King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Complete Jewish Bible:
The king answered the astrologers, "Here is what I have decided: if you don't tell me both the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses reduced to rubble.
Berean Standard Bible:
The king replied to the astrologers, “My word is final: If you do not tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will be reduced to rubble.
American Standard Version:
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye make not known unto me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
The king{H4430} answered{H6032} and said{H560} to the Chaldeans{H3779}, The thing{H4406} is gone{H230} from me{H4481}: if{H2006} ye will not{H3809} make known{H3046} unto me the dream{H2493}, with the interpretation{H6591} thereof, ye shall be cut{H5648} in pieces{H1917}, and your houses{H1005} shall be made{H7761} a dunghill{H5122}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Ezra 6:11
- Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.
Daniel 3:29
- Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
2 Kings 10:27
- And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.
Psalms 50:22
- Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear [you] in pieces, and [there be] none to deliver.
Deuteronomy 13:16
- And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
1 Samuel 15:33
- And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
Daniel 2:12
- For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise [men] of Babylon.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Daniel 2:5
Daniel 2:5 is a verse set within the historical context of the Babylonian exile, where the Jews were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar after the conquest of Jerusalem. The verse captures a moment of high tension in a narrative where King Nebuchadnezzar has been troubled by a dream that he cannot remember, yet he is insistent that its meaning be revealed to him. In this verse, the king is addressing the Chaldeans, who were a class of wise men and astrologers in Babylon, tasked with interpreting dreams and omens.
The themes present in this verse include the sovereignty and power of the king, the demand for absolute loyalty and results from his subjects, and the severe consequences of failure. The king's ultimatum—that the Chaldeans must either reveal the dream and its interpretation or face dismemberment and the destruction of their homes, reduced to rubbish heaps—demonstrates the precarious position of court officials in ancient Near Eastern societies, where their value was contingent upon their utility to the ruler. It also highlights the cultural importance of dreams as messages from the divine that required expert interpretation to avoid calamity.
This verse sets the stage for the subsequent narrative in which Daniel, a Hebrew exile with the gift of divine wisdom, will successfully relate and interpret the king's dream, thus demonstrating the superiority of the God of Israel over the pagan gods and wisdom of Babylon. The events of Daniel 2 underscore themes of divine revelation, the sovereignty of God, and the ultimate triumph of God's wisdom and power through those who are faithful to Him, even in foreign lands.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H4430
There are 131 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֶלֶךְ
Transliteration: melek
Pronunciation: meh'-lek
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to מֶלֶךְ; a king; king, royal. - Strong's Number: H6032
There are 28 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עֲנָה
Transliteration: ʻănâh
Pronunciation: an-aw'
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to עָנָה; {properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, i.e. pay attention; by implication, to respond; by extension to begin to speak; specifically to sing, shout, testify, announce}; answer, speak. - Strong's Number: H560
There are 257 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֲמַר
Transliteration: ʼămar
Pronunciation: am-ar'
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to אָמַר; {to say (used with great latitude)}; command, declare, say, speak, tell. - Strong's Number: H3779
There are 7 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: כַּשְׂדַּי
Transliteration: Kasday
Pronunciation: kas-dah'-ee
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to כַּשְׂדִּי; a Chaldaean or inhabitant of Chaldaea; by implication, a Magian or professional astrologer; Chaldean. - Strong's Number: H4406
There are 22 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מִלָּה
Transliteration: millâh
Pronunciation: mil-law'
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to מִלָּה; a word, command, discourse, or subject; commandment, matter, thing. word. - Strong's Number: H230
There are 76 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֲזָד
Transliteration: ʼăzâd
Pronunciation: az-zawd'
Description: (Aramaic) of uncertain derivation; firm; be gone. - Strong's Number: H4481
There are 82 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מִן
Transliteration: min
Pronunciation: min
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to מִן; {properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of}; according, after, [phrase] because, [phrase] before, by, for, from, [idiom] him, [idiom] more than, (out) of, part, since, [idiom] these, to, upon, [phrase] when. - Strong's Number: H2006
There are 12 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: הֵן
Transliteration: hên
Pronunciation: hane
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to הֵן; lo! also there(-fore), (un-) less, whether, but, if; (that) if, or, whether. - Strong's Number: H3809
There are 59 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: לָא
Transliteration: lâʼ
Pronunciation: law
Description: (Aramaic) or לָה; (Aramaic) (Daniel 4:32), corresponding to לֹא; {not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no;}; or even, neither, no(-ne, -r), (can-) not, as nothing, without. - Strong's Number: H3046
There are 42 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יְדַע
Transliteration: yᵉdaʻ
Pronunciation: yed-ah'
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to יָדַע; {to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.)}; certify, know, make known, teach. - Strong's Number: H2493
There are 18 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֵלֶם
Transliteration: chêlem
Pronunciation: khay'-lem
Description: (Aramaic) from a root corresponding to חָלַם; a dream; dream. - Strong's Number: H6591
There are 26 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פְּשַׁר
Transliteration: pᵉshar
Pronunciation: pesh-ar'
Description: (Aramaic) from פְּשַׁר; an interpretation; interpretation. - Strong's Number: H5648
There are 25 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עֲבַד
Transliteration: ʻăbad
Pronunciation: ab-bad'
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to עָבַד; to do, make, prepare, keep, etc.; [idiom] cut, do, execute, go on, make, move, work. - Strong's Number: H1917
There are 2 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: הַדָּם
Transliteration: haddâm
Pronunciation: had-dawm'
Description: (Aramaic) from a root corresponding to that of הֲדֹם; something stamped to pieces, i.e. a bit; piece. - Strong's Number: H1005
There are 38 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בַּיִת
Transliteration: bayith
Pronunciation: bah-yith
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to בַּיִת; {a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)}; house. - Strong's Number: H7761
There are 25 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שׂוּם
Transliteration: sûwm
Pronunciation: soom
Description: (Aramaic) corresponding to שׂוּם; {to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)}; [phrase] command, give, lay, make, [phrase] name, [phrase] regard, set. - Strong's Number: H5122
There are 3 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נְוָלוּ
Transliteration: nᵉvâlûw
Pronunciation: nev-aw-loo'
Description: (Aramaic) or נְוָלִי; (Aramaic), from an unused root probably meaning to be foul; a sink; dunghill.