The Meaning of Daniel 2:23 Explained

Daniel 2:23

KJV: I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

YLT: Thee, O God of my fathers, I am thanking and praising, for wisdom and might Thou hast given to me; and now, Thou hast caused me to know that which we have sought from Thee, for the king's matter Thou hast caused us to know.'

Darby: I thank thee, and I praise thee, O God of my fathers, Who hast given me wisdom and might, And hast made known unto me already what we desired of thee; For thou hast made known unto us the king's matter.

ASV: I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee; for thou hast made known unto us the king's matter.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I  thank  thee, and praise  thee, O thou God  of my fathers,  who hast given  me wisdom  and might,  and hast made known  unto me now  what we desired  of thee:  for thou hast [now] made known  unto us the king's  matter. 

What does Daniel 2:23 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Perhaps Daniel referred to Yahweh as the "God of his [1] fathers" because he was experiencing God"s compassion in a similar way that his spiritual forefathers had experienced it. He gave the credit for the Wisdom of Solomon , and its resultant power that he had received, to its proper Source. Daniel did not originate these revelations but received them from God and communicated them to others (cf. 2 Peter 1:21). He viewed the vision as an answer to the prayers of himself and his three friends ( Daniel 2:23). He was confident that the information God had given him would save their lives. This confidence is testimony to the clarity and obvious supernatural source of this revelation. Daniel did not need to contrive an answer that he hoped would satisfy the king, as the Babylonian seers did. He simply needed to declare the revelation that the only living and true God had given him.
We should bear this testimony of Daniel in mind when we read the later revelations God gave him in this book. They are as reliable as this one was, because they too came from the God of wisdom and power.

Context Summary

Daniel 2:14-35 - Wisdom Granted In The Hour Of Need
The action of Daniel in this supreme crisis is very instructive. He reckoned absolutely on God, and in his chivalrous endeavor to save the lives of the aged men, the heads of the college in which he had been trained. He never doubted that God would be His stay. A prayer meeting was convened to ask for the merciful interposition of the God of heaven, and at its close Daniel seems to have lain down to sleep in unwavering faith. In this act we are reminded of Jesus sleeping amid the storm. Only a heart so pure and true, so trustful and godly, could have slept within the shadow of so terrible a menace. It was in a night-vision that he beheld the majestic procession of empire, from the gold of absolute monarchy to the clay and metal of constitutional government. Note his care to give all the glory to God and to take the humble position of the mere channel through which the divine message was transmitted to the king. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 2

1  Nebuchadnezzar, forgetting his dream,
5  requires it of the Chaldeans, by promises and threats
10  They acknowledging their inability are judged to die
14  Daniel obtaining some respite finds the dream
19  He blesses God
24  He staying the decree is brought to the king
31  The dream
36  The interpretation
46  Daniel's advancement

What do the individual words in Daniel 2:23 mean?

You God of my fathers thank and praise You I who me wisdom and might You have given me now have made known to me what we asked of You for demand king's the You have made known to us
לָ֣ךְ ׀ אֱלָ֣הּ אֲבָהָתִ֗י מְהוֹדֵ֤א וּמְשַׁבַּח֙ אֲנָ֔ה דִּ֧י חָכְמְתָ֛א וּגְבוּרְתָ֖א יְהַ֣בְתְּ לִ֑י וּכְעַ֤ן הֽוֹדַעְתַּ֙נִי֙ דִּֽי־ בְעֵ֣ינָא מִנָּ֔ךְ דִּֽי־ מִלַּ֥ת מַלְכָּ֖א הוֹדַעְתֶּֽנָא

אֱלָ֣הּ  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אֱלָהּ  
Sense: god, God.
אֲבָהָתִ֗י  of  my  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: אַב  
Sense: father.
מְהוֹדֵ֤א  thank 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יְדָה  
Sense: (Aphel) to praise, give thanks.
וּמְשַׁבַּח֙  and  praise  You 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שְׁבַח  
Sense: (Pael) to laud, praise, adulate, adore.
דִּ֧י  who  me 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: דִּי  
Sense: who, which, that mark of genitive.
חָכְמְתָ֛א  wisdom 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular determinate
Root: חָכְמָה  
Sense: wisdom.
וּגְבוּרְתָ֖א  and  might 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular determinate
Root: גְּבוּרָה  
Sense: might.
יְהַ֣בְתְּ  You  have  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יְהַב  
Sense: to give, provide.
לִ֑י  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
וּכְעַ֤ן  now 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: כְּעַן  
Sense: now, at this time, until now.
הֽוֹדַעְתַּ֙נִי֙  have  made  known  to  me 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: יְדַע  
Sense: to know.
בְעֵ֣ינָא  we  asked 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: בְּעָה  
Sense: to ask, seek, request, desire, pray, make petition.
מִנָּ֔ךְ  of  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: מִן  
Sense: from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than.
מִלַּ֥ת  demand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מִלָּה  
Sense: word, thing.
מַלְכָּ֖א  king's  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king.
הוֹדַעְתֶּֽנָא  You  have  made  known  to  us 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine singular, first person common plural
Root: יְדַע  
Sense: to know.