Daniel 2:10

The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Chaldeans	כַשְׂדָּאֵ֤י khas.da.i	H3779	a Chaldaean or inhabitant of Chaldaea · noun, gentilic masculine plural determined + particle of affirmation
answered	עֲנ֨וֹ a.No	H6032	properly · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine plural
before	קֳדָם ko.dom-	H6925	before · noun, common both genders singular construct
king	מַלְכָּא֙ mal.Ka'	H4430	a king · noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
said	וְאָ֣מְרִ֔ין ve.'A.me.Rin	H560	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
is	אִיתַ֤י 'i.Tai	H383	properly · noun, common both genders singular absolute
not	לָֽא la'-	H3809	not (the simple or abs. negation) · negative particle
man	אֲנָשׁ֙ 'a.Nash	H606	a man · noun, common both genders singular absolute
upon	עַל 'al-	H5922	above · preposition
earth	יַבֶּשְׁתָּ֔א ya.besh.Ta'	H3007	dry land · noun, common feminine singular determined + particle of affirmation
can	יוּכַ֖ל yu.Khal	H3202	to be able · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
shew	לְהַחֲוָיָ֑ה le.ha.cha.va.Yah	H2324	to show · preposition + verb, hiphil infinitive construct
king’s	מַלְכָּ֔א mal.Ka'	H4430	a king · noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
matter	מִלַּ֣ת mi.Lat	H4406	a word · noun, common feminine singular construct
therefore	קֳבֵ֗ל ko.Vel	H6903	(adverbially) in front of · noun, common both genders singular absolute
no	לָ֣א la'	H3809	not (the simple or abs. negation) · negative particle
king	מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ Me.lekh	H4430	a king · noun, common both genders singular absolute
lord	רַ֣ב rav	H7229	abundant · adjective, both genders singular absolute
ruler	וְשַׁלִּ֔יט ve.sha.Lit	H7990	mighty · conjunction + adjective, both genders singular absolute
asked	שְׁאֵ֔ל she.'El	H7593	to inquire · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
such	כִדְנָה֙ khid.Nah	H1836	this · preposition + demonstrative particle
things	מִלָּ֤ה mi.Lah	H4406	a word · noun, common feminine singular absolute
any	כָּל kol-	H3606	properly · noun, common both genders singular construct
magician	חַרְטֹּ֖ם chart.Tom	H2749	a horoscopist (as drawing magical lines or circles) · noun, common both genders singular absolute
astrologer	וְאָשַׁ֥ף ve.'a.Shaf	H826	a conjurer · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular absolute
Chaldean	וְכַשְׂדָּֽי ve.khas.Dai	H3779	a Chaldaean or inhabitant of Chaldaea · conjunction + noun, gentilic both genders singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Daniel 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 mag…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Daniel 2:1-13

We meet with a great difficulty in the date of this story; it is said to be in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Dan 2:1. Now Daniel was carried to Babylon in his first year, and, it should seem, he was three years under tutors and governors before he was presented to the king, Dan 1:5. How then could this happen in the second year? Perhaps, though three years were appointed for the education of other children, yet Daniel was so forward that he was taken into business when he had been but one year at school, and so in the second year he became thus considerable. Some make it to be the second year after he began to reign alone, but the fifth or sixth year since he began to reign…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 2:10

There is not a man . . . that can show--God makes the heathen out of their own mouth, condemn their impotent pretensions to supernatural knowledge, in order to bring out in brighter contrast His power to reveal secrets to His servants, though but "men upon the earth" (compare Dan 2:22-23). therefore, &c.--that is, If such things could be done by men, other absolute princes would have required them from their magicians; as they have not, it is proof such things cannot be done and cannot be reasonably asked from us.

Adam Clarke on Daniel 2:10

There is not a man upon the earth - The thing is utterly impossible to man. This was their decision: and when Daniel gave the dream, with its interpretation, they knew that the spirit of the holy gods was in him. So, even according to their own theology, he was immeasurably greater than the wisest in Babylon or in the world.

John Gill on Daniel 2:10

The Chaldeans answered before the King, and said,.... As follows, in order to appease his wrath, and cool his resentment, and bring him to reason: there is not a man upon the earth can show the king's matter; or, "upon the dry land" (g): upon the continent, throughout the whole world, in any country whatever; not one single man can be found, be he ever so wise and learned, that can show the king what he requires; and yet Daniel afterwards did; and so it appears, by this confession, that he was greater than they, or any other of the same profession with them: this is one argument they use to convince the king of the unreasonableness of his demand; it being such that no man on earth was equal…

The Church Fathers

And so since they said that what the king sought was impossible to be recounted by a man, God showed them that the things which are impossible with men, are possible with God.
— Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.4

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Astrologer — (Dan. 1:20; 2:2, 10, 27, etc.) Heb. ‘ashshaph’, an enchanter, one who professes to divine future events by the appearance of the stars. This science flourished among the Chaldeans. It was positively…
Prayer — Is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or…
Magician · Nebuchadnezzars — Nebuchadnezzars
Sorcery · .By the Babylonians — .By the Babylonians

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Daniel 2:10

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Daniel 2:1-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 2:10

Adam Clarke on Daniel 2:10

John Gill on Daniel 2:10

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Daniel 2:10

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Daniel 2:1-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 2:10

Adam Clarke on Daniel 2:10

John Gill on Daniel 2:10

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Daniel 2:10

Keil & Delitzsch on Daniel 2:1-13

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Daniel 2:10-11

Rashi on Daniel 2:10