he said to them
This phrase indicates the beginning of a dialogue, a common narrative technique in ancient texts. The speaker, King Nebuchadnezzar, is addressing his court, specifically the wise men of Babylon. In the historical context, Babylon was a center of learning and wisdom, and the king's reliance on his advisors reflects the cultural importance of dreams and their interpretations in ancient Near Eastern societies. The king's words set the stage for the unfolding drama, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

I have had a dream
Dreams in the ancient world, particularly in the Hebrew Bible, are often seen as divine communications. The Hebrew word for dream, "ḥălôm," suggests a vision or revelation that requires interpretation. In the context of Daniel, dreams are a medium through which God reveals His plans and purposes. Nebuchadnezzar's dream is not just a personal experience but a pivotal moment in the narrative that will reveal God's sovereignty over earthly kingdoms.

that troubles me
The phrase "that troubles me" conveys a sense of deep disturbance and anxiety. The Hebrew root "pāʿam" implies being agitated or disturbed. This reflects the king's emotional state and the seriousness with which dreams were regarded. In the biblical narrative, this troubling aspect of the dream underscores the limitations of human wisdom and the need for divine insight, setting the stage for Daniel's role as God's chosen interpreter.

and I want to know
This expression of desire for understanding highlights the human quest for knowledge and meaning. The king's insistence on knowing the dream's meaning reflects a universal human longing for certainty and control over the future. In the biblical context, it also points to the limitations of human wisdom and the necessity of divine revelation, as only God can provide true understanding.

what it means
The quest for meaning is central to the narrative. The phrase underscores the importance of interpretation and understanding in the biblical worldview. In the Hebrew context, meaning is not just intellectual but also spiritual, involving the discernment of God's will and purpose. This sets the stage for Daniel's role as an interpreter, emphasizing the theme of divine wisdom and revelation that runs throughout the book of Daniel.

(3) I have dreamed.--It has been questioned whether the king had really forgotten his dream, or whether he only pretended to have done so in order that he might prove the skill of his wise men. The conduct of the Chaldaeans (Daniel 2:10) makes the latter hypothesis possible. However, it is more in accordance with what is stated about the anxious condition of the king's mind to assume that he remembered a portion of the dream, but that he had lost the general outline of it.

Verse 3. - And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. The Revised Version improves the English of the verse by putting the verb in the present, "My Spirit is troubled to know the dream." The Septuagint Version has the appearance of a paraphrase, "And the king said to them, I have seen a dream, and my spirit is troubled, and I desire to understand the dream." It is an unusual combination "to see a dream;" from its unusualness the reading of the Septuagint is to be preferred. In old Hebrew ל (l) and ז (z) are not unlike each other, nor are מ (m) and י (y). Yet these two, letters are the only differences between halamti, "I have dreamed." and hazithi. "I have seen." The Peshitta has haloma hazith, which gives the same combination, and would indicate that here too the Aramaic original is shining through It is however, difficult to see how such a word as ahpatz. "I wish," could drop out of the Massoretic. The must natural solution is that the translator added θέλω to complete the sense. Certainly a link is awanting as it stands in the ordinary interpretation of this verse. Theodotion agrees with the Massoretic, while the Vulgate paraphrases the last clause, "And the king said to them. I have seen a dream, and confused in mind I have forgot what I saw." The king has been perturbed by the dream, and his perturbation leads him to wish to knew the dream - not necessarily what the dream actually had been, but what it meant. Thus in Daniel 1:17 Daniel had understanding "in all visions and dreams;" this meant that he knew the meaning of dreams and visit us. The other versions give us no assistance to explain this. Archdeacon Rose says, "The king here plainly intimates that, though the dream had troubled and perplexed him. he could not remember what it was." It does not appear to us quite so plain It is certainly not impossible to imagine that, while the king had been strongly affected by the dream, he might not remember distinctly what it was. If, however, he had no remembrance of the dream, and only the feeling of perturbation, any grandiose vision might have been brought before him, and he would not have been able to check it, or say that was not the dream he had had. If, again, he had some fragmentary remembrance, he naturally would have told what he remembered, in order that they might reconstruct his dream for him. Nebuchadnezzar's great purpose is not merely to see again his dream, but really to test these soothsayers that promised so much. If they could with such certainty as they professed tell what was about to happen, surely it was no great demand that they should know this dream of his. The king seems merely to have made the general statement, and left the soothsayers to tell at once the dream and interpretation. There sits the king with troubled brow, and there stand before him the principal adepts at interpretation of dreams. Some have found it a difficulty that God should reveal the future to a heathen monarch. But in the parallel case of Pharaoh this occurred; certainly the future revealed to him was the immediate future of the, land he ruled, whereas the dream of Nebuchadnezzar extended in its revelation to the very end of time. Archdeacon Rose refers to Pilate's wife and her mysterious dream at the trial of our Lord. The revelation as given to Nebuchadnezzar served a double purpose - it gave emphasis to it when, not an obscure Hebrew scholar got the vision, but the great conqueror; further, it gave an occasion for bringing Daniel into prominence, and gave thus to trim and to his companions an opportunity of showing their fidelity to God. This gave an occasion for miracles, the effect of which was to strengthen the Jews in their faith.

Parallel Commentaries ...


he
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

said to them,
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“I have had a dream,
חֲל֣וֹם (ḥă·lō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2472: A dream

and my spirit
רוּחִ֔י (rū·ḥî)
Noun - common singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

is anxious
וַתִּפָּ֣עֶם (wat·tip·pā·‘em)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6470: To tap, beat regularly, to impel, agitate

to understand
לָדַ֖עַת (lā·ḏa·‘aṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3045: To know

it.”
הַחֲלֽוֹם׃ (ha·ḥă·lō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2472: A dream


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OT Prophets: Daniel 2:3 The king said to them I have (Dan. Da Dn)