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Text -- Daniel 4:18-37 (NET)
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4:18 “This is the dream that I , King Nebuchadnezzar , saw . Now you , Belteshazzar , declare its interpretation , for none of the wise men in my kingdom are able to make known to me the interpretation . But you can do so, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
4:19 Then Daniel (whose name is also Belteshazzar ) was upset for a brief time ; his thoughts were alarming him. The king said , “Belteshazzar , don’t let the dream and its interpretation alarm you.” But Belteshazzar replied , “Sir , if only the dream were for your enemies and its interpretation applied to your adversaries !
4:20 The tree that you saw that grew large and strong , whose top reached to the sky , and which could be seen in all the land ,
4:21 whose foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful , and from which there was food available for all , under whose branches wild animals used to live , and in whose branches birds of the sky used to nest –
4:22 it is you , O king ! For you have become great and strong . Your greatness is such that it reaches to heaven , and your authority to the ends of the earth .
4:23 As for the king seeing a holy sentinel coming down from heaven and saying , ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its taproot in the ground , with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the field . Let it become damp with the dew of the sky , and let it live with the wild animals , until seven periods of time go by for him’–
4:24 this is the interpretation , O king ! It is the decision of the Most High that this has happened to my lord the king .
4:25 You will be driven from human society , and you will live with the wild animals . You will be fed grass like oxen , and you will become damp with the dew of the sky . Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes .
4:26 They said to leave the taproot of the tree , for your kingdom will be restored to you when you come to understand that heaven rules .
4:27 Therefore , O king , may my advice be pleasing to you. Break away from your sins by doing what is right , and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor . Perhaps your prosperity will be prolonged .”
4:28 Now all of this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar .
4:29 After twelve months , he happened to be walking around on the battlements of the royal palace of Babylon .
4:30 The king uttered these words : “Is this not the great Babylon that I have built for a royal residence by my own mighty strength and for my majestic honor ?”
4:31 While these words were still on the king’s lips , a voice came down from heaven : “It is hereby announced to you, King Nebuchadnezzar , that your kingdom has been removed from you!
4:32 You will be driven from human society , and you will live with the wild animals . You will be fed grass like oxen , and seven periods of time will pass by for you before you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes .”
4:33 Now in that very moment this pronouncement about Nebuchadnezzar came true . He was driven from human society , he ate grass like oxen , and his body became damp with the dew of the sky , until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers, and his nails like a bird’s claws.
4:34 But at the end of the appointed time I , Nebuchadnezzar , looked up toward heaven , and my sanity returned to me. I extolled the Most High , and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever . For his authority is an everlasting authority , and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next .
4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing . He does as he wishes with the army of heaven and with those who inhabit the earth . No one slaps his hand and says to him, ‘What have you done ?’
4:36 At that time my sanity returned to me . I was restored to the honor of my kingdom , and my splendor returned to me . My ministers and my nobles were seeking me out , and I was reinstated over my kingdom . I became even greater than before .
4:37 Now I , Nebuchadnezzar , praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven , for all his deeds are right and his ways are just . He is able to bring down those who live in pride .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Dan 4:18; Dan 4:18; Dan 4:19; Dan 4:19; Dan 4:20; Dan 4:21; Dan 4:22; Dan 4:25; Dan 4:25; Dan 4:25; Dan 4:25; Dan 4:25; Dan 4:25; Dan 4:26; Dan 4:27; Dan 4:28; Dan 4:29; Dan 4:30; Dan 4:30; Dan 4:31; Dan 4:31; Dan 4:32; Dan 4:33; Dan 4:33; Dan 4:33; Dan 4:33; Dan 4:34; Dan 4:34; Dan 4:35; Dan 4:35; Dan 4:36; Dan 4:36; Dan 4:37
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NET Notes: Dan 4:22 Much of modern scholarship views this chapter as a distortion of traditions that were originally associated with Nabonidus rather than with Nebuchadne...
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NET Notes: Dan 4:26 The reference to heaven here is a circumlocution for God. There was a tendency in Jewish contexts to avoid direct reference to God. Cf. the expression...
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NET Notes: Dan 4:29 The word “battlements” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied from context. Many English versions supply “roof” here (e.g....
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NET Notes: Dan 4:33 The words “feathers” and “claws” are not present in the Aramaic text, but have been added in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: Dan 4:36 The translation reads הָתְקְנֵת (hotqÿnet, “I was established”) rather than the...
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