Daniel 2:20
King James Version
20 Daniel answered and said,
Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever:
for wisdom and might are his:
King Nebuchadnezzar, displeased with his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, threatened to destroy "all the wise men of Babylon".
That, of course, would include Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Also known as Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Arioch, the king's captain, informed Daniel of the king's decision.
What did Daniel do?
Daniel 2:16-17
King James Version
16 Then Daniel went in,
and desired of the king that he would give him time,
and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house,
and made the thing known to Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
They entreated the LORD for his mercies, that they may be saved from such fate, and here's what happened:
Daniel 2:19
King James Version
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel
in a night vision.
Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Delighted, and surely relieved, Daniel blessed the GOD of heaven.
Daniel 2:21-23
King James Version
21 And he changeth the times and the seasons:
he removeth kings,
and setteth up kings:
he giveth wisdom unto the wise,
and knowledge to them that know understanding:
22 He revealeth the deep and secret things:
he knoweth what is in the darkness,
and the light dwelleth with him.
23 I thank thee,
and praise thee,
O thou God of my fathers,
who hast given me wisdom and might,
and hast made known unto me now
what we desired of thee:
for thou hast now made known unto us
the king's matter.
As excited, and relieved, was Arioch, who hastily informed the king that there was "a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation".
First, Daniel gives GLORY to GOD for decoding the dream.
Daniel 2:27-30
King James Version
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king,
and said,
The secret which the king hath demanded
cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians,
the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets,
and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar
what shall be in the latter days.
Thy dream,
and the visions of thy head upon thy bed,
are these;
29 As for thee, O king,
thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed,
what should come to pass hereafter:
and he that revealeth secrets
maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
30 But as for me,
this secret is not revealed to me
for any wisdom that I have more than any living,
but for their sakes that shall make known
the interpretation to the king,
and that thou mightest know
the thoughts of thy heart.
Finally, Daniel reveals the dream that GOD revealed:
Daniel 2:31-36
King James Version
31 Thou, O king,
sawest, and behold a great image.
This great image,
whose brightness was excellent,
stood before thee;
and the form thereof was terrible.
32 This image's head was of fine gold,
his breast and his arms of silver,
his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron,
his feet part of iron and part of clay.
34 Thou sawest till that a stone
was cut out without hands,
which smote the image upon his feet
that were of iron and clay,
and brake them to pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass,
the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together,
and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors;
and the wind carried them away,
that no place was found for them:
and the stone that smote the image
became a great mountain,
and filled the whole earth.
36 This is the dream;
and we will tell the interpretation thereof
before the king.
Then Daniel gives the interpretation given by GOD:
Daniel 2:37-45
King James Version
37 Thou, O king,
art a king of kings:
for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell,
the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven
hath he given into thine hand,
and hath made thee ruler over them all.
Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom
inferior to thee,
and another third kingdom of brass,
which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron:
forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces
and subdueth all things:
and as iron that breaketh all these,
shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes,
part of potters' clay,
and part of iron,
the kingdom shall be divided;
but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron,
forasmuch as thou sawest the iron
mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron,
and part of clay,
so the kingdom shall be partly strong,
and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron
mixed with miry clay,
they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men:
but they shall not cleave one to another,
even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings
shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed:
and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,
but it shall break in pieces
and consume all these kingdoms,
and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut
out of the mountain without hands,
and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass,
the clay, the silver, and the gold;
the great God hath made known to the king
what shall come to pass hereafter:
and the dream is certain,
and the interpretation thereof sure.
Astonished, and grateful, the king fell upon his face.
Daniel 2:46
King James Version
46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face,
and worshipped Daniel,
and commanded that they should offer an oblation
and sweet odours unto him.
All the while praising GOD.
Daniel 2:47
King James Version
47 The king answered unto Daniel,
and said,
Of a truth it is,
that your God is a God of gods,
and a Lord of kings,
and a revealer of secrets,
seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
Daniel was rewarded.
Daniel 2:48
King James Version
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man,
and gave him many great gifts,
and made him ruler
over the whole province of Babylon,
and chief of the governors
over all the wise men of Babylon.
But Daniel did not forget his companions.
Daniel 2:49
King James Version
49 Then Daniel requested of the king,
and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
over the affairs of the province of Babylon:
but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
Before we explore more about the dream, and interpretation, I got intrigued by the phrase:
"Daniel sat in the gate of the king"
What did that mean?
We shall find out in the next page.
Image: Free Bible Images
