Daniel 2:3
in Daniel 2he said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand it.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.
KJV
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
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This verse in Daniel 2
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThey speak to him in the Syriac tongue, which was then the same with the Chaldee, but now they differ much. And henceforward Daniel uses that language, or dialect of the Hebrew, for the same reason that those words, Jer. x.
This site's exposition
his spirit was troubled
on Daniel 2:1-3
Nebuchadnezzar's dream comes in the second year of a reign already begun by the deportation of chapter one, and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him is the text's own note that this is no ordinary unease. The king summons the full guild of Babylon's wisdom, magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans, four terms the bench reads as overlapping schools rather than four distinct offices, all called to the same impossible task. He does not ask them to interpret a dream he will describe; he demands they name it first, which turns the whole scene into a test of whether their arts reach beyond guesswork.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
"In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream and his spirit was amazed, and his sleep departed from him. And the king said to call the enchanters and the magicians and the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to proclaim to the king his dream. And they came and stood before the king. And the king said to them, 'I dreamed and my spirit was amazed to know the dream.' And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Syriac, 'O king, live forever! Tell the dream to all your servants, and we will proclaim the interpretation.' But the king answered the Chaldeans, 'The memory has departed from me. And so, if you do not make known the dream to me and its interpretation you shall be destroyed and your houses shall be plundered. But if you do make known the dream and its interpretation to me, you will receive gifts and presents and much honor from me, only proclaim to me the dream and its interpretation.'" [Daniel 2:1-6] And so, the dream which was seen by the king was not earthly, that it might be interpreted by the wise men of the world, but it was heavenly, according to the plan and foreknowledge of God, which is fulfilled in their own times. And on account of this it was concealed from men who comprehend earthly things, so that to those who seek heavenly things, the heavenly mysteries may be revealed.
And so, the dream which was seen by the king was not earthly, that it might be interpreted by the wise men of the world, but it was heavenly, according to the plan and foreknowledge of God, which is fulfilled in their own times. And on account of this it was concealed from men who comprehend earthly things, so that to those who seek heavenly things, the heavenly mysteries may be revealed. For also in Egypt it happened similarly to Pharaoh. For he, seeing dreams, related them to all the interpreters of Egypt, and there was no one who declared them to Pharaoh. But when the blessed Joseph was present, the dreams, which were not apprehended by others, were in good time, unveiled. And on account of this the king, having been astonished, answered all his slaves, saying, "Have we ever found such a man, in whom is the Spirit of God?" [Genesis 41:38] Therefore, Scripture is indicating that no one will be able to describe the heavenly mysteries, unless he should interpret them as a partner of the Holy Spirit.
And having summoned them, they were given the request by that one whom they serve, and foolishly they promised. For human wisdom is incapable of knowing the divine mysteries without assistance from above.
Verse 3. "And the king said to them, 'I have seen a dream, and from the confusion of my mind I do not know what I have seen.'" There remained in the king's heart only a shadow, so to speak, or a mere echo or trace of the dream, with the result that if others should retell it to him, he would be able to recall what he had seen, and they would certainly not be deceiving him with lies.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream,.... What before is called dreams is here expressed in the singular, a dream; for it was but one dream, though it contained in it various things; this the king could remember, that he had a dream; for it had left some impression on his mind, though he could not call to mind what it was about.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream - That is, clearly, to know all about it; to recollect distinctly what it was, and to understand what it meant.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֧אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָהֶ֛ם | lahem | to them | ||
| הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| חֲל֣וֹם | chalom | a dream | H2472 → | 65 times |
| חָלָ֑מְתִּי | chalameti | I have dreamed | H2492 → | |
| וַתִּפָּ֣עֶם | vatipaem | and it was troubled | H6470 → | |
| רוּחִ֔י | ruchi | spirit my | H7307 → | 378 times |
| לָדַ֖עַת | ladaat | to know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַחֲלֽוֹם׃ | hachalom | the dream | H2472 → | 65 times |
וַיֹּ֧אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לָהֶ֛םto them
lahem
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
חֲל֣וֹםa dream
chalomH2472 →65 times
חָלָ֑מְתִּיI have dreamed
chalametiH2492 →
וַתִּפָּ֣עֶםand it was troubled
vatipaemH6470 →
רוּחִ֔יspirit my
ruchiH7307 →378 times
לָדַ֖עַתto know
ladaatH3045 →945 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַחֲלֽוֹם׃the dream
hachalomH2472 →65 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
Genesis 40:8“We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
it leads to
- Daniel 2:47
The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”
- Genesis 41:15–16
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
- Daniel 2:28
But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your…
- 1 Corinthians 12:10–11
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
- Daniel 2:47
Through
Daniel 2:1In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his spirit, and sleep escaped him.
it leads to
- Daniel 4:5
I had a dream, and it frightened me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
- Daniel 4:5
Through
Genesis 41:15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
it leads to
- Daniel 5:16
But I have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in…
- Daniel 5:12
did this because Daniel, the one he named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon…
- Daniel 5:16
Through
Daniel 4:5I had a dream, and it frightened me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
it leads to
- Daniel 2:1
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his spirit, and sleep escaped him.
- Daniel 2:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Daniel
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Daniel; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.1-2; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.2; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER TWO; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:3-4.