Daniel 2 4

Daniel 2:4 kjv

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.

Daniel 2:4 nkjv

Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation."

Daniel 2:4 niv

Then the astrologers answered the king, "May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it."

Daniel 2:4 esv

Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."

Daniel 2:4 nlt

Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means."

Daniel 2 verses

Daniel 2 4 Meaning

Daniel 2:4 marks a pivotal moment in the narrative, signifying the point where the Chaldean wise men address King Nebuchadnezzar directly regarding his troubling dream. This verse highlights their attempt to navigate the king's unprecedented and unreasonable demand to not only interpret a dream he had forgotten but also to recall the dream itself. Their words, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation," are both a standard respectful greeting to a monarch and a strategic plea, revealing their professional limitations and their dependence on the king to provide the content of the dream, without which their occultic arts were useless. Crucially, the verse also notes a significant linguistic shift within the book of Daniel, indicating the language spoken by the Chaldeans was Aramaic.

Daniel 2 4 Context

Daniel chapter 2 opens with King Nebuchadnezzar being deeply disturbed by a dream, which he subsequently forgets. His vexation leads to an extraordinary demand from his circle of wise men—the Chaldeans, magicians, enchanters, and astrologers. Unlike typical requests for interpretation (where the dream is first described), Nebuchadnezzar requires them to reveal the dream itself and provide its meaning. This seemingly impossible task is presented as a test of their true ability, threatening execution if they fail and great reward if they succeed. The previous verse (Dan 2:3) ends with the king stating he had "lost the dream." Daniel 2:4 directly responds to this by detailing the Chaldean wise men's initial plea. Their request, "Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation," is an attempt to work within their known methods, while also expressing their dire predicament in the face of the king's unusual decree. The historical context includes the absolute power of ancient Near Eastern monarchs and the prominent role of diviners and court counselors in Babylonian society, though their powers were often limited to known or revealed information. This specific demand sets the stage for demonstrating the true source of wisdom and revelation – not human arts, but the God of Israel.

Daniel 2 4 Word analysis

• Then: Implies an immediate reaction from the Chaldeans to the king's demand described in the preceding verses.
• the Chaldeans (כַּשְׂדָּי - kaśdāʼ): Refers to a specific and powerful class of Babylonian wise men, known for their proficiency in astrology, divination, and arcane knowledge. Historically, the Chaldeans were a Semitic people from Southern Mesopotamia who came to rule Babylon, but here it often functions as a term for a specialized, influential group of priestly scholars or magicians. Their prominent position underscores the failure of worldly wisdom in contrast to divine revelation.
• said (אָמְרִין - ’āmrîn): Standard verb for speaking.
• to the king: Signifies their direct address to Nebuchadnezzar, acknowledging his authority.
• in Aramaic (אַרָמִית - ’ărāmîth): This is a critical literary and linguistic note. From this verse (Dan 2:4) through Daniel 7:28, the book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. This linguistic shift might symbolize God's sovereign control not only over Israel but over Gentile nations, as Aramaic was the international language of administration and commerce during the Babylonian and Persian empires. It could also mark the shift in the narrative focus from Israel's history to Gentile world empires. The wise men speaking Aramaic indicates their primary court language.
• O king, live forever! (מַלְכָּא לְעָלְמִין חֱיִי - malḵāʼ lᵉʽālᵉmîn ḥăyî): A traditional, highly respectful, and deferential salutation used when addressing a king in the ancient Near East. It reflects an acknowledgment of the king's supreme authority and power, and possibly a desperate plea for clemency given the life-threatening situation. Its repetition in Daniel emphasizes its standard usage and the subjects' subservience.
• Tell your servants (חֵלְמָא אֱמַר לְעַבְדָּיךְ - ḥelmāʼ ’ĕmar lᵉ‘aḇdayiḵ): A direct request and plea from the wise men. They address themselves as the king's "servants," reinforcing their subservient position and their dependence on his disclosure. This phrase also clearly states their professional limitation: they could only interpret what was given to them.
• the dream (חֵלְמָא - ḥelmāʼ): The subject of the entire crisis. The wise men only required the content of the dream, which Nebuchadnezzar was withholding.
• and we will show (וּפִשְׁרָה נְהַחֲוֵא - wûfišrāh nᵉḥaḥăwê): The wise men's core function and expertise was "showing" or providing the interpretation. They imply competence if their conditions are met, highlighting the unusual nature of the king's demand that they recall the forgotten dream itself. This sets up the failure of human wisdom against divine revelation.
• the interpretation (פִּשְׁרָה - pišrâh): Refers to the explanation or meaning of the dream. This term is specific to divinatory and prophetic contexts.

• "Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic": This phrase immediately establishes the setting, the specific group of characters speaking, and the crucial linguistic context for the following chapters of Daniel. The switch to Aramaic signifies the universality of God's dominion beyond the Hebrew people, over Gentile nations and empires.
• "O king, live forever!": This is a formal, highly deferential opening. It indicates the grave nature of their appeal to an absolute monarch who held the power of life and death over them. It's a sign of profound respect, possibly mixed with a plea for patience and understanding in their predicament.
• "Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation": This single statement encapsulates the central conflict. It highlights the Chaldean wise men's perceived limitation: they can interpret, but only if the content of the dream is provided. This challenges the king's unprecedented demand and implicitly underscores their human incapacity against Nebuchadnezzar's divinely orchestrated test. Their reliance on conventional methods fails spectacularly in the face of a divine decree.

Daniel 2 4 Bonus section

The shift from Hebrew to Aramaic from Dan 2:4 to 7:28 is often considered by scholars as structurally intentional. It corresponds to the parts of Daniel dealing primarily with Gentile empires and their future, while the Hebrew sections (Dan 1 and Dan 8-12) focus more directly on Israel's history and future within those empires. This literary choice underscores the book's dual focus: God's sovereignty over both His covenant people and the entire course of human history as manifested in the rise and fall of nations. The Chaldeans' title is significant, not merely ethnic, but denoting the professional "intellectual elite" of Babylonian society. Their utter failure here signifies the comprehensive impotence of all human wisdom and supposed spiritual insight apart from God. This incident not only foreshadows Daniel's revelation but also validates Yahweh as the one true God over all the pantheons and practices of Babylon.

Daniel 2 4 Commentary

Daniel 2:4 is a succinct yet profoundly significant verse. It marks a narrative turning point in the Book of Daniel, shifting not only the story's immediate focus to the impasse between Nebuchadnezzar and his wise men but also transitioning the language of the biblical text itself from Hebrew to Aramaic, a section that extends through Daniel 7. This linguistic shift subtly communicates God's universal sovereignty—that His plans and dealings extend far beyond Israel to the Gentile world powers. The Chaldean wise men's deferential but firm request, "Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation," underscores the limitations of human wisdom and occultic practices. They were adept at interpreting symbols, but without the original input (the dream itself), their craft was useless. This exposes the charade of their so-called supernatural abilities, setting the stage for the true and ultimate source of all knowledge and wisdom—the God of Daniel. Their inability to discern the king's forgotten dream, something only the all-knowing God could reveal, is a polemic against the pagan idolatry and false systems of Babylonian divination. It directly precedes Daniel's intervention, demonstrating that true wisdom and revelation come from a divine source, not from human conjurations or astrological observations. The king's demand becomes a crucible revealing the bankruptcy of worldly wisdom and the unmatched supremacy of Yahweh.

• Example: Consider a software programmer asked to fix a bug in a program they've never seen, but also expected to recall the original code, which they were never given, and the code owner had forgotten. The programmer, like the Chaldeans, is skilled in their craft (debugging), but their capacity is entirely limited by the absence of the primary source (the forgotten code/dream). This situation highlights their inability and sets the stage for a 'miracle worker' (Daniel, empowered by God) who can access the forgotten source code.