---
title: Daniel 2:37
url: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/daniel-2-37/
markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/daniel-2-37.md
type: verse
perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching
reference: Daniel 2:37
testament: OT
section: Prophets
index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt
---

# Daniel 2:37

## Text (Berean Standard Bible)

> You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.

## JW Usage

Daniel calls Nebuchadnezzar "the king of kings" in 2:37 and Ezekiel calls him the same in 26:7. The Watchtower cites these usages to argue that "King of kings" is a transferable title — a delegated honour rather than a divine designation — which softens the force of Revelation 19:16 where Jesus bears the same title.

## Protestant Usage

The comparison is the argument. When Daniel 2:37 and Ezekiel 26:7 apply "king of kings" to Nebuchadnezzar, the phrase means "supreme among earthly kings" — a human emperor at the top of a human hierarchy. When Deuteronomy 10:17 applies "Lord of lords" to Jehovah, the phrase means something ontologically different — the supreme being over all reality, not merely the chief among peers. Scripture uses the same words at two altitudes. When Revelation 19:16 calls Jesus "King of kings and Lord of lords," the question is which altitude the New Testament has in view. Revelation 17:14 tells us: the Lamb conquers "*because* he is Lord of lords and King of kings" — the title is ontological, not delegated. And 1 Timothy 6:15-16 calls the one "King of kings and Lord of lords" the one "who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light." Those are Jehovah-level claims attached to the title when it is applied to Jesus — not Nebuchadnezzar-level claims. Daniel 2:37 establishes the possibility of two altitudes. Revelation settles which altitude is meant.

## Arguments Using This Verse

- [King of Kings and Lord of Lords](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/king-of-kings.md) — Revelation 19:16 — A title shared with Jehovah [Deity of Christ]