Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.
The former denunciation was horrible, but now Nebuchadnezzar proceeds beyond it; for he not merely threatens the Chaldeans with death, but commands it to be inflicted. Such an example is scarcely to be found in history; but the cause of his wrath must be noticed, since God wished his servant Daniel to be brought forward and to be observed by all men.
The date troubles many readers, but Daniel likely finished his schooling early and entered the king's service in just one year rather than three, making this event fall in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign when he was already trusted with high matters. The dream itself, forgotten yet troubling, is what brought this great need upon the king.
AI summary
Commenting on Daniel 2:1-13
For this cause the king was angry, and very furious,.... Not only because they could not tell his dream, and the interpretation of it; but because they represented him as requiring a thing unreasonable and impossible, which had never been done by any potentate but himself, and could never be answered but by the gods: this threw him into an excess of wrath and fury...