Bible Strands
Daniel 4:9
“O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery baffles you. So explain to me the visions I saw in my dream, and their interpretation.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Nebuchadnezzar addresses Daniel, whom he calls Belteshazzar, immediately after recounting his dream and before requesting its interpretation.
The words — רַב (rav) translates to “chief,” and ר֫וּחַ (Ru.ach) translates to “spirit,” both describing Daniel’s appointed authority and the divine capacity residing in him.
The thread — The text links to Daniel 2:48, where the king elevates Daniel after recognizing his insight, and Daniel 5:11, where the same title and spiritual designation are repeated.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition that human wisdom operates under divine authorization, requiring the reader to submit personal visions to God’s revealed interpretation rather than human guesswork.
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
O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
Cross-references
- Daniel 2:48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.
- Daniel 5:11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners. Your own father, the king,
- Daniel 4:8 But at last, into my presence came Daniel (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods). And I told him the dream:
- Genesis 41:38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?”
- Judges 7:13 And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
- Ezekiel 28:3 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you!
- Daniel 1:20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
- Daniel 4:5 I had a dream, and it frightened me; while I was in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
- Genesis 11:6 And the LORD said, “If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them.
- Genesis 40:9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me,