Daniel 2
2
Nebuchadnezzar’s Troublesome Dream
1In the second year of his reign, # 2:1 This was likely 604 BC. Nebuchadnezzar had an ominous dream. # 2:1 Or “dreamed dreams” (see v. 3). Supernatural dreams are a valid means of God’s communication with people. God will speak through dreams to believers and unbelievers. See Gen. 15:12; 20:3; 28:10–22; 37:5; Job 33:14–18; Matt. 1:20. It left him so disturbed that he could not sleep. 2So the king called for his magicians, enchanters, wizards, and wise men # 2:2 Or “Chaldeans,” likely a general term for all who practice divination. The Babylonians were known as those who specialized in the magic arts. See “wise men” (v. 4). to tell him what he had dreamed. And they all came and stood before the unsettled king. 3He told them, “I’ve had a dream, and my heart is troubled. I want to know what my dream means.”
4The wise men answered him in Aramaic: # 2:4 The words “in Aramaic” are likely an editorial note added to the text. It is at this point that the text of Daniel changes from Hebrew to Aramaic and continues to the end of ch. 7. Aramaic was the lingua franca of the ancient Near East from the eighth century BC. It was the international language at the time of Daniel. “May you live forever, O king! Tell your servants the dream you had, and we will gladly reveal its meaning for you.”
5“My decision is final,” the king answered. “If you cannot tell me what I dreamed and what it means, I will have you torn limb from limb and turn your homes into garbage dumps. 6But if you can tell me what I dreamed and its interpretation, I will reward you with wonderful gifts and high honor in my kingdom. So now, tell me my dream and what it means.”
7They again replied, “Let the king tell his dream to us his servants, and we will gladly reveal its meaning.”
8But the king retorted, “I know what you’re doing; you’re just stalling for time! My decision is firm. 9If you do not interpret my dream for me, you will all receive the same punishment. You have conspired to continue deceiving me with your lies, hoping something will change. So, tell me now what I dreamed so that I can be assured that you are able to interpret it for me.”
10The wise men answered the king, “There is no one on earth who could do what Your Majesty commands. Furthermore, no king great or small has ever requested such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer. 11Your Majesty, what you ask is difficult, and it is impossible for anyone to reveal it except the gods, and they do not live with mortals.”
12At this the king flew into a violent rage and ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be executed. 13When the king’s decree was issued to have all the wise men killed, a search was also made for Daniel and his companions to have them put to death. # 2:13 It is curious that Daniel and his companions were not initially brought before Nebuchadnezzar to interpret his dream. Three reasons have been suggested: (1) They did not wish to appear to seek the rewards of the king. (2) The Babylonian wise men excluded them because of envy. (3) They had never let others know that they understood mysteries.
Daniel Intervenes
14As Arioch, captain of the royal bodyguard, # 2:14 Or “chief slaughterer.” set out to execute the wise men of Babylon, Daniel cautiously and tactfully # 2:14 Or “tastefully.” approached 15this royal official and asked him, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” When Arioch explained all that had transpired, 16Daniel immediately went off to plead with the king for more time so that he could seek the interpretation of the king’s dream. # 2:16 Daniel’s admirable leadership skills are seen in this episode. He demonstrated the ability to keep calm under severe distress and pressure, even to the point of risking his life to spare others (see Est. 4:11). Daniel was unselfish, and he could think clearly. He exercised great faith in a moment of crisis. Truly, Daniel was one of the wisest men to ever live (see Dan. 1:17; 2:22–30).
17Daniel then went home and explained everything to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 18He urged them to beg the God of heaven for mercy to help them unravel the mysterious secret # 2:18 This is the Hebrew word raz, a Persian loanword that is only found in the book of Daniel in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Its primary meaning is “profound secret.” Its Greek counterpart mysterion is found twenty-seven times in the New Testament. See Matt. 13:11; Rom. 16:25; Col. 1:26–27. of the king’s dream so that Daniel and his friends would not be executed with the other Babylonian wise men. 19That night, God clearly revealed to Daniel in a night vision # 2:19 See Job 33:15. the mystery of the dream. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven, 20saying,
“May the blessed name of God
be praised forever and ever, # 2:20 See Ps. 113:2.
for wisdom and might are his alone. # 2:20 See Job 12:13.
21He alone controls the changes of times and seasons. # 2:21 Or “the times and the set times.” Or to paraphrase: “He alone has authority over time and history” or “He controls epochs and eras.” See Acts 1:7.
He enthrones and dethrones kings,
he imparts wisdom to the wise, # 2:21 See 1 Kings 4:29.
and he pours out revelation-knowledge to those with understanding. # 2:21 The Aramaic expression liyad‘e binah can be translated “the knowers of understanding [discernment].”
22He alone reveals deep secrets and mysteries # 2:22 See Job 12:22.
and knows what lies in darkness, # 2:22 The darkness is a metaphor for the unknown.
for he radiates glory-light all around him. # 2:22 Or “light dwells along with him.” See Ex. 24:17; Ps. 104:2; Isa. 60:19–20; Ezek. 1:27; Hab. 3:4; John 8:12; 1 Tim. 6:16; James 1:17; 1 John 1:5–7. Ancient Jewish expositors taught that this verse spoke of the coming Messiah with his title of “Light.”
23You are the God worshiped by all my ancestors;
I give you thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and power!
You have revealed to us the king’s dream
and unraveled to me its meaning.” # 2:23 Or “you have now made [enabled] me to understand what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the word of the king.”
Daniel Interprets the King’s Dream
24Then Daniel went back to see Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not kill the wise men. Take me into the king’s presence, and I will reveal the dream’s meaning to the king.” 25Without wasting a moment, Arioch escorted Daniel to see the king. Arioch said to Nebuchadnezzar, “Your Majesty, I have found one of the Jewish exiles who can reveal the meaning of your troublesome dream.”
26The king said to Daniel (whose Babylonian name was Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what I dreamed and what it means?”
27Daniel replied, “None of the wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers are able to unveil the mystery you have asked about, 28but there is an all-knowing God in heaven who reveals the deepest mysteries. Your Majesty, he is the one who has revealed to you what is to take place in the last days. Here is your dream, the vision that filled your mind as you lay in your bed:
29“Your Majesty, as you were going to sleep, your thoughts turned to what would happen in the future. The Revealer of Mysteries has disclosed future events to you. 30This mystery has been revealed to me not because I am wiser than anyone else but for one divine purpose: # 2:30 We get a glimpse of the humility of this seer, Daniel. He knew that only God reveals these mysteries for his own purposes. Compare Joseph’s words to Pharaoh (see Gen. 41:16, 25). so that you, the king, should learn what it means and that you would understand your innermost thoughts.
31“Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge statue of a man. It was both dazzling and terrifying to behold! 32The head of this statue was of purest gold, its chest and arms were of gleaming silver, its belly and hips of polished bronze, 33its legs of iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly clay. # 2:33 That is, baked clay or pottery. 34While you were staring at this statue, a boulder broke off from a mountain # 2:34 As translated from a few Hebrew and Greek manuscripts (see v. 45; see also Zech. 3:9; 4:7). but not by the instrument of human hands. # 2:34 That is, it was a supernatural event, an invisible hand that caused this boulder to break away. This “boulder” is a picture of the altar of God. It, too, must not be cut by human hands (see Ex. 20:25). The altar (where we meet God) becomes a mountain (see Dan. 2:35). This is the rock upon which Jesus builds his church (see Matt. 16:18). The boulder struck the statue at its base and shattered its feet of iron and clay into pieces. 35Then, all at once, the entire statue collapsed into a heap of rubble. The iron and clay, bronze, silver, and gold were all pulverized as fine as chaff on the summer threshing-floor. The wind blew the shattered pieces away, leaving not a trace behind. # 2:35 Or “there was no room left for them.” See Rev. 20:11. But the boulder that hit the statue grew into a massive mountain that covered # 2:35 The Aramaic word mela’ can also be translated “completed,” “accomplished,” “filled [to abundance],” “satisfied,” or “prospered.” This boulder that grew into a “massive mountain” is Jesus our King, who has grown into a kingdom of priests. This is the mountain of the temple of the Lord that is higher and greater than any other mountain (kingdom). It is destined to demolish the kingdoms of this world until it covers the earth with the glory of the Lord. the whole earth. 36This was your dream. And now, we # 2:36 The first-person plural “we” at this point is surprising. Four different explanations have been proposed: (1) This was a royal “we” or plural of majesty, but it is unlikely that Daniel would speak a plural of majesty about himself before Nebuchadnezzar. (2) The “we” referred to Daniel and his three friends, but there is no indication that they were present with Daniel during his conversation with the king. (3) The “we” referred to Daniel and God. (4) The “we” was a form of modesty, a way of showing Daniel’s humility by avoiding the use of “I,” which may appear pretentious or boastful. will explain to the king what it means.
37“Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has bestowed upon you royal authority, power, might, and honor. 38He has handed over to you people, beasts, and birds, wherever they live, making you king of them all. You, O king, are the golden head. # 2:38 The statue’s golden head represented Nebuchadnezzar and the kingdom of Babylon (612–539 BC).
39“And after you are gone, another kingdom will arise, a kingdom not as great as yours. # 2:39 Or literally “closer to the earth from you.” The statue’s silver chest and arms represented the kingdom of the Medes and Persians (539–331 BC). Some commentators divide this into two kingdoms, the Median and the Persian, but there never was a Median kingdom. The silver represented the Medes and Persians who ruled jointly and toppled the Babylonian Empire.
And then a third kingdom will arise to rule the land, a kingdom of bronze. # 2:39 The statue’s belly and hips of bronze represented the kingdom of Greece (331–63 BC).
40“And there will be a fourth kingdom, strong and hard as iron. It will shatter all things in its way. Like iron that breaks everything to pieces, it will crush and break all the other kingdoms. # 2:40 The statue’s legs of iron represented the kingdom of Rome (63 BC–AD 476).
41“The feet and toes you saw, partly of iron and partly of clay, represent a divided kingdom that will retain some of the iron’s strength, just as you saw the iron and the clay mixed together. 42That its feet and toes were partly iron and partly clay # 2:42 The statue’s feet and toes of iron mixed with clay represented the divided nations (AD 476–present). means that this kingdom will be both strong and fragile. 43And just as you saw the iron and the clay mingled together, so the people of this kingdom will seek to be united, # 2:43 Or “they will mix themselves with the seed of men,” a possible reference to attempting to join together by marriage between opposing tribes or nations. This was probably a reference to the intermarriage of the Seleucids and the Ptolemies in 194 BC. but they will not bond any more than iron will permanently bond with clay.
44“In the days of those kings of iron and clay, the God of heaven will set up an eternal kingdom that will never be destroyed nor ruled by other people. # 2:44 Or “be left to another people [or other kingdoms].” It will shatter and bring all other kingdoms to an end, and it will stand forever! 45This is the meaning of what you saw in your vision: a rock cut out of a mountain—but not by human hands—a rock that shattered the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold to pieces is his eternal kingdom. The Great God has revealed to you, the king, what will take place after this. The dream is true, and its interpretation trustworthy.”
The King Honors Daniel
46Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed low to the ground in awe # 2:46 The Aramaic word carries the idea of the humility of one who bows before one greater, to show his submission and obedience. of Daniel. Then he gave orders for incense to be burned and a sacrifice of grain to be offered in Daniel’s honor. 47The king said to Daniel, “Your god is without question the God of all gods, the Master of all kings, and the Revealer of all mysteries since he has given you the revelation of this mystery.”
48Then the king promoted Daniel and made him great in the kingdom and gave him many wonderful gifts. He also made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and the chief of all the wise men of Babylon. 49At Daniel’s request, the king delegated the affairs of the province of Babylon to his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel remained in the king’s palace. # 2:49 Or literally “at the king’s door.” Daniel was not present for the events of ch. 3.
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Daniel 2: TPT
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