48 Then H116 the king H4430 made H7236 Daniel H1841 a great man, H7236 and gave H3052 him many H7690 great H7260 gifts, H4978 and made him ruler H7981 over H5922 the whole H3606 province H4083 of Babylon, H895 and chief H7229 of the governors H5460 over H5922 all H3606 the wise H2445 men of Babylon. H895
But if H2006 ye shew H2324 the dream, H2493 and the interpretation H6591 thereof, ye shall receive H6902 of H4481 me H6925 gifts H4978 and rewards H5023 and great H7690 honour: H3367 therefore H3861 shew H2324 me the dream, H2493 and the interpretation H6591 thereof.
There is H383 a man H1400 in thy kingdom, H4437 in whom is the spirit H7308 of the holy H6922 gods; H426 and in the days H3118 of thy father H2 light H5094 and understanding H7924 and wisdom, H2452 like the wisdom H2452 of the gods, H426 was found H7912 in him; whom the king H4430 Nebuchadnezzar H5020 thy father, H2 the king, H4430 I say, thy father, H2 made H6966 master H7229 of the magicians, H2749 astrologers, H826 Chaldeans, H3779 and soothsayers; H1505
O Belteshazzar, H1096 master H7229 of the magicians, H2749 because I H576 know H3046 that the spirit H7308 of the holy H6922 gods H426 is in thee, and no H3606 H3809 secret H7328 troubleth H598 thee, tell H560 me the visions H2376 of my dream H2493 that I have seen, H2370 and the interpretation H6591 thereof.
Then H116 commanded H560 Belshazzar, H1113 and they clothed H3848 Daniel H1841 with scarlet, H711 and put a chain H2002 of gold H1722 about H5922 his neck, H6676 and made a proclamation H3745 concerning H5922 him, that he should be H1934 the third H8531 ruler H7990 in the kingdom. H4437
And I H576 have heard H8086 of thee, H5922 that thou canst H3202 make H6590 interpretations, H6591 and dissolve H8271 doubts: H7001 now H3705 if H2006 thou canst H3202 read H7123 the writing, H3792 and make known H3046 to me the interpretation H6591 thereof, thou shalt be clothed H3848 with scarlet, H711 and have a chain H2002 of gold H1722 about H5922 thy neck, H6676 and shalt be the third H8531 ruler H7981 in the kingdom. H4437
And Pharaoh H6547 said H559 unto Joseph, H3130 Forasmuch H310 as God H430 hath shewed H3045 thee all this, there is none so discreet H995 and wise H2450 as thou art: Thou shalt be H1961 over my house, H1004 and according unto thy word H6310 shall all my people H5971 be ruled: H5401 only in the throne H3678 will I be greater H1431 than thou. And Pharaoh H6547 said H559 unto Joseph, H3130 See, H7200 I have set H5414 thee over all the land H776 of Egypt. H4714 And Pharaoh H6547 took off H5493 his ring H2885 from his hand, H3027 and put H5414 it upon Joseph's H3130 hand, H3027 and arrayed H3847 him in vestures H899 of fine linen, H8336 and put H7760 a gold H2091 chain H7242 about his neck; H6677 And he made him to ride H7392 in the second H4932 chariot H4818 which he had; and they cried H7121 before him, H6440 Bow the knee: H86 and he made H5414 him ruler over all the land H776 of Egypt. H4714
There are H383 certain H1400 Jews H3062 whom H3487 thou hast set H4483 over H5922 the affairs H5673 of the province H4083 of Babylon, H895 Shadrach, H7715 Meshach, H4336 and Abednego; H5665 these H479 men, H1400 O king, H4430 have H7761 not H3809 regarded H2942 thee: H5922 they serve H6399 not H3809 thy gods, H426 nor H3809 worship H5457 the golden H1722 image H6755 which thou hast set up. H6966
It pleased H6925 H8232 Darius H1868 to set H6966 over H5922 the kingdom H4437 an hundred H3969 and twenty H6243 princes, H324 which should be H1934 over the whole H3606 kingdom; H4437 And over H5924 these H4481 three H8532 presidents; H5632 of whom H4481 Daniel H1841 was first: H2298 that H459 the princes H324 might H1934 give H3052 accounts H2941 unto them, and the king H4430 should have H1934 no H3809 damage. H5142
And they came H935 to Balaam, H1109 and said H559 to him, Thus saith H559 Balak H1111 the son H1121 of Zippor, H6834 Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder H4513 thee from coming H1980 unto me: For I will promote H3513 thee unto very H3966 great H3513 honour, H3513 and I will do H6213 whatsoever thou sayest H559 unto me: come H3212 therefore, I pray thee, curse H6895 me this people. H5971
Nebuchadnezzar H5020 the king H4430 made H5648 an image H6755 of gold, H1722 whose height H7314 was threescore H8361 cubits, H521 and the breadth H6613 thereof six H8353 cubits: H521 he set it up H6966 in the plain H1236 of Dura, H1757 in the province H4083 of Babylon. H895
His substance H4735 also was seven H7651 thousand H505 sheep, H6629 and three H7969 thousand H505 camels, H1581 and five H2568 hundred H3967 yoke H6776 of oxen, H1241 and five H2568 hundred H3967 she asses, H860 and a very H3966 great H7227 household; H5657 so that this man H376 was the greatest H1419 of all the men H1121 of the east. H6924
Now Naaman, H5283 captain H8269 of the host H6635 of the king H4428 of Syria, H758 was a great H1419 man H376 with H6440 his master, H113 and honourable, H5375 because by him the LORD H3068 had given H5414 deliverance H8668 unto Syria: H758 he was also a mighty H1368 man H376 in valour, H2428 but he was a leper. H6879
And there was a man H376 in Maon, H4584 whose possessions H4639 were in Carmel; H3760 and the man H376 was very H3966 great, H1419 and he had three H7969 thousand H505 sheep, H6629 and a thousand H505 goats: H5795 and he was shearing H1494 his sheep H6629 in Carmel. H3760
And the men H376 of Israel H3478 said, H559 Have ye seen H7200 this man H376 that is come up? H5927 surely to defy H2778 Israel H3478 is he come up: H5927 and it shall be, that the man H376 who killeth H5221 him, the king H4428 will enrich H6238 him with great H1419 riches, H6239 and will give H5414 him his daughter, H1323 and make H6213 his father's H1 house H1004 free H2670 in Israel. H3478
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Daniel 2
Commentary on Daniel 2 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 2
It was said (ch. 1:17) that Daniel had understanding in dreams; and here we have an early and eminent instance of it, which soon made him famous in the court of Babylon, as Joseph by the same means came to be so in the court of Egypt. This chapter is a history, but it is the history of a prophecy, by a dream and the interpretation of it. Pharaoh's dream, and Joseph's interpretation of it, related only to the years of plenty and famine and the interest of God's Israel in them; but Nebuchadnezzar's dream here, and Daniel's interpretation of that, look much higher, to the four monarchies, and the concerns of Israel in them, and the kingdom of the Messiah, which should be set up in the world upon the ruins of them. In this chapter we have,
Dan 2:1-13
We meet with a great difficulty in the date of this story; it is said to be in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, v. 1. Now Daniel was carried to Babylon in his first year, and, it should seem, he was three years under tutors and governors before he was presented to the king, ch. 1:5. How then could this happen in the second year? Perhaps, though three years were appointed for the education of other children, yet Daniel was so forward that he was taken into business when he had been but one year at school, and so in the second year he became thus considerable. Some make it to be the second year after he began to reign alone, but the fifth or sixth year since he began to reign in partnership with his father. Some read it, and in the second year, (the second after Daniel and his fellows stood before the king), in the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, or in his reign, this happened; as Joseph, in the second year after his skill in dreams, showed and expounded Pharaoh's, so Daniel, in the second year after he commenced master in that art, did this service. I would much rather take it some of these ways than suppose, as some do, that it was in the second year after he had conquered Egypt, which was the thirty-sixth year of his reign, because it appears by what we meet with in Ezekiel, that Daniel was famous both for wisdom and prevalence in prayer long before that; and therefore this passage, or story, which shows how he came to be so eminent for both these must be laid early in Nebuchadnezzar's reign. Now here we may observe,
Dan 2:14-23
When the king sent for his wise men to tell them his dream, and the interpretation of it (v. 2), Daniel, it seems, was not summoned to appear among them; the king, though he was highly pleased with him when he examined him, and thought him ten times wiser than the rest of his wise men, yet forgot him when he had most occasion for him; and no wonder, when all was done in a heat, and nothing with a cool and deliberate thought. But Providence so ordered it; that the magicians being nonplussed might be the more taken notice of, and so the more glory might redound to the God of Daniel. But, though Daniel had not the honour to be consulted with the rest of the wise men, contrary to all law and justice, by an undistinguishing sentence, he stands condemned with them, and till he has notice brought him to prepare for execution he knows nothing of the matter. How miserable is the case of those who live under arbitrary government, as this of Nebuchadnezzar's! How happy are we, whose lives are under the protection of the law and methods of justice, and lie not thus at the mercy of a peevish and capricious prince!
We have found already, in Ezekiel, that Daniel was famous both for prudence and prayer; as a prince he had power with God and by man; by prayer he had power with God, by prudence he had power with man, and in both he prevailed. Thus did he find favour and good understanding in the sight of both, and in these verses we have a remarkable instance of both.
Dan 2:24-30
We have here the introduction to Daniel's declaring the dream, and the interpretation of it.
Dan 2:31-45
Daniel here gives full satisfaction to Nebuchadnezzar concerning his dream and the interpretation of it. That great prince had been kind to this poor prophet in his maintenance and education; he had been brought up at the king's cost, preferred at court, and the land of his captivity had hereby been made much easier to him than to others of his brethren. And now the king is abundantly repaid for all the expense he had been at upon him; and for receiving this prophet, though not in the name of a prophet, he had a prophet's reward, such a reward as a prophet only could give, and for which that wealthy mighty prince was now glad to be beholden to him. Here is,
Dan 2:46-49
One might have expected that when Nebuchadnezzar was contriving to make his own kingdom everlasting he would be enraged at Daniel, who foretold the fall of it and that another kingdom of another nature should be the everlasting kingdom; but, instead of resenting it as an affront, he received it as an oracle, and here we are told what the expressions were of the impressions it made upon him.