Daniel 2:37-38

Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2:37 “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 2:38 Wherever human beings, ¹  wild animals, ²  and birds of the sky live – he has given them into your power. ³  He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold.

Daniel 4:17

4:17 This announcement is by the decree of the sentinels;

this decision is by the pronouncement of the holy ones,

so that ⁴  those who are alive may understand

that the Most High has authority over human kingdoms, ⁵ 

and he bestows them on whomever he wishes.

He establishes over them even the lowliest of human beings.’

Daniel 4:22-25

4:22 it is you, ⁶  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 ⁷  from human society, ⁸  and you will live ⁹  with the wild animals. You will be fed ¹⁰  grass like oxen, ¹¹  and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before ¹²  you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.

Daniel 4:32

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 ¹³  you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.”

Deuteronomy 32:8

32:8 When the Most High ¹⁴  gave the nations their inheritance,

when he divided up humankind, ¹⁵ 

he set the boundaries of the peoples,

according to the number of the heavenly assembly. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 7:17

7:17 I will thank the Lord for ¹⁷  his justice;

I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! ¹⁸ 

Psalms 9:2

9:2 I will be happy and rejoice in you!

I will sing praises to you, O sovereign One! ¹⁹ 

Psalms 47:2

47:2 For the sovereign Lord ²⁰  is awe-inspiring; ²¹ 

he is the great king who rules the whole earth! ²² 

Psalms 92:8

92:8 But you, O Lord, reign ²³  forever!

Lamentations 3:35

3:35 to deprive a person ²⁴  of his rights ²⁵ 

in the presence of the Most High,

Lamentations 3:38

3:38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that everything comes –

both calamity and blessing? ²⁶ 

Acts 7:48

7:48 Yet the Most High ²⁷  does not live in houses made by human hands, ²⁸  as the prophet says,

[2:38]  ¹ tn Aram “the sons of man.”

[2:38]  ² tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

[2:38]  ³ tn Aram “hand.”

[4:17]  ⁴ tc The present translation follows an underlying reading of עַל־דִּבְרַת (’al-divrat, “so that”) rather than MT עַד־דִּבְרַת (’ad-divrat, “until”).

[4:17]  ⁵ tn Aram “the kingdom of man”; NASB “the realm of mankind”; NCV “every kingdom on earth.”

[4:22]  ⁶ sn Much of modern scholarship views this chapter as a distortion of traditions that were originally associated with Nabonidus rather than with Nebuchadnezzar. A Qumran text, the Prayer of Nabonidus, is often cited for parallels to these events.

[4:25]  ⁷ tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.

[4:25]  ⁸ tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.

[4:25]  ⁹ tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.

[4:25]  ¹⁰ tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”

[4:25]  ¹¹ 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.

[4:25]  ¹² tn Aram “until.”

[4:32]  ¹³ tn Aram “until.”

[32:8]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew term עֶליוֹן (’elyon) is an abbreviated form of the divine name El Elyon, frequently translated “God Most High” (so here NCV, CEV) or something similar. This full name (or epithet) occurs only in Gen 14, though the two elements are parallel in Ps 73:11; 107:11; etc. Here it is clear that Elyon has to do with the nations in general whereas in v. 9, by contrast, Yahweh relates specifically to Israel. See T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:400-401. The title depicts God as the sovereign ruler of the world, who is enthroned high above his dominion.

[32:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the sons of man” (so NASB); or “the sons of Adam” (so KJV).

[32:8]  ¹⁶ tc Heb “the sons of Israel.” The idea, perhaps, is that Israel was central to Yahweh’s purposes and all other nations were arranged and distributed according to how they related to Israel. See S. R. Driver, Deuteronomy (ICC), 355-56. For the MT יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי (bÿney yisra’el, “sons of Israel”) a Qumran fragment has “sons of God,” while the LXX reads ἀγγέλων θεοῦ (angelwn qeou, “angels of God”), presupposing בְּנֵי אֵל (bÿney ’el) or בְּנֵי אֵלִים (beney ’elim). “Sons of God” is undoubtedly the original reading; the MT and LXX have each interpreted it differently. MT assumes that the expression “sons of God” refers to Israel (cf. Hos. 1:10), while LXX has assumed that the phrase refers to the angelic heavenly assembly (Pss 29:1; 89:6; cf. as well Ps 82). The phrase is also attested in Ugaritic, where it refers to the high god El’s divine assembly. According to the latter view, which is reflected in the translation, the Lord delegated jurisdiction over the nations to his angelic host (cf. Dan. 10:13-21), while reserving for himself Israel, over whom he rules directly. For a defense of the view taken here, see M. S. Heiser, “Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God,” BSac 158 (2001): 52-74.

[7:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “according to.”

[7:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “[to] the name of the Lord Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case the compound “Lord Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.

[9:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “[to] your name, O Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyo/) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.

[47:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the Lord Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures the Lord as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked.

[47:2]  ²¹ tn Or “awesome.” The Niphal participle נוֹרָא (nora’), when used of God in the psalms, focuses on the effect that his royal splendor and powerful deeds have on those witnessing his acts (Pss 66:3, 5; 68:35; 76:7, 12; 89:7; 96:4; 99:3; 111:9). Here it refers to his capacity to fill his defeated foes with terror and his people with fearful respect.

[47:2]  ²² tn Heb “a great king over all the earth.”

[92:8]  ²³ tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”

[3:35]  ²⁴ tn The speaking voice is still that of the גֶּבֶר (gever, “man”), but the context and line are more universal in character.

[3:35]  ²⁵ tn Heb “to turn away a man’s justice,” that is, the justice or equitable judgment he would receive. See the previous note regarding the “man.”

[3:38]  ²⁶ tn Heb “From the mouth of the Most High does it not go forth, both evil and good?”

[7:48]  ²⁷ sn The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).

[7:48]  ²⁸ sn The phrase made by human hands is negative in the NT: Mark 14:58; Acts 17:24; Eph 2:11; Heb 9:11, 24. It suggests “man-made” or “impermanent.” The rebuke is like parts of the Hebrew scripture where the rebuke is not of the temple, but for making too much of it (1 Kgs 8:27; Isa 57:15; 1 Chr 6:8; Jer 7:1-34).