Commentary on Daniel 2:24-49

Series Overview 

The book of Daniel is an anthology of narratives and apocalypses that center on the life and experiences of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. As postexilic stories, they reflect on a reality in which Judah has been militarily defeated, significant portions of its population have been deported, and its political and economic power has been significantly diminished. This historical context is crucial for understanding the themes and messages of the book of Daniel.

This commentary puts a spotlight on five texts: three “court tales” (Daniel 2:24–49; 3:1 [2–7] 8–30; 6:6–27) and two “apocalypses” (Daniel 7:1–18; 12:1–3, 5–13). The court tales are narratives that feature Daniel and his friends navigating the challenges of serving in the courts of foreign kings. These stories showcase their unwavering faith in God and their ability to overcome significant challenges. The apocalypses are revelatory literature that features heavenly visions, symbol-rich interpretations of history, and theological interpretations of historical events. 

Linking both the court tales and the apocalypses is the God of Israel, who is portrayed as sovereign over all earthly and heavenly affairs. In the book of Daniel, God is described as the one who:

changes times and seasons,
    deposes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what is in the darkness,
    and light dwells with him. (Daniel 2:21–22)

Throughout the book, Daniel is depicted as having a unique relationship with God and a special ability to discern and interpret the mysteries that God reveals. He is uniquely gifted in understanding and explaining the divine visions and messages that are central to the apocalyptic sections of the book.

By examining these five texts in detail, this commentary aims to provide a deeper understanding of the historical context, literary genres, and theological themes that are woven throughout the book of Daniel.

Week 1 (8/4/2024): Daniel 2:24–49 

Dream Interpreted

In this captivating story, Daniel and his fellow courtiers face an absurd challenge from King Nebuchadnezzar. The king demands that they not only interpret his dream but also reveal its contents without any prior knowledge. The king in this story is unreasonable, fickle, and prone to radical mood swings. This is the first story in which the reader is introduced to God as the revealer of mysteries and as the one who establishes and deposes kings (verse 21). These two themes will mark the rest of the book going forward. 

Daniel, having a special relationship with the God who reveals mysteries, reports back to the king about the dream. He describes a colossal statue composed of various materials, each representing different human regnal eras, with some materials stronger than others. However, Daniel emphasizes that these human kingdoms are finite and serve only as long as God allows them to:

In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. (Daniel 2:44) 

The key theological insight in this story is that history is not steered fundamentally by the actions of rulers, armies, and politics but rather by the God of Israel, whose kingdom ultimately prevails over human ambitions and machinations. 

Week 2 (8/11/2024): Daniel 3:1 [2–7] 8–30 

Fiery Furnace

In this beloved account, Daniel’s three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) face a difficult choice: either obey Nebuchadnezzar’s command to worship a golden statue or resist the king and stay faithful to their ancestral religion. This dilemma likely resonated with many exilic Jews, who were daily confronted with a society whose religious beliefs differed from their own. As a displaced minority, ancient Jews would have undoubtedly felt the push and pull of dynamics faced by many minority populations: assimilation, resistance, and hybridization.

The king in Daniel 3 is portrayed as a fickle, temperamental, and emotionally fragile tyrant, much like other rulers of antiquity. He and his bureaucracy are objects of ridicule throughout the entire episode. The author employs long lists of instruments and instructions to emphasize the absurdity of Nebuchadnezzar’s earthly kingdom. 

Despite the challenges faced by the three friends, God remains present and active in the story. In contrast to Daniel 2, where God’s power is manifest in the revealing of mysteries, here it is demonstrated through the preservation of faithful Jewish lives. A divine figure appears with the three youths in the flame and preserves them from harm. The king is astounded, rewards the three youths for their resistance, and ultimately praises the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Week 3 (8/18/2024): Daniel 6:6–27

Lions’ Pit

Daniel 6 is probably the most well-known of all the Danielic narratives, due in part to its popularity as a children’s tale. However, at the heart of this story lies a sinister plot conceived by jealous court administrators who seek to undermine Daniel’s position. Recognizing that Daniel leads a blameless life, they identify his unwavering faithfulness to his God as his sole vulnerability.

Exploiting King Darius’s vanity, these sly courtiers propose a decree stating, “Anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den” (6:7). Despite the decree, Daniel continues to pray as is his custom, leading to his discovery and the king’s reluctant decision to cast him into the den of lions.

Like in Daniel 3, however, the God of Daniel rescues him from a grisly death, preserving his body unscathed. The king is so overjoyed at the miraculous rescue that he punishes the conspiring courtiers and issues a letter that praises both God and Daniel. 

This is the final court tale in the book of Daniel, and it echoes many of the theological and literary themes that came before it. Daniel and his friends face many challenges as Jews serving in the courts of foreign kings. Those challenges range from angry kings to jealous and vengeful courtiers. In the thick of those challenges, however, the Jewish exiles find a way to remain faithful to their ancestral religion while also successfully navigating a social and cultural world not built for them. Their ability to survive and even flourish in the face of adversity testifies to their unwavering trust in a God who acts with kindness and mercy on their behalf.

Week 4 (8/25/2024): Daniel 7:1–18 

Four Beasts

Daniel 7 marks a significant shift in the book, as it introduces the first of the Danielic apocalypses. In contrast to the previous chapter, where dangerous animals posed a threat to an individual, the beasts in Daniel 7 represent a cosmic and political menace.

Once again, Daniel is portrayed as the recipient of heavenly mysteries, which he receives through dreams and visions. His vision centers on four beasts, some of which are hybridized, such as the lion with wings or the leopard with wings, while others appear more or less in their natural form, like the bear. The fourth beast is described less in terms of its appearance and more in terms of its terrifying nature. It possesses large, crushing teeth and 10 horns, from which a single horn with human eyes emerges, speaking boastfully.

At this pivotal moment, the vision reaches a climax, juxtaposing terror and hope. The horn, a symbol of royal power in the ancient Near East, confronts other clear symbols of royal authority: the royal courtroom of the “Ancient of Days.” Amid this clash of powers, another character enters the scene, bearing the appearance of a human and receiving authority, glory, and power. Unlike the dominion of the previous creatures, this figure’s kingdom possesses an everlasting quality, one “that will not pass away, and … will never be destroyed” (verse 14).

As is the case with many apocalyptic visions, this one requires interpretation. The four beasts represent four kings. They will eventually give way, not to another king but to “the holy people of the Most High,” who will in turn “receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever” (verse 18). 

The author’s choice to make this about a “people” rather than an individual king is significant. This vision is about the larger narrative of God’s people—Israel, the Jews—who find themselves laboring under the heel of various kinds of human rulers. Their hope rests in a God who will overthrow human kingdoms and establish a prosperous future for God’s people. 

Week 5 (9/1/2024): Daniel 12:1–3, 5–13 

End of Days

Daniel 12 is part of a larger apocalyptic unit that begins in chapter 10. Chapter 12 deserves special focus for a few reasons: First, it is the conclusion of the book of Daniel, and how a book ends impacts how we interpret the book as a whole. Second, it contains the earliest reference to the now-widely-held belief in the resurrection of the dead at the end of days, when humanity will be judged and sorted in the afterlife between those who will inherit “everlasting life” and those who will face “shame and everlasting contempt” (verse 2). 

Throughout the book of Daniel, a central theme has been God’s work in the context of human empires. In chapter 12, this theme reaches its culmination as the empire of death itself comes to an end, and history’s players are divided between the righteous and the unrighteous. This ultimate sorting of humanity represents the final victory of God’s kingdom over all earthly powers.

The timing of these events is also of great significance. The resurrection and judgment will occur after “a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then” (verse 1). This theme of God’s deliverance coming at the eleventh hour, when crises reach their peak and circumstances seem most dire, is a recurring motif throughout the book of Daniel, evident in both the court tales and the apocalyptic chapters.

Conclusion

The book of Daniel stands out as one of the most entertaining, humorous, and hopeful books in the Bible. It masterfully weaves together stories that showcase the power of human cleverness and resolve, while also making significant space for the work of God, which manifests in both dramatic and mundane ways. The mysterious interplay between human and divine action breathes life into these narratives, offering readers valuable insights into how they can act in faithful and life-giving ways within their own communities.