Daniel 2:2 kjv
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.
Daniel 2:2 nkjv
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.
Daniel 2:2 niv
So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king,
Daniel 2:2 esv
Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
Daniel 2:2 nlt
He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king,
Daniel 2 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 18:10-12 | There shall not be found among you ...one who practices divination or a soothsayer... | Prohibition against pagan occult practices. |
| Lev 19:31 | Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out... | God forbids seeking wisdom from false sources. |
| Isa 47:13-14 | Let your astrologers, who predict by the stars...stand up and save you... Behold, they are like stubble. | Futility of pagan astrologers and diviners. |
| Jer 10:2 | Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens. | Warning against adopting pagan celestial practices. |
| 1 Cor 1:19 | For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and frustrate the cleverness of the clever.” | God nullifies human and worldly wisdom. |
| 1 Cor 2:7-10 | But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God... God has revealed to us through the Spirit. | Divine wisdom is a mystery revealed by God alone. |
| Amo 3:7 | For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His secret counsel to His servants. | God reveals His purposes to His chosen. |
| Gen 41:8 | In the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. | Pharaoh's similar reliance on pagan advisors. |
| Exo 7:11-12 | Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers; and they too, the magicians of Egypt, did the same. | Limited power of pagan magic vs. God's power. |
| Isa 8:19 | When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists... should not a people consult their God?" | Exhortation to seek God, not forbidden practices. |
| Mic 5:12 | And I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you will have fortune-tellers no more. | God's judgment against magical practices. |
| Mal 3:5 | Then I will draw near to you for judgment... a swift witness against sorcerers. | God's condemnation of sorcery. |
| Acts 13:6-12 | They found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus... But Saul... rebuked him. | God's power overcomes false spiritual practitioners. |
| Acts 19:19 | Many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and burned them... | Repentance from occult practices in early church. |
| Job 12:22 | He reveals deep things out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light. | God's unique ability to unveil hidden knowledge. |
| Psa 25:14 | The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant. | God reveals secrets to those who revere Him. |
| Prov 2:6 | For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. | All true wisdom originates from God. |
| Jas 1:5 | If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault. | Seeking God for wisdom. |
| Dan 2:27-28 | Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor astrologers are able to declare it to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries." | Direct statement of pagan advisors' failure and God's role. |
| Dan 1:17 | As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. | Foreshadowing of Daniel's divinely bestowed ability. |
| Dan 4:7 | Then the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners came in, and I related the dream to them, but they could not make its interpretation known to me. | Another instance of these advisors' inability. |
| Dan 5:7-8 | The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the diviners... They could not read the writing or make known its interpretation to the king. | Third instance confirming their failure. |
Daniel 2 verses
Daniel 2 2 Meaning
This verse describes King Nebuchadnezzar's immediate and desperate reaction to a disturbing dream, commanding the summoning of his court's expert advisors: the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans. His intention was for these highly regarded individuals to interpret his forgotten dream, underscoring the king's reliance on their perceived supernatural or specialized knowledge within the Babylonian system of governance and belief.
Daniel 2 2 Context
Daniel 2 opens with King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the vast Neo-Babylonian Empire, profoundly troubled by a dream. The king is so disturbed that it affects his sleep, indicating a significant spiritual or psychological impact. However, the unique problem for his court advisors is that the king has forgotten the dream itself, only remembering its disturbing effect. This predicament sets up a severe test for the traditional Babylonian wise men and diviners who were typically summoned to interpret such omens. Their inability to discern the dream's content, let alone its meaning, highlights the futility of human wisdom and pagan practices when confronted with a divine mystery, preparing the way for God's true prophet, Daniel, to step forward and reveal God's sovereignty. The historical context places this event early in Nebuchadnezzar's reign (around 604 BC), after the first group of exiles, including Daniel and his companions, were brought to Babylon (Daniel 1).
Daniel 2 2 Word analysis
- Then: Signifies the immediate, decisive action taken by the king following his internal disturbance.
- the king: Refers to Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful and absolute monarch of Babylon. His word was law.
- commanded: Hebrew word נָסַק (nā·saq) in the Aramaic text, conveying an authoritative, imperative order, highlighting the king's absolute power and urgency.
- to call: Indicating a summons, not a request, reflecting the hierarchical nature of the Babylonian court.
- the magicians (חַרְטֻמִּין - khartummīn): Often "sacred scribes" or "engravers," linked to Egyptian priests skilled in occult knowledge, charms, and interpreting hieroglyphs. In Babylon, they were likely learned men knowledgeable in the magical arts and interpretations.
- the astrologers (אַשָּׁפִין - ashshāphīn): "Enchanters" or "conjurers." These were practitioners of spells, incantations, and omens, frequently associated with demonic influence in a biblical context.
- the sorcerers (מְכַשְּׁפִין - mekashshephīn): Practitioners of various forms of magic, including preparing magical potions and using spells; sometimes translated as "witches." The term carries strong negative connotations in Hebrew Scripture, always forbidden by God (Deut 18:10-12).
- and the Chaldeans (כַּשְׂדָּאִים - kaśdāʼîm): By Daniel's time, "Chaldean" here denotes not merely an ethnic group but a class of highly educated Babylonian scholars, priests, and wise men, deeply versed in astronomy, astrology, and divination. They were considered the elite custodians of Babylonian wisdom and esoteric knowledge. The grouping of these four professions reveals Nebuchadnezzar's exhaustive search among all his sources of occult wisdom.
- to show: To make known, to reveal.
- the king his dreams: Emphasizing that Nebuchadnezzar wanted not just the interpretation, but crucially, the content of the forgotten dreams themselves, a challenge no human wisdom could meet.
- So they came and stood before the king: Demonstrates their immediate compliance to the royal command and their availability to perform their traditional roles, unaware of the unprecedented nature of the king's demand.
Daniel 2 2 Bonus section
- The inability of Nebuchadnezzar's wise men to even recall the dream before interpreting it establishes the crisis's profound depth, setting a nearly impossible task designed to highlight divine intervention. This specific challenge (remembering the dream itself) goes beyond standard divination tasks, magnifying their impending failure.
- The use of multiple, distinct categories for the wise men ("magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, Chaldeans") illustrates the comprehensive nature of Babylonian occultic practices and the structured religious-political system that endorsed them. It also shows Nebuchadnezzar exhausting every avenue of human knowledge before turning elsewhere.
- This verse is the theological setup for the entire chapter: Human wisdom, no matter how specialized or supposedly "deep," cannot access or manipulate the divine will, especially when God chooses to hide or reveal. This immediately validates God's unique sovereignty over human affairs and hidden knowledge.
Daniel 2 2 Commentary
Daniel 2:2 presents a vivid snapshot of Nebuchadnezzar's crisis and the customary reliance of ancient Near Eastern monarchs on esoteric advisors for guidance. The meticulous listing of "magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans" highlights the diverse categories of professional diviners and wise men at the zenith of Babylonian power, underscoring the king's exhaustive effort to consult all available human wisdom. This collective appeal sets the stage for a dramatic contrast between the impotence of pagan divination and the absolute power and true revelatory capacity of the one true God, as demonstrated through His servant Daniel. The demand itself—not merely an interpretation, but the recall of the forgotten dream—immediately showcases the limitations of human wisdom and false spiritual practices, serving as a powerful polemic against them and foreshadowing their ultimate failure. It also emphasizes the unique nature of God's wisdom, which transcends human limitations.