Daniel 4:8

8 Magna arbor, et fortis: et proceritas eius contingens caelum: aspectus illius erat usque ad terminos universae terrae.

Daniel 4:8 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 4:8

But at the last Daniel came in before me
Whether sent for or no is not clear; the reason why he came not with the rest might be because he did not associate with them; nor did they care he should be among them, and present at this time; and it may be the king had forgot the knowledge he had of dreams; or, however, did not choose to send for him until he had tried all his wise men; and so it was ordered by the providence of God, and which is the chief reason of all, that he should come last, that the skill of the magicians might appear first to be baffled, and that Daniel, or rather Daniel's God, might be more known, and might be glorified: whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god;
so called by him and his courtiers, after the name of his god Bel, with which this name of Daniel begins; (See Gill on Daniel 1:7): and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods:
meaning either the holy angels, as Saadiah or speaking in his Heathenish manner, having imbibed the notion of many gods, some holy, and some impure; or it may be, speaking in the dialect of the Jews, he may mean the one true God who is holy, and from whom alone is the spirit of prophecy or of foretelling things to come; which he knew by former experience Daniel had: and before him I told the dream, saying;
as follows:

Daniel 4:8 In-Context

6 Baltassar princeps ariolorum, quoniam ego scio quod spiritum sanctorum deorum habeas in te, et omne sacramentum non est impossibile tibi: visiones somniorum meorum, quas vidi, et solutionem earum narra.
7 Visio capitis mei in cubili meo: Videbam, et ecce arbor in medio terrae, et altitudo eius nimia.
8 Magna arbor, et fortis: et proceritas eius contingens caelum: aspectus illius erat usque ad terminos universae terrae.
9 Folia eius pulcherrima, et fructus eius nimius: et esca universorum in ea. subter eam habitabant animalia, et bestiae, et in ramis eius conversabantur volucres caeli: et ex ea vescebatur omnis caro.
10 Videbam in visione capitis mei super stratum meum, et ecce vigil, et sanctus de caelo descendit.
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.