Discovery BoxDaniel 4:16-24
Context4:16 Let his mind 1 be altered from that of a human being,
and let an animal’s mind be given to him,
and let seven periods of time 2 go by for 3 him.
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.’
4:18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its 6 interpretation, for none of the wise men in 7 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.”
4:19 Then Daniel (whose name is also Belteshazzar) was upset for a brief time; 8 his thoughts were alarming him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream and its interpretation alarm you.” But Belteshazzar replied, “Sir, 9 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 10 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 11 used to live, and in whose branches birds of the sky used to nest – 4:22 it is you, 12 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.
[4:16] 1 tn Aram “its heart.” The metaphor of the tree begins to fade here and the reality behind the symbol (the king) begins to emerge.
[4:16] 2 sn The seven periods of time probably refer to seven years.
[4:16] 3 tn Aram “over” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).
[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.”
[4:18] 7 tc The present translation reads פִּשְׁרֵהּ (pishreh, “its interpretation”) with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[4:19] 10 tn Aram “about one hour.” The expression refers idiomatically to a brief period of time of undetermined length.
[4:20] 13 tn Aram “its sight.”
[4:21] 16 tn Aram “the beasts of the field” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).
[4:22] 19 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.
