As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome.
Parallel translations
- WEB You, O king, saw, and behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and its aspect was awesome.
- KJV Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
- NKJV “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.
- NASB “You, O king, were watching and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary radiance, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.
- NLT “In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Daniel recounts the dream: a great, dazzling, awesome statue standing before the king. The image represents the kingdoms of the world.
Overview
The colossal statue, bright and frightening, embodies the splendor and intimidating power of human empire. By telling the dream's content, Daniel proves the revelation is genuinely from God. The statue becomes the canvas for God's overview of world history.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Hab 1:7They are dreaded and feared; from themselves they derive justice and sovereignty.
- Ezek 28:7behold, I will bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations. They will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and will defile your splendor.
- Isa 13:11I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.
- Dan 7:3–17Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:
- Isa 25:3–5Therefore, a strong people will honor You. The cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
- Luke 4:5Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
- Matt 4:8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Daniel sees the stone cut without hands that shatters the kingdoms, and 'one like a son of man' given everlasting dominion — titles and visions Jesus claims as his own.
How Daniel 2:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.