Discovery BoxDaniel 2:8-49
Context2:8 The king replied, “I know for sure that you are attempting to gain time, because you see that my decision is firm. 2:9 If you don’t inform me of the dream, there is only one thing that is going to happen to you. 1 For you have agreed among yourselves to report to me something false and deceitful 2 until such time as things might change. So tell me the dream, and I will have confidence 3 that you can disclose its interpretation.”
2:10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king’s secret, 4 for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man. 2:11 What the king is asking is too difficult, and no one exists who can disclose it to the king, except for the gods – but they don’t live among mortals!” 5
2:12 Because of this the king got furiously angry 6 and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 2:13 So a decree went out, and the wise men were about 7 to be executed. They also sought 8 Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.
2:14 Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel 9 to Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. 2:15 He inquired of Arioch the king’s deputy, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” 10 Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. 2:16 So Daniel went in and 11 requested the king to grant him time, that he might disclose the interpretation to the king. 2:17 Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter. 2:18 He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he 12 and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 2:19 Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel praised 13 the God of heaven, 2:20 saying, 14
“Let the name of God 15 be praised 16 forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to him.
2:21 He changes times and seasons,
deposing some kings
and establishing others. 17
He gives wisdom to the wise;
he imparts knowledge to those with understanding; 18
2:22 he reveals deep and hidden things.
He knows what is in the darkness,
and light resides with him.
2:23 O God of my fathers, I acknowledge and glorify you,
for you have bestowed wisdom and power on me.
Now you have enabled me to understand what I 19 requested from you.
For you have enabled me to understand the king’s dilemma.” 20
2:24 Then Daniel went in to see 21 Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). He came 22 and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Escort me 23 to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!” 24
2:25 So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence, saying to him, “I 25 have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the interpretation to the king.” 2:26 The king then asked Daniel (whose name was also Belteshazzar), “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?” 2:27 Daniel replied to the king, “The mystery that the king is asking about is such that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or diviners can possibly disclose it to the king. 2:28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, 26 and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. 27 The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed 28 are as follows.
2:29 “As for you, O king, while you were in your bed your thoughts turned to future things. 29 The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take place. 2:30 As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom 30 than any other living person, but so that the king may understand 31 the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind. 32
2:31 “You, O king, were watching as a great statue – one 33 of impressive size and extraordinary brightness – was standing before you. Its appearance caused alarm. 2:32 As for that statue, its head was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of bronze. 2:33 Its legs were of iron; its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 2:34 You were watching as 35 a stone was cut out, 36 but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces. 2:35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without distinction 37 and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors that the wind carries away. Not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth. 2:36 This was the dream. Now we 38 will set forth before the king its interpretation.
2:37 “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 2:38 Wherever human beings, 39 wild animals, 40 and birds of the sky live – he has given them into your power. 41 He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold. 2:39 Now after you another kingdom 42 will arise, one inferior to yours. Then a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth. 2:40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces 43 all of these metals, 44 so it will break in pieces and crush the others. 45 2:41 In that you were seeing feet and toes 46 partly of wet clay 47 and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. Some of the strength of iron will be in it, for you saw iron mixed with wet clay. 48 2:42 In that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, the latter stages of this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile. 2:43 And 49 in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed 50 with one another 51 without adhering to one another, just as 52 iron does not mix with clay. 2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. 2:45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. 53 The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”
2:46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down with his face to the ground 54 and paid homage to Daniel. He gave orders to offer sacrifice and incense to him. 2:47 The king replied to Daniel, “Certainly your God is a God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery!” 2:48 Then the king elevated Daniel to high position and bestowed on him many marvelous gifts. He granted him authority over the entire province of Babylon and made him the main prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 2:49 And at Daniel’s request, the king 55 appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon. Daniel himself served in the king’s court. 56
[2:9] 1 tn Aram “one is your law,” i.e., only one thing is applicable to you.
[2:9] 2 tn Aram “a lying and corrupt word.”
[2:9] 3 tn Aram “I will know.”
[2:10] 4 tn Aram “matter, thing.”
[2:11] 5 tn Aram “whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
[2:12] 6 tn Aram “was angry and very furious.” The expression is a hendiadys (two words or phrases expressing a single idea).
[2:13] 7 tn The Aramaic participle is used here to express the imminent future.
[2:13] 8 tn The impersonal active plural (“they sought”) of the Aramaic verb could also be translated as an English passive: “Daniel and his friends were sought” (cf. NAB).
[2:14] 9 tn Aram “returned prudence and counsel.” The expression is a hendiadys.
[2:15] 10 tn The Aramaic word מְהַחְצְפָה (mÿhakhtsÿfah) may refer to the severity of the king’s decree (i.e., “harsh”; so HALOT 1879 s.v. חצף; BDB 1093 s.v. חֲצַף), although it would seem that in a delicate situation such as this Daniel would avoid this kind of criticism of the king’s actions. The translation above understands the word to refer to the immediacy, not harshness, of the decree. See further, F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 50, §116; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 67.
[2:16] 11 tc Theodotion and the Syriac lack the words “went in and.”
[2:18] 12 tn Aram “Daniel.” The proper name is redundant here in English, and has not been included in the translation.
[2:20] 14 tn Aram “Daniel answered and said.”
[2:20] 15 sn As is often the case in the Bible, here the name represents the person.
[2:21] 18 tn Aram “the knowers of understanding.”
[2:23] 19 tn Aram “we.” Various explanations have been offered for the plural, but it is probably best understood as the editorial plural; so also with “me” later in this verse.
[2:23] 20 tn Aram “the word of the king.”
[2:24] 21 tc The MT has עַל עַל (’al ’al, “he entered upon”). Several medieval Hebrew
[2:24] 22 tc The LXX and Vulgate, along with one medieval Hebrew
[2:24] 23 tn Aram “cause me to enter.” So also in v. 25.
[2:25] 25 sn Arioch’s claim is self-serving and exaggerated. It is Daniel who came to him, and not the other way around. By claiming to have found one capable of solving the king’s dilemma, Arioch probably hoped to ingratiate himself to the king.
[2:28] 26 tn Aram “a revealer of mysteries.” The phrase serves as a quasi-title for God in Daniel.
[2:28] 27 tn Aram “in the latter days.”
[2:28] 28 tn Aram “your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed.”
[2:29] 29 tn Aram “your thoughts upon your bed went up to what will be after this.”
[2:30] 30 tn Aram “not for any wisdom which is in me more than [in] any living man.”
[2:30] 31 tn Aram “they might cause the king to know.” The impersonal plural is used here to refer to the role of God’s spirit in revealing the dream and its interpretation to the king. As J. A. Montgomery says, “it appropriately here veils the mysterious agency” (Daniel [ICC], 164-65).
[2:33] 34 sn Clay refers to baked clay, which – though hard – was also fragile. Cf. the reference in v. 41 to “wet clay.”
[2:34] 36 tc The LXX, Theodotion, and the Vulgate have “from a mountain,” though this is probably a harmonization with v. 45.
[2:35] 37 tn Aram “as one.” For the meaning “without distinction” see the following: F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 36, §64, and p. 93; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 60.
[2:36] 38 tn Various suggestions have been made concerning the plural “we.” It is probably the editorial plural and could be translated here as “I.”
[2:38] 39 tn Aram “the sons of man.”
[2:38] 40 tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”
[2:39] 42 sn The identity of the first kingdom is clearly Babylon. The identification of the following three kingdoms is disputed. The common view is that they represent Media, Persia, and Greece. Most conservative scholars identify them as Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
[2:40] 43 tc Theodotion and the Vulgate lack the phrase “and as iron breaks in pieces.”
[2:40] 44 tn The Aramaic text does not have this word, but it has been added in the translation for clarity.
[2:40] 45 tn The words “the others” are supplied from the context.
[2:41] 46 tc The LXX lacks “and toes.”
[2:41] 47 tn Aram “potter’s clay.”
[2:41] 48 tn Aram “clay of clay” (also in v. 43).
[2:43] 49 tc The present translation reads the conjunction, with most medieval Hebrew
[2:43] 50 sn The reference to people being mixed is usually understood to refer to intermarriage.
[2:43] 51 tn Aram “with the seed of men.”
[2:43] 52 tc The present translation reads הֵיךְ דִּי (hekh diy) rather than the MT הֵא־כְדִי (he’-khÿdi). It is a case of wrong word division.
[2:45] 53 tn Aram “after this.”
[2:46] 54 tn Aram “fell on his face.”
[2:49] 55 tn Aram “and Daniel sought from the king and he appointed.”
