Daniel
Chapter 4
{Note: From Chapter 2:4b through Chapter 7, Daniel is writing in the Chaldean language.}
{Verses
1-3: Prologue to Nebuchadnezzar's Conversion}
1~~Nebuchadnezzar,
the king,
to
all people, nations, and men of every language,
{he ruled peolpe of many races and empires and various languages}
who
live in all the earth,
"May
your welfare/peace/prosperity/'inner happiness' abound."
2~~"It
has seemed good to me
{he discerned it to be 'divine good'}
to
declare the signs and wonders
which
the Most High God/'Elahh {Chaldean}
has
done for me."
{Note: Nebuchadnezzar is now a mature believer looking back and speaking from his edification complex of the soul. A clue is always when one recognizes the credit goes to God - he did not earn or deserve anything!}
3~~"How
great are His signs,
and
how mighty are His wonders!
His
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and
His dominion is from generation to generation."
{Note: In the last chapter the king tried to perpetuate HIS OWN kingdom with the image of Gold. Now he recognizes that it is God who rules all!}
{Verses
4-18: God Revealing Himself to the King}
4~~"I,
Nebuchadnezzar,
was
at ease/rest in my house
and
flourishing in my palace."
{Note: 'Was' indicates this is 'Retrospective Exposition'. The king became a mature believer and is now writing about his past.}
5~~"I
saw a dream and it made me afraid/fearful;
{his 'human security' of the previous verse was gone}
and
these fantasies as I lay on my bed
and
the visions in my mind
'kept
alarming me'/'terrified me'."
{Remembering
When He Resisted the Grace of God}
6~~"So,
I gave orders to bring into my presence
all
the 'wise {men}'/'State Department' of Babylon,
for
the purpose that
they
might make known to me the interpretation of the dream."
7~~"Then
the 'writers of hieroglyphics'/
'the
scribes'/'his administrators',
the
'the astrologers'/'his CIA',
the
Chaldeans/'Priests of the Babylonians',
and
the determiners/'policy makers' came in
and
I related the dream to them;
but
they could not make its interpretation known to me."
8-9~~"But
finally
{after trying all 'human resources' - the king turns to Daniel. He
must have been out of town on a 'road trip'. Daniel being last was
part of God's plan. Principle is 'Daniel waited patiently for God's
timing' - and we should do the same}
Daniel
came in before me . . .
whose
{Chaldean} name is Belteshazzar,
according
to the name of My God/'Elahh {Chaldean},
and
in whom is the Spirit of the Holy Gods/'Elohin {Chaldean};
and
I {the king} related the dream to him, saying, 9~~
'O
Belteshazzar {Daniel},
chief
of the 'the scribes'/'his administrators'
{chartom - means 'writes with a pen' - they were the legal
department - they wrote in hieroglyphics and were brilliant
humanly speaking} . . .
because
I know that a spirit of the holy gods/'elohin {Chaldean}
is
in you,
and
no 'mystery baffles you'/'no problem overpowers you',
tell
me the visions of my dream
which
I have seen,
along
with its interpretation.' "
{Verses
10-17: The King's New 'Tree Dream'}
10~~"Now
these were the visions in my mind
as
I lay on my bed, '
I
was looking, and, behold,
there
was a tree
{referring to the king himself}
in
the middle of the earth,
{Nebuchadnezzar was the 'center of the civilized Earth'}
and
its height was great."
{Rise
of the Chaldean empire under the king and his father}
11~~"The
tree grew large and became strong,
{Divine laws were in place that gave the empire balance - good
police system, good economy, good legal system}
and
its height reached to the sky,
and
it was visible to the end of the whole earth."
12~~"Its
foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant,
{the glamour of a stabilized empire and economic prosperity}
and
in it was food for all.
{its stability benefited all those it touched}
The
animals/beasts of the field found shade under it,
and
the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches,
and
all living creatures fed themselves from it."
{even the animal kingdom was benefited from good law and order}
{King
Sees His Vision Change}
13~~"I
was looking in the visions in my mind
as
I lay on my bed, and behold,
an
{angelic} watcher, a holy one,
{this is an angelic reconnaissance and judging angel -
see also Psalm 103:20-21 and Jeremiah 4:16-17}
descended
from heaven."
14a~~He
shouted out and spoke as follows:
"Chop
down the tree,
{this is revolution against king Nebuchadnezzar - the source of
revolution is always 'the old sin nature' - perfect environment is
not the answer - as we also we see in the Millennium}
and
cut off its branches, strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit.
{all revolution destroys the economy of a nation}
14b~~Let
the animals/beasts flee from under it,
and
the birds from its branches."
{the benefits to those in and around the Chaldean empire will
disappear}
15~~"Yet
leave the stump with its roots in the ground,
{Nebuchadnezzar will not personally die at this time}
but
with a band of iron and bronze around it
{the bands kept a tree trunk from splitting so it would grow again
in the future}
in
the new grass of the field;
and
let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
and
let him share with the animals/beasts
in
the grass of the earth."
{the king will survive but live outside in the rain
like an animal for 7 years}
{Insanity
of the King - Important Verse - He does this to Himself}
16a~~"Let
his thinking/mind/heart be distorted/changed
from
'human thinking'/'that of a man',
{sh@na' - Chaldean Pael imperfect - means to be disfigured or
distorted because of mental attitude sinning}.
16b~~And
he himself . . . 'gives himself'
{y@hab - Chaldean Ithpeal reflexive stem - he did this to himself -
his mental attitude sins caused him to change - when you think
like an animal, you begin to look like an animal}
an
animal type mentality/mind/heart.
{an animal does not have 'norms and standards in a human soul'}
16c~~And,
seven years/periods will pass by."
{for 7 years the king will be insane and live with the animals}
{Sovereignty
of God in History}
17~~"This
sentence is by the decree of the {angelic} watchers,
and
the decision is a command of the holy ones,
for
the purpose that the living may know
that
the Most High
is
ruler over the realm of mankind
and
bestows it on whom He wishes,
and
sets over it the basest/lowliest of men."
{Note: RBT says that just as humans in resurrection bodies will be judges in eternity future, there are a group of elect angels who watch and judge over mankind throughout human history.}
18~~"This
is the dream {which}
I,
King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen.
Now
you, O Belteshazzar {Daniel},
tell
me its interpretation.
Inasmuch
as none of the 'wise {men}'/'State Department'
of
my kingdom
is
able to make known to me the interpretation;
but
you are able,
for
the Spirit of the Holy Gods/'Elahh {Chaldean}
{Spirit of God - God the Holy Spirit}
is
in you."
19a~~Then
Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar,
was
shocked for 'one hour'/'a while' {shocked into silence}
as
his thoughts agitated/concerned/alarmed him.
19b~~The
king spoke/responded, and said,
"Belteshazzar,
do not let the dream, or its interpretation,
agitate/alarm
you."
{Note: Daniel is terribly shocked at what will happen to the king. But Daniel is LOYAL to the king and does not wish on the king what he sees will happen to him.}
19c~~Belteshazzar
answered and said,
"My
lord, {if only} the dream applied to those who hate you,
and
its interpretation to your enemies!"
{Note: Daniel knows how bad it will be for the king so here he "wishes it on the king's enemies instead".}
20-22~~"The
tree that you saw,
which
became large and grew strong,
whose
height reached to the sky
and
was visible to all the earth . . . 21~~
and
whose foliage was beautiful
and
its fruit abundant,
and
in which was food for all,
under
which the animals/beasts of the field dwelt
and
in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged . . . 22~~
it
is you, O king . . .
for
you have become great and grown strong,
and
your majesty has become great
and
reached to the sky
and
your dominion to the end of the earth."
23~~"And
in that the king saw an {angelic} watcher, a holy one,
descending
from heaven and saying,
'Chop
down the tree and destroy it;
yet
leave the stump with its roots in the ground,
but
with a band of iron and bronze around it
in
the new grass of the field,
and
let him be drenched with the dew of the heaven,
and
let him share with the animals/beasts of the field
until
seven periods of time pass over him.' "
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