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 2:5KJV
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Daniel 2:5 (KJV)

What does Daniel 2:5 mean?

Daniel 2:5 records King Nebuchadnezzar telling the Chaldean wise men that if they cannot tell him both his dream and its meaning, they will be executed and their houses destroyed. The king is making a severe threat to show he demands not just an interpretation, but for them to reveal the dream itself, which he claims he no longer remembers.

In this scene, King Nebuchadnezzar is speaking to the Chaldeans, a group of Babylonian wise men and astrologers, after having a troubling dream. The king insists that the wise men must first recount the dream he had, not just interpret it, or face deadly consequences. This sets up the dramatic tension in the story, showing the king’s absolute power and the impossible challenge he places before his advisors.

The Aramaic behind Daniel 2:5

  • "thing" (מִלָּה, millāh): This word is often understood as "matter" or "decree" and here refers to the king’s command or the dream itself. The ambiguity lets the verse carry both senses: the king’s forgotten dream and his strict order.
  • "cut" (הַדָּה, haddā’): This word means to be "cut" or "destroyed." The king threatens a violent and total punishment, emphasizing the seriousness of his demand.
  • "dunghill" (נְוָלוּ, nevālu): This word means a heap of refuse or ruins. The king’s threat extends beyond personal harm to total disgrace and destruction of the wise men’s families and homes.

Why Daniel 2:5 matters

  • Daniel 2:5 highlights the absolute authority and unpredictability of Nebuchadnezzar, helping readers understand the fear and pressure faced by those who served him.
  • The verse clarifies that the king is not just asking for an interpretation, but for a supernatural revelation of the dream itself, setting the stage for Daniel’s later role.
  • This moment shows the limits of human wisdom and the desperation of the wise men, which becomes a turning point in the story and emphasizes the need for divine intervention.

Where else these words appear

“gone” Hebrew H230 · used in 2 verses

  • Daniel 2:8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

“pieces” Hebrew H1917 · used in 2 verses

  • Daniel 3:29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

“dunghill” Hebrew H5122 · used in 3 verses

  • Ezra 6:11 Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.
  • Daniel 3:29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

“Chaldeans” Hebrew H3779 · used in 7 verses

  • 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.
  • 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;