Daniel 2:11

Daniel 2:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
• New International Version (NIV)What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."
• New King James Version (NKJV)It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

Context of Daniel 2:11

9If you do not tell me the dream, I will certainly punish you with death. You have agreed among yourselves to tell me lies. You want to deceive me until you can think of something better. So now, tell me the dream. Then I will believe you when you tell me what it means.’ 10The wise men answered the king, ‘There is nobody on earth who can know your dream! No king has ever asked anyone to do anything like this. No magician, enchanter or wise man could do that. Even the greatest and most powerful king has never asked anyone to do this. You are asking us to do something much too difficult! Nobody can do it, except the gods. And they do not live among men.’ 12This made the king very angry. So he said to his soldiers, ‘Kill all the wise men in Babylon.’ 13He sent a message to command them to kill all his wise men. Some men went to look for Daniel and his friends too. They wanted to punish them with death.

Daniel 2:11 word by word

וּמִלְּתָ֨א דִֽי־מַלְכָּ֤ה שָׁאֵל֙ יַקִּירָ֔ה וְאָחֳרָן֙ לָ֣א אִיתַ֔י דִּ֥י יְחַוִּנַּ֖הּ קֳדָ֣ם מַלְכָּ֑א לָהֵ֣ן אֱלָהִ֔ין דִּ֚י מְדָ֣רְה֔וֹן עִם־בִּשְׂרָ֖א לָ֥א אִיתֽוֹהִי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• a rareיַקִּירyaqqîyr · honorableH3358
• thingמִלָּהmillâh · wordH4406
• that the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4430
• requirethשְׁאֵלshe'êl · to askH7593
• and there isאִיתַי'îythay · there isH383
• noneלָאlâ' lâh · notH3809
• otherאׇחֳרָן'ochŏrân · anotherH321
• that can shewחֲוָהchăvâ' · to showH2324
• it beforeקֳדָםqŏdâm qedâm · beforeH6925
• exceptלָהֵןlâhên · exceptH3861
• the godsאֱלָהּ'ĕlâhh · godH426
• whose dwellingמְדָרmedôr medôr medâr · dwellingH4070
• withעִם‛im · withH5974
• fleshבְּשַׁרbeώar · fleshH1321

Commentaries on Daniel 2:11

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11And it is a rare thing that the king requireth - Chaldee, יקירה yaqqı̂yrâh - meaning, “choice, valuable, costly;” then, “heavy, hard, difficult.” Greek, ́ barus Vulgate, “gravis - heavy, weighty.” The idea is not so much that the thing demanded by the king was “uncommon” or “rarely made” - though that was true, as that it was so difficult as to be beyond the human powers. They would not have been likely on such an occasion to say that the requirement was…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10-11The Babylonian wise men could explain dreams, but they could not repeat a dream unless someone first told it to them. They also knew that only a divine being could do such a thing (see Daniel 2:17–23, 27–28).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh--answering to "no man upon the earth"; for there were, in their belief, "men in heaven," namely, men deified; for example, Nimrod. The supreme gods are referred to here, who alone, in the Chaldean view, could solve the difficulty, but who do not communicate with men. The inferior gods, intermediate between men and the supreme gods, are unable to solve it. Contrast with this heathen idea of the utter severance of…Read the comment

Topics related to Daniel 2:11

• Government
• Magician
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Ask
• Iron
• Terrible
• Abed-Nego
• Aramaic; Aramaic Language
• Astrology
• Bible, the
• Daniel
• Daniel, Book of
• Divination

Commentaries on Daniel 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings