Daniel 2:9
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one decree for you. You have conspired to speak before me false and fraudulent words, hoping the situation will change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can give me its interpretation.” | But if ye make not known unto me the dream, there is but one law 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 show me the interpretation thereof. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedKing Nebuchadnezzar refuses to tell his wise men his dream and warns that one sentence awaits them all if they cannot tell it. He accuses them of agreeing together on lies to stall him. If they can tell the dream, he will know their interpretation is true. Daniel 2:5Daniel 2:8Daniel 2:9
SpeakingNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, troubled by a dream he had in the second year of his reign. Daniel 2:1Daniel 2:8
ToThe magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans he had called to show him his dream. Daniel 2:2Daniel 2:4Daniel 2:7
Also involvedAll the wise men of Babylon, among them Daniel and his companions, whom the king's decree marked for death. Daniel 2:12Daniel 2:13Daniel 2:17Daniel 2:18
The wise men keep asking the king to tell them the dream first. He says they are buying time and have agreed on false, corrupt words. He insists that whoever truly can interpret must first tell the dream itself, or face the death he already threatened. Daniel 2:4Daniel 2:5Daniel 2:7Daniel 2:8Daniel 2:9Strong's H2164Strong's H3538
At the royal court in Babylon, before the king. Daniel 2:2Daniel 2:12Daniel overview
The eventsIn the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, early in Daniel's time in Babylon. Daniel 2:1Daniel overview
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
HereThe king's test exposes that his wise men cannot do what he asks. They themselves admit only the gods could show it, and Daniel later says the wise men cannot, but there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets. Daniel 2:10Daniel 2:11Daniel 2:27Daniel 2:28
In the whole of ScriptureThe wise men hope to wait until "the time be changed," but Daniel praises the God who "changeth the times and the seasons" and reveals deep things. Isaiah likewise says the true God is known by showing things to come and frustrates the tokens of liars. Daniel 2:9Daniel 2:21Daniel 2:22Isaiah 41:23Isaiah 44:25
For readersClaims to speak hidden truth can be tested, and lying divination is exposed. Real knowledge of what is to come is God's to give, as Daniel's prayer and God's answer show. Daniel 2:18Daniel 2:19Daniel 2:47Ezekiel 13:6Isaiah 41:23
- decreeדָּת
The word means a decree or law, here the king's decree. "One decree" means a single fixed sentence, the death threatened in verse 5, much like the "one law" to put to death in Esther 4:11. Strong's H1882Daniel 2:5Daniel 2:13Esther 4:11
- preparedזְמַן
The word means to agree together or agree beforehand. The king is charging the wise men with a planned scheme, not a mere mistake. Strong's H2164Daniel 2:8
- be changedשְׁנָא
The word means to change or be altered. The wise men hope time will change in their favor, but Daniel 2:21 says it is God who changes times and seasons. Strong's H8133Strong's H5732Daniel 2:21
- interpretationפְּשַׁר
The word means the interpretation of a dream. The king will trust an interpretation only from one who can first tell the dream, which Daniel does by God's revealing. Strong's H6591Daniel 2:26Daniel 2:36Daniel 2:45
Takeaway
The king's demand strips away guesswork: no one could tell the dream without God. The God who changes times revealed it to Daniel, showing that he alone reveals secrets. Daniel 2:9Daniel 2:11Daniel 2:19Daniel 2:21Daniel 2:28
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| that | דִּ֣י | 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 |
| if | הֵן־ | hen- | H2006A | ifהֵן (hen) behold, if, whether Aramaic of hen (הֵן "look!" H2005) |
| dream the | חֶלְמָא֩ | chel-MA' | H2493 | dreamחֵ֫לֶם (che.lem) dream Aramaic of cha.lom (חֲלוֹם "dream" H2472) |
| not | לָ֨א | la' | H3809 | notלָא (la) no, not, nothing Aramaic of lo (לֹא "not" H3808) |
| you will make known to me | תְהֽוֹדְעֻנַּ֜נִי | te-hod-'u-NA-ni | H3046 | to knowיְדַע (ye.da) 1) to know 1a) (P'al) to know 1b) (Aphel) to let someone know, communicate, inform, cause to know |
| [is] one | חֲדָה־ | cha-dah- | H2298 | oneחַד (chad) 1) one (number) 1a) one 1b) a (indefinite article) |
| it | הִ֣יא | 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) |
| decree your | דָֽתְכ֗וֹן | da-te-KHON | H1882 | lawדָּת (dat) 1) decree, law 1a) a decree (of the king) 1b) law 1c) law (of God) |
| and a word | וּמִלָּ֨ה | u-mi-LAH | H4406 | wordמִלָּה (mil.lah) 1) word, thing 1a) word, utterance, command 1b) thing, affair, matter |
| a lie | כִדְבָ֤ה | khid-VAH | H3538 | falseכְּדַב (ke.dav) false, lying |
| and corrupt | וּשְׁחִיתָה֙ | u-she-chi-TAH | H7844 | to corruptשְׁחַת (she.chat) 1) to corrupt 1a) (P'al) 1a1) corrupt (participle) 1a2) fault (subst) |
| you have agreed together | הִזְדְּמִנְתּוּן֙ | haz-min-tun | H2164 | to agreeזְמַן (ze.man) 1) to agree together, appoint a time 1a) (Ithpael) to agree beforehand |
| to say | לְמֵאמַ֣ר | le-me-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) |
| before me | קָֽדָמַ֔י | ka-da-MAI | H6925 | beforeקֳדָם (qo.dam) 1) before, in front of 1a) before 1b) from before |
| until | עַ֛ד | 'ad | H5705 | tillעַד (ad) prep 1) even to, until, up to, during conj 2) until, up to the time that, ere that |
| that | 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 |
| time the | עִדָּנָ֖א | 'i-da-NA' | H5732 | timeעִדָּן (id.dan) 1) time 1a) time (of duration) 1b) year |
| it will be changed | יִשְׁתַּנֵּ֑א | yish-ta-NE' | H8133 | to changeשְׁנָא (she.na) 1) to change, be altered, be changed 1a) (P'al) to change, be changed 1b) (Pael) to change, transform, frustrate 1b1) different (participle) 1c) (Ithpael) to be changed 1d) (Aphel) to change, alter |
| therefore | לָהֵ֗ן | la-HEN | H2006B | thereforeלָהֵן (la.hen) therefore Aramaic of la.hen (לָהֵן "therefore" H3860) |
| dream the | חֶלְמָא֙ | chel-MA' | H2493 | dreamחֵ֫לֶם (che.lem) dream Aramaic of cha.lom (חֲלוֹם "dream" H2472) |
| tell! | אֱמַ֣רוּ | 'e-MA-ru | 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) |
| so I may know | וְֽאִנְדַּ֕ע | ve-'in-DA' | H3046 | to knowיְדַע (ye.da) 1) to know 1a) (P'al) to know 1b) (Aphel) to let someone know, communicate, inform, cause to know |
| that | 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 |
| interpretation its | פִשְׁרֵ֖הּ | fish-REH | H6591 | interpretationפְּשַׁר (pe.shar) interpretation (of dream) Aramaic of pit.ron (פִּתְרוֹן "interpretation" H6623) |
| you will declare to me | תְּהַחֲוֻנַּֽנִי׃ | te-ha-cha-vu-NA-ni | H2324 | to showחֲוָה (cha.vah) 1) to show, interpret, explain, inform, tell, declare 1a) (Pael) to show, interpret 1b) (Aphel) to show |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.