^2:1In the second year of his¹ reign Nebuchadnezzar had many dreams.² His mind³ was disturbed and he suffered from insomnia.⁴^2:2The king issued an order⁵ to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men⁶ in order to explain his dreams to him.⁷ So they came and awaited the king’s instructions.⁸

^2:3The king told them, “I have had a dream,⁹ and I¹⁰ am anxious to understand the dream.” ^2:4The wise men replied to the king: What follows is in Aramaic¹¹ “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will disclose its¹² interpretation.” ^2:5The king replied¹³ to the wise men, “My decision is firm.¹⁴ If you do not inform me of both the dream and its interpretation, you will be dismembered¹⁵ and your homes reduced to rubble! ^2:6But if you can disclose the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts, a reward, and considerable honor. So disclose to me the dream and its interpretation!” ^2:7They again replied, “Let the king inform us¹⁶ of the dream; then we will disclose its¹⁷ interpretation.” ^2:8The king replied, “I know for sure that you are attempting to gain time, because you see that my decision is firm. ^2:9If you don’t inform me of the dream, there is only one thing that is going to happen to you.¹⁸ For you have agreed among yourselves to report to me something false and deceitful¹⁹ until such time as things might change. So tell me the dream, and I will have confidence²⁰ that you can disclose its interpretation.”

^2:10The wise men replied to the king, “There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king’s secret,²¹ for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man. ^2:11What 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!”²²

^2:12Because of this the king got furiously angry²³ and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. ^2:13So a decree went out, and the wise men were about²⁴ to be executed. They also sought²⁵ Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.

^2:14Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel²⁶ to Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. ^2:15He inquired of Arioch the king’s deputy, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?”²⁷ Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. ^2:16So Daniel went in and²⁸ requested the king to grant him time, that he might disclose the interpretation to the king. ^2:17Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter. ^2:18He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he²⁹ and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ^2:19Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel praised³⁰ the God of heaven, ^2:20saying,³¹

“Let the name of God³² be praised³³ forever and ever,

for wisdom and power belong to him.

^2:21He changes times and seasons,

deposing some kings

and establishing others.³⁴

He gives wisdom to the wise;

he imparts knowledge to those with understanding;³⁵

^2:22he reveals deep and hidden things.

He knows what is in the darkness,

and light resides with him.

^2:23O 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 I³⁶ requested from you.

For you have enabled me to understand the king’s dilemma.”³⁷

Read in Logos

Daniel 2:21: He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding …

Footnotes

1 Heb “Nebuchadnezzar’s.” The possessive pronoun is substituted in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 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 §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 (), .
3 Heb “his spirit.”
4 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 (nadédah, “fled”); cf. Dan 6:19. See further, 2:540 היה I Ni.3; היה nif; 227–28 הָיָה Niph.2.
5 Heb “said.” So also in v. 12.
6 Heb “Chaldeans.” The term Chaldeans (Hebrew כַּשְׂדִּים, kasdim) is used in the book of Daniel both in an ethnic sense and, as here, to refer to a caste of Babylonian wise men and astrologers.
7 Heb “to explain to the king his dreams.”
8 Heb “stood before the king.”
9 Heb “I have dreamed a dream” (so , ).
10 Heb “my spirit.”
11 Contrary to common belief, the point here is not that the wise men (Chaldeans) replied to the king in the Aramaic language, or that this language was uniquely the language of the Chaldeans. It was this view that led in the past to Aramaic being referred to as “Chaldee.” Aramaic was used as a lingua franca during this period; its origins and usage were not restricted to the Babylonians. Rather, this phrase is better understood as an editorial note (cf. ) marking the fact that from 2:4b through 7:28 the language of the book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. In 8:1, and for the remainder of the book, the language returns to Hebrew. Various views have been advanced to account for this change of language, most of which are unconvincing. Most likely the change in language is a reflection of stages in the transmission history of the book of Daniel.
12 Or “the.”
13 Aram “answered and said,” a common idiom to indicate a reply, but redundant in contemporary English.
14 It seems clear from what follows that Nebuchadnezzar clearly recalls the content of the dream, although obviously he does not know what to make of it. By not divulging the dream itself to the would-be interpreters, he intends to find out whether they are simply leading him on. If they can tell him the dream’s content, which he is able to verify, he then can have confidence in their interpretation, which is what eludes him. The translation “the matter is gone from me” (cf. , ), suggesting that the king had simply forgotten the dream, is incorrect. The Aramaic word used here (אַזְדָּא, ’azda’) is probably of Persian origin; it occurs in the OT only here and in v. 8. There are two main possibilities for the meaning of the word: “the matter is promulgated by me” (see 1048 ) and therefore “publicly known” (cf. ; F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 62–63, §189), or “the matter is irrevocable” (cf. , , , , ; אזד; cf. also 1079 ). The present translation reflects this latter option. See further E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 3.
15 Aram “made limbs.” Cf. 3:29.
16 Aram “his servants.”
17 Or “the.”
18 Aram “one is your law,” i.e., only one thing is applicable to you.
19 Aram “a lying and corrupt word.”
20 Aram “I will know.”
21 Aram “matter, thing.”
22 Aram “whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
23 Aram “was angry and very furious.” The expression is a hendiadys (two words or phrases expressing a single idea).
24 The Aramaic participle is used here to express the imminent future.
25 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. ).
26 Aram “returned prudence and counsel.” The expression is a hendiadys.
27 The Aramaic word מְהַחְצְפָה (méhakhtséfah) may refer to the severity of the king’s decree (i.e., “harsh”; so חצף; 1093 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.
28 Theodotion and the lack the words “went in and.”
29 Aram “Daniel.” The proper name is redundant here in English, and has not been included in the translation.
30 Or “blessed.”
31 Aram “Daniel answered and said.”
32 As is often the case in the Bible, here the name represents the person.
33 Or “blessed.”
34 Aram “kings.”
35 Aram “the knowers of understanding.”
36 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.
37 Aram “the word of the king.”