sawest iron mingled with clay, truly people shall mix their seed together, that is, they shall intermarry; but they shall not cleave long to each other, just like iron cannot successfully be mixed with clay.)
44 Forsooth in the days of those realms, (the) God of heaven shall raise (up) a realm, that shall not be destroyed without end, and his realm shall not be given to another people; it shall make less, and (shall) waste all these realms, and it shall stand without end,
45 by this that thou sawest, that a stone was cut down (out) of the hill, without hands, and made less, [or brake,] the tilestone, and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold (by this that thou sawest, that a stone was cut down from the hill, without the use of any hands, and broke the clay, and the iron, and the bronze, and the silver, and the gold). [The] Great God hath showed to the king what things shall come afterward; and the dream is true, and the interpreting thereof is faithful.
46 Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell down on his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded sacrifices and incense to be brought, that those should be sacrificed to him (so that they could be sacrificed to him).
47 Therefore the king spake, and said to Daniel, Verily your God is God of gods, and Lord of kings, that showeth mysteries, for thou mightest open this sacrament, (or hid truth). (And so the king spoke, and said to Daniel, Truly your God is God of gods, and Lord of kings, who revealeth mysteries, for thou could open this secret, or this hidden truth.)
48 Then the king raised (up) Daniel on high, and gave many gifts and great to him (and gave him many great gifts); and ordained him prince and prefect, either chief justice, over all the provinces of Babylon, and master over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 Forsooth Daniel asked of the king, and (he) ordained Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over all the works of the province of Babylon; but Daniel himself was in the gates of the king (but Daniel himself was at the king's court).

Daniel 2 Commentary

Chapter 2

Nebuchadnezzar's dream. (1-13) It is revealed to Daniel. (14-23) He obtains admission to the king. (24-30) The dream and the interpretation. (31-45) Honours to Daniel and his friends. (46-49)

Verses 1-13 The greatest men are most open to cares and troubles of mind, which disturb their repose in the night, while the sleep of the labouring man is sweet and sound. We know not the uneasiness of many who live in great pomp, and, as others vainly think, in pleasure also. The king said that his learned men must tell him the dream itself, or they should all be put to death as deceivers. Men are more eager to ask as to future events, than to learn the way of salvation or the path of duty; yet foreknowledge of future events increases anxiety and trouble. Those who deceived, by pretending to do what they could not do, were sentenced to death, for not being able to do what they did not pretend to.

Verses 14-23 Daniel humbly prayed that God would discover to him the king's dream, and the meaning of it. Praying friends are valuable friends; and it well becomes the greatest and best men to desire the prayers of others. Let us show that we value our friends, and their prayers. They were particular in prayer. And whatever we pray for, we can expect nothing but as the gift of God's mercies. God gives us leave in prayer to tell our wants and burdens. Their plea with God was, the peril they were in. The mercy Daniel and his fellows prayed for, was bestowed. The fervent prayers of righteous men avail much. Daniel was thankful to God for making known that to him, which saved the lives of himself and his fellows. How much more should we be thankful to God, for making known the great salvation of the soul to those who are not among the worldly wise and prudent!

Verses 24-30 Daniel takes away the king's opinion of his magicians and soothsayers. The insufficiency of creatures should drive us to the all-sufficiency of the Creator. There is One who can do that for us, and make known that to us, which none on earth can, particularly the work of redemption, and the secret designs of God's love to us therein. Daniel confirmed the king in his opinion, that the dream was of great consequence, relating to the affairs and changes of this lower world. Let those whom God has highly favoured and honoured, lay aside all opinion of their own wisdom and worthiness, that the Lord alone may be praised for the good they have and do.

Verses 31-45 This image represented the kingdoms of the earth, that should successively rule the nations, and influence the affairs of the Jewish church. 1. The head of gold signified the Chaldean empire, then in being. 2. The breast and arms of silver signified the empire of the Medes and Persians. 3. The belly and thighs of brass signified the Grecian empire, founded by Alexander. 4. The legs and feet of iron signified the Roman empire. The Roman empire branched into ten kingdoms, as the toes of these feet. Some were weak as clay, others strong as iron. Endeavours have often been used to unite them, for strengthening the empire, but in vain. The stone cut out without hands, represented the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, which should be set up in the kingdoms of the world, upon the ruins of Satan's kingdom in them. This was the Stone which the builders refused, because it was not cut out by their hands, but it is become the head stone of the corner. Of the increase of Christ's government and peace there shall be no end. The Lord shall reign, not only to the end of time, but when time and days shall be no more. As far as events have gone, the fulfilling this prophetic vision has been most exact and undeniable; future ages shall witness this Stone destroying the image, and filling the whole earth.

Verses 46-49 It is our business to direct attention to the Lord, as the Author and Giver of every good gift. Many have thoughts of the Divine power and majesty, who do not think of serving God themselves. But all should strive, that God may be glorified, and the best interests of mankind furthered.

Chapter Summary

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.

Daniel 2 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.