SUMMARY
These final verses describe Nebuchadnezzar’s ebullient response to Daniel’s report and interpretation. The king is so overwhelmed that he falls to the ground, worships DanielAn interpreter of dreams who was delivered from the lions' den. More, and makes an offering to him. In recognition of YHWH’s sovereignty, he acknowledges that Daniel’s God is “God of gods and Lord of kings” (v. 47). Daniel and his friends also receive promotions.
ANALYSIS
These verses describe the first of several instances in which the ruler becomes the pupil. Chapters 3, 4, and 6 contain similar themes. In Daniel 2, NebuchadnezzarBabylonian king who conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled the people. More learns an important but bruising theological lesson: that he is the recipient (not the source) of his royal authority and that his empire has finite limitations, especially when it comes to longevity. Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would eventually give way to another, until all empires had spent their energy and given way to a kingdom that outlasts all others (v. 44).
Like rulers from other cultures, the kings of the ancient Near East liked to imagine that their dynasties would last forever, and that their mighty deeds would be remembered for all time. The narrative of Daniel 2 reminds Nebuchadnezzar that the sands of time would also eventually erode and envelop his own kingdom. The only kingdom that would persist forever was the one that God alone establishes (v. 44).
