General Comments on Daniel 2 As noted in the general comments on Daniel, this chapter is set in parallel to Dan. 7. Both chapters deal with four kingdoms which are ultimately replaced by a divine kingdom. Thus, it is useful to compare the two different accounts of the same thing. Of particular interest will be 7:15-28 and 8:15-27 where the symbols are interpreted. Review of those two chapters is recommended. With regard to determining the meaning of the text of the chapter at hand we have three major issues: Babylonian mystics, idols, and stones cut without hands. Babylonian Mystics Babylonian mystics were apparently some of the most advanced, if not the most advanced, astrologers of the ancient world. Isaiah notes their fame in Isa. 47:9-13 (JPS) as follows: Despite your many enchantments And all your countless spells.... It was your skill and your science That led you astray.... Evil is coming upon you Which you will not know how to charm away; ... Stand up, with your spells and your many enchantments On which you labored since youth! Perhaps you'll be able to profit, Perhaps you will find strength. You are helpless, despite all your art. Let them stand up and help you now, The scanners of heaven, the star-gazers, Who announce, month by month, Whatever will come upon you. Their fame, or infamy from Isaiah's point of view, must have been considerable given the manner in which Isaiah addresses them. Thus, when in 2:2 Nebuchadnezzar summons all of the mystics available he is drawing what is supposedly the best available. Yet he is savvy to their ways, and demands they offer some proof of their skills by telling him what his dream was and then telling him the meaning. Otherwise, they will simply conspire and tell him what he wants to hear so as to spare their lives. Nebuchadnezzar traps them in their chicanery. They claim to predict the future and see things nobody else can see through their arts, but he doesn't trust them, so he puts them to the test. This episode in Daniel becomes an ironic play on Isaiah's statement above. The mystics are caught in their own trickery while a prophet of the Lord perceives and expounds the dream. Idols In Nebuchadnezzar's dream there is an "image" (KJV) or "statue" (JPS). Then in the following chapter, Dan. 3, we have him building a huge "image" (KJV) or "statue" (JPS). In the Aramaic, both of these terms are identical: tselem. From the context of Dan. 3, it is plain the image/statue is an idol. Also consider the descriptions of idols which are quite similar to the description of the image/statue in the dream: 5:4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 5:23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Thus, we may safely conclude the statue/image in the dream is in fact an idol. Stones Cut Without Hands What is a "stone cut without hands"? We know what it isn't, it isn't an idol: Ex. 20:25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Deut. 27:5 And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. Josh. 8:31 As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings. 1 Kgs. 18:31-32 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: 1 Ne. 2:7 And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God. The prohibition of carving stones in the use in altars is based upon the subject of Deut. 4: 15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: 16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, ... 23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. The people did not see the Lord at Sinai, so they shouldn't make any attempt to fashion a device that looks like Him, or anything else for that matter. If they do, then they will be fabricating graven images, idols unto themselves, cf. Isa. 40:18-20, Isa. 44:6-20. Which is precisely what Nebuchadnezzar does in Dan. 3, a gold one in fact just like in 2:38. Also, we note the idols which men worship are those things which they make with their own hands: Isa. 2:8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made: Isa. 17:8 And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images. So, the stone cut without hands is the antithesis of the statue/image. The statue/image is the idol made by men and worshiped by men. The stone cut without man's hands is the work of the Lord, it is His creation fashioned by the forces of nature which He wields. And these stones cut without hands are used by righteous men in constructing altars to the Lord. Daniel 2:44 informs us the stone represents the kingdom established by God. We then turn to D&C 65, which contains the only equation of the LDS Church with the stone cut without hands. The six verses of this revelation can be arranged as a synonymous parallelism. In this case we are interested mainly in the B's, or verses 2 and 5. A - 1 Hearken, and lo, a voice as of one sent down from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. B - 2 The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth. C - 3 Yea, a voice crying Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom. A - 4 Pray unto the Lord, call upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people. B - 5 Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth. C - 6 Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen. Verses 2 and 5 inform us the stone represents the kingdom of God on earth and it should go forth to prepare the people for the Day of the Lord. We know well the Day of the Lord is the day when the Lord vindicates righteous Zion (cf. Isa. 52) and smashes wicked Babylon (cf. Isa. 47). This stone cut without hands is cut from a mountain, then rolls forth, and ultimately fills the whole earth. When the figure of a mountain is used symbolically it is commonly representative of the Lord's Temple, cf. 9:16, 9:20, 11:45, Exod. 3:12, Exod. 20:18, Isa. 2:2-3, Isa. 66:20, Jer. 31:23, Ezek. 20:40, Ezek. 40:2, Ezek. 43:12, Joel 3:17. Thus, the stone appears to have rolled forth from the altar of the Temple of the Lord. As it rolls forth it topples the idols and kingdoms of men to ultimately fill the whole earth with the Lord's kingdom. Conclusion The image/statue/idol fashioned by man's hands represents the kingdoms of men. And the stone cut without hands, the perfect anti-idol, a stone from the altar in the Temple of the Lord, represents the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God will go forth and ultimately bring about the end of the kingdoms of men. To emphasize the contrast between the people in these two kingdoms, Daniel is set opposite the Babylonian mystics. Daniel sees revelation, praises the Lord, communes in truth, and is promoted in the king's favor. The Babylonian mystics are charlatans, ignorant of the truth, they conspire to deceive the king, are caught in their trap, and threatened with death by the king. The result is we have a classic contrast between Babylon and Zion, in both the imagery and the people, just like we see in other apocalyptic literature: Babylon Zion/Judah Mystics Daniel, a prophet Idols Stone cut without hands Temporal Eternal Comments on Daniel 2 The KJV on this chapter is rather obtuse at times, as the footnotes in the LDS edition KJV attest. The JPS or NAS reads much more clearly. v1-13 The king has a dream and is disturbed by it (v. 1). He summons all of the people supposedly qualified to interpret dreams and tells them he wants them to interpret it (v. 2-3). They ask him what the dream is (v. 4) and he says he wants them to divine the dream and interpretation otherwise they will be executed (v. 5). If they do succeed, then they will be greatly rewarded (v. 6). They ask him again to relate the dream to them (v. 7), and the king angrily accuses them of conspiracy and collusion (v. 8-9). They respond that nobody could possibly read his mind, and only a god could do such a thing (v. 10-11). The king gets so angry he commands them all be executed (v. 12), and Daniel being among the wise men is on the list for execution (v. 13). v1 "in the second year", an apparent historical problem in the text as Judah had not even been attacked yet in the second year of his reign, so they obviously couldn't have been exiled yet. v12-13 The means of execution was apparently some mass means of extermination as the guards appear to be in no rush to execute on the spot. And Daniel's subsequent entreaty in v. 18 appears to have put a halt to the execution order per v. 24. v14-16 When confronted by Arioch (v. 14), the captain of the guard, Daniel acts wisely and finds out what is going on (v. 15). Unlike the Babylonian mystics, Daniel just asks the king, apparently through Arioch as Daniel doesn't meet the king himself until v. 26, for some time and not for the king to relate the dream (v. 16). And it is evidently granted. v19-23 The dream and it's interpretation is revealed to Daniel in a night vision (v. 19). Apparently the next morning, Daniel gives thanks to the Lord and offers up a psalm of praise (v. 20- 23). v21 Daniel reveals some of the meaning of the dream in this praise, in that it is the Lord who establishes and removes kings and that is what the dream is about. v24-30 Daniel goes to Arioch (v. 24) and Arioch takes him before the king (v. 25). The king questions Daniel (v. 26), and Daniel answers that it is not any mortal man that can answer the king (v. 27) but the Lord can reveal the future through dreams (v. 28). Daniel begins the revelation by informing the king he was contemplating the future (v. 29), and then he defers to the Lord as the source of wisdom and says the reason for the interpretation is so the king may understand (v. 30). v27 Daniel distances himself from the mystics, and in doing so makes it clear these practices are not of God. v30 Daniel is careful to defer to the Lord here so as to avoid any implications of deity as alluded to in v. 11 by the mystics. v31-45 Daniel relates (v. 31-35) and interprets (v. 36-45) the dream. v32-33 The description of the different parts is similar to that of 5:4, 5:23. v34-35 It appears the stone rolled out and struck the feet and base of the statue causing it to topple over and be shattered on the ground. The shattering must have been quite catastrophic as it is smashed to bits so small the wind carried it away. Perhaps the implication is the statue was so large, and yet fragile and unstable, that when it fell over it collapsed under its own weight and poor workmanship. v36-38 The first kingdom of gold is Babylon. v39 The second kingdom of bronze is apparently Medo-Persia and Greece. v40 The third kingdom of iron is apparently Rome. v41-43 The fourth kingdom is apparently a mix of unstable kingdoms with a series of different rulers. See ch. 7 and 8 for a more verbose discussion of this kingdom. v44 The divine kingdom ends all other kingdoms and is eternal, unlike it's predecessors. Reading this verse figuratively one would consider this to be referring to the First Advent of Christ where the spiritual foundation of the Kingdom was laid with the achievement of the Atonement. Naturally, when reading this verse literally, the ultimately fulfilment would be the Millennial Kingdom. v45 Daniel again recounts the dream, says it refers to future events, and states plainly the interpretation he has granted is true. The proof of that being Daniel's revealing a dream that nobody except the king and he knew. v46-49 The king is justifiably impressed with Daniel and pays him homage for the fantastic feat (v. 46). He confesses that Daniel's God is the most powerful among all of the gods (v. 47). So, the king placed Daniel in a prominent position (v. 48), and Daniel doesn't forget his friends (v. 49). v47 While the king acknowledges the power of the Lord, he is obviously not a convert to Judaism. v48-49 explain the prominent positions Daniel and his friends are in during the subsequent chapters. Flavius Josephus' Comments on Daniel Flavius Josephus commented on the text of the OT to a considerable degree. In his comments on Daniel (_Antiquities of the Jews_, Book 10, Chapter 11) he includes a longer ending to chapter 2. Whereupon the king, not being acquainted with their wicked design, nor suspecting that it was a contrivance of theirs against Daniel, said he was pleased with this decree of theirs, and he promised to confirm what they desired; he also published an edict to promulgate to the people that decree which the princes had made. Accordingly, all the rest took care not to transgress those injunctions, and rested in quiet; but Daniel had no regard to them, but, as he was wont, he stood and prayed to God in the sight of them all; but the princes having met with the occasion they so earnestly sought to find against Daniel, came presently to the king, and accused him, that Daniel was the only person that transgressed the decree, while not one of the rest durst pray to their gods. This discovery they made, not because of his impiety, but because they had watched him, and observed him out of envy; for supposing that Darius did thus out of a greater kindness to him than they expected, and that he was ready to grant him pardon for this contempt of his injunctions, and envying this very pardon to Daniel, they did not become more honorable to him, but desired he might be cast into the den of lions according to the law. So Darius, hoping that God would deliver him, and that he would undergo nothing that was terrible by the wild beasts, bid him bear this accident cheerfully. And when he was cast into the den, he put his seal to the stone that lay upon the mouth of the den, and went his way, but he passed all the night without food and without sleep, being in great distress for Daniel; but when it was day, he got up, and came to the den, and found the seal entire, which he had left the stone sealed withal; he also opened the seal, and. cried out, and called to Daniel, and asked him if he were alive. And as soon as he heard the king's voice, and said that he had suffered no harm, the king gave order that he should be drawn up out of the den. Now when his enemies saw that Daniel had suffered nothing which was terrible, they would not own that he was preserved by God, and by his providence; but they said that the lions had been filled full with food, and on that account it was, as they supposed, that the lions would not touch Daniel, nor come to him; and this they alleged to the king. But the king, out of an abhorrence of their wickedness, gave order that they should throw in a great deal of flesh to the lions; and when they had filled themselves, he gave further order that Daniel's enemies should be cast into the den, that he might learn whether the lions, now they were full, would touch them or not. And it appeared plain to Darius, after the princes had been cast to the wild beasts, that it was God who preserved Daniel for the lions spared none of them, but tore them all to pieces, as if they had been very hungry, and wanted food. I suppose therefore it was not their hunger, which had been a little before satisfied with abundance of flesh, but the wickedness of these men, that provoked them [to destroy the princes]; for if it so please God, that wickedness might, by even those irrational creatures, be esteemed a plain foundation for their punishment. It is unlcear what the original source of this additional material is. It is likely it was at least a popular apocryphon among the Rabbi's, otherwise he wouldn't have included it. Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.