New King James Version
Daniel 2:38
38and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold.
Daniel 2:38 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
- New International Version (NIV)in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.
- New Living Translation (NLT)He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.
Context of Daniel 2:38
36“This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. 39But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.
Read all of Daniel 2Daniel 2:38 word by word
וּבְכָל־דִּ֣י דָֽיְרִ֣ין בְּֽנֵי־אֲ֠נָשָׁא חֵיוַ֨ת בָּרָ֤א וְעוֹף־שְׁמַיָּא֙ יְהַ֣ב בִּידָ֔ךְ וְהַשְׁלְטָ֖ךְ בְּכָלְּה֑וֹן אַנְתְּ ה֔וּא רֵאשָׁ֖ה דִּ֥י דַהֲבָֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And wheresoeverכֹּלkôl · allH3606
- the childrenבֵּןbên · sonH1123
- of menאֱנָשׁ'ĕnâsh 'ĕnash · manH606
- dwellדּוּרdûr · to dwellH1753
- the beastsחֵיוָאchêyvâ' · beastH2423
- of the fieldבַּרbar · fieldH1251
- and the fowlsעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5776
- of the heavenשָׁמַ֫יִןshâmayin · heavenH8065
- hath he givenיְהַבyehab · to giveH3052
- into thine handיַדyad · handH3028
- and hath made thee rulerשְׁלֵטshelêţ · to ruleH7981
- Thouאַנְתָּה'antâh · youH607
- this headרֵאשׁrê'sh · headH7217
- of goldדְּהַבdehab · goldH1722
Cross-references for Daniel 2:38
- Daniel 4:21whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home—
- Psalms 50:10For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.
- Jeremiah 27:5‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me.
Commentaries on Daniel 2:38
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 38Thou art this head of gold - See on Daniel 2:31-34; (note), and at the end.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 38And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heavens, hath he given into thy hand - This is evidently general language, and is not to be pressed literally. It is designed to say that he ruled over the whole world; that is, the world as then known. This is common language applied in the Scriptures to the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman kingdoms. Thus in Daniel 2:39, the third of these kingdoms, the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 31-45Verses 31-45 This image represented the kingdoms of the earth, that should successively rule the nations, and influence the affairs of the Jewish church. 1. The head of gold signified the Chaldean empire, then in being. 2. The breast and arms of silver signified the empire of the Medes and Persians. 3. The belly and thighs of brass signified the Grecian empire, founded by Alexander. 4. The legs and feet of iron signified the Roman empire. The Roman empire…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 36-38king of kings: Nebuchadnezzar ruled over all other empires and their kings. He was the chosen ruler for that period in history (Jeremiah 25:8–9).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3838. men ... beasts ... fowls--the dominion originally designed for man (Ge 1:28; 2:19, 20), forfeited by sin; temporarily delegated to Nebuchadnezzar and the world powers; but, as they abuse the trust for self, instead of for God, to be taken from them by the Son of man, who will exercise it for God, restoring in His person to man the lost inheritance (Psa 8:4-6). Thou art ... head of gold--alluding to the riches of Babylon, hence called "the golden city"…Read the comment
Topics related to Daniel 2:38
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries