Daniel 2 23

Daniel 2:23 kjv

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.

Daniel 2:23 nkjv

"I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king's demand."

Daniel 2:23 niv

I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king."

Daniel 2:23 esv

To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter."

Daniel 2:23 nlt

I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors,
for you have given me wisdom and strength.
You have told me what we asked of you
and revealed to us what the king demanded."

Daniel 2 verses

Daniel 2 23 Meaning

Daniel 2:23 is Daniel’s heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving and praise to God, immediately following the divine revelation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream and its interpretation. This verse acknowledges God as the ultimate source of all wisdom and power, directly crediting Him for providing the specific insight needed to answer the king’s seemingly impossible demand. It underscores God's faithfulness in answering the collective prayer of Daniel and his companions, thus fulfilling their desperate request.

Daniel 2 23 Context

Daniel 2:23 is nestled within a crucial narrative in the Book of Daniel, chronicling Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream and its divinely provided interpretation. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a disturbing dream, but upon waking, he forgot its content and demanded his wise men not only interpret the dream but first tell him what the dream was, threatening death if they failed. After the Babylonian wise men, magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers declared this an impossible feat, Daniel, understanding the severity of the decree, requested time from the king. Daniel then appealed to his three friends—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—that they seek "compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery." This verse is Daniel’s spontaneous outpouring of gratitude, offered immediately after God revealed the mystery to him in a night vision (Daniel 2:19), even before he relays it to the king. The historical backdrop is the Jewish exile in Babylon, a superpower empire, where the pagan gods were venerated. Daniel’s prayer here fundamentally asserts the sovereignty and unique revelation capabilities of Yahweh, the God of Israel, in stark contrast to the impotent divinities and fraudulent wisdom of the Chaldean empire.

Daniel 2 23 Word analysis

• I thank Thee, and praise Thee: (Aramaic: אֲשָׁה יְהַב לְכָה וּמְשַׁבַּח לַךְ – ’anāh yehāb ləkāʾ ūməshabbaḥ lak)

  • ’anāh: "I" - Emphasizes Daniel's personal and humble gratitude.
  • yehāb ləkāʾ: "I am giving thanks to you." Implies an active, immediate, and direct act of expressing gratitude.
  • ūməshabbaḥ lak: "and praising to you." Signifies worship, glorification, and magnifying God for His actions. This is a deliberate, joyful declaration of God's excellencies.
  • Significance: A combined expression of profound gratitude and worship, demonstrating Daniel’s spiritual posture and immediate attribution of success to God alone. It models a spontaneous, heart-felt response to divine grace.

• O Thou God of my fathers: (Aramaic: אֱלָהּ אֲבָהָתִי – ’ĕlāh ’ăbāhātî)

  • ’ĕlāh: "God" – The specific singular God, not a generic deity.
  • ’ăbāhātî: "my fathers" – This refers to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and establishes a covenantal relationship.
  • Significance: Identifies Yahweh as the faithful covenant God of Israel, personally connected to Daniel through generations. It distinguishes Him sharply from the multitude of impotent gods worshipped in Babylon, highlighting His historical fidelity and sovereign power. This is a theological declaration in a pagan land.

• who hast given me wisdom and might: (Aramaic: דִּי חָכְמְתָא וּגְבוּרְתָּא יְהַבְתְּ לִי – dî ḥākəmtāʾ ūgəbūrtāʾ yehabt lî)

  • dî: "who" – Links God directly to the bestowal of these qualities.
  • ḥākəmtāʾ: "wisdom" – More than intellectual acuity; it implies divine insight, discernment, spiritual understanding, and knowledge of hidden things.
  • ūgəbūrtāʾ: "and might/power" – Refers to the divine capability to receive, understand, and interpret the supernatural revelation. This power also empowered him to face the perilous task of standing before the king.
  • Significance: Emphasizes that Daniel's abilities were not innate or self-acquired but direct, supernatural gifts from God. This challenges any notion of human autonomy or the power of Babylonian astrology/magic, asserting divine preeminence.

• and hast made known unto me now what we desired of Thee: (Aramaic: וּכְעַן הוֹדַעְתַּנָא דִּי בָעֶינָא מִנָּךְ – ūkəʿan hôdaʿtənāʾ dî bāʿeyīnāʾ minnāk)

  • ūkəʿan: "and now" – Denotes immediate, timely revelation, stressing God’s prompt answer.
  • hôdaʿtənāʾ: "You have made known to us" – Highlights divine, active revelation, not human discovery. The shift from "me" (received revelation) to "us" (desired the revelation) emphasizes the corporate prayer that preceded the answer (Daniel 2:17-18).
  • dî bāʿeyīnāʾ minnāk: "what we desired/requested of You" – Explicitly links the revelation to the specific prayer request.
  • Significance: Reinforces the direct cause-and-effect relationship between prayer and divine response. The "we" is critical, indicating the power and efficacy of corporate intercession and unity among believers facing a common challenge.

• for Thou hast made known unto us the king's matter: (Aramaic: כִּי דִלְגָדַע לְמַלְכָא הוֹדַעְתַּנָא – kî diləgādāʿ ləmarkāʾ hôdaʿtənāʾ)

  • kî: "for" – Explanatory, providing the reason for the thanksgiving.
  • diləgādāʿ ləmarkāʾ: "the king's matter" – Specifically refers to Nebuchadnezzar's forgotten dream and its interpretation, which was the central crisis.
  • hôdaʿtənāʾ: "You have made known to us" – Reiterates God's active role in revealing the secret.
  • Significance: Specifies the content of the divine revelation and reiterates the power of God over all human authority and secrets. It sets the stage for Daniel to confidently present this truth to Nebuchadnezzar, establishing God's sovereignty over earthly kings and kingdoms, a key theme in Daniel.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers": This phrase combines personal gratitude, corporate historical identity, and theological distinction. It showcases Daniel's immediate devotion and highlights Yahweh's uniqueness and covenant faithfulness amidst polytheistic Babylon. It sets a precedent for how believers should worship, acknowledging God's personal connection to them and His unmatched attributes.
• "who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of Thee": This sequence emphasizes divine agency as the sole source of capability and knowledge. It is a direct attribution of supernatural giftedness and the timely answering of specific prayer. The shift from individual reception ("me") to corporate intercession and answer ("we desired... unto us") demonstrates both personal divine intimacy and the power of communal faith. This contrastingly reveals the futility of human wisdom and strength without divine aid.
• "for Thou hast made known unto us the king's matter": This concluding part specifies the very tangible, urgent outcome of God's intervention. It reinforces that the previously impossible was made known not by human cleverness but by divine condescension. This precise revelation confirms God's sovereignty over secular rulers and their dilemmas, foundational to Daniel's prophetic ministry.

Daniel 2 23 Bonus section

• A Model of Immediate Gratitude: Daniel’s response teaches believers the importance of giving thanks to God before presenting the answer to others, acknowledging Him first. His thanks precede his appearance before the king, signifying humility and devotion.
• Corporate Prayer and Unity: The emphasis on "we desired of Thee" and "made known unto us" highlights the vital role of corporate prayer among the faithful. It reminds us that unity in prayer can unlock powerful divine interventions.
• Counter-Cultural Worship: In the heart of polytheistic Babylon, Daniel’s direct and specific praise of "the God of my fathers" was a bold declaration of monotheism and Yahweh's exclusive sovereignty, subtly challenging the entire Babylonian religious system.
• Foundation for Prophetic Authority: This prayer sets the foundation for Daniel's entire prophetic message. It clarifies that all his interpretations and prophecies derive their authority solely from divine revelation, not from human genius or intellectual deduction, thus securing their reliability.

Daniel 2 23 Commentary

Daniel 2:23 is more than a simple thank-you; it is a profound declaration of faith and an theological cornerstone for the ensuing prophecies. Daniel models an immediate, fervent response to divine grace, prioritizing God's glory above any personal recognition. He understands that the extraordinary wisdom and power to discern the king's secret are gifts from the "God of his fathers," thereby aligning this specific act of revelation with God's ongoing covenant faithfulness to Israel, even in exile. This verse asserts the unparalleled supremacy of Yahweh over all earthly wisdom, political power, and pagan deities. It underscores that true insight comes through direct divine revelation in response to humble, collective prayer. This powerful acknowledgement grounds the entire dream interpretation that follows, validating it as truth originating from the Almighty and not from human cleverness.