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.

DANIEL 2:10KJV
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Daniel 2:10 (KJV)

What does Daniel 2:10 mean?

Daniel 2:10 describes how the Chaldeans, Babylonian wise men, tell King Nebuchadnezzar that no human being on earth can do what he is asking—namely, to reveal and interpret his mysterious dream without being told what it was. They insist that no king has ever demanded such an impossible thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man before.

In this scene, the Chaldeans are responding directly to King Nebuchadnezzar’s demand for them to both recount and interpret his dream, something he refuses to reveal to them. The verse shows their desperation and the limits of human wisdom, as they admit that the king’s request is beyond anyone’s power. This sets the stage for Daniel, who will later show that only God can reveal such mysteries.

The Hebrew / Aramaic behind Daniel 2:10

  • חַסְדָּאָה (kas-da-ah, “Chaldeans”): This term refers to a specific group of Babylonian wise men or astrologers, not just any wise person. Their admission of failure highlights the uniqueness of Daniel’s later success.
  • לָא (la, “not”): The strong negative here emphasizes the impossibility of the king’s request from a human perspective.
  • אֱנָשׁ (enash, “man”): This word for “man” underlines that no ordinary human has the ability to do what the king asks, pointing to the need for divine intervention.
  • מִלָּה (mil-lah, “matter” or “thing”): The word for “matter” refers to the king’s demand, stressing that it is not just difficult but entirely out of reach for human wisdom.

Why Daniel 2:10 matters

  • Daniel 2:10 clarifies that the Babylonian wise men recognized the king’s demand as unprecedented and impossible, which helps the reader understand the gravity of the situation.
  • The verse highlights the limits of human wisdom and ability, setting up the contrast with Daniel’s later revelation that comes from God.
  • This admission by the Chaldeans prepares the reader for the theme of divine wisdom versus human wisdom that runs throughout the book of Daniel.

Where else these words appear

“magician” Hebrew H2749 · used in 5 verses

  • 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 magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
  • Daniel 4:7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
  • 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.

“asked” Hebrew H7593 · used in 6 verses

  • Ezra 5:9 Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls?
  • Ezra 5:10 We asked their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them.
  • Daniel 2:11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

“astrologer” Hebrew H826 · used in 6 verses

  • 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 magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
  • Daniel 4:7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
  • Daniel 5:11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

“Chaldeans” Hebrew H3779 · used in 7 verses

  • Daniel 2:5 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.
  • Daniel 4:7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
  • Daniel 5:11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;