Daniel 2:8-14

Daniel 2:8

The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

 The King accuses them of trying to stall.  They knew that the dream has left him and the King feared that they would attempt to give him a false dream and then create a fake interpretation of that dream just to save their lives.  The words “of certainty” carry with them the meaning of to be concrete or to be firmly set.  The King knew exactly what they were trying to do and they were not going to fool him.

 

Daniel 2:9

But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

 

The King now threatens them straight out that if they will not make known to him the dream itself and its meaning, then there is only one law or decree for them and that would have been, as we saw in the previous verse, to be torn limb from limb, probably by chariot.  The King knew that they could not answer him and therefore they had desired to deceive him with lying and corrupt words and then build on those false words a false interpretation of the dream.  When it speaks of “till the time be changed” can be speaking about the time when a different subject or situation would come before the King and the dream would take second place and eventually would fade out of importance.  Then the King reiterates his initial demand.  They are to tell him the dream and if they do, then he will have confidence they can give a proper interpretation. In other words, the King was not backing down on his demand.

 

Daniel 2:10

The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

 

The Chaldeans than answered the King again and told him that there is not a man on the earth which could fulfill a request like that.  It is impossible to be able to tell a person what they dreamed since there is no way to read a person’s mind.  They then tell the King that his request is so illogical that it has never been asked by any ruler of their counselors.  Of course, they claimed that there is no man upon earth who has the ability and that is because they saw things from a strictly human standpoint.  They have not yet been exposed to Daniel.

 

Daniel 2:11

And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

 

The word “rare” carries with it the meaning of being difficult or very hard.  Now instead of them just looking at the fact that they could not find one man on earth that can tell the dream, they now invoke the gods, that they are the only ones who would have the ability to tell the dream and the interpretation.  They probably would have sought out Marduk who was their chief deity and Marduk would have either given the description of the dream or gave the task to one of their lower deities.  Then they put in another protective point, and that is, that the gods do not dwell among them.  They were trying to pass off the task to the gods so the King might see their point and forego his demand.

 

Daniel 2:12

For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

 

The King knew exactly the tactic they were employing and he finally reached the point of extreme anger.  He was not only angry but He was enraged at their inability to fulfill his request and calling his request difficult or very hard.  Therefore, since they failed to accommodate him, he now gave the order to have all the counselors killed. 

 

Daniel 2:13

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 now published and the job of slaying the wise men of Babylon went to the appropriate executioners which may have been the Babylonian military.  Not only was it decreed that those who were in the court of the King were to be slain, they now sent for the wise men who were still in training which included Daniel and his friends.  The King wanted to rid himself of all these wise men and perhaps he wanted a new group to serve him in this capacity.

 

Daniel 2:14

Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

 

Arioch, who was captain of the King’s guard had approached Daniel and may have been ready to slay him.  Arioch may have not known who Daniel was and that is why Daniel answered him with counsel and wisdom, hoping to appease him for the moment and find out what was going on.  Daniel would not have been used to a pagan king and their impulsive wrath so he tried to quell the situation with wisdom.  Proverbs 15:1 (KJV)   A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

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