‏ Daniel 2

Summary for Dan 2:1-6:28: 2:1–6:28  ^a This section contains stories and dreams from the experiences of Daniel and his friends in Babylon. Daniel exercised his special gift of understanding the meaning of dreams and his mastery of literature and science (1:17  ^b). Chapter 2 gives a broad schematic view of all history until the appearance of God’s kingdom (2:44-49  ^c). Chapters 3–6  ^d portray the demise of Babylon and the rise of Persia. History moves toward its inexorable goal—the everlasting Kingdom of God (2:44  ^e; 4:2-3  ^f, 34  ^g; 6:26  ^h).
Summary for Dan 2:1-49: 2:1-49  ⁱ God gave a dream that encompassed the flow of world history over the centuries, and Daniel interpreted the enigmatic imagery of this revelation. This dream and its interpretation reflect a key theme of the book—the assured final establishment of the Kingdom of God as the ultimate goal of history (2:44-45  ^j; 7:9-14  ^k, 26-27  ^l). This chapter also demonstrates the inability of paganism to discern the activity and plans of Israel’s God.
Summary for Dan 2:1-3: 2:1-3  ^m Nebuchadnezzar’s dream disturbed him so much that he called on his specially trained advisers to help him. 2:1  ⁿ second year: If the three-year training period for Daniel and his friends is understood as having occurred in parts of three calendar years, it could have been completed by this time (cp. 2:48  ^o).
2:2  ^p magicians, enchanters: See study note on 1:20.

• Sorcerers were incantation priests or ritual technicians.

• Astrologers studied the heavenly bodies to discern the times and seasons of major events.
2:3  ^q a dream that deeply troubles me: The king had reason to fear that his throne might be in danger from other groups.
2:4  ^r Aramaic had been established by the Assyrians as the lingua franca of international communication. The practice was continued by the Babylonians.

• Tell us the dream: The Babylonian wise men needed to know the contents of the dream in order to look them up in reference books. They did not depend on divine revelation.
2:9  ^s Only someone with supernatural insight could tell Nebuchadnezzar the contents of his dream (cp. Mark 2:9-12  ^t).
Summary for Dan 2:10-11: 2:10-11  ^u The Babylonian wise men could possibly interpret dreams, but they could not retell them without being told, and they recognized that such a thing was only possible for divinity (cp. 2:17-23  ^v, 27-28  ^w).
2:12  ^x The king was furious because contradicting or refusing the king’s command was an offense punishable by death. The king was supposed to be treated as divine, so they were violating protocol in saying that he was not. The king’s sages were also supposed to have a connection with the divine, but they admitted that they did not. The offense to the king was so severe that he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. The king’s rage foreshadows 11:11-35  ^y.
2:16  ^z The fact that Daniel could go at once to see the king shows his authority and influence. Daniel demonstrated his wisdom and excellent protocol at the royal court by using gentle words to turn away anger (cp. Prov 15:1  ^aa).
Summary for Dan 2:17-23: 2:17-23  ^ab With faith and wisdom, Daniel prayed for God’s intervention (cp. Phil 4:6  ^ac). When God answered his prayer, Daniel praised God for giving him wisdom and knowledge (Dan 2:20-21  ^ad). The God of heaven produced the dream and its meaning, demonstrating his supremacy over all other gods, including the gods of Babylon.
2:18  ^ae Daniel appealed to God’s mercy (see Exod 34:6-7  ^af). God was not obligated to answer Daniel’s prayer, but doing so would accord with his character.
Summary for Dan 2:20-23: 2:20-23  ^ag Daniel acknowledged and praised Israel’s God (God of my ancestors, 2:23  ^ah) as the source of the dream and its interpretation.
2:21  ^ai The dream revealed the Lord as the sovereign king of history (see 2:29-45  ^aj).
2:24  ^ak Daniel’s influence with Arioch indicates Daniel’s wisdom and stature in the royal service.
2:25  ^al There were captives in Babylon from other nations besides Judah.

• Daniel, one of Abraham’s offspring, brought the blessing of God’s revelation to the Babylonian king (see Gen 12:3  ^am).
2:26  ^an Is this true? Nebuchadnezzar was surprised that a non-Babylonian could have this ability since the Babylonian religion and culture strongly emphasized their own wise men as “purveyors of the heavens.”
Summary for Dan 2:27-28: 2:27-28  ^ao Daniel made it clear that no human could do what was required (cp. 2:10-11  ^ap; see also Gen 41:16  ^aq).
2:28  ^ar a God in heaven: Daniel proclaimed one true God who rules all things (2:20-21  ^as), not a limited local deity such as the ones the Babylonians worshiped. The God of Daniel’s ancestors (2:23  ^at) is the God in heaven who reveals secrets. The Babylonian gods could not do this.

• what will happen: In the ancient world, dreams were often understood as revealing the future.
Summary for Dan 2:29-30: 2:29-30  ^au God had shown the king the long march of future history. Nebuchadnezzar was keenly interested in history, pursuing knowledge of the past and seeking to make a place for himself as history went forward. God wanted Nebuchadnezzar to understand the course of history, perhaps to impress upon him that Israel’s God, the God of heaven, is the God of all history.
Summary for Dan 2:31-33: 2:31-33  ^av The progression downward is one of value: from the most valuable, gold (2:32  ^aw), to the least valuable, iron and baked clay (2:33  ^ax).
Summary for Dan 2:32-33: 2:32-33  ^ay There were gradations of gold; fine gold was the highest quality.

• thighs: Above the knees.

• legs: Below the knees.
2:34  ^az The phrase from a mountain is implied (cp. 2:35  ^ba) but is not in the Aramaic text.
2:35  ^bb covered (literally filled) the whole earth: Cp. Gen 1:28  ^bc; Exod 1:7  ^bd; Matt 28:18-20  ^be. This new kingdom would replace all other kingdoms.
Summary for Dan 2:36-38: 2:36-38  ^bf you are the greatest of kings (literally king of kings): Nebuchadnezzar had attained kingship over all other empires and their kings. He was the appointed ruler for that time in history (Jer 25:8-9  ^bg).
2:39  ^bh inferior to yours: Silver was inferior in value to gold, as the chest is lower than the head. Nebuchadnezzar was an extremely stable ruler who held the Neo-Babylonian Empire together. Persia, by contrast, was often threatened with internal divisions and instability around the periphery.
Summary for Dan 2:41-42: 2:41-42  ^bi as weak as clay: Feet are crucial to stability; the feet were brittle and illustrate how precarious the whole image—that is, earthly kingdoms and their power—would be.
2:43  ^bj Just as iron and clay do not mix, ... intermarriage among different people groups could weaken political alliances rather than produce real or lasting unity. This empire would be fragmented.
2:44  ^bk Those kings were probably kings that arose within the fourth kingdom and attempted to strengthen themselves by alliances of intermarriage. However, the phrase might refer to all the kings of the statue as God’s kingdom persistently breaks into the flow of history.

• it will stand forever: Only a kingdom whose authority and power are from God (see John 18:36  ^bl) can never be destroyed, for all earthly kingdoms crumble.
2:45  ^bm The Babylonians often pictured the earth as a mountain (or ziggurat); hence, the rock would cover or replace the entire earth.

• The dream is true: The dream, clearly explained by divine revelation, was truth from God.

• its meaning is certain: God guaranteed that what the dream communicated would certainly take place.
2:46  ^bn The Aramaic word translated worshiped could also be translated “paid him homage or honor,” but not necessarily so. Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan; his religion had many gods, and he thought that the spirit of the gods was in Daniel (4:8  ^bo; cp. 5:11  ^bp). Regardless, he was recognizing that what Daniel had done was not the result of the ordinary human spirit (cp. Gen 41:38  ^bq).
2:47  ^br greatest of gods ... Lord over kings: Nebuchadnezzar repaid the compliment (2:37-38  ^bs), acknowledging by his words and actions (2:46  ^bt) that God is supreme over all, even over Nebuchadnezzar himself.
2:48  ^bu Daniel was made ruler over Babylon as the king’s deputy (cp. Gen 41:37-46  ^bv).
2:49  ^bw Daniel delegated the administration of the province to his three friends so that he could remain in the king’s court as his counselor.

‏ Daniel 3

Summary for Dan 3:1-30: 3:1-30  ^bx Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2  ^by, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath. 3:1  ^bz The plain of Dura might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus.

• statue: Literally image.
3:2  ^ca The various classes of people listed here were all governmental officials.
3:5  ^cb Pipes could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the other instruments.
3:7  ^cc all the people: Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so all the non-Jewish people obeyed the king’s command.
3:11  ^cd In some situations, the Lord’s people must refuse to obey the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19  ^ce; 5:29  ^cf; Rom 13:1-7  ^cg).
3:12  ^ch These Jews had defied his Majesty the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13  ^ci).
3:13  ^cj Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly rage against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12  ^ck, 48-49  ^cl).
3:14  ^cm Is it true . . . ? The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”
3:15  ^cn I will give you one more chance: The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.
Summary for Dan 3:16-18: 3:16-18  ^co The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10  ^cp). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3  ^cq).
3:23  ^cr In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three Jews are inserted after 3:23  ^cs (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).
3:25  ^ct walking around: The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9  ^cu.

• like a god (literally like a son of the gods): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28  ^cv).
3:26  ^cw The title Most High is often used to refer to God (e.g., 4:2  ^cx, 24-25  ^cy; 7:25  ^cz; Gen 14:18  ^da; Num 24:16  ^db; Deut 32:8-9  ^dc; Ps 73:11  ^dd; Isa 14:14  ^de). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.
3:28  ^df The king was surprised that God could rescue his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17  ^dg).
3:30  ^dh promoted: A related word is used in Gen 39:2  ^di. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.

‏ Daniel 4

Summary for Dan 4:1-37: 4:1-37  ^dj In his pride, King Nebuchadnezzar convinced himself that he had built Babylon (4:30  ^dk; cp. Gen 11:1-9  ^dl). He disregarded the warning of the Most High God (Dan 4:24-27  ^dm). He had still not learned the lesson God was teaching him through these experiences, that the God of Daniel stands outside the world of time and space, and no human is equal to him. So God’s decree of judgment fell upon Nebuchadnezzar (4:17  ^dn, 25-26  ^do; see Prov 16:18  ^dp).
4:4  ^dq God did not allow the king to remain in the comfort and prosperity of his palace; injustice and oppression were in the city (4:27  ^dr), and the king was full of pride (4:30  ^ds).
4:5  ^dt Nebuchadnezzar’s dream disrupted the false peace and serenity of the king’s misguided life.
4:7  ^du The professionals could not interpret the dream even though it was told to them this time (cp. 2:1-11  ^dv). Their dream manuals failed them (see study note on 2:4).

• astrologers: See also 2:5  ^dw, 10  ^dx; 3:8  ^dy; 5:7  ^dz, 11  ^ea, 30  ^eb.
Summary for Dan 4:8-9: 4:8-9  ^ec At last: Nebuchadnezzar appealed first to his Babylonian advisers; in spite of his high position, Daniel, an exiled Jew, was a last resort.

• spirit of the holy gods is in him: See 2:47  ^ed; cp. 5:11  ^ee. Despite his previous experience of the Most High God, Nebuchadnezzar still believed in many gods. In Egypt, Pharaoh had asserted the same thing of Joseph (Gen 41:37-38  ^ef). It was the Most High God who assisted Daniel (Dan 4:24  ^eg). Nevertheless, for the great king to say that Daniel had the spirit of the holy gods in him showed great respect and helps to explain Daniel’s immunity from harassment (see ch 3  ^eh).
4:11  ^ei The tree ... reaching high into the heavens possibly alludes to the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9  ^ej).
4:13  ^ek a holy one: The term holy is not widely used in the Semitic languages outside of the Bible. It simply refers to that which is out of the ordinary or nonhuman. Nebuchadnezzar was most probably using it that way here.
Summary for Dan 4:14-17: 4:14-17  ^el The messenger had full authority as the representative of the Most High to announce God’s decrees and demand that they be fulfilled.
4:16  ^em Seven periods of time may refer to a seven-year period (cp. 7:25  ^en; 9:24-25  ^eo).

• mind of a wild animal: See 4:31-33  ^ep.
4:17  ^eq the Most High rules: God distributes kingship and kingdoms to whomever he will, even to the lowliest (e.g., Joseph, Gen 41:41-57  ^er; David, 1 Sam 16—2 Sam 5  ^es).
4:22  ^et The tree is a haven of sustenance, rest, and safety for the world (cp. Gen 2:15-17  ^eu; Rev 22:14  ^ev).

• your greatness reaches up to heaven: Cp. Gen 11:1-9  ^ew.
4:23  ^ex Cut down the tree: The tree must be cut down because of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride (4:27-30  ^ey).
Summary for Dan 4:25-26: 4:25-26  ^ez until you learn that the Most High rules: God’s goal was proper recognition of God’s rule.
4:27  ^fa Stop sinning and do what is right: Righteousness and justice exalt a nation and extend the reign of a king; the lack of it dooms a people. Daniel humbly pled with the king to change his ways.

• be merciful to the poor: This was a requirement of God’s law (Exod 23:6-11  ^fb; Deut 15:10-11  ^fc; Prov 29:14  ^fd; 31:9  ^fe) as well as Babylon’s. A former great king of Babylon, Hammurabi (about 1792–1750 BC), claimed to have been charged by his god Marduk to shepherd and protect the orphaned, the widowed, and the oppressed.

• Perhaps then: Daniel recognized that God was free to act or not act (cp. Dan 3:16-18  ^ff); because he is a merciful God, he might take pity on the condemned king (cp. Exod 32:30  ^fg; 1 Sam 14:6  ^fh; 2 Sam 12:22  ^fi; Joel 2:14  ^fj; Amos 5:15  ^fk; Zeph 2:3  ^fl; 2 Tim 2:25  ^fm).
Summary for Dan 4:28-33: 4:28-33  ^fn Because Daniel’s warning went unheeded, the dream became reality.
4:30  ^fo The city of Babylon had magnificent walls covered with royal blue ceramic tile and gold-colored lions and dragons. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were also part of the city’s splendor, as was the dazzling Ishtar Gate. The king recognized all this as a reflection of his own glory and power, not as a gift of the Most High God.
4:32  ^fp The king who took Israel into exile for seventy years experienced his own exile for seven periods of time until he was purified of his pride.
4:33  ^fq This disease, called boanthropy, causes a person to behave like an ox. Several ancient sources lend support to this account, and the king’s annals are notably empty from 582 to 575 BC.
Summary for Dan 4:34-37: 4:34-37  ^fr Nebuchadnezzar now acknowledged and submitted to the higher authority of the Most High, the King of heaven.
4:35  ^fs He does as he pleases: God has absolute power in heaven and on earth.
4:37  ^ft The Most High God is the King of heaven as well as of earth. Human pride has no place before him, even that of the greatest of human kings.