Daniel 4:6-16

6 Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me that they might show me the interpretation of the dream.

7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the fortune-tellers came in and I told the dream before them; but they never showed me its interpretation.

8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, who when I name him it seems to me that I name my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy God; and before him I told the dream, saying,

9 Belteshazzar, prince of the wise men, now that I have understood that the spirit of the holy God is in thee, and that no mystery is hidden from thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and its interpretation.

10 Thus were the visions of my head in my bed: It seemed that I saw a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

11 The tree grew and made itself strong, and its height reached unto heaven, and its sight to the end of all the earth:

12 His leaves were fair, and his fruit abundant, and in him was food for all; underneath him the beasts of the field lay down in his shadow, and in his branches dwelt the fowls of the heaven, and all flesh was fed of him.

13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, one who was a watchman and holy descended from heaven;

14 he cried aloud and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit; let the beasts get away from under him and the fowls from his branches:

15 nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and of brass shall he be bound in the green grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:

16 let his heart be changed from a man’s heart, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

Daniel 4:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 4

This chapter was written by Nebuchadnezzar himself; and was either taken out of his archives, or given by him to Daniel, who under divine inspiration inserted it into this work of his; and a very useful instruction it contains, showing the sovereignty of God over the greatest kings and potentates of the earth, and this acknowledged by one of the proudest monarchs that ever lived upon it. It begins with a preface, saluting all nations, and declaring the greatness and power of God, Da 4:1-3 then follows the narrative of a dream the king dreamed, which troubled him; upon which he called for his wise men to interpret it, but in vain; at length he told it to Daniel, Da 4:4-9: the dream itself; which being told, astonished Daniel, the king being so much interested in it, Da 4:10-19, the interpretation of it, with Daniel's advice upon it, is in Da 4:20-27 the fulfilment of it, time and occasion thereof, Da 4:28-33. Nebuchadnezzar's restoration to his reason and kingdom, for which he praises God, Da 4:34-37.