Bible Strands
Daniel 2:16
So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give him the interpretation.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Daniel speaks to King Nebuchadnezzar immediately after Arioch explains the royal decree threatening the wise men. He petitions the monarch for a delay before delivering the dream's interpretation.
The words — זְמָן (ze.Man) means a fixed period or time, and יִנְתֵּן (yin.ten) means he will give. These terms structure the request as a petition for a defined interval to secure the revelation.
The thread — The motif of a king-specified time reappears in Daniel 1:18 when the chief official presents Daniel’s cohort to Nebuchadnezzar. The warning of a uniform decree for failure echoes Daniel 2:9, where the king threatens identical punishment for deception.
Why it lands — The text records Daniel’s direct request for delay rather than immediate human speculation. A reader must observe that the narrative prioritizes obtaining divine revelation over meeting an arbitrary deadline.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
Cross-references
- Daniel 1:18 Now at the end of the time specified by the king, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.
- Daniel 2:9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one decree for you. You have conspired to speak before me false and fraudulent words, hoping the situation will change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can give me its interpretation.”