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Praise and the Statue Dream in Greek Daniel

These verses join Daniel’s praise to God with the report and explanation of the king’s dream. They show who gives wisdom, who rules over kings, and what Daniel says about kingdoms that rise, weaken and finally give way.

Daniel (Greek) 2:20–23; Daniel (Greek) 2:31–45Older students and adultsPrayer and interpretationGreek source variant
Bread, a clay jug and an olive branch beside a quiet window

Understanding the passage

Read these words in context

In this part of Greek Daniel, the text first records Daniel blessing and thanking God for revealing what had been asked. It then gives the dream itself and Daniel’s interpretation before the king. The passage moves from praise, to the image in the dream, to the meaning of its parts and the lasting kingdom God will set up.

Daniel (Greek) 2:20–23; Daniel (Greek) 2:31–45

Main takeaway

This passage teaches that wisdom, rule and the future belong to God, and that his kingdom will outlast every human kingdom.

Explore the prayer

Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.

01Daniel blesses God for wisdom and revelationDaniel begins by blessing God’s name forever and saying that wisdom and might belong to him.

Explanation

Daniel begins by blessing God’s name forever and saying that wisdom and might belong to him. He says God changes times and seasons, removes kings and sets up kings, and reveals deep and secret things. Daniel then thanks God for making known what had been asked about the king’s matter.

Daniel (Greek) 2:20Daniel (Greek) 2:21Daniel (Greek) 2:22Daniel (Greek) 2:23
02The dream shows a terrifying image and a stoneDaniel reports a great image standing before the king, mighty, bright and terrifying. Its body is described from top to bottom with gold, silver, bronze, iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay.

Explanation

Daniel reports a great image standing before the king, mighty, bright and terrifying. Its body is described from top to bottom with gold, silver, bronze, iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. Then a stone cut without hands strikes the feet. The whole image is broken, while the stone becomes a great mountain filling the earth.

Daniel (Greek) 2:31Daniel (Greek) 2:32Daniel (Greek) 2:33Daniel (Greek) 2:34Daniel (Greek) 2:35
03The head of gold is the king’s kingdomDaniel says he will now give the interpretation. He tells the king that the God of heaven has given him kingdom, power, strength and glory.

Explanation

Daniel says he will now give the interpretation. He tells the king that the God of heaven has given him kingdom, power, strength and glory. Wherever people live, the king’s rule is described as given into his hand. Daniel then identifies him directly as the head of gold.

Daniel (Greek) 2:36Daniel (Greek) 2:37Daniel (Greek) 2:38
04The later kingdoms are described by their qualitiesAfter this kingdom, Daniel speaks of another kingdom that is inferior, then a third kingdom of bronze, and a fourth strong as iron.

Explanation

After this kingdom, Daniel speaks of another kingdom that is inferior, then a third kingdom of bronze, and a fourth strong as iron. The feet and toes picture a divided kingdom. It has some of iron’s strength, yet it is also brittle like clay. The mixture does not truly hold together.

Daniel (Greek) 2:39Daniel (Greek) 2:40Daniel (Greek) 2:41Daniel (Greek) 2:42Daniel (Greek) 2:43
05God sets up the kingdom that lasts foreverThe final explanation focuses on what God will do. In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or left to another people.

Explanation

The final explanation focuses on what God will do. In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or left to another people. It will break the other kingdoms and stand forever. Daniel closes by saying the dream is certain and its interpretation sure.

Daniel (Greek) 2:44Daniel (Greek) 2:45

Questions to explore

Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.

01What does Daniel say God does that explains why Daniel can thank him for understanding the king’s matter?

Look for the lines about wisdom, secret things and Daniel’s direct thanksgiving for what God made known.

Daniel (Greek) 2:21Daniel (Greek) 2:22Daniel (Greek) 2:23
02Why is the statue’s weakest point important in the dream?

Notice where the stone strikes and what happens next to every part of the image.

Daniel (Greek) 2:34Daniel (Greek) 2:35
03How does the passage contrast the divided kingdom with the kingdom God sets up?

Compare the words partly strong and partly brittle with the words never be destroyed and stand forever.

Daniel (Greek) 2:42Daniel (Greek) 2:44

Read the Bible passages

World English Bible Classic

Scripture quotation · Public domain

Daniel (Greek) 2:20–23

20Daniel answered, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and might are his.

21He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding.

22He reveals the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

23I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we desired of you; for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

Daniel (Greek) 2:31–45

31“You, O king, saw, and behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and its appearance was terrifying.

32As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,

33its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay.

34You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.

35Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. The stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

36“This is the dream; and we will tell its interpretation before the king.

37You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory.

38Wherever the children of men dwell, he has given the animals of the field and the birds of the sky into your hand, and has made you rule over them all. You are the head of gold.

39“After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to you; and a third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.

40The fourth kingdom will be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, it will break in pieces and crush.

41Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but there will be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.

42As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong, and partly brittle.

43Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they won’t cling to one another, even as iron does not mix with clay.

44“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to another people; but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.

45Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has made known to the king what will happen hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

Source passages

Source: Daniel (Greek) 2 ↗
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