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. I KNOW ... THAT YE WOULD GAIN THE TIME - literally, buy. Compare , "Redeeming the time;" , where the sense is somewhat different. BECAUSE YE SEE THE THING IS GONE FROM ME - (see note, )....

The king’s exception now follows: — _I know, _says he, _that ye would gain time, since you are aware that the matter has gone from me, _or the word has been pronounced, if we adopt the former sense. The king here accuses them of more disgraceful cunning, since the Magi have nothing to offer, and so desire to escape as soon as they know that the king has lost all remembrance of his dream. It is just as if he had said — You promised me to be sure interpreters of my dream, but this is false; for if I could narrate the dream, it would be easy to prove your arrogance, since ye cannot explain that enigma; but as lye know I have forgotten my dream, for that reason ye ask me to relate it; but _this is only to gain time, _says he; thus ye manage to conceal your ignorance and retain your credit for knowledge. But if my dream still remained in my memory I should soon detect your ignorance, for we c...

1-13 The greatest men are most open to cares and troubles of mind, which disturb their repose in the night, while the sleep of the labouring man is sweet and sound. We know not the uneasiness of many who live in great pomp, and, as others vainly think, in pleasure also. The king said that his learned men must tell him the dream itself, or they should all be put to death as deceivers. Men are more eager to ask as to future events, than to learn the way of salvation or the path of duty; yet foreknowledge of future events increases anxiety and trouble. Those who deceived, by pretending to do what they could not do, were sentenced to death, for not being able to do what they did not pretend to....

Verse Daniel 2:8. _THAT YE WOULD GAIN THE TIME_] The king means either that they wished to prolong the time that he might recollect it, or get indifferent about it; or that they might invent something in the place of it; or make their escape to save their lives, after having packed up their valuables. See Daniel 2:9....

THE KING ANSWERED AND SAID, I KNOW OF CERTAINTY THAT YE WOULD GAIN THE TIME - Margin, “buy.” The Chaldee word זבנין _zâb__e__nı̂yn_ (from זבן _z__e__ban_) means, to get for oneself, buy, gain, procure. Greek, ἐξαγοράζετε _exagorazete_ - “that ye redeem time;” and so the Vulgate - _quod tempus redimitis_. The idea is, that they saw that they could not comply with his requisition, and that their asking him Daniel 2:7 to state the dream was only a pretext for delay, in the hope that in the interval some device might be hit on by them to appease him, or to avert his threatened indignation. It would be natural to suppose that they might hope that on reflection he would become more calm, and that, a

EXPOSITION DANIEL 2:1 DANIEL FIRST BECOMES DISTINGUISHED. DANIEL 2:1 AND IN THE SECOND YEAR OF THE REIGN OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR NEBUCHADNEZZAR DREAMED DREAMS, WHEREWITH HIS SPIRIT WAS TROUBLED, AND HIS SLEEP BRAKE FROM HIM. The versions only differ verbally from the Massoretic text as represented by the above. The Septuagint renders "And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he chanced to fall into dreams and visions, and to be troubled with his vision, and his sleep went from him." The differences here that may evidence a difference of text are slight. Theodotion and the Peshitta are very close to the Massoretic. The Vulgate renders, "In the second year of

THE KING ANSWERED AND SAID, I KNOW OF CERTAINTY,.... I see plainly and clearly what you are at, and am fully assured you mean nothing, but that YE WOULD GAIN THE TIME: or buy f, or redeem time, as in Ephesians 5:16, prolong time, put off the answer to longer time; spin out time, as people do in buying and selling; or have it in their possession and power when to answer; and so by gaining time, or being master of it, might hope something would turn up to their advantage, and extricate them out of their present difficulties: BECAUSE YE SEE THE THING IS GONE FROM ME; the dream he could not remember; or because the decree was certain which he had determined concerning them; Daniel 2:5. f די עדנא אנתון זבנין "quod tempus vos emitis", Pagninus, Munster; "ementes",

CHAPTER 2 NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM AND ITS INTERPRETATION _ 1. The forgotten dream (Daniel 2:1)_ 2. The prayer meeting in Babylon and the answer (Daniel 2:14) 3. Daniel before the king (Daniel 2:24) 4. The revelation and interpretation of the dream (Daniel 2:29) 5. The promotion of Daniel and his companions (Daniel 2:46) Daniel 2:1. The king had a dream which was occasioned by thinking concerning the future ...

THE FORGOTTEN DREAM. Nebuchadnezzar, troubled by a dream which had escaped him, calls his magicians and orders them to recover it and explain its meaning. When they declare their inability, he issues orders that they are to be put to death. DANIEL 2:1. IN THE SECOND YEAR: this statement seems to be in conflict with Daniel 1:5; Daniel 1:18, which imply that Daniel spent three years in training. Driver suggests that the discrepancy can be explained thus: We know that Babylonian kings did not count the year of their accession as the first year of their reign, but regarded the second year as the first. In that case, the second year mentioned here would be the third, and it is quite possible that the dream may have occurred at t

GAIN THE TIME. gain time. It may have reference to that day being an unlucky day. Compare Esther 3:7....