Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream: The stories in Daniel 2–7 probably did not all circulate together originally. As mentioned earlier, evidence for this can be seen especially in chapters 3 and 6. The original author of chapter 3 focuses on Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, seemingly unaware of Daniel, while the original author of chapter 6 highlights Daniel, seemingly oblivious to his three friends. These independent traditions have been brought together and shaped into a literary whole. (For a more complete discussion of the literary development, see the Introduction.) They are united by language—the book shifts to Aramaic in 2:4 and remains in Aramaic through the end of chapter 7—and also by a chiastic literary structure: A B C : Cʹ Bʹ Aʹ.

A Daniel 2: Dream of four kingdoms (metals)…