4:1 The fact that Nebuchadnezzar addressed what follows to everyone living on the earth, even though he did not rule over the entire earth, should not be a problem. This was the universal language that he customarily used (cf. 3:29). He did, in fact, rule over a very large portion of the ancient world. Likewise the benediction, "May your peace abound,"seems to be a typical salutation formula (cf. 6:25).
4:2-3 "Signs"and "wonders"are common biblical words used to describe miracles (cf. Deut. 6:22; 7:19; 13:1, 2; 26:8; Neh. 9:10; Isa. 8:18; et al.). Signs (Aram. atohi) refer to "natural phenomena that because of their magnitude or timing decisively evidence God's intervention."Wonders (Aram. timhohi) are "supernatural manifestations of divine intervention in the course of nature."136The "Most High God"is clearly Yahweh (cf. 3:26). The king had great respect for Yahweh, but that does not mean that he was a monotheist much less a convert to Judaism. The king's praise of Yahweh opens and closes the chapter (cf. v. 37) forming an inclusio around the narrative.
The effect on the reader of this introduction is to make us eager to discover what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. We now want to pay close attention to the testimony that follows.
