The Statue Dream: Four Kingdoms and God's Kingdom
Daniel 2:24-49
Dan.2.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- קבל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דניאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- על: PREP
- אריוך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להובדה: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- לחכימי: PREP,NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אזל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וכן: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- לחכימי: PREP,NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- תהובד: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- העלני: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ופשרא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- למלכא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחוא: VERB,qal,imf,1,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 41:14–16 (structural): Joseph is brought before Pharaoh to interpret a dream, and—like Daniel—faces the ruler and attributes the ability to reveal dreams to God before giving the interpretation.
- Genesis 40:8 (verbal): Joseph’s claim that interpretations belong to God echoes Daniel’s approach: both refuse personal credit and appeal to divine revelation as the source of dream-interpretation.
- Daniel 2:17–23 (allusion): Immediate context: Daniel’s request to Arioch follows the prayer in which Daniel asks God for the revelation of the king’s mystery; verse 24 is the narrative turn from petition to action after God’s answer.
- Genesis 41:39–44 (thematic): After interpreting Pharaoh’s dream Joseph is elevated to a high office; similarly, Daniel’s offer to interpret leads to his prominence with the king—parallel motifs of interpreter rewarded by the ruler.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Daniel went in and asked of Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone to carry out the king’s sentence; he said to him, “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me before the king, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”
- Then Daniel went in to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone to execute the wise men of Babylon; he said to him, “Do not bring me before the king. Let the magicians not be summoned. I will show the king the interpretation.”
Dan.2.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אדין: ADV
- אריוך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהתבהלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הנעל: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לדניאל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכן: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השכחת: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- גבר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- מן: PREP
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- גלותא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פשרא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- למלכא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודע: VERB,hiphil,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 41:14,16 (thematic): A Hebrew (Joseph) is brought before a foreign king to interpret dreams; both episodes feature a captive/exile who attributes the interpretation to God.
- Daniel 2:24 (verbal): Immediate context: Arioch goes to fetch Daniel and brings him before the king; 2:24–25 form a single narrative unit identifying Daniel as ‘one of the exiles of Judah.’
- Daniel 5:11-12 (allusion): Later court testimony praising Daniel’s gift of wisdom and dream-interpretation echoes the recognition here of Daniel as ‘the man’ who can reveal the king’s dream.
- 2 Kings 24:14 (thematic): Background context: the deportation of Judah’s elite to Babylon; Daniel’s description as ‘one of the exiles of Judah’ presupposes the deportations described in 2 Kings.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Arioch hurried and brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him: “I have found a man of the children of the exiles of Judah who will make known to the king the meaning.”
- So Arioch hurried and brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him: “I have found a man of the exiles of Judah who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
Dan.2.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לדניאל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמה: ADV
- בלטשאצר: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- האיתך: DEM+PRON,2,m,sg
- כהל: ADV,sim
- להודעתני: VERB,hifil,inf,1,sg
- חלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ופשרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 41:15-16 (thematic): Pharaoh asks for the meaning of his dream; Joseph responds that God gives the interpretation, paralleling the request for and the divine source of dream-interpretation.
- Daniel 2:10-11 (structural): Earlier in the same narrative the king's magicians and enchanters admit they cannot reveal the king's matter, which sets the stage for Daniel being asked to explain the dream.
- Daniel 2:27-28 (quotation): Daniel's immediate reply following 2:26—he attributes the revelation of the mystery to God and begins the interpretation, a direct continuation and resolution of the king's question.
- Daniel 4:5-7 (thematic): Nebuchadnezzar reports a troubling dream and summons his wise men to interpret it—another royal request for a dream's meaning within the Daniel tradition.
- Daniel 5:13-16 (thematic): Belshazzar summons Daniel (Belteshazzar) to interpret the mysterious writing; like 2:26 this passage depicts a king calling Daniel to reveal and explain a divine message.
Alternative generated candidates
- The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?”
- The king answered Daniel and said, “Are you that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, who is able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?”
Dan.2.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דניאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- רזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שאל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- חכימין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשפין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חרטמין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- גזרין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יכלין: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- להחויה: PREP+VERB,hif,inf
- למלכא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.30 (structural): Immediate continuation: Daniel explains the same ‘secret’ is not from human wisdom but revealed by God — develops the point begun in 2:27.
- Gen.41.16 (thematic): Joseph to Pharaoh: he cannot interpret by himself but God will give the answer — a parallel motif of an interpreter attributing revelation to God rather than human skill.
- 1 Cor.2.10-12 (thematic): Paul insists God’s mysteries are disclosed by the Spirit, not by human wisdom, echoing Daniel’s contrast between human sages and divine revelation.
- Matt.16.17 (thematic): Jesus tells Peter that the revelation came from the Father, not ‘flesh and blood’ — a New Testament parallel to the claim that God, not human sages, reveals secrets.
- Prov.25.2 (allusion): ‘It is the glory of God to conceal a thing…’ — echoes the theological background that secrets belong to God and may be revealed by him to whom he wills.
Alternative generated candidates
- Daniel answered before the king and said, “The secret which the king has asked, the wise men, the enchanters, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot show to the king.
- Daniel answered before the king: “The secret which the king has demanded of his servants—the wise men, enchanters, magicians, and diviners—cannot show to the king.
Dan.2.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ברם: CONJ
- איתי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- בשמיא: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גלא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- רזין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והודע: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- למלכא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נבוכדנצר: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להוא: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- באחרית: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,const
- יומיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חלמך: NOUN,m,sg,poss2ms
- וחזוי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ראשך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m
- על: PREP
- משכבך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,2,m,sg
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Daniel 2:22 (verbal): Uses the same language about God revealing 'deep and secret things' (גלי רזין), closely paralleling the claim that God uncovers mysteries.
- Daniel 2:30 (structural): Continues the narrative point that the dream and its interpretation are revealed by God through Daniel; stresses that revelation, not human wisdom, is the source of knowledge.
- Job 12:22 (thematic): Speaks of God revealing 'deep things out of darkness' (God brings hidden things to light), thematically echoing divine disclosure of hidden realities.
- Amos 3:7 (thematic): Asserts that God does not act without revealing his counsel to his servants the prophets—parallel theme of God making mysteries known to chosen intermediaries.
- Isaiah 46:10 (thematic): Declares God's knowledge and declaration of 'the end from the beginning,' resonating with Daniel's statement that God reveals what will come in the latter days.
Alternative generated candidates
- But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed are these.
- But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries; he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head on your bed were these.
Dan.2.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אנתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעיונך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- משכבך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,2,m,sg
- סלקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מה: PRON,int
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להוא: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- אחרי: PREP
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וגלא: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- רזיא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הודעך: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להוא: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Dan.4:5 (verbal): Nebuchadnezzar recounts a dream that 'made me afraid' and 'the visions of my head terrified me'—a near-echo of the language about the king's troubling thoughts and visions in Dan 2:29.
- Gen.41:15-16 (thematic): Pharaoh's disturbing dreams and Joseph's insistence that God must reveal their meaning parallel Nebuchadnezzar's troubled sleep and the need for divine disclosure of the dream's secret.
- Job 33:15 (thematic): Elihu explains that God can speak 'in a dream, in a vision of the night' to disclose and warn—paralleling the idea that important revelations come through nocturnal visions as in Dan 2:29.
- Joel 2:28 (thematic): The prophetic promise that God will give dreams and visions to his people connects to the motif of significant revelations and visions reported in Daniel 2:29.
- Num.12:6 (structural): God distinguishes ordinary speech from revelation 'in a vision' or 'in a dream' when addressing prophets—providing the canonical framework for understanding dreams/visions like Nebuchadnezzar's in Dan 2:29.
Alternative generated candidates
- To you, O king, your thoughts came upon your bed about what would come to pass after this, and He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what shall be.
- O king, while your thoughts were upon your bed, the thing that would come to you after this was revealed to you; and the Revealer of mysteries has made known to you what is to be.
Dan.2.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואנה: ADV,interr
- לא: PART_NEG
- בחכמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איתי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- מן: PREP
- כל: DET
- חייא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רזא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גלי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- להן: PREP+PRON,3,f,pl
- על: PREP
- דברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פשרא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למלכא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודעון: VERB,hifil,impf,3,m,pl
- ורעיוני: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl+PRON,1,sg
- לבבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- תנדע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Daniel 2:27 (verbal): Same pericope: Daniel insists the secret is not from his own wisdom but is revealed by God so he can explain the dream to the king—very close wording and immediate parallel context.
- Daniel 2:22 (verbal): Statement that God 'reveals deep and hidden things' echoes the claim in 2:30 that the revelation comes from God rather than human wisdom.
- Amos 3:7 (allusion): Affirms the theological principle that God reveals his secrets to his servants/prophets—parallels Daniel’s claim that divine revelation, not human insight, supplies the interpretation.
- Proverbs 25:2 (thematic): Speaks of the glory of God to conceal and of kings to search out hidden matters, resonating with Daniel’s role in uncovering a concealed divine revelation for a king.
- 1 Corinthians 2:10–11 (thematic): Paul’s reflection that God reveals things by his Spirit and that human minds are known only by the Spirit parallels Daniel’s contrast between human wisdom and divine disclosure of thoughts and secrets.
Alternative generated candidates
- As for me, this secret was not revealed to me because of any superior wisdom in me more than any living person, but in order that the interpretation might be declared to the king and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.
- As for me, there is no superior wisdom in me beyond all the living to explain this secret; but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king and that you may understand the thoughts of your heart, the mystery was revealed to me, and I will declare the interpretation to you.
Dan.2.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אנתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הוית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ואלו: CONJ
- צלם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חד: NUM,card,m,sg
- שגיא: ADJ,m,sg
- צלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דכן: PRON,rel,3,m,sg
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- וזיוה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יתיר: ADV
- קאם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לקבלך: PREP+INF,qal,inf,2,m,sg
- ורוה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דחיל: ADJ,m,sg
Parallels
- Dan.2.32-35 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same vision: these verses break down the parts of the 'great image' and explain its symbolic meaning (kingdoms and their fate).
- Dan.3.1 (thematic): Nebuchadnezzar's erection of a large golden image echoes the motif of a monumental statue whose presence demands attention and worship, connecting the idea of an imposing image to imperial authority.
- Dan.4.10-11 (verbal): 'I saw, and behold' language and the portrayal of a single impressive object (a great tree) used as a symbolic vision of kingship and empire parallels the opening formula and symbolic visual of Dan 2:31.
- Dan.7.1-7 (thematic): Another apocalyptic vision that represents successive empires—here as four beasts rather than a statue—so both passages employ vivid visionary symbolism to depict world kingdoms.
- Ezek.1.4-28 (thematic): Ezekiel's vivid, awe-inspiring theophanic vision shares the same sense of a terrifying and majestic visionary appearance ('form awful/terrible'), linking the emotional and theological resonance of prophetic visions.
Alternative generated candidates
- You, O king, saw—and behold, there stood before you a great image. The image was splendid and very bright; it stood before you, and its appearance was dreadful.
- You, O king, were watching, and behold, a great and awe‑inspiring image, of vast and terrible appearance, stood before you; its brightness was extraordinary.
Dan.2.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- צלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ראשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,f,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דהב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- טב: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- חדוהי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- ודרעוהי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעוהי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- וירכתה: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,cs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נחש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Daniel 7:17-23 (thematic): Both passages depict four successive world-powers symbolically (Daniel 2’s statue of metals corresponds to the four beasts in Daniel 7) and interpret them as consecutive kingdoms.
- Daniel 8:20-22 (thematic): The ram and goat vision identifies Medo-Persia and Greece—paralleling the second (silver) and third (bronze) sections of the statue in Daniel 2.
- Daniel 2:44-45 (structural): Immediate interpretation and outcome of the statue: the stone that breaks the statue’s feet and establishes God’s everlasting kingdom—directly explains the destiny of the metal-kingdoms described in 2:32.
- Revelation 13:1-2 (allusion): John’s composite beast—made of parts from different animals—echoes the image of mixed materials representing successive and composite empires, a common apocalyptic symbol for worldly kingdoms.
Alternative generated candidates
- Its head was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze.
- The head of it was of fine gold; its chest and arms were of silver; its belly and thighs were of bronze.
Dan.2.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שקוהי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:3,ms
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרזל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רגלוהי: NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss:3,ms
- מנהין: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרזל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומנהין: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.31-35 (verbal): Immediate description of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (head to feet) including the legs of iron and the mixed feet; the same imagery and wording appear here.
- Dan.2.34-35 (structural): Continuing scene where the stone smites the statue and it is broken to pieces—provides the narrative action that frames the significance of the statue’s mixed composition.
- Dan.2.40-43 (verbal): Daniel’s interpretation of the statue: the iron legs as a strong kingdom and the feet/ten toes partly of iron and clay as a divided, mixed kingdom that will not hold together; explicates the meaning of the iron-and-clay image.
- Dan.7.19-23 (thematic): Vision of successive beasts representing kingdoms (especially the fourth, terrifying beast) and the transfer of sovereignty to God’s everlasting kingdom—parallels Daniel 2’s theme of imperial succession and final divine kingdom.
- Rev.17.12-13 (allusion): The vision of ten kings who receive authority for a short time echoes the ten toes of Daniel 2 and the idea of a divided coalition of rulers allied with a beast, reflecting New Testament reception of Daniel’s imagery.
Alternative generated candidates
- Its legs were of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.
- Its legs were of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
Dan.2.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- חזה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הוית: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
- עד: PREP
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- התגזרת: VERB,hitpael,perf,3,fs
- אבן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- בידין: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ומחת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,fs
- לצלמא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- על: PREP
- רגלוהי: NOUN,f,pl,poss3ms
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרזלא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחספא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והדקת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- המון: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Dan.2.35 (structural): Immediate literary continuation: the stone that was cut without hands grows to break the image and becomes a mountain — completes the same vision begun in 2:34.
- Dan.2.44 (thematic): Summarizes the vision's theological point: God sets up an everlasting kingdom that destroys and replaces human empires (the stone/kingdom motif).
- Dan.7.13-14 (thematic): Parallel apocalyptic tradition: a heavenly figure is given everlasting dominion and universal rule — comparable to the stone’s establishment of God’s eternal kingdom.
- Ps.2.9 (verbal): Shared royal/victory imagery: the ruler breaks nations and rules with a rod of iron, echoing the stone’s destructive overthrow of the image’s parts.
- Rev.19.15 (verbal): New Testament echo of the same motif: the victorious divine warrior judges and rules with an iron scepter, reflecting the imagery of decisive divine overthrow in Daniel 2:34.
Alternative generated candidates
- You watched until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces.
- You watched until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces.
Dan.2.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- באדין: ADV
- דקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כחדה: PRON,indef,sg
- פרזלא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חספא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נחשא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כספא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודהבא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והוו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כעור: PREP
- מן: PREP
- אדרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קיט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונשא: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- המון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- רוחא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- אתר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- השתכח: VERB,hitpael,perf,3,m,sg
- להון: PRON,3,pl
- ואבנא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מחת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לצלמא: PREP
- הות: VERB,qal,perf,3,sg
- לטור: PREP
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- ומלת: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- כל: DET
- ארעא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.44 (structural): Direct continuation of the same vision: God sets up an everlasting kingdom that crushes and outlasts the statue's kingdoms—same eschatological outcome as the stone becoming a great mountain.
- Dan.7.13-14 (thematic): Vision of a divine/son-of-man kingdom given everlasting dominion and sovereignty over all peoples—parallels the stone-mountain that fills the whole earth and endures forever.
- Ps.2:8-9 (verbal): Royal/eschatological language of breaking and shattering nations ('break them with a rod of iron' / 'dash them in pieces') echoes the image of the stone crushing the statue’s parts.
- Hab.2:14 (verbal): The motif of the earth being filled (here with the knowledge of Yahweh's glory) echoes the phrase that the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
- Isa.2:2 (thematic): The mountain-of-the-Lord motif—an exalted mountain established in the latter days to which nations gather—parallels the stone’s transformation into a supreme, world-encompassing mountain.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing‑floors; the wind carried them away so that no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
- Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were all broken together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
Dan.2.36 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ופשרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נאמר: VERB,niphal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.29-30 (verbal): Immediately adjacent verses that continue the same speaker’s explanation—both explicitly state that the secret/interpretation will be revealed to the king and give the reason for the revelation.
- Dan.2.47 (thematic): The king’s response after hearing the interpretation shows the intended effect of revealing the dream’s meaning: confession of God’s sovereignty (outcome parallel to announcing an interpretation before a monarch).
- Gen.41:15-16 (structural): Joseph’s exchange with Pharaoh follows the same courtly pattern—an interpreter refuses personal credit and then gives the meaning of the king’s dream, paralleling Daniel’s role and function.
- Isa.46:9-10 (thematic): Proclaims God’s ability to declare the end from the beginning and to reveal future events—the same theological theme underpinning Daniel’s disclosure of the king’s dream and its interpretation.
Alternative generated candidates
- This was the dream; now we will tell the king the interpretation.
- This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation.
Dan.2.37 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אנתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מלכיא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- שמיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מלכותא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חסנא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותקפא: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יהב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Daniel 2:38 (structural): Immediate continuation/expansion of 2:37—Daniel explains that the God of heaven gave Nebuchadnezzar the head of gold and authority over the kingdoms of the earth.
- Daniel 4:17 (thematic): Declares that the Most High gives kingdoms to whom he wills, echoing 2:37’s claim that the God of heaven granted the king his kingdom, power, and glory.
- 1 Timothy 6:15 (verbal): Paul calls Christ the ‘King of kings,’ using the same supreme-royalty language found in biblical descriptions of ultimate authority invoked in Daniel 2:37.
- Revelation 17:14 (verbal): Uses the title ‘King of kings and Lord of lords,’ paralleling the superlative royal language of Daniel 2:37 that ascribes supreme dominion.
- Revelation 19:16 (verbal): The inscription ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’ on Christ’s robe/hip repeats the highest-royalty motif present in Daniel 2:37’s attribution of ultimate authority.
Alternative generated candidates
- You, O king, are king of kings; to you the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory.
- You, O king, are king of kings— to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, power, strength, and glory.
Dan.2.38 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובכל: CONJ+PREP
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דירין: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- אנשא: VERB,hiph,impf,1,m,sg
- חיות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ברא: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
- ועוף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יהב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בידך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff,2,m,sg
- והשלטך: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg,OBJ:2,m,sg
- בכלהון: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- אנתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ראשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,f,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דהבא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Daniel 2:37 (structural): Immediate context—Daniel explicitly summarizes Nebuchadnezzar’s exaltation by God and introduces the image interpretation; verse 37–38 form a unit explaining divine grant of rule and the identification as the head of gold.
- Genesis 1:26–28 (thematic): God’s grant of dominion to humanity over fish, birds, and animals parallels the idea that creatures and peoples are placed under a ruler’s authority (theme of divinely given rule over creatures and the earth).
- Genesis 9:2–3 (verbal): After the Flood God tells Noah that the fear of you shall be upon every beast and they are given into your hand—language of animals being delivered into human/kingly hand echoes Daniel’s claim that beasts and birds were given into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand.
- Psalm 8:6–8 (verbal): Speaks of God making humankind ruler over the works of his hands—putting all things under their feet (sheep, oxen, beasts, birds, fish)—close verbal and thematic parallel to divine bestowal of rule over animals and creation in Daniel 2:38.
Alternative generated candidates
- And wherever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky He has given into your hand and has made you ruler over them all—you are the head of gold.
- Wherever the dwellers of the earth live, he has given you dominion over them and over the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; he has made you ruler over all— you are the head of gold.
Dan.2.39 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובתרך: CONJ+PREP+PRON,בתר,2,m,sg
- תקום: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- מלכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אחרי: PREP
- ארעא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מנך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- ומלכו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תליתאה: ADJ,ord,f,sg
- אחרי: PREP
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נחשא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תשלט: VERB,qal,impf,juss,2,m,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארעא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.36-45 (structural): Immediate context: the full interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue describing successive empires (gold, silver, bronze, iron); v.39 is part of this explanation.
- Dan.7.23-24 (thematic): Parallel vision of four successive kingdoms culminating in God’s everlasting dominion; both passages portray a sequence of world empires and their succession.
- Dan.8.20-21 (verbal): Explicit identification of the goat as the kingdom of Greece and its notable king, corresponding to Daniel 2’s bronze kingdom (commonly understood as Greece).
- Dan.11.3-4 (thematic): Describes a 'mighty king' whose kingdom is broken and divided among successors—echoes the rise of Alexander and the subsequent partition of the Greek/bronze empire implied in Dan.2:39.
- 1 Maccabees 1:1-10 (thematic): Historical summary of Alexander’s conquests and the establishment of Greek rule in the Near East, providing historical background for Daniel’s prophecy of a Greek (bronze) kingdom.
Alternative generated candidates
- After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, then a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
- After you there shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth.
Dan.2.40 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומלכו: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רביעאה: ADJ,ord,sg,f
- תהוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- תקיפה: ADJ,sg,f
- כפרזלא: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- קבל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרזלא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מהדק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וחשל: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כלא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכפרזלא: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרעע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- אלין: VERB,qal,imf,1,c,sg
- תדק: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ותרע: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Daniel 7:7 (verbal): The fourth beast is described as terrifying and strong with iron teeth that crush and break, echoing the iron imagery and destructive power of Dan 2:40.
- Daniel 7:23-24 (structural): A summary comment on the four kingdoms identifies the fourth as different, violent and destructive—paralleling Dan 2:40's characterization of the fourth kingdom as strong and crushing.
- Daniel 2:41-43 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same vision: the statue's feet of iron (partly) and clay continue the discourse on the fourth kingdom and its internal weakness despite iron strength.
- Psalm 2:9 (verbal): Speaks of ruling with a 'rod of iron' and shattering foes, using the same iron-as-power motif to depict decisive, crushing rule.
- Revelation 19:15 (allusion): Depicts the ruler striking nations with a 'rod of iron' and treading the winepress—New Testament echo of iron imagery for dominion and violent subjugation similar to Dan 2:40.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks and shatters all things; as iron breaks and crushes, it shall break and press in pieces.
- And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; as iron breaks and shatters all things, so it will break and crush.
Dan.2.41 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ודי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזיתה: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms
- רגליא: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ואצבעתא: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מנהן: PREP+PRON,3,pl
- חסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פחר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומנהין: CONJ+PREP+PRON,3,pl
- פרזל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- פליגה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תהוה: VERB,qal,impf,3,fs
- ומן: CONJ+PREP
- נצבתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרזלא: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- להוא: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- כל: DET
- קבל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזיתה: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms
- פרזלא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מערב: VERB,qal,ptc,m,sg
- בחסף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- טינא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2:40 (verbal): Same chapter and image: the iron kingdom that breaks and shatters all others, setting up the theme of a strong but ultimately divided realm represented by iron.
- Dan.2:42-43 (verbal): Immediate continuation that explicates the feet and toes as part potter's clay and part iron, explicitly stating the division into ten kingdoms and the mingling of clay with iron.
- Dan.2:44 (thematic): Contrasts the succession of human/divided kingdoms in the statue with God’s eschatological kingdom that will be established and endure, offering the theological outcome to the statue-vision.
- Dan.7:23-24 (thematic): In the parallel beast-vision the fourth beast corresponds to the iron kingdom and gives rise to ten horns (kings), echoing the motif of a divided kingdom of ten rulers like the toes.
- Rev.13:1 (allusion): Apocalyptic echo of Daniel’s composite/ten-horn imagery: the beast from the sea with ten horns reflects the interpretation of multiple successive/divided kingships and borrows Danielic symbolic language.
Alternative generated candidates
- And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron—that kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, even as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
- As you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
Dan.2.42 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואצבעת: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- רגליא: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מנהין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- פרזל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומנהין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מן: PREP
- קצת: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכותא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תהוה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- תקיפה: ADJ,f,sg
- ומנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תהוה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- תבירה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2.41 (verbal): Immediate parallel description: feet and toes partly of iron and partly of clay — same image and language about a divided, partly weak kingdom.
- Dan.2.34-35 (structural): The stone that crushes the statue and becomes a mountain contrasts the statue’s brittle mixed feet; shows the ultimate overthrow of those divided kingdoms.
- Dan.2.44 (thematic): God’s kingdom established to replace the human kingdoms — thematic fulfillment of the statue’s destruction and the failure of the mixed/fragile feet.
- Dan.7.23-24 (thematic): The fourth beast and its ten horns (divided kings) correspond to the statue’s final, divided phase — both passages depict fragmented successors and changing power.
- Rev.17:12-13 (allusion): The vision of ten kings who give power to the beast echoes Daniel’s ten toes/ divided kingdoms motif: later apocalyptic literature reuses the image of multiple short-lived allied rulers.
Alternative generated candidates
- And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
- And as the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so some of the kingdom shall be strong and some shall be brittle.
Dan.2.43 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ודי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- פרזלא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מערב: VERB,qal,ptcp,0,m,sg
- בחסף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- טינא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מתערבין: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,pl
- להון: PREP+PRON,3,pl
- בזרע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אנשא: VERB,hiph,impf,1,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- להון: PREP+PRON,3,pl
- דבקין: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עם: PREP
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הא: PRON,3,f,sg
- כדי: CONJ
- פרזלא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- מתערב: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,sg
- עם: PREP
- חספא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Daniel 2:41-42 (verbal): Immediate continuation of the same statue-vision: repeats the image of the feet/ten toes 'partly of potters' clay and partly of iron' and the statement that the pieces 'will not cling to one another.'
- Daniel 2:44-45 (structural): Gives the interpretive resolution of the iron-and-clay image: God’s kingdom (the stone) destroys the statue (including the iron/ clay feet) and establishes an everlasting rule, answering the motif of brittle mixed power.
- Daniel 7:7-8, 19-23 (thematic): The fourth beast with 'iron teeth' that devours and crushes parallels the 'iron' kingdom in chapter 2; the ten horns correspond to the toes, and the little horn episodes parallel the later fortunes of that divided iron realm.
- Psalm 2:9 (thematic): The image of breaking and ruling with a 'rod of iron' resonates with Daniel’s motif of iron as coercive, dominating power and the theme of iron authority over nations.
- Revelation 2:27 (allusion): Uses the 'rod of iron' motif (cf. Psalm 2) to depict sovereign, crushing authority—echoing the biblical tradition in which 'iron' symbolizes overpowering imperial rule as in Daniel's vision.
Alternative generated candidates
- Whereas you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they will not cling one to another, even as iron does not mix with bronze.
- You saw iron mixed with clay; they will mingle with one another in marriage, but they shall not hold together, even as iron does not mix with clay.
Dan.2.44 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וביומיהון: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,m,pl
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אנון: PRON,3,m,pl
- יקים: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- שמיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מלכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לעלמין: PREP
- לא: PART_NEG
- תתחבל: VERB,hithpael,impf,3,f,sg
- ומלכותה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,f,sg
- לעם: PREP
- אחרן: ADJ,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשתבק: VERB,hithpael,impf,3,f,sg
- תדק: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ותסיף: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- כל: DET
- אלין: VERB,qal,imf,1,c,sg
- מלכותא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והיא: CONJ+PRON,3,f,sg
- תקום: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- לעלמיא: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Dan.7.13-14 (verbal): Son of Man receives 'dominion, glory and a kingdom' with everlasting rule—language and the theme of an indestructible, eternal kingdom parallel Daniel 2:44.
- Dan.7.27 (thematic): Speaks of the 'kingdoms of the nations' being given to the saints of the Most High and an everlasting kingdom—the same theme of God establishing a permanent, final rule.
- Isa.9.6-7 (thematic): Prophecy of a ruler whose government and peace have no end, whose throne is established forever—an Old Testament counterpart announcing an eternal divine kingship.
- Ps.145.13 (verbal): Declares 'Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom' and God's dominion enduring through generations—close verbal and theological resonance with Daniel 2:44.
- Rev.11.15 (structural): Announces that 'the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,' echoing Daniel's climactic vision of God establishing final, universal rule.
Alternative generated candidates
- And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom will not be left to another people. It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
- But in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; it shall break in pieces and bring to an end all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Dan.2.45 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- קבל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מטורא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg
- אתגזרת: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אבן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- בידין: PREP+NOUN,f,pl
- והדקת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- פרזלא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נחשא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חספא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כספא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודהבא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- הודע: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- למלכא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להוא: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- אחרי: PREP
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויציב: CONJ+VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,sg
- חלמא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומהימן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פשרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.2:34-35 (verbal): Immediate context: the dream describes a stone 'cut out without hands' striking the statue and grinding it to powder, the same image and action continued in v.45.
- Dan.2:44 (thematic): Declares God will set up an everlasting kingdom that will crush and replace previous empires—same eschatological outcome as the stone that becomes a great mountain.
- Dan.7:13-14 (thematic): Vision of the 'one like a son of man' who receives everlasting dominion and a kingdom filling the earth, paralleling the stone's establishment of God's eternal rule.
- Isa.2:2-4 (thematic): Prophecy of the mountain of the Lord being exalted and filling the whole earth echoes the image of the stone becoming 'a great mountain and filling the whole earth.'
- Ps.118:22 (quotation): 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'—the motif of a decisive salvific stone is echoed in Daniel's stone that destroys the statue and establishes God's rule.
Alternative generated candidates
- Forasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, so the great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
- Therefore the dream is certain and its interpretation sure: what you saw— a stone cut out without hands struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them to pieces; then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken together and became like chaff— this is the meaning, O king, and the matter is made known to you of what will be after this.
Dan.2.46 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- באדין: ADV
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נבוכדנצר: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- נפל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- אנפוהי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ולדניאל: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,prop
- סגד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ומנחה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וניחחין: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לנסכה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Dan.4.37 (structural): Same king (Nebuchadnezzar) publicly humbles himself and acknowledges the Most High God after a revelatory experience—parallel pattern of royal confession and praise.
- Dan.3.28 (thematic): Nebuchadnezzar's response to God-working through his servants: he praises the God of Israel and promotes the faithful men—similar royal recognition following a miraculous interpretation/delivery.
- Matt.2.11 (verbal): The Magi 'fell down and worshiped' Jesus and presented gifts; parallels the act of falling on one's face and offering homage/gifts (incense/offerings) to a distinguished figure.
- Acts 10:25-26 (thematic): Cornelius falls at Peter's feet in an act of reverence; Peter refuses the homage—this parallels the motif of a non-Israelite ruler showing reverence to a Godly envoy and raises questions about proper objects of worship.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered to him.
- Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and paid homage to Daniel; he offered him gifts and honor and commanded that an offering be presented to him.
Dan.2.47 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לדניאל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מן: PREP
- קשט: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהכון: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2mp
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- אלהין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ומרא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וגלה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רזין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יכלת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- למגלא: PREP+VERB,inf
- רזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 10:17 (verbal): Uses the same sovereign formula (God of gods / Lord of lords), echoing the king’s confession of Daniel’s God as supreme over other divine/political powers.
- Daniel 4:37 (thematic): Nebuchadnezzar’s later praise acknowledges God’s sovereignty over kings (and all nations), paralleling the Babylonian king’s acknowledgement of God’s rule.
- Isaiah 45:3 (allusion): God promises to give ‘treasures’ and ‘secret things,’ paralleling the idea that God reveals hidden mysteries to his servants.
- Matthew 13:11 (thematic): Jesus says the secrets of the kingdom are given to the disciples to know — a New Testament parallel to the theme of God revealing mysteries to chosen recipients.
- 1 Corinthians 2:7-10 (thematic): Paul speaks of a ‘hidden wisdom’ of God revealed by the Spirit, directly paralleling the description of God as revealer of mysteries in Daniel.
Alternative generated candidates
- The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”
- The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries; for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”
Dan.2.48 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אדין: ADV
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לדניאל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- רבי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ומתנן: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- רברבן: ADJ,m,pl
- שגיאן: ADJ,m,pl
- יהב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- והשלטה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- מדינת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ורב: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- סגנין: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- חכימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Dan.5.29 (verbal): Belshazzar's decree giving Daniel high honor and a principal position echoes the same motif and similar language of royal promotion found in 2:48 (both describe conferment of rank, gifts, and public honor).
- Dan.6.3 (verbal): Describes Daniel being elevated and distinguished above the other governors/satraps—parallels the administrative authority and superior status granted in 2:48 (similar terms for rulership over provinces and officials).
- Gen.41.39-44 (thematic): Joseph's elevation by Pharaoh to second-in-command in Egypt parallels the theme of a foreigner rewarded with high office and authority after demonstrating wisdom/interpretation of dreams, a narrative pattern mirrored in Daniel 2:48.
- Esth.10.3 (thematic): Mordecai's rise to a position second to the king and his prominence among the people reflects the recurring royal-bestowal motif—an outsider/Jew elevated to high status similar to Daniel's appointment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the king made Daniel great and gave him many great gifts; he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
- Then the king made Daniel great and gave him many gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief over all the governors of the wise men of Babylon.
Dan.2.49 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ודניאל: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בעא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מן: PREP
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומני: CONJ+PREP+PRON,1,sg
- על: PREP
- עבידתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מדינת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לשדרך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מישך: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ועבד: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נגו: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ודניאל: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בתרע: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מלכא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 41:39-44 (structural): Pharaoh elevates Joseph after he interprets the dreams—gives him robes, authority, and makes him ruler over the land. Closely parallels Daniel's promotion following his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
- Daniel 1:17-21 (thematic): Earliest account of Daniel's God-given wisdom and success in the king's court, providing the background and precedent for his later elevation in 2:49.
- Daniel 5:29 (verbal): After interpreting the writing on the wall, Daniel is clothed and made a chief official (third ruler). Mirrors the motif of a wise interpreter being rewarded with high office by a Babylonian/Neo-Babylonian king.
- Esther 10:3 (thematic): Mordecai is honoured and promoted to high rank under King Ahasuerus. Similar theme of a Jewish exile raised to authority within a foreign imperial administration.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Daniel sought of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed‑nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel himself remained at the king’s court.
- And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed‑nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel remained at the king’s court.
At that time Daniel went up to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, whom the king had appointed to put the wise men to death; Daniel said to him, “Do not carry out the decree against the wise men. Bring me before the king, and I will give the king the interpretation.” So Arioch hurried and brought Daniel before the king and said, “I have found a man of the children of the exile of Judah who will make known to the king the meaning.”
Then the king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?”
Daniel answered before the king and said, “The secret which the king has asked cannot be shown by the wise men, the enchanters, the magicians, or the astrologers to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets; he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed were these.
For you, O king, your thoughts came into your mind upon your bed as to what would come to pass after this; and he who reveals secrets has made known to you what is to come. Now as for me, this secret was not revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have above all living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.
You, O king, saw and behold a great statue—an image, great and dazzling and terrifying—stood before you.
The head of it was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
You watched until a stone was cut out without hands, struck the statue on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing‑floors; the wind carried them away so that no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
This was the dream; and we will tell the king the interpretation of it.
You, O king, are king of kings. The God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory;
and wherever the children of men dwell, and the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens he has given into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and another third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; for as iron breaks to pieces and shatters everything, so it will break and crush. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, so the kingdom shall be divided; yet it shall have in it the strength of iron, to the extent that you saw the iron mixed with clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part brittle. And as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle by the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the sovereignty of which shall not be left to another people. It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Because you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered to him.
The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”
Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed‑nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel himself was at the king’s court.