Why was Nebuchadnezzar so upset and hostile toward his magicians?
Nebuchadnezzar was upset because a terrifying nightmare left him shaken, and he demanded his magicians recover both the dream and its interpretation. When they could not tell him the dream, he became angry and furious, and as a ruthless ancient king he decreed that all Babylon’s wise men be destroyed.
Les explains that Nebuchadnezzar was 'all shook up' by a tremendous dream, indeed a nightmare of all nightmares. Because of it, he was belligerent and antagonistic toward all his magicians, demanding not only the dream's interpretation but the dream itself. Since ancient Oriental kings were ruthless, failure to fulfill the king's request meant death. The magicians were 'right on the line,' and the king was ready to put them all to death. In Daniel 2:12, the king was angry and very furious because the magicians could not recover his dream, and he commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. Verse 13 says the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain, and Daniel and his fellows were sought too, putting them in the same 'kettle of fish' as far as Nebuchadnezzar was concerned.