John Gill Commentary Daniel 2

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar
It was in the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign that Daniel was carried captive, (Jeremiah 25:1), three years Daniel had been under tutors; at the end of which he was presented to the king, as is related in the preceding chapter; and yet the following dream was in the second of his reign: this creates a difficulty, which is solved by some thus: in the second year after the destruction of the temple, so the Jewish chronicle ^F15, with which Jarchi agrees; others, as Aben Ezra, in the second year of his monarchy, after he had subdued all the nations round about; and so Josephus says ^F16, it was in the second year after the destruction of the Egyptians. R. Moses the priest, in Aben Ezra, would have it to be the second year to his reign, to the end of it, when there were only two years wanting to it; a very unusual way of reckoning indeed! and therefore justly rejected by Aben Ezra:

but all these dates are too late, since Daniel long before these times was well known, and in great fame for his wisdom; whereas, at this time, it does not appear that he was much known, or in great request: it is better either to render it, "in the second year", that is, after Daniel and his companions had been presented to the king, and promoted; even in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar,
as opposed to the reign of Darius or Cyrus, in which he flourished also: or rather this was the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reigning alone; for he had been taken into partnership in the throne with his father before his death, as Berosus

Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams;
which, though but one, yet, relating to various things, the several parts of the human body, and the different metals the form he saw was made of, as well as the four monarchies it signified, is called "dreams". Jacchiades says, he first dreamed the dream, and then the interpretation of it; which is the reason of the plural number:

wherewith his spirit was troubled; it gave his mind a great deal of trouble while he was dreaming it; and when he awaked, though he could not recover it, yet he had some confused broken ideas of it; it had left some impressions upon him, which gave him great uneasiness, and the more as he could not recollect any part of it; his mind was agitated, and tossed to and fro, and under the greatest perplexity:

and his sleep broke from him;
went away from him, through the strangeness of the dream, and the effect it had upon him.

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: Seder Olam Rabba, c. 28. p. 80.
• F16: Antiqu. l. 10. c. 10. sect. 3.
• F18: Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 452. No. 1405.
• F19: Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3401.
• F20: Chronological Tables, cent. 9.
• F21: Scripture Chronology, p. 677.

Then the king commanded to call the magicians. He ordered his servants in waiting to send immediately for the wise men, the philosophers of that age and kingdom, that studied the things of nature, and the natural causes of things.

And the astrologers; that cast nativities, and pretended by the position and influence of the stars to know what would befall men.

And the sorcerers; or wizards, that made use of familiar spirits, and the help of the devil; necromancers that consulted the dead, in order to get knowledge of future things.

And the Chaldeans; so called, not from their country; for probably all the preceding were Chaldeans by nation; but inasmuch as the study of judiciary astrology, and other unlawful arts, greatly obtained in Chaldea; hence those that were addicted to them had this name ^F23.

For to show the king his dreams; both what it was he dreamed, and what the interpretation or meaning of it was. So they came, and stood before the king; they came immediately, with great readiness and willingness, esteeming it a great honour done them to be sent for by the king, and admitted into his chamber; and hoping it would turn much both to their credit and profit; and being come, they stood waiting his will and pleasure.

FOOTNOTES:

• F23: Vid. Juvenal. Satyr. 6. A. Gellii Noet. Attic, l. 1. c. 9. Cicero de Divinatione, I. 1.

And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream What before is called dreams is here expressed in the singular, a dream; for it was but one dream, though it contained in it various things; this the king could remember, that he had a dream; for it has left some impression on his mind, though he could not call to mind what it was about.

Aben Ezra mentions one of their Gaons or Rabbins who affirmed that Nebuchadnezzar knew his dream, but was willing to try the wise men; but, as he observes, he could not surely believe the words of Daniel:

and my spirit was troubled to know the dream; both that, and the meaning of it; he says nothing as yet about the interpretation of it; concluding that, if they could tell him the dream, they could explain it to him; or then it would be time enough to inquire after that.

Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in, Syriac
These spoke, either because the interpretation of dreams particularly belonged to them; or else as being the chief of the wise men, and of greatest authority; or as chosen by the rest, and spoke in their name; and indeed this appellation may include them all, being all of the same country, though they might differ in their profession: they spoke in the Syriac or Babylonish language, the same with the Chaldee, being their mother tongue, and that of the king too; and therefore could more easily speak it themselves, and be more easily understood by him, than if they had spoke in another; (See Gill on Daniel 1:4) and from hence, to the end of the "seventh" chapter, Daniel writes in Chaldee; the things he treats of chiefly relating to the Chaldeans:

O king, live for ever ;
which is a wish of long life, health, and prosperity; and does not intend an everlasting continuance in this world, or an eternal life in another, to the knowledge of which they might be strangers: this was an usual form of salutation of kings in these eastern nations; like to this is that of Sinaetus, a Persian, to Artaxerxes Mnemon ^F24``O King Artaxerxes, reign for ever;'' so said <sup>F25</sup> Artabazus, a faithful friend of Darius, to Alexander the great, when he met him with the friends and relations of Darius, ``O king, may you flourish in perpetual happiness:''

tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation ;
this was not the thing that was asked of them, but the dream itself; and if that had been told them, they promise more than there is reason to believe they would have fulfilled, had that been done; it is more than the Egyptian magicians could do, even when Pharaoh had told them his dream: this they said partly to get time, and partly to make a show of their skill and knowledge; though in a very vain and arrogant manner.

FOOTNOTES:

• F24: Aelian. Var. Hist. l. 1. c. 32.
• F25: Curtius, l. 6. c. 5.

The king answered and said to the Chaldeans In the same language they spoke to him: the thing is gone from me; either the dream was gone from him; it was out of his mind, he had forgot it, and could not call it to remembrance; he had been dreaming of monarchies and kingdoms, which are themselves but dreams and tales, and empty things that pass away, and which he might have learned from hence: or, as it may be rendered, "the word is confirmed by me" ^F26. Saadiah says, that some observe that the word here used has the signification of strength or firmness; and so Aben Ezra interprets the word, is stable and firm; to which agrees the Syriac version,

``most sure is the word which I pronounce;'' referring not to the dream, but to what follows the king's declaration, both with respect to threatenings and promises: if you will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation
thereof; the king speaks as if he thought it was in their power, but they were unwilling to do it; though no doubt, had they been able, they would have readily done it, both for their credit and advantage:

you shall be cut in pieces; not only cut in two, but into various pieces, limb by limb, as Agag by Samuel, and the Ammonites by David; and which was a punishment often inflicted in the eastern nations; as Orpheus was cut to pieces by the Thracian women, and Bessus by order of Alexander the great ^F1; much the same punishment as, with us, to be hanged, drawn, and quartered:

and your houses shall be made a dunghill; be destroyed, and never rebuilt more, but put to the most contemptible uses: and this was common among the Romans; when any were found plotting against the government, or guilty of treason, they were not only capitally punished, but their houses were pulled down, or the names of them changed; or, however, were not used for dwelling houses; so the house of Caius Cassius was pulled down and demolished for his affectation of government, and for treason; and that of M. Maulins Capitolinus, who was suspected of seizing the government, after he was thrown from the rock, was made a mint of; and that of Spuflus Melius for the same crime, after he had suffered, was by reproach called Aequimelium; and of the like kind many instances are given ^F2

and so among the Grecians; Pausanias ^F3 relates of Astylus Crotoniata, that by way of punishment, and as a mark of infamy upon him for a crime he had done, his house was appointed for a public prison. Herodotus ^F4 reports Leutychides, general of the Lacedemonians in Thessalian expedition, that having received money by way of bribery, for which he was tried and condemned, though he made his escape, his house was demolished; and the same usage and custom remains to this day in France: thus the unhappy Damien, a madman, who of late stabbed the French king; one part of his sentence was, that the house in which he was born should be pulled down, as he himself also was pulled and cut to pieces; see (2 Kings 10:27) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: (adza ynm atlm) "verbum a me firmum, [vel] firmatum", Michaelis; "a me decretum et statutum", L'Empereur.
• F1: Vid. Curtium, l. 7. c. 5. p. 206.
• F2: Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 23.
• F3: Eliac. 2. sive l. 6. p. 366.
• F4: Erato, sive I. 6. p. 72.