Daniel 2:7 kjv
They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
Daniel 2:7 nkjv
They answered again and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation."
Daniel 2:7 niv
Once more they replied, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it."
Daniel 2:7 esv
They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation."
Daniel 2:7 nlt
They said again, "Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means."
Daniel 2 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel 2:7 | ...they are not able to show the meaning of it. | Daniel 2:10 (recalls their inability) |
| Genesis 41:8 | ...the king's spirit was troubled, and he commanded that all the magicians of Babylon and all its wise men be summoned. | Genesis 41 (Joseph interpreting Pharaoh's dream) |
| Exodus 7:11 | But Pharaoh summoned the wise men and sorcerers; they, also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts. | Exodus 7-11 (Egyptian sorcerers) |
| Isaiah 47:12-14 | ... let them stand up and save you... Behold, they shall be like stubble... | Isaiah 47 (Judgment on Babylon) |
| 1 Corinthians 1:20 | Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? | 1 Corinthians 1 (Wisdom of God vs. man) |
| Jeremiah 10:14 | Every goldsmith is put to shame by the graven image; for his molded image is false, and there is no breath in them. | Jeremiah 10 (Idolatry) |
| Job 5:12-13 | He frustrates the devices of the cunning, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness... | Job 5 (Eliphaz speaking) |
| Proverbs 3:5-6 | Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him... | Proverbs 3 (Wisdom from God) |
| Daniel 5:15-16 | Now indeed, the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the diviners were brought in... but they could not explain the writing. | Daniel 5 (Writing on the wall) |
| Isaiah 44:25 | ...confounds the signs of the mockers and makes fools of diviners... | Isaiah 44 (God's sovereign power) |
| Romans 1:22 | Claiming to be wise, they became fools... | Romans 1 (Rejection of God) |
| Ephesians 4:17-18 | ...live no longer as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding... | Ephesians 4 (New life in Christ) |
| 2 Peter 3:16 | ...in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. | 2 Peter 3 (Peter on Paul's letters) |
| Matthew 11:25 | At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children..." | Matthew 11 (Jesus thanks the Father) |
| Psalm 33:10 | The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. | Psalm 33 (God's sovereignty) |
| Ecclesiastes 7:23 | I made all this an experiment by wisdom. I said, "I will be wise," but it remained far from me. | Ecclesiastes 7 (Vanity of earthly wisdom) |
| Mark 9:31 | For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise." | Mark 9 (Jesus' future suffering) |
| Acts 4:13 | Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. | Acts 4 (Peter and John before council) |
| Daniel 1:20 | And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. | Daniel 1 (Israelites' wisdom) |
| 1 Corinthians 2:14 | The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritual. | 1 Corinthians 2 (Spiritual understanding) |
Daniel 2 verses
Daniel 2 7 Meaning
This verse depicts the desperate confusion of Nebuchadnezzar and his wise men regarding a disturbing dream he experienced. Their inability to recall or interpret the dream highlights their reliance on human wisdom, which is ultimately insufficient to grasp divine revelations.
Daniel 2 7 Context
This verse is found within the second chapter of the book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has had a deeply troubling dream and demands that his wise men not only tell him the dream but also its interpretation. He refuses to tell them the dream itself, stating that if they truly have divine wisdom, they should be able to discern both the dream and its meaning without being told. The wise men, being unable to comply with this impossible demand, declare their inability, leading to Nebuchadnezzar's wrath and a decree to execute all the wise men of Babylon, including Daniel and his companions. This sets the stage for Daniel's reliance on God's divine intervention.
Daniel 2 7 Word Analysis
"Then": This temporal connector (Hebrew: וּ־ u-, a waw-consecutive) indicates a sequence of events, linking back to the king's command or thought process.
"the Chaldeans": This refers to a specific class of wise men in Babylon, skilled in astrology, magic, and interpretation of signs. (Aramaic: כַּשְׂדָּאִין kasdāʾīn). They held a prominent position in the Babylonian court.
"answered": They responded to the king's command. (Aramaic: עֲטָאוּ ʿatăʾū - they responded, spoke).
"the king": Nebuchadnezzar. (Aramaic: מַלְכָּא malḵā).
"and said": They verbally communicated their inability. (Aramaic: וְאָמְרִין wə-ʾāmrīn).
"for": Introduces the reason for their inability. (Aramaic: אֲרוּם ʾărūm).
"it": Refers to the dream itself and its interpretation.
"is a hard thing": The task is difficult, demanding something beyond human capability. (Aramaic: שָׂאֲיָא sāʾāyā - difficult, hard; גְּזֵירָה gəzērâ - decree, cut; here likely implying a sealed or difficult decree/matter).
"and": Connects the two statements of their inability. (Aramaic: וְ־ wə-).
"there is no other": Emphasizes the absolute lack of any other capable person or entity. (Aramaic: אִין אִית ʾin ʾīṯ - if there is, but here in negation with the following; better: "and no one else is found" / "and no other exists").
"save": Except.
"God": divine being. (Aramaic: אֱלָהִין ʾĕlāhîn - gods, but in context with "before whom," it points to the true God).
"whose": Refers back to God. (Aramaic: דִּי־ dî-).
"dwelling": Place of residence. (Aramaic: מְדַר mǝdār - dwelling place, habitation).
"is not with flesh": This phrase distinguishes God from mortal beings, whose wisdom is limited by their physical nature. It highlights that God's wisdom transcends the human realm.
Group of words analysis:
- "For it is a hard thing and there is no other save God whose dwelling is not with flesh": This is a pivotal statement. The wise men implicitly acknowledge that only God possesses the inherent ability to know and reveal hidden things, especially concerning dreams that originate from the divine realm. They correctly identify that human wisdom, derived from "flesh," is insufficient for such supernatural matters.
Daniel 2 7 Bonus Section
The declaration by the Chaldeans points to a universal, though often suppressed, recognition of a higher power with ultimate knowledge. However, their context was polytheistic Babylonian religion, where knowledge and divine revelation were sought through various intermediary practices, including astrology and magic. The contrast is stark with Daniel's faith, which posits a singular, omnipresent God who directly communicates His will. This verse foreshadows the superior power and wisdom of the God of Israel compared to the gods of Babylon. It also sets the stage for Daniel's integrity and trust in Jehovah, who would reveal the dream and its meaning.
Daniel 2 7 Commentary
The Babylonian wise men, skilled in various forms of occult knowledge, declare their utter inability to fulfill the king's request. They correctly diagnose that knowing a dream, once forgotten, and interpreting it requires a knowledge source beyond human comprehension – specifically, divine insight. Their statement, "there is no other save God whose dwelling is not with flesh," is a profound, albeit unintentional, testament to God's uniqueness and transcendence. They attribute the ability to the Divine but fail to recognize or admit that this God can also be accessed by those who live in "flesh" if that individual is aligned with Him, as Daniel soon demonstrates. Their wisdom is worldly and limited to the observable and empirical, while Daniel's is divinely imparted.