Daniel 2:16
Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
Daniel stood under the same death sentence as Babylon's wise men because Nebuchadnezzar demanded they recover his forgotten dream as well as its meaning, so at the risk of his own life he entered the king's presence and promised to show the interpretation if given time in order to seek God's decision, which the king granted. He told his companions what was at stake so that together with prayer and fasting they would seek mercy and wisdom from the God of heaven concerning the secret, and God revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel in a night vision by an angel. The answer came from God and not from Babylon's supposed wisdom, thereby exposing the limits of human wisdom and science and turning minds from false sources to divine truth. When Daniel recounted it the dream returned to the king's memory, and through him God made clear the significance of the image in foretelling the course of prophetic history. That prophecy has since been fulfilled with remarkable exactness as history records, giving evidence of Scripture's inspiration that anchors faith and can be understood even by children to show that the coming of the Lord is at hand, while the wisdom then given saved Daniel and his companions together with the great men and astrologers of the realm from an ignominious death.
Historical Setting and Request
The verse stands in the history of Nebuchadnezzar's forgotten dream, when the king demanded that his wise men make known both the dream itself and its meaning under sentence of death. That decree placed Daniel and his companions in mortal danger together with all the wise men of Babylon. The magicians and the other wise men were unable to recover the lost dream, and asked the king to first tell them the dream. When they could give no help, the king turned to Daniel.
Daniel met the death decree by venturing his life to go in before the king. There he desired time of the king and pledged that he would show the interpretation. He sought the delay in order to seek help and a decision from God, and the king granted his request.
Divine Revelation and Interpretation
Daniel at once laid the matter before his companions, that together they might seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning the secret. They united in prayer, and with fasting, for the wisdom, power, and understanding they needed to meet the crisis. The king had turned to Daniel after his own wise men proved unable to help, and Daniel sought time so that he could seek God's decision before answering.
God answered by revealing the secret to Daniel in a night vision, both the forgotten dream and its interpretation. The revelation was given by an angel, bestowing heavenly wisdom upon the Hebrew captives who depended wholly upon Him rather than upon those captivated by Babylon's splendor. As Daniel recounted the dream, it came back to the king's memory. The interpretation thus came from God, not from the supposed wisdom of Babylon.
By exposing the inability of the Babylonian wise men to recover the dream, God displayed the limits of human wisdom and science and the superior wisdom of those who worship Him. He thereby turned minds away from false sources to divine truth. Through Daniel He made the significance of the image clear, revealing and foretelling the great events of prophetic history.
Prophetic Fulfillment and Legacy
The chapter to which this request for time belongs contains a prophecy that has been fulfilled with remarkable and wonderful exactness, as recorded by historians and seen in the record of history. That fulfillment gives testimony to the inspiration of the Scriptures, providing an anchor for faith amid skepticism and rationalism and leading to positive faith. Its prophecies are not mysteries that cannot be understood but can be understood and explained even by children. Studied with the Bible for clearer light they show that the coming of the Lord is at hand and should be brought before the people.
The wisdom God gave in answer to that request for time saved the lives of Daniel and his companions and the lives of the great men of the realm, the king's astrologers and soothsayers, from an ignominious death. Through Daniel God made the image's significance clear, and that interpretation was connected with their deliverance. Many years before Belshazzar's feast, Daniel's making known to Nebuchadnezzar the forgotten dream and its interpretation marked him as the prophet of God. It was as that prophet that the queen-mother remembered him and called him before the terror-stricken throng.