4:4 As mentioned above, the time of this dream was apparently later in Nebuchadnezzar's reign. Historians have identified a seven-year period during his reign when he engaged in no military activity (ca. 582-575 B.C.).137This may be the seven years during which he was temporarily insane. If so, he may have had this dream in 583 or 582 B.C. If this is the true date, Nebuchadnezzar would have defeated the Egyptians under Pharaoh Hophra (in 588-587 B.C.) and would have destroyed Jerusalem (in 586 B.C.) before he had this dream. In any case, he was at ease and resting in his palace when God gave him this revelation. Nebuchadnezzar described himself as flourishing in his palace in terms that in the original language picture him flourishing as a green plant. This king built the famous hanging gardens of Babylon, which enriched his capital with luxuriant foliage. His description of himself here anticipates the figure of the tree in his dream that represented him.
4:5-7 His dream, which was also a vision from God, terrified him, as the original language makes clear (cf. 2:1, 3). He still believed in his wise men even though they had let him down previously (2:10-12). This time he told them his dream and simply asked them to interpret it. They failed again, so he called in his expert in these matters, Daniel.
4:8 Daniel may not have been with the king's other advisers because he occupied a position in the government that required his presence elsewhere. The king described Daniel by using both his Hebrew and Babylonian names. This would have had the effect of causing those who read this decree to recognize Daniel by his common Babylonian name and to honor Daniel's God (cf. v. 37). Nebuchadnezzar probably meant that "a spirit of the holy gods"(cf. v. 17) in a pagan sense indwelt Daniel since he used a plural adjective (translated "holy") to describe the noun ("gods").138However, we should probably not be dogmatic on this point since "holy"can mean divine rather than morally pure.139In this case the king may have meant "the Spirit of the holy God."The true interpretation lies buried in the theological understanding of Nebuchadnezzar, which the text leaves unclear. I suspect that Nebuchadnezzar was speaking as a polytheist rather than as a monotheistic believer in Yahweh.
4:9 Nebuchadnezzar addressed Daniel as the chief of the magicians. By this he probably meant that Daniel was his chief interpreter of the future, not that he was the head of a group of magicians.140Daniel's fame in this regard had evidently become well known (cf. Ezek. 28:3).
