Daniel Prays for the King's Dream
Daniel 2:1-23
Dan.2.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובשנת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- שתים: NUM,f,pl,abs
- למלכות: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cs
- נבכדנצר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- חלם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- נבכדנצר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- חלמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ותתפעם: CONJ+VERB,hitpael,imperfect,3,f,sg
- רוחו: NOUN,f,sg,prsuf3ms
- ושנתו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+poss:3,m,sg
- נהיתה: VERB,nip,perf,3,f,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Dan.4:5-6 (verbal): Nebuchadnezzar again describes a troubling dream that disturbs his spirit and leads him to summon wise men—close verbal and situational parallel within Daniel.
- Gen.41:1-8 (structural): Pharaoh’s dreams (in a king’s ‘second year’ motif in some translations) likewise disturb the king and initiate a sequence where royal advisors fail and an interpreter (Joseph) is sought.
- Dan.7:1 (structural): Another Daniel report framed as occurring in a king’s year (‘in the first year… Daniel had a dream’), linking dreams/visions to the book’s prophetic revelations and court context.
- Joel 2:28 (thematic): Presents dreams as a channel of divine revelation (‘your old men shall dream dreams’), providing theological background for the significance attached to royal dreams in the prophets.
Alternative generated candidates
- In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled and his sleep departed from him.
- In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled and his sleep departed from him.
Dan.2.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לקרא: VERB,qal,infc
- לחרטמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולאשפים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולמכשפים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולכשדים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- להגיד: INF,hiph
- למלך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חלמתיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3m
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויעמדו: CONJ+VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- לפני: PREP
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Gen.41.8 (verbal): Pharaoh summons his magicians and wise men to interpret a dream—same pattern of a king calling occult specialists about dreams (close verbal and thematic parallel).
- Dan.5.7 (verbal): Belshazzar calls in the astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers to read the writing on the wall—another Babylonian royal summons of diviners that echoes Daniel 2's list and context.
- Dan.4.7 (thematic): Nebuchadnezzar's wise men and counselors are unable to make the king's dream/vision known, leading to Daniel's intervention—repeats the motif of royal failure of magicians and Daniel as interpreter.
- Isa.47.13 (thematic): Isaiah taunts Babylon's astrologers and enchanters, declaring their counsel powerless—themative critique of magicians' impotence anticipates episodes where royal sorcerers cannot explain dreams.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the king commanded to bring in the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
- Then the king commanded to call the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. They came in and stood before the king.
Dan.2.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- חלום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חלמתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ותפעם: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- רוחי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- לדעת: VERB,qal,inf,-,-,-
- את: PRT,acc
- החלום: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Gen.41.15 (verbal): Pharaoh: “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one that can interpret it...” — same situation of a king troubled by a dream and seeking interpreters (close verbal and situational parallel).
- Dan.4.5 (verbal): Nebuchadnezzar: “I saw a dream, and it made me afraid” — same king again describing being disturbed by a dream; similar language and function in the narrative.
- Dan.7.1 (structural): “In the first year of Belshazzar... Daniel had a dream and visions” — structural parallel within Daniel: dreams/visions introduce divine revelation that require interpretation.
- Gen.37.5 (thematic): Joseph’s dreams: God communicates future events through dreams that demand interpretation and trigger decisive responses — shared theme of dreams as revelatory and consequential.
Alternative generated candidates
- The king said to them, "I have had a dream and my spirit is anxious to know the dream."
- The king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.”
Dan.2.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידברו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- הכשדים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- למלך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארמית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לעלמין: PREP
- חיי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לעבדך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ופשרא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נחוא: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Dan.2.10-11 (verbal): Immediate repetition/continuation of the same court exchange: the Chaldeans again address the king with the formula “O king, live forever,” and request the dream to give an interpretation, showing the same speakers and speech-act within the chapter.
- Dan.2.47-49 (structural): Shows the narrative outcome of the request in 2:4: after Daniel interprets the dream the king praises God and elevates Daniel, linking the initial appeal to the eventual resolution and reward for correct interpretation.
- Dan.1.17 (thematic): Both passages center on wisdom and interpretation in the Babylonian court. Dan 1:17 emphasizes God-given understanding granted to Daniel and his companions, which provides the basis for Daniel’s ability to interpret dreams that the Chaldean sages cannot.
- Ezra 4:7-16 (allusion): These passages are written in Aramaic and are examples of imperial court correspondence and petitions to the king. They provide a broader biblical context for the use of Aramaic as the lingua franca of royal administration, as noted in Dan 2:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- The Chaldeans answered the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and its interpretation will be revealed."
- Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
Dan.2.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לכשדאי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מלתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- אזדא: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- הן: PART
- לא: PART_NEG
- תהודעונני: VERB,qal,imprf,2,pl
- חלמא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ופשרה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg+PRON,3,fs
- הדמין: DEF+DEM,pl
- תתעבדון: VERB,qal,imprf,3,pl
- ובתיכון: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נולי: ADV
- יתשמון: VERB,qal,imprf,3,pl
Parallels
- Dan.2.12 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same episode: the king orders that if the wise men cannot reveal and interpret the dream they are to be killed — same threat expanded into an execution decree.
- Dan.2.13 (structural): The royal edict is carried out: a command is issued to slay all the wise men of Babylon — directly linked to the threat in 2:5.
- Dan.2.9 (verbal): The Chaldeans' reply to the king — they ask him to tell the dream first so they can give the interpretation; it contrasts with the king's demand in 2:5 that they reveal the dream without his disclosing it.
- Gen.41:15–16 (thematic): Pharaoh demands dream interpretation of his magicians and seers; Joseph replies that God, not human wisdom, supplies the meaning — parallels the motif of a ruler demanding a dream's meaning and the dependence on divine revelation.
- Dan.4.7 (thematic): Nebuchadnezzar summons his wise men, astrologers and Chaldeans to interpret a troubling dream — a parallel royal demand for wise men to disclose/interpret a dream in the Babylonian court context.
Alternative generated candidates
- The king answered the Chaldeans, "The thing is fixed by me: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
- The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The matter has been firmly decided by me: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.”
Dan.2.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והן: CONJ
- חלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ופשרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תהחון: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- מתנן: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- ונבזבה: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- ויקר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שגיא: ADJ,m,sg
- תקבלון: VERB,qal,impf,2,pl
- מן: PREP
- קדמי: ADV
- להן: PREP+PRON,3,f,pl
- חלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ופשרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- החוני: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Daniel 2:10–11 (verbal): Same episode — the Chaldean wise men confess they cannot tell the king his dream or its interpretation, directly paralleling the request/claim dynamics found in v.6.
- Daniel 2:27–28 (thematic): Daniel’s proclamation that God reveals mysteries and gives interpretations contrasts with the Chaldeans’ inability here and shows the theological resolution of the scene.
- Genesis 41:15–16 (structural): Joseph’s reply to Pharaoh — that he cannot interpret without God’s revelation — parallels the motif that dream-interpretation depends on divine disclosure rather than human skill.
- Isaiah 46:10 (thematic): God’s claim to declare the end from the beginning underscores the theological point behind the Chaldeans’ failure: knowledge of future events (as in royal dreams) belongs to God.
Alternative generated candidates
- But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation."
- But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me presents and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”
Dan.2.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ענו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- תנינות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ואמרין: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יאמר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לעבדוהי: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA
- ופשרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נהחוה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Dan.2.11 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the chapter: Chaldean wise men protest that no one can declare the king's matter unless the king tells the dream.
- Dan.2.26-28 (structural): Daniel's reply mirrors 2:7's formula — he asks that the king tell the dream and then offers the interpretation, attributing revelation to God.
- Gen.41.15-16 (verbal): Joseph before Pharaoh: he requests that Pharaoh tell the dream and then gives the interpretation, explicitly grounding the ability to interpret in God.
- Jer.23.28 (thematic): Speaks to the role of dreams and the responsibility of a dream‑teller/prophet: 'Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream,' linking dream-reporting and interpretation.
- Job 33.14-16 (thematic): Describes how God reveals to people by dreams and visions at night, underscoring the underlying belief that dreams can be divine revelation requiring interpretation.
Alternative generated candidates
- They answered again and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation of it."
- They answered, in turn, and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
Dan.2.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מן: PREP
- יציב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אנה: ADV,interrog
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עדנא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אנתון: PRON,2,pl
- זבנין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כל: DET
- קבל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזיתון: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אזדא: ADV
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- מלתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.9 (structural): Immediate continuation: the king escalates his demand and issues an explicit threat if the dream is not revealed—directly connected to the king’s accusation in 2:8.
- Dan.2:10-11 (verbal): The Chaldeans' reply that 'there is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter' echoes the situation in 2:8 and explains why the king suspects delay or evasion.
- Dan.2:27-28 (thematic): Daniel’s declaration that God reveals secrets contrasts the magicians’ inability (the issue raised in 2:8) and provides the theological resolution to the king’s demand.
- Gen.41:15-16 (thematic): Pharaoh’s request for an interpreter and Joseph’s reply that God will give the interpretation parallels the motif of a king demanding a dream’s meaning and the interpreter appealing to divine revelation (parallel role to Daniel).
Alternative generated candidates
- The king replied and said, "I know with certainty that you are seeking to gain time, because you see the thing is fixed by me.
- The king answered and said, “The decision from me is fixed: if you do not make known to me the dream, then from now on you are bound to answer for the thing that you have seen, for the matter has gone from me.”
Dan.2.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הן: PART
- חלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תהודענני: VERB,peal,impf,2,ms
- חדה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- דתכון: VERB,peal,impf,2,pl
- ומלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כדבה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ושחיתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הזדמנתון: VERB,hitpael,perf,2,pl
- למאמר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קדמי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- עד: PREP
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עדנא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישתנא: VERB,peal,impf,3,sg
- להן: PREP+PRON,3,f,pl
- חלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ואנדע: VERB,peal,impf,1,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פשרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תהחונני: VERB,peal,impf,2,ms
Parallels
- Genesis 41:15-16 (structural): Pharaoh demands that Joseph both tell and interpret his dream; Joseph replies that God will give the interpretation—parallel structure of a ruler demanding revelation and the interpreter attributing the source to God.
- Daniel 2:5 (verbal): Immediate context: Nebuchadnezzar's original threat that the wise men must tell the dream and its interpretation or face death—the same demand reiterated in 2:9.
- Daniel 2:10-11 (verbal): The wise men’ response that no human can do what the king requests (to state the dream and its meaning) directly parallels the content and establishes the impossibility asserted in 2:9.
- Daniel 2:28-30 (thematic): Daniel explains that God reveals mysteries and therefore can disclose both the dream and its interpretation—provides the theological solution to the dilemma posed in 2:9.
- Daniel 4:6-7 (thematic): Another episode where Nebuchadnezzar summons magicians and enchanters to interpret a troubling dream; parallels the king’s practice of demanding supernatural explanation from wise men.
Alternative generated candidates
- If you do not make the dream known to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces and your houses made a dunghill. But if you declare the dream, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor; therefore tell me the dream now, and I will know that you can show me its interpretation."
- “Because of this,” the king added, “if you do not make known the dream to me, you have contrived to mislead me by speaking falsehood until the time changes. Tell me the dream itself, and then I shall know that you can also give its interpretation.”
Dan.2.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ענו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- כשדאי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואמרין: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- איתי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- אנש: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- יבשתא: NOUN,f,sg,def
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- יוכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- להחויה: VERB,qal,inf
- כל: DET
- קבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- ושליט: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כדנה: PRON,dem,f,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- שאל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לכל: PREP
- חרטם: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואשף: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וכשדי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.11 (structural): Direct continuation/parallel in the narrative: Chaldeans assert that no man on earth can reveal the king's matter and that only the gods (not mortal men) could do so.
- Dan.2.27-28 (verbal): Daniel’s reply that God (El/God of heaven), not human magicians or gods, reveals kingly secrets directly counters the Chaldeans’ claim that only gods can disclose the matter.
- Isaiah 41:21-23 (thematic): God challenges pagan diviners to predict the future and to prove themselves gods, and promises to reveal hidden things himself — thematically opposite to the claim that only 'gods' can disclose secrets.
- Isaiah 47:13-14 (thematic): A taunt against Babylonian astrologers and enchanters who cannot save or reveal truth in crisis, echoing the impotence of human diviners implied by the Chaldeans’ statement.
- Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (allusion): Legal/prophetic rejection of divination and sorcery in Israelite tradition; provides background contrast to the honored position of Chaldean diviners and the biblical critique of such practitioners.
Alternative generated candidates
- The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who can show the king's matter; therefore no great king, or ruler, ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean.
- The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can show the king's matter; therefore no great king or ruler has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean.”
Dan.2.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומלתא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שאל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יקירה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואחרן: CONJ+ADJ,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- איתי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יחונה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- להן: PREP+PRON,3,f,pl
- אלהין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מדרהון: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עם: PREP
- בשרא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- איתוהי: VERB,exist,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Dan.2.10 (verbal): Immediate preceding speech of the Chaldeans asking the king to tell them the dream first — directly continued/contrasted by the king's response in 2:11.
- Dan.2.12 (structural): Immediate structural follow-up: the king's anger and threat to execute the wise men when they cannot produce the dream — shows the stakes behind 2:11.
- Dan.2.27-28 (thematic): Daniel's declaration that God alone reveals hidden things and dreams, offered as the solution to the inability of the Chaldeans in 2:11.
- Gen.41:15-16 (thematic): Pharaoh's demand that his magicians interpret a dream and Joseph's reply that God will give the interpretation — parallels the motif that only divine revelation can disclose a dream's meaning.
- Isa.47:12-13 (thematic): Taunt against Babylonian astrologers and sorcerers who cannot save or foretell — thematically parallels the failure/inadequacy of the wise men in Daniel 2:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- It is a difficult thing the king demands, and there is no man who can show it before the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."
- “And the matter which the king demands is difficult; and there is no one who can declare it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
Dan.2.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- קבל: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנס: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וקצף: VERB,qal,perf,3,sg
- שגיא: ADV
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- להובדה: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- לכל: PREP
- חכימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Daniel 2:13 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same episode: the king orders Arioch to kill the wise men of Babylon—directly parallels and completes the action alluded to in 2:12.
- Daniel 4:6 (verbal): Nebuchadnezzar summons the astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers to interpret a dream—parallels the royal demand for Babylonian wise men and the court’s reliance on such advisers.
- Daniel 5:10-12 (thematic): At Belshazzar’s feast the king’s wise men fail to interpret the writing on the wall and Daniel is summoned—echoes the motif of courtwise men failing and Daniel as the successful interpreter.
- Isaiah 47:13-15 (thematic): Isaiah condemns Babylon’s astrologers and stargazers, saying their arts cannot save the city—thematically parallels the impotency and ultimate doom of Babylonian sages when confronted with divine judgment.
- Matthew 2:16 (thematic): Herod’s order to kill the infants after the visit of the Magi shows a ruler’s violent, desperate reaction tied to prophetic/astrological figures—comparable as a motif of royal wrath and lethal reprisal connected to 'wise men' and portentous revelations.
Alternative generated candidates
- Because of this the king grew furious and his rage burned; and he commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.
- Then the king, in rage and furious indignation, issued a decree to put to death all the wise men of Babylon.
Dan.2.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ודתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נפקת: VERB,qal,perf,2,f,sg
- וחכימיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מתקטלין: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,pl
- ובעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- דניאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחברוהי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- להתקטלה: VERB,hitpael,inf
Parallels
- Dan.2.12 (verbal): Immediate context: the king demands the dream and threatens the wise men with death if they cannot reveal it — 2:13 records the execution order and the pursuit of Daniel and his friends.
- Dan.3.15 (thematic): Nebuchadnezzar threatens Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego with death in a fiery furnace for refusing the king’s command — a parallel instance of a royal death-penalty imposed for noncompliance.
- Dan.6:7-9 (structural): A royal decree engineered to punish a faithful courtier (Daniel) leads to a lethal penalty (the lions’ den); parallels the motif of royal authority used to seek execution of perceived challengers.
- Esther 3:13 (structural): Haman secures the king’s written order to destroy a people — an example of imperial administrative power deployed to authorize mass killing, paralleling the king’s command to destroy the wise men.
- Matt.2:16 (thematic): Herod’s decree to slaughter the infants of Bethlehem to eliminate a perceived rival echoes the motif of a ruler ordering killings out of fear to preserve authority.
Alternative generated candidates
- So the decree went out, and the wise men were sought; and they sought Daniel and his companions to put them to death.
- And the decree went forth; and the wise men were slain. And they sought Daniel and his companions to put them to death.
Dan.2.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- באדין: ADV
- דניאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- התיב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עטא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וטעם: CONJ,VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לאריוך: PREP,NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- טבחיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפק: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לקטלה: PREP,VERB,qal,inf,3,m,sg(obj)
- לחכימי: PREP,NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.24 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same episode: Arioch brings Daniel before the king after Daniel requests an audience; same action and narrative unit.
- Esther 5:1 (thematic): Esther risked approaching the king unsummoned to petition for her people—parallel motif of seeking a dangerous audience with a monarch to avert harm and obtain relief.
- Nehemiah 2:4-5 (thematic): Nehemiah petitions King Artaxerxes for permission and aid and receives a prompt favorable response—parallel in approaching a sovereign to secure urgent help for the community.
- Acts 4:13 (thematic): Peter and John are noted for their boldness and perceived wisdom before the council; parallels Daniel’s confident access to authority and recognition for wisdom in a crisis.
- Ezra 7:6-10 (thematic): Ezra gains the king’s favor and commission after presenting his request, reflecting the motif of a pious official obtaining royal audience and authority to act on behalf of the people.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Daniel answered with counsel and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to slay the wise men of Babylon;
- Then Daniel answered with tact and counsel to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon; he asked the captain the reason for the matter.
Dan.2.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לאריוך: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- שליטא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- מה: PRON,int
- דתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מהחצפה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- מן: PREP
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדין: ADV
- מלתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הודע: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- אריוך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לדניאל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 41:14 (structural): Joseph is hastily brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams—parallel in situation and function (an interpreter summoned quickly to the king).
- Daniel 2:26–30 (structural): Immediate continuation where Daniel explains the king’s dream and insists the revelation comes from God, showing the same episode’s development and Daniel’s interpretive role.
- Daniel 5:12 (thematic): Daniel is described to Belshazzar as one who can 'interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems'—a direct thematic parallel in Daniel’s recognized role before Babylonian kings.},{
Alternative generated candidates
- he asked the captain why the decree of the king was so urgent. So Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.
- And Arioch told Daniel the thing; then Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.
Dan.2.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ודניאל: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- על: PREP
- ובעה: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מן: PREP
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זמן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ינתן: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- ופשרא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- להחויה: PREP+VERB,hif,inf
- למלכא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Daniel 2:14-15 (structural): Immediate context: Arioch brings Daniel before the king, setting the scene for Daniel’s request in 2:16 for time to provide the interpretation.
- Daniel 2:17-18 (thematic): Daniel asks his companions to seek mercy from God for the secret’s revelation—follows his request for time to obtain the interpretation.
- Daniel 2:26-30 (verbal): Daniel’s explanation to the king that the interpretation comes from God echoes his earlier request for time to obtain that divine disclosure.
- Genesis 41:15-16 (thematic): Joseph’s reply to Pharaoh—crediting God as the source of dream-interpretation—parallels Daniel’s appeal to obtain divine revelation before explaining the dream.
- Daniel 2:47 (thematic): The king’s subsequent acknowledgement of God’s power after Daniel’s interpretation shows the outcome that Daniel sought by requesting time to obtain the revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him time, and he would show the king the interpretation.
- So Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions.
Dan.2.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אדין: PART
- דניאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לביתה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
- אזל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ולחנניה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- מישאל: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ועזריה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חברוהי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m
- מלתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הודע: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Dan.2.18-19 (structural): Immediate continuation: after Daniel tells his three companions (v.17), they pray for mercy and God reveals the mystery (v.18–19), showing the narrative unit of disclosure, communal petition, and divine revelation.
- Dan.1.6 (verbal): Introduces the same group—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—linking identity and friendship across the book and echoing the personal bond apparent in Dan 2:17.
- Dan.3.12-30 (thematic): Depicts the same three companions (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego) acting together under trial; thematically parallels solidarity, mutual loyalty, and collective witness in exile.
- Dan.6.10 (thematic): Daniel goes to his house/upper room to pray when threatened by a royal decree—parallels Dan 2:17's movement to his home as the setting for private/petitional response to crisis and reliance on God.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
- He urged them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Dan.2.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ורחמין: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- למבעא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מן: PREP
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- שמיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- רזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דנה: PRON,dem,ms,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יהבדון: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- דניאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחברוהי: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss,3,m
- עם: PREP
- שאר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חכימי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.19 (structural): Immediate literary continuation: after they seek God's mercy concerning the king's secret (2:18), God reveals the mystery to Daniel in a night vision (2:19).
- Dan.6.10 (thematic): Shows Daniel's consistent response to life‑threatening situations—turning to God in prayer for mercy and protection, paralleling the communal plea in 2:18.
- Acts 12:5 (thematic): The church prays earnestly for Peter's deliverance from execution; parallels the communal petition in Daniel 2:18 to seek God's mercy so the wise men would not perish.
- Ps.118:5 (thematic): A cry to the LORD in distress followed by divine help—parallels the motif in 2:18 of calling on God's mercy in danger and receiving intervention.
Alternative generated candidates
- that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
- They agreed and pleaded with God of heaven to reveal the mystery and to grant mercy to them.
Dan.2.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אדין: ADV
- לדניאל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- בחזוא: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ליליא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גלי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- אדין: ADV
- דניאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ברך: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA,NA
- לאלה: PREP+DEM,pl
- שמיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Daniel 2:20-23 (structural): Immediate continuation: Daniel praises the God of heaven for revealing the mystery to him in a night vision, developing the same act of revelation and thanksgiving.
- Genesis 41:15-16 (thematic): Joseph attributes the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream to God’s revelation, paralleling Daniel’s receiving and crediting God for the nighttime disclosure of a hidden meaning.
- Numbers 12:6 (verbal): God’s statement that He makes Himself known in visions and speaks in dreams directly parallels the mode of revelation described in Daniel 2:19 (a night vision revealing a secret).
- Job 33:14-18 (thematic): Elihu’s description of God speaking to humans through dreams and visions to warn or instruct echoes Daniel’s experience of a revelatory night vision disclosing a secret.
- Acts 2:17 (quoting Joel 2:28) (quotation): Peter’s citation of Joel about sons and daughters seeing visions and young men dreaming connects to the biblical motif that God reveals truth through dreams and visions, the same medium in which Daniel received the revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
- Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Dan.2.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דניאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- להוא: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- שמה: ADV
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מברך: VERB,piel,ptc,3,m,sg
- מן: PREP
- עלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- עלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חכמתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וגבורתא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Job 12:13 (verbal): Affirms that wisdom and strength/bmight belong to God—close verbal and thematic parallel to Daniel’s statement that wisdom and might are His.
- Psalm 135:13 (verbal): Speaks of the LORD’s enduring name and renown ‘throughout all ages,’ echoing Daniel’s blessing of God ‘from everlasting to everlasting.’
- Psalm 145:1-3 (thematic): A liturgical blessing of God’s name ‘forever and ever,’ resonating with Daniel’s doxology that blesses God’s name through all generations.
- Isaiah 40:28 (allusion): Declares the LORD as the everlasting God whose understanding is unsearchable—parallels Daniel’s emphasis on God’s eternality and wisdom.
- Proverbs 3:19 (thematic): Attributes the ordering of creation to God’s wisdom, connecting to Daniel’s affirmation that wisdom is an essential attribute of God.
Alternative generated candidates
- Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his.
- Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his.
Dan.2.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- מהשנא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- עדניא: ADV
- וזמניא: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- מהעדה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- מלכין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ומהקים: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מלכין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יהב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חכמתא: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לחכימין: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,def
- ומנדעא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- לידעי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בינה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 75:6-7 (verbal): Speaks of God as the one who puts down and exalts rulers—’He puts down one and exalts another’—parallel to changing and establishing kings in Dan. 2:21.
- Proverbs 2:6 (verbal): ’For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding’ closely echoes Dan. 2:21’s statement that God gives wisdom and knowledge.
- 1 Samuel 2:7-8 (thematic): Describes God as the one who brings low and lifts up (raises the poor, casts down the mighty) and who governs human fortunes, matching Daniel’s theme of God changing times and installing/removing rulers.
- Daniel 4:17 (structural): Within the same book this verse affirms the Most High’s rule over human kingdoms and that he gives kingdoms to whom he wills—parallel in structure and theological point to Dan. 2:21.
Alternative generated candidates
- He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
- He changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
Dan.2.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- גלא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמיקתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומסתרתא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- בחשוכא: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ונהורא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עמה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- שרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 12:22 (verbal): Language closely parallels Daniel: both speak of God revealing ‘the deep/hidden things of darkness’—the disclosure of what is concealed.
- 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (verbal): Paul says God ‘has revealed them to us through the Spirit’ and that the Spirit searches the depths of God—echoing Daniel’s claim that God knows hidden things and makes revealing light available.
- Psalm 139:11-12 (thematic): Psalm contrasts darkness and divine light—‘if I say, “Darkness shall cover me,”…even the night is light to you’—reflecting Daniel’s assertion that God knows what is in darkness and that light is with him.
- Proverbs 25:2 (thematic): ‘It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter’—parallels the motif of divine concealment and revelation found in Daniel’s ‘reveals deep and secret things.’
Alternative generated candidates
- He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him.
- He reveals what is deep and hidden; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
Dan.2.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- אבהתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- מהודא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומשבח: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אנה: ADV,interrog
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חכמתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וגבורתא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהבת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- וכען: CONJ+ADV
- הודעתני: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעינא: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מנך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הודעתנא: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Dan.2.19 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: the verse records that the mystery was revealed to Daniel after he and his companions prayed—background to the thanksgiving in 2:23.
- Proverbs 2:6 (verbal): Both attribute wisdom and understanding directly to the Lord (‘the LORD gives wisdom’), echoing Daniel’s crediting God with giving him wisdom and might.
- Exodus 31:3 (thematic): God’s endowment of a servant with skill, intelligence, and knowledge (Bezaleel) parallels God’s gifting of wisdom and ability to Daniel for the task of interpreting the king’s dream.
- James 1:5 (thematic): Instruction to ask God for wisdom because he gives generously parallels Daniel’s prayer for insight and God’s granting of understanding.
- 1 Corinthians 2:10 (allusion): Paul’s claim that God reveals deep things by his Spirit parallels the theme of God’s direct disclosure of hidden matters (the king’s dream and its interpretation) to Daniel.
Alternative generated candidates
- To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and now you have made known to me what we requested of you; for you have made known to us the king's matter."
- I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you; for you have made known to us the king's matter.”
In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; his spirit was disturbed, and his sleep left him.
Then the king commanded to call the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.”
Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
The king answered the Chaldeans, “My decision is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be made a rubbish heap. But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”
They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation of it.”
The king replied, “The thing is gone from me: if you do not make known to me the dream itself, you know that you are gaining time to tell me an interpretation.”
Therefore the king said, “Clearly the dream must be told me; then I shall know that you can show me its interpretation. But if you will not make it known to me, you shall be paid with false words and lying divination to distract me until the time changes. Tell me the dream, and I shall know the interpretation.”
The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no great king, ruler, or potentate has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean.
Moreover, the thing which the king asks is too difficult, and there is none who can show it to the king but the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
Because of this the king was enraged and very furious, and issued a command to put the wise men to death. And the decree went forth, and the wise men were about to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to put them to death.
Then Daniel went in and asked the captain of the king’s guard, named Arioch, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon, “Why is the decree so urgent from the king?” So Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.
Then Daniel requested of the king’s officer that he might be given time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.
Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
and he requested of them that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions would not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Now the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Daniel answered and said, “Blessed be the name of God from everlasting to everlasting; for wisdom and might are his.
He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and now you have made known to me what we asked of you; for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”