Daniel 2:25, commentary and pictures

Soon after Daniel and his companions entered the king's service, Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by a dream he could not recall and demanded both its content and its meaning, and when the wise men of Babylon failed under threat of death, Arioch brought Daniel before the king in haste as a captive of Judah who could make the interpretation known. What Daniel then made known had not come from his own wisdom but had been revealed to him by God after he united with his companions in seeking mercy concerning the secret, and by that revelation they were spared from execution. The interpretation thus given discloses future events in prophetic history, making known secrets and what shall be in the latter days. That prophecy has been fulfilled with wonderful exactness as confirmed by secular and historical records, testifying to the inspiration of Scripture, anchoring faith against skepticism, and showing that the coming of the Lord is at hand. The account also shows Daniel in close, living connection with God through diligent effort and prayer, to whom God revealed wisdom rather than to Babylon's wise men, giving idolaters opportunity to learn of the true God and standing as admonition that those who depend on God can give a reason for their hope before kings and councils.

Setting and Meaning

The verse belongs to what took place soon after Daniel and his companions entered the service of the king of Babylon, when Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by a dream that displayed the power and faithfulness of Israel's God. The king could not recall the dream yet sought both its content and its meaning, and the search for someone to interpret it forms the setting of the verse. The wise men of Babylon failed to reveal the forgotten dream, and with execution threatening them for that failure Daniel was brought forward as one who could make it known. In that crisis Daniel and the others under sentence of death were spared when God gave Daniel the interpretation.

Arioch brought Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar in haste and presented him as a man of the captives of Judah who could make the interpretation known. He hurried him into the king's presence and identified him as a captive from Judah able to explain the dream and reveal its meaning. That hasty bringing in met the king's urgent need, which Daniel's God-given wisdom enabled him to answer. What Daniel then made known had been revealed to him by God, not come from his own wisdom, after he and his companions sought God's mercy concerning the secret. The interpretation had been made known to Daniel by God, and for that reason those facing death were spared.

This making known of the forgotten dream and its interpretation took place many years before Belshazzar's feast. It was that earlier act which the queen-mother remembered and reported when Belshazzar's wise men could not read the writing on the wall.

Prophecy and Proof

The hurried bringing of the captive from Judah to make known the meaning was the doorway to a revelation that came not from human wisdom but from God, who answered the plea for mercy from Daniel and his companions by uncovering the secret in order to disclose future events in prophetic history. God is the revealer of secrets, and what He made known through Daniel was what shall be in the latter days, given so that His servants may know and that the king might understand the thoughts of his own mind. The credit belongs to God alone, not to Daniel's own power to recall and explain a forgotten dream.

That prophecy has been fulfilled with wonderful exactness, and the record of secular history and historical records confirms its accuracy and shows how precisely what was foretold has come to pass. Such exact fulfillment is a testimony to and proof of the inspiration of the Scriptures. It provides an anchor against rationalism and skepticism and leads to positive faith in the Bible.

Further study of that same prophecy shows that the coming of the Lord is at hand, a solemn and important truth to be brought before the people. It is not an ununderstandable mystery, but can be understood and even explained by children. Through children, parents and other hearers can be reached and interested.

Witness and Example

Daniel stands in close, living connection with the God of all wisdom, rewarded for close application and diligent effort to gain knowledge with heavenly wisdom. When sought to be slain under the hasty death decree against the wise men of Babylon, he answers with counsel and wisdom rather than retaliation and asks why the decree is so hasty. He presents himself before the king, requests time, and promises in faith in the God he serves to show the interpretation. He then goes to his house and unites Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in desiring mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret so that they will not perish, the secret is revealed to Daniel in a night vision, and Daniel blesses the God of heaven before the interpretation is made known.

This occurs soon after Daniel and his companions entered the king's service, when the troubling dream displays the power and faithfulness of Israel's God. The meaning is revealed to the Hebrew captives in a strange land rather than to Babylon's wise men because as exiles they depend on God, and their understanding shows the superior wisdom He gives to those who worship Him. That understanding makes known His power and faithfulness in contrast to the failure of the wise men.

Though a captive from Judah, Daniel is brought before the king to declare what God has revealed, and his place before the ruler gives idolaters opportunity to learn of the true God. His faithful witness in captivity helps spread that knowledge among the nations. The history stands as admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come, showing that those who diligently exercise their faculties, become deep-thinking, and depend on God can give a reason for the hope in them. Such can stand examination in all learning and wisdom and be found ten times better, and can be brought before judges, kings, parliaments, and councils to acknowledge that the God who made heaven and earth is the only true and living God who instituted the seventh-day Sabbath when the foundations of the world were laid.