King Nebuchadnezzar's dream is a solid type 3 - heavily symbolic and requiring inspired interpretation to unravel.
It is interesting how the dream presents itself - "his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him" (v.1). Some dreams we just know are significant. "I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream" (v. 3). He could not even remember the dream, but it arrived with such an impact that he knew that he need to know "the dream and the interpretation thereof" (v. 7).
The Chaldean Wise Men were baffled. The task set for them - to recover the forgotten dream and to interpret it - was something requiring divine aid: "none other can shew it before the king but the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh" (v. 11). This is exactly the realm Daniel had access to. With the help of the prayers of his three companions (v. 17-8) Daniel is given a "night vision" (v.19).
The subtext of the entire experience is the power of the God of Israel as a Revelator, specifically, in this case, by means of dreams and their interpretations.
"...he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
He revealeth the deep and secret things:" (v. 21-22).
"But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known..." (v. 28).
"He that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass..." (v. 29).
"...your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets..." (v. 47).
Another interesting fact is that the dream and interpretation are given to Daniel as a result of group prayer. He and his companions "desire mercy of the God of heaven concerning this secret" (v. 18). When the answer comes Daniel is grateful that God "made known unto me now what we desired of thee" (v. 23). Unlike many of the revelations we have met in our study of dream, the initiative here was on the mortal side (at least for Daniel and company, though not for Nebuchadnezzar).
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