TRV
Translation
King James Version
They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
Complete Jewish Bible
A second time they said, "Let his majesty tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it."
Berean Standard Bible
They answered a second time, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will give the interpretation.”
American Standard Version
They answered the second time and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
World English Bible Messianic
They answered the second time and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
Geneva Bible (1599)
They answered againe, and sayde, Let the King shewe his seruantes the dreame, and wee will declare the interpretation thereof.
Young's Literal Translation
They have answered a second time, and are saying, `Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and the interpretation we do shew.
Study This Verse
Commentary on Daniel 2 verses 1–13
1 ¶ And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
5 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.
6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
We meet with a great difficulty in the date of this story; it is said to be in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Dan 2:1. Now Daniel was carried to Babylon in his first year, and, it should seem, he was three years under tutors and governors before he was presented to the king, Dan 1:5. How then could this happen in the second year? Perhaps, though three years were appointed for the education of other children, yet Daniel was so forward that he was taken into business when he had been but one year at school, and so in the second year he became thus considerable. Some make it to be the second year after he began to reign alone, but the fifth or sixth year since he began to reign in partnership with his father. Some read it, and in the second year, (the second after Daniel and his fellows stood before the king), in the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, or in his reign, this happened; as Joseph, in the second year after his skill in dreams, showed and expounded Pharaoh's, so Daniel, in the second year after he commenced master in that art, did this service. I would much rather take it some of these ways than suppose, as some do, that it was in the second year after he had conquered Egypt, which was the thirty-sixth year of his reign, because it appears by what we meet with in Ezekiel, that Daniel was famous both for wisdom and prevalence in prayer long before that; and therefore this passage, or story, which shows how he came to be so eminent for both these must be laid early in Nebuchadnezzar's reign. Now here we may observe,
I. The perplexity that Nebuchadnezzar was in by reason of a dream which he had dreamed but had forgotten (Dan 2:1): He dreamed dreams, that is, a dream consisting of divers distinct parts, or which filled his head as much as if it had been many dreams. Solomon speaks of a multitude of dreams, strangely incoherent, in which there are divers vanities, Ecc 5:7. This dream of Nebuchadnezzar's had nothing in the thing itself but what might be paralleled in many a common dream, in which are often represented to men things as foreign as are here mentioned; but there was something in the impression it made upon him which carried with it an incontestable evidence of its divine original and its prophetic significancy. Note, The greatest of men are not exempt from, nay, they lie most open to, those cares and troubles of mind which disturb their repose in the night, while the sleep of the labouring man is sweet and sound, and the sleep of the sober temperate man free from confused dreams. The abundance of the rich will not suffer them to sleep at all for care, and the excesses of gluttons and drunkards will not suffer them to sleep quietly for dreaming. But this recorded here was not from natural causes. Nebuchadnezzar was a troubler of God's Israel, but God here troubled him; for he that made the soul can make his sword to approach to it. He had his guards about him, but they could not keep trouble from his spirit. We know not the uneasiness of many that live in great pomp, and, one would think, in pleasure, too. We look into their houses, and are tempted to envy them; but, could we look into their hearts, we should pity them rather. All the treasures and all the delights of the children of men, which this mighty monarch had command of, could not procure him a little repose, when by reason of the trouble of his mind his sleep broke from him. But God gives his beloved sleep, who return to him as their rest.
II. The trial that he made of his magicians and astrologers whether they could tell him what his dream was, which he had forgotten. They were immediately sent for, to show the king his dreams, Dan 2:2. There are many things which we retain the impressions of, and yet have lost the images of the things; though we cannot tell what the matter was, we know how we were affected with it; so it was with this king. His dream had slipped out of his mind, and he could not possibly recollect it, but he was confident he should know it if he heard it again. God ordered it so that Daniel might have the more honour, and, in him, the God of Daniel. Note, God sometimes serves his own purposes by putting things out of men's minds as well as by putting things into their minds. The magicians, it is likely, were proud of their being sent for into the king's bed-chamber, to give him a taste of their office, not doubting but it would be for their honour. He tells them that he had dreamed a dream, Dan 2:3. They speak to him in the Syriac tongue, which was then the same with the Chaldee, but now they differ much. And henceforward Daniel uses that language, or dialect of the Hebrew, for the same reason that those words, Jer 10:11, are in that language because designed to convince the Chaldeans of the folly of their idolatry and to bring them to the knowledge and worship of the true and living God, which the stories of these chapters have a direct tendency to. But ch. 8 and forward, being intended for the comfort of the Jews, is written in their peculiar language. They, in their answer, complimented the king with their good wishes, desired him to tell his dream, and undertook with all possible assurance to interpret it, Dan 2:4. But the king insisted upon it that they must tell him the dream itself, because he had forgotten it and could not tell it to them. And, if they could not do this, they should all be put to death as deceivers (Dan 2:5), themselves cut to pieces and their houses made a dunghill. If they could, they should be rewarded and preferred, Dan 2:6. And they knew, as Balaam did concerning Balak, that he was able to promote them to great honour, and give them that wages of unrighteousness which, like him, they loved so dearly. No question therefore that they will do their utmost to gratify the king; if they do not, it is not for want of good-will, but for want of power, Providence so ordering it that the magicians of Babylon might now be as much confounded and put to shame as of old the magicians of Egypt had been, that, how much soever his people were both in Egypt and Babylon vilified and made contemptible, his oracles might in both be magnified and made honourable, by the silencing of those that set up in competition with them. The magicians, having reason on their side, insist upon it that the king must tell them the dream, and then, if they do not tell him the interpretation of it, it is their fault, Dan 2:7. But arbitrary power is deaf to reason. The king falls into a passion, gives them hard words, and, without any colour of reason, suspects that they could tell him but would not; and instead of upbraiding them with impotency, and the deficiency of their art, as he might justly have done, he charges them with a combination to affront him: You have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me. How unreasonable and absurd is this imputation! If they had undertaken to tell him what his dream was, and had imposed upon him with a sham, he might have charged them with lying and corrupt words; but to say this of them when they honestly confessed their own weakness only shows what senseless things indulged passions are, and how apt great men are to think it is their prerogative to pursue their humour in defiance of reason and equity, and all the dictates of both. When the magicians begged of him to tell them the dream, though the request was highly rational and just, he tells them that they did but dally with him, to gain time (Dan 2:8), till the time be changed (Dan 2:9), either till the king's desire to know his dream be over, and he grown indifferent whether he be told it or no, though now he is so hot upon it, or till they may hope he has so perfectly forgotten his dream (the remaining shades of which are slipping from him apace as he catches at them) that they may tell him what they please and make him believe it was his dream, and, when the thing which is going, is quite gone from him, as it will be in a little time, he will not be able to disprove them. And therefore, without delay, they must tell him the dream. In vain do they plead, 1. That there is no man on earth that can retrieve the king's dream, Dan 2:10. There are settled rules by which to discover what the meaning of the dream was; whether they will hold or no is the question. But never were any rules offered to be given by which to discover what the dream was; they cannot work unless they have something to work upon. They acknowledge that the gods may indeed declare unto man what is his thought (Amo 4:13), for God understands our thoughts afar off (Psa 139:2), what they will be before we think them, what they are when we do not regard them, what they have been when we have forgotten them. But those who can do this are gods, that have not their dwelling with flesh (Dan 2:11), and it is they alone that can do this. As for men, their dwelling is with flesh; the wisest and greatest of men are clouded with a veil of flesh, which quite obstructs and confounds all their acquaintance with spirit, and their powers and operations; but the gods, that are themselves pure spirit, know what is in man. See here an instance of the ignorance of these magicians, that they speak of many gods, whereas there is but one and can be but one infinite; yet see their knowledge of that which even the light of nature teaches and the works of nature prove, that there is a God, who is a Spirit, and perfectly knows the spirits of men and all their thoughts, so as it is not possible that any man should. This confession of the divine omniscience is here extorted from these idolaters, to the honour of God and their own condemnation, who though they knew there is a God in heaven, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secret is hid, yet offered up their prayers and praises to dumb idols, that have eyes and see not, ears and hear not. 2. That there is no king on earth that would expect or require such a thing, Dan 2:10. This intimates that they were kings, lords, and potentates, not ordinary people, that the magicians had most dealings with, and at whose devotion they were, while the oracles of God and the gospel of Christ are dispensed to the poor. Kings and potentates have often required unreasonable things of their subjects, but they think that never any required so unreasonable a thing as this, and therefore hope his imperial majesty will not insist upon it. But it is all in vain; when passion is in the throne reason is under foot: He was angry and very furious, Dan 2:12. Note, It is very common for those that will not be convinced by reason to be provoked and exasperated by it, and to push on with fury what they cannot support with equity.
III. The doom passed upon all the magicians of Babylon. There is but one decree for them all (Dan 2:9); they all stand condemned without exception or distinction. The decree has gone forth, they must every man of them be slain (Dan 2:13), Daniel and his fellows (though they knew nothing of the matter) not excepted. See here, 1. What are commonly the unjust proceedings of arbitrary power. Nebuchadnezzar is here a tyrant in true colours, speaking death when he cannot speak sense, and treating those as traitors whose only fault is that they would serve him, but cannot. 2. What is commonly the just punishment of pretenders. How unrighteous soever Nebuchadnezzar was in this sentence, as to the ringleaders in the imposture, God was righteous. Those that imposed upon men, in pretending to do what they could not do, are now sentenced to death for not being able to do what they did not pretend to.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–13. Public domain.
Copy as
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Daniel 2:7 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Daniel 2:7 captures a pivotal moment in King Nebuchadnezzar's court, as the Babylonian wise men, in their second desperate plea, reiterate their fundamental inability to meet the king's unprecedented demand to both recall and interpret his forgotten dream. This verse starkly exposes the profound limitations of human wisdom and pagan divination, highlighting their utter dependence on human-provided information and setting the stage for God's exclusive ability to reveal divine secrets.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is intricately woven into the dramatic opening of Daniel chapter 2. Following King Nebuchadnezzar's deeply disturbing yet forgotten dream in Daniel 2:1, he summons his elite corps of wise men—magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans—to provide its meaning. However, the king's decree escalates beyond custom: he demands not only the interpretation but also the dream itself (Daniel 2:5). Failure to comply would result in their immediate execution and the destruction of their homes, while success promised immense rewards. Daniel 2:7 serves as the wise men's second, increasingly desperate response, echoing their initial protest in Daniel 2:4, thereby underscoring their utter helplessness in the face of a demand that transcends all human knowledge and occult practices.
Historical & Cultural Context: Ancient Near Eastern courts routinely employed a class of wise men, astrologers, and dream interpreters, whose role was to advise the monarch and provide insight into omens and visions. The established protocol dictated that the king would recount his dream, and the interpreters would then offer its meaning. Nebuchadnezzar's demand in Daniel 2:5 was therefore extraordinarily unusual, if not entirely unprecedented, within this cultural framework. It directly challenged the very foundation of their profession, as their methods relied entirely on the dream being presented to them. Babylon, renowned for its supposed advancements in astrology and divination, was considered the pinnacle of such wisdom, making the wise men's admission of powerlessness in Daniel 2:7 a profound cultural indictment of their spiritual and intellectual claims. The severe threat of execution was a common, albeit extreme, measure employed by powerful ancient monarchs to enforce their absolute will and authority.
Key Themes: Daniel 2:7 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes that permeate the book of Daniel. Primarily, it highlights the Limits of Human Wisdom and the Inadequacy of Pagan Divination. The wise men, representing the zenith of Babylonian intellect and occult power, are utterly confounded, demonstrating that human reason and even demonic insight are impotent before divine mysteries. This critical impasse sets the stage for the Supremacy of God's Revelation, emphasizing that true knowledge and understanding of divine secrets originate solely from God, not from human ingenuity or pagan practices. This theme is profoundly affirmed by Daniel himself in Daniel 2:28, where he declares, "there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets." The verse also underscores the Divine Sovereignty at play, as God orchestrates these events to demonstrate His absolute power over all earthly kingdoms and their supposed wisdom, creating a situation that only He can resolve.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Daniel 2:7 skillfully employs several literary devices to heighten the narrative's tension and underscore its profound theological implications. Irony is strikingly prominent, as the "wise men" of Babylon, supposedly masters of arcane knowledge and divination, are rendered utterly helpless by a seemingly simple demand to recall a forgotten dream. Their much-vaunted wisdom, the pinnacle of pagan intellect, proves to be no wisdom at all when confronted with a divinely orchestrated mystery. This scene also utilizes Foreshadowing, subtly hinting at the true source of wisdom that will soon emerge in Daniel. The insurmountable impasse created by the wise men's inability sets the stage for Daniel, empowered by the one true God, to provide the answer, thus foreshadowing the triumph of divine revelation over human pretension and the impotence of false gods. Furthermore, there is a clear Contrast established between human limitations and divine omnipotence. The wise men's repeated and desperate plea underscores the vast gulf between their finite, earthly understanding and the infinite, all-knowing power of God, who alone can reveal such profound secrets.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Daniel 2:7 serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of divine revelation versus human wisdom. It powerfully demonstrates that the deepest mysteries of God's plan and knowledge are utterly inaccessible to human intellect, occult practices, or any form of worldly wisdom. The wise men's repeated plea for the king to reveal the dream underscores their reliance on human input, highlighting that their supposed "wisdom" is contingent, limited, and ultimately insufficient, not genuinely supernatural. This sets the stage for God to manifest His unique power as the ultimate revealer of secrets, establishing His absolute sovereignty over all earthly powers and their false gods. The inability of Babylon's finest to discern the king's dream is a powerful testament to the fact that true insight into divine matters comes solely from the Creator, who alone knows the future and reveals His will to His chosen servants, thereby humbling human pride and exalting divine truth.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Daniel 2:7 offers a timeless and crucial lesson about the inherent limits of human understanding and the indispensable need for divine revelation. In a world that often exalts human intellect, scientific advancement, or even fleeting spiritual fads, this verse serves as a sober reminder that there are profound truths, existential questions, and divine mysteries that no amount of human ingenuity, worldly wisdom, or technological prowess can ever fully answer. When we encounter life's seemingly insoluble problems, spiritual dilemmas, or the deep, often perplexing, mysteries of God's purposes, we are often much like Nebuchadnezzar's wise men – utterly stumped, helpless, and without a solution. This realization should drive us to profound humility, recognizing our inherent limitations, and to a posture of absolute dependence on God. Just as Daniel received divine insight because he diligently sought God (Daniel 2:19), we are likewise called to turn to God's Word and prayer, acknowledging Him as the sole, ultimate source of true wisdom, guidance, and revelation for every aspect of our lives. This verse challenges us to critically discern between genuine divine truth and the fleeting, insufficient, and often misleading wisdom of the world.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was King Nebuchadnezzar so insistent on the wise men telling him the dream, not just interpreting it?
Answer: King Nebuchadnezzar's insistence on the wise men revealing the dream itself, rather than merely interpreting it, served multiple, layered purposes. Firstly, and most immediately, it was a profound test of authenticity. He likely harbored suspicions about their sincerity and wanted to ensure they weren't simply fabricating interpretations based on general knowledge, flattery, or common dream motifs. If they could accurately tell him the dream, it would unequivocally prove their genuine supernatural insight and the validity of their claims. Secondly, and more profoundly from a theological perspective, it was a divinely orchestrated setup. God used the king's impossible demand to expose the utter powerlessness and intellectual bankruptcy of pagan divination and human wisdom, creating a spiritual vacuum that only His unique ability to reveal secrets could fill. This strategic impasse paved the way for Daniel, a faithful servant of the true God, to demonstrate God's supreme power, knowledge, and sovereignty over all earthly kingdoms and their false deities, as powerfully seen later in Daniel 2:28, where Daniel attributes all revelation to God alone.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Daniel 2:7, with its stark portrayal of human wisdom's abject failure, profoundly foreshadows the ultimate and perfect revelation of God's mysteries in the person of Jesus Christ. The wise men's utter inability to know the king's dream highlights humanity's inherent blindness to divine truth and our spiritual helplessness without God's direct, saving intervention. This dramatic impasse sets the stage for Christ, who is revealed in the New Testament as the very Wisdom of God incarnate (1 Corinthians 1:24) and the ultimate mystery of God Himself, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2-3). Just as Daniel was the sole human conduit for God's revelation to Nebuchadnezzar, Jesus is the ultimate, perfect, and complete revelation of God to humanity, the "only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known" (John 1:18). He is not merely an interpreter of secrets but the very embodiment of all truth and knowledge, through whom the hidden counsels of God's eternal plan are now fully made known to His church (Ephesians 3:9-10). The spiritual impasse faced by the Babylonian wise men underscores our own spiritual helplessness and ignorance apart from Christ, who alone opens our understanding to comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24:45) and reveals the Father to those whom He chooses (Matthew 11:27). In Christ, the "forgotten dream" of humanity's true condition and God's redemptive plan is not only perfectly revealed but also perfectly fulfilled through His life, death, and resurrection.