Daniel 2:3

Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream · Daniel 2:1–13
Read Daniel 2

Translations

Modern
…he said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand it.”
Traditional
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Literal
And the king said to them: “I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.”
Latin
Et dixit ad eos rex: Vidi somnium, et mente confusus ignoro quid viderim.

Interlinear

Hebrew
English
…he said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand it.”

Notes

I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious: The king feared that other groups might try to remove him from power, so the dream made him very anxious.

Nebuchadnezzar's dream upset him greatly, so he asked his specially trained advisers for help.

God gave a dream that showed the course of world history over the centuries, and Daniel explained its mysterious images. This dream and its interpretation highlight a key theme of the book—the certain final establishment of the kingdom of God as the ultimate goal of history (Daniel 2:44–45; 7:9–14, 26–27). This chapter also shows that paganism cannot understand the actions and plans of Israel’s God.

This section contains stories and dreams from the experiences of Daniel and his friends in Babylon. Daniel used his special gift to understand dreams and showed great skill in the study of literature and science (Daniel 1:17). Chapter 2 provides a broad overview of history until God's kingdom appears (Daniel 2:44–49). Daniel 3–6 describes the fall of Babylon and the rise of Persia. History is moving toward a clear goal. That goal is the everlasting kingdom of God (Daniel 2:44; 4:2–3, 34; 6:26).

Theme notes and profiles

Babylon Daniel Nebuchadnezzar II Four World Empires

Events

Glossary

Book of Daniel Book of Jeremiah Enchantment Interpreter Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar

Topics

Dreams: The Ancients: Anxious to Have, Explained Dreams: The Ancients: Consulting Magicians On Magician: Nebuchadnezzars Rulers: Wicked: Nebuchadnezzar, Commanding to Destroy the Wise Men