English Standard Version
Daniel 2:27
27Daniel answered the king and said, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked,
Daniel 2:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
- New International Version (NIV)Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret.
Context of Daniel 2:27
25Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: "I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation." 26The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?" Daniel answered the king and said, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.
Read all of Daniel 2Daniel 2:27 word by word
עָנֵ֧ה דָנִיֵּ֛אל קֳדָ֥ם מַלְכָּ֖א וְאָמַ֑ר רָזָה֙ דִּֽי־מַלְכָּ֣א שָׁאֵ֔ל לָ֧א חַכִּימִ֣ין אָֽשְׁפִ֗ין חַרְטֻמִּין֙ גָּזְרִ֔ין יָכְלִ֖ין לְהַֽחֲוָיָ֥ה לְמַלְכָּֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Danielדָּנִיֵּאל, דָּנִאֵלdânîyê'l · DanielH1841
- answeredעֲנָה‛ănâh · to answerH6032
- in the presenceקֳדָםqŏdâm qedâm · beforeH6925
- of the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4430
- and saidאֲמַר'ămar · to sayH560
- The secretרָזrâz · mysteryH7328
- hath demandedשְׁאֵלshe'êl · to askH7593
- cannotלָאlâ' lâh · notH3809
- cannotיְכִלyekêl yekîyl · be ableH3202
- the wiseחַכִּיםchakkîym · wiseH2445
- the astrologersאָשַׁף'ashshâph · enchanterH826
- the magiciansחַרְטֹםcharţôm · magicianH2749
- the soothsayersגְּזַרgezar · to determineH1505
- shewחֲוָהchăvâ' · to showH2324
Cross-references for Daniel 2:27
- Daniel 2:2Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
- Daniel 5:7The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."
- Job 5:12He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.
- Isaiah 19:3and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;
- Isaiah 44:25who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,
- Isaiah 47:12Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror.
Commentaries on Daniel 2:27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27Cannot the wise men - Cannot your own able men, aided by your gods, tell you the secret? This question was necessary in order that the king might see the foolishness of depending on the one, or worshipping the other. The soothsayers - One of our old words: "The tellers of truth:" but גזרין gazerin is the name of another class of those curious artists, unless we suppose it to mean the same as the Chaldeans, Daniel 2:2. They are supposed to be persons who…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded, cannot the wise men show unto the king - Daniel regarded it as a settled and indisputable point that the solution could not be hoped for from the Chaldean sages. The highest talent which the realm could furnish had been applied to, and had failed. It was clear, therefore, that there was no hope that the difficulty would be removed by human skill. Besides…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-30Verses 24-30 Daniel takes away the king's opinion of his magicians and soothsayers. The insufficiency of creatures should drive us to the all-sufficiency of the Creator. There is One who can do that for us, and make known that to us, which none on earth can, particularly the work of redemption, and the secret designs of God's love to us therein. Daniel confirmed the king in his opinion, that the dream was of great consequence, relating to the affairs and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27-28Daniel emphasized that no human could accomplish what was needed (compare Daniel 2:10–11; see also Genesis 41:16).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2727. cannot--Daniel, being learned in all the lore of the Chaldeans (Da 1:4), could authoritatively declare the impossibility of mere man solving the king's difficulty. soothsayers--from a root, "to cut off"; referring to their cutting the heavens into divisions, and so guessing at men's destinies from the place of the stars at one's birth.Read the comment
Topics related to Daniel 2:27
In the dictionaries
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
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Commentaries