Daniel Chapter 4

I. Daniel Chapter 4.

II. Study Text.

A. Outline.

4:1. Nebuchadnezzar proclaims God’s dominion. 4:4. His dream, which the magicians could not interpret. 4:8. Its recital to Daniel, 4:19. His interpretation thereof. 4:28. The fulfillment of the dream.

B. Details.

4:1.This chapter is a public decree or state paper of Nebuchadnezzar.

4:6.Notice that the “wise” men were still in the king’s employ, though they had miserably failed him before.

4:8. Daniel did not appear immediately, perhaps of his own choosing or perhaps because Nebuchadnezzar did not summon him for fear that Daniel might tell him something that he did not want to hear. “in whom is a spirit of the holy gods.” The king may only be acknowledging his own god’s supposed work in Daniel’s life, or (since “gods” may be properly translated by the singular, god) it may indicate his recognition of the true God of Israel.

4:13. “an angelic watcher, a holy one.” I.e., an angel (see vs 17 and 23).

4:15. “a band of iron and bronze.” Either for restraint (as for a madman) or for preservation to prevent the stump’s being dug up.

4:16. “seven periods of time.” Seven years, because of the length to which his hair grew (v 33).

4:19. “Daniel was appalled.” Not because the dream was unintelligible to him, but because of his reluctance to announce God’s judgment to the king, whom he apparently had grown to love.

4:27. After interpreting the dream, Daniel counseled the king to abandon his despotic ways and acknowledge the rule of God.

4:29. “the royal palace.” Nebuchadnezzar was admiring the great city he had helped build, possibly the top terrace of his famous “Hanging Gardens.”

4:34-37. The king acknowledged God’s absolute sovereignty, and his kingdom was restored to him.

C. Detailed Review.

4:1. The fact that Nebuchadnezzar addressed what follows to everyone living on the earth, even though he did not rule over the entire earth, should not be a problem. This was the universal language that he customarily used (cf. Dan 3:29). He did, in fact, rule over a very large portion of the ancient world. Likewise the benediction, “May your peace abound,” seems to be a typical salutation formula (cf. Dan 6:25).

4:2-3. “Signs” and “wonders” are common biblical words used to describe miracles (cf. Deu 6:27; Isa 8:18; et al.). Signs (Aram. ’atohi) refer to “natural phenomena that because of their magnitude or timing decisively evidence God’s intervention.” Wonders (Aram. timhohi) are “supernatural manifestations of divine intervention in the course of nature.”  The “Most High God” is clearly Yahweh (cf. Dan 3:26). The king had great respect for Yahweh, but that does not necessarily mean that he was a monotheist, much less a convert to Judaism. The king’s praise of Yahweh opens and closes the chapter (cf. Dan 4:37). The effect on the reader of this introduction is to make us eager to discover what happened to Nebuchadnezzar.

4:4. As mentioned above, the time of this dream was apparently later in Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. Historians have identified a seven-year period during his reign when he engaged in no military activity (ca. 582-575 B.C.). This may be the seven years during which he was temporarily insane. If so, he may have had this dream in 583 or 582 B.C. If this is the true date, Nebuchadnezzar would have defeated the Egyptians under Pharaoh Hophra (in 588-587 B.C.), and would have destroyed Jerusalem (in 586 B.C.) before he had this dream. In any case, he was at ease and resting in his palace when God gave him this revelation. Nebuchadnezzar described himself as “flourishing” in his palace, in terms that in the original language picture him flourishing as a green plant. This king built the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which enriched his naturally arid capital with luxuriant foliage. His description of himself here anticipates the figure of the tree in his dream that represented him.

4:5-7. His dream, which was also a vision from God, terrified him, as the original language makes clear (cf. Dan 2:1-3). He still believed in his wise men even though they had let him down previously (Dan 2:10-12). This time he told them his dream and simply asked them to interpret it. They failed again, so he called for his expert in these matters, Daniel.

4:8. Daniel may not have been with the king’s other advisers because he occupied a position in the government that required his presence elsewhere. The king described Daniel by using both his Hebrew and Babylonian names. This would have had the double effect of causing those who read this decree to recognize Daniel by his common Babylonian name, and to honor Daniel’s God (cf. Dan: 4:37). Nebuchadnezzar probably meant that “a spirit of the holy gods” (cf. Dan 4:17) in a pagan sense, “indwelt Daniel,” since he used a plural adjective (translated “holy”) to describe the noun (“gods”). However, we should probably not be dogmatic on this point since “holy” can mean divine rather than morally pure. In this case the king may have meant “the Spirit of the holy God.” The true interpretation lies buried in the theological understanding of Nebuchadnezzar, which the text leaves unclear. Nebuchadnezzar may have been speaking as a polytheist rather than as a monotheistic believer in Yahweh.

4:9. Nebuchadnezzar addressed Daniel as the chief of the magicians. By this he probably meant that Daniel was his chief interpreter of the future, not that he was the head of a group of magicians. Daniel’s fame in this regard had evidently become well known (cf. Ezek. 28:3).

4:10-12. The king described what he had seen in poetic language. His words therefore appear as a prophetic oracle. The ancients frequently used trees to describe rulers of nations (cf. Isa 2:12-13; 10:34). Thus Nebuchadnezzar may have anticipated that the tree in his dream represented himself. What happened to the tree in his dream then could account for his fear (Dan 4:5). This tree was similar to Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. The beasts and birds probably represent the many types of people who benefited from Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (cf. Ezek. 31:6).

4:13-15. The watcher who descended from heaven (Dan 4:13) was probably a divine agent, an angel, though Nebuchadnezzar described it using terminology from his background (cf. Dan 4:17).  Earthly kings had watchmen who served as their eyes and ears and who carried out the bidding of their lords. The binding of the stump (Dan 4:15) hints at a restoration of the tree’s life and its growth after its cutting down. After all, the stump could have been removed. The significance of the iron and bronze band that bound the stump is questionable. It kept the tree stump from disintegrating, and perhaps it symbolized the madness that would bind Nebuchadnezzar or the fact that he would be protected while demented. As the description proceeds, it becomes increasingly clear that the tree represents a man. “It” now becomes “him” (Dan 4:15).

4:16. The man portrayed as a tree cut down would be out of his mind (lebab, lit. heart, including feelings, emotions, and affections) for “seven periods of time” (cf. Dan 4:23, 25, 32; 7:25). The word “periods of time” (’iddanin) is indefinite; it does not indicate how long these periods of time are. It means years in Dan 7:25, and that may be the meaning here too. Seven days or seven weeks would have been too short a time for his hair to grow the length of feathers (Dan 4:33), though that might be possible in seven months.

4:17. God also revealed the purpose of the judgment of this “tree.” It was to teach all people that the Most High God (cf. Dan 3:26) is sovereign over the affairs of humankind (Dan 4:17). He can, has, and will set up whom He will, even people of humble origin, to rule nations (e.g., Joseph, Israel’s judges, Saul, David, et al.). God does not need the mighty to do His work. Therefore it is foolish to become proud over one’s accomplishments and importance, as Nebuchadnezzar was.

4:18. The king concluded his description of what his dream contained by appealing to Daniel to interpret it for him. It seems incredible that the Babylonian soothsayers could not offer an interpretation of this dream, since its meaning seems quite transparent. Perhaps God hid the meaning from them, or maybe they pretended ignorance of it since it predicted Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation, and they would not have wanted to tell him of that.

4:19. Daniel’s initial reluctance to tell the king the interpretation must have been due to the bad news itself, or to the potentially harmful consequences to Daniel for telling it to the king. “For one hour” (Dan 4:19) describes a brief period of time better rendered “for a while.” Daniel had not hesitated to interpret the king’s first dream (Dan 2:27-28). Sensing Daniel’s uneasiness, Nebuchadnezzar encouraged the prophet to relate the interpretation without fear of punishment. This verse reflects the respect that each man held for the other.

4:23-26. By repeating the facts of the dream as Nebuchadnezzar had previously narrated them, Daniel assured the king that he understood the dream exactly and was therefore interpreting it accurately. Nebuchadnezzar would have to leave his present place in society and would live in the open air with “beasts” (animals) of the field. Moreover, he would behave as an animal himself, even eating grass. Zoanthropy is a form of mental illness that causes such behavior. With it a person imagines himself or herself to be an animal. Perhaps this is what God used to afflict Nebuchadnezzar.  Another possibility is that the king suffered from boanthropy. With this illness a person thinks himself or herself to be an ox (cf. Dan 5:21). His or her outer behavior is irrational, but the inner consciousness remains virtually unchanged. This may account for the statement that at the end of his affliction Nebuchadnezzar “raised his eyes toward heaven” (i.e., repented (Dan 4:34).

4:24-26. The king’s condition, whatever it was, would continue for seven periods of time (cf. Dan 4:16) until the king had learned that the Most High is sovereign. Then Nebuchadnezzar would receive back both his senses and his throne. “Heaven ruling” (Dan 4:26) is a figure of speech (metonymy) for God ruling, since God lives in heaven. The Jews often substituted “heaven” for God’s name out of respect for Him. This is most obvious in Matthew’s Gospel, which was written primarily for Jews, in which “the kingdom of heaven” usually replaces the more common “kingdom of God” in the other Gospels. However, this is the only place in the Old Testament where the substitution of “heaven” for “God” occurs.

4:27. Daniel concluded with a bold exhortation for the king. What God had revealed would happen unless Nebuchadnezzar turned from his sins, practiced righteousness, and showed mercy to the poor. Clearly Nebuchadnezzar ruled with a heavy hand as well as a proud heart.

4:28. Daniel 4:28 introduces the fulfillment of what God had warned Nebuchadnezzar he could expect if he failed to repent. Perhaps he humbled himself initially, but after 12 months he was as proud as ever.

4:31-33. No sooner had the king articulated his pride, than he heard a voice from heaven pronouncing the punishment that Daniel had warned might come upon him. Immediately something snapped in his mind and he became like an animal. “Hair as eagle feathers” pictures hair that is neglected and matted as well as long. He did not think to trim his fingernails and toenails, either. His judgment is a sobering reminder that we are all but a breath or a heartbeat from insanity, or death, but for God’s grace. It is He who sustains us moment by moment (John 15:5). The humbling of proud rulers is a common theme in Scripture (cf. Deu 17:14-20). It would not have been abnormal for Nebuchadnezzar’s enemies in Babylon to kill him and take his place. The fact that this did not happen during the time of the king’s breakdown is another tribute to God’s sovereignty. He kept affairs under control, so that when Nebuchadnezzar recovered, he could continue to rule.

4:36-37. Even as Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God’s sovereignty, endless existence and rule, and His irresistible will and power, his sanity returned to him. His public decree, as well as his public confession of inferiority to Yahweh, show the genuineness of his repentance, as does God’s greater subsequent blessing of him (cf. Job). “There seems to be prophetic significance in this incident as well as in the one in chapter 3. Even though God has appointed Gentiles to a place of prominence in His program during the times of the Gentiles, most nations and people walk in rebellion against God. God’s judgment on Nebuchadnezzar, designed to subject him to God’s authority, seems to prefigure God’s judgment on the nations to subject them to the authority of the One who has been given the right to rule.”