Daniel 4:25

4:25 You will be driven¹ from human society,² and you will live³ with the wild animals. You will be fed⁴ grass like oxen,⁵ and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before⁶ you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.

Daniel 4:32-35

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 before⁷ you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.”

4:33 Now in that very moment⁸ this pronouncement about⁹ Nebuchadnezzar came true.¹⁰ 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.¹¹

4:34 But at the end of the appointed time¹² I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up¹³ 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.¹⁴

He does as he wishes with the army of heaven

and with those who inhabit the earth.

No one slaps¹⁵ his hand

and says to him, ‘What have you done?’

Daniel 2:21

2:21 He changes times and seasons,

deposing some kings

and establishing others.¹⁶

He gives wisdom to the wise;

he imparts knowledge to those with understanding;¹⁷

Daniel 5:18-21

5:18 As for you, O king, the most high God bestowed on your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, greatness, honor, and majesty.¹⁸ 5:19 Due to the greatness that he bestowed on him, all peoples, nations, and language groups were trembling with fear¹⁹ before him. He killed whom he wished, he spared²⁰ whom he wished, he exalted whom he wished, and he brought low whom he wished. 5:20 And when his mind²¹ became arrogant²² and his spirit filled with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and his honor was removed from him. 5:21 He was driven from human society, his mind²³ was changed to that of an animal, he lived²⁴ with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until he came to understand that the most high God rules over human kingdoms, and he appoints over them whomever he wishes.

Jeremiah 27:5-7

27:5 “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength,²⁵ and I give it to whomever I see fit.²⁶ 27:6 I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power²⁷ of my servant,²⁸ King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him.²⁹ 27:7 All nations must serve him and his son and grandson³⁰ until the time comes for his own nation to fall.³¹ Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon.³²

¹tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.

²tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.

³tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.

⁴tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”

⁵sn 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.

⁶tn Aram “until.”

⁷tn Aram “until.”

¹³tn Aram “hour.”

¹⁴tn Or “on.”

¹⁵tn Aram “was fulfilled.”

¹⁶tn The words “feathers” and “claws” are not present in the Aramaic text, but have been added in the translation for clarity.

¹⁹tn Aram “days.”

²⁰tn Aram “lifted up my eyes.”

²⁵tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew MSS, rather than כְּלָה (kÿlah) of BHS.

²⁶tn Aram “strikes against.”

³¹tn Aram “kings.”

³²tn Aram “the knowers of understanding.”

³⁷tn Or “royal greatness and majestic honor,” if the four terms are understood as a double hendiadys.

⁴³tn Aram “were trembling and fearing.” This can be treated as a hendiadys, “were trembling with fear.”

⁴⁴tn Aram “let live.” This Aramaic form is the aphel participle of חַיָה(khayah, “to live”). Theodotion and the Vulgate mistakenly take the form to be from מְחָא (mÿkha’, “to smite”).

⁴⁹tn Aram “heart.”

⁵⁰sn The point of describing Nebuchadnezzar as arrogant is that he had usurped divine prerogatives, and because of his immense arrogance God had dealt decisively with him.

⁵⁵tn Aram “heart.”

⁵⁶tn Aram “his dwelling.”

⁶¹tn Heb “by my great power and my outstretched arm.” Again “arm” is symbolical for “strength.” Compare the similar expression in 21:5.

⁶²sn See Dan 4:17 for a similar statement.

⁶⁷tn Heb “have given…into the hand of.”

⁶⁸sn See the study note on 25:9 for the significance of the application of this term to Nebuchadnezzar.

⁶⁹tn Heb “I have given…to him to serve him.” The verb “give” in this syntactical situation is functioning like the Hiphil stem, i.e., as a causative. See Dan 1:9 for parallel usage. For the usage of “serve” meaning “be subject to” compare 2 Sam 22:44 and BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3.

⁷³sn This is a figure that emphasizes that they will serve for a long time but not for an unlimited duration. The kingdom of Babylon lasted a relatively short time by ancient standards. It lasted from 605 b.c. when Nebuchadnezzar defeated Necho at Carchemish until the fall of Babylon in 538 b.c. There were only four rulers. Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son, Evil Merodach (cf. 52:31), and two other rulers who were not descended from him.

⁷⁴tn Heb “until the time of his land, even his, comes.” The independent pronoun is placed here for emphasis on the possessive pronoun. The word “time” is used by substitution for the things that are done in it (compare in the NT John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20 “his hour had not yet come”).

⁷⁵tn Heb “him.” This is a good example of the figure of substitution where the person is put for his descendants or the nation or subject he rules. (See Gen 28:13-14 for another good example and Acts 22:7 in the NT.)