Daniel 4:12

12 'Its foliage was ¹beautiful and its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The ²beasts of the field found ³shade under it, And the ⁴birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, And all living creatures fed themselves from it.

Daniel 4:12 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 4:12

The leaves thereof were fair
Or "branches" ^F9, as some; and design either the provinces belonging to his empire, which were very large and flourishing; or the governors of them under him, as Saadiah, who made no small and contemptible figure; his princes were altogether kings: and the fruit thereof much;
great revenues from all parts of the empire were brought to him: and in it was meat for all;
the produce of the several countries, and the trade carried on in them, brought in a sufficient livelihood to all the inhabitants: the beasts of the field had shadow under it;
the inhabitants of the several Heathenish nations under him, and even those that were most savage, were protected in their lives and properties by him; so princes should be a screen, a protection to their subjects: and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof;
which Saadiah interprets of the Israelites, in opposition to the foreign nations, comparable to the beasts of the field: and all flesh was fed of it;
all his subjects shared in the good things his victorious arms brought into his empire; all enriched, or however made comfortable, and had a sufficiency of food and raiment; so that there was no reason to complain of him as oppressive to his subjects.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 (hype) "ramus ejus", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Vatablus; "ramos ejus", Junius & Tremellius; "rami ejus", Piscator.

Daniel 4:12 In-Context

10 'Now these were the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great.

11 'The tree grew large and became strong 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, And in it was food for all. The 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.

13 'I was looking in the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven.

14 'He shouted out and spoke as follows: "Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit; Let the beasts flee from under it And the birds from its branches.

Cross References

• 1. Ezekiel 31:7
• 2. Jeremiah 27:6; Ezekiel 31:6
• 3. Lamentations 4:20
• 4. Ezekiel 17:23; Matthew 13:32; Luke 13:19

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "flesh"