You
saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Daniel 2:34-35
Daniel 2 [30.] But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. You, O king, saw, and behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and its aspect was awesome. As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay. You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
Daniel 2 [35.] Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell its interpretation before the king. You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, the animals of the field and the birds of the sky has he given into your hand, and has made you to rule over them all: you are the head of gold. After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Meaning:
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a troubling dream and demanded that his wise men tell him both the dream and its meaning. God revealed the secret to Daniel, a young Jewish exile. Standing before the king, Daniel described a great statue with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. These two verses tell what happened to that statue.
- “A stone was cut out without hands”
The stone was not shaped by any human craftsman. In Daniel’s interpretation later in the chapter, the four metals represent four kingdoms, beginning with Babylon itself: “you are the head of gold.” The stone is a kingdom that God himself would set up, a kingdom that would never be destroyed.
- “Which struck the image on its feet”
The statue looked mighty and awesome, but its feet were a weak mixture of iron and clay. The stone struck it at its weakest point, and the whole statue collapsed.
- “Became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors”
At harvest, grain was tossed into the air on an open threshing floor, and the wind blew the light chaff away. Gold, silver, brass and iron became as worthless and weightless as chaff.
- “The stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth”
The kingdom of God begins small, like a stone, but grows until it fills the earth. Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven in a similar way, like a tiny mustard seed that becomes a tree (Matthew 13:31-32). Daniel saw the same kingdom again in a later vision, given to “one like a son of man”: “his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away” (Daniel 7:13-14).
- The stone in the teaching of Jesus
After the parable of the wicked farmers, Jesus quoted the psalm about “The stone which the builders rejected” (Matthew 21:42) and added, “He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust” (Matthew 21:44). The picture recalls Daniel’s stone. Jesus is the stone of God’s kingdom.
The Significance of Daniel 2:34-35
- God’s kingdom will outlast every empire
Human powers rise and fall, but the Kingdom of God will stand forever.
- Build on the right foundation
Those who trust in Jesus, the living stone, belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Cross-References:
Daniel 7:14: "his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away," The everlasting kingdom of the son of man.
Matthew 21:44: "on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust." Jesus as the stone.
Luke 1:33: "There will be no end to his Kingdom." The promise to Mary.
Conclusion: In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream a stone cut out without hands struck the great statue on its feet of iron and clay, and the whole statue was broken in pieces and blown away like chaff, while the stone grew into a mountain that filled the earth. The passage teaches that God’s kingdom will replace every human empire, and it lies behind Jesus’ warning that the stone will scatter as dust those on whom it falls.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible