Daniel 2:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.”

NIV: Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, 'I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.'

NASB: Then Arioch hurriedly brought Daniel into the king’s presence and spoke to him as follows: 'I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!'

CSB: Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, "I have found a man among the Judean exiles who can let the king know the interpretation."

NLT: Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, 'I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!'

KJV: Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

NKJV: Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”

Arioch (Daniel 2:12–15) hurried to take Daniel (Daniel 2:16–19) to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:1–4, 24). He must have believed Daniel could solve the mystery of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. It also sems he hoped Nebuchadnezzar would reward him for his part in revealing the secret (Daniel 2:6). Arioch claimed some credit by saying he "found" Daniel among the captured Hebrew youths (Daniel 1:1–7). Of course, Daniel 2:16 tells us that Daniel had requested a stay of execution from the king. It seems reasonable that Arioch would know that. But he still announces Daniel in this way and wants to link himself to the success he expects Daniel to experience before the king. This could have backfired on Arioch: the king ordered him to kill Babylon's wise men, not to seek out the answer to a mystery. And yet, Arioch, a pagan with no connection to the God of Israel, trusted Daniel, a captive Jew, to shine light into Nebuchadnezzar's dark and mysterious dream.

In the future tribulation period, saved Jews will be among those to shine the light of the gospel of the kingdom into both Jewish and Gentile hearts. Matthew 24:14 promises, "This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

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.

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.