God revealed the dream to Daniel in a night vision — it was not discovered by human wisdom or the king's magicians.
King Nebuchadnezzar had demanded that his wise men tell him the dream itself and its interpretation, but they could not. Daniel asked for time, and Daniel 2:19 records that the secret was revealed to him in a night vision. Les Feldick stresses that this was the almighty sovereign God at work, not human happenstance.
Daniel 2:19 — This verse directly records that the secret of Nebuchadnezzar's dream was revealed to Daniel in a night vision.
Daniel 2:28 — Daniel tells the king that there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a terrifying dream that he could not remember, and he demanded his wise men tell him both the dream and its interpretation. When no one could, he ordered the wise men of Babylon to be slain. Daniel, learning of the decree, asked the king for time, and God answered. Daniel 2:19 records that 'the secret was revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.' Daniel then blessed the God of heaven. When Daniel stood before the king, he declared that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or soothsayers could show the secret, but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets (Daniel 2:28). Daniel was careful to give God the credit: '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' (Daniel 2:30).
Les Feldick emphasizes that Daniel's reception of the dream was not a matter of human ability. He describes Daniel as just a young fellow, but one who answered Ariok with counsel and wisdom, asked why the decree was so hasty, and then requested time from the king. Les then points to Daniel 2:19: 'the secret was revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.' For Les, this was 'the almighty sovereign God at work,' not 'just human happenstance.' God gave Daniel the very dream Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten. When Daniel stood before the king, Les says, Daniel testified that the wise men, astrologers, magicians, and soothsayers could not show the secret — but there was a God, the God that Nebuchadnezzar knew nothing of. Les reminds his class that since the tower of Babel the human race had been saturated with idolatry. Daniel, by recovering and interpreting the dream, was elevated to the second man in the kingdom.
Les sets the scene by noting that Nebuchadnezzar was 'all shook up' over a tremendous dream that must have been like a nightmare. He was belligerent and antagonistic toward his magicians, trying to get them to recover the dream. When Daniel later addressed the king, he declared that the wise men, astrologers, magicians, and soothsayers could not show the king the secret. This led to the decree of destruction that put Daniel in danger.
Daniel, still a young man, spoke with counsel and wisdom to Ariok, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone forth to slay the wise of Babylon. Daniel asked why the decree was so hasty, and Ariok explained. Daniel then went in to the king and asked for time, promising that he would show the king the interpretation.
Les stresses that the revelation is credited to the almighty sovereign God, not to Daniel's intellect. In Scripture, Daniel himself says, 'this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living' (Daniel 2:30). Les describes the night vision as God's supernatural work.
Background: Nebuchadnezzar's Demand
Les explains that Nebuchadnezzar was shaken by his dream and aggressively tried to get his magicians to recover it, which led to the crisis Daniel would resolve.
Daniel's Night Vision
Les walks through Daniel's encounter with Ariok and the king, then quotes Daniel 2:19: the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision — the work of the almighty sovereign God.
Daniel's Testimony Before the King
Les highlights Daniel's declaration that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or soothsayers could show the secret, but there is a God in heaven — a God Nebuchadnezzar did not know.
Daniel Brought to Preeminence
Les describes Daniel as a young Jew trained by Babylonians who was brought to preeminence by interpreting the dream the king had lost and his magicians could not recover.
Daniel 2 Explained: The Stone Kingdom That Fills the Earth
But now back, if you will, to Daniel chapter 2, and we're going to drop right down again to verse 31, where Daniel begins to interpret this dream, recovers it and interprets it, and he says that you saw a great image. And he said, "...this image, whose brightness was excellent.
Daniel Recovered the Dream
Les rehearses the story: Nebuchadnezzar lost the dream and could not remember it, but Daniel recovered and interpreted it, which elevated him to second man in the kingdom.
Why Is Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Still Relevant Today? Daniel 2
But now back, if you will, to Daniel chapter 2, and we're going to drop right down again to verse 31, where Daniel begins to interpret this dream, recovers it and interprets it, and he says that you saw a great image. And he said, "...this image, whose brightness was excellent.
The Mysterious 75 Days After the Tribulation — Daniel 12 Explained
Now in Daniel chapter 2 we have the recovery of Nebuchadnezzar�s dream concerning all the great empires of the world, and how they are pictured in that great image, the head of gold, and the chest of silver, and the belly of brass, and the legs of iron, and the feet of iron and clay, which are all pictures of course of the Gentile empires coming down through history.
Daniel 2:19: Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
This is the direct answer to the question: God revealed the dream to Daniel at night.
Daniel 2:28: But there is a God in heaven 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;
Daniel tells the king that the revelation comes from God in heaven, not from human wise men.
Daniel 2:30: 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.
Daniel explicitly denies that his own wisdom was the source of the revelation.
No. Daniel 2:30 says the secret was not revealed to him for any wisdom he had. Les Feldick emphasizes that this was the almighty sovereign God at work, revealing the dream to Daniel in a night vision.
God revealed it to Daniel in a night vision. Daniel 2:19 says, 'Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.' Les Feldick describes this as the sovereign work of God, not human happenstance.
He had forgotten the dream, but he demanded his wise men tell him both the dream and its interpretation. Les notes that Nebuchadnezzar was shaken by the nightmare and became belligerent with his magicians when they could not recover it.
Watch the Teaching: Nebuchadnezzar's Dream That Predicted Every World Empire — Daniel 2