Daniel 2:47 · Bible study
Daniel 2:47 Commentary: God of gods, Lord of kings, Revealer of secrets
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Nebuchadnezzar confesses Daniel's God as supreme over all gods and kings. A study of this pivotal declaration in its historical and theological context.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Nebuchadnezzar declares Daniel's God supreme over all gods, kings, and secrets, based on the revelation of his dream.
- Key words: God of gods (אלָה אֱלָהִין), Lord of kings (מרא מלכין), revealer of secrets (גלה רזין).
- Main debate: Was this a genuine conversion or a temporary acknowledgment of superior power?
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty over all nations and His ability to make Himself known through unexpected witnesses.
- Best use: Demonstrating that God can receive glory even from those who do not fully follow Him; an example for witness to powerful people.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
The king answered to Daniel, and said, “Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.”
KJV King James Version 1769
The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
The king hath answered Daniel and said, `Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since thou hast been able to reveal this secret.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The king answered Daniel and said, Of a truth it is that your God is the God ofgods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, because thou wast able to reveal this secret.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the king spoke to Daniel, and said: Verily, your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of hidden things: seeing thou couldst discover this secret.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
El rey habló á Daniel, y dijo: Ciertamente|strong="H7187, H1768" que el Dios vuestro es Dios de dioses, y el Señor de los reyes, y el descubridor de los misterios, pues pudiste revelar este arcano.
O rei respondeu a Daniel, e disse: Certamente vosso Deus é o Deus dos deuses, o Senhor dos reis, e o revelador dos mistérios, pois pudeste revelar este mistério.
Le roi adressa la parole à Daniel et dit: En vérité, votre Dieu est le Dieu des dieux et le Seigneur des rois, et il révèle les secrets, puisque tu as pu découvrir ce secret.
Und der König antwortete Daniel und sprach: Es ist kein Zweifel, euer Gott ist ein Gott über alle Götter und ein HERR über alle Könige, der da kann verborgene Dinge offenbaren, weil du dies verborgene Ding hast können offenbaren.
De koning antwoordde Daniel en zeide: Het is de waarheid, dat ulieder God een God der goden is, en een Heere der koningen, en Die de verborgenheden openbaart, dewijl gij deze verborgenheid hebt kunnen openbaren.
Il re parlò a Daniele, e disse: “In verità il vostro Dio è l’Iddio degli dèi, il Signore dei re, e il rivelatore dei segreti, giacché tu hai potuto rivelare questo segreto”.
Tedy odpowiadając król Danijelowi rzekł: Zaprawdę Bóg wasz jest Bogiem bogów, a Panem królów, który odkrywa tajemnice, ponieważeś mógł objawić tę tajemnicę.
И сказал царь Даниилу: истинно Бог ваш есть Бог богов и Владыка царей, открывающий тайны, когда ты мог открыть эту тайну!
王 對但以理 說：你既 能 顯明 這 奧祕的事，你們的 神 誠然 是 萬神 之神、萬王 之主，又是顯明 奧祕事的。」
And the king made answer to Daniel and said, Truly, your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings, and an unveiler of secrets, for you have been able to make this secret clear.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Daniel 2:47
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Nebuchadnezzar's words in Daniel 2:47 represent a remarkable acknowledgment of the God of Israel. He declares Him 'God of gods', supreme over all deities, 'Lord of kings', sovereign over earthly rulers, and 'a revealer of secrets,' an attribute the king had just witnessed firsthand. Keil and Delitzsch note that the king did not abandon his heathen standpoint: he acknowledged the God of the Jews as the highest among gods, not the only God. Calvin agrees that the confession, though outwardly pious, proved momentary, Nebuchadnezzar later fell back into idolatry and pride (Daniel 3, 4). Barnes observes that the king was constrained by the evidence but showed no permanent change. Gill concurs, calling it 'a most glaring truth' that did not last. The consensus: the confession is a real but limited recognition of God's power, not a conversion to exclusive monotheism.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Genuine (if temporary) conversion: Matthew Henry treats the king's confession as sincere, though subsequent chapters show him backsliding. Calvin calls it 'pious and holy' even as he notes its impermanence.
- Temporary acknowledgment of divine power: Barnes and Keil & Delitzsch argue the king remained an idolater at heart (see Daniel 3), and his words express only the moment's awe, not a changed life.
- Henotheistic confession: Keil & Delitzsch specifically state that the king did not abandon his heathen standpoint but revered the God of Israel as the highest among many gods, not the only God.
What is clear: Nebuchadnezzar unequivocally acknowledges that Daniel's God is supreme over other gods, sovereign over all kings, and able to reveal what is hidden – a truth the king himself had just witnessed.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of Nebuchadnezzar's confession | The king authentically recognized Daniel's God as powerful, even supreme, in that moment. | Calvin, Barnes, and Keil & Delitzsch see it as a temporary, non-saving acknowledgment, while Matthew Henry treats it as a genuine confession of God's divinity (albeit excessive toward Daniel). |
| Monotheism vs henotheism | The king used language that elevated Israel's God above all others. | Keil & Delitzsch argue Nebuchadnezzar remained a henotheist (worshiping one high god among others). Others (e.g., Gill) see the confession as an implicit admission that the true God alone exists, even if the king later faltered. |
| Sincerity of pagan confessions in Daniel | God can use even pagan rulers to declare His glory. | Some traditions (e.g., Reformed with Calvin) emphasize the temporary nature of such confessions; others (e.g., Wesleyan with Wesley) focus on the truth spoken, regardless of the speaker's heart. |
| God's use of non-believers as witnesses | God's sovereignty is displayed through whom He chooses. | There is no debate on this point among the supplied commentators; all affirm God's sovereign use of Nebuchadnezzar. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Daniel 2:47 sits at the climax of a dramatic court contest. King Nebuchadnezzar had demanded that his wise men not only interpret his dream but also tell him its content, a test that proved impossible for Babylon's magicians and enchanters. When Daniel, through divine revelation, described the dream of the great statue and its interpretation concerning four successive kingdoms, the king was stunned.
In the ancient Near East, dreams were seen as messages from the gods, and the ability to interpret them signaled divine favor. Babylonian kings often used titles for their patron god Marduk such as 'lord of gods' and 'lord of kings', phrases strikingly similar to those Nebuchadnezzar now applies to Israel's God (Cambridge Bible). The king's response, falling prostrate before Daniel and ordering incense offerings (v.46), mirrors how he would have honored a deity. Yet the confession in v.47 redirects that honor from Daniel to Daniel's God.
The phrase 'God of gods' echoes Deuteronomy 10:17, where Yahweh is declared 'God of gods and Lord of lords.' By using this language, Nebuchadnezzar places Israel's God above the pantheon of Babylon. 'Lord of kings' directly challenges the king's own sovereignty, a theme the dream itself had introduced, as the stone that shatters all kingdoms represents God's eternal kingdom (vv.44-45). 'Revealer of secrets' picks up Daniel's own claim in v.28 that God reveals deep and hidden things. The king's confession, then, is an admission that the power behind the dream surpasses his own empire.
Historically, this sets a pattern for the rest of Daniel: pagan rulers repeatedly acknowledge the God of Israel, even as they struggle to forsake their own gods (Daniel 3:28-29; 4:34-35; 6:26-27). The drama of chapter 2 vindicates Daniel's God before the entire Babylonian court and paves the way for the continued faithfulness of Daniel and his friends under foreign domination.
Textual Notes
The Aramaic text of Daniel 2:47 is stable across the major manuscripts. No significant textual variants are noted in the consulted commentaries. The phrase 'of a truth it is' (מנקשׁט די) appears in all witnesses, with the main question being whether to render it as an emphatic adverbial phrase ('truly') or as a separate clause ('of a truth it is'). The sense is unaffected.
Reception History
Throughout church history, Daniel 2:47 has been read as a Gentile king's reluctant tribute to the God of Israel. Early Christian writers saw it as a foreshadowing of the nations confessing Christ (cf. Philippians 2:10-11). In the Reformation, Calvin used the verse to show how God can extort praise even from the ungodly, while also warning that such confessions may be fleeting. Matthew Henry, in the Puritan tradition, held up Nebuchadnezzar's words as a model of public honor given to God, even if the king's heart was not fully changed. More recently, the verse is often cited in discussions of God's providence over world empires and the power of faithful witness in secular settings.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The God of gods (supremacy): Nebuchadnezzar had a pantheon, but Daniel's God stood above them all. This confession reminds us that no power, political, spiritual, or intellectual, ranks above the Creator.
- The Lord of kings (sovereignty): The greatest earthly monarchs answer to God. The dream had already declared that God sets up and tears down kingdoms (v.21). The king's own words concede that point.
- The Revealer of secrets (omniscience): Only God knows what is hidden, the dream, the future, the human heart. Nebuchadnezzar could not get this knowledge from his wise men, but God gave it freely to His servant.
Five-point outline
- A confession forced by evidence: The king could not deny what he had seen.
- A limited understanding: He still saw God as one among many, not the only God.
- Daniel's humble role: Daniel diverted worship from himself to God.
- Encouragement for exiles: God's people saw their God honored in a foreign court.
- A pattern of witness: God uses surprising mouthpieces to declare His glory.
Illustration hooks
- A CEO acknowledges the prayers of a Christian employee after a crisis is averted, but remains privately unconvinced. Respect for results, not surrender of life.
- A skeptical student admits that a Christian classmate's calm during exam panic suggests 'something different', but that acknowledgment does not lead to personal faith.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Was Nebuchadnezzar really converted? Why does his later life show idolatry and pride again?
- If God reveals secrets today, why does He seem silent on many of our urgent questions?
- How should Christians respond when powerful people acknowledge God's power but do not follow Him exclusively?
Leading a Discussion
Daniel 2:47 captures a moment when a pagan king, confronted with undeniable evidence, spoke truth about the God of Israel. But what kind of truth? Was it saving faith, or just an impressed tribute? The passage invites us to examine how we ourselves respond when God reveals His power in ways we cannot explain away.
Discussion questions
- What exactly did Nebuchadnezzar acknowledge about Daniel's God? List the three titles he uses and what each means.
- Compare this confession with Deuteronomy 10:17 and Psalm 82:1. How is the king's language similar, and different, from biblical descriptions of God?
- Keil and Delitzsch say the king did not abandon his heathen standpoint. What evidence in the king's later actions (chapters 3, 4) supports or challenges this view?
- Why does the king call the God of Israel 'your God' rather than 'my God'? What does that word choice reveal about his religious commitment?
- How does Daniel's role in the preceding verses (vv.27-30, 46-47) shape the way we understand the confession? Did Daniel correct the king's worship of him?
- Have you ever seen someone acknowledge God's power, a prayer answered, a miracle witnessed, without their life showing lasting change? How does this passage help you think about that experience?
- What would it take for a modern 'Nebuchadnezzar', a powerful, self-sufficient person, to move from admiration of God to submission to Him?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 41:39 | Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you. |
| Deuteronomy 10:17 | For Yahweh your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awesome, who doesn’t respect persons or take bribes. |
| Joshua 22:22 | “The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, the Mighty One, God, Yahweh, he knows; and Israel shall know: if it was in rebellion, or if in trespass against Yahweh (don’t save us today), |
| Job 12:19 | He leads priests away stripped, and overthrows the mighty. |
| Psalms 2:10 | Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. |
| Psalms 2:11 | Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling. |
| Psalms 72:11 | Yes, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him. |
| Psalms 82:1 | A Psalm by Asaph. God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Your God is a God of gods - He is greater than all others. And a Lord of kings - He governs both in heaven and earth.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that Nebuchadnezzar's confession was a momentary burst of awe, not true conversion. The king acknowledged Daniel's God as supreme but remained an idolater and proud man, as later chapters show. His words expressed intellectual recognition, not lasting faith.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that Nebuchadnezzar's pious-sounding confession is hollow because it mixes light with darkness: he calls the God of Israel supreme yet still clings to his idols. True conversion would require abandoning all false gods, but the king remains tangled in superstition, making his praise momentary and self-contradictory.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible Schools notes Nebuchadnezzar's acknowledgment that Daniel's God rules over all other gods and every king. The titles he uses match those Babylonian kings gave to their own supreme god Marduk, though the writer doubts any deliberate allusion. Daniel's claim to be a revealer of secrets is confirmed.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the king's confession that Daniel's God is supreme over all other gods and earthly rulers, and especially that He alone unveils hidden mysteries. This acknowledgment flows directly from Daniel's God-given ability to interpret the dream, proving that true wisdom comes from the one true God.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the king's confession was genuine at that moment but did not endure, as the next chapter shows. The king acknowledged Daniel's God as supreme over all gods and rulers, a truth he learned directly from the interpretation of his dream.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes that the world power will one day be forced to acknowledge God as the true Lord of kings. Nebuchadnezzar, though God-appointed as king of kings, abused that trust and was constrained by God's servant to confess that the Lord alone rules over all earthly rulers.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue Nebuchadnezzar did not worship Daniel personally. The king prostrated and ordered incense offerings to honor the God of the Jews, who had revealed the dream through Daniel. Yet Nebuchadnezzar remained a polytheist, ranking Israel’s God merely as the highest among many gods.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry highlights how Nebuchadnezzar, instead of resenting Daniel's prophecy of his kingdom's fall, was so awestruck by the divine secret revealed that he fell down and worshipped Daniel as a god. The king's amazement at the wisdom shown led him to honor Daniel's God and promote Daniel, showing how profoundly the revelation affected him.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that calling God "God of gods" places Him above Baal and every other claimed deity, while "Lord of kings" asserts His authority over all earthly rulers. He notes a Syriac word behind this title meaning "high Lord," reinforcing that God is the supreme King over the entire earth.