^2:24Then Daniel went in to see³⁸ Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). He came³⁹ and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Escort me⁴⁰ to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!”⁴¹

^2:25So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence, saying to him, “I⁴² have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the interpretation to the king.” ^2:26The 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?” ^2:27Daniel 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. ^2:28However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries,⁴³ and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come.⁴⁴ The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed⁴⁵ are as follows.

^2:29“As for you, O king, while you were in your bed your thoughts turned to future things.⁴⁶ The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take place. ^2:30As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom⁴⁷ than any other living person, but so that the king may understand⁴⁸ the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind.⁴⁹

^2:31“You, O king, were watching as a great statue—one⁵⁰ of impressive size and extraordinary brightness—was standing before you. Its appearance caused alarm. ^2:32As for that statue, its head was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of bronze. ^2:33Its legs were of iron; its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay.⁵¹^2:34You were watching as⁵² a stone was cut out,⁵³ but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces. ^2:35Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without distinction⁵⁴ 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. ^2:36This was the dream. Now we⁵⁵ will set forth before the king its interpretation.

Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

^2:37“You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. ^2:38Wherever human beings,⁵⁶ wild animals,⁵⁷ and birds of the sky live—he has given them into your power.⁵⁸ He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold. ^2:39Now after you another kingdom⁵⁹ will arise, one inferior to yours. Then a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth. ^2:40Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces⁶⁰ all of these metals,⁶¹ so it will break in pieces and crush the others.⁶²^2:41In that you were seeing feet and toes⁶³ partly of wet clay⁶⁴ 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.⁶⁵^2:42In 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. ^2:43And⁶⁶ in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed⁶⁷ with one another⁶⁸ without adhering to one another, just as⁶⁹ iron does not mix with clay. ^2:44In 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. ^2:45You 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.⁷⁰ The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”

^2:46Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down with his face to the ground⁷¹ and paid homage to Daniel. He gave orders to offer sacrifice and incense to him. ^2:47The 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!” ^2:48Then 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. ^2:49And at Daniel’s request, the king⁷² appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon. Daniel himself served in the king’s court.⁷³

Read in Logos

Daniel 2:44: And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever …

Footnotes

38 The has עַל עַל (’al ’al, “he entered upon”). Several medieval Hebrew lack the verb, although this may be due to haplography.
39 The and , along with one medieval Hebrew , lack this verb.
40 Aram “cause me to enter.” So also in v. 25.
41 Aram “the king.”
42 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.
43 Aram “a revealer of mysteries.” The phrase serves as a quasi-title for God in Daniel.
44 Aram “in the latter days.”
45 Aram “your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed.”
46 Aram “your thoughts upon your bed went up to what will be after this.”
47 Aram “not for any wisdom which is in me more than [in] any living man.”
48 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 [], ).
49 Aram “heart.”
50 Aram “an image.”
51 Clay refers to baked clay, which—though hard—was also fragile. Cf. the reference in v. 41 to “wet clay.”
52 Aram “until.”
53 The , Theodotion, and the have “from a mountain,” though this is probably a harmonization with v. 45.
54 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.
55 Various suggestions have been made concerning the plural “we.” It is probably the editorial plural and could be translated here as “I.”
56 Aram “the sons of man.”
57 Aram “the beasts of the field.”
58 Aram “hand.”
59 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.
60 Theodotion and the lack the phrase “and as iron breaks in pieces.”
61 The Aramaic text does not have this word, but it has been added in the translation for clarity.
62 The words “the others” are supplied from the context.
63 The lacks “and toes.”
64 Aram “potter’s clay.”
65 Aram “clay of clay” (also in v. 43).
66 The present translation reads the conjunction, with most medieval Hebrew , , , and the Qere. The Kethib lacks the conjunction.
67 The reference to people being mixed is usually understood to refer to intermarriage.
68 Aram “with the seed of men.”
69 The present translation reads הֵיךְ דִּי (hekh diy) rather than the הֵא־כְדִי (he’-khédi). It is a case of wrong word division.
70 Aram “after this.”
71 Aram “fell on his face.”
72 Aram “and Daniel sought from the king and he appointed.”
73 Aram “was at the gate of the king.”