Daniel 2:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Chaldeans responded to the king using the Syriac tongue. The material presented thus far has been in Hebrew. However, from this point onward, including the vision that occurred in the third year of King Belshazzar, which Daniel beheld in Susa, the text, although expressed in Hebrew script, is in the Chaldean language, referred to here as Syriac.

The summoned individuals "came and stood before the king." "And the king said unto them, I have seen a dream, and my spirit is troubled, that I may understand the dream." "And the Chaldeans of Syria spoke unto the king," saying, "O king, live forever: declare the dream to your servants, and we will recount its meaning to you." While their request was reasonable, their assurance was arrogant; for human wisdom cannot rightly interpret divine revelations without heavenly guidance. The Chaldeans spoke in Syrian since they were from diverse nations, each possessing its own tongue, yet they commonly used Syrian among themselves to emphasize the validity of their response. Nonetheless, the proud king remained unconvinced, insisting on human explanations for matters beyond natural understanding.