As we have seen from Daniel 2:1 (cp. Daniel 1:5, 18), he entered the king’s service during Nebuchadnezzar’s second year as king of Babylon. This was after three years, and Babylon and Jerusalem were either at war or near the time when Jehoiakim rebelled (2Kings 24:1). Whatever duties Daniel and his three brethren had in the king’s service, interpreting dreams wasn’t one of them, or if it were, he was not yet among those who would be called upon to serve the king in this capacity (Daniel 2:2, cp. 2:13 and 1:17). Perhaps, he and his three brethren were still being schooled in those things, wherein they would serve the king later. After all, this was their first year in the service of Nebuchadnezzar, after they left the authority of the prince of the eunuchs. In any case, Daniel wasn’t among those who were called by the king to make known and interpret his dreams. Nevertheless, as we shall see very soon, Daniel was affected by the success, or lack thereof, of the wise men, who were called to advise the king of his inquiries.
During his second year as king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by many dreams and suffered from insomnia because of them (Daniel 2:1). Many scholars assume Nebuchadnezzar dreamed only one dream, which eventually Daniel interpreted, but according to the text it was many. Whether he dreamed the same dream or many similar dreams isn’t said, but it is clear that the king was troubled over his dreams for quite some time, before calling his wise men to interpret them for him. Nevertheless, when he did, he referred to his dreams (plural) in the singular, which may tell us that the same dream occurred night after night, but it was troubling in that he couldn’t recall it (Daniel 2:5).
When the king finally did “call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans” (Daniel 2:2), he told them that the dream was very troubling and he commanded them to tell him what it meant (Daniel 2:3).
Whether Nebuchadnezzar called everyone at once or each group in its turn isn’t said, but the Chaldeans appear to be the spokesmen in the text. No doubt there was some competition among the groups for the favor of the king, so I don’t believe any of the groups would permit another to speak for them. Therefore, I think they were summoned by the king one at a time. What we have in the text is what the last group to be summoned, the Chaldeans, asked the king, namely, that he would tell them the dream, and they would convey its meaning (Daniel 2:4). No doubt the king was unusually irritated over the lack of sleep, and the disappointing results for the previous groups he had called, but he told the Chaldeans that he no longer remembered the dream, and, if they failed to tell him the dream and its meaning, he would destroy both them and make their homes a dunghill. Nevertheless, if they were successful, he would reward them abundantly, but the bottom line was: show me the dream!
So, the argument went back and forth between Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans for some time. The Chaldeans complaining that no one could do as the king requested; they needed to know the dream before an interpretation would be possible (Daniel 2:7, 10). They concluded with only the gods could show Nebuchadnezzar, what he had already forgotten, and was unable to show his servants (Daniel 2:11). On the other hand, Nebuchadnezzar concluded the Chaldeans were stalling for time and lying to him, because they knew the king no longer remembered the dream (Daniel 2:8), and they hoped for a better time, when Nebuchadnezzar was in a more peaceful mood. Therefore, he said that, if they were able to tell him the dream, that would be proof enough that they could interpret it accurately (Daniel 2:9).
Finally, the king grew impatient with the wise men, and in his fury, he made a decree that all of them, throughout the whole land would be slain (Daniel 2:12), and because Daniel and his brethren were among the wise men, the captain of the guard was sent to arrest them, as well, and await the king’s order of execution (Daniel 2:13).
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