0. Welcome
Opening Question:
In what ways do you feel that the United States of America is stable and enduring or unstable and vulnerable?
In the words of the lyricist
"Ripple," lyrics by Robert Hunter, music by Jerry Garcia (https://www.dead.net/song/ripple)
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of man
1. Plan for this class
2. Introduction to Chapter 2
a. The Romance of the Successful or Wise Courtier
b. The Empires or Kingdoms relevant to chapters 2 and 7 - views of commentators and rabbinic midrash
c. The Aramaic Language
3. Questions for our Text
4. Text of Chapter 2: The Dream of Nebuchadnezzar
5. Discussion and Commentaries
6. Brief Retelling of Chapter 3: The Friends and the Fiery Furnace
7. Summary and Next Class
2. Introduction to Chapter 2
2a. The Romance of the Successful or Wise Courtier (chapters 1-6)
As shared in the source sheet for Class 1:
"The specific type of midrash or edifying stories in the anonymous Part One of the book, chapters 1-6, is a Jewish adaptation of a literary genre found elsewhere in the Old Testament and in other ancient Near Eastern literature, namely the religious romance or popular tale of the successful or wise courtier." [Alexander DiLella, Introduction to Daniel (Anchor Bible 1978), p 55]
Parallels in Tanach:
- Joseph stories in Genesis
- Esther
Stories of the successful or wise courtier often involve a competition between the hero and other courtiers.
2b. The Empires or Kingdoms in Chapter 2 (and Chapter 7) - views of commentators and of rabbinic midrash
- Babylonia - Nebuchadnezzar in chs. 1-4 (reigned 605-562 BCE); Belshazzar in chs. 5, 7, 8 (coregent 549-539)
- Media ("Darius the Mede" in chs. 6 and 9)
- "Outside the Book of Daniel there is no record of a Median kingdom between the Babylonian and Persian empires." - DiLella, Anchor Daniel, p. 30
- See map of Median Empire, below
- Persia - Cyrus the Great in chs. 10-12 (reigned 550-530)
- Greece (=Macedonians) is 'far into the future from the viewpoint of Daniel the seer' (DiLella, Anchor Bible: Daniel, p. 29)
- Alexander's Empire
- Successor Empires
Rabbinic Midrash. (As expressed, for example, by Rashi, see commentary to Daniel 2:39 and 2:44)
- Babylonia
- Media/Persia
- Greece (=Macedonians and Successors)
- Rome
BABYLONIA
The Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nabonidus (r. 556–539 BC) Neo-Babylonian Empire at its greatest territorial extent. By IchthyovenatorSémhur (base map) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105149705
MEDIA
By FaradzhoffEma - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94963536 ‘
Media ...was a political entity centered in Ecbatana that existed from the 7th century BCE until the mid-6th century BCE and is believed to have dominated a significant portion of the Iranian plateau, preceding the powerful Achaemenid Empire. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_kingdom
PERSIA
The Achaemenid Empire at its greatest territorial extent, under the rule of Darius the Great (522–486 BC)
By Cattette - This file has been extracted from another file, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113179532
GREECE = Macedonians
Alexander the Great of Macedon
Map of Alexander's empire and his route (334-323 BCE)
By Generic Mapping Tools - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=656066
"GREECE" /
Successors of Alexander
Kingdoms of the Diadochi in 301 BC
"The Diadochi … were the rival generals, families, and friends of Alexander the Great who fought for control over his empire after his death in 323 BC." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diadochi
By Diadochi PT.svg: Luigi Chiesa (talk · contribs)derivative work: Morningstar1814 (talk) - Diadochi PT.svg; The Macedonian Empire, 336-323 B.C. AND Kingdoms of the Diadochi in 301 BC and 200 BC. Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1911. Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61818665
?ROME
The Roman Empire (red) and its clients (pink) in 117 AD during the reign of emperor Trajan.
By Tataryn - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19625326
2c. The Aramaic Language
Imperial Aramaic (including Aramaic of Daniel chapters 2-7)
"a designation for a distinctive, socially prominent phase in the history of Aramaic language, that lasted from the middle of the 8th century BCE to the end of the 4th century BCE and was marked by the use of Aramaic as a language of public life and administration in the late Neo-Assyrian Empire and its successor states, the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Achaemenid Empire..." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic
The first fruits ceremony described at the beginning of the Torah Portion Ki Tavo, to be read on the Shabbat following this class:
(5) You shall then recite as follows before your God ה׳: “My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation.
The Aramaic portions of Daniel include words from Hebrew, Egyptian, Persian, and Greek
3. Questions for Chapter 2
- Consider the dream (see vv. 31-35) independent of its interpretation (vv. 37-45).
- The king's dream: Compare this chapter to the story of Pharaoh's dream in Bereshit
- Compare Daniel's role in the court here to his role in chapter 1 (compare 2:25 to 1:20)
- What is the point of the dream and its interpretation for the intended reader?
- How does the king react to Daniel's words (vv. 46-48)?
4. Our Text: Chapter 2 - The Dream of Nebuchadnezzar
We will read and discuss the dream first and then read it in context.
(31) “O king, as you looked on, there appeared a great statue. This statue, which was huge and its brightness surpassing, stood before you, and its appearance was awesome. (32) The head of that statue was of fine gold; its breast and arms were of silver; its belly and thighs, of bronze; (33) its legs were of iron, and its feet part iron and part clay. (34) As you looked on, a stone was hewn out, not by hands, and struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. (35) All at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were crushed, and became like chaff of the threshing floors of summer; a wind carried them off until no trace of them was left. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (36) “Such was the dream, and we will now tell the king its meaning.
Discussion
In the eyes of the artist
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), The Image Seen by Nebuchadnezzar, 1655
The king dreams
(1) In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream; his spirit was agitated, yet he was overcome by- sleep. (2) The king ordered the magicians, exorcists, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to be summoned in order to tell the king what he had dreamed. They came and stood before the king, (3) and the king said to them, “I have had a dream and I am full of anxiety to know what I have dreamed.” (4) The Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Relate the dream to your servants, and we will tell its meaning.” (5) The king said in reply to the Chaldeans, “I hereby decree: If you will not make the dream and its meaning known to me, you shall be torn limb from limb and your houses confiscated. (6) But if you tell the dream and its meaning, you shall receive from me gifts, presents, and great honor; therefore, tell me the dream and its meaning.”
The king's demand of his wise men
(7) Once again they answered, “Let the king relate the dream to his servants, and we will tell its meaning.” (8) The king said in reply, “It is clear to me that you are playing for time, since you see that I have decreed (9) that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one verdict for you. You have conspired to tell me something false and fraudulent until circumstances change; so relate the dream to me, and I will then know that you can tell its meaning.” (10) The Chaldeans said in reply to the king, “There is no one on earth who can satisfy the king’s demand, for great king or ruler—none has ever asked such a thing of any magician, exorcist, or Chaldean. (11) The thing asked by the king is difficult; there is no one who can tell it to the king except the gods whose abode is not among mortals.” (12) Whereupon the king flew into a violent rage, and gave an order to do away with all the wise men of Babylon.
(יג) וְדָתָ֣א נֶפְקַ֔ת וְחַכִּֽימַיָּ֖א מִֽתְקַטְּלִ֑ין וּבְע֛וֹ דָּנִיֵּ֥אל וְחַבְר֖וֹהִי לְהִתְקְטָלָֽה׃ {ס} (יד) בֵּאדַ֣יִן דָּנִיֵּ֗אל הֲתִיב֙ עֵטָ֣א וּטְעֵ֔ם לְאַרְי֕וֹךְ רַב־טַבָּחַיָּ֖א דִּ֣י מַלְכָּ֑א דִּ֚י נְפַ֣ק לְקַטָּלָ֔ה לְחַכִּימֵ֖י בָּבֶֽל׃ (טו) עָנֵ֣ה וְאָמַ֗ר לְאַרְיוֹךְ֙ שַׁלִּיטָ֣א דִֽי־מַלְכָּ֔א עַל־מָ֥ה דָתָ֛א מְהַחְצְפָ֖ה מִן־קֳדָ֣ם מַלְכָּ֑א אֱדַ֣יִן מִלְּתָ֔א הוֹדַ֥ע אַרְי֖וֹךְ לְדָנִיֵּֽאל׃ (טז) וְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל עַ֖ל וּבְעָ֣ה מִן־מַלְכָּ֑א דִּ֚י זְמָ֣ן יִנְתִּן־לֵ֔הּ וּפִשְׁרָ֖א לְהַֽחֲוָיָ֥ה לְמַלְכָּֽא׃ {ס} (יז) אֱדַ֥יִן דָּֽנִיֵּ֖אל לְבַיְתֵ֣הּ אֲזַ֑ל וְ֠לַחֲנַנְיָ֠ה מִֽישָׁאֵ֧ל וַעֲזַרְיָ֛ה חַבְר֖וֹהִי מִלְּתָ֥א הוֹדַֽע׃ (יח) וְרַחֲמִ֗ין לְמִבְעֵא֙ מִן־קֳדָם֙ אֱלָ֣הּ שְׁמַיָּ֔א עַל־רָזָ֖א דְּנָ֑ה דִּ֣י לָ֤א יְהֽוֹבְדוּן֙ דָּנִיֵּ֣אל וְחַבְר֔וֹהִי עִם־שְׁאָ֖ר חַכִּימֵ֥י בָבֶֽל׃
Daniel reacts to the king's decree
(13) The decree/data' [compare the word datum and the Hebrew dat] condemning the wise men to death was issued. Daniel and his companions were about to be put to death (14) when Daniel remonstrated with Arioch, the captain of the royal guard who had set out to put the wise men of Babylon to death. (15) He spoke up and said to Arioch, the royal officer, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Thereupon Arioch informed Daniel of the matter. (16) So Daniel went to ask the king for time, that he might tell the meaning to the king. (17) Then Daniel went to his house and informed his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, of the matter, (18) that they might implore the God of Heaven for help regarding this mystery, so that Daniel and his colleagues would not be put to death together with the other wise men of Babylon.
God reveals the dream to Daniel
(19) The mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision; then Daniel blessed the God of Heaven. (20) Daniel spoke up and said:
“Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
For wisdom and power are His. (21) He changes times and seasons,
Removes kings and installs kings;
He gives the wise their wisdom
And knowledge to those who know. (22) He reveals deep and hidden things,
Knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him. (23) I acknowledge and praise You,
O God of my fathers,
You who have given me wisdom and power,
For now You have let me know what we asked of You;
You have let us know what concerns the king.”
Daniel has an audience with the king
(24) Thereupon Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to do away with the wise men of Babylon; he came and said to him as follows, “Do not do away with the wise men of Babylon; bring me to the king and I will tell the king the meaning!” (25) So Arioch rushed Daniel into the king’s presence and said to him, “I have found among the exiles of Judah a man who can make the meaning known to the king!” (26) The king said in reply to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar), “Can you really make known to me the dream that I saw and its meaning?” (27) Daniel answered the king and said, “The mystery about which the king has inquired—wise men, exorcists, magicians, and diviners cannot tell to the king. (28) But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what is to be at the end of days. This is your dream and the vision that entered your mind in bed: (29) O king, the thoughts that came to your mind in your bed are about future events/[the end of days - Louis Hartman, Anchor Daniel]; He who reveals mysteries has let you know what is to happen. (30) Not because my wisdom is greater than that of other creatures has this mystery been revealed to me, but in order that the meaning should be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Daniel recounts the dream to the king
(31) “O king, as you looked on, there appeared a great statue. This statue, which was huge and its brightness surpassing, stood before you, and its appearance was awesome. (32) The head of that statue was of fine gold; its breast and arms were of silver; its belly and thighs, of bronze; (33) its legs were of iron, and its feet part iron and part clay. (34) As you looked on, a stone was hewn out, not by hands, and struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. (35) All at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were crushed, and became like chaff of the threshing floors of summer; a wind carried them off until no trace of them was left. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (36) “Such was the dream, and we will now tell the king its meaning.
Daniel interprets the dream for the king
(37) You, O king—king of kings, to whom the God of Heaven has given kingdom, power, might, and glory; (38) into whose hands He has given men, wild beasts, and the fowl of heaven, wherever they may dwell; and to whom He has given dominion over them all—you are the head of gold. (39) But another kingdom will arise after you, inferior to yours; then yet a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule over the whole earth. (40) But the fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; just as iron crushes and shatters everything—and like iron that smashes—so will it crush and smash all these. (41) You saw the feet and the toes, part potter’s clay and part iron; that means it will be a divided kingdom; it will have only some of the stability of iron, inasmuch as you saw iron mixed with common clay. (42) And the toes were part iron and part clay; that [means] the kingdom will be in part strong and in part brittle. (43) You saw iron mixed with common clay; that means: they shall intermingle with the offspring of men, but shall not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.
Daniel concludes the interpretation; Nebuchadnezzar responds
(44) And in the time of those kings, the God of Heaven will establish a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, a kingdom that shall not be transferred to another people. It will crush and wipe out all these kingdoms, but shall itself last forever— (45) just as you saw how a stone was hewn from the mountain, not by hands, and crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has made known to the king what will happen in the future. The dream is sure and its interpretation reliable.” (46) Then King Nebuchadnezzar prostrated himself and paid homage to Daniel and ordered that a meal offering and pleasing offerings be made to him. (47) The king said in reply to Daniel, “Truly your God must be the God of gods and Lord of kings and the revealer of mysteries to have enabled you to reveal this mystery.” (48) The king then elevated Daniel and gave him very many gifts, and made him governor of the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect of all the wise men of Babylon. (49) At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to administer the province of Babylon; while Daniel himself was at the king’s court.
5. Discussion and Commentaries
The Four Kingdoms
Compare the ages described by Hesiod in The Works and Days (c. 700 BCE), lines 109-180
Cooke's translation from the Greek, available at
https://books.google.com/books?id=mHNHAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA745#v=onepage&q&f=false
Hesiod tucks in a positive, heroic age between bronze and iron.
"Arguing from the premise that ordinarily 'iron does not unite with terra cotta,' [the author in verses 41-42] applied the imagery to the marriage(s) between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies that failed to achieve lasting peace between these two rival houses." - L. Hartman, Anchor Daniel, commentary, p. 149.
Antiochus II (Seleucid) married Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy II circa 250 BCE. This marriage ended in tragedy with the assassination of Antiochus, Berenice, and their infant son at the instigation of Antiochus II's first wife Laodice (see L. Hartman, Anchor Daniel, p. 289).
(35) All at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were crushed, and became like chaff of the threshing floors of summer; a wind carried them off until no trace of them was left. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
(2) In the days to come,
The Mount of GOD’s House
Shall stand firm above the mountains
And tower above the hills;
And all the nations
Shall gaze on it with joy.
(9) In all of My sacred mount
Nothing evil or vile shall be done;
For the land shall be filled with devotion to GOD
As water covers the sea.
6. Brief Retelling of Chapter 3: The Friends and the Fiery Furnace
Nebuchadnezzar makes a golden statue in the plain of Dura. He summons his officers to the dedication of this statue and insists that they worship the statue. If they will not, they will be thrown into a fiery furnace. Daniel's friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, refuse to bow to the statue. Although they are thrown into the furnace, the fire does not affect them in any way. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the God of Israel.
7. Summary and Next Class
- Chapter 4. Aramaic. The madness of Nebuchadnezzar