Daniel 4:4

Nebuchadnezzar Dreams of a Tree Chopped Down

4:4 (4:1) ¹  I, Nebuchadnezzar, was relaxing in my home, ²  living luxuriously ³  in my palace.

Daniel 7:12

7:12 As for the rest of the beasts, their ruling authority had already been removed, though they were permitted to go on living ⁴  for a time and a season.

Daniel 6:20

6:20 As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice, ⁵  “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel 6:26

6:26 I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people are to revere and fear the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God;

he endures forever.

His kingdom will not be destroyed;

his authority is forever. ⁶ 

Daniel 4:34

4:34 But at the end of the appointed time ⁷  I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up ⁸  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.

Daniel 12:7

12:7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen who was over the waters of the river as he raised both his right and left hands to the sky ⁹  and made an oath by the one who lives forever: “It is for a time, times, and half a time. Then, when the power of the one who shatters ¹⁰  the holy people has been exhausted, all these things will be finished.”

Daniel 2:30

2:30 As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom ¹¹  than any other living person, but so that the king may understand ¹²  the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind. ¹³ 

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 ¹⁴  those who are alive may understand

that the Most High has authority over human kingdoms, ¹⁵ 

and he bestows them on whomever he wishes.

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

Daniel 12:2

12:2 Many of those who sleep

in the dusty ground will awake –

some to everlasting life,

and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence. ¹⁶ 

Daniel 3:9

3:9 They said ¹⁷  to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! ¹⁸ 

Daniel 6:6

6:6 So these supervisors and satraps came by collusion ¹⁹  to the king and said ²⁰  to him, “O King Darius, live forever!

Daniel 1:21

1:21 Now Daniel lived on until the first ²¹  year of Cyrus the king.

Daniel 6:21

6:21 Then Daniel spoke to ²²  the king, “O king, live forever!

Daniel 5:10

5:10 Due to the noise ²³  caused by the king and his nobles, the queen mother ²⁴  then entered the banquet room. She ²⁵  said, “O king, live forever! Don’t be alarmed! Don’t be shaken!

Daniel 9:10

9:10 We have not obeyed ²⁶  the LORD our God by living according to ²⁷  his laws ²⁸  that he set before us through his servants the prophets.

Daniel 3:30

3:30 Then Nebuchadnezzar ²⁹  promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 4:12

4:12 Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful;

on it there was food enough for all.

Under it the wild animals ³⁰  used to seek shade,

and in its branches the birds of the sky used to nest.

All creatures ³¹  used to feed themselves from it.

Daniel 5:23

5:23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone – gods ³²  that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control ³³  your very breath and all your ways!

Daniel 5:19

5:19 Due to the greatness that he bestowed on him, all peoples, nations, and language groups were trembling with fear ³⁴  before him. He killed whom he wished, he spared ³⁵  whom he wished, he exalted whom he wished, and he brought low whom he wished.

Daniel 2:4

2:4 The wise men replied to the king: [What follows is in Aramaic ³⁶ ] “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will disclose its ³⁷  interpretation.”

Daniel 4:21

4:21 whose foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful, and from which there was food available for all, under whose branches wild animals ³⁸  used to live, and in whose branches birds of the sky used to nest –

Daniel 6:25

6:25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and language groups who were living in all the land: “Peace and prosperity! ³⁹ 

Daniel 7:13

7:13 I was watching in the night visions,

“And with ⁴⁰  the clouds of the sky ⁴¹ 

one like a son of man ⁴²  was approaching.

He went up to the Ancient of Days

and was escorted ⁴³  before him.

Daniel 7:22

7:22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and judgment was rendered ⁴⁴  in favor of the holy ones of the Most High. Then the time came for the holy ones to take possession of the kingdom.

Daniel 4:25

4:25 You will be driven ⁴⁵  from human society, ⁴⁶  and you will live ⁴⁷  with the wild animals. You will be fed ⁴⁸  grass like oxen, ⁴⁹  and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before ⁵⁰  you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.

Daniel 12:13

12:13 But you should go your way ⁵¹  until the end. ⁵²  You will rest and then at the end of the days you will arise to receive ⁵³  what you have been allotted.” ⁵⁴ 

Daniel 4:15

4:15 But leave its taproot ⁵⁵  in the ground,

with a band of iron and bronze around it ⁵⁶ 

surrounded by the grass of the field.

Let it become damp with the dew of the sky,

and let it live with ⁵⁷  the animals in the grass of the land.

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 ⁵⁸  you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.”

Daniel 7:9

7:9 “While I was watching,

thrones were set up,

and the Ancient of Days ⁵⁹  took his seat.

His attire was white like snow;

the hair of his head was like lamb’s ⁶⁰  wool.

His throne was ablaze with fire

and its wheels were all aflame. ⁶¹ 

Daniel 4:23

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’ –

Daniel 5:11

5:11 There is a man in your kingdom who has within him a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, he proved to have ⁶²  insight, discernment, and wisdom like that ⁶³  of the gods. ⁶⁴  King Nebuchadnezzar your father appointed him chief of the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners. ⁶⁵ 

Daniel 5:21

5:21 He was driven from human society, his mind ⁶⁶  was changed to that of an animal, he lived ⁶⁷  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.

[4:4]  ¹ sn This verse marks the beginning of chap. 4 in the Aramaic text of Daniel (see the note on 4:1). The Greek OT (LXX) has the following addition: “In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign he said.” This date would suggest a link to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. In general, the LXX of chapters 4-6 is very different from the MT, so much so that the following notes will call attention only to selected readings. In Daniel 4 the LXX lacks sizable portions of material in the MT (e.g., vv. 3-6, 31-32), includes sizable portions of material not in the MT (e.g., v. 14a, parts of vv. 16, 28), has a different order of some material (e.g., v. 8 after v. 9), and in some instances is vastly different from the MT (e.g., vv. 30, 34). Whether these differences are due to an excessively paraphrastic translation technique adopted for these chapters in the LXX, or are due to differences in the underlying Vorlage of the LXX, is a disputed matter. The latter seems more likely. There is a growing trend in modern scholarship to take the LXX of chapters 4-6 much more seriously than was the case in most earlier text-critical studies that considered this issue.

[4:4]  ² tn Aram “my house.”

[4:4]  ³ tn Aram “happy.”

[7:12]  ⁴ tn Aram “a prolonging of life was granted to them.”

[6:20]  ⁵ tn Aram “The king answered and said to Daniel.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is redundant in English.

[6:26]  ⁶ tn Aram “until the end.”

[4:34]  ⁷ tn Aram “days.”

[4:34]  ⁸ tn Aram “lifted up my eyes.”

[12:7]  ⁹ tn Or “to the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[12:7]  ¹⁰ tc The present translation reads יַד־נֹפֵץ (yad-nofets, “hand of one who shatters”) rather than the MT נַפֵּץ־יַד (nappets-yad, “to shatter the hand”).

[2:30]  ¹¹ tn Aram “not for any wisdom which is in me more than [in] any living man.”

[2:30]  ¹² tn Aram “they might cause the king to know.” The impersonal plural is used here to refer to the role of God’s spirit in revealing the dream and its interpretation to the king. As J. A. Montgomery says, “it appropriately here veils the mysterious agency” (Daniel [ICC], 164-65).

[2:30]  ¹³ tn Aram “heart.”

[4:17]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “the kingdom of man”; NASB “the realm of mankind”; NCV “every kingdom on earth.”

[12:2]  ¹⁶ sn This verse is the only undisputed reference to a literal resurrection found in the Hebrew Bible.

[3:9]  ¹⁷ tn Aram “answered and said,” a common Aramaic idiom that occurs repeatedly in this chapter.

[3:9]  ¹⁸ sn O king, live forever! is a comment of typical court courtesy that is not necessarily indicative of the real sentiments of the speaker. Ancient oriental court protocol could sometimes require a certain amount of hypocrisy.

[6:6]  ¹⁹ tn The Aramaic verb רְגַשׁ (rÿgash) occurs three times in this chapter (vv. 7, 12, 16). Its meaning is widely disputed by commentators, and the versions vary considerably in how they render the word. The suggestion that it means “to come thronging” (BDB 1112 s.v.; cf. NAB) seems inappropriate, since it is unlikely that subordinates would enter a royal court in such a reckless fashion. The ancient versions struggled with the word and are not in agreement in their understanding of its meaning. In this chapter the word apparently means to act in agreement with other parties in the pursuit of a duplicitous goal, namely the entrapment of Daniel. Cf. NIV, NCV “went as a group”; NRSV “conspired and came to the king.”

[6:6]  ²⁰ tn Aram “thus they were saying.”

[1:21]  ²¹ sn The Persian king Cyrus’ first year in control of Babylon was 539 B.C. Daniel actually lived beyond the first year of Cyrus, as is clear from 10:1. The purpose of the statement in 1:21 is merely to say that Daniel’s life spanned the entire period of the neo-Babylonian empire. His life span also included the early years of the Persian control of Babylon. However, by that time his age was quite advanced; he probably died sometime in the 530’s B.C.

[6:21]  ²² tn Aram “with.”

[5:10]  ²³ tn Aram “words of the king.”

[5:10]  ²⁴ tn Aram “the queen” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). In the following discourse this woman is able to recall things about Daniel that go back to the days of Nebuchadnezzar, things that Belshazzar does not seem to recollect. It is likely that she was the wife not of Belshazzar but of Nabonidus or perhaps even Nebuchadnezzar. In that case, “queen” here means “queen mother” (cf. NCV “the king’s mother”).

[5:10]  ²⁵ tn Aram “The queen.” The translation has used the pronoun “she” instead because repetition of the noun here would be redundant in terms of English style.

[9:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “paid attention to the voice of,” which is an idiomatic expression for obedience (cf. NASB “nor have we obeyed the voice of”).

[9:10]  ²⁷ tn Heb “to walk in.”

[9:10]  ²⁸ tc The LXX and Vulgate have the singular.

[3:30]  ²⁹ tn Aram “and the king.” The proper name has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:12]  ³⁰ tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

[4:12]  ³¹ tn Aram “all flesh.”

[5:23]  ³² tn Aram “which.”

[5:23]  ³³ tn Aram “in whose hand [are].”

[5:19]  ³⁴ tn Aram “were trembling and fearing.” This can be treated as a hendiadys, “were trembling with fear.”

[5:19]  ³⁵ tn 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”).

[2:4]  ³⁶ sn Contrary to common belief, the point here is not that the wise men (Chaldeans) replied to the king in the Aramaic language, or that this language was uniquely the language of the Chaldeans. It was this view that led in the past to Aramaic being referred to as “Chaldee.” Aramaic was used as a lingua franca during this period; its origins and usage were not restricted to the Babylonians. Rather, this phrase is better understood as an editorial note (cf. NAB) marking the fact that from 2:4b through 7:28 the language of the book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. In 8:1, and for the remainder of the book, the language returns to Hebrew. Various views have been advanced to account for this change of language, most of which are unconvincing. Most likely the change in language is a reflection of stages in the transmission history of the book of Daniel.

[2:4]  ³⁷ tn Or “the.”

[4:21]  ³⁸ tn Aram “the beasts of the field” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).

[6:25]  ³⁹ tn Aram “May your peace be increased!”

[7:13]  ⁴⁰ tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).

[7:13]  ⁴¹ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[7:13]  ⁴² sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.

[7:13]  ⁴³ tn Aram “they brought him near.”

[7:22]  ⁴⁴ tc In the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate the verb is active, understanding “judgment” to be the object rather than the subject of the verb (i.e., “the Ancient of Days rendered judgment”). This presupposes a different vocalization of the verb ( יְהַב [yÿhav] rather than the MT יְהִב [yÿhiv]).

[4:25]  ⁴⁵ tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.

[4:25]  ⁴⁶ tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.

[4:25]  ⁴⁷ tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.

[4:25]  ⁴⁸ tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”

[4:25]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ tn Aram “until.”

[12:13]  ⁵¹ tn The words “your way” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[12:13]  ⁵² tc The LXX lacks “until the end.”

[12:13]  ⁵³ tn The word “receive” is added in the translation for clarification.

[12:13]  ⁵⁴ sn The deuterocanonical writings known as the Story of Susanna and Bel and the Dragon appear respectively as chapters 13 and 14 of the book of Daniel in the Greek version of this book. Although these writings are not part of the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel, they were popular among certain early communities who valued traditions about the life of Daniel.

[4:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Aram “the stock of its root.” So also v. 23. The implication here is that although the tree is chopped down, it is not killed. Its life-giving root is spared. The application to Nebuchadnezzar is obvious.

[4:15]  ⁵⁶ sn The function of the band of iron and bronze is not entirely clear, but it may have had to do with preventing the splitting or further deterioration of the portion of the tree that was left after being chopped down. By application it would then refer to the preservation of Nebuchadnezzar’s life during the time of his insanity.

[4:15]  ⁵⁷ tn Aram “its lot be.”

[4:32]  ⁵⁸ tn Aram “until.”

[7:9]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “the Ancient One” (NAB, NRSV, NLT), although the traditional expression has been retained in the present translation because it is familiar to many readers. Cf. TEV “One who had been living for ever”; CEV “the Eternal God.”

[7:9]  ⁶⁰ tn Traditionally the Aramaic word נְקֵא (nÿqe’) has been rendered “pure,” but here it more likely means “of a lamb.” Cf. the Syriac neqya’ (“a sheep, ewe”). On this word see further, M. Sokoloff, “’amar neqe’, ‘Lamb’s Wool’ (Dan 7:9),” JBL 95 (1976): 277-79.

[7:9]  ⁶¹ tn Aram “a flaming fire.”

[5:11]  ⁶² tn Aram “[there were] discovered to be in him.”

[5:11]  ⁶³ tn Aram “wisdom like the wisdom.” This would be redundant in terms of English style.

[5:11]  ⁶⁴ tc Theodotion lacks the phrase “and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods.”

[5:11]  ⁶⁵ tc The MT includes a redundant reference to “your father the king” at the end of v. 11. None of the attempts to explain this phrase as original are very convincing. The present translation deletes the phrase, following Theodotion and the Syriac.

[5:21]  ⁶⁶ tn Aram “heart.”

[5:21]  ⁶⁷ tn Aram “his dwelling.”