Daniel 2:13

Daniel 2:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
• New International Version (NIV)So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.

Context of Daniel 2:13

11The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.” 12The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends. 14When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. 15He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened.

Daniel 2:13 word by word

וְדָתָ֣א נֶפְקַ֔ת וְחַכִּֽימַיָּ֖א מִֽתְקַטְּלִ֑ין וּבְע֛וֹ דָּנִיֵּ֥אל וְחַבְר֖וֹהִי לְהִתְקְטָלָֽה׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the decreeדָּתdâth · lawH1882
• went forthנְפַקnephaq · to go outH5312
• that the wiseחַכִּיםchakkîym · wiseH2445
• should be slainקְטַלqeţal · to slayH6992
• and they soughtבְּעָאbe‛â' be‛âh · to askH1156
• Danielדָּנִיֵּאל, דָּנִאֵלdânîyê'l · DanielH1841
• and his fellowsחֲבַרchăbar · fellowH2269

Cross-references for Daniel 2:13

• Daniel 6:9So King Darius signed the law.
• Esther 3:12So on April 17 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring.
• Psalms 94:20Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side— leaders whose decrees permit injustice?
• Proverbs 28:15A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear.
• Isaiah 10:1What sorrow awaits the unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws.
• Daniel 1:19The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service.
• Daniel 6:12So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”

Commentaries on Daniel 2:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13They sought Daniel and his fellows - As the decree stated that all the wise men of Babylon should be slain, the four young Hebrews, being reputed among the wisest, were considered as sentenced to death also.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain - The original here will bear a somewhat different translation, meaning, “the decree went forth, “and” the wise men were slain;” that is, the execution of the sentence was actually commenced. So the Vulgate: Et egressa sententia, sapientes interficiebantur. So also the Greek version: ̀ ̔ ́ ̓́ kai hoi sophoi apektennonto - “and the wise men were slain.” This seems to me to be the more probable…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-49God gave a dream that showed the course of world history over the centuries, and Daniel explained its mysterious images. This dream and its interpretation highlight a key theme of the book—the certain final establishment of the kingdom of God as the ultimate goal of history (Daniel 2:44–45; 7:9–14, 26–27). This chapter also shows that paganism cannot understand the actions and plans of Israel’s God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1312-13. Daniel and his companions do not seem to have been actually numbered among the Magi or Chaldeans, and so were not summoned before the king. Providence ordered it so that all mere human wisdom should be shown vain before His divine power, through His servant, was put forth. Da 2:24 shows that the decree for slaying the wise men had not been actually executed when Daniel interposed.Read the comment

Topics related to Daniel 2:13

• Government
• Magician
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Daniel
• Wise men
• Ask
• Iron
• Terrible
• Abed-Nego
• Aramaic; Aramaic Language
• Bible, the
• 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