Daniel 2:30

And to me this mystery has been revealed, not because I have more wisdom than any man alive, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Daniel addresses King Nebuchadnezzar and his assembled wise men at the exact moment the king demands the interpretation of his dream. He speaks immediately after the king recounts his vision, positioning himself as a direct receiver of divine disclosure rather than an originator of knowledge.

The words — The Hebrew phrase לֹא בְחָכְמָה אִיתַי מִן כָּל חַיַּיּא (lo be-chokhmah itai min kol chayya) literally renders "not by wisdom is there with me from all the living." Daniel explicitly denies possessing any intellectual advantage over every other living person.

The thread — This structural pattern of deflecting human credit to divine agency appears in Joseph’s statement before Pharaoh (Genesis 41:16) and Peter’s address to the Jerusalem crowd (Acts 3:12). Each passage interrupts human boasting by establishing that revelation and power originate outside human capacity.

Why it lands — The text requires readers to separate the messenger from the message and treat the interpretation as a direct divine communication rather than a human deduction. It demands immediate attention to the king’s revealed thoughts, since the stated purpose is purely informational and authoritative.

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

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.

Cross-references

Genesis 41:16 “I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”
Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
Daniel 2:17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
2 Corinthians 4:15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is extending to more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow, to the glory of God.
Isaiah 43:3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.
Isaiah 45:4 For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me.
Daniel 1:17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. And Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.
Daniel 2:49 And at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.
Amos 4:13 For behold, He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind and reveals His thoughts to man, who turns the dawn to darkness and strides on the heights of the earth—the LORD, the God of Hosts, is His name.”
Matthew 24:22 If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.