חַכִּים14 H2445
Wise men, sages — Aramaic term for the learned class at the Babylonian court possessing esoteric knowledge.
An Aramaic noun (חַכִּים) occurring exclusively in Daniel, designating the professional class of wise men or sages at the Babylonian and Persian courts. These חַכִּימִין appear alongside magicians, enchanters, and astrologers as court advisors whom Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar consult for dream interpretation and reading cryptic signs. When God reveals Nebuchadnezzar's dream to Daniel, it is said that God 'gives wisdom to the wise' (Dan 2:21), using the same root. English and Spanish render the term straightforwardly as 'wise men' and 'sabios,' while French and German leave several occurrences untranslated.
Senses
1. wise men of — Aramaic plural noun referring to the professional class of wise men (sages) at the Babylonian and Persian royal courts, who possessed esoteric learning and served as royal counselors alongside magicians and astrologers (Dan 2:12–14, 18, 24, 27; 4:3; 5:7–8, 15). Nebuchadnezzar's decree to destroy all wise men of Babylon (Dan 2:12–13) and Daniel's subsequent vindication among them form the dramatic core. The singular-abstract use in Daniel 2:21, 'He gives wisdom to the wise,' plays on the root to affirm divine sovereignty over all human sagacity. 14×
AR["الـ-حُكَمَاءُ","الْحُكَمَاءُ","حُكَمَاءِ","لِ-الـ-حُكَمَاءِ","لِ-حُكَمَاءِ","لِحُكَمَاءِ","وَ-الـ-حُكَمَاءُ"]·ben["-জ্ঞানীদের","এবং-জ্ঞানীরা","জ্ঞানীদের","জ্ঞানীরা"]·DE["und-weise","weise"]·EN["and-the-wise-men","the-wise-men","the-wise-men-of","to-the-wise","to-wise-men-of","wise-men","wise-men-of"]·FR["[וחכימיא]","[חכימיא]","[חכימין]","[לחכימין]","aux-sages-de","sages-de"]·heb["ו-ה-חכמים","חכמי","חכמים","ל-חכמי","ל-חכמים"]·HI["और-बुद्धिमान","को-बुद्धिमानों","ज्ञानियों","ज्ञानी","बुद्धिमान","बुद्धिमानों","से-ज्ञानियों"]·ID["dan-orang-bijaksana","kepada-orang-bijaksana","kepada-orang-orang-bijak","orang-bijaksana","orang-orang-bijak"]·IT["e-saggio","saggio"]·jav["dhateng-para-tiyang-wicaksana","dhateng-para-wong-wicaksana","lan-para-wong-wicaksana","para-tiyang-wicaksana","para-wong-wicaksana","tiyang-wicaksana"]·KO["그리고-지혜자들이","지혜자들","지혜자들-에게","지혜자들-을","지혜자들-이","지혜자들에게","지혜자들을","지혜자들이"]·PT["aos-sábios","aos-sábios-de","e-os-sábios","os-sábios","os-sábios-de","os-sábios-do","sábios","sábios-de"]·RU["-мудрецами","-мудрецов","и-мудрецы","мудрецам","мудрецами","мудрецов","мудрецы","мудрым"]·ES["a-los-sabios","a-los-sabios-de","los-sabios","los-sabios-de","sabios","y-los-sabios"]·SW["kwa-wenye-hekima","kwa-wenye-hekima-wa","na-wenye-hekima","wenye-hekima","wenye-hekima-wa"]·TR["bilgeler","bilgelere","bilgeleri","bilgelerine","bilgelerini","bilgelerinin","ve-bilgeler"]·urd["اور-ال-دانشمندوں","دانا","داناؤں-سے","داناؤں-کو","دانشمند","دانشمندوں","کو-دانشمندوں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
[חַכִּים14] n.m. wise man (v. BH חכם);—pl. abs. חַכִּימִין Dn 2:21; elsewhere of the class possessed of occult learning in Bab. v 27, emph. -מַיָּא v 13; 5:15; cstr. -מֵי 2:12, 14 + 7 times Dn.