The Meaning of Daniel 2:1 Explained

Daniel 2:1

KJV: And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

YLT: And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, dreamed hath Nebuchadnezzar dreams, and his spirit doth move itself, and his sleep hath been against him;

Darby: And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.

ASV: And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And in the second  year  of the reign  of Nebuchadnezzar  Nebuchadnezzar  dreamed  dreams,  wherewith his spirit  was troubled,  and his sleep  brake  from him. 

What does Daniel 2:1 Mean?

Study Notes

continued
i.e. to see the return of the remnant of Judah at the end of the 70 years, Jeremiah 25:11 ; Jeremiah 25:12 ; Jeremiah 29:10 . Daniel actually lived beyond the first year of Cyrus. Daniel 10:1 .

Verse Meaning

Daniel opened this new section of his book with another chronological reference (cf. Daniel 1:1; Daniel 1:21). This indicates that his interest in this book was in the progress of events and their relationship to one another. As the book unfolds, chronology plays an important part in what God revealed, though the chronology is not always without interruption.
The events related in this chapter happened in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar"s reign. According to several reliable scholars, Nebuchadnezzar officially became king on September7 , 605 B.C. On the first of Nisan, 604 B.C, the following spring, the first official year of his reign began. The intervening months constituted his accession year and were credited to his father"s reign. The first year of his reign then ended on the first of Nisan the following year, 603 B.C. The second year of his reign ( Daniel 2:1) began in603and ended in602 B.C. [1]
Daniel probably arrived in Babylon during the summer of605 B.C. and began his three-year education ( Daniel 1:4-5) shortly after that, perhaps in the fall. His curriculum may not have taken three full years; it could have ended in the spring of602 B.C. Thus Daniel probably had finished his education and entered into government service when the events of chapter2unfolded, as the text implies.
The Hebrew of Daniel 2:1 says that Nebuchadnezzar had "dreamed dreams" that disturbed him. Evidently he had a recurring dream or similar dreams that he later described as one dream ( Daniel 2:3). These dreams robbed him of rest, as Pharaoh"s dreams did him ( Genesis 41), and Ahasuerus" dream did him ( Esther 6). All of these Gentile rulers suffered insomnia as part of God"s dealings with them and the people who lived under their authority. Another earlier Gentile ruler who received revelations from God was Abimelech ( Genesis 20:3). The ancients regarded dreams as having significance and as portents of events to come. [2]

Context Summary

Daniel 2:1-13 - The Forgotten Dream
This was the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's sole reign. At first he was joint-governor with his father. From Daniel 2:4 b to Daniel 7:28 the Syriac language is employed, and as this was the vernacular tongue of the king and his court, it is possible that this part of Daniel's record is based upon documents of state. The king's argument throughout his discussion with the magicians and astrologers, was that if they could not recall the past, they certainly could not be trusted to foretell the future; and the failure of the wise-men provided the opportunity for the greater triumph of the servant of God. The wise-men of Babylon said truly that only the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh, could recover lost dreams. Daniel thought so, too, only he looked to the Lord God of his fathers. Irresponsible power is a temptation to the ruler, and perilous to the ruled. No mortal should have despotic power over life and death. But a movement is afoot in our times which is likely to give to all nations what Abraham Lincoln described as, "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 2

1  Nebuchadnezzar, forgetting his dream,
5  requires it of the Chaldeans, by promises and threats
10  They acknowledging their inability are judged to die
14  Daniel obtaining some respite finds the dream
19  He blesses God
24  He staying the decree is brought to the king
31  The dream
36  The interpretation
46  Daniel's advancement

What do the individual words in Daniel 2:1 mean?

And in the year second of reign of Nebuchadnezzar had Nebuchadnezzar dreams and was [so] troubled his spirit that his sleep left him
וּבִשְׁנַ֣ת שְׁתַּ֗יִם לְמַלְכוּת֙ נְבֻֽכַדְנֶצַּ֔ר חָלַ֥ם נְבֻֽכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר חֲלֹמ֑וֹת וַתִּתְפָּ֣עֶם רוּח֔וֹ וּשְׁנָת֖וֹ נִהְיְתָ֥ה עָלָֽיו

וּבִשְׁנַ֣ת  And  in  the  year 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
שְׁתַּ֗יִם  second 
Parse: Number, fd
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
לְמַלְכוּת֙  of  reign 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מַלְכוּת  
Sense: royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom, sovereign power.
נְבֻֽכַדְנֶצַּ֔ר  of  Nebuchadnezzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר 
Sense: the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah captive.
נְבֻֽכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר  Nebuchadnezzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר 
Sense: the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah captive.
חֲלֹמ֑וֹת  dreams 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֲלֹום  
Sense: dream.
וַתִּתְפָּ֣עֶם  and  was  [so]  troubled 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: פָּעַם  
Sense: to thrust, impel, push, beat persistently.
רוּח֔וֹ  his  spirit 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
וּשְׁנָת֖וֹ  that  his  sleep 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁנָא 
Sense: sleep.
נִהְיְתָ֥ה  left 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.