Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 2:12
For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise [men] of Babylon.
12. wise men] of those versed in occult arts, as Gen 41:8; Jer 50:35 (of Babylon), and several times in the sequel (cf. p. 15). Similarly wisdom, Isa 47:10 (of Babylon), and ch. Dan 1:17; Dan 1:20.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For this cause the king was angry – Because they failed in explaining the subject which had been referred to them. It is true that his anger was unjust, for their profession did not imply that they would undertake to explain what he demanded, but his wrath was not unnatural. His mind was alarmed, and he was troubled. He believed that what he had seen in his dream foreboded some important events, and, as an arbitrary sovereign, unaccustomed to restrain his anger or to inquire into the exact jusrice of matters which excited Iris indignation, it was not unnatural that he should resolve to wreak his vengeance on all who made any pretensions to the arts of divining.
And very furious – Wrought up to the highest degree of passion. Chaldee, Much enraged. It was not a calm and settled purpose to execute his threat, but a purpose attended with a high degree of excitement.
And commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon – That is, all who made pretensions to this kind of wisdom; all who came under the wellknown denomination of wise men, or sages. He had called that class before him Dan 2:2; he had demanded of them an explanation of his dream; he had been assured by the leading men among them, the Chaldeans Dan 2:10-11, that they could not recall his dream; and, as he supposed that all who could be relied on in such a case had failed, he resolved to cut them off as impostors.
Where Daniel was at this time is not known. It would seem, however, that from some reason he had not been summoned before the king with the others, probably because, although he had shown himself to be eminently endowed with wisdom Dan 1:20, he had not yet made any pretensions to this kind of knowledge, and was not numbered with the Magi, or Chaldeans. When, however, the decree went forth that all the wise men of Babylon should be slain, the exhibition of wisdom and knowledge made by him Dan 1:18-20 was recollected, and the executioners of the sentence supposed that tie and his companions were included in the general instructions. Whether the word Babylon here relates to the city of Babylon, or to the whole realm, there is no certain way of determining. Considering, however, the character of Oriental despotisms, and the cruelty to which absolute sovereigns have usually been transported in their passion, there would be no improbability in supposing that the command included the whole realm, though it is probable that most of this class would be found in the capital.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Dan 2:12
The king was angry.
Anger
Anger, Dr. Cox observes, is
(1) undignifying;
(2) unreasonable;
(3) destructive of that just and useful influence to which we should aspire, and for which everyone is naturally capacitated by his position in society;
(4) usually makes a rapid progress;
(5) is productive of great unhappiness;
(6) is a most guilty passion.
It is remarked by Robert Hall: Vindictive passions surround the soul with a sort of turbulent atmosphere, than which nothing can be conceived more opposite to the calm and holy light in which the blessed Spirit loves to dwell.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Tyrants are inexorable, and they rule according to their will, and being crossed they are furious, and that brings forth death; the wrath of such is the roaring of a lion.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12, 13. Daniel and hiscompanions do not seem to have been actually numbered among the Magior Chaldeans, and so were not summoned before the king. Providenceordered it so that all mere human wisdom should be shown vain beforeHis divine power, through His servant, was put forth. Da2:24 shows that the decree for slaying the wise men had not beenactually executed when Daniel interposed.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For this cause the king was angry, and very furious,…. Not only because they could not tell his dream, and the interpretation of it; but because they represented him as requiring a thing unreasonable and impossible, which had never been done by any potentate but himself, and could never be answered but by the gods: this threw him into an excess of wrath and fury; which in those tyrannical and despotic princes was exceeding great and terrible:
and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon; not only those that were now in his presence, but all others; concluding from this instance that they were an useless set of men, yea, deceivers and impostors.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The former denunciation was horrible, but now Nebuchadnezzar proceeds beyond it; for he not merely threatens the Chaldeans with death, but commands it to be inflicted. Such an example is scarcely to be found in history; but the cause of his wrath must be noticed, since God wished his servant Daniel to be brought forward and to be observed by all men. This was the preparation by which it became generally evident that the wise men of Babylon were proved vain, through promising more than they could perform; even if they had been endowed with the greatest wisdom, they would still have been destitute of that gift of revelation which was conferred upon Daniel. Hence it happened that the king denounced death against them all by his edict; for he might then perhaps acknowledge what he had never perceived before, namely, that their boasting was nothing but vanity, and their arts full of superstitions. For when superstition fails of success, madness immediately succeeds, and when those who are thought and spoken of as remarkably devout, perceive their fictitious worship to be of no avail, then they burst forth into the madness which I have mentioned, and curse their idols, and detest what they had hitherto followed. So it occurred here, when Nebuchadnezzar suspected imposture in so serious a matter, and no previous suspicion of it had entered his mind; but now, when he sees through the deception, in so perplexing a case, and hi such great anxiety, when left destitute of the advice of those from whom he hoped all things, then he is a hundredfold more infuriated than if he had been previously in a state of perfect calmness. It afterwards follows: —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
c. SAVED BY THE SUBJUGATED
TEXT: Dan. 2:12-16
12
For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13
So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
14
Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the kings guard, who was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon;
15
he answered and said to Arioch the kings captain, Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16
And Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.
QUERIES
a.
Why destroy all the wise men of Babylon?
b.
Why did Daniel think he could do what the others could not?
PARAPHRASE
The admitted inability of the Chaldean wise-men to be able to tell Nebuchadnezzar his secret dream and its interpretation made the kings anger grow exceeding furious. He commanded that all the wise-men of the city of Babylon should be executed. The decree of the arrest and execution of all the wise-men was made official and as it was being carried out they eventually came to arrest Daniel and his three Hebrew companions. When Arioch, the captain of the kings guard, came to arrest Daniel, Daniel reasoned with him with great discretion and prudence. Among other things, Daniel asked Arioch why the decision of the king was so severe. Arioch answered Daniel and told him all about the wise-mens failure and the kings decree. It was then that Daniel, observing all the proper protocol, gained audience with the king and asked for a personal appointment affirming that he would be able to show both the dream and the interpretation.
COMMENT
Dan. 2:12-13 . . . THE KING WAS ANGRY AND VERY FURIOUS . . . The verb used here indicates a growing mounting anger until it reaches the point of violence. He commanded that all the wise-men of Babylon be put to death. The king is enraged at these who have gained fame and fortune and power by claiming to know the deepest secrets of man and the godsand they cannot even tell him what he has dreamed.
After the king issued his personal command it would have to be transmitted in formal publication throughout the capitol city. His guards would have to go in search of many of the wise-men not present at the royal court that particular day. It would be some time before the actual execution could take place. Finally, the captain of the kings guard, Arioch, came to take Daniel and his three Hebrew companions into custody.
Dan. 2:14-16 THEN DANIEL RETURNED ANSWER WITH COUNSEL AND PRUDENCE . . . The first thing to realize about this account is that it is very abbreviatedwe do not have a record of all that Daniel must have said to Arioch. As Leupold says, The very audacity of Daniels plan must have impressed Arioch. Besides, the king would still be perplexed as to the interpretation of his dream and knowing of the exceptional wisdom and capabilities of Daniel (Arioch had undoubtedly heard of Daniels fame also), it would be very prudent for Daniel to talk with Arioch and persuade him that he could interpret the kings dream. Daniel was acting on the basis of his faith in God and without doubt on the basis of a revelation from God that he should do so.
Daniel speaks to Arioch as if they were already well acquaintedperhaps even good friendswhen he asks, Why is the decree of the king so severe? Arioch feels impelled to answer Daniels question and probably relates the entire incident to him.
Leupold points out that when Daniel went in, and desired of the king . . . we must presume that Daniel went through the proper channels and observed the correct protocol in approaching the king. We know from the book of Esther that unless one were bidden properly to approach an Eastern potentate to do so presumptuously meant certain death. All that Daniel asks is time. This will postpone the execution until he could commune with his God, and give the desired interpretation to the king.
It is most interesting to note that Daniel was sure he could give the king the interpretation of the dream before he had even received the knowledge of what the dream was from God (cf. Dan. 2:19). Daniel had such faith in God that he believed the will of God would be done before it was actually done! This same great faith the Lord expects of all His children. Only the interpretation is mentioned and not the dream itself. However the conciseness of the narrative explains this omission. If Daniel knows the interpretation, he most certainly must first know the dream and he is not asking the king what the dream was, as did the Chaldeans.
QUIZ
1.
Why seek out Daniel to be slain?
2.
How did Daniel answer with counsel and prudence?
3.
Why did Daniel ask for an appointment to the presence of the king?
4.
How would one have made such an appointment in those days?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(12) This order to massacre the wise men extended apparently only to those who were resident in the city of Babylon, where they had a fixed habitation. Though Daniel had been already trained in their schools, he had not as yet been appointed a wise man. However, being a student, his death was implied in the general order, which, as appears from Dan. 2:13, had already begun to be executed.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘For this reason the king was furious and very angry, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.’
The king’s response was immediate. They had failed him and proved themselves fakes. So filled with anger and great fury he commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. This behaviour could hardly be called normal in view of the unreasonableness of his request, even in a despotic king, and we may here have an instance of the seeds of that manic-depressive disease which would later tear his life apart for a while (Dan 4:33). It indicated an intensity that was not quite normal.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Dan 2:12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise [men] of Babylon.
Ver. 12. For this cause the king was angry and very furious. ] A cutting answer may mar a good cause. Pro 15:1 See on Dan 2:9 .
And commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
a Cicero.
b Willet.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Dan 2:12-13
12Because of this the king became indignant and very furious and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13So the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they looked for Daniel and his friends to kill them.
Dan 2:12 the king became indignant and very furious The king’s response to their alibi was extreme anger (BDB 1084). The second term, very furious (BDB 1111) is used of YHWH’s wrath. He ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be killed. The term Babylon can refer (1) to the city; (2) the province; or (3) the whole empire.
Knowing how superstitious and fearful the ancient world was, it is amazing that a king would totally destroy all his diviners, astrologers, soothsayers, and wise men. In a sense he was cutting himself off from the spiritual realm. For some reason Nebuchadnezzar had lost all respect and confidence in his wise men.
Many times in Daniel the author uses hendiadys, where two words are given, but express the same idea:
1. Dan 2:6, gifts and a reward
2. Dan 2:12, indignant and very furious
3. Dan 2:14, with discretion and discernment
4. Dan 2:23, wisdom and power
5. Dan 3:13, rage and anger
6. Dan 4:2, signs and wonders
7. Dan 5:11, illumination, insight, and wisdom
8. Dan 5:18, sovereignty, grandeur, glory, and majesty
9. Dan 5:19, feared and troubled
10. also the last four paralleled phrases of Dan 2:19
Dan 2:13 the decree went forth It seems that the wise men were to be rounded up and killed at one public execution. This would give Daniel time to seek God.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
wise men: i.e. the members of all the classes collectively, mentioned in Dan 2:2 above. Chaldee. chakam, denoting acquired wisdom.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Dan 2:12
Dan 2:12 For this causeH3606 H6903 H1836 the kingH4430 was angryH1149 and veryH7690 furious,H7108 and commandedH560 to destroyH7 allH3606 the wiseH2445 men of Babylon.H895
Dan 2:12
For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar’s disgust and fury with their inability to tell him the dream has now resulted in him ordering the execution of all the wise men of Babylon no matter who or where. He now thoroughly distrusts them and wants them all killed. The cruel injustice of such an unreasonable destruction was absolutely characteristic of the tyrannical monarchies of that era. There were no free societies then. The people lived under the rule of a supreme monarch who could and did order people executed at will.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Dan 3:13, Job 5:2, Psa 76:10, Pro 16:14, Pro 19:12, Pro 20:2, Pro 27:3, Pro 27:4, Pro 29:22, Mat 2:16, Mat 5:22
Reciprocal: 1Sa 22:16 – Thou shalt Est 1:12 – was the king Est 1:13 – the wise Est 6:13 – said his wise Dan 2:24 – Destroy Dan 3:6 – the same Dan 5:19 – whom he would he slew Mat 20:25 – exercise dominion
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Dan 2:12, However, such a conclusion rested only on the assertion of these men, for no authority was cited for limiting the extent to which these gods could transmit their knowledge to men if they saw fit to do so, hence there was no valid excuse for the failure of these Chaldeans. The king evidently saw this point and concluded that the socalled wise men were frauds as a class and decided to destroy them all.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Dan 2:12-13. For this cause the king was angry and very furious, &c. The king, in his rage and fury, probably did not think of sending for Daniel, which made Daniel try to get admission to the king, Dan 2:14, to prevent his own destruction, as well as that of the other wise men. And they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain Though, as it appears, they had not been summoned with the wise men of Chaldea. This was extremely unjust to Daniel and his companions; for it is highly probable they would have received no share of the gifts, and rewards, and great honour, which the other wise men would have received could they have told the kings dream, therefore they ought not to have been involved in their punishment. But those concerned in the execution of the decree, being armed with power, did not attend to the voice of justice: absolute power, indeed, too seldom does.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Their confession of inability, and their complaint that the king was being unfair with them, made Nebuchadnezzar very angry (cf. Gen 40:2; Gen 41:10; Dan 3:13; Dan 3:19). He gave orders to execute all the wise men in Babylon, specifically, those who were his counselors. Probably the city of Babylon is in view here, rather than the province or the whole empire (cf. Dan 2:49; Dan 3:1), since the king’s counselors were the targets of his wrath. Daniel and his three friends fell under the edict because they were advisers to the king (Dan 1:20), not because they practiced divination, which, it is safe to say, they did not.