Daniel 2:23
in Daniel 2To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, because You have given me wisdom and power. And now You have made known to me what we have requested, for You have made known to us the dream of the king.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee; for thou hast made known unto us the king’s matter.
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.
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This verse in Daniel 2
Commentary
9 notes on this verseWhat was hidden from the celebrated Chaldeans, who made the interpreting of dreams their profession, is revealed to Daniel, a captive-Jew, a babe, much their junior. God would hereby put honour upon the Spirit of prophecy just when he was putting contempt upon the spirit of divination.
This site's exposition
Blessed be the name of God
on Daniel 2:20-23
Daniel's hymn credits wisdom and might, the changing of times and seasons, and the removing and setting up of kings entirely to God, language the bench reads as the chapter's own theology stated before the king ever hears the interpretation, every throne in the vision to come, including Nebuchadnezzar's, stands or falls by this same hand. He revealeth the deep and secret things, and knoweth what is in the darkness, is praised for a gift already received rather than one still hoped for, and the God of my fathers ties Daniel's private revelation to the whole covenant history behind him.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Verse 23. "I confess Thee, O god of my fathers, and I praise Thee because Thou hast granted me wisdom and strength." Lest it should seem to be an achievement of his own deserving, Daniel assigns it to the righteousness of his forefathers and to the faithfulness of God, Who takes pity upon their posterity even in exile. "And now Thou hast shown me that for which we petitioned Thee. ..."
And so it is necessary for us to know the kind-heartedness of God, how to the worthy and to those who fear him, he swiftly reveals and unveils, fulfilling their petitions and requests, as the prophet says, "What wise man understands these things? Does even a man of understanding also know these things." [Hosea 14:9]
"Then Daniel went into his house and made known the matter to Ananiah and Mishael and Azariah. And they sought mercies from the God of the heaven so that they would not also be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a dream at night and Daniel blessed the God of heaven saying, 'May the name of the Lord be blessed forever and ever, because wisdom and understanding and strength are his.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God my fathers,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
thee . . . thee--He ascribes all the glory to God. God of my fathers--Thou hast shown Thyself the same God of grace to me, a captive exile, as Thou didst to Israel of old and this on account of the covenant made with our "fathers" (Lu 1:54, 55; compare Ps 106:45). given me wisdom and might--Thou being the fountain of both; referring to Da 2:20.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
I thank thee and praise thee - No wonder he should feel gratitude, when God by this merciful interference had saved both the life of him and his fellows; and was about to reflect the highest credit on the God of the Jews, and on the people themselves.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers - By his “fathers” here, Daniel refers doubtless to the Jewish people in general, and not to his own particular ancestors. The meaning of the phrase “God of my fathers” is, that he had been their protector; had regarded them as his people; had conferred on them great favors.
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לָ֣ךְ׀ | lakh | <obj.> you | ||
| אֱלָ֣הּ | ʾelah | O God of | H426 → | 95 times |
| אֲבָהָתִ֗י | ʾavahati | fathers my | H2 → | 9 times |
| מְהוֹדֵ֤א | mehode' | [am] praising | H3029 → | |
| וּמְשַׁבַּח֙ | umeshabach | and [am] praising | H7624 → | 5 times |
| אֲנָ֔ה | ʾanah | I | H576 → | 16 times |
| דִּ֧י | di | that | H1768 → | 345 times |
| חָכְמְתָ֛א | chakhemeta' | <the> wisdom | H2452 → | 8 times |
| וּגְבוּרְתָ֖א | ugevureta' | and <the> power | H1370 → | |
| יְהַ֣בְתְּ | yehavt | you have given | H3052 → | 28 times |
| לִ֑י | li | to me | ||
| וּכְעַ֤ן | ukhean | and now | H3705 → | 13 times |
| הֽוֹדַעְתַּ֙נִי֙ | hoda'tani | you have made known to me | H3046 → | 47 times |
| דִּֽי־ | di- | that | H1768 → | 345 times |
| בְעֵ֣ינָא | veeina' | we asked | H1156 → | 12 times |
| מִנָּ֔ךְ | minakh | from you | H4481 → | 109 times |
| דִּֽי־ | di- | that | H1768 → | 345 times |
| מִלַּ֥ת | milat | [the] matter of | H4406 → | 24 times |
| מַלְכָּ֖א | malka' | king the | H4430 → | 180 times |
| הוֹדַעְתֶּֽנָא׃ | hoda'tena' | you made known to us | H3046 → | 47 times |
לָ֣ךְ׀<obj.> you
lakh
אֱלָ֣הּO God of
ʾelahH426 →95 times
אֲבָהָתִ֗יfathers my
ʾavahatiH2 →9 times
מְהוֹדֵ֤א[am] praising
mehode'H3029 →
וּמְשַׁבַּח֙and [am] praising
umeshabachH7624 →5 times
אֲנָ֔הI
ʾanahH576 →16 times
דִּ֧יthat
diH1768 →345 times
חָכְמְתָ֛א<the> wisdom
chakhemeta'H2452 →8 times
וּגְבוּרְתָ֖אand <the> power
ugevureta'H1370 →
יְהַ֣בְתְּyou have given
yehavtH3052 →28 times
לִ֑יto me
li
וּכְעַ֤ןand now
ukheanH3705 →13 times
הֽוֹדַעְתַּ֙נִי֙you have made known to me
hoda'taniH3046 →47 times
דִּֽי־that
di-H1768 →345 times
בְעֵ֣ינָאwe asked
veeina'H1156 →12 times
מִנָּ֔ךְfrom you
minakhH4481 →109 times
דִּֽי־that
di-H1768 →345 times
מִלַּ֥ת[the] matter of
milatH4406 →24 times
מַלְכָּ֖אking the
malka'H4430 →180 times
הוֹדַעְתֶּֽנָא׃you made known to us
hoda'tena'H3046 →47 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Amos 3:7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
it leads to
- John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 18:17
And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
- Psalms 25:14
The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.
- Revelation 1:1
This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,
- Daniel 9:22–27
He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.
- John 15:15
Through
Psalms 25:14The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.
it leads to
- John 14:21–23
Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
- John 7:17
If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.
- John 14:21–23
Through
Exodus 3:15God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My…
it leads to
- Genesis 17:7–8
I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Genesis 17:7–8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Daniel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.5; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER TWO; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.