Daniel 2:2

2:2 The king issued an order ¹  to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men ²  in order to explain his dreams to him. ³  So they came and awaited the king’s instructions. ⁴ 

Daniel 2:10-11

2:10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king’s secret, ⁵  for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man. 2:11 What the king is asking is too difficult, and no one exists who can disclose it to the king, except for the gods – but they don’t live among mortals!” ⁶ 

Daniel 5:7-8

5:7 The king called out loudly ⁷  to summon ⁸  the astrologers, wise men, and diviners. The king proclaimed ⁹  to the wise men of Babylon that anyone who could read this inscription and disclose its interpretation would be clothed in purple ¹⁰  and have a golden collar ¹¹  placed on his neck and be third ruler in the kingdom.

5:8 So all the king’s wise men came in, but they were unable to read the writing or to make known its ¹²  interpretation to the king.

[2:2]  ¹ tn Heb “said.” So also in v. 12.

[2:2]  ² tn Heb “Chaldeans.” The term Chaldeans (Hebrew כַּשְׂדִּים, kasdim) is used in the book of Daniel both in an ethnic sense and, as here, to refer to a caste of Babylonian wise men and astrologers.

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “to explain to the king his dreams.”

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “stood before the king.”

[2:10]  ⁵ tn Aram “matter, thing.”

[2:11]  ⁶ tn Aram “whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

[5:7]  ⁷ tn Aram “in strength.”

[5:7]  ⁸ tn Aram “cause to enter.”

[5:7]  ⁹ tn Aram “answered and said.”

[5:7]  ¹⁰ sn Purple was a color associated with royalty in the ancient world.

[5:7]  ¹¹ tn The term translated “golden collar” here probably refers to something more substantial than merely a gold chain (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT) or necklace (cf. NASB).

[5:8]  ¹² tc Read וּפִשְׁרֵהּ (ufishreh) with the Qere rather than וּפִשְׁרָא (ufishra’) of the Kethib.