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Daniel Chapter
Two
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 2
The
subject of this chapter is a dream which Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed, but had
forgot; upon which he calls his magicians and astrologers together, to tell him
it, and the interpretation of it; threatening them with death if they did not,
and promising them great rewards and honour if they did, Daniel 2:1, they
urge the unreasonableness of the demand, and the impossibility of the thing;
which so highly incensed the king, that he ordered their immediate destruction,
Daniel 2:7, Daniel
and his companions being in danger, he goes in to the king, and desires time,
and he would show him what he had dreamed; which being granted, he spent it in
prayer to God, Daniel 2:14, and
the thing being revealed to him, he gave thanks to God, Daniel 2:19, and
being introduced to the king, he both told him his dream, and the
interpretation of it; which concerned the four monarchies of the world, and the
everlasting kingdom of the Messiah, Daniel 2:24, upon
which he was highly honoured, and greatly promoted by the king, Daniel 2:46.
Daniel 2:1 Now in the
second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his
spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.
YLT 1And in the second year of
the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, dreamed hath Nebuchadnezzar dreams, and his spirit
doth move itself, and his sleep hath been against him;
And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar,.... It was in
the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign that Daniel was carried captive, Jeremiah 25:1,
three years Daniel had been under tutors; at the end of which he was presented
to the king, as is related in the preceding chapter; and yet the following
dream was in the second of his reign: this creates a difficulty, which is
solved by some thus: in the second year after the destruction of the temple, so
the Jewish chronicleF15Seder Olam Rabba, c. 28. p. 80. , with which
Jarchi agrees; others, as Aben Ezra, in the second year of his monarchy, after
he had subdued all the nations round about; and so Josephus saysF16Antiqu.
l. 10. c. 10. sect. 3. , it was in the second year after the destruction of the
Egyptians. R. Moses the priest, in Aben Ezra, would have it to be the second
year to his reign, to the end of it, when there were only two years wanting to
it; a very unusual way of reckoning indeed! and therefore justly rejected by
Aben Ezra: but all these dates are too late, since Daniel long before these
times was well known, and in great fame for his wisdom; whereas, at this time,
it does not appear that he was much known, or in great request: it is better
either to render it, "in the second year", that is, after Daniel and
his companions had been presented to the king, and promoted;
even in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, as opposed to the reign
of Darius or Cyrus, in which he flourished also: or rather this was the second
year of Nebuchadnezzar's reigning alone; for he had been taken into partnership
in the throne with his father before his death, as BerosusF17Apud
Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 19. observes, which is said to be two years; so
that this second year was the fourth year of his reign, reckoning from the time
he reigned conjunctly with his father, though the second of his reigning alone:
yet it seems best of all to render the words, with NoldiusF18Concord.
Ebr. Part. p. 452. No. 1405. , but in the second year, in the reign of
Nebuchadnezzar; that is, in the second year of Daniel's ministry in or under
the reign of Nebuchadnezzar; who continued at court under different reigns,
till the first of Cyrus: this was, according to Bishop UsherF19Annales
Vet. Test. A. M. 3401. , and Mr. WhistonF20Chronological Tables,
cent. 9. , in the year of the world 3401 A.M., and before Christ 603. Mr.
BedfordF21Scripture Chronology, p. 677. places it in 604:
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; which, though but one,
yet, relating to various things, the several parts of the human body, and the
different metals the form he saw was made of, as well as the four monarchies it
signified, is called "dreams". Jacchiades says, he first dreamed the
dream, and then the interpretation of it; which is the reason of the plural
number: wherewith his spirit was troubled; it gave his mind a great deal of
trouble while he was dreaming it; and when he awaked, though he could not
recover it, yet he had some confused broken ideas of it; it had left some
impressions upon him, which gave him great uneasiness, and the more as he could
not recollect any part of it; his mind was agitated, and tossed to and fro, and
under the greatest perplexity:
and his sleep brake from him; went away from him,
through the strangeness of the dream, and the effect it had upon him.
Daniel 2:2 2 Then
the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the
sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and
stood before the king.
YLT 2and the king saith to call
for scribes, and for enchanters, and for sorcerers, and for Chaldeans, to
declare to the king his dreams. And they come in and stand before the king;
Then the king commanded to call the magicians,.... He
ordered his servants in waiting to send immediately for the wise men, the
philosophers of that age and kingdom, that studied the things of nature, and
the natural causes of things:
and the astrologers; that cast nativities,
and pretended by the position and influence of the stars to know what would
befall men:
and the sorcerers; or wizards, that made use of familiar
spirits, and the help of the devil; necromancers that consulted the dead, in
order to get knowledge of future things:
and the Chaldeans; so called, not from their country; for
probably all the preceding were Chaldeans by nation; but inasmuch as the study
of judiciary astrology, and other unlawful arts, greatly obtained in Chaldea;
hence those that were addicted to them had this nameF23Vid. Juvenal.
Satyr. 6. A. Gellii Noet. Attic, l. 1. c. 9. Cicero de Divinatione, I. 1. :
for to show the king his dreams; both what it was he
dreamed, and what the interpretation or meaning of it was: so they came, and
stood before the king; they came immediately, with great readiness and
willingness, esteeming it a great honour done them to be sent for by the king,
and admitted into his chamber; and hoping it would turn much both to their
credit and profit; and being come, they stood waiting his will and pleasure.
Daniel 2:3 3 And
the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know
the dream.”
YLT 3and the king saith to them,
`A dream I have dreamed, and moved is my spirit to know the dream.'
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream,.... What
before is called dreams is here expressed in the singular, a dream; for it was
but one dream, though it contained in it various things; this the king could
remember, that he had a dream; for it had left some impression on his mind,
though he could not call to mind what it was about. Aben Ezra makes mention of
one of their Gaons or Rabbins, that affirmed that Nebuchadnezzar knew his
dream, but was willing to try the wise men; but, as he observes, he could not
surely believe the words of Daniel:
and my spirit was troubled to know the dream; both that,
and the meaning of it; he says nothing as yet about the interpretation of it;
concluding that, if they could tell him the dream, they could explain it to
him; or then it would be time enough to inquire after that.
Daniel 2:4 4 Then
the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic,[a] “O king,
live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the
interpretation.”
YLT 4And the Chaldeans speak to
the king [in] Aramaean, `O king, to the ages live, tell the dream to thy
servants, and the interpretation we do shew.'
Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in, Syriac,.... These
spake, either because the interpretation of dreams particularly belonged to
them; or else as being the chief of the wise men, and of greatest authority; or
as chosen by the rest, and spake in their name; and indeed this appellation may
include them all, being all of the same country, though they might differ in
their profession: they spake in the Syriac or Babylonish language, the same
with the Chaldee, being their mother tongue, and that of the king too; and
therefore could more easily speak it themselves, and be more easily understood
by him, than if they had spoke in another; See Gill on Daniel 1:4 and from
hence, to the end of the "seventh" chapter, Daniel writes in Chaldee;
the things he treats of chiefly relating to the Chaldeans:
O king, live for ever; which is a wish of long
life, health, and prosperity; and does not intend an everlasting continuance in
this world, or an eternal life in another, to the knowledge of which they might
be strangers: this was an usual form of salutation of kings in these eastern
nations; like to this is that of Sinaetus, a Persian, to Artaxerxes MnemonF24Aelian.
Var. Hist. l. 1. c. 32. .
"O
King Artaxerxes, reign for ever;'
so
saidF25Curtius, l. 6. c. 5. Artabazus, a faithful friend of Darius,
to Alexander the great, when he met him with the friends and relations of
Darius,
"O
king, may you flourish in perpetual happiness:'
tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation; this was not
the thing that was asked of them, but the dream itself; and if that had been
told them, they promise more than there is reason to believe they would have
fulfilled, had that been done; it is more than the Egyptian magicians could do,
even when Pharaoh had told them his dream: this they said partly to get time,
and partly to make a show of their skill and knowledge; though in a very vain
and arrogant manner.
Daniel 2:5 5 The
king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My decision is firm: if you do not
make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces,
and your houses shall be made an ash heap.
YLT 5The king hath answered and
said to the Chaldeans, `The thing from me is gone; if ye do not cause me to
know the dream and its interpretation, pieces ye are made, and your houses are
made dunghills;
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans,.... In the
same language they spoke to him:
the thing is gone from me; either the dream was gone
from him; it was out of his mind, he had forgot it, and could not call it to
remembrance; he had been dreaming of monarchies and kingdoms, which are
themselves but dreams and tales, and empty things that pass away, and which he
might have learned from hence: or, as it may be rendered, "the word is
confirmed by me"F26מלתא מני אזדא "verbum a me
firmum, vel firmatum", Michaelis; "a me decretum et
statutum", L'Empereur. . Saadiah says, that some observe that the word
here used has the signification of strength or firmness; and so Aben Ezra
interprets the word, is stable and firm; to which agrees the Syriac version,
"most
sure is the word which I pronounce;'
referring
not to the dream, but to what follows the king's declaration, both with respect
to threatenings and promises:
if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the
interpretation thereof; the king speaks as if he thought it was in their power, but they
were unwilling to do it; though no doubt, had they been able, they would have
readily done it, both for their credit and advantage:
ye shall be cut in pieces; not only cut in two, but
into various pieces, limb by limb, as Agag by Samuel, and the Ammonites by
David; and which was a punishment often inflicted in the eastern nations; as
Orpheus was cut to pieces by the Thracian women, and Bessus by order of
Alexander the greatF1Vid. Curtium, l. 7. c. 5. p. 206. ; much the
same punishment as, with us, to be hanged, drawn, and quartered:
and your houses shall be made a dunghill; be destroyed,
and never rebuilt more, but put to the most contemptible uses: and this was
common among the Romans; when any were found plotting against the government,
or guilty of treason, they were not only capitally punished, but their houses
were pulled down, or the names of them changed; or, however, were not used for
dwelling houses; so the house of Caius Cassius was pulled down and demolished
for his affectation of government, and for treason; and that of M. Maulins
Capitolinus, who was suspected of seizing the government, after he was thrown
from the rock, was made a mint of; and that of Spuflus Melius for the same
crime, after he had suffered, was by reproach called Aequimelium; and of the
like kind many instances are givenF2Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Genial.
Dier. l. 3. c. 23. and so among the Grecians; PausaniasF3Eliac. 2.
sive l. 6. p. 366. relates of Astylus Crotoniata, that by way of punishment,
and as a mark of infamy upon him for a crime he had done, his house was
appointed for a public prison. HerodotusF4Erato, sive I. 6. p. 72.
reports Leutychides, general of the Lacedemonians in Thessalian expedition,
that having received money by way of bribery, for which he was tried and
condemned, though he made his escape, his house was demolished; and the same
usage and custom remains to this day in France: thus the unhappy Damien, a
madman, who of late stabbed the French king; one part of his sentence was, that
the house in which he was born should be pulled down, as he himself also was
pulled and cut to pieces; see 2 Kings 10:27.
Daniel 2:6 6 However,
if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts,
rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
YLT 6and if the dream and its
interpretation ye do shew, gifts, and fee, and great glory ye receive from
before me, therefore the dream and its interpretation shew ye me.'
But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof,.... Which he
was extremely intent upon to know; and therefore makes use of every way to
obtain it, first by threatenings, to terrify, and next by promises, to allure:
ye shall receive of me gifts, and rewards, and great honour; gold, silver,
jewels, rich apparel, houses, lands, and great promotion to some of the highest
places of honour, trust, and profit, in the kingdom, as Daniel afterwards had:
therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof; at once,
directly, without any more ado; for the king was impatient of it.
Daniel 2:7 7 They
answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will
give its interpretation.”
YLT 7They have answered a second
time, and are saying, `Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and the
interpretation we do shew.
They answered again, and said,.... Or, a
"second"F5תנינות δευτερον, Sept.;
"secundo", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so
Ar. time; repeating the same words, having nothing more to say:
let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the
interpretation thereof; the first part was but right and reasonable, though the latter
was mere boasting and arrogancy.
Daniel 2:8 8 The
king answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because
you see that my decision is firm:
YLT 8The king hath answered and
said, `Of a truth I know that time ye are gaining, because that ye have seen
that the thing is gone from me,
The king answered and said, I know of certainty,.... I see
plainly and clearly what you are at, and am fully assured you mean nothing, but
that
ye would gain the time: or buyF6די עדנא אנתון
זבנין "quod tempus vos emitis", Pagninus,
Munster; "ementes", Montanus; "vos tempus redimere", Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator. , or redeem time, as in Ephesians 5:16,
prolong time, put off the answer to longer time; spin out time, as people do in
buying and selling; or have it in their possession and power when to answer;
and so by gaining time, or being master of it, might hope something would turn
up to their advantage, and extricate them out of their present difficulties:
because ye see the thing is gone from me; the dream he
could not remember; or because the decree was certain which he had determined
concerning them; See Gill on Daniel 2:5.
Daniel 2:9 9 if
you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you!
For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time
has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me
its interpretation.”
YLT 9[so] that, if the dream ye
do not cause me to know -- one is your sentence, seeing a word lying and
corrupt ye have prepared to speak before me, till that the time is changed,
therefore the dream tell ye to me, then do I know that its interpretation ye do
shew me.'
But if ye will not make known unto me the dream,.... For the
present he does not insist upon the interpretation, only the dream itself, at
least this is now only mentioned; concluding that if they could do the one,
they could do the other, as is after observed:
there is but one decree for you; for them all; and that
was the decree of death; which should never be revoked or mitigated, or the
sentence be changed for another; but should certainly be executed, and in which
they were all involved, not one should escape:
for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me; framed a
deceitful answer to impose upon and screen yourselves:
till the time be changed; either that he could
remember his dream, and tell them it himself; or all the images and impressions
of it were wore off his mind, so that they could tell him anything, and he not
be able to disprove them; or he would grow indifferent to it, and his
passionate desire after it cool, and he be careless whether he knew it or not;
or he or they should die; or he might be engaged in other affairs, and be
called abroad to war, as he had been; or some thing or other turn up, whereby
they might escape the ruin threatened. Saadiah fixes the time to noon, when the
conversation of kings ceased, and they were otherwise engaged:
therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me
the interpretation thereof; for by being able to tell a dream that was
past, it might be concluded they were able to tell what was to come, signified
by that dream; and if they could not declare what was past, how should it be
thought that they could foretell things to come?
Daniel 2:10 10 The
Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can
tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked
such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean.
YLT 10The Chaldeans have answered
before the king, and are saying, `There is not a man on the earth who is able
to shew the king's matter; therefore, no king, chief, and ruler, hath asked
such a thing as this of any scribe, and enchanter, and Chaldean;
The Chaldeans answered before the King, and said,.... As
follows, in order to appease his wrath, and cool his resentment, and bring him
to reason:
there is not a man upon the earth can show the king's matter; or,
"upon the dry land"F7על יבשתא "super aridam", Pagninus, Montanus;
"super arida", Cocceius; "super arido", Michaelis. : upon
the continent, throughout the whole world, in any country whatever; not one
single man can be found, be he ever so wise and learned, that can show the king
what he requires; and yet Daniel afterwards did; and so it appears, by this
confession, that he was greater than they, or any other of the same profession
with them: this is one argument they use to convince the king of the
unreasonableness of his demand; it being such that no man on earth was equal
to; another follows:
therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler; there neither
is, nor never was, any potentate or prince, be who he will; whether, as
Jacchiades distinguishes them, a "king" over many provinces, whose
empire is very large; or "lord" over many cities; or
"ruler" over many villages belonging to one city; in short, no man of
power and authority, whether supreme or subordinate:
that asked things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean; never was
such a thing required of any before; no instance, they suggest, could be
produced in ancient history, or in the present age, in any kingdom or court
under the heavens, of such a request being made; or that anything of this kind
was ever insisted upon; and therefore hoped the king would not insist upon it;
and which no doubt was true: Pharaoh required of his wise men to tell him the
interpretation of his dream, but not the dream itself.
Daniel 2:11 11 It is a difficult thing that
the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the
gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
YLT 11and the thing that the king
is asking [is] precious, and others are there not that do shew it before the
king, save the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.'
And it is a rare thing the king requireth, Meaning not
scarce, or seldom heard of; for they had before asserted it never had been
required; but that it was hard and difficult, yea, with them, and as they
supposed with any other, impossible to be done:
and there is none other that can show it before the king, except
the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh; these men own there was
a God, though, they held, more than one; and the omniscience of God, though
they seem to have no notion of his omnipresence; and to suggest as if he had no
concern with mortals; had no regard to men on earth, nor communicated the
knowledge of things unto them. Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Saadiah, interpret this
of angels, who are incorporeal; but the superior deities of the Gentiles are
rather designed; who were supposed to dwell in heaven, and to have no
conversation with men on earth; these, it is owned, could declare to the king
what he desired, and no other; and therefore should not persist in his demand
on them.
Daniel 2:12 12 For
this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to
destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
YLT 12Therefore the king hath
been angry and very wroth, and hath said to destroy all the wise men of
Babylon;
For this cause the king was angry, and very furious,.... Not only
because they could not tell his dream, and the interpretation of it; but
because they represented him as requiring a thing unreasonable and impossible,
which had never been done by any potentate but himself, and could never be
answered but by the gods: this threw him into an excess of wrath and fury;
which in those tyrannical and despotic princes was exceeding great and
terrible:
and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon; not only
those that were now in his presence, but all others; concluding from this
instance that they were an useless set of men, yea, deceivers and impostors.
Daniel 2:13 13 So
the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they
sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
YLT 13And the sentence hath gone
forth, and the wise men are being slain, and they have sought Daniel and his
companions to be slain.
And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain,.... Or,
"and the wise men were slain"F8וחכימיא
מתקטלין "et sapientes interficiebantur",
Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Piscator, Michaelis. , as the Septuagint, Vulgate
Latin, and Syriac versions render it; and so Saadiah: orders were given by the
king to his proper officers, and his edict was published, and his will made
known in the usual manner; upon which the wise men, at least some of them, were
slain; very probably those who were in the king's presence, and at court; and
the officers were gone out to slay the rest:
and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain; who had the
character of wise men, and might be envied at court, and so the officers took
this opportunity, having these orders, to slay them: there was, no doubt, a
particular providence, that Daniel and his friends should not be at court at
this time; both that the vanity of the Chaldean wisdom and arts might be the
more manifest and made known, and the divine and superior wisdom and knowledge
of Daniel might be more conspicuous, and his fame be spread in Babylon, and in
other provinces.
Daniel 2:14 14 Then
with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s
guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon;
YLT 14Then Daniel hath replied
[with] counsel and discretion to Arioch chief of the executioners of the king,
who hath gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.
Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom,.... In a
discreet manner, using soft words and gentle language, humbly and modestly
inquiring what should be the meaning of all this. The Vulgate Latin version is,
"he inquired of the law and decree"F9התיב
עטא וטעם "interrogavit
de lege et decreto", V. L.; "super consilio", Munster, Calvin;
"de eo consilio", Castalio. ; what was the reason of the king's
orders, which this officer had in commission to execute; with which others
agree: or, "he made to return the counsel and decree"F11"Redire
fecit consilium et statutum", Pagninus, Montanus; "reverti
fecit", Michaelis. , as some choose to render it; he stopped the execution
of it for the present, by his inquiries and prudent behaviour but neither seem
to agree with what follows; the first sense is best:
to Arioch the captain of the king's guards: there was a
king of this name, Genesis 14:1, this
man, according to the Septuagint version, and others that follow it, was the
chief of the king's cooks; and Aben Ezra says the word in the Arabic language
so signifies: or, as it may be rendered, "the chief of the
slaughterers"F12רב טבחיא "principem carnificum", Montanus, Grotius.
; the executioners of malefactors, so Jarchi; he was the king's chief
executioner, with which agrees the business he was now charged with: the
Vulgate Latin version calls him the prince of the militia; and others the
king's provost marshal:
which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon; who by the
king's order went forth from the court into the city, to slay all in Babylon
who went under the character of wise men; they were not among those that could
not answer the king's demand, since they declared none could do it; and
therefore he ordered them all to be slain, as a set of useless men in his
kingdom.
Daniel 2:15 15 he
answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the
king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.
YLT 15He hath answered and said
to Arioch the king's captain, `Wherefore [is] the sentence so urgent from
before the king?' Then Arioch hath made the thing known to Daniel,
And he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain,.... Or governorF13שליטא "dominatori", Junius &, Tremellius,
Piscator, Broughtonus, ; over the persons before mentioned; either the king's
guard or militia, or cooks or executioners: before, the manner in which Daniel
answered is observed; here, the matter of it, as follows:
why is the decree so hasty from the King? or, "why
this rash", hasty, or cruel (as the Vulgate Latin version) decree from the
king? for so it was: what is the cause and reason of it?
then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel; who before
was ignorant of it; he was not with the wise men before the king; either they
did not care he should go with them, and therefore called him not; or he did
not choose to go himself, being under no temptation by the rewards offered, and
especially having no summons from the king himself: this being his case, Arioch
informs him of the whole affair; how that the king had dreamed a dream, and
forgot it; and had sent for the wise men to tell him both it and the
interpretation; but they not being able to do it, and declaring also that it
was impossible to be done, the king had given orders to slay all of that
character.
Daniel 2:16 16 So
Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king
the interpretation.
YLT 16and Daniel hath gone up,
and sought of the king that he would give him time to shew the interpretation
to the king.
Then Daniel went in,.... Or "went
up"F14על "ascendit",
Gejerus. ; to the king's palace, which might be built on an eminence; or into
his chamber, where he probably was; or in some upper room, very likely
introduced by Arioch; and which was a bold and daring action in them both: in
Arioch, to cease from doing his orders, and entering into the king's presence
before he had; and in Daniel, to appear before him, having the name of a wise
man, when the king was in such a fury; all which was owing to the providence of
God, that wrought upon the heart of Arioch, to listen to what Daniel said, and
inspired them both with courage to go in to the king:
and desired of the king that he would give him time; not two or
three days, but only that night, till morning, as Saadiah observes; and this
with a view not to read books, or study any art; or, by reasoning with himself,
or conversation with others, to get knowledge; but to pray to God:
and that he would show the king the interpretation; that is, of
his dream, and the dream itself; being persuaded in his own mind that God would
hear his prayers, and make it known to him. The king granted him his request,
though he upbraided the wise men of their design to gain time; but perhaps,
upon the sight of Daniel, he remembered him again, and how superior in wisdom
he was to all his magicians and wise men; and besides, Daniel gave him hope,
yea, assurance, of showing his dream, and the interpretation of it, which his
mind was very eager after; but chiefly this subsiding of his wrath, and his
indulging Daniel in his request, were owing to the overruling providence of
God.
Daniel 2:17 17 Then
Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah, his companions,
YLT 17Then Daniel to his house
hath gone, and to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, he hath made
the thing known,
Then Daniel went to his house,.... Which Sanctius
thinks was in the king's palace; very probably it might be near it, somewhere
in the city of Babylon; for that it should be twenty miles from that city, as
Benjamin of Tudela relatesF15Itinerarium, p. 76. , is not likely;
since Arioch's orders reached to none but the wise men of Babylon, and where he
sought for and found Daniel; hither he went, to be alone, and to seek the Lord
in secret:
and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his
companions; who either dwelt in the same house with him, or not far off;
whom he sent for and acquainted with all that had passed, both between the king
and the wise men, and the consequence of that; and between him and the king,
and what promise he had made, relying on his God and theirs.
Daniel 2:18 18 that
they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that
Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men
of Babylon.
YLT 18and to seek mercies from
before the God of the heavens concerning this secret, that they destroy not
Daniel and his companions with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning
this secret,.... His view in sending for them, and informing them of this
whole affair, was to engage them in prayer to God with him; even to that God
that made the heaven, and dwells there, and is above all, and sees and knows
what is done in earth, and rules both in heaven and in earth according to his
will; to entreat his mercy, whose mercies are manifold, and not plead any
merits of their own; and that he would, in compassion to them, and the lives of
others that were in danger, make known this secret of the king's dream, and the
interpretation of it; which could never be found out by the sagacity of men, or
by any art they are masters of: this Daniel requested of them, as knowing that
it was their duty and interest, as well as his, to unite in prayer unto God on
this account, and that the joint and fervent prayer of righteous men avails
much with him:
that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the
wise men of Babylon; which they were in danger of: this was the mercy they were to
implore, being in distress, and this the interest they had in this affair; a
strong argument to induce them to it.
Daniel 2:19 19 Then
the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God
of heaven.
YLT 19Then to Daniel, in a vision
of the night, the secret hath been revealed. Then hath Daniel blessed the God
of the heavens.
Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision,.... That is,
after Daniel and his companions had importunately sought the Lord by prayer,
the secret of the king's dream, and the interpretation of it, were made known
to Daniel, and to him only; he being the person designed in Providence to be
raised to great honour and dignity by means of it; this was done either the
same night, or the night following, and, as some think, in a dream, and that he
dreamed the same dream Nebuchadnezzar did, which he remembered, though the king
forgot it; or, however, the same image was represented, to him, whether
sleeping or waking, and the meaning of it given him:
then Daniel blessed the God of heaven: gave thanks
to him, that he had heard his prayer, and indulged him in his request; which
thanksgiving, blessing, or praise, is expressed in the following words:
Daniel 2:20 20 Daniel
answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and
might are His.
YLT 20Daniel hath answered and
said, `Let the name of God be blessed from age even unto age, for wisdom and
might -- for they are His.
Daniel answered and said,.... That is, he began
his prayer, as Jacchiades observes, or his thanksgiving, and expressed it in
the following manner:
blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: a form of
blessing God, or a wish that he may be blessed by men for evermore; for there
is that in his name, in his nature, in his perfections, and in his works, which
require that praise be given him now, and to all eternity:
for wisdom and might are his; "wisdom" in
forming the scheme of things, and "might" or power in the execution
of them; "wisdom" in revealing the secret of the dream to Daniel, and
"might" to accomplish the various events predicted in it: for what
Daniel here and afterwards observes has a very peculiar regard to the present
affair, for which his heart was warm with gratitude and thankfulness.
Daniel 2:21 21 And
He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He
gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
YLT 21And He is changing times
and seasons, He is causing kings to pass away, and He is raising up kings; He
is giving wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those possessing understanding.
And he changeth the times and the season,.... Not only
of day and night, summer and winter, and times and seasons of prosperity and
adversity; but all the changes and revolutions in states and kingdoms, in all
times and ages, are from him; and particularly those pointed at in the
following dream, in the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman monarchies:
he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he is King of
kings, and Lord of lords; by him they reign, and continue on their thrones, as
long as he pleases; and then he removes them by death or otherwise, and places
others in their stead; and who are sometimes raised from a low estate; and this
he does in the ordinary course of Providence; see Psalm 75:6 and
particularly Daniel might have in view the removal of the Babylonian monarchs,
and setting up kings of the race of the Medes and Persians; and then the
degrading them, and advancing the Grecians to the height of monarchy; and then
reducing of them, and raising the Romans to a greater degree of power and
authority; and at last crushing them all in their turns, to make way for the
kingdom of his Son:
he giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know
understanding: an increase of wisdom and knowledge, to wise politicians and
counsellors of state, to form wise schemes of peace or war, to make wise laws,
and govern kingdoms in a prudent manner; and to wise master builders or
ministers of the word, to speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, to diffuse the
knowledge of Christ everywhere, and make known the mysteries of grace to the
sons of men; particularly to Daniel and his companions, who were wise and
knowing men, the interpretation of the king's dream.
Daniel 2:22 22 He
reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And
light dwells with Him.
YLT 22He is revealing deep and
hidden things; He hath known what [is] in darkness, and light with Him hath
dwelt.
He revealeth the deep and
secret things,.... The purposes of his own heart, which are the deep things of
God, and the secrets that belong to him, and which are opened in providence by
the execution of them; the "arcana imperii", or secrets of state,
committed to men designed for government; the secrets or mysteries of grace,
the deep things of the Gospel, made known to Gospel ministers; and particularly
the deep and impenetrable secret of the king's dream, and the interpretation of
it, revealed to Daniel:
he knoweth what is in the darkness; the actions of men committed
in darkness; the schemes that are drawn in the privy councils and cabinets of
princes; yea, the thoughts of men's hearts, which he in the utmost recesses of
them, as well as their dreams in the night season; and particularly this of the
king's, and which must have been buried in darkness, had he not revealed it:
and the light dwelleth with him; he is light itself, and
the Father of lights; the light of nature, grace, and glory, is with him, and
from him; the light of the word, the light of prophecy, and the light of the
glorious Gospel; and also the Light of the world, the sun of righteousness, the
Messiah; and of him some of the ancient Jews interpret this passage. R. Aba
SerungiaF16In Bereshit Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 1, 3. , mentioning this
passage, "and the light dwelleth with him", adds, this is the King
Messiah, as it is said, "arise, shine", &c.; and his commentatorF17Auctor.
Yade Moseh in ib. observes, that the sense of it is, he (God) retains the
Messiah with himself, and does not send him forth unto us; see Psalm 43:3, and
elsewhereF18Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2. , in answer to the question,
what is the name of the Messiah? among others, this is said, his name is Light,
as it is said, "and the light dwelleth with him": and this is a name
that is often given to Christ, and he takes to himself in the New Testament;
see John 1:7 where he
is called the "Light", that Light, the true Light, and the Light of
the world; as he is both of Jews and Gentiles, even of all his people
throughout the world: indeed, the light of nature, which every man has, is from
him, as the Creator of all; and the light of grace, and the increase of it,
which any are favoured with, is given by him; and all the light of knowledge in
divine things, and of spiritual joy and comfort, beams from him the sun of
righteousness: the light of the latter day, which will be so very great, as to
be as the light of seven days, and to make the sun and moon unnecessary in a
figurative sense, will be owing to him; as well as all that light of life and
glory, the saints shall possess to all eternity, will be communicated through
him: and Christ, who is this light, "dwells" with God; he who is the
same with the divine Word, was with God, and dwells with him to all eternity;
in the fulness of time this Word or Light was made flesh, or was clothed with
it, and dwelt with men; when it was, that be came a light into the world, of
which he often speaks; and having done his work, ascended to heaven, and now
dwells with God in human nature; and will come again, and dwell with men on
earth a thousand years, when he will be the light of the New Jerusalem state;
and, after that, will take his people with him to heavens, and dwell with God,
and they with him, for evermore. This shows that this Light, or the divine
"Logos", is a person distinct from God the Father, with whom he
dwells; that he is an eternal one, God never being without this Light and Word;
and that he is all abiding light to his saints, and will be for evermore.
Daniel 2:23 23 “I
thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and
might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made
known to us the king’s demand.”
YLT 23Thee, O God of my fathers,
I am thanking and praising, for wisdom and might Thou hast given to me; and
now, Thou hast caused me to know that which we have sought from Thee, for the
king's matter Thou hast caused us to know.'
I thank thee, and praise
thee, O thou God my fathers,.... His remote ancestors, Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, and more near progenitors, to whom God had made promises, and
revealed his secrets in time past, and still continued his favours to Daniel;
for which he was abundantly thankful, and owned and confessed the goodness of
God to him, and praised him on account of it:
who hast given me wisdom and might; or "strength"F19גבורתא "fortitudinem", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus;
"robur", Piscator. ; courage and fortitude of mind, to go in to the
king when in his fury, to promise to show his dream, and the interpretation of
it; and strength of faith in prayer to God to obtain it, and who gave him
wisdom to know it: Jacchiades interprets this might of power to save his own
life, and the life of others:
and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee; for though it
was only made known to Daniel, yet it was in consequence of the united prayers
of him and his companions, to which he ascribes it; which shows his great
modesty and humility, not to attribute it to his own prayer, and the interest
he had in God, as a God hearing prayer:
for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter; or
"word"F20מלת "verbum",
Junius & Tremellius, Broughtonus, Michaelis; "sermonen",
Pagninus, Montanus; "quod dicit rex", Cocceius. ; which he required
of the wise men, namely, his dream, and the interpretation of it; this being
made known to Daniel, he communicated it to his friends.
Daniel 2:24 24 Therefore
Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men
of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men
of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the
interpretation.”
YLT 24Therefore Daniel hath gone
up unto Arioch, whom the king hath appointed to destroy the wise men of
Babylon; he hath gone, and thus hath said to him, `The wise men of Babylon thou
dost not destroy, bring me up before the king, and the interpretation to the
king I do shew.'
Therefore Daniel went in
unto Arioch,.... Into his apartments at court, or wherever he was in quest of
the wise men, of which Daniel had knowledge; this he did as soon as the secret
was revealed to him, though not before he had given thanks to God:
whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon; this is a
description of Arioch, from the office assigned him by King Nebuchadnezzar, who
had appointed him to see this his will and pleasure accomplished:
he went and said thus unto him, destroy not the wise men of
Babylon: that is, do not go on to destroy them, for some he had
destroyed; this Daniel said, not from any special love he bore them, though
some of them might have been his preceptors in the language and literature of
the Chaldeans, and so he might have a natural affection for them, and indeed
might say this out of common humanity; but this did not arise from any love he
had to their wicked arts, which he abhorred, but from love of justice; for,
however wicked these men might be, or however deserving of death on other
accounts, yet not on this account, for not doing what was impossible for them
to do:
bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the
interpretation; that is, of the dream, and that itself: by this it seems that
Daniel, as yet, was not so well known at court, nor of so much esteem and
authority there, as to go in to the king of himself, but needed one to
introduce him; and which confirms what has been supposed on Daniel 2:16.
Daniel 2:25 25 Then
Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have
found a man of the captives[b] of Judah,
who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
YLT 25Then Arioch in haste hath
brought up Daniel before the king, and thus hath said to him -- `I have found a
man of the sons of the Removed of Judah, who the interpretation to the king
doth make known.'
Then Arioch brought in
Daniel before the king in haste,.... As knowing how impatient the king was
to have his dream, and the interpretation of it, told him; and how pleasing
this would be to him, and be a means of ingratiating and establishing him in
his affections, as well as for the sake of saving the lives of the wise men:
and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of
Judah: as if he had made it his business to inquire after a man capable
of answering the king's demands; whereas he sought after Daniel at first, not
for this purpose, but to destroy him; and now Daniel made his application to
him for introduction to the king, and was not looked after by Arioch; but he
here did as courtiers do, make the most of everything to their own advantage,
to insinuate themselves into the favour of princes: it looks by this as if
Arioch did not know of Daniel's having been with the king before, and of the
promise he had made him; that granting him time, he would satisfy him in the
matter requested, which he was now ready to do, as he had told Arioch; and
therefore he adds,
that will make known unto the king the interpretation; that is, of
his dream.
Daniel 2:26 26 The
king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you
able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”
YLT 26The king hath answered and
said to Daniel, whose name [is] Belteshazzar, `Art thou able to cause me to
know the dream that I have seen, and its interpretation?'
The king answered and said
to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,.... The name given him
by the prince of the eunuchs, Daniel 1:7, and by
which he was known to Nebuchadnezzar; and very likely he called him now by this
name, which is the reason of its being mentioned:
art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen,
and the interpretation thereof? this he said, either as doubting and
questioning, or as admiring that one so young should be able to do that, which
his seniors, the wise men in Babylon, could not do; or he put this question, as
impatient to hear what he must expect from him, whether the performance of his
promise, or such an answer as the wise men had given him.
Daniel 2:27 27 Daniel
answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has
demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the
soothsayers cannot declare to the king.
YLT 27Daniel hath answered before
the king and said, `The secret that the king is asking, the wise men, the
enchanters, the scribes, the soothsayers, are not able to shew to the king;
Daniel answered in the
presence of the king,.... Boldly, and without fear:
and said, the secret which the king hath demanded: so he calls
it, to show that it was something divine, which came from God, and could only
be revealed by him, and was not to be found out by any art of man:
cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the
soothsayers show unto the king; this he premises to the revelation of the
secret, not only to observe the unreasonableness of the king's demand upon
them, and the injustice of putting men to death for it; but that the discovery
of the whole might appear to be truly divine, and God might have all the glory;
it being what no class of men whatever could ever have made known unto him. The
last word, rendered "soothsayers"F21גזרין
sectores, Cocceius, Gejerus. , is not used before; the Septuagint version
leaves it untranslated, and calls them Gazarenes; and so Saadiah says, it is
the name of a nation or people so called; but Jarchi takes them to be a sort of
men that had confederacy with devils: the word signifies such that
"cut" into parts, as the soothsayers, who cut up creatures, and
looked into their entrails, and by them made their judgment of events; or as
the astrologers, who cut and divide the heavens into parts, and by them divide
future things; or determine, as Jacchiades says, what shall befall men; for the
word is used also in the sense of determining or decreeing; hence, Saadiah
says, some interpret it of princes, who by their words determine the affairs of
kingdoms: by some it is rendered "fatalists"F23"Fatidici",
Munster, Tigurine version; "qui de homine determinant hoc, vel illo modo
ipsi eventurum esse", Jacchiades. , who declare to men what their fate
will be; but neither of these could show this secret to the king.
Daniel 2:28 28 But
there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King
Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of
your head upon your bed, were these:
YLT 28but there is a God in the
heavens, a revealer of secrets, and He hath made known to king Nebuchadnezzar
that which [is] to be in the latter end of the days. `Thy dream and the visions
of thy head on thy bed are these:
But there is a God in
heaven that revealeth secrets,.... By this Daniel meant to inform the king
that there was but one God, in opposition to the notion of polytheism, that
obtained among the Heathens; that this one God is in heaven, and presides over
all persons and things on earth; and that to him alone belongs the revelation
of secrets, and not to Heathen gods, or to any magician, astrologer, &c.;
and of this kind was the king's dream, a secret impenetrable by men:
and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the
latter days: in the latter days of his monarchy, which should be subverted,
and succeeded by another; and in ages after that, during the Persian, Grecian,
and Roman monarchies; and in the days of the Messiah, even in the latter of his
days:
thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; which were of
God, and of great importance; and, that the king might observe it, Daniel
introduces these words with what goes before, and says what follows:
Daniel 2:29 29 As
for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about
what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known
to you what will be.
YLT 29Thou, O king, thy thoughts
on thy bed have come up [concerning] that which [is] to be after this, and the
Revealer of secrets hath caused thee to know that which [is] to be.
As for thee, O king,.... So far as
thou hast any concern in this matter, or with respect to thee, the following
was thy case; these the circumstances and situation in which thou wert:
thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, which should come to
pass hereafter; as he lay on his bed, either sleeping or waking, very probably
the latter, his thoughts were employed about this great monarchy he had
erected, and what would be the issue of it; and was very desirous of knowing
what successors he should have in it, and how long it would continue, and what
would be the fate of it; when he fell asleep upon this, and had a dream
agreeable to his waking thoughts:
and he that revealeth secrets: a periphrasis of the God
of heaven, as in the preceding verse:
maketh known unto thee what shall come to pass; this he did
by the dream he gave him, though he had forgot it; and now by restoring that,
and the interpretation of it, by Daniel.
Daniel 2:30 30 But
as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom
than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation
to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
YLT 30As to me -- not for [any]
wisdom that is in me above any living hath this secret been revealed to me; but
for the intent that the interpretation to the king they make known, and the
thoughts of thy heart thou dost know.
But as for me,.... As to the
part I have in this affair, I can ascribe nothing to myself; it is all owing to
the God of heaven, the recovery of the dream, and its interpretation:
this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more
than any living: not that he thought or affirmed that he had more wisdom than any
man living, as the Vulgate Latin version and others suggest; but as the king
might think he had, by revealing this secret to him, and that it was owing to
that; but that he had not such wisdom, and, whatever he had, which was the gift
of God, it was not through that, or any sagacity and penetration into things he
was master of, superior to others, that it was revealed to him; and therefore
would not have it placed to any such account; this he said in great modesty,
and in order to set the king right, and that God might have all the glory:
but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to
the king; meaning not only himself, and his companions concerned with him,
that they might be promoted to honour and dignity, but the whole body of the
Jews in captivity, with which they were in connection; that they might meet
with more civil and kind treatment, for the sake of the God they worshipped,
who revealed this secret to the king: or, "but that they might make
known", &c.F24להנ־יהודעון
"sed ut notificarent", Pagninus, Montanus; "indicent",
Vatablus. ; the three Persons in the Godhead, as some; the angels, as others;
the ministers of God, as Aben Ezra: or rather it may be rendered impersonally,
but that the interpretation might be made known to the kingF25"Sed ut interpretatio
regi manifesta fieret", V. L. "eo fine ut indicetur", De Dieu.
as by the Vulgate Latin, as it follows:
and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart; both what
they were, which were forgotten, and the meaning of them.
Daniel 2:31 31 “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.
YLT 31`Thou, O king, wast
looking, and lo, a certain great image. This image [is] mighty, and its brightness
excellent; it is standing over-against thee, and its appearance [is] terrible.
Thou, O king, sawest,.... Or,
"wast seeing"F26הזה הוית "videns fuisti", Montanus, Michaelis;
"videns eras", Vatablus. ; not with the eyes of his body, but in his
fancy and imagination; as he was dreaming, he thought he saw such an
appearance, so it seemed to him, as follows:
and behold a great image; or, "one great
image"F1צלם חד
שגיא "imago una grandis", Pagninus,
Montanus; "imago una magna", Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius;
"simulachrum unum magnum", Michaelis. ; not painted, but a massive
statue made of various metals, as is afterwards declared: such, though not so
large as this, as the king had been used to see, which he had in his garden and
palace, and which he worshipped; but this was of a monstrous size, a perfect
colossus, and but one, though it consisted of various parts; it was in the form
of a great man, as Saadiah and Jacchiades observe; and represented each of the
monarchies of this world governed by men; and these being expressed by an
image, show how vain and delusory, how frail and transitory, are the kingdoms
of the earth, and the glory of them:
this great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before
thee: right over against him, and near him, as he thought; so that he
had a full view of it, and saw it at its full length and size, and its dazzling
lustre, arising from the various metals of gold, silver, brass, and iron, it
was made of; which was exceeding bright, and made it look very majestic:
and the form thereof was terrible; either there was
something in the countenance menacing and horrid; or the whole form, being so
gigantic, struck the king with admiration, and was even terrible to him; and it
may denote the terror that kings, especially arbitrary and despotic ones,
strike their subjects with.
Daniel 2:32 32 This
image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly
and thighs[c] of bronze,
YLT 32This image! its head [is]
of good gold, its breasts and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of
brass;
This image's head was of
fine gold,.... The prophet begins with the superior part of this image, and
descends to the lower, because of the order and condition of the monarchies it
represents: this signifies the Babylonian monarchy, as afterwards explained;
called the "head", being the first and chief of the monarchies; and
compared to "fine gold", because of the glory, excellency, and
duration of it:
his breast and his arms of silver; its two arms, including
its hands and its breast, to which they were joined, were of silver, a metal of
less value than gold; designing the monarchy of the Medes and Persians, which
are the two arms, and which centred in Cyrus, who was by his father a Persian,
by his mother a Mede; and upon whom, after his uncle's death, the whole
monarchy devolved:
his belly and his thighs of brass; a baser metal still;
this points at the Macedonian or Grecian monarchy, set up by Alexander,
signified by the "belly", for intemperance and luxury; as the two
"thighs" denote his principal successors, the Selucidae and Lagidae,
the Syrian and Egyptian kings; and these of brass, because of the sounding fame
of them, as Jerom.
Daniel 2:33 33 its
legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.[d]
YLT 33its legs of iron, its feet,
part of them of iron, and part of them of clay.
His legs of iron,.... A coarser
metal than the former, but very strong; and designs the strong and potent
monarchy of the Romans, the last of the four monarchies, governed chiefly by
two consuls: and was divided, in the times of Theodosius, into the eastern and
western empire, which may be signified by the two legs:
his feet part of iron and part of clayF2מנהון די פרזל ומנהון די חסף
"ex illis quidam ex ferro, et excillis quidam ex luto", Gejerus. ; or
some "of them of iron, and some of them of clay" that is, the ten
toes of the feet, which represent the ten kingdoms the western empire was
divided into, some of which were potent, others weak; for this cannot be
understood of the same feet and toes being a mixture, composed partly of one,
and partly of the other; since iron and clay will not mix together, Daniel 2:43 and
will not agree with the form of expression. Jerom interprets this part of the
vision of the image to the same sense, who lived about the time when it was
fulfilling; for in his days was the irruption of the barbarous nations into the
empire; who often speaks of them in his writingsF3Opera, tom. 1. in
Epitaph. Nepotian. fol. 9. I. ad Gerontiam, fol 32. E. & in Epitaph.
Fabiolae, fol. 68. H. , and of the Roman empire being in a weak and ruinous
condition on the account of them. His comment on this text is this,
"the
fourth kingdom, which clearly belongs to the Romans, is the iron that breaks
and subdues all things; but his feet and toes are partly iron, and partly clay,
which is most manifestly verified at this time; for as in the beginning nothing
was stronger and harder than the Roman empire, so in the end of things nothing
weaker; when both in civil wars, and against divers nations, we stand in need
of the help of other barbarous people.'
And
whereas he had been blamed for giving this sense of the passage, he vindicates
himself elsewhere by sayingF4Prooem. in Comment. in Esaiam. I. 11.
fol. 65. ,
"if,
in the exposition of the image, and the difference of its feet and toes, I
interpret the iron and clay of the Roman kingdom, which the Scripture foreshows
should be first and then weak, let them not impute, it to me, but to the
prophet; for so we must not flatter princes, as that the truth of the holy
Scriptures should be neglected; nor is the general disputation of one person an
injury;'
that
is, of any great moment to the government.
Daniel 2:34 34 You
watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its
feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
YLT 34Thou wast looking till that
a stone hath been cut out without hands, and it hath smitten the image on its
feet, that [are] of iron and of clay, and it hath broken them small;
Thou sawest till that a
stone was cut out without hands,.... Or, "wast seeing"F5חזה הוית "videns eras",
Montanus, Michaelis. ; the king continued looking upon the image that stood
before him, as he thought, as long as he could see it, till he saw a
"stone": an emblem of the Messiah, as it often is in Scripture, Genesis 49:24,
because of his strength, firmness, and duration; and so it is interpreted here
by many Jewish writers, ancient and modern, as well as by Christians; and also
of his kingdom, or of him in his kingly office; see Daniel 2:44. In an
ancient bookF6Zohar in Gen. fol. 86. 2. of theirs, written by R.
Simeon Ben Jochai, the author interprets this stone, cut out of the mountain
without hands, to be the same with him who in Genesis 49:24, is
called the Shepherd and Stone of Israel; as it is by Saadiah Gaon, a later
writer; and in another of their writingsF7Pirke Eliezer, c. 11. fol.
12. 2. , reckoned by them very ancient, it is said, that the ninth king (for
they speak of ten) shall be the King Messiah, who shall reign from one end of
the world to the other, according to that passage, "the stone which smote
the image", &c. Daniel 2:35 and in
one of their ancient MidrashesF8Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 13. fol. 209.
4. , or expositions, it is interpreted of the King Messiah: and so R. Abraham
SebaF9Tzeror Hammor, fol. 63. 2. , on those words, "from thence
is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel", Genesis 49:24;
observes, the King Messiah does not come but by the worthiness of Jacob, as it
is said, "thou sawest, till that stone cut out without hands, because of
Jacob". This is said to be "cut out without hands"; that is, the
hands of men, as Saadiah and Jacchiades explain it; not cut out by workmen, as
stones usually are out of quarries; but was taken out by an unseen hand, and by
invisible power, even purely divine: this may point at the wondrous incarnation
of Christ, who was made of a woman, of a virgin, without the help of a man, by
the power of God; see Hebrews 8:2, and at
his kingdom, which was like a single stone at first, very small, and was cut
out and separated from the world, and set up and maintained, not by human, but
divine power, and being of a spiritual nature, 2 Corinthians 5:1,
which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay,
and brake them to pieces; this seems to represent this image as in a plain, when, from a
mountain hanging over it, a stone is taken by an invisible hand, and rolled
upon it; which falling on its feet, breaks them to pieces, and in course the
whole statue falls, and is broken to shivers; this respects what is yet to be
done in the latter day, when Christ will take to himself his great power, and
reign, and subdue, and destroy the ten kings or kingdoms that are given to
antichrist, and him himself, and the remainder of the several monarchies, and
in which they will all end.
Daniel 2:35 35 Then
the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together,
and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them
away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image
became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
YLT 35then broken small together
have been the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, and they
have been as chaff from the summer threshing-floor, and carried them away hath
the wind, and no place hath been found for them: and the stone that smote the
image hath become a great mountain, and hath filled all the land.
Then was the iron, the
clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together,.... The feet,
the basis of the image, being broken, the whole body of it fell, and with its
own weight was broken to pieces; an emblem this of the utter dissolution of all
the monarchies and kingdoms of the earth, signified by these several metals:
and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; which is
exceeding small and light:
and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; for the
several metals, and the monarchies signified by them, which were no more: the
allusion is to the manner of winnowing corn in the eastern countries upon
mountains, when the chaff was carried away by the wind, and seen no more:
and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and
filled the earth; Christ's kingdom, from small beginnings, has increased, and will
more and more, until the whole earth is subject to it: this began to have its
accomplishment in the first times of the Gospel, especially when the Roman
empire, as Pagan, was destroyed by Constantine, and the kingdom of Christ was
set up in it; and it received a further accomplishment at the time of the
Reformation, when Rome Papal had a deadly blow given it, and the Gospel of
Christ was spread in several nations and kingdoms; but it will receive its full
accomplishment when both the eastern and western antichrists shall be
destroyed, and the kingdoms of this world shall become the Lord's and his
Christ's, Revelation 11:15.
Daniel 2:36 36 “This
is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king.
YLT 36This [is] the dream, and
its interpretation we do tell before the king.
This is the dream,.... Which
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed, but had forgot, and was now punctually and exactly made
known to him; for the truth of which he is appealed unto; for, no doubt, by
this account, the whole of his dream, and every circumstance of it, were
brought to his mind:
and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king; for though
both the dream, and the interpretation of it, were only revealed to Daniel; yet
he joins his companions with him, partly because they were now present, and
chiefly because they were assisting to him in prayer for it.
Daniel 2:37 37 You,
O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a
kingdom, power, strength, and glory;
YLT 37`Thou, O king, art a king
of kings, for the God of the heavens a kingdom, strength, and might, and glory,
hath given to thee;
Thou, O king, art a king
of kings,.... Having many kings subject and tributary to him, or would
have; as the kings of Judah, Ammon, Moab, and others, and who were even his
captives and prisoners; see Jeremiah 52:32.
Jarchi and Saadiah join this with the next clause, "the God of
heaven", and interpret it of him thus, thou, O King Nebuchadnezzar,
"the King of kings, who is the God of heaven, hath given unto thee",
&c.; so some in the Talmud understand it of GodF11T. Bab.
Shebuot, fol. 35. 2. ; but this is contrary to the accents:
for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and
strength, and glory; that is, a very powerful, strong, and glorious kingdom, famous
for its mighty armies, strong fortresses, and great riches, from all which the
king had great honour and glory; and this he had not by his ancestors, or his
own military skill and prowess, but by the favour and gift of God.
Daniel 2:38 38 and
wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of
the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler
over them all—you are this head of gold.
YLT 38and whithersoever sons of
men are dwelling, the beast of the field, and the fowl of the heavens, He hath
given into thy hand, and hath caused thee to rule over them all; thou [art]
this head of gold.
And wheresoever the
children of men dwell,.... Not in every part of the habitable world, but in every part
of his large dominion inhabited by men:
the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven, hath he
given into thine hand; all parks, chases, and forests (so that none might hunt or hawk
without his permission), as well as the persons and habitations of men, were at
his dispose; showing the despotic power and sovereign sway he had over his
subjects:
and hath made thee ruler over all: men, beasts, and fowl:
he not only conquered the Egyptians, Tyrians, and Jews, and other nations about
them; but, according to MegasthenesF12Apud Euseb. Prepar. Evangel.
l. 9. c. 41. p. 456. he exceeded Hercules in strength, and conquered Lybia and
Iberia, and carried colonies of them into Pontus; and, as StraboF13Geograp.
I. 15. p. 472. says, carried his arms as far as the pillars of Hercules:
thou art this head of gold; or who was represented
by the golden head of the image he had seen in his dream; not he personally
only, but his successors Evilmerodach and Belshazzar, and the Babylonish
monarchy, as possessed by them; for this refers not back to the Assyrian
monarchy, from the time of Nimrod, but to its more flourishing condition in
Nebuchadnezzar and his sons; called a "head", because the first of the
monarchies; and golden, in comparison of other kingdoms then in being, and
because of the riches of it, which the Babylonians were covetous of; hence
Babylon is called the golden city, Isaiah 14:4 and it
may be, because not so wicked and cruel to the Jews as the later monarchies
were: from hence the poets have been thought by some to have taken their notion
of the golden, silver, and iron ages, as growing worse and worse; but this
distinction is observed by Hesiod, who lived many years before this vision was
seen.
Daniel 2:39 39 But
after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third
kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
YLT 39And after thee doth rise up
another kingdom lower than those, and another third kingdom of brass, that doth
rule overall the earth.
And after thee shall arise
another kingdom inferior to thee,.... This is the kingdom
of the Medes and Persians, signified by the breasts and arms of silver, an
inferior metal to gold; this rose up, not immediately after the death of
Nebuchadnezzar, but after his successors, when Belshazzar his grandson was
slain, and Babylon taken by Cyrus; now though this monarchy was as large at the
first as the Babylonish monarchy, nay, larger, as it had Media and Persia added
to it, new conquests made by Cyrus, and was as rich and as opulent in his
times; yet in later kings it shrunk much, in its peace and prosperity, grandeur
and glory, as in the times of Cambyses and the Magi; and especially in the
reigns of Cyrus the younger, and of Artaxerxes Mnemon; and at last ceased in
Darius Codomannus, conquered by Alexander; and was worse than the former
monarchy, being more cruel under some of its princes to the people of the Jews:
and another third kingdom of brass: this is the Grecian
monarchy, which succeeded the Persian, and therefore called the third kingdom,
and is signified by the belly and thighs of brass of the image See Gill on Daniel 2:32;
which shall bear rule over all the earth; not the land
of Israel, as Saadiah restrains it, but the whole world, as Alexander did, at
least in his own opinion; who thought he had conquered the whole world, and
wept because there was not another to conquer; and it is certain he did subdue
a great part of it. JustinF14Ex Trogo, l. 12. c. 13. says,
"that
when he was returning to Babylon from the uttermost shores of the sea, it was
told him that the embassies of the Carthaginians and other cities of Africa,
and also of Spain, Sicily, France, Sardinia, and some out of Italy, were
waiting for his coming; the terror of his name so struck the whole world, that
all nations complimented him as their king destined for them.'
And
Pliny reportsF15Nat. Hist. l. 4. c. 10. of Macedonia, that
"it
formerly (that is, in the times of Alexander) governed the world; this (says
he) passed over Asia, Armenia, Iberia, Albania, Cappadocia, Syria, Egypt,
Taurus, and Caucasus; this ruled over the Bactrians, Medes, and Persians,
possessing the whole east; this also was conqueror of India.'
Daniel 2:40 40 And
the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces
and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will
break in pieces and crush all the others.
YLT 40And the fourth kingdom is
strong as iron, because that iron is breaking small, and making feeble, all
[things], even as iron that is breaking all these, it beateth small and
breaketh.
And the fourth kingdom
shall be strong as iron,.... This is not the kingdom of the Lagidae and Seleucidae, the
successors of Alexander, as some have thought; for these are designed by the
thighs in the third kingdom; and, besides, the kingdom of Christ was to arise
in the time of this fourth kingdom, which it did not in that; nor the kingdom
of Gog, or the empire of the Turks, as Saadiah, Aben Ezra, and Jarchi; but the
Roman empire, which is compared to iron for its strength, firmness, and
duration in itself; and for its power over other nations; and also for its
cruelty to the Jews above all others, in utterly destroying their city, temple,
and nation:
forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; so this
kingdom has subdued and conquered all others; not the Jews only, but the
Persians, Egyptians, Syrians, Africans, French, Germans, yea, all the world:
and as iron that breaketh, or "even as iron
breaketh all these",
shall it break in pieces, and bruise; all nations
and kingdoms; hence Rome has been called the mistress of the world, and its
empire in Scripture is called the whole world, Luke 2:1.
Daniel 2:41 41 Whereas
you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the
kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as
you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.
YLT 41As to that which thou hast seen:
the feet and toes, part of them potter's clay, and part of them iron, the
kingdom is divided: and some of the standing of the iron [is] to be in it,
because that thou hast seen the iron mixed with miry clay.
And whereas thou sawest
the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, and part of iron,.... That is,
some of the toes of the feet were of iron, and others of them of clay: these
toes, which are ten, as the toes of men are, design the ten kings or kingdoms,
into which the western Roman empire was divided, by the coming in of the Goths,
and Hunns, and Vandals, into it; and are the same with the ten horns of the
beast, and the ten kings which gave their kingdoms to it, Revelation 13:1;
see Gill on Revelation 17:12, Revelation 17:13, Revelation 17:17, Daniel 7:24, some
of which were strong like iron, and continued long; others were like clay, and
of a less duration:
the kingdom shall be divided; which some understand of
the division of it into the eastern and western empires; but rather it means
the division of the latter into the ten kingdoms, set up in it by the barbarous
nations. Abarbinel and Jacchiades interpret it of the Roman empire being
divided into Mahometans and Christians, very wrongly:
but there shall be in it of the strength the iron, forasmuch as
thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay; notwithstanding this
irruption and inundation of the northern nations into the empire; yet still
retained, something of the strength and power of the old Romans, which were
mingled among those barbarous nations, comparable to miry clay.
Daniel 2:42 42 And
as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so
the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
YLT 42As to the toes of the feet,
part of them iron, and part of them clay: some part of the kingdom is strong,
and some part of it is brittle.
And as the toes of the
feet were part of iron and part of clay,.... Or some of them of
iron, and so were strong and powerful, as some of these kingdoms were; and some
of clay, and so were weak and easily crushed, and did not stand long:
so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken; this is not
unfitly interpreted by some of the two fold power which has prevailed in these
ten kingdoms, through the policy of the pope of Rome, the secular and
ecclesiastic power; the latter often encroaching upon and prevailing over the
other, which has tended to the weakening of these states.
Daniel 2:43 43 As
you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men;
but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
YLT 43Because thou hast seen iron
mixed with miry clay, they are mixing themselves with the seed of men: and they
are not adhering one with another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
And whereas thou sawest iron
mixed with miry clay,.... That is, iron among the clay; otherwise iron and clay will
not mix and cement together, as is affirmed in the latter part of the verse;
but as some of these toes were of iron, and others of clay, or some part of
them were iron, and some part of them of clay,
they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; the Romans
shall mix with people of other and many nations that shall come in among them,
and unite in setting up kingdoms; or these kingdoms set up shall intermarry
with each other, in order to strengthen their alliances, and support their
interests: thus France, Spain, Portugal, and other nations; those of the royal
families marry with each other, with such views:
but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not
mixed with clay; and yet these ties of marriage and of blood shall not cause them
to cleave to and abide by one another; but ambition and worldly interests will
engage them to take part with each other's enemies, or to go to war with one
another, to the weakening and hurting each other; and thus the potsherds of the
earth will dash one another to pieces; and those who are more powerful, like
the iron, will trample the weaker like miry clay under their feet.
Daniel 2:44 44 And
in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall
never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
YLT 44`And in the days of these
kings raise up doth the God of the heavens a kingdom that is not destroyed --
to the age, and its kingdom to another people is not left: it beateth small and
endeth all these kingdoms, and it standeth to the age.
And in the days of these
kings, &c. Not of the Babylonian, Persian, and Grecian kings; nor,
indeed, of the old Roman kings, or emperors; but in the days of these ten
kings, or kingdoms, into which the Roman empire is divided, signified by the
ten toes, of different power and strength. Indeed the kingdom of Christ began
to be set up in the times of Augustus Caesar, under whom Christ was born; and
of Tiberius, under whom he was crucified; and was continued and increased in
the reigns of others, until it obtained very much in the times of Constantine;
and, after it suffered a diminution under the Papacy, was revived at the
Reformation; but will not be set up in its glory until Christ has overcome the
ten kings, or kingdoms, and put it into their hearts to hate and burn the
antichristian whore; and when she and all the antichristian states will be
destroyed by the pouring out of the vials: and then in their days
shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be
destroyed; this is the kingdom of the Messiah, as is owned by both ancient
and modern Jews: so it is said in an ancient bookF16Zohar in Gen.
fol. lxxxv. 4. of theirs,
"in
the time of the King Messiah, Israel shall be one nation in the earth, and one
people to the holy blessed God; as it is written, in the days of these kings
shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, &c.';
and
in another of their writingsF17Pirke Eliezer, c. 30. fol. 31. 2. ,
esteemed very ancient, it is said,
"the
Ishmaelites shall do fifteen things in the earth in the last days; the last of
which mentioned is, they shall erect an edifice in the temple; at length two
brothers shall rise up against them, and in their days shall spring up the
branch of the Son of David; as it is said, in the days of these kings,
&c.';
and
both Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret this kingdom of the kingdom of the Messiah;
and so Jacchiades, a much later writer, says the last kingdom is that of the
Messiah: and another modern Jewish writer saysF18R. Isaac, Chizzuk
Emunah, par. 1. p. 45. , in the time of the King Messiah there shall be but one
kingdom, and but one King; and this the King, the true Messiah; but the rest of
the kingdoms and their kings shall not subsist in his time; as it is written,
"in the days of these kings &c."; which kingdom is no other than
his church on earth, where he reigns; has his throne; holds forth his sceptre;
gives out his laws, and is obeyed: and, though this is already in the world,
yet it is not so visible, stable, and glorious, as it will be at the close of
the fourth monarchy, which is meant by its being set up, confirmed, and
established; and this will be done by the God of heaven, the Maker and
possessor of it, and who dwells in it, and rules there, and over all the earth;
and therefore Christ's church, or kingdom, is often called the kingdom of
heaven; and when it is thus established, it will ever remain visible; its glory
will be no more eclipsed; and much less subverted and overthrown, by all the
powers of earth and hell. Christ was set up as King from everlasting, and the
elect of God were appointed and given him as a kingdom as early; and in and
over these he reigns by his Spirit and grace in time, when they are effectually
called, and brought into subjection to him; these are governed by laws of his
making: he is owned by them as their Lord and King, and they yield a ready and
cheerful obedience to his commands, and he protects and defends them from their
enemies; and such a kingdom Christ has always had from the beginning of the
world: but there was a particular time in which it was to be set up in a more
visible and glorious manner: it was set up in the days of his flesh on earth,
though it came not with observation, or was attended with outward pomp and
grandeur, it being spiritual, and not of this world; upon his ascension to
heaven it appeared greater; he was made or declared Lord and Christ, and his
Gospel was spread everywhere: in the times of Constantine it was still more
glorious, being further extended, and enjoying great peace, liberty, and
prosperity: in the times of Popish darkness, a stop was put to the progress of
it, and it was reduced into a narrow compass; at the Reformation there was a
fresh breaking of it out again, and it got ground in the world: in the
spiritual reign it will be restored, and much more increased, through the
Gospel being preached, and churches set up everywhere; and Christ's kingdom
will then be more extensive; it will be from sea to sea and from the river to
the ends of the earth; it will be more peaceable and prosperous; there will be
none to annoy and do hurt to the subjects of it; it will be no more subject to
changes and revolutions, but will be in a firm and stable condition; it will be
established upon the top of the mountains, and be more visible and glorious,
which is here meant by its being "set up": especially this will be
the case in the Millennium state, when Christ shall reign before his ancients
gloriously and they shall reign with him; and this will never be destroyed, but
shall issue in the ultimate glory; for now all enemies will be put under the
feet of Christ and his church; the beast and false prophet will be no more; and
Satan will be bound during this time, and after that cast into the lake of fire
and brimstone, with all the wicked angels and men:
and the kingdom shall not be left to another people; as the Babylonian
monarchy to the Medes and Persians; the Persian monarchy to the Greeks; and the
Grecian monarchy to the Romans; but this shall not be left to a strange people,
but shall be given to the saints of the most High; see Daniel 7:27,
but it shall break in pieces and subdue all these kingdoms; the
Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman; the three former in the latter, which
has swallowed them up; besides, the rest of these monarchies, which are all
signified by beasts in an after prophecy, are said still to live, though their
dominion is taken away, Daniel 7:12, the
same nations are in being, though not as monarchies, and have not the same
denomination, and are in other hands; now these, and whatsoever kingdoms shall
exist, when this shall be set up, shall be either broke to pieces, and utterly
destroyed, or become subject to it; see 1 Corinthians 15:24,
and it shall stand for ever: throughout time in this
world, and to all eternity in another; it will be an everlasting kingdom; which
is interpreted by IrenaeusF19Adv. Haeres. l. 5. c. 26. , an ancient
Christian writer in the second century, of the resurrection of the just; his
words are,
"the
great God hath signified by Daniel things to come, and he hath confirmed them
by the Son; and Christ is the stone which is cut out without hands, who shall
destroy temporal kingdoms, and bring in an everlasting one, which is the
resurrection of the just; for he saith, the God of heaven shall raise up a
kingdom which shall never be destroyed;'
this
is the first resurrection, which brings on the personal reign, in which the
righteous shall reign with him a thousand years; see Revelation 20:5.
Daniel 2:45 45 Inasmuch
as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that
it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the
great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The
dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
YLT 45Because that thou hast seen
that out of the mountain cut hath been a stone without hands, and it hath
beaten small the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great
God hath made known to the king that which [is] to be after this; and the dream
[is] true, and its interpretation stedfast.
Forasmuch as thou sawest
that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands,.... See Gill
on Daniel 2:34.
and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the
silver, and the gold; of which the image was made he had seen in his dream; and which
represented the several monarchies of the world in succession, and described
their nature, condition, and circumstances, and the ruin of them; See Gill on Daniel 2:35.
the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass
hereafter; after his own death, and in his own monarchy; and what will be
the fate of succeeding ones; what will come to pass in each of the ages of
time, and what will be done in the last days; what an everlasting kingdom there
will be, when the kingdoms of this world shall be no more; and this the
"great" God, who is great in knowledge as well as power, made known
to him, which none else could; and by which he appears to be great, and above
all gods, as Nebuchadnezzar afterwards owns; and which Daniel here suggests to
him; see Isaiah 45:21,
and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure; this is
certainly the dream the king had dreamed, for the truth of which he appeals to
him; and the interpretation of it given would be most surely and faithfully
accomplished, on which he might depend; for since the dream had been so
distinctly related to him, he had no room to doubt of the true interpretation
of it.
Daniel 2:46 46 Then
King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded
that they should present an offering and incense to him.
YLT 46Then hath king
Nebuchadnezzar fallen on his face, and to Daniel he hath done obeisance, and
present, and sweet things, he hath said to pour out to him.
Then the king
Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel,.... Imagining
there was something of divinity in him, that he could so exactly tell him his
dream, which was past and gone; and give him the interpretation of it,
respecting things to come, which he concluded none but God could do; and
therefore, after the manner of the eastern people, threw himself prostrate to
the earth, with his face to it, and gave religious adoration to Daniel; for
that this cannot be understood of mere civil respect appears by his following
orders; and had he not thought that Daniel was something more than a man, he, a
proud monarch, would never have behaved in this manner to him; but, being
struck with amazement at the relation of the dream, and the interpretation of
it, he forgot what both he and Daniel were; the one a mighty king, the other a
mere man, a servant, yea, a captive: this shows that he was not exasperated at
the account of the fall of his monarchy, as might have been expected, but was
filled with wonder at the revelation made:
and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours
unto him; rising from the ground, he gave orders to his servants about
him, some of whom might be the priests of Bel, that they would bring a meat
offering, and incense with it, and offer them to him as to a god; but, though
this was ordered, we do not read it was done; for it cannot be thought that
Daniel, who had scrupled eating the king's food, and drinking his wine, lest he
should be defiled, and afterwards chose rather to be cast into a den of lions
than to omit prayer to God, would ever suffer such a piece of idolatrous
worship to be paid to him; and though he could not hinder the king's
prostration and adoration, which were very sudden; yet it is highly probable he
reasoned with the king upon it, and earnestly desired that no such undue
honours should be paid to him; declaring that this knowledge was not of himself,
but of God, to whom the glory ought to be given.
Daniel 2:47 47 The
king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the
Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”
YLT 47The king hath answered
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, since thou hast been able to reveal this
secret.'
The king answered unto
Daniel,.... By which it appears that Daniel interposed and expostulated
with the king, and prevented the oblation to him as a god, and instructed him
in the knowledge of the true God he ought to worship; as the following
confession of the king more clearly shows:
and said, of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods; the God of
Daniel and his companions, and of the people of the Jews, to whom they
belonged, is above all gods that are named and worshipped by men: this appeared
at this time for the present, though it did not last long, as the following
chapter shows, a most glaring truth; that the God of Israel was above all his
gods, and whom his magicians and people worshipped, and above all others:
and a Lord of kings; that rules over them,
and disposes of them; sets them up and pulls them down at his pleasure; and
transfers their kingdoms from one to another, as he learned by the
interpretation of his dream, to which he may in this refer:
and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret; of the dream,
and the interpretation of it; which he could never have done, had not his God
been a revealer of secrets, and revealed it to him.
Daniel 2:48 48 Then
the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler
over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men
of Babylon.
YLT 48Then the king hath made
Daniel great, and many great gifts he hath given to him, and hath caused him to
rule over all the province of Babylon, and chief of the perfects over all the
wise men of Babylon.
Then the king made Daniel
a great man,.... Advanced him to posts of great honour and dignity he was a
great man before in spiritual things, in which he was made great by the Lord;
and now he was made a great man in worldly things, through the providence of
God; those that honour him he will honour:
and gave him many great gifts: gifts great in value,
and many in number; rich garments, gold, silver, precious stones, and large
estates to support his honour and grandeur; and which Daniel accepted of, not
merely for his own use, but to do good with to his poor brethren the Jews in
captivity:
and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon; the whole
monarchy was divided into several provinces, over each of which was a deputy
governor; this of Babylon was the chief of them, Babylon being the metropolis
of the empire; the whole government of which, and all belonging to it, was
given to Daniel; a proof of the king's high esteem for him:
and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon; here was an
university consisting of several colleges, over each of which there was a
governor, and Daniel was the president of them all; or the principal or
chancellor of the university: this office he might accept of, that he might
have an opportunity of inculcating true knowledge, and of checking and
correcting what was impious and unlawful.
Daniel 2:49 49 Also
Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over
the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate[e] of the
king.
YLT 49And Daniel hath sought from
the king, and he hath appointed over the work of the province of Babylon,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and Daniel [is] in the gate of the king.
Then Daniel requested of
the king,.... Being in his favour, he improved it to the advantage of his
friends, whom he did not forget in his elevated state; but made suit to the
king for them to be put into places of trust and honour, which the king
listened to:
and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of
the province of Babylon; that is, under Daniel, who was made ruler over it; these were
deputies under him, appointed to take care of some affairs, which would have
been too troublesome to him, and would have took up too much of his time from
court; where he chose to be, to improve his interest on behalf of the church of
God. De Dieu thinks, from the use of the word in Chaldee, and from what answers
to it in the Arabic language, that it was agriculture, the fruits of the field,
and the revenues arising from thence, which these men had the care of: this
Daniel got for them; that as they had assisted him in their prayers to God, to
obtain the dream, and the interpretation of it, so they might share with him in
his honours and profits he had on the account thereof; and probably he might
suggest this to Nebuchadnezzar, which the more easily engaged him to grant the
request:
but Daniel sat in the gate of the king; either as
judge there, or to introduce persons into the king's presence: or it may be
rendered, "in the king's court"F20בתרע
מלכא "in aula regis", Grotius. ; he was
chief man at court, and always resided there; he was prime minister and privy
counsellor: it was usual with the eastern nations to call their court a
"port", as the Turks do at this day; the Ottoman court is called
"the Port".
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)