Daniel 2:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.

NIV: "Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.

NASB: You, O king, were watching and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary radiance, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.

CSB: "Your Majesty, as you were watching, suddenly a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying.

NLT: In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight.

KJV: Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

NKJV: “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was bothered by a dream (Daniel 2:1–3). He seems suspicious of his royal magicians, so he tests their conjuring by asking them to tell him what he'd dreamed. If they can't, he has no reason to think they have insight. In fact, it would suggest they've been lying about their power (Daniel 2:4–9). Daniel, however, was gifted by God with a special vision (Daniel 2:17–19) and will meet the king's challenge. In this way, he will prove that what he says is information from a truly divine source (Daniel 2:27–28, 46–47). So, Daniel begins by describing what no one other than Nebuchadnezzar and the Lord God could know: the contents of the king's dream.

The king's dream began with a huge, powerful, extremely bright image. The image was a gigantic statue in the form of a human. The image was so large and brilliant, and so close to Nebuchadnezzar, that it terrified him. This explains part of what the king meant that his dream was "troubling" and caused him to lose sleep (Daniel 2:1). An unrestricted ruler over millions of people was nevertheless petrified by the image he saw in his dream. Daniel's description of Nebuchadnezzar's dream must have convinced him that Daniel truly knew what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed. He did not interrupt Daniel as Daniel continued with the description of the image (Daniel 2:32).

Daniel 2:31–45 provides both the content and the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream (Daniel 2:1–3). The dream describes what is sometimes called "the latter days" or "the times of the Gentiles." This is part of a section of the book of Daniel recorded in Aramaic (Daniel 2:4—7:28), the common language of Babylon at the time. The image seen in the dream includes a progression of shapes and materials, representing a sequence of kingdoms, their characteristics, and their eventual fates.

King Nebuchadnezzar tests his magicians, demanding they tell him what he has dreamed, rather than merely inventing an interpretation. When they fail, he prepares to execute the entire department of wise men. Daniel promises he can meet the king's request and is given a special vision from God. The king dreamed of a massive statue shattered into powder by a supernatural rock. Daniel accurately describes this and interprets it as a prophecy about kingdoms which would come after Babylon. The king appoints Daniel and his friends to positions of power and influence over Babylon.

Chapter 1 introduced King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Daniel—a captive youth from Jerusalem—and three other Jewish boys. After three years of education, the four Hebrew captives outperformed all the other trainees, even surpassing the wise men in Babylon. In chapter 2, Daniel describes and interprets Nebuchadnezzar's disturbing dream, though the court magicians could not. As a result, the king promotes Daniel and his three friends to high positions over the provinces of Babylon. This sets the stage for a severe test of faith in chapter 3.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.