Before unlocking the mystery of the king's dream, Daniel steps forward not just as a prophet, but as a defender. The furious king had already issued a harsh death sentence against all the wise men of Babylon. Seeking to cool the king's burning anger and save their lives, Daniel begins by acting as their defense attorney. The primary approach among commentators is that Daniel clears their names, explaining that their failure to solve the hidden secret, namely the dream and its meaning [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ], was not an act of rebellion or a stubborn refusal to help.
The king harbored deep suspicions about his advisors. He believed they were either intentionally hiding the answer due to a lack of true skill, or that their entire craft was a fraud, making them unworthy of his support [מלבי״ם]. Daniel counters this by explaining that these men committed no crime. The wondrous demand the king placed upon them was simply beyond the reach of any mortal mind [חומת אנך]. In fact, the gentile advisors were entirely correct when they previously argued that no human power could uncover such a mystery [אלשיך]. The royal court was filled with all sorts of mystics, ranging from general sorcerers and omen readers to those who claimed to predict a person's ultimate fate [רש״י, אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון, יוסף אבן יחיא]. However, their methods relied on lower, earthly forces such as demons, stars, and nature. The king's secret existed in a much higher spiritual realm, completely out of reach for their limited tools [מלבי״ם].
Daniel's decision to defend his rivals stems from a mix of profound humility and sharp political foresight. By speaking up for them, he humbly acknowledges that, purely as a human being, he possesses no natural advantage over the other advisors [יוסף אבן יחיא]. Furthermore, he exercises keen moral and political wisdom. If he had simply revealed the dream's meaning right away and claimed all the glory, the Babylonian wise men would have been executed. Consequently, the surviving citizens of the empire would have harbored a deep, lasting hatred toward Daniel for causing the deaths of their leaders [אלשיך]. By defending them first, he ensures their survival and proves that the solution requires a wisdom far beyond human capability.