Daniel 2:37

New Living Translation

Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of the heavens has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.

Hebrew Names Version
You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;

King James Version
Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

English Standard Version
You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,

New American Standard Bible
"You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the honor;

New Century Version
O king, you are the greatest king. God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory.

Amplified Bible
"You, O king, are the king of [earthly] kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;

Geneva Bible (1587)
O King, thou art a king of Kings: for the God of heauen hath giuen thee a kingdome, power, and strength, and glorie.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;

Berean Standard Bible
You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.

Contemporary English Version
Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings, and God has highly honored you with power

Complete Jewish Bible
Your majesty, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;

Darby Translation
Thou, O king, art a king of kings, unto whom the God of the heavens hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;

Easy-to-Read Version
King, you are the most important king. The God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory.

George Lamsa Translation
You, O king, are a king of kings; for the God of heaven has given you a mighty kingdom and honor.

Good News Translation
Your Majesty, you are the greatest of all kings. The God of heaven has made you emperor and given you power, might, and honor.

Lexham English Bible
You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power and the might and the glory,

Literal Translation
You O king are the king of kings. For the God of Heaven has given you the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the honor.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O kynge, thou art a kynge off kynges: For the God off heaue hath geue the a kingdome, ryches, strength and maiesty:

American Standard Version
Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;

Bible in Basic English
You, O King, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou, O king, king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;

King James Version (1611)
Thou, O King, art a king of Kings: for the God of heauen hath giuen thee a kingdome, power, and strength, and glory.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
O king, thou art a king of kinges: for the God of heaue hath geuen vnto thee a kingdome, power, strength, & glorie.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou, O king, art a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given a powerful and strong and honourable kingdom,

English Revised Version
Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;

World English Bible
You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou art kyng of kyngis, and God of heuene yaf to thee rewme, strengthe, and empire, and glorie;

Update Bible Version
You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou, O king, [art] a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

New English Translation
"You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor.

New King James Version
You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory;

New Life Bible
You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you the nation, the power, the strength, and the honor.

New Revised Standard
You, O king, the king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou, O king, art the king of kings, - for, the God of the heavens, hath given unto thee, the kingship, the might, the power and the dignity;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou art a king of kings: and the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, and strength, and power, and glory:

Revised Standard Version
You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,

Young's Literal Translation
`Thou, O king, art a king of kings, for the God of the heavens a kingdom, strength, and might, and glory, hath given to thee;

THE MESSAGE
King Nebuchadnezzar's Dream In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar started having dreams that disturbed him deeply. He couldn't sleep. He called in all the Babylonian magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and fortunetellers to interpret his dreams for him. When they came and lined up before the king, he said to them, "I had a dream that I can't get out of my mind. I can't sleep until I know what it means." The fortunetellers, speaking in the Aramaic language, said, "Long live the king! Tell us the dream and we will interpret it." The king answered the fortunetellers, "This is my decree: If you can't tell me both the dream itself and its interpretation, I'll have you ripped to pieces, limb from limb, and your homes torn down. But if you tell me both the dream and its interpretation, I'll lavish you with gifts and honors. So go to it: Tell me the dream and its interpretation." They answered, "If it please your majesty, tell us the dream. We'll give the interpretation." But the king said, "I know what you're up to—you're just playing for time. You know you're up a tree. You know that if you can't tell me my dream, you're doomed. I see right through you—you're going to cook up some fancy stories and confuse the issue until I change my mind. Nothing doing! First tell me the dream, then I'll know that you're on the up and up with the interpretation and not just blowing smoke in my eyes." The fortunetellers said, "Nobody anywhere can do what you ask. And no king, great or small, has ever demanded anything like this from any magician, enchanter, or fortuneteller. What you're asking is impossible unless some god or goddess should reveal it—and they don't hang around with people like us." That set the king off. He lost his temper and ordered the whole company of Babylonian wise men killed. When the death warrant was issued, Daniel and his companions were included. They also were marked for execution. When Arioch, chief of the royal guards, was making arrangements for the execution, Daniel wisely took him aside and quietly asked what was going on: "Why this all of a sudden?" After Arioch filled in the background, Daniel went to the king and asked for a little time so that he could interpret the dream. Daniel then went home and told his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what was going on. He asked them to pray to the God of heaven for mercy in solving this mystery so that the four of them wouldn't be killed along with the whole company of Babylonian wise men. That night the answer to the mystery was given to Daniel in a vision. Daniel blessed the God of heaven, saying, "Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all: He changes the seasons and guides history, He raises up kings and also brings them down, he provides both intelligence and discernment, He opens up the depths, tells secrets, sees in the dark—light spills out of him! God of all my ancestors, all thanks! all praise! You made me wise and strong. And now you've shown us what we asked for. You've solved the king's mystery." So Daniel went back to Arioch, who had been put in charge of the execution. He said, "Call off the execution! Take me to the king and I'll interpret his dream." Arioch didn't lose a minute. He ran to the king, bringing Daniel with him, and said, "I've found a man from the exiles of Judah who can interpret the king's dream!" The king asked Daniel (renamed in Babylonian, Belteshazzar), "Are you sure you can do this—tell me the dream I had and interpret it for me?" Daniel answered the king, "No mere human can solve the king's mystery, I don't care who it is—no wise man, enchanter, magician, diviner. But there is a God in heaven who solves mysteries, and he has solved this one. He is letting King Nebuchadnezzar in on what is going to happen in the days ahead. This is the dream you had when you were lying on your bed, the vision that filled your mind: "While you were stretched out on your bed, O king, thoughts came to you regarding what is coming in the days ahead. The Revealer of Mysteries showed you what will happen. But the interpretation is given through me, not because I'm any smarter than anyone else in the country, but so that you will know what it means, so that you will understand what you dreamed. "What you saw, O king, was a huge statue standing before you, striking in appearance. And terrifying. The head of the statue was pure gold, the chest and arms were silver, the belly and hips were bronze, the legs were iron, and the feet were an iron-ceramic mixture. While you were looking at this statue, a stone cut out of a mountain by an invisible hand hit the statue, smashing its iron-ceramic feet. Then the whole thing fell to pieces—iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold, smashed to bits. It was like scraps of old newspapers in a vacant lot in a hot dry summer, blown every which way by the wind, scattered to oblivion. But the stone that hit the statue became a huge mountain, dominating the horizon. This was your dream. "And now we'll interpret it for the king. You, O king, are the most powerful king on earth. The God of heaven has given you the works: rule, power, strength, and glory. He has put you in charge of men and women, wild animals and birds, all over the world—you're the head ruler, you are the head of gold. But your rule will be taken over by another kingdom, inferior to yours, and that one by a third, a bronze kingdom, but still ruling the whole land, and after that by a fourth kingdom, ironlike in strength. Just as iron smashes things to bits, breaking and pulverizing, it will bust up the previous kingdoms. "But then the feet and toes that ended up as a mixture of ceramic and iron will deteriorate into a mongrel kingdom with some remains of iron in it. Just as the toes of the feet were part ceramic and part iron, it will end up a mixed bag of the breakable and unbreakable. That kingdom won't bond, won't hold together any more than iron and clay hold together. "But throughout the history of these kingdoms, the God of heaven will be building a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will this kingdom ever fall under the domination of another. In the end it will crush the other kingdoms and finish them off and come through it all standing strong and eternal. It will be like the stone cut from the mountain by the invisible hand that crushed the iron, the bronze, the ceramic, the silver, and the gold. "The great God has let the king know what will happen in the years to come. This is an accurate telling of the dream, and the interpretation is also accurate." When Daniel finished, King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face in awe before Daniel. He ordered the offering of sacrifices and burning of incense in Daniel's honor. He said to Daniel, "Your God is beyond question the God of all gods, the Master of all kings. And he solves all mysteries, I know, because you've solved this mystery." Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position in the kingdom, lavished him with gifts, and made him governor over the entire province of Babylon and the chief in charge of all the Babylonian wise men. At Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to administrative posts throughout Babylon, while Daniel governed from the royal headquarters.

Contextual Overview

³¹ "In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. ³² The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, ³³ its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. ³⁴ As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. ³⁵ The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. ³⁶ "That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. ³⁷ Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. ³⁸ 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. ³⁹ "But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. ⁴⁰ Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a king: 1 Kings 4:24, Ezra 7:12, Isaiah 10:8, Isaiah 47:5, Jeremiah 27:6, Jeremiah 27:7, Ezekiel 26:7, Hosea 8:10, Revelation 1:5, Revelation 17:14

the God: Daniel 4:25, Daniel 4:32, Daniel 5:18, 2 Chronicles 36:23, Ezra 1:2, Proverbs 8:15, Jeremiah 28:14, Revelation 19:16

power: Daniel 4:3, Daniel 4:34, Psalms 62:11, Matthew 6:13, John 19:11, Revelation 4:11, Revelation 5:12

Reciprocal: Joshua 8:1 - I have 2 Samuel 10:19 - servants 1 Kings 20:1 - Thirty and two 2 Kings 18:24 - How then 2 Kings 25:28 - the throne Esther 1:4 - the riches Psalms 75:7 - he putteth Song of Solomon 5:11 - head Isaiah 13:19 - Babylon Jeremiah 5:15 - a mighty Jeremiah 34:1 - all the kingdoms Jeremiah 52:32 - set Ezekiel 28:14 - and I Ezekiel 31:9 - made Daniel 1:2 - the Lord Daniel 2:32 - head Daniel 2:44 - the God Daniel 2:47 - a Lord Daniel 4:22 - thou Daniel 7:3 - four Daniel 7:17 - great Zechariah 1:18 - four Matthew 4:9 - I give Matthew 20:25 - exercise dominion Revelation 6:4 - power

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou, O king, art a king of kings,.... Having many kings subject and tributary to him, or would have; as the kings of Judah, Ammon, Moab, and others, and who were even his captives and prisoners; see Jeremiah 52:32. Jarchi and Saadiah join this with the next clause, "the God of heaven", and interpret it of him thus, thou, O King Nebuchadnezzar, "the King of kings, who is the God of heaven, hath given unto thee", c. so some in the Talmud understand it of God k; but this is contrary to the accents:

for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory; that is, a very powerful, strong, and glorious kingdom, famous for its mighty armies, strong fortresses, and great riches, from all which the king had great honour and glory; and this he had not by his ancestors, or his own military skill and prowess, but by the favour and gift of God.

k T. Bab. Shebuot, fol. 35. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou, O King, art a king of kings - The phrase “king of kings” is a Hebraism, to denote a supreme monarch, or one who has other kings under him as tributary, Ezra 7:12; Ezekiel 26:7. As such it is applied by way of eminence to the Son of God, in Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16. As here used, it means that Nebuchadnezzar ruled over tributary kings and princes, or that he was the most eminent of the kings of the earth. The scepter which he swayed was, in fact, extended over many nations that were once independent kingdoms, and the title here conferred on him was not one that was designed to flatter the monarch, but was a simple statement of what was an undoubted truth. Daniel would not withhold any title that was in accordance with reality, as he did not withhold any communication in accordance with reality that was adapted to humble the monarch.

For the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom ... - At the same time that Daniel gave him a title which might in itself have ministered to the pride of the monarch, he is careful to remind him that he held this title in virtue of no wisdom or power of his own. It was the true God who had conferred on him the sovereignty of these extensive realms, and it was one of the designs of this vision to show him that he held his power at his will, and that at his pleasure he could cause it to pass away. It was the forgetfulness of this, and the pride resulting from that forgetfulness, which led to the melancholy calamity which befel this haughty monarch, as recorded in Daniel 4:0.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 37. The God of heaven — Not given by thy own gods, nor acquired by thy own skill and prowess; it is a Divine gift.

Power — To rule this kingdom.

And strength — To defend it against all foes.

And glory. — Great honour and dignity.