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Daniel 2:2

ESV Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
NIV So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king,
NASB Then the king gave orders to call in the soothsayer priests, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
CSB So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king,
NLT He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king,
KJV Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
NKJV Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

What does Daniel 2:2 mean?

Nebuchadnezzar employed a variety of spiritualists, diviners, occultists, and scholars to give him advice (Daniel 1:20; 2:10, 27). Some probably served a function like the magicians of Egypt in the days of Joseph and Moses (Genesis 41:8; Exodus 7:11). The same Hebrew root word, hartōm, refers to all these men and is translated "magician." The term literally refers to a person who writes, in this case an occult scribe.

This verse also uses the root word assāp, referring to conjurers or necromancers. The third term is kashaph, meaning a witch or sorcerer. Last are kasdim', translated as "Chaldeans;" that cultural group was particularly associated with astrology (Daniel 2:4). The men described by these various terms would have claimed the ability to read stars, commune with spirits, conjure the dead, or cast spells to tell the future and uncover hidden knowledge.

The unusual part of the king's request is that he wants to be told the content of his dream—not merely what it meant (Daniel 2:5). This serves as a test of his diviners and magicians. If they have that much insight, shouldn't they be able to tell him what he'd dreamed? If they cannot, why not think they're lying and inventing their interpretations? The men ultimately admit that only a real god could know Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:11), opening the door for Daniel to explain the power of the God of Israel (Daniel 2:27–28).
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