דניאל, פרק ב׳, פסוק ג׳

King Nebuchadnezzar stands before his wise men, deeply troubled by a night vision. He presents them with a highly unusual demand: they must not only provide the meaning of his dream but also recount the dream itself. The king clarifies that while he might have experienced many dreams, his focus is entirely on one specific vision that unsettled him, driven by a clear sense that it holds the key to the future [מלבי״ם, אלשיך]. His intense anxiety and deep yearning to uncover the forgotten details are evident in his strong desire simply to know what he saw [מצודת דוד].

A question arises regarding whether the king actually lost his memory of the vision. An older view suggests that he never forgot the dream at all, but was merely pretending in order to test his advisors. However, this idea is strongly rejected. His genuine quest to know the dream proves that it truly slipped from his mind. It is only later, when the exact details are described to him, that his memory will return and he will recognize the truth of the vision [אבן עזרא].

In addressing his wise men, the king employs a calculated strategy. He deliberately avoids asking for the interpretation right away, choosing a step-by-step approach. His advisors must first prove their abilities by revealing the dream itself, and only then will he demand its meaning [יוסף אבן יחיא]. Furthermore, the king uses a psychological tactic by expressing his emotional state as mere agitation rather than a complete erasure of memory. He does this to signal to his advisors that his mind is not entirely blank, fearing they might try to deceive him by inventing a false dream. He hints that while he cannot reconstruct the vision on his own, he will instantly recognize the correct details as soon as he hears them, ensuring they cannot trick him with a lie [אלשיך].