Deeper Commentary
Dan 4:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you- Here we have "all the earth" defined as the area governed by Babylon, and not the entire planet. This assists in our interpretation of the dominions of Dan. 2. Clearly Europe and any area beyond the Middle East is not in view. This proclamation is that made after his humiliation. His response to that humbling was to spread the good news of God's Kingdom, rather than his own, to every aspect of humanity which he could reach. We too have been given the great commission to do likewise, and we obey it in the humility which comes from having been convicted of our sin and pride.
Nebuchadnezzar’s multi-lingual preaching of the greatness of God’s
Kingdom “to all nations” can easily be read unappreciated.
But it must have been quite something, involving translating the Gospel of
the Kingdom of God into many languages; and it incorporated a very humble
expression of his own failures, a recognition of his foolish pride and
lack of repentance. And maybe this is exactly why he was the one used by
God to make the widest and greatest Old Testament witness to the Gospel of
the Kingdom.
Dan 4:2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that
the Most High God has worked toward me- The content of Gospel
preaching is the message of God's Kingdom and His Son. But it is also a
reflection of our personal experience of how "God has worked toward me".
This is what gives our message credibility.
Dan 4:3 How great are His signs! How mighty are His wonders!-
These miraculous signs and wonders surely refer to how "God has worked
toward me" (:2), for they have no other referent. The way God tirelessly
works to humble us and lead us to accept His Kingdom and renounce
our own is nothing short of major, dramatic psychological miracle.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation- Nebuchadnezzar had rejected the teaching of the previous revelation to him in Dan. 2:44, that God's kingdom alone is everlasting, and will not pass to another. He had built an image of gold, as if to say that he the head of gold would in fact last eternally. And now he realizes how wrong he had been.
Dan 4:4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in
my palace- "Flourishing" is the language of a tree, which he will be
likened to in the vision he now saw. Again he shows humility by
recognizing the truth of the Divine vision concerning him.
Dan 4:5 I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts on my bed
and the visions of my head troubled me- This is the language of his
earlier experience in Dan. 2:1,29. Circumstances repeat in our lives. If
he had humbly accepted the Divine word to him in that first dream, he
wouldn't have needed this further dream and humiliation. The way
situations and feelings repeat in our lives is therefore a great
encouragement that man is not alone, abandoned in this world; instead we
are sure that God is working with us, to humble us that we might be
exalted in due time.
Dan 4:6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of
Babylon before me, that they might explain to me the interpretation of the
dream- As noted on :5, this was just what he had done in Dan. 2. He
ought to have guessed that the outcome would be similarly bad for his
pride, and the message of God's Kingdom would again prevail over him.
Dan 4:7 Then came in the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and
the soothsayers; and I told the dream before them; but they did not
explain to me its interpretation- Again, as noted on :5 and :6, the
situation in Dan. 2 was repeating. He ought to have learnt the lesson
then, but he didn't; and he failed his second chance too, with the dream
of the tree, but it seems he learnt his lesson finally and became one of
the most remarkable converts to the things of the Kingdom.
Dan 4:8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was
Belteshazzar- Nebuchadnezzar ought to have perceived the inability of
his magicians to interpret dreams; he ought to have gone to Daniel first
rather than "at the last". But he learnt his lesson right at the end,
although requiring a terrible humiliation. Daniel being called "at the
last" may well have been because he had moved himself away from all the
great promotions he had been given, and eagerly slipped into the twilight,
out of the deep conflicts between his conscience for Yahweh and the
requirements of the Babylonian court life. We too at times need to reverse
the effects of promotion in secular life, that we might be separate for
our God.
According to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and I told the dream before him, saying- Nebuchadnezzar proclaims Yahweh as the supreme God. So he may here be admitting his own foolishness in having Bel as his god, and perhaps we are to read in an ellipsis: "In whom [as I mistakenly thought was] the spirit of the holy gods". For he goes on to make it clear that Daniel's God is the greatest.
Dan 4:9 Belteshazzar, master of the magicians- As noted on :8,
Daniel had perhaps distanced himself from the magicians, or had been
demoted. And so the king is accepting that Daniel was far greater than
them all.
Because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you- This is the language used of Joseph in a similar situation (Gen. 41:38). Not only did situations recur within the experiences of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel, but between the lives of Joseph and Daniel. Daniel would have been encouraged that he was no treading a unique path, but that the same loving Divine hand was at work according to a broadly similar pattern.
And no secret troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation- The book of Daniel goes on to record that Daniel was indeed troubled by some secrets and visions which he never understood precisely. It's as if Daniel's humility was such that he wished this to be recorded.
Dan 4:10 Thus were the visions of my head on my bed: I saw, and
behold, a tree in the midst of the earth- A tree represents a
kingdom, e.g. Assyria (Ez. 31:1-18) or the Kingdom of God (Mt. 13:31,32).
Nebuchadnezzar as a person was intimately associated with his kingdom,
hence he transformed himself from being the head of gold to being the
entire image in the statue which he made. It is a human tendency to so
identify ourselves with our kingdom, be it our career, family or firm we
founded... that we cannot extricate ourselves to stand alone before God.
And Nebuchadnezzar needed immense humiliation before he made that
separation. Being "in the midst of the earth" may be a reference to his
capture of Jerusalem, as the central point of the eretz promised
to Abraham. This was his deepest sin, and what he was wrongly glorified
for. It was the seed of Abraham who were to grow into God's Kingdom "in
the midst of the earth" (Gen. 48:16), and not the people of Babylon.
And its height was great- The king of Babylon is pictured as having done this specifically in connection with his intention to conquer Jerusalem: "Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north" (Is. 14:13). As noted above, it was Nebuchadnezzar's prideful attitude against Israel and Jerusalem in particular which was at the root of his sin.
Dan 4:11 The tree grew, and was strong, and its height reached to the
sky, and its sight to the end of all the earth- "The earth" is
clearly not the entire planet. The way it was seen throughout the empire
referred to how Nebuchadnezzar exalted himself personally and was looked
towards by all; it alludes to how he had built the image of himself in
Dan. 3. He "reached to the sky" in terms of his pride and playing God. The
growth of the tree refers to the growth in the king's pride; he said "in
his heart" that he would grow as high as heaven (Is. 14:13).
Dan 4:12 The leaves of it were beautiful, and its fruit much, and in
it was food for all: the animals of the field had their shadow under it,
and the birds of the sky lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from
it- This is the language of God's Kingdom (Ez. 17:23; Mt. 13:32,33).
His kingdom had been a fake kingdom of God.
Dan 4:13 I saw in the visions of my head on my bed, and behold, a
watcher and a holy one came down from Heaven- The watcher even a holy
one [one Angel, not two] had already been revealed to Nebuchadnezzar when
he observed the Angel with the friends in the fiery furnace. He almost
didn't need Daniel to explain it all. God was constantly working with him
to help him, nudge by nudge, come to fully accept Him.
The Angels are 'watchers' in the sense that they 'watch over' God's word to perform it in practice; God would 'watch over' His words of condemnation of Babylon to fulfil them, and likewise 'watch over' His word of restoration toward Judah (Jer. 31:28; 44:27 etc.). See on Dan. 9:14. Nebuchadnezzar appreciated that Daniel had the spirit of the "holy ones", and yet he saw a "holy one" come from Heaven. He thereby was being taught that Daniel was in league with God and the court of Heaven, and the Angels were able to fulfil the prophetic words Daniel was uttering. See on 2 Sam. 23:1-3.
Dan 4:14 He cried aloud, and said thus: Cut down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit: let the animals get away from under it, and the birds from its branches- This is a command to the animals and birds, rather than just a prediction of the disintegration of the Babylonian empire. We can infer that the intention was that Nebuchadnezzar preached this message, bringing about the demise of his own empire, inviting the tributary peoples [especially Judah] to leave the empire and regain their freedom. But Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't do so. Perhaps if he had done so, then the restoration of Judah could have begun.
Dan 4:15 Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even
with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let
it be wet with the dew of the sky: and let his portion be with the animals
in the grass of the earth- The stump of the roots was therefore
representative of Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom; for it was he personally
who had his portion with the animals. Iron and brass were metals in the
image of Dan. 2 which were to come after Nebuchadnezzar. He was to be cut
down, and bound by the fact that other kings were to arise after him and
take away his dominion. The vision of Dan. 2 was indeed going to come
true, much as he had struggled against it through building the state of
gold in Dan. 3.
Dan 4:16 Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let an animal’s
heart be given to him- Man
is but as the beasts that perish in his death (Ps. 49:20). Nebuchadnezzar
had the idea that he was somehow divine, that he as the head of gold would
in fact continue and never give way to others- hence his deconstruction of
the Dan. 2 image by his own image of total gold in Dan. 3. But he had to
be made to realize that he was not divine, he was human, and human nature
is animal nature. The Father works with us likewise for decades to help us
realize these same truths, so that we might fully grasp the good news of
His Kingdom and eternity.
And let seven times pass over him- The closer one looks, the more conditional prophecies and Divine statements there are. The statement that Nebuchadnezzar would be humiliated for seven times could have been changed by his repentance (cp. :27-29). "Seven times" may not have to be seven years; the number seven is so often symbolic. The idea could be that a significant, defined period would pass over him so that he might thereby be perfected, literally 'seven-ed'. Israel too were to suffer "seven times" of judgment for their sins (Lev. 26:18,21,24,28), seventy sevens (Jer. 29:10), and Nebuchadnezzar had played his part in bringing them about. He was now to realize how he had treated God's people, suffering the same essential judgments he had poured out- not simply as a 'measure for measure' judgment for the sake of it, but in order to elicit in him repentance.
Dan 4:17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the
judgment decision by the word of the holy ones- Nebuchadnezzar was told that the destruction of his power was a “matter by the decree of the watchers [i.e. Angels, the eyes of the Lord], and the demand by the word of the holy ones” (Dan. 4:17). The Chaldee words translated “matter, “decree” and “demand” are all legal terms, implying a legal answer / response, “a judicial decision” as Strong defines “the demand”.
The book of Daniel often records the kings issuing decrees; but they are
nothing compared to the decrees of Heaven. Something came before the court of Heaven- presumably the matter in question was Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and his position on the Jews. Daniel’s advice in 4:27 to shew mercy to the poor may be a reference to what the King should’ve been doing to the Jews- perhaps by enabling their return to their land. And a ‘judicial decision’ was made and “a watcher and a Holy One came down from Heaven” to operationalize it (Dan. 4:13). If this is the extent of Angelic attention to the heart of a Gentile king- how much more earnestly are they debating the states of our hearts and our actions, and issuing decrees for action accordingly?
Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation was “by the demand of the word of the holy ones”. Was it that the Angels had noticed this man’s awful pride, reported it to God Himself in the court of Heaven, and then been empowered to carry out his demise? The same context reminds us that God does according to His will in the army of Heaven (Dan. 4:35). And yet His purpose is to some extent moulded by them. And we are led to ask, how much influence do we His beloved children have upon His actual purpose? In the context of Daniel, one observes that a “herald” cried aloud to peoples of all nations and languages, and bid them worship the Babylonian image, on pain of being cast into a fiery furnace (Dan. 3:4 ff.). And yet in Rev. 14:6, an Angel cries to all nations and languages, warning them that if they do worship the image, they will be cast into the lake of fire. The Angels had observed Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogance and defiance, and many centuries later they will work out their way of parodying it in their future proclamation. The point is, they have the power to work out their way of operation in accordance with their perceptions and understandings; in this we see the “freedom of the spirit” which is now and shall be ever accorded to Yahweh’s elohim.
To the intent that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will- The Divine intention at this time was that all the Babylonian empire would come to accept the truth of the message of the Kingdom as explained in the image of Daniel 2.
And sets up over it the most abased of men- Everyone would have known the strange abasement of Nebuchadnezzar. The fact he was restored to his throne, rather than being deposed during his incapacity, was therefore an amazing and most unusual object lesson- before exaltation over God's Kingdom there must come humility and abasement. The Lord seems to allude to this in teaching that he who abases himself the most shall be exalted the highest in God's Kingdom (Mt. 18:4; Lk. 14:11). The Lord clearly had Himself in view, and Phil. 2 confirms this- He was the most abased, that He might be the most highly exalted.
Dan 4:18 This dream I, king Nebuchadnezzar, have seen; and you,
Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, because all the wise men of my
kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are
able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in you- 1 Cor. 1:21 may
allude here: "the world by wisdom knows not God". This is no mere ancient
history; the principles apply in all ages and situations. Nebuchadnezzar
recognizes that his "wise men", whose supposed wisdom was intimately
connected with their pagan religious beliefs, were powerless. He tacitly
admits that they don't possess the spirit of the gods which they claimed
to. Remember that the text we are reading was part of the proclamation
made by Nebuchadnezzar after his humiliation.
Dan 4:19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken mute
for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered,
Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream, or the interpretation, trouble you.
Belteshazzar answered, My lord, the dream is to the side of those who hate
you, and its interpretation to your adversaries- This is the classic
encouragement to all of us when we fear to speak forth God's word, scared
of how our audience will receive it. This verse is still part of the
proclamation made by Nebuchadnezzar throughout his realm, he wished to
show everyone what had transpired. The fact he didn't have Daniel
immediately slain is to his credit; Daniel was fearful because he knew
just how proud Nebuchadnezzar was, and how the king had railed against
Daniel's interpretation of the Dan. 2 dream by building an image of gold,
subverting the idea that the head of gold was to pass away. He was likely
encouraged by the Biblical examples of young Joseph and Samuel speaking
forth God's word to men whom they knew would not welcome their message.
The haters and adversaries of Nebuchadnezzar were symbolized by the brass
and iron which bound the stump; the metals of the Dan. 2 image which were
to supercede Nebuchadnezzar.
Dan 4:20 The tree that you saw, which grew, and was strong, whose
height reached to the sky, and its view to all the earth- "Which
grew" translates the same Hebrew term translated "made [Daniel] a great
man" (Dan. 2:48). Daniel had eased himself out of that exaltation;
whenever he was exalted, he seems to have slipped out of the limelight,
for the next time he's needed, he has to be searched for. But
Nebuchadnezzar hadn't yet learnt that true greatness is not in this life.
"Height" is the same word used in Dan. 5:20 for how his heart was "lifted
up"; as noted on :22, it was the state of his heart which was of such
critical importance to God. And therefore the king uses it in :37 to say
that now he extols or lifts up the one true God- rather than himself. To
repent of pride is very difficult, and Nebuchadnezzar sets a great
example- although it was only achieved by grace alone, and repeated Divine
efforts and a huge abasement.
Dan 4:21 Whose leaves were beautiful, and its fruit much, and in it
was food for all; under which the animals of the field lived, and under
whose branches the birds of the sky had their habitation- The
similarities with imagery of God's Kingdom are clear (Mt. 13:31,32). On
one level, Babylon was a pseudo kingdom of God with Nebuchadnezzar as a
fake God and Messiah. But the similarities perhaps also point to how that
if Nebuchadnezzar had repented and his people accepted his testimony about
God's Kingdom, his kingdom could have become part of the revived kingdom
of God in Israel. The submission of all animal life to Nebuchadnezzar is
after the pattern of Adam in Eden; and his pride led him to a fall after
the pattern of Adam.
Dan 4:22 It is you, O king, that has grown and become strong; for your
greatness is grown, and reaches to the sky, and your dominion to the end
of the earth- "Strong" is the word for "hard"; it is used again in
Dan. 5:20 "his mind was hardened in pride". This prophecy about the king
is therefore specifically about his heart; this is the essential nature
and indicator of a person before God. Nebuchadnezzar's empire was largely
inherited, and even Babylon was glorious when he came to the throne; he
rebuilt parts of it and made cosmetic improvements. So the astounding
growth depicted here refers more to the growth of his own glory within his
own proud mind. "It is you" focuses the interpretation upon Nebuchadnezzar
as a person, but clearly the language of :20,21 is about his kingdom. He
was his kingdom, just as the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus is within or
amongst people; He is the One in view, the king is so identified
with His Kingdom (Lk. 17:21).
Dan 4:23 Whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down
from Heaven and saying, Cut down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless
leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and
brass, in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of
the sky: and let his portion be with the animals of the field, until seven
times pass over him- See on Jer. 23:18,22. "And destroy it" is added
here; in contrast with how God's Kingdom shall never be destroyed (Dan.
2:44). Nebuchadnezzar had tried to deconstruct that image by making an
entire image of gold. And yet the leaving of the stump in the earth showed
that he could still have hope of life even after that.
Dan 4:24 This is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of
the Most High, which has come on my lord the king- This contrasts
with :17 "the decree of the watchers"; the one and only Most High God is
to be accepted rather than the king's vague idea of Divine "Watchers".
Again we see the Father's patient efforts to spiritually educate this
proud man whom we would likely not have bothered preaching to.
Dan 4:25 That you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be
with the animals of the field, and you shall be made to eat grass as oxen,
and shall be wet with the dew of the sky, and seven times shall pass over
you; until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and
gives it to whomsoever He will- The king was initially like a tree
with all the animals of the field beneath him, and now he was to be made
like one of them. Every sin is in some form an essential replication of
that of Adam and Eve. They passed through the same. Nebuchadnezzar's
conversion to the Gospel of the Kingdom of God involved recognizing that
man is but as the beasts which perish, mortal and not immortal.
Dan 4:26 Whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the
tree; your kingdom shall be sure to you, after that you shall have known
that the Heavens do rule- We are guided in understanding the meaning
of the stump by Job 14:7, which seems to be saying that a tree whose stump
is left at least has the hope of sprouting again, which Job understood as
meaning resurrection. Tree stumps are not usually bound with brass and
iron; such bonds would not stop the tree sprouting again. The point is
that the root was not removed. I suggest that Nebuchadnezzar was being
taught that his earthly kingdom would indeed end and the kingdoms of brass
and iron would play a part in that, as taught by the Dan. 2 image vision.
But if he redefined his kingdom as the Kingdom of God, which is
eternal, then his kingdom, which would be God's Kingdom when the kingdoms
of this world become those of God (Rev. 11:15), would indeed be eternal.
And there is every reason to think that Nebuchadnezzar was finally
converted to this good news of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is only
"made sure" to anyone by resigning our own kingdoms and making God's
Kingdom ours.
Dan 4:27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you, and
break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy
to the poor; if there may be a lengthening of your prosperity- The
prophecy about his humiliation need not have come true if he had repented;
just as the statement that Babylon would be destroyed in 40 days didn't
come true because of the Ninevites' repentance. But like us,
Nebuchadnezzar had to be an empirical learner, rather than humbling
himself before the word of God and just obeying it. The "righteousness"
and "mercy to the poor" may have specifically referred to his allowing the
restoration of God's Kingdom in the form of the kingdom of Judah.
"Righteousness" is a favourite theme of Isaiah's prophecies of the
restoration (Is. 45:8; 54:14; 56:1; 63:1 etc.). "Mercy to the poor" is the
word used of how God would "favour" Zion at the restoration (Ps.
102:13,14; Is. 30:19). "The poor" is literally 'the afflicted ones', a
term used of Judah afflicted by the Babylonians (Ezra 8:21; Is. 60:14;
Lam. 5:11).
"Break off" is a term used of removing the yoke upon captive Judah (Ps. 136:24; Lam. 5:8; Ez. 19:12); and "sins" may be an intensive plural for his one great sin, which was the holding of Judah in captivity. All this could be reversed by Nebuchadnezzar repenting of his pride, handing his kingdom over to Yahweh, and allowing the Jews to return and re-establish the Kingdom of God in Judah.
Dan 4:28 All this came on the king Nebuchadnezzar- This is
tantamount to saying that he did not accept Daniel's plea for his
repentance in :27.
Dan 4:29 At the end of twelve months he was walking in the royal
palace of Babylon- So often, God makes a statement of judgment, but
there is a gap between the statement and the fulfilment. We all are
located within that gap until we die. But there are specific matters over
which we may be given a period of time to repent of. Nebuchadnezzar was
given twelve months. And he didn't. But there was a plan D for him still,
involving serious humiliation. And it seems he responded to that. We have
such things going on in our lives, although they are seen clearer in the
lives of others.
Dan 4:30 The king spoke and said- These words may well have been
simply his innermost thoughts. But as the Lord makes clear, the thoughts
of the heart are read by God as our words. He apparently said or thought
these things whilst viewing the city, so he would have been on a rooftop,
the place of solace and meditation (cp. 2 Sam. 11:2).
Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?- Nebuchadnezzar realized after his humbling that one of his reasons for pride had been due to him not realizing the extent to which the "great Babylon which (he) had built" and the Kingdom he had gained were in fact the total result of the work of the Angels; "He doeth according to His will in the army of Heaven (the Angels), and among the inhabitants of the earth" (:35). The bricks of ancient Babylon all have Nebuchadnezzar's name on them. Pride in our own homes, or our kingdoms no matter how small or great in secular terms, can be the same essential sin. A sense of God's majesty and power is essential if we are to avoid this temptation to glorify our own power and apparent majesty. And much of that apparent majesty is anyway in our own eyes only, as it was for Nebuchadnezzar; for Babylon was already great when he became king, and all he did was to rebuild parts of it and make cosmetic improvements.
Dan 4:31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice
from Heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken- See on 2 Pet. 2:10.
I suggested on :30 that his statement may have been simply in his own
heart, but it was counted as being a word in his mouth by the God who
considers thoughts to be words. His word and the Divine word are here
contrasted.
The kingdom has departed from you- The same word is used of how the Dan. 2 image vision meant that God "removed" (s.w. "departed") kings, including Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:21; 7:12). He ought to have continued believing in that Divine word; but he had to be brought to accept it through this deep humiliation, when he could have avoided that by simply accepting God's word as it is. And it's the same for us. This is why attitude to God's word, rather than simply reading it, is so critically important in human life. It is why acceptance that the Bible is the inspired word of God has such endless implications in human life.
Dan 4:32 And you shall be driven from men; and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field; you shall be made to eat grass as oxen- The AV translates this as if it was the "men" who would make him eat grass. In this case, we have implied humiliation at the hands of his own courtiers, rather than simply an illness. This seems confirmed by Dan. 5:20, which speaks of his glory being taken from him.
And seven times shall pass over you; until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will- "Times" in Daniel can mean a year, but in other places, simply a period of time. It could have been seven days, months or some other period. Nebuchadnezzar had been taught that God rules over the kingdoms of men and would in due course subsume them into His Kingdom. He had momentarily accepted that at the end of Dan. 2. But that understanding of the Gospel of the Kingdom was but theoretical and transient. He had to be taught the personal truth of it by humiliation. But that could have been avoidable had he accepted God's word through Daniel in his heart.
Dan 4:33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar: and
he was driven from men, and ate grass as oxen, and his body was wet with
the dew of the sky, until his hair was grown like eagles’ feathers, and
his nails like birds’ claws- This could have been the medical
condition known as insania zoanthropica, but it seems more likely
that it was a uniquely designed punishment with the aim in view of
eliciting his repentance. The dew was "from heaven", as if to point out
that God was in all this, seeking to bring Nebuchadnezzar unto Himself.
Dan 4:34 At the end of the days- The "seven times". "Times" need
not refer to years, it could be literal days or any period.
I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven- This is the language of prayerful repentance.
And my understanding returned to me- The only true understanding is that we are as beasts and God's Kingdom is over all. It "returned to me" in that he returned to the humility before God which he had momentarily had after the Dan. 2 image vision and after Daniel's explanation of his latest dream 12 months previously. Nebuchadnezzar had earlier recognized that Daniel was the one with "understanding" (Dan. 1:4,17; 2:21; 5:12 s.w.). It's as if he was saying that he had once accepted Daniel's "understanding", which was God's understanding- that he was only the head of gold, and his kingdom would pass away and ultimately be subsumed within God's Kingdom. And now he again accepted that, his earlier humility and "understanding" of a moment returned to him permanently.
And I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom from generation to generation- Now finally he accepts the truth of the image vision of Dan. 2:44. If he had accepted it more deeply and from the heart at the time, he wouldn't have needed to be so humiliated in order to learn its truth on a personal level. We too need to convert our Sunday School Christianity, or our previous acceptance of the Gospel of God's Kingdom, into deep personal reality. If we won't do so, still proudly seeking to build up our own kingdoms, then we too shall be humbled in a desperate Divine attempt to help us accept the truth of His Kingdom so that we might enjoy it eternally.
Dan 4:36 At the same time my understanding returned to me-
Dan 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King
of heaven; for all His works are truth, and His ways justice; and those
who walk in pride He is able to abase- "Extol" is literally 'to lift
up', the same word used of how previously he had lifted himself up rather
than God (see on :20). He openly accepts his pride and appropriate
abasement. His acceptance of Yahweh as the ultimate King, rather than
himself or his previous god Bel, was effectively a resignation of his own
kingship and kingdom to Yahweh.
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