Daniel 4:15

4:15 But leave its taproot ¹  in the ground,

with a band of iron and bronze around it ² 

surrounded by the grass of the field.

Let it become damp with the dew of the sky,

and let it live with ³  the animals in the grass of the land.

Daniel 10:11

10:11 He said to me, “Daniel, you are of great value. ⁴  Understand the words that I am about to ⁵  speak to you. So stand up, ⁶  for I have now been sent to you.” When he said this ⁷  to me, I stood up shaking.

Daniel 11:2

11:2 Now I will tell you the truth.

The Angel Gives a Message to Daniel

“Three ⁸  more kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth ⁹  king will be unusually rich, ¹⁰  more so than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against ¹¹  the kingdom of Greece.

Daniel 11:4

11:4 Shortly after his rise to power, ¹²  his kingdom will be broken up and distributed toward the four winds of the sky ¹³  – but not to his posterity or with the authority he exercised, for his kingdom will be uprooted and distributed to others besides these.

¹ 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.

² 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.

³ tn Aram “its lot be.”

⁴ tn Or “a treasured person”; KJV “a man greatly beloved”; NASB “man of high esteem.”

⁵ tn The Hebrew participle is often used, as here, to refer to the imminent future.

⁶ tn Heb “stand upon your standing.”

⁷ tn Heb “spoke this word.”

⁷ sn Perhaps these three more kings are Cambyses (ca. 530-522 B.C.), Pseudo-Smerdis (ca. 522 B.C.), and Darius I Hystaspes (ca. 522-486 B.C.).

⁸ sn This fourth king is Xerxes I (ca. 486-465 B.C.). The following reference to one of his chiefs apparently has in view Seleucus Nicator.

⁹ tn Heb “rich with great riches.”

¹⁰ tn The text is difficult. The Hebrew has here אֶת (’et), the marker of a definite direct object. As it stands, this would suggest the meaning that “he will arouse everyone, that is, the kingdom of Greece.” The context, however, seems to suggest the idea that this Persian king will arouse in hostility against Greece the constituent elements of his own empire. This requires supplying the word “against,” which is not actually present in the Hebrew text.

¹⁰ tn Heb “and when he stands.”

¹¹ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.