Daniel 2:20
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: | and declared: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. | Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedNebuchadnezzar had ordered all the wise men of Babylon killed because none could tell him his dream. Daniel and his friends prayed, and God revealed the secret to Daniel in a night vision. This verse opens Daniel's song of praise in reply, blessing God because wisdom and might belong to him. Daniel 2:12Daniel 2:13Daniel 2:18Daniel 2:19Daniel 2:20
SpeakingDaniel, a young man of Judah taken to Babylon and renamed Belteshazzar, speaks these words. Daniel 2:20Daniel overview
ToDaniel addresses God himself in praise and thanks, calling him the God of his fathers. Daniel 2:19Daniel 2:23
Also involvedDaniel's companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and the wise men of Babylon, whose lives hung on the answer. Daniel 2:17Daniel 2:18Daniel 2:24
Daniel blesses God's name forever because wisdom and might are his. The next verses explain what that means: God changes times, removes and sets up kings, gives wisdom to the wise, and reveals deep and secret things. Daniel then thanks God for giving him wisdom and might and making known the king's matter. Daniel 2:20Daniel 2:21Daniel 2:22Daniel 2:23
In Babylon. Daniel had gone to his house to share the matter with his companions so they could pray, and the secret was revealed to him in a night vision. Only afterward did he go to Arioch and stand before the king. Daniel 2:12Daniel 2:17Daniel 2:18Daniel 2:19Daniel 2:24Daniel 2:25
The eventsIn the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, right after God revealed the secret to Daniel in a night vision. Daniel 2:1Daniel 2:19
WrittenTraditional: written by Daniel in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, while others hold to the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereDaniel gives God the credit before he goes to the king. Later he tells Nebuchadnezzar plainly that the secret was not revealed for any wisdom of his own, but by the God in heaven who reveals secrets. Daniel 2:20Daniel 2:24Daniel 2:27Daniel 2:28Daniel 2:30
In the whole of ScriptureThe book shows that God rules over the kingdoms of men and sets up and removes kings. That is the very might Daniel praises here, and it is shown in the dream of kingdoms ending with God's kingdom that stands forever. Daniel overviewDaniel 2:21Daniel 2:44
For readersOther Scripture says the same of God: "With him is wisdom and strength" (Job 12:13). The psalms likewise bless his name "for ever and ever" (Psalms 145:1-2). Readers are shown to answer God's help with praise, as Daniel did before acting. Job 12:13Job 12:16Psalms 145:1Psalms 145:2Psalms 113:2
- blessedבְּרַךְ
The word means to bless or praise, and in one form to kneel. Here it is people blessing God, giving him praise, as in verse 19 where Daniel "blessed the God of heaven." Strong's H1289Daniel 2:19
- wisdomחׇכְמָה
The wisdom that belongs to God is the same wisdom he gives to the wise and gave to Daniel, so Daniel's insight is a gift, not his own. Strong's H2452Daniel 2:21Daniel 2:23Daniel 2:30
- mightגְּבוּרָה
Meaning might or power, it belongs to God, and Daniel says God gave him might as well. The next verse shows that power at work: he removes kings and sets up kings. Strong's H1370Daniel 2:21Daniel 2:23
Takeaway
Daniel's first response to answered prayer was to bless God, because all wisdom and power are God's. Every gift of insight we have comes from him. Daniel 2:20Daniel 2:23Daniel 2:30
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
The world around the text
About 605-536 BC. King of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Where Daniel lived and served for about seventy years. The capital of the Babylonian empire, on the Euphrates south of modern Baghdad, in the land the Bible calls Shinar and Chaldea.
Who ruled
- King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar605-562 BC
The king who besieged Jerusalem, carried Daniel and the temple vessels to Babylon, and later destroyed the city and temple. His own building inscriptions boast of the Babylon he built. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 24:12 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 25:1Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- Last king of Babylon, and his son who ruled in his placeNabonidus and Belshazzar556-539 BC
Nabonidus spent about ten years at the oasis of Tema in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar to rule in Babylon. That is why Belshazzar could only offer Daniel the place of "third ruler in the kingdom": he was himself second. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:29Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Verse Account of Nabonidus
- Received the kingdom after Babylon fellDarius the MedianFrom 539 BC
Daniel says he "took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" and set 120 princes over it. Records outside the Bible do not name him; he has been identified with Gubaru, the governor Cyrus set over Babylon, or with Cyrus himself. Daniel 5:31Daniel 6:1Daniel 9:1Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)
- King of PersiaCyrus559-530 BC
He united the Medes and Persians, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the exiles go home to rebuild the temple, as Isaiah had named him beforehand. Daniel 1:21Daniel 6:28Daniel 10:1Ezra 1:1-4Isaiah 44:28-45:1Cyrus Cylinder
- King of JudahJehoiakim609-598 BC
Judah's king when Daniel was taken. Jeremiah warned him and his people that the land would serve Babylon seventy years. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 23:36-24:6Jeremiah 25:1-11
What was happening, 612 BC to 167 BC
- 612 BCWarNineveh falls
Babylon and the Medes destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, as Nahum and Zephaniah had foretold. Babylon became the great power of the region. Nahum 3:7Zephaniah 2:13Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)
- 605 BCWarBattle of Carchemish
Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Carchemish on the Euphrates, in Jehoiakim's fourth year. The same year he came against Jerusalem and took the first captives, Daniel among them. Jeremiah 46:2Daniel 1:1-4Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 597 BCWarJerusalem surrenders
Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his nobles and craftsmen to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel went into exile with them. 2 Kings 24:10-17Ezekiel 1:2Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 586 BCWarJerusalem and the temple destroyed
Babylon's army burned the temple and the city and broke down its walls. Daniel later prays over "the desolations of Jerusalem" and asks God to shine on his "sanctuary that is desolate." 2 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 52:12-14Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:17
- c. 575 BCBuildingBabylon rebuilt in splendor
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon with great walls, palaces and the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate, and his inscriptions praise his own work. Compare his boast: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" Daniel 4:30Nebuchadnezzar's East India House InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 1.178-183
- 562 BCRulersNebuchadnezzar dies
His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34
- c. 553-543 BCRulersNabonidus leaves Babylon to Belshazzar
King Nabonidus stayed at Tema in Arabia for about ten years, and the yearly New Year festival in Babylon was not held. Belshazzar governed in Babylon. Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Daniel 5:1Daniel 7:1
- 550 BCWarCyrus unites the Medes and Persians
Cyrus of Persia defeated Astyages king of the Medes, joining the two peoples in one kingdom. Daniel's vision names the ram's two horns as "the kings of Media and Persia," the higher coming up last. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:20Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.127-130
- October 539 BCWarBabylon falls to Cyrus
Cyrus's army entered Babylon without a long siege. Herodotus says the people were feasting when the city was taken. Daniel records that "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.191Cyrus Cylinder
- 538 BCGod's peopleCyrus lets the exiles return
In his first year over Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed that the Jews could go back and build the LORD's house in Jerusalem. Daniel "continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Daniel 1:21Cyrus Cylinder
- c. 536 BCGod's peopleThe temple's foundation is laid
The returned exiles rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple. In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel was still in the east, mourning and praying. Ezra 3:1-11Daniel 10:1-3
- 334-331 BCWarAlexander the Great conquers Persia
Alexander of Macedon crossed into Asia and overthrew the Persian empire within four years. Daniel 8:21 names the rough goat as "the king of Grecia" and its great horn as "the first king." Daniel 8:5-8Daniel 8:21Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 1-3
- 323-301 BCWarAlexander's empire is divided
Alexander died young, and after twenty years of war his generals divided his empire, chiefly into four kingdoms. Daniel 8:22 says "four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Diodorus Siculus, Library 18-20Plutarch, Demetrius 28-30
- 167 BCWarAntiochus IV defiles the temple
The Greek king Antiochus IV banned Jewish worship and set up a pagan altar on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Maccabees calls it "the abomination of desolation." Two centuries later Jesus spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as still to come. 1 Maccabees 1:54-59Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4Matthew 24:15
The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records of these years (the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Diodorus, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.
Original Aramaic words
This passage was written in Aramaic, the common language of the Babylonian and Persian empires, which the Jews of the exile also spoke. It uses the same alphabet as Hebrew.
| English | Aramaic | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [was] replying | עָנֵ֤ה | 'a-NEH | H6032 | to answerעֲנָה (a.nah) 1) to answer, respond 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to answer, make reply 1a2) to respond |
| Daniel | דָֽנִיֵּאל֙ | da-ni-yeL | H1841H | Danielדָּנִיֵּאל, דָּנִאֵל (da.niy.yel) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.8.2 § Daniel = "God is my judge" 1) the 4th of the greater prophets, taken as hostage in the first deportation to Babylon, because of the gift of God of the interpretation of dreams, he became the 2nd in command of the Babylon empire and lasted through the end of the Babylonian empire and into the Persian empire. His prophecies are the key to the understanding of end time events. Noted for his purity and holiness by contemporary prophet, Ezekiel 1a) also, 'Belteshazzar' (H01095 or H01096) |
| and [was] saying | וְאָמַ֔ר | ve-'a-MAR | H0560 | to sayאֲמַר (a.mar) (P'al) to say, to speak, to command, to tell, to relate Aramaic of a.mar (אָמַר "to say" H0559) |
| let it be | לֶהֱוֵ֨א | le-he-VE' | H1934 | to beהֲוָא (ha.va) 1) to come to pass, become, be 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to come to pass 1a2) to come into being, arise, become, come to be 1a2a) to let become known (with participle of knowing) 1a3) to be |
| name his | שְׁמֵ֤הּ | she-MEH | H8036 | nameשֻׁם (shum) name Aramaic of shem (שֵׁם "name" H8034) |
| of | דִּֽי־ | di- | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| true God the | אֱלָהָא֙ | 'e-la-HA' | H0426 | godאֱלָהּ (e.lah) 1) god, God 1a) god, heathen deity 1b) God (of Israel) |
| [be] blessed | מְבָרַ֔ךְ | me-va-RAKH | H1289 | to blessבְּרַךְ (be.rakh) 1) to bless, kneel 1a) (P'al) 1a1) kneeling (participle) 1a2) to be blessed 1b) (Pael) to bless, praise |
| from | מִן־ | min- | H4481 | fromמִן־ (min) 1) from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than 1a) from, out of (of place) 1b) from, by, as a result of, by reason of, at, according to, (of source) 1c) from (of time) 1d) beyond, more than (in comparisons) |
| the antiquity | עָלְמָ֖א | 'al-MA' | H5957 | perpetuityעָלַם (a.lam) perpetuity, antiquity, for ever Aramaic of o.lam (עוֹלָם ": old" H5769J) |
| and to | וְעַ֣ד־ | ve-'AD- | H5705 | tillעַד (ad) prep 1) even to, until, up to, during conj 2) until, up to the time that, ere that |
| the perpetuity | עָלְמָ֑א | 'al-MA' | H5957 | perpetuityעָלַם (a.lam) perpetuity, antiquity, for ever Aramaic of o.lam (עוֹלָם ": old" H5769J) |
| that | דִּ֧י | di | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| the wisdom | חָכְמְתָ֛א | cha-khe-me-TA' | H2452 | wisdomחׇכְמָה (chokh.mah) wisdom Aramaic of chokh.mah (חׇכְמָה "wisdom" H2451) |
| and the power | וּגְבוּרְתָ֖א | u-ge-vu-re-TA' | H1370 | mightגְּבוּרָה (ge.vu.rah) might Aramaic of ge.vu.rah (גְּבוּרָה "might" H1369) |
| which | דִּ֥י | di | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| it | הִֽיא׃ | Hi' | H1932 | he/she/itהוּא (hu) 1) he, she, it 1a) (emphasising and resuming subject) 1b)(anticipating subj) 1c) as demons pron 1d) (relative) 1e) (affirming existence) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.