Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 2:16

"And Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation." — Daniel 2:16 (ASV)

Then Daniel went in ... - He did this either by himself or through a friend. Perhaps all that is meant is not that he actually went into the monarch's presence, but that he went into the palace. There, through the intervention of some high court officer who had access to the sovereign, he requested time from the king, so that he (Daniel) could make the interpretation known.

It would rather appear from Daniel 2:24-25 that the first direct audience Daniel had with the king was after the matter was revealed to him in a night vision. It would hardly align with established Eastern customs for him to go immediately and without ceremony into the royal presence. A petition, presented through someone who had access to the king, would fit all the circumstances of the case.

That he would give him time - Daniel did not specify why he requested time, though his reason is clear enough. He wished to lay the matter before God and to ask his friends to join him in earnest prayer that the dream and its interpretation might be revealed to him. This request was granted. It may seem remarkable that such a favor was granted to Daniel, especially since no time was allowed to the Chaldeans so they could make inquiry (Daniel 2:8), and particularly after the execution of the sentence had begun. However, we are to remember:

1. The king would remember the favor he had already shown Daniel for good reasons, and the fact that he regarded Daniel as endowed with great wisdom (Daniel 1:19–20).
2. Daniel did not ask, as the Chaldeans did, that the king should tell the dream before he attempted to explain it; instead, he evidently proposed to reveal the whole matter.
3. The king must have realized that Daniel had not yet been consulted, and that it was only reasonable for Daniel to have a fair trial now, since it appeared he was included in the general sentence.
4. The king's anxiety to understand the dream was so great that he was willing to grasp at any hope so that his perplexities might be relieved.
5. It is reasonable to suppose that there may have been a divine influence on this monarch's mind, making him willing to perform such a simple act of justice, so that it might be seen and acknowledged that the hand of God was in the whole matter.