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Daniel 2:6

in Daniel 2

But if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

But if ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof.

KJV

But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

This verse in Daniel 2

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

answered the king in Aramaic

on Daniel 2:4-6

The astrologers answer “in Aramaic,” and the book stays in Aramaic through chapter 7, the common language of the empire's court. They greet the king with the court formula “O king, may you live forever!” and ask, “Tell your servants the dream,” offering only to interpret.

This site's exposition

gifts and rewards and great honor

The rewards balance the threat of verse 5. Matthew Henry compares the astrologers to Balaam, who knew that Balak could promote him to great honor. Albert Barnes notes a test inside the demand: the king could check a told dream against his own memory.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 2.1-2 · Written before 235.

proposed

"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.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

And they knew, as Balaam did concerning Balak, that he was able to promote them to great honour, and give them that wages of unrighteousness which, like him, they loved so dearly.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

But if ye show the dream - If you show what the dream was. And the interpretation thereof - What it signifies. That is, they were so to state the dream that Nebuchadnezzar would recognize it; and they were to give such an explanation of it as would commend itself to his mind as the true one.

The words behind it

15 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.

  • וְהֵ֨ןand if

    vehenH2006 →19 times

  • חֶלְמָ֤אdream the

    chelma'H2493 →22 times

  • וּפִשְׁרֵהּ֙and interpretation its

    ufishrehH6591 →31 times

  • תְּֽהַחֲוֹ֔ןyou will declare

    tehachavonH2324 →14 times

  • מַתְּנָ֤ןgifts

    matenanH4978 →3 times

  • וּנְבִזְבָּה֙and a reward

    unevizbahH5023 →

  • וִיקָ֣רand honor

    vikarH3367 →7 times

  • שַׂגִּ֔יאgreat

    sagi'H7690 →13 times

  • תְּקַבְּל֖וּןyou will receive

    tekabelunH6902 →3 times

  • מִן־from

    min-H4481 →109 times

  • קֳדָמָ֑יbefore me

    kodamaiH6925 →42 times

  • לָהֵ֕ןtherefore

    lahenH2006 →19 times

  • חֶלְמָ֥אdream the

    chelma'H2493 →22 times

  • וּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּand interpretation its

    ufishrehH6591 →31 times

  • הַחֲוֹֽנִי׃declare to me

    hachavoniH2324 →14 times

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

    Daniel 5:7

    The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be…

    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…

      Reached by 3 separate paths from here.

    • Daniel 5:29

      Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Daniel 2:48

      Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.

    • Genesis 41:42–44

      Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.

    • Daniel 6:2–3

      and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss.

  • Through

    Daniel 5:29

    Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

    it leads to

    • Daniel 5:7

      The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be…

  • Through

    Numbers 22:37

    And he said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to richly reward you?”

    it leads to

    • Numbers 24:11

      Therefore, flee at once to your home! I said I would richly reward you, but instead the LORD has denied your reward.”

  • Through

    Daniel 2:48

    Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.

    it leads to

    • Daniel 5:11

      There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like that…

Where this verse is studied

About Daniel

Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.

This page draws on 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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.