And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
The decree was the king's furious order that all Babylon's wise men be put to death when they declared it unreasonable that they must tell both his forgotten dream and its interpretation. Daniel and his companions were in danger under that sentence because they were counted among the wise men, and officers sought them to carry out the execution. Daniel asked why the decree was so urgent and pleaded before the king for time, then he and his companions united in prayer pleaded for mercy and wisdom until God revealed the secret to them. By that God-given revelation of the dream and its meaning the great men of the realm were saved from death, and the prophecy of future events was disclosed and afterward fulfilled with remarkable exactness.
Setting and Death Decree
Daniel 2:13 belongs to the full history in Daniel 2:1-49 of Nebuchadnezzar's troubling, forgotten dream of the great image and the mingling of iron and clay, and of his meeting in which he addressed Babylon's wise men about it. The king demanded that the wise men tell him both the dream itself, which had gone from his mind, and its interpretation, requiring the dream itself as proof of their claims as magicians and astrologers. When they declared in fear and trembling that the demand was unreasonable and beyond any test ever required of any man, the king in fury ordered every one of them put to death. Such action is to be expected of men in high authority controlled by unholy passion, acting as men with great power and uncontrollable passions act.
The decree that the wise men should be slain placed Daniel and his companions in danger too, because they were counted among the wise men and numbered with them to share their fate. Officers sought them to carry out the sentence, so that Daniel and his fellows were sought to be slain. This danger led Daniel to ask Arioch why the decree was so urgent. When Daniel heard of the decree he sought the Lord and then came before the king and pleaded for time to bring the matter before God and to seek God's revelation of the dream and its meaning.
These events came soon after Daniel and his companions entered the king's service, revealing the power and faithfulness of the God of Israel to Babylon. Daniel's making known to Nebuchadnezzar his forgotten dream came many years before the feast of Belshazzar.
Prayer, Revelation and Fulfillment
When time was granted, Daniel laid the whole matter before his companions who were united with him in worship of the true God, and together on bended knees with contrition of heart they pleaded for mercy, power and wisdom to meet their great necessity. They brought the matter before the supreme court of the universe, from whose decision there is no appeal, asking that God would give the power and wisdom that alone could avail and would so arrange matters that they need not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. In answer God revealed the secret to Daniel, making known both the forgotten dream and its meaning.
The revelation was given to Daniel and to the Hebrew captives who depended on Him, so that Daniel's knowledge and wisdom and his ability to provide the interpretation came from God alone. By contrast the Babylonian wise men could not recover the forgotten dream, and their failure exposed the limits of human wisdom and scientific power while revealing God's superior wisdom and the treasures of eternity. Through Daniel's God-given revealing and explaining of the dream, the great men of the realm were saved from an ignominious death.
The dream and its interpretation disclosed future events in prophetic history. That prophecy of Daniel 2 was fulfilled with remarkable exactness in the historical record, testifying to the inspiration of Scripture. That fulfillment served as an anchor amid later difficulties.
The decree was the king's furious order that all Babylon's wise men be put to death when they declared it unreasonable that they must tell both his forgotten dream and its interpretation. Daniel and his companions were in danger under that sentence because they were counted among the wise men, and officers sought them to carry out the execution. Daniel asked why the decree was so urgent and pleaded before the king for time, then he and his companions united in prayer pleaded for mercy and wisdom until God revealed the secret to them. By that God-given revelation of the dream and its meaning the great men of the realm were saved from death, and the prophecy of future events was disclosed and afterward fulfilled with remarkable exactness.
Setting and Death Decree
Daniel 2:13 belongs to the full history in Daniel 2:1-49 of Nebuchadnezzar's troubling, forgotten dream of the great image and the mingling of iron and clay, and of his meeting in which he addressed Babylon's wise men about it. The king demanded that the wise men tell him both the dream itself, which had gone from his mind, and its interpretation, requiring the dream itself as proof of their claims as magicians and astrologers. When they declared in fear and trembling that the demand was unreasonable and beyond any test ever required of any man, the king in fury ordered every one of them put to death. Such action is to be expected of men in high authority controlled by unholy passion, acting as men with great power and uncontrollable passions act.
The decree that the wise men should be slain placed Daniel and his companions in danger too, because they were counted among the wise men and numbered with them to share their fate. Officers sought them to carry out the sentence, so that Daniel and his fellows were sought to be slain. This danger led Daniel to ask Arioch why the decree was so urgent. When Daniel heard of the decree he sought the Lord and then came before the king and pleaded for time to bring the matter before God and to seek God's revelation of the dream and its meaning.
These events came soon after Daniel and his companions entered the king's service, revealing the power and faithfulness of the God of Israel to Babylon. Daniel's making known to Nebuchadnezzar his forgotten dream came many years before the feast of Belshazzar.
Prayer, Revelation and Fulfillment
When time was granted, Daniel laid the whole matter before his companions who were united with him in worship of the true God, and together on bended knees with contrition of heart they pleaded for mercy, power and wisdom to meet their great necessity. They brought the matter before the supreme court of the universe, from whose decision there is no appeal, asking that God would give the power and wisdom that alone could avail and would so arrange matters that they need not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. In answer God revealed the secret to Daniel, making known both the forgotten dream and its meaning.
The revelation was given to Daniel and to the Hebrew captives who depended on Him, so that Daniel's knowledge and wisdom and his ability to provide the interpretation came from God alone. By contrast the Babylonian wise men could not recover the forgotten dream, and their failure exposed the limits of human wisdom and scientific power while revealing God's superior wisdom and the treasures of eternity. Through Daniel's God-given revealing and explaining of the dream, the great men of the realm were saved from an ignominious death.
The dream and its interpretation disclosed future events in prophetic history. That prophecy of Daniel 2 was fulfilled with remarkable exactness in the historical record, testifying to the inspiration of Scripture. That fulfillment served as an anchor amid later difficulties.