4:12 Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful;
on it there was food enough for all.
Under it the wild animals 4 used to seek shade,
and in its branches the birds of the sky used to nest.
All creatures 5 used to feed themselves from it.
4:15 But leave its taproot 6 in the ground,
with a band of iron and bronze around it 7
surrounded by the grass of the field.
Let it become damp with the dew of the sky,
and let it live with 8 the animals in the grass of the land.
4:33 Now in that very moment 9 this pronouncement about 10 Nebuchadnezzar came true. 11 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. 12
4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. 13
He does as he wishes with the army of heaven
and with those who inhabit the earth.
No one slaps 14 his hand
and says to him, ‘What have you done?’
7:27 Then the kingdom, authority,
and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven
will be delivered to the people of the holy ones 16 of the Most High.
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
all authorities will serve him and obey him.’
1 tn Aram “the sons of man.”
2 tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”
3 tn Aram “hand.”
4 tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”
5 tn Aram “all flesh.”
7 tn Aram “the stock of its root.” So also v. 23. The implication here is that although the tree is chopped down, it is not killed. Its life-giving root is spared. The application to Nebuchadnezzar is obvious.
8 sn The function of the band of iron and bronze is not entirely clear, but it may have had to do with preventing the splitting or further deterioration of the portion of the tree that was left after being chopped down. By application it would then refer to the preservation of Nebuchadnezzar’s life during the time of his insanity.
9 tn Aram “its lot be.”
10 tn Aram “hour.”
11 tn Or “on.”
12 tn Aram “was fulfilled.”
13 tn The words “feathers” and “claws” are not present in the Aramaic text, but have been added in the translation for clarity.
13 tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew
14 tn Aram “strikes against.”
16 tn Aram “walk.”
19 tn If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” See 8:24 for the corresponding Hebrew phrase and the note there.
22 tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.
23 tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.
24 tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.
25 tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”
26 sn Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity has features that are associated with the mental disorder known as boanthropy, in which the person so afflicted imagines himself to be an ox or a similar animal and behaves accordingly.
27 tn Aram “until.”
25 tn Aram “heart.”
26 tn Aram “his dwelling.”
28 tn Aram “which.”
29 tn Aram “in whose hand [are].”