The Meaning of Daniel 2:5 Explained

Daniel 2:5

KJV: The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

YLT: The king hath answered and said to the Chaldeans, 'The thing from me is gone; if ye do not cause me to know the dream and its interpretation, pieces ye are made, and your houses are made dunghills;

Darby: The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The command is gone forth from me: If ye do not make known unto me the dream, and its interpretation, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

ASV: The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye make not known unto me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The king  answered  and said  to the Chaldeans,  The thing  is gone  from me:  if  ye will not  make known  unto me the dream,  with the interpretation  thereof, ye shall be cut  in pieces,  and your houses  shall be made  a dunghill. 

What does Daniel 2:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Daniel 2:1-13 - The Forgotten Dream
This was the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's sole reign. At first he was joint-governor with his father. From Daniel 2:4 b to Daniel 7:28 the Syriac language is employed, and as this was the vernacular tongue of the king and his court, it is possible that this part of Daniel's record is based upon documents of state. The king's argument throughout his discussion with the magicians and astrologers, was that if they could not recall the past, they certainly could not be trusted to foretell the future; and the failure of the wise-men provided the opportunity for the greater triumph of the servant of God. The wise-men of Babylon said truly that only the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh, could recover lost dreams. Daniel thought so, too, only he looked to the Lord God of his fathers. Irresponsible power is a temptation to the ruler, and perilous to the ruled. No mortal should have despotic power over life and death. But a movement is afoot in our times which is likely to give to all nations what Abraham Lincoln described as, "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." [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 2:5 mean?

Answered king the and said Chaldean to Chaldeans the decision My is firm if not you do make known to me dream the and its interpretation in pieces you shall be cut and your houses an ash heap shall be made
עָנֵ֤ה מַלְכָּא֙ וְאָמַ֣ר [לכשדיא] (לְכַשְׂדָּאֵ֔י) מִלְּתָ֖א מִנִּ֣י אַזְדָּ֑א הֵ֣ן לָ֤א תְהֽוֹדְעוּנַּ֙נִי֙ חֶלְמָ֣א וּפִשְׁרֵ֔הּ הַדָּמִין֙ תִּתְעַבְד֔וּן וּבָתֵּיכ֖וֹן נְוָלִ֥י יִתְּשָׂמֽוּן

עָנֵ֤ה  Answered 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עֲנָה  
Sense: to answer, respond.
מַלְכָּא֙  king  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king.
וְאָמַ֣ר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אֲמַר  
Sense: (P’al) to say, to speak, to command, to tell, to relate.
[לכשדיא]  Chaldean 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
(לְכַשְׂדָּאֵ֔י)  to  Chaldeans  the 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: כַּשְׂדָּי  
Sense: the inhabitants of Chaldea, living on the lower Euphrates and Tigris.
מִלְּתָ֖א  decision 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular determinate
Root: מִלָּה  
Sense: word, thing.
מִנִּ֣י  My 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: מִן  
Sense: from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than.
אַזְדָּ֑א  is  firm 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: אַזְדָּא  
Sense: (P’al) to be gone.
תְהֽוֹדְעוּנַּ֙נִי֙  you  do  make  known  to  me 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, first person common singular
Root: יְדַע  
Sense: to know.
חֶלְמָ֣א  dream  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: חֵלֶם  
Sense: dream.
וּפִשְׁרֵ֔הּ  and  its  interpretation 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פְּשַׁר  
Sense: interpretation (of dream).
הַדָּמִין֙  in  pieces 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: הַדָּם  
Sense: member, limb, member of the body.
תִּתְעַבְד֔וּן  you  shall  be  cut 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: עֲבַד  
Sense: to make, do.
וּבָתֵּיכ֖וֹן  and  your  houses 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בַּיִת  
Sense: house (of men).
נְוָלִ֥י  an  ash  heap 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נְוָלוּ  
Sense: refuse-heap, dunghill, outhouse.
יִתְּשָׂמֽוּן  shall  be  made 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שִׂים  
Sense: to set, make, appoint.