1 AND in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar [ In the second year of his reign, (or in the fourth, according to the Jewish account, which takes in the first two years in which he reigned conjointly with his father). ] Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, [ Did he perhaps see the same dream over and over again and again? How close is that to how Moroni visited Joseph Smith? ] wherewith his spirit was troubled, [ For some reason, maybe the repetition, had made a deep and solemn impression upon his mind; and, be he has forgotten all but general circumstances, so he was distressed in trying to remember. ] and his sleep brake from him.

2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, [ Babylonian mystics were apparently some of the most advanced, if not the most advanced, astrologers of the ancient world. Isaiah notes their fame in Isa. 47:9-13. ] and the Chaldeans, [ The Chaldeans are singled out as well, but who are they? They might be a college of learned men, where all arts and sciences were professed and taught. The Chaldeans were the most ancient philosophers of the world; they might have been originally inhabitants of the Babylonian Irak; and still have preserved to themselves exclusively the name of Chaldeans, to distinguish themselves from other nations and peoples who inhabited the one hundred and twenty provinces of which the Babylonish government was composed. ] for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation,

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: [ Another rendering is that "this thing is sure with me". He remembers it really well. ] if ye will not make known unto me the dream, [ You don't get to fool me her. YOu need to given me the dream that I had as proof that you know my dream. I will be the judge if you know it or not. ] with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, [ So the king commands show me the proof, if not it is over for you, Put up or I will shut you up. ] and the interpretation thereof.

7  They [ The Mystics the wise men of Babylon. ] answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, [ They know that the inly way for them to succeed is through revelation. That is a big ask for them as it is not in their wheel house. ] and we will shew the interpretation of it. [ Is this not something that everyone can do, to provide an interpretation, it may be right or wrong but they can offer up their ideas. ]

8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty 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 ver. 9. ] because ye see the thing is gone from me.

9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

10 ¶ The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: [ The thing is utterly impossible to man. This was their decision: and when Daniel gave the dream, with its interpretation, they knew that the spirit of the holy gods was in him. so, even according to their own theology, he was immeasurably greater than the wisest in Babylon or in the world. So if someone were to be able to receive revelation then it would be obvious that they would also have the ability of interpretation. If he can do the impossible then there will be trust when they do the possible. ] therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, [ Who do the wise men say is the only one that knows the answer here - or his dreams? the Gods ] whose dwelling is not with flesh. [ The wise me tell the king really that that there is no way for a man to be associated with the Gods. Watch how differently Daniel handles the question. Daniel does just the opposite - he tells the King that he can only know buy asking and getting an answer from God. Which wise men have a relation with God? How do you know? How would you answer? ]

12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. [ As the decree stated that all the wise men of Babylon should be slain, Why would this be a problem for Daniel and his Hebrew friends? See Dan 1:21 the four young Hebrews, being reputed among the wisest, were considered as sentenced to death also. ]

14 ¶ Then Daniel answered [ Daniel figures wait a minute I think that I am one of the wise men, as such my head is on the chopping block as well here. ] with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: [ The decree has been passed, they are ready to begin the execution phase. ]

15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? [ Daniel says whoa wait a minute here, why the rush, do I not get a chance here? ] Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, [ That is, that he might seek unto God for a revelation of the thing. The Chaldeans dared not even to promise this; they would only pledge themselves for the interpretation, provided the king would furnish the dream. Daniel engages both to find the lost dream, and to give the proper interpretation. ] and that he would shew [ Think about it - how close must Daniel have been living to the Lord to know that the Lord would show him the dream? He is living close enough to the Lord to know what the Lords' will is and his confidence in that relationship with the Lord - ("His confidence waxed strong in the presence of the Lord) that he knows that the Lord will give him knowledge of the king's dream] the king the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: [ Looks again like their Babylonian names are not sticking at least among each other. ]

18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; [ Daniel had requested the time so that he and his three companions might pray and ask God; the wished for revelation followed to Daniel; but whether it was given that same sight, we do not know. ] that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 ¶ Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: [ The direct inspiration of God immediately teaching his servant things which could be known only to God himself, and thus showing the Babylonians that his prophets had spoken; that HE was the only true God; and as he was omniscient, so he was omnipotent; and the things which his wisdom had predicted, his power could and would accomplish. ] he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.

24 ¶ Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.

25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, [ The King has commanded the execution of the wise men so Arioch thinks that the king needs to know ASAP. ] and said thus unto him, I have found a man [ Look who wants to take the credit here. Arioch, he knows what King Nebuchadnezzar promised those who could revel his dream, so Arioch wants to cash in a little here as well. ] of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; [ Daniel is careful to make sure that Nebuchadnezzar understands that what he is asking must come from a higher source than any of these mene can obtain - So it is not their fault so to speak. In addition; the king should also understand that Daniel is not part of any of those groups of men - he is distancing himself and their works.]

28 But there is a God in heaven [ Recognizes the source of the power that Daniel has, this is done to make sure that the King understands that this is not Daniels power - take any credit unto himself, but rather it is God thru Daniel. Remember the story of Moses fetching the water from the rock...bad move.] that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

31 ¶ Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. [ Image - idol - or statue fashioned by the hands of man represents the kingdoms built by men, In Nebuchadnezzar's dream there is an "image" (KJV) or "statue" (JPS). Interesting how in the following chapter, Dan. 3, we have Nebuchadnezzar building a huge "image" (KJV) or "statue" (JPS). In the Aramaic, both of these terms are identical: tselem. From the context of Dan. 3, it is plain the image/statue is an idol. ] This great image, [ So we can conclude that what he really saw was an idol. ] whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

[ Interpretations that follow are from President Spencer W. Kimball - Gospel Doctrine Teachers Manual. ]

32 This image’s head was of fine gold, [ Represents Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom of Babylon. ] his breast and his arms of silver, [ Represented Cyrus and his kingdom of Media and Persia. The next world empire arose through Cyrus, who was ruler over a small kingdom in Persia, and conquered the Babylonian empire in 559 B.C. He extended his rule during the following 10 years over present-day Turkey. This Media-Persian empire, which existed for about 200 years, is symbolized in Daniel's dream by a bear which devours much flesh. (Daniel 7) In his mouth he held three ribs, which most likely symbolize that the bear had taken over power and a cultural heritage from the three previous world empires.] his belly and his thighs of brass, [ Represented Philip and Alexander and the Greek or Macedonian kingdom. For a brief period, after the conquests of Alexander the Great, it became the most powerful state in the world, controlling a territory that included the former Persian empire, stretching as far as the Indus River; at that time it inaugurated the Hellenistic period of Ancient Greek civilization. ]

33 His legs of iron, [ Roman Empire under Caeser - then the roman kingdom was first divided into two kingdoms - one division was at Rome one at Constantinople. At its peak, the Roman Empire controlled approximately 6.5 million km2 of land surface. Because of the Empire's vast extent and long endurance, the institutions and culture of Rome had a profound and lasting influence on the development of language, religion, architecture, philosophy, law, and forms of government in the territory it governed, particularly Europe, and by means of European expansionism throughout the modern world. ] his feet part of iron and part of clay. [ Roman empire later broken up into smaller kingdoms Conference Report Apr 1930 p.32; a group of European nations. (In Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 10; or Ensign, May 1976, 8.)]

34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, [ What is signifigant about this stone? cut out without hands. What is the signifigance of the stone being cut without hands? see Ex 20:25; How does that symbology apply to the church and the kingdom of God? It needs to be done under his direction not done by the hands of men. the work of the Lord, his creation is fashioned by the forces of nature which He wields.vs 44; stone is the kingdom of God; See D&C 65:2 for additional details on the stone; reference to what it is not - an idol which is formed by the hands of man - Isa. 2:8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made: Careful review of the following scriptures shows how altars were built in ancient times they were to be built from stones that no man had lifted iron upon - the stones were not fashioned by man. See Josh 8:31; 1 Kgs 18:31-32, 1 Ne 2:7, Duet 27:5; Ex 20:25; Duet 4:15-16 But we are not the stone! Okay, let me explain. A summary of Daniel's prophecy: 'Daniel said the king's dream was about a giant statue that was destroyed by a stone cut out of a mountain. The statue represented the kingdoms of the earth. The stone cut out of the mountain represented the kingdom of God that would fill the earth. The king knew that Daniel spoke the truth.' If you're like me, you grew up believing that the stone (kingdom of God) that would fill the earth was our church. That ties into many of our beliefs about missionary work, but, Joseph Smith, taught something else. He said: "There is a distinction between the Church of God and kingdom of God. The laws of the kingdom are not designed to affect our salvation hereafter. It is an entire, distinct and separate government. The church is a spiritual matter and a spiritual kingdom; but 👉the kingdom which Daniel saw was not a spiritual kingdom👈, but was designed to be got up for the safety and salvation of the saints by protecting them in their religious rights and worship...The literal kingdom of God, and the Church of God are two distinct things. " (Council of Fifty Minutes, March 1844-Jan 1846, Vol. 1) So to break it down: *The KINGDOM of God-(temporal) A godly government that protects freedom of worship *The CHURCH of God-(spiritual) kingdom affecting salvation The kingdom that Daniel saw roll forth (the stone) was NOT the church, but a righteous government, and I believe refers to when Christ himself comes to earth to rule and reign. The stone being cut out of the mountain may refer to the idea that only a small portion of Christ's people who claim to be his followers actually are, and that small number taken from the greater portion will be the ones who help establish His physical kingdom on earth.] which smote the image upon his feet [Were does the stone hit the idol? on the feet And what happens? it shatters, it must have been a pretty big catastrophic event to shatted the entire image. This could imply the enorminity of the image, and the craftmanship there-of, it was not well built. What is the symbolism here? The stone is more powerful than the entire statue.] that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, [ interesting that it was crushed so small that the breeze just blew it away. Again who controls the wind? GOD ] that no place was found for them: [ never can be part of anything again, the just drift aimlessly, worthless as dust; clay, earth and dust are emblems of weakness, instability ] and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, [ D&C 65:2 the Stone that was cut from the mountain - or the temple of GOD - became even greater. ] and filled the whole earth.

36 ¶ This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: [ What does this phrase really mean? In Rev 17:14 Christ is given a list of new names one of the is "King of kings(plural)" It’s because he promises in Revelation to make those who overcome in this world to be kings/queens just like he is, and as a result he then is "the King of Kings". ] for the God of heaven hath given thee [ Not given by thy own gods, nor acquired by thy own skill and prowess; it is a Divine gift ] a kingdom, power, [ To rule this kingdom ] and strength, [ To defend it against all foes .] and glory. [ Great honour and dignity ]

38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

42  And as the toes of the feet [ So there are 10 toes which is the same number as there were horns in Johns dream in the Book of Revelations 13:1. ] were part of iron, and part of clay, [ Miry clay see verse 43. ] so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

43  And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, [ After the fracturing takes place then the toes are held together with miry clay - which iron and clay do not really mix together. So there is something that is unusual that holds them together. It is not natural it is contrived or possessed? And it still has the power or iron. So the ten horns have contrived something that allows them to govern all of the world. ] they [ This group that is different. ] shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: [ So with the reference to "seed" does this suggest that these unusual parties begin to have seed with the seed of men? Are these somehow from a different sphere? ] but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. [ Or just like iron and clay do not really bond together with any strength. ]

44 And in the days of these kings [ That is, the group of European nations President Spencer W. Kimball Conference Report 1976 p.10. ] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, [ God will set up his own kingdom, and what do we already know about this kingdom? that it shall be set forth without hands. ] which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, [ What happens when this stone breaks into pieces? it consumes all the other kingdoms. So this stone must have other powers and charactistics that actually make it bigger as it divides. What happens when we share our testimonies - do they get weaker? does the person that we shared it with take some of it? If they accept it are we weaker as a result? ] and it shall stand for ever. [ What else do we know from modern revelation on how this process will come about? Read D&C 65 ]

45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

46 ¶ Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, [ Why would he do that? Prostrated himself: this was the fullest act of adoration among the ancients ] and worshipped Daniel, [ Supposing him to be a god, or Divine being. No doubt Daniel forbade him; for to receive this would have been gross idolatry. ] and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.

47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel ^bsat in the gate of the king. [ The post of chief honor and dignity as a counselor of the king. The "gate" of a city in the East, being a chief place of concourse, was the place where courts were held, and public business was usually transacted. ]