Daniel 2 - Printer Friendly

What does Daniel 2 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

The early part of this chapter transitions from Hebrew to Aramaic. The book of Daniel will remain in that language until chapter 8 (Daniel 2:4—7:28). This emphasizes that those stories are messages to and about the Gentile people.

The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:1–3), is disturbed by a dream. Rather than simply asking his court occultists to explain it, he devises a test. It's possible the king inherited these magicians from his father and did not trust them. His claim is simple: if they cannot tell him what the dream was, it means their claims of spiritual insight have been lies. Anyone can invent an interpretation, but only real power can tell someone their own dream. After stalling for time, the conjurers claim the king's request is impossible and unreasonable. So, Nebuchadnezzar orders his wise men—all of them—to be executed. Daniel (Daniel 1:17–20) hears of this and appeals to the king. Though Daniel has no such knowledge yet, he is confident the Lord will provide it (Daniel 2:1–16).

Rather than panic, Daniel appeals to his fellow Hebrew captives and asks for prayers. The men seek God, who responds by giving Daniel a vision explaining both the king's dream and its meaning. In response, Daniel praises God's perfect wisdom and absolute authority (Daniel 2:17–23).

When he meets with the king, Daniel begins by agreeing with the magicians: no human being could know what the king has asked. However, Daniel knows the "God in heaven who reveals mysteries." He credits all his knowledge to the Lord and His purposes. God has chosen to reveal the meaning of the dream, through Daniel, because it predicts what will happen in what, to Daniel and the king, was the future (Daniel 2:24–30).

The king's dream depicted a massive, terrifying statue. This figure had a head made of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a midsection of bronze, legs of iron, and feet made of mixed iron and clay. A supernatural stone strikes the statue on its fragile feet. The image collapses and disintegrates into powder, and the remains disappear. The stone, however, grows until it covers the entire world. Notably, the materials in the statue become lighter, stronger, and less valuable as they go from top to bottom. The exception is clay, which is extremely brittle and cannot be fully fused with iron (Daniel 2:31–35).

Daniel explains that these images represent the future, in the form of kingdoms yet to come. History demonstrates the accuracy of this explanation and fills in information which would not be known until later. The golden head symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon and its absolute monarchy. The silver chest and arms represents the partly independent nature of the Medo-Persian Empire. Next, the bronze midsection predicts the Greek Empire. Finally, the iron legs depict the Roman Empire, which is sharply divided and falls into division and corruption. The stone which shatters this line depicts a kingdom formed by God which will conquer the world and never be challenged (Daniel 2:36–45).

In response to this display of supernatural wisdom, Nebuchadnezzar honors Daniel. Rather than worshipping Daniel, the king seems to accept that Daniel acts as a conduit for divine power. And yet, the king refers to Daniel's God as the greatest of many—retaining and adjusting his pagan religious views. Nebuchadnezzar appoints Daniel to a position of high leadership. On Daniel's request, the king also installs Daniel's three faithful Hebrew friends in prestigious roles (Daniel 2:46–49).

The three friends are most famously known by their Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 1:6–7). They will be severely tested when the king commands them to worship an idol or be burned alive in a furnace (Daniel 3).

Daniel 2:1–16 builds on the introduction to Daniel and his three friends given in chapter 1. Babylon's king, Nebuchadnezzar, is deeply disturbed by a recurring dream. He insists that his pagan advisors tell him what the dream contained, to prove they have genuine insight. When the Babylonian counselors say that only a god could do that, the king plans to have every advisor in Babylon killed. Daniel, however, claims he can meet Nebuchadnezzar's challenge. The text switches from Hebrew to Aramaic in verse 4 and will not revert until chapter 8.

Daniel 2:17–23 explains what happened after Daniel requested an appointment to explain king Nebuchadnezzar's dream. When royal magicians could not explain his dream, the king gave an extreme command: to kill all his advisors, even those not involved with his request (Daniel 2:1–15). Daniel, despite knowing nothing about the dream, at first, promised the king an answer (Daniel 2:16). This passage shows what happened next and reveals more information about Daniel's character. This continues a stretch of Scripture recorded in Aramaic (Daniel 2:4—7:28).

Daniel 2:24–30 records Daniel's initial statement to King Nebuchadnezzar regarding the king's disturbing dream (Daniel 2:1–3). God revealed the truth to Daniel in a vision (Daniel 2:17–19), and Daniel will credit God alone with the knowledge he is about to share. Humbly, Daniel agrees that what the king had demanded was impossible for any person (Daniel 2:10–11), but that nothing can be kept secret from the true God in heaven.

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.

Daniel 2:46–49 follows Daniel's description and interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream (Daniel 2:1–3, 27–45). It demonstrates the pagan king's response to obvious divine power, as well as a further glimpse into Daniel's loyalty to his three friends (Daniel 1:1–6; 2:17–19).

Chapter Summary:

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 Context:

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 12:16:46 PM