דניאל, פרק ד׳, פסוק ד׳

In a moment of deep distress, a powerful ruler turns to his vast network of astrologers and fortune-tellers, seeking clarity for a troubling vision, only to be met with profound disappointment. Unlike a previous encounter where the king demanded his advisors not only interpret his dream but also guess its forgotten contents, the circumstances here are entirely different. This time, he clearly remembers the vision and shares the details directly with his royal court. Despite having all the necessary information, they remain completely unable to offer a solution [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

It seems highly unusual for a monarch to publicly broadcast the failure and incompetence of his own chosen advisors. Furthermore, there is a deliberate emphasis on their inability to find the exact, true meaning of the vision, rather than just any general explanation. This public admission actually stems from the king's deep concern over public opinion. He feared that when Daniel eventually provided a harsh and negative interpretation, the public might accuse the Jewish advisor of acting out of malice. Because of a well-known belief that the outcome of a dream is directly shaped by how it is interpreted, the masses might argue that Daniel's negative words actually caused the impending disaster [אלשיך].

To counter this accusation in advance, the king deliberately highlights that his Babylonian advisors had already offered their own various interpretations. If the outcome simply followed whoever spoke first, their earlier predictions would have come true. Because their words failed to materialize, it becomes undeniable that Daniel did not create the tragedy through his interpretation. Instead, he was simply the only individual capable of revealing the harsh truth that had already been decreed [אלשיך].