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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Daniel 2:31-45

Daniel here gives full satisfaction to Nebuchadnezzar concerning his dream and the interpretation of it. That great prince had been kind to this poor prophet in his maintenance and education; he had been brought up at the king's cost, preferred at court, and the land of his captivity had hereby been made much easier to him than to others of his brethren. And now the king is abundantly repaid for all the expense he had been at upon him; and for receiving this prophet, though not in the name of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 2:43

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay ,.... That is, iron among the clay; otherwise iron and clay will not mix and cement together, as is affirmed in the latter part of the verse; but as some of these toes were of iron, and others of clay, or some part of them were iron, and some part of them of clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men ; the Romans shall mix with people of other and many nations that shall come in among them, and unite in setting up kingdoms;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 2:44

And in the days of these kings , &c.; Not of the Babylonian, Persian, and Grecian kings; nor, indeed, of the old Roman kings, or emperors; but in the days of these ten kings, or kingdoms, into which the Roman empire is divided, signified by the ten toes, of different power and strength. Indeed the kingdom of Christ began to be set up in the times of Augustus Caesar, under whom Christ was born; and of Tiberius, under whom he was crucified; and was continued and increased in the reigns of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 2:44

A kingdom which shall never be destroyed - The extensive and extending empire of Christ. Shall not be left to other people - All the preceding empires have swallowed up each other successively; but this shall remain to the end of the world. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 2:44

Verse 44 The Jews agree with us in thinking this passage cannot be otherwise understood than of the perpetual reign of Christ, and willingly and eagerly ascribe to the glory of their own nation whatever is written everywhere throughout the Scriptures; nay, they often cry down many testimonies of Scripture for the purpose of boasting in their own privileges. They do not therefore deny the dream to have been sent to King Nebuchadnezzar concerning Christ’s kingdom; but they differ from us, in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 2:1-49

EXPOSITION DANIEL FIRST BECOMES DISTINGUISHED . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 2:31-43

The universal world-powers. "Thou, O king, sawest, and behold an image, one and grand" ( Daniel 2:31 ). Seize first the imagery of the dream. 1 . A grand unity loomed before Nebuchadnezzar. "Behold an image, one and grand" (Chaldee, Daniel 2:31 ). Four empires represented, not by four figures, but one. Symbol of human power at its highest, that of universal empire, but separate from God. Same spirit and genius in all four. A common thing to represent empire by the human figure; ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 2:31-45

The image and the stone. The king's dream as interpreted by Daniel shadows forth the history of successive monarchies, and the final overthrow of them by a greater unearthly kingdom. On the face of it it teaches the broad lesson that history is made by higher destinies than the will of kings; that it is determined beforehand according to a Divine scheme. The character of the successive monarchies, and the part they take in the general order of events, is expressed by the appearance of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 2:34-45

The everlasting kingdom. "And the stone that smote the image," etc. ( Daniel 2:35 ). We shall assume, what is certain, that the "stone' is the image of the kingdom of the Son of God. I. ITS CHARACTERISTICS . 1 . The mediatorial action of the Son of God is of the nature of kingly rule. (See and weigh the meaning well of Ephesians 1:22 , Ephesians 1:23 .) 2 . The kingdom was supernatural in its origin. Here may well be discussed the now present doctrine that the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 2:36-43

Human sovereignty. In a proper sense of the words, every dream is prophetic. Else on what ground are we to conclude that the dreams of Joseph, Pharaoh, Abimeloch, Pilate's wife, were prophetic; and others not prophetic? Dreams are revelations of dominant ideas and habitudes of mind: they disclose features of moral character; they are reminders of an unslumbering Judge; they serve in some measure to forecast the future. The powers of heaven and of hell lie close about us in our sleep. I. ... read more

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