Daniel 2:20
“Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
After Daniel and his friends prayed for mercy, God revealed Nebuchadnezzar's forgotten dream and its meaning to Daniel in a night vision; this hymn of praise is his immediate response.
What Does Daniel 2:20 Mean?
When God reveals the secret of the king's dream, Daniel's first response is not relief but worship: "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever." Before he tells anyone the answer, before he goes to save his own life, he stops to praise the One who gave it. The verse teaches that the proper reaction to rescue and revelation is gratitude that looks upward first. Daniel had prayed for mercy; now he returns thanks with the same urgency.
Two attributes anchor his praise: "wisdom and might are his." Wisdom is the insight to know what should be done; might is the power to do it. Human kings and counselors had both in limited measure and had just failed completely -- none of Babylon's wise men could recover the dream. Daniel confesses that true wisdom and true power belong to God alone and flow from Him to those who ask. The blessing is timeless, "for ever and ever," reminding the reader that God's character does not rise and fall with circumstances. In a moment of crisis, Daniel anchors himself not in his own cleverness but in the unchanging worthiness of the God who answers prayer.
In the Original Language
This passage is written in Aramaic, the diplomatic language of the empire; the word for "blessed" (Aramaic berik) carries the sense of kneeling, of bending low before one worthy of honor.
Cross References
“And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:”
- Daniel 2:21
“With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.”
- Job 12:13
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
- James 1:5
Application
Let your first response to an answered prayer be praise, crediting God for both the wisdom and the power behind the help.