Daniel 2:20 Meaning: Wisdom and Might Are His
Daniel answered, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and might are his.
Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his.
Daniel hath answered and said, `Let the name of God be blessed from age even unto age, for wisdom and might--for they are His.
Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; For wisdom and might are his.
Meaning in one sentence
Daniel's doxology after God reveals Nebuchadnezzar's dream shows God's wisdom and power in a moment of crisis. True praise flows from deliverance.
Context
Daniel and his three friends were marked for death. King Nebuchadnezzar had demanded his wise men tell him both his dream and its meaning, something no human could do. When they failed, the king ordered every wise man in Babylon executed, Daniel included. Daniel asked for time, gathered his friends, and begged God for mercy concerning this secret. That night, in a vision, God revealed the mystery. Before Daniel ran to the king with the answer, he did something striking: he stopped to bless the God who had delivered him.
Key Words
Three words carry the weight of this verse. Blessed comes from the Aramaic berakh, the same root used when someone kneels in worship. Daniel is not offering a compliment; he is bowing his whole life before the One who saved it. The name of God in ancient thought meant more than a label. It stood for everything God had revealed Himself to be: faithful, powerful, present. And the pair wisdom and might (chokhmah and gevurah) belong to Him as a completed fact. Not just that God has these qualities, but that they reside in Him as the source from which all other wisdom and power trickle down. Daniel’s words are no abstract theology. They are the only honest response a person can give when God has just reached into a death sentence and pulled you out.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers across traditions have seen this verse as a pattern for praise born from crisis. Reformed commentators like John Calvin note how Daniel “breaks forth into the praises of God with greater vehemence” because the deliverance was so unexpected and complete. Matthew Henry, writing from a Presbyterian heart, focuses on the personal gratitude: Daniel blessed God before he even told the king the interpretation, as if the gift of knowing was itself enough to worship. Wesleyan readers through Adam Clarke emphasize the plain truth that God “knows all things, and can do all things”, both on display in this one event. All traditions agree: this doxology rises straight from a real rescue, not from a calm day in the classroom.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading treats Daniel’s words as a generic praise hymn he could have said any day. In fact, his blessing is tied tightly to the crisis. He names wisdom and might because God showed wisdom in revealing the hidden dream and might in saving them from execution, two sides of the same deliverance. Daniel is not reciting a creed. He is saying what God just did.
Living This Out
This week, when something impossible shifts in your life, a prayer answered, a door opened, a fear removed, try Daniel’s order. Before you tell anyone else, before you act on the answer, let your first words be blessing to God. Name His wisdom and His might out loud. You might find that praising Him first changes how you walk into the next room.
Main takeaway: God’s wisdom and power are not distant truths but present help when we call on Him in our darkest moments.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Daniel was very scared, but he asked God for help. God showed him the dream. Daniel said, "God is so good! His wisdom and power last forever."
For ages 9, 12
When Daniel was about to be killed because no one could tell the king his dream, he went home and prayed with his friends. That night God told him the secret. Daniel’s first words were praise, not action. He blessed God for having wisdom and might before he even walked to the palace. You can praise God before you see how everything turns out.
Questions People Ask
Why does Daniel say “blessed be the name of God” instead of just “blessed be God”?
In Scripture, God’s name stands for His whole revealed character, His faithfulness, power, and mercy. By blessing the name, Daniel is praising everything God has shown Himself to be, especially in this rescue. It’s a way of saying God is worthy of worship for who He is, not just for what He gives.
What does “wisdom and might” mean in this specific context?
Wisdom refers to God’s ability to know and reveal mysteries that no human can discover, like the king’s dream. Might refers to His power to save Daniel from death and to control the rise and fall of kingdoms, which the dream itself predicted. Both attributes are proven in the same event.
Why did Daniel praise God before going to the king with the interpretation?
Praise came first because the revelation itself was a gift worth stopping for. Daniel didn’t wait to see if the king would be pleased or if he would get a reward. He recognized that the One who gave him the answer was more important than the answer itself.
How does Daniel 2:20 connect to other Bible passages about blessing God?
This verse echoes doxologies throughout Scripture, like David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:10-12 and Job’s statement in Job 12:13. It follows a pattern where God’s people respond to a great deliverance or revelation by blessing His name. Daniel’s words are part of a long tradition of praise rising from real rescue.
For pastors & researchers
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