The Meaning of Daniel 2:34 Explained

Daniel 2:34

KJV: Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

YLT: Thou wast looking till that a stone hath been cut out without hands, and it hath smitten the image on its feet, that are of iron and of clay, and it hath broken them small;

Darby: Thou sawest till a stone was cut out without hands; and it smote the image upon its feet of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.

ASV: Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou sawest  till  that a stone  was cut out  without  hands,  which smote  the image  upon  his feet  [that were] of iron  and clay,  and brake  them  to pieces. 

What does Daniel 2:34 Mean?

Context Summary

Daniel 2:14-35 - Wisdom Granted In The Hour Of Need
The action of Daniel in this supreme crisis is very instructive. He reckoned absolutely on God, and in his chivalrous endeavor to save the lives of the aged men, the heads of the college in which he had been trained. He never doubted that God would be His stay. A prayer meeting was convened to ask for the merciful interposition of the God of heaven, and at its close Daniel seems to have lain down to sleep in unwavering faith. In this act we are reminded of Jesus sleeping amid the storm. Only a heart so pure and true, so trustful and godly, could have slept within the shadow of so terrible a menace. It was in a night-vision that he beheld the majestic procession of empire, from the gold of absolute monarchy to the clay and metal of constitutional government. Note his care to give all the glory to God and to take the humble position of the mere channel through which the divine message was transmitted to the king. [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 2:34 mean?

Looking You watched until while was cut out a stone outside without hands and which struck image the on its feet of iron and clay and broke in pieces them
חָזֵ֣ה הֲוַ֗יְתָ עַ֠ד דִּ֣י הִתְגְּזֶ֤רֶת אֶ֙בֶן֙ דִּי־ לָ֣א בִידַ֔יִן וּמְחָ֤ת לְצַלְמָא֙ עַל־ רַגְל֔וֹהִי דִּ֥י פַרְזְלָ֖א וְחַסְפָּ֑א וְהַדֵּ֖קֶת הִמּֽוֹן

חָזֵ֣ה  Looking 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: חֲזָה  
Sense: to see, behold.
הֲוַ֗יְתָ  You  watched 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: הֲוָה  
Sense: to come to pass, become, be.
עַ֠ד  until 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: even to, until, up to, during conj.
דִּ֣י  while 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: דִּי  
Sense: who, which, that mark of genitive.
הִתְגְּזֶ֤רֶת  was  cut  out 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: גְּזַר  
Sense: to cut, determine.
אֶ֙בֶן֙  a  stone 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone.
דִּי־  outside 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: דִּי  
Sense: who, which, that mark of genitive.
לָ֣א  without 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: לָא 
Sense: no, not, nothing.
בִידַ֔יִן  hands 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, fd
Root: יַד  
Sense: hand.
וּמְחָ֤ת  and  which  struck 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מְחָא  
Sense: to strike, smite, kill.
לְצַלְמָא֙  image  the 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: צְלֵם  
Sense: image, idol.
רַגְל֔וֹהִי  its  feet 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רְגַל  
Sense: foot.
פַרְזְלָ֖א  iron 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: פַּרְזֶל  
Sense: iron.
וְחַסְפָּ֑א  and  clay 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: חֲסַף  
Sense: clay, potsherd.
וְהַדֵּ֖קֶת  and  broke  in  pieces 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: דְּקַק  
Sense: to break into pieces, fall into pieces, be shattered.