Daniel 2

The dream of king Nebuchadnezzar

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, which made his spirit so troubled that his sleep left him. 2 Then the king gave orders to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

2:2 See Deut 18:10-12. Babylon was overrun with such people as are listed here. It was in some ways probably much like India is today (western countries are certainly not free of them either). All through the book of Daniel these magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers are shown to be completely unable to find out the mind and will of the one true God. And this is as true of such people now as it was then.⚜

3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream”.

The failure of Babylon’s wise men

4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Syriac, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will tell the interpretation”.

2:4 The text from this verse to the end of chapter 7 is in the Aramaic language – the language of Aram (Syria). This language was very similar to Hebrew.⚜

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The thing has gone from me. If you do not make known the dream to me, along with its interpretation, you will be cut in pieces, and your houses will be made heaps of rubbish. 6 But if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honour. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation”.

7 They answered again and said, “May the king tell his servants the dream; then we will tell the interpretation of it”.

8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see the thing has gone from me. 9 But if you do not make known to me the dream, there is but one decree for you. For you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak to me, until the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can tell me its interpretation”.

10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter. So no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 It is a difficult thing that the king requires, and there is no one who can tell it to the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh”.

12 Because of this the king was angry, indeed very furious, and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 When the decree went out that the wise men should be slain, they sought Daniel and his companions to kill them.

2:5-13 No doubt the astrologers and other such people pretended to have supernatural insights. Now they are put to the test and their ignorance exposed. The true God arranged this to show the folly of looking for answers to such people, and to show Himself mighty in behalf of Daniel.⚜

2:12-13 Anger often leads men to speak and act unjustly.⚜

Daniel’s request, prayer, and thanksgiving

14 Then Daniel with good advice and wisdom answered Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch revealed the matter to Daniel. 16 Then Daniel went in and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could tell the king the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 so that they would ask mercy from the God of heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions would not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

2:18 Daniel acted very wisely (vs 14-16), but he depended on God, not on his wisdom.⚜

19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 Daniel responded and said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his.

2:20 Daniel was as ready to praise as he was to pray. And he did not praise himself for having learned the interpretation of the king’s dream. He praised God Who gave it.⚜

21 And he changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings, and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding.

2:21 The course of history and its political changes are in God’s hands (Dan 4:17; 1 Sam 2:6-8; Jer 27:5; Rom 13:1).⚜

22 He reveals deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

23 I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and power, and have made known to me now what we asked from you; for you have now made known to us the king’s matter”.

24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said this to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me into the king’s presence, and I will tell the king the interpretation”.

25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel into the king’s presence, and said this to him: “I have found a man among the captives of Judah who will make known to the king the interpretation”.

Daniel interprets the dream

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I saw, and its interpretation?”

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot tell the king, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and makes known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head on your bed, were these:

2:27-28 First of all, Daniel gives glory to God. And he indicates that Babylon’s astrologers, magicians, etc were not in touch with the true God. By all the means at their disposal they could not tell the king his dream. But God can reveal anything to His servants.⚜

29 “As for you, O king, on your bed you had thoughts of what will happen hereafter. And the one who reveals secrets makes known to you what is going to happen.

2:29 Notice this name for God – “the one who reveals secrets”. Let us always look to Him to interpret to us the mysteries of Himself and His Word. Compare Rom 16:25; 1 Cor 2:9-12; Eph 1:9, 17-19; 3:3, 9; Col 1:26-27; 2:2.⚜

30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have more than any living person, but for the sake of those who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.

2:30 He put the emphasis where it belonged. God was revealing needed truth, not giving Daniel a reason for boasting. There are some who pride themselves in being able to interpret the Bible and tend to forget to praise the One Who gives all such ability.⚜

31 “You, O king, looked and saw a great image. This great image, of exceptional splendour, stood before you, and its form was awe-inspiring.

2:31 Evidently Daniel saw in vision (v 19) exactly what the king had seen in his dream, and so could describe it in detail.⚜

32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You watched until a stone was cut out without hands. It struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, were broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

2:35 The rock striking the statue brings to an end, all at the same time, all the kingdoms mentioned. This indicates either that the first three kingdoms will be parts of the 4th at the time of its destruction, or that with the destruction of the 4th kingdom all the kingdoms of men (symbolized by the other three) will come to an end; or it may indicate both of these things. This verse surely speaks of sudden, overwhelming destruction. Not a trace of those kingdoms will remain after the rock has smashed them. The times of the Gentiles with their worldly kingdoms will have an utter end. God’s kingdom which will completely replace man’s kingdoms is compared to a mountain that “filled the whole earth”. Compare Isa 2:2-3; 11:9; Micah 4:1.⚜

36 “This is the dream. And we will tell its interpretation in the king’s presence. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings, for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wherever the children of men live, he has given the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky into your hands, and has made you ruler over them all. You are this head of gold.

2:37-38 Jer 27:6-7. Daniel says king Nebuchadnezzar is the head of gold. This is because the king represented the kingdom (v 39).⚜

39 “And after you another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which will rule the whole earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes all things, and as iron shatters, it will break in pieces and shatter all these others.

2:40 Iron was a fit symbol of the Roman Empire – hard, strong, able to crush others. It is possible that the two legs of the statue symbolize the division of the Roman Empire into two parts in 394 AD (as the chest with its two arms may speak of the two “arms” of the empire of the Medes and Persians, and the belly and two thighs may speak of Greece and Macedonia in Alexander’s empire), but this is not certain. As for the toes, the number is not given but two feet certainly mean ten toes. And the toes surely must have the same interpretation as the ten horns of Dan 7:7, 24 and Rev 13:1; 17:3, 12-14, since the same kingdom is in view in each of these visions. See notes on those chapters. The author of these notes believes that the final form of the Roman Empire is still in the future and that its sudden destruction will occur at the second coming of Christ (Rev 19:11-16).⚜

41 And just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of potter’s clay, and partly of iron, the kingdom will be divided. But there will be in it the strength of iron, just as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron, and partly of clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong, and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will be a combination of the offspring of men, and will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.

2:41-43 We are not told what the clay may signify, only that there will be an inherent weakness and lack of true unity in this kingdom. The picture may suggest a very strong central government forcing diverse elements together for a time. Certainly the final world kingdom of man will be like this (Revelation chapter 13).⚜

44 “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed. And the kingdom will not be left to other people, but it will break in pieces and bring to an end all those kingdoms; and it will stand forever,

2:40-44 More detail is given concerning the fourth kingdom than the other three. The same is true in chapter 7 where these same four kingdoms appear again.⚜

45 just as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain, without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. “The great God has made known to the king what will happen hereafter; and the dream is certain, and its interpretation sure”.

2:32-45 The statue represents four kingdoms of the world. It seems clear both from the Bible and from history which kingdoms are meant. The head is King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian empire (vs 37,38). The chest and arms represent the empire which succeeded Babylon (v 39; Dan 5:28) – the empire of the Medes and Persians established by Cyrus. The belly and thighs represent the empire which succeeded Medo-Persia (v 39; Dan 8:21) – the empire of Greece and Macedonia under Alexander the Great. The legs and feet represent the kingdom which replaced all the others (v 40) – the Roman Empire. (In Luke 2:1 we are told that Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, controlled the “world” – that is, the world of the Old and New Testaments.) The rock that struck the image is God’s eternal kingdom (vs 44,45). There have been other great empires since Rome’s power waned. Why are they not mentioned here? Probably because they are not related to Bible times and are not of central importance in Bible prophecy.⚜

The result

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar prostrated himself and paid homage to Daniel, and gave orders that they should present an offering and incense to him. 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret”.

48 Then the king gave Daniel a high position, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Then Daniel made a request of the king, and he placed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

2:48-49 Compare Gen 41:41-43. Perhaps this is one reason why the Babylonian empire is compared to gold (vs 32,38).⚜