Daniel 2:1

Nebuchadnezzar Has a Disturbing Dream

2:1 In the second year of his ¹  reign Nebuchadnezzar had many dreams. ²  His mind ³  was disturbed and he suffered from insomnia. ⁴ 

Daniel 2:28-29

2:28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, ⁵  and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. ⁶  The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed ⁷  are as follows.

2:29 “As for you, O king, while you were in your bed your thoughts turned to future things. ⁸  The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take place.

¹ tn Heb “Nebuchadnezzar’s.” The possessive pronoun is substituted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

² tn Heb “dreamed dreams.” The plural is used here and in v. 2, but the singular in v. 3. The plural “dreams” has been variously explained. Some interpreters take the plural as denoting an indefinite singular (so GKC 400 §124.o). But it may be that it is describing a stream of related dreams, or a dream state. In the latter case, one might translate: “Nebuchadnezzar was in a trance.” See further, J. A. Montgomery, Daniel (ICC), 142.

³ tn Heb “his spirit.”

⁴ tn Heb “his sleep left (?) him.” The use of the verb הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) here is unusual. The context suggests a meaning such as “to be finished” or “gone.” Cf. Dan 8:27. Some scholars emend the verb to read נָדְדָה (nadÿdah, “fled”); cf. Dan 6:19. See further, DCH 2:540 s.v. היה I Ni.3; HALOT 244 s.v. היה nif; BDB 227-28 s.v. הָיָה Niph.2.

⁵ tn Aram “a revealer of mysteries.” The phrase serves as a quasi-title for God in Daniel.

⁶ tn Aram “in the latter days.”

⁷ tn Aram “your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed.”

⁸ tn Aram “your thoughts upon your bed went up to what will be after this.”