Daniel 4:9

Daniel 4:9

O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

a. ASV: O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

b. YLT: 'O Belteshazzar, master of the scribes, as I have known that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret doth press thee, the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation, tell.

c. Classic Amplified: O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you and no secret mystery is a burden or troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and the interpretation of it.

d. Septuagint [Daniel 4:9 in our Bible is Daniel 4:6 in the Septuagint]: O Baltasar, chief of the enchanters, of whom I know that the Holy Spirit of God is in thee, and no mystery is too hard for thee, hear the vision of my dream which I had, and tell me the interpretation of it.

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/ Writings [Daniel 4:9 in our Bible is Daniel 4:6 in Jewish Bibles]: Belteshazzar, chief of the necromancers, since I know that the spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret is hidden from you, this is the vision of the dream that I saw; tell its interpretation.

1. “O Belteshazzar…”

a. [O] Belteshazzar [Strong: 1096 Bêlṭᵉshaʼtstsar, bale-tesh-ats-tsar'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H1095:—Belteshazzar.] 

1). After he was brought to Babylon, Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar by Ashpenaz, the leader of the eunuchs.

a). Daniel 1:7 Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

2. “…master of the magicians…”

a. master [Strong: 7229 rab, rab; (Aramaic) corresponding to H7227:—captain, chief, great, lord, master, stout.]

b. [of the] magicians [Strong: 2749 charṭôm, khar-tome'; (Aramaic) the same as H2748:—magician.]

1). Daniel was appointed this position by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar because Daniel alone could not only retell the dream to the king but also could interpret the dream to the king.

a). Daniel 2:48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

3. “…because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee and no secret troubleth thee…”

a. because [Strong: 1768 diy dee (Aramaic) apparently for 1668; that, used as relative conjunction, and especially (with a preposition) in adverbial phrases; also as preposition of:--X as, but, for(-asmuch +), + now, of, seeing, than, that, therefore, until, + what (-soever), when, which, whom, whose.]

b. I [Strong: 576 ʼănâʼ, an-aw'; (Aramaic) or אֲנָה ʼănâh; (Aramaic), corresponding to H589; I:—I, as for me.]

c. know [Strong: 3046 yᵉdaʻ, yed-ah'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H3045:—certify, know, make known, teach.]

d. that [Strong: 1768 diy dee (Aramaic) apparently for 1668; that, used as relative conjunction, and especially (with a preposition) in adverbial phrases; also as preposition of:--X as, but, for(-asmuch +), + now, of, seeing, than, that, therefore, until, + what (-soever), when, which, whom, whose.]

e. [the] spirit [Strong: 7308 rûwach, roo'-akh; (Aramaic) corresponding to H7307:—mind, spirit, wind.]

f. [of the] holy [Strong: 6922 qaddîysh, kad-deesh'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H6918.:—Holy (One), saint.]

g. gods [is in thee] [Strong: 426 ʼĕlâhh, el-aw'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H433; God:—God, god.]

h. and [Strong: 3606 kol kole (Aramaic) corresponding to 3605:--all, any, + (forasmuch) as, + be-(for this) cause, every, + no (manner, -ne), + there (where)-fore, + though, what (where, who)-soever, (the) whole.]

i. no [Strong: 3809 la' law (Aramaic) or lah (Aramaic) (Dan. 4:32) {law}; corresponding to 3808:--or even, neither, no(-ne, -r), ((can-))not, as nothing, without.]

j. secret [Strong: 7328 râz, rawz; (Aramaic) from an unused root probably meaning to attenuate, i.e. (figuratively) hide; a mystery:—secret.]

k. troubleth [thee] [Strong: 598 ʼânaç, aw-nas'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H597; figuratively, to distress:—trouble.]

1). Daniel had already shown to the Babylonian king and his leadership about his relationship to the one true God and that it was He alone who could answer the unanswerable. The entire second chapter of Daniel explains what happened when Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream that he forgot and demanded of the wise men not only the interpretation but the dream also (Daniel 2:25-49) .

a). Daniel 2:25-49 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

2:26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

2:30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

2:38 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.

2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

2:42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

2:46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.

2:47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

2:48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

2:49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

2). It was because of this incident and Daniel’s faithfulness that Nebuchadnezzar promoted him the chief of the magicians of Babylon. A more familiar word would be “Magi”. Daniel’s influence over this group can be seen hundreds of years later at the birth of Christ.

a). Matthew 2:1, 2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3). Who were the Magi, Chuck Missler: “The ancient Magi were a hereditary priesthood of the Medes …credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge. After some Magi, who had been attached to the Median court, proved to be expert in the interpretation of dreams, Darius the Great established them over the state religion of Persia…It was in this dual capacity, whereby civil and political counsel was invested with religious authority, that the Magi became the supreme priestly caste of the Persian empire and continued to be prominent during the subsequent Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods. One of the titles given to Daniel was Rab-mag, the Chief of the Magi (Daniel 4:9; 5:11). His unusual career included being a principal administrator in two world empires, the Babylonian and the subsequent Persian Empire. When Darius appointed him, a Jew, over the previously hereditary Median priesthood, the resulting repercussions led to the plots involving the ordeal of the lions den, (Daniel 6).

Daniel apparently entrusted a Messianic vision (to be announced in due time by a “star”) to a secret sect of the Magi for its eventual fulfillment. It was at this time (the time of Christ), that the Magi, in their dual priestly and governmental office, composed the upper house of the Council of the Megistanes (from which we get the term “magistrates”), whose duties included the absolute choice and selection of the king of the realm. It was, therefore a group of Persian-Parthian “king-makers” who entered Jerusalem in the latter days of Herod. Herod’s reaction was understandably one of fear when one considers the background of Roman-Parthian rivalry that prevailed during his lifetime…In Jerusalem, the sudden appearance of the Magi, probably traveling in force with all imaginable oriental pomp and accompanied by an adequate cavalry escort to insure their safe penetration of Roman territory, certainly alarmed Herod and the populace of Jerusalem.

4. “…tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.”

a. Tell [me] [Strong: 560 ʼămar, am-ar'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H559:—command, declare, say, speak, tell.]

b. [the] visions [Strong: 2376 chêzêv, khay'-zev; (Aramaic) from H2370; a sight:—look, vision.]

c. [of my] dream [Strong: 2493 chêlem, khay'-lem; (Aramaic) from a root corresponding to H2492; a dream:—dream.]

d. [that I have] seen [Strong: 2370 chăzâʼ, khaz-aw'; (Aramaic) or חֲזָה chăzâh; (Aramaic), corresponding to H2372; to gaze upon; mentally to dream, be usual (i.e. seem):—behold, have (a dream), see, be wont.]

e. [and the] interpretation [thereof] [Strong: 6591  pᵉshar, pesh-ar'; (Aramaic) from H6590; an interpretation:—interpretation.]

1). The dream of course is the one that foretold of Nebuchadnezzar’s temporary removal from his throne for seven years. An amazing fact about this is that Nebuchadnezzar’s throne remained secure even in his absence of seven years because of madness. I am fully persuaded that his throne was secure because of Daniel’s influence.