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Daniel 4:19 · World English Bible

Daniel 4:19 Meaning Then Daniel

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken mute for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream, or the interpretation, trouble you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries.

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What does Daniel 4:19 mean?

The one who could read dreams falls silent and troubled the moment he understands this one, because what he sees is not good news for the king he serves. To truly grasp a warning is a heavy thing, often heavier for the person who understands it than for the one it concerns.

From the Psychoanalysis reading below.

Daniel 4:19 through 1 lens

The same verse, read by one tradition.

Psychoanalysis

PSYCHOANALYSIS

Psychoanalysis

His wish that the dream belonged to the king's enemies is simply human. Nobody wants to carry a hard truth about someone they respect. The dream foretold the fall of a proud and swollen ruler, and the interpreter went quiet because he already knew that seeing such a thing clearly means having to say it, and that saying it will cost him.

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Psychoanalysis lens

Live Daniel 4:19 today

Think of one thing you have been meaning to say to someone and keep putting off. Write it out for yourself first, plainly, so you know what it actually is.
If you see a friend heading somewhere that will hurt them, say one honest sentence instead of hinting. Say it with care, then stop talking and let them have it.
In a meeting where everyone is agreeing and you quietly disagree, speak up once. Keep it short and keep it about the thing, not the people.

What have I been carrying in silence because saying it would cost me something?

The same truth in other traditions

Stoicism · Marcus Aurelius

If a thing is true, say it, and if it needs saying to someone who will not like it, say it plainly and say it anyway. Silence kept for the sake of comfort is its own small cowardice.

Judaism · Talmud

The teachers held that you must speak the correction rather than carry it as silent resentment, and they argued at length about how hard it is to do well. Withholding it is not kindness to either person.

Taoism · Zhuangzi

A student set out to reform a violent ruler and was warned that a man who parades his correction in front of power is likely to be destroyed by it. Telling the truth upward is dangerous work, and knowing that does not excuse you from it.

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