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Daniel 2:37

in Daniel 2

You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;

KJV

Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

This verse in Daniel 2

Commentary

9 notes on this verse
Thou, O King, art a king of kings - The phrase “king of kings” is a Hebraism, to denote a supreme monarch, or one who has other kings under him as tributary, Ezr 7:12; Eze 26:7. As such it is applied by way of eminence to the Son of God, in Rev 17:14; Rev 19:16. As here used, it means that Nebuchadnezzar ruled over tributary kings and princes, or that he was the most eminent of the kings of the earth.

This site's exposition

king of kings

on Daniel 2:37-38

Daniel names Nebuchadnezzar a king of kings and credits every power he holds, dominion over children of men, beasts of the field and fowls of the heaven, to the God of heaven who gave it, not to Babylon's own strength. Thou art this head of gold gives the traditional four-empire reading its fixed first term, Babylon named by the text itself, the identification every later reading of the image's remaining metals has to build from.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 2.11 · Written before 235.

proposed

And so since the blessed Daniel described the vision and was not silent about its interpretation, he left behind some questions for those who possess a keen mind, so that again what was spoken by Daniel may be explained by another. Yet it is necessary for the lovers of truth, to not merely read cursorily, but to seek to say the obscure and to understand what was spoken by the prophets. For Daniel sees a great image, and the head of this he likens to be as pure gold. Next, the shoulders and chest he describes as being silver. Then, the stomach and thighs are bronze. Next, the legs are iron. Likewise also the toes of the feet are clay and iron which has been mixed together. Then, a stone, which is cut from a mountain without hands, strikes the image and grinds it. And the same stone became a great mountain and filled all the earth. After saying these things concerning the image, he afterwards divides the image, in accordance with its sections, into kingdoms and he explains each part of the statue, proceeding to each part, saying that the gold is king Nebuchadnezzar himself, describing him to be the golden head of the image. Next, he names a second kingdom, implying that it is inferior, saying that it is silver. Next, a third which is bronze. Then, a fourth strong kingdom, which is iron. Next, the clay and iron, having been mixed together, exhibit the tips of the feet of the image. For I have begun from the head because it displays the gold. Next, the chest and arms and he names them silver. Then, the stomach and thighs, and he indicates them to be bronze. Next, he describes the legs, and he shows them to be iron. […]

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 2.7 · Written before 235.

proposed

In all events Scripture says, "You, O king, were looking, and behold, one image: Great was that image and its appearance was fearful. The head of the image was of pure gold, its hands and chest and its arms were silver, the stomach and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, the feet were part iron, part clay. You were looking until you saw a stone, which was cut without hands and it struck the image at the iron and clay feet and crushed it completely. Then once for all, the clay, iron, bronze, silver and gold were ground and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floor. And the greatness of the wind carried them away and no place was found for them. And the stone which struck the image became a great mountain and it filled all the earth. This is the dream and we will tell its interpretation before the king. You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given a strong, mighty, and honorable kingdom in every place where the sons of men dwell, and he has given into your hand beasts of the field and birds of heaven and he has ordained you Lord of all. You are the head of gold. And after you another kingdom shall arise, which is lesser than you. And a third kingdom shall arise which is bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And a fourth kingdom will be strong as iron. In the way which iron grinds and subdues all, in this way it will grind and subdue all. And because you saw the feet and the toes, part of which were iron, part of which were clay, the kingdom shall be divided, and in it there shall be from the nature of iron, in which manner, you saw iron mixed with clay. […]

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

No; it is the God of heaven that has given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory, a kingdom that exercises great authority, stands firmly, and shines brightly, acts by a puissant army with an arbitrary power. Note, The greatest of princes have no power but what is given them from above. The extent of his dominion is set forth (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

Thou, O king, art a king of kings,.... Having many kings subject and tributary to him, or would have; as the kings of Judah, Ammon, Moab, and others, and who were even his captives and prisoners; see Jer 52:

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

But to Nebuchadnezzar, a heathen prince, they were represented by a gay and pompous image of a man, for he was an admirer of the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them. To him the sight was so charming that he was impatient to see it again.
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Thou . . . art a king of kings--The committal of power in fullest plenitude belongs to Nebuchadnezzar personally, as having made Babylon the mighty empire it was. In twenty-three years after him the empire was ended: with him its greatness is identified (Da 4:30), his successors having done nothing notable.

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

The God of heaven - Not given by thy own gods, nor acquired by thy own skill and prowess; it is a Divine gift. Power - To rule this kingdom. And strength - To defend it against all foes. And glory - Great honor and dignity.

The words behind it

13 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • אַ֣נְתְּyou

    ʾantahH60715 times

  • מַלְכָּ֔אking O

    malka'H4430180 times

  • מֶ֖לֶךְ[are] [the] king of

    melekhH4430180 times

  • מַלְכַיָּ֑אkings the

    malkhaiya'H4430180 times

  • דִּ֚יwhom

    diH1768345 times

  • אֱלָ֣הּ[the] God of

    ʾelahH42695 times

  • שְׁמַיָּ֔אheavens the

    shemaiya'H806538 times

  • מַלְכוּתָ֥אkingdom the

    malkhuta'H443757 times

  • חִסְנָ֛אpower the

    chisna'H2632

  • וְתָקְפָּ֥אand strength the

    vetakepa'H8632

  • וִֽיקָרָ֖אand honor the

    vikara'H33677 times

  • יְהַב־he has given

    yehav-H305228 times

  • לָֽךְ׃to you

    lakh

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Psalms 62:11

    God has spoken once; I have heard this twice: that power belongs to God,

    it leads to

    • Revelation 19:1

      After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!

    • Job 33:14

      For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices.

    • Isaiah 26:4

      Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.

    • Job 40:5

      I have spoken once, but I have no answer—twice, but I have nothing to add.”

    • Psalms 68:34–35

      Ascribe the power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose strength is in the skies.

  • Through

    Ezra 1:2

    “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at…

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 45:12–13

      It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 26:7

    For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with cavalry and a great company…

    it leads to

    • Ezra 7:12

      Artaxerxes, king of kings. To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.

    • Ezekiel 23:24

      They will come against you with a host of peoples, with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will array themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet. I will delegate judgment…

Where this verse is studied

About Daniel

Daniel in the Lions' Den, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Daniel in the Lions' Den, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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 2.11; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.7; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible.