Daniel 2:26
The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar and whom Arioch had brought before him, whether he was able to make known both the dream the king had seen and its interpretation. He asked this because he could no longer remember the dream, after the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans had failed to tell it under sentence of death while asking him to tell it to them first. Daniel was able to answer only because, after asking the king for time, he and Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah sought mercy from the God of heaven, and the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, showing that human experts cannot disclose such secrets while God gives wisdom and revelation to those who worship Him. As Daniel related the facts God made the forgotten dream come fresh to the king's mind, and because God gave the interpretation Daniel and the others under condemnation were spared. The interpretation of the great image, including the mingling of iron and clay, has been fulfilled with remarkable exactness in history, testifying to the inspiration of Scripture, pointing to the coming of the Lord being at hand, and showing that the prophecy of Daniel 2 can be understood and explained even by children.
The King's Challenging Question
The king Nebuchadnezzar put the question to Daniel, whose Babylonian name was Belteshazzar, after Arioch had brought him into the king's presence, asking whether he was able to make known both the dream the king had seen and its interpretation. It was a challenge to do what the court experts had failed to do, to tell not only the meaning but the dream itself. The dream was one the king could no longer remember, and the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans had been unable to declare it under sentence of death. Those wise men had instead asked the king to tell them the dream, promising that they would then give its interpretation. His mind was troubled, and he sought relief in learning what the dream meant.
The question was asked while Daniel stood before a king and ruler as a captive, serving in a heathen court. The answering of it was an act done many years before Belshazzar's feast. It was remembered by the queen-mother when Belshazzar's wise men could not read the writing on the wall.
God's Revelation and Prophecy
Daniel was able to answer the king only because of faith in the God he served, having first gone in to ask the king for time and then made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah so that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret. The Spirit of the Lord rested upon them as they sought Him, and the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, so that the wisdom and understanding to answer came from God. His confidence in promising to show the interpretation rested on that divine gift received after united prayer for mercy.
The king's question sets up Daniel's reply that human experts cannot disclose the secret, exposing the limits of human wisdom when the wise men of Babylon had to admit they could not recover the forgotten dream. Against that failure stands the superior wisdom and revelation that the God of heaven gives to those who worship Him, made known through Daniel. Through Daniel God made the forgotten dream known, and as Daniel related the facts the dream came fresh to the king's mind. Because God gave the interpretation, Daniel and the others facing execution were spared.
The interpretation thus given concerned the great image, including the mingling of iron and clay, and showed remarkable events to transpire in prophetic history. That prophecy of Daniel 2 has been fulfilled with remarkable and wonderful exactness as seen in the historian's record. That exact fulfillment testifies to the inspiration of the Scriptures and anchors faith amid rationalism and skepticism, leading to positive faith. The prophecy points to the coming of the Lord being at hand, a solemn and important truth to be brought before the people. Contrary to the belief that the prophecies of Daniel are mysteries that cannot be understood, it can be understood and explained even by children. Daniel's standing and service before kings and rulers while in captivity in this account helped spread the knowledge of the true God among nations devoted to idolatry.