Dream Interpretation in Daniel

Daniel twice interprets the dream of a Babylonian king (Dan 2:19–45; 4:5–27). In both instances, it is emphasized that Daniel’s interpretation of the dream “is a divine gift, not a human achievement” (Goldingay, Daniel, 55). Daniel 2:19–23 indicates that God gave Daniel the interpretation, and Dan 2:45 emphasizes that the dream itself came from God. The model in which the deity is said to send the dream and the interpreter gets the interpretation from the deity is also found in a Babylonian text that indicates that Shamash, the sun god, both sends dreams to some and reveals their interpretation to others (Oppenheim, Interpretation of Dreams, 222).

While the symbols in the dreams interpreted by Joseph were objects from everyday life, those interpreted by Daniel are more fantastic, which was characteristic of dreams in apocalyptic literature (Oppenheim, Interpretation of Dreams, 210). In light of the bad outcome that Daniel perceived for King Nebuchadnezzar in the interpretation of his dream, Daniel expresses alarm and declares, “May the dream be for those who hate you” (Dan 4:19 ESV). In Mesopotamian dream interpretation, it was customary to wish a bad dream to be for one’s opponents (Oppenheim, Interpretation of Dreams, 205).

Daniel then has a dream that he cannot interpret on his own (Dan 7:1). He receives the interpretation of the dream in a dream (Dan 7:16). This was common in the ancient Near East; for example, the Babylonian king Nabonidus claims that Nebuchadnezzar appeared to him in his dream to offer him the interpretation (Oppenheim, Interpretation of Dreams, 205). It was believed that an interpretation within a dream itself indicated that it would certainly be fulfilled (Oppenheim, Interpretation of Dreams, 205). Additionally, the interpretation being provided by a heavenly being (Gabriel; Dan 8:16) may indicate certainty that it will be fulfilled (Goldingay, Daniel, 173).