Daniel 4:25

25 They shall cast thee out from men, and thy dwelling shall be with beasts and wild beasts, and thou shalt eat hay, as an ox doeth, but also thou shalt be beshed with the dew of heaven, also seven times shall be changed on thee, till thou know that [the] high God is Lord over the realm of men, and giveth it to whomever he will. (They shall throw thee out from among people, and thy habitation shall be with the beasts and the wild beasts, and thou shalt eat grass, like an ox doeth, but also thou shalt be sprinkled with the dew of heaven, and seven years shall pass over thee, until thou knoweth, or thou acknowledgeth, that the Most High God is Lord over the kingdom of people, and giveth it to whomever he will.)

Daniel 4:25 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 4:25

That they shall drive thee from men
From conversation with men, as unfit for it; from his court and palace, from his nobles and princes. Saadiah interprets this of the angels: it may be rendered impersonally or passively, as in ( Daniel 4:33 ) , "thou shalt be driven from men" ^F18; not by his family, his wife and children; or by his nobles, who are afterwards said to seek him; but by the most high God, and to show his power over him; and it may be by means of his ministering angels; or he was driven by his own fancy and imagination, which was suffered of God to prevail over him, judging himself not a man, but a beast; and so it was most agreeable to him to live with beasts, and not men:

and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field;
in the open air, or in some den and cavern, instead of being in his court, and among his nobles; a strange change of condition indeed! and in which he was preserved by divine Providence:

and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen;
imagining himself to be a beast, he should choose this sort of food, and eat it, and feed upon it with a gust, as if he had really been one; and besides, having no other food, would be obliged to eat this, as well as his degenerate and depraved imagination led him to it:

and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven;
strip him of his clothes, and leave him naked; so that he should have nothing to shelter him from the dew and rain, and other inclemencies of the heavens; and this his frenzy might lead him to do of himself:

and seven times shall pass over thee;
which some understand of weeks, others of months, others of the seasons of winter and summer; but it is best to interpret it of seven whole years; (See Gill on Daniel 4:16):

till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and
giveth it to whomsoever he will;
this was done, as for the instruction of men in general, so of Nebuchadnezzar in particular; that his proud heart and haughty spirit might be brought down, and be made to acknowledge that there was a God higher than he, that judgeth in the earth, and that rules and overrules, and disposes of all things in it according to his will and pleasure; see ( Daniel 4:17 )

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 (Nyrrj Kl) "truderis", Michaelis.

Daniel 4:25 In-Context

23 Soothly that the king saw a waker and holy come down from heaven, and say, Hew ye down the tree, and destroy ye it, nevertheless leave ye the seed of (the) roots thereof in (the) earth, and be he bound with iron and brass, in herbs withoutforth; and be he besprinkled with the dew of heaven, and his meat be with wild beasts, till seven times be changed on him; (Truly that the king saw a watcher, yea, a holy one, come down from heaven, and say, Cut ye down the tree, and destroy ye it, but leave ye the stump of the tree, with its roots, in the ground, and be it bound with a band of iron and of bronze, amidst the herbs that be outside; and let the man be sprinkled with the dew of heaven, and his food be with the wild beasts, until seven years pass over him;)

24 this is the interpreting of the sentence of the Highest, which sentence is come on my lord, the king. (this is the interpretation of the decree from the Most High God, which decree is come upon my lord, the king.)

25 They shall cast thee out from men, and thy dwelling shall be with beasts and wild beasts, and thou shalt eat hay, as an ox doeth, but also thou shalt be beshed with the dew of heaven, also seven times shall be changed on thee, till thou know that [the] high God is Lord over the realm of men, and giveth it to whomever he will. (They shall throw thee out from among people, and thy habitation shall be with the beasts and the wild beasts, and thou shalt eat grass, like an ox doeth, but also thou shalt be sprinkled with the dew of heaven, and seven years shall pass over thee, until thou knoweth, or thou acknowledgeth, that the Most High God is Lord over the kingdom of people, and giveth it to whomever he will.)

26 Forsooth that he commanded that the seed of (the) roots thereof, that is, of the tree, should be left, thy realm shall (still) dwell to thee, after that thou knowest that the power is of heaven. (And that he commanded that the stump of the tree, with its roots, should be left, so thy kingdom shall still remain with thee, after that thou knowest, or thou acknowledgest, that the power is from heaven.)

27 Wherefore, king, my counsel please thee, and again-buy thy sins with alms-deeds, and again-buy thy wickednesses with mercies of poor men; in hap God shall forgive thy trespasses. (And so, O king, let my counsel please thee, and redeem thy sins with alms-deeds, and redeem thy wickednesses with mercies for the poor; perhaps God shall forgive thy trespasses.)