“Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”
My Notes
What Does Daniel 2:19 Mean?
"Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven." After praying with his friends for mercy (verse 18), Daniel receives the answer at night — the dream and its interpretation, delivered directly by God in a vision. The secret that defeated Babylon's entire intellectual establishment is given to one Jewish exile in his sleep.
The word "revealed" (galah) means to uncover, to expose, to make known what was hidden. God uncovered what Nebuchadnezzar's wise men couldn't find. The verb is passive — the secret was revealed to Daniel. He didn't discover it through research or deduction. It was shown to him.
Daniel's immediate response is worship: "Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven." Before he goes to the king, before he saves the wise men, before he delivers the interpretation — he worships. The revelation produces gratitude before it produces action. Blessing God comes before serving the king.
Reflection Questions
- 1.When God answers your prayer, is your first response worship or action?
- 2.What's the significance of Daniel receiving the answer passively (revealed to him) rather than actively (figured out by him)?
- 3.How does Daniel's prayer meeting with three friends compare to Babylon's institutional resources?
- 4.What does Daniel's worship-before-action teach about spiritual priorities?
Devotional
The secret was revealed in a night vision. And Daniel's first response wasn't to run to the king — it was to bless God. The answer arrived, and worship happened before anything else.
The contrast with the wise men is total. They had institutions, traditions, training, resources. Daniel had a prayer meeting with three friends and a night vision from God. The entire establishment failed with all its resources. One exile succeeded with nothing but prayer.
The passive voice — "was revealed" — is crucial. Daniel didn't figure it out. He didn't deduce it. He didn't apply a technique or a method. It was revealed to him. The knowledge came from outside him, from above him, from the God of heaven who holds secrets and releases them when and to whom He chooses.
Daniel's worship before action is the detail that defines his character. He receives life-saving information — the answer that will spare his life, his friends' lives, and the lives of every wise man in Babylon — and his first move is to bless God. Not to draft a memo. Not to secure an audience with the king. To worship.
The priority is unmistakable: God first, then everything else. The revelation came from God. The gratitude goes to God. The king's audience can wait. The death decree can wait. Everything can wait until God is blessed for what God did.
When God answers your prayer, what's your first response? Is it action or worship?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision,.... That is, after Daniel and his companions had…
Then was the secret revealed ... - To wit, the dream and the interpretation. The thing which had been “hidden” was…
Then was the secret revealed - in a night vision - Daniel either dreamed it, or it was represented to his mind by an…
When the king sent for his wise men to tell them his dream, and the interpretation of it (Dan 2:2), Daniel, it seems,…
in a vision of the night] For the expression, comp. Isa 29:7 (-like a dream, a vision of the night"), Job 4:13; Job…
Cross References
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