Daniel Notes - Chapter 2

I. Verse 1-3 "And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. 2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream."

1. Vs. 1: This second year of his reign (604 BC) was not the second year of his total reign, but the second year he encompassed Judah in with his reign.

2. Vs. 2: This is the same group mentioned in Dan. 1:16-21.

II. Verse 4 "Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation."

1. Vs. 4: The Syriack mentioned here is Aramaic or Chaldean. This was the language spoken in Mesopotamia and would have been Nebuchadnezzar’s native tongue. Manuscripts of Daniel are in Chaldean from the end of Dan. 2:4 through Dan. 7:28. The balance of the book is in Hebrew. This is the section of the book that deals primarily with Babylon and Daniel’s time in that kingdom. From Dan. 8:1 to the end of the book it deals more with the time after Babylon under Persian rule, although some was written under the Babylonian kingdom. The Persian rule was somewhat less hostile to Jews than the Babylonian which may explain why Daniel later switched back to his native tongue to conclude his book. It is noteworthy that not only does the Masoretic text (common Hebrew text preserved by the Jews) have this change in languages, but the dead sea scrolls include it as well.

2. Vs. 4: The Chaldeans expose their lack of any real power in that they could not tell what the dream was.

III. Verse 5-13 "The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. 6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. 7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. 8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof. 10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. 12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain."

1. Vs. 5-6: The king renders his decision. The term "thing" refers to his decision in this context, so when he says, "the thing is gone from me" he is saying his decision has been made. Note "thing" in verses 5, 8, 17-18.

2. Vs. 7-8: It seems he is testing their alleged powers. He challenges them with an all or nothing proposal. If they can tell the dream he will know their interpretation is true. If they cannot, it exposes them to be fraudulent and they will die.

3. Vs. 9-12: In verses 5, 9 it appears the kings believes the Chaldeans are buying time and this seems to anger him. What led to his suspicions is not revealed, but it seems certain the king suspects the magicians lack real power.

IV. Verse 14-23 "Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: 15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: 22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter."

1. Vs. 14-18: Daniel appeals to his friends regarding the threat against the king’s wise men (this threat included Daniel and the three other Hebrews) so that together they might make their appeal to God.

2. Vs. 19-23: God answers Daniel’s request by revealing the dream and its meaning. Daniel responded by praising and thanking God.

V. Verse 24-28 "Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. 25 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. 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; 28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;"

1. Vs. 27: Daniel makes clear to the king that he had made an impossible request of the wise men. This was not just to say the king was being unreasonable, but to say the wise men had no real power.

2. Vs. 28: Daniel continues by giving God the glory for revealing the dream.

VI. Verse 29-30 "As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart."

1. Vs. 29: One purpose for God to reveal the dream was to give a prophecy that would unfold future events regarding Babylon and successive empires.

2. Vs. 30: Another purpose for revealing the dream was to save the lives of those who made known its interpretation, that is, to save Daniel and his friends.

VII. Verse 31-36 "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. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king."

1. Vs. 31-34: The four metals used to represent these kingdoms seem to decline in value as the vision progresses. By the time we get to the fourth section it is the cheapest metal, iron, further cheapened by being polluted with clay. There is no stated significance of this decline in worth, but it may signify the diminishing splendor of the successive kingdoms. See Overview chart and chart on Daniel 2.

2. Vs. 35: It is interesting that God’s kingdom is depicted by stone. In measurements of earthly wealth the kingdom of God would certainly be the least valued.

VIII. Verse 37-38 "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold."

1. Vs. 37-38: The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire. His power was absolute and fitly represented by fine gold.

IX. Verse 39 "And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth."

1. Vs. 39: The second kingdom is Medo/Persia. See Dan. 5:28. It was inferior to Babylon in power, though geographically larger.

2. Vs. 39: The third kingdom is Greece. See Dan. 8:20-21. It too was inferior, though it ruled the known world.

X. Verse 40-43 "And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay."

1. Vs. 40-41: Rome is the fourth kingdom. It has the strength of iron, so in some respects it excels the other kingdoms, in spite of its weaknesses. The iron contrasts with the other metals, not only in the fact that it is less expensive, but it is stronger, it breaks in pieces.

2. Vs. 42-43: The Romans sought to subdue kingdoms through their system of client kingdoms and colonies. While it allowed them to hold vast amounts of territory, it weakened them. The client kingdoms did not fully bond with the Roman system, as iron and clay do not mix well.

XI. Verse 44-45 "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."

1. Vs. 44: "The days of these kings" refers to the time of the Roman emperors. Sometime during the reign of that empire, God would set up his kingdom. In the time of the Roman Empire (Lk. 2:1) John and Jesus taught God’s kingdom was soon to be established. See Mt. 3:1-3, Mt. 4:17, Mk. 9:1, etc.

2. Vs. 44: Regarding the idea that God’s kingdom would rule forever and never be destroyed, see Isa. 9:6-9, Lk. 1:32-33, II Pet. 1:11, etc.

3. Vs. 45: God’s kingdom would break the other kingdoms in pieces. Regarding this thought see Ps. 2:6-9 and Isa. 60:9-12. It would not be a physical kingdom like these others, left to be replaced by another. See Jn. 18:36.

4. Vs. 45: On the stone being a metaphor for God’s rule see Isa. 28:16, Isa. 8:14-15 and Ps. 118:22.

5. Vs. 45: Regarding a mountain representing a kingdom, God’s or worldly, see Jer. 51:25, Isa. 40:4, Jer. 17:3 and Zech. 8:3. Especially notice Isa. 2:2-3 where God’s kingdom is referred to as the mountain of the Lord’s house.

6. Vs. 45: God’s kingdom is said to not be made with hands. This emphasizes its origin is divine and not human. See II Cor. 5:1 and Heb. 9:24. All these facts point to the church, God’s spiritual kingdom. It was established in the time of the Roman emperors. It is a spiritual institution, referred to as God’s kingdom. See Mt. 16:18-19. And it will stand forever, outlasting these and all worldly kingdoms.

XII. Verse 46-49 "Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. 47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. 48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king."

1. Vs. 46-47: Though Nebuchadnezzar bowed to Daniel, he ultimately gave God the glory for revealing the dream.

2. Vs. 48-49: The king rewarded Daniel by giving him power, honor and wealth. Daniel used this influence to help his three Hebrew friends get a better position in the kingdom.