Diving into Daniel: The Dream is Explained
Daniel 4:19-27 - Only one King in history has an empty tomb.
““Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘My Lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries! The tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged— 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.
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 heaven, and let him share with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him,” this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my Lord the king: that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules. Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.’”
Daniel 4:19-27 NASB1995
Daniel is asked to interpret the dream. He is appalled by this request because he knows exactly what the dream means and Nebuchadnezzar has not been known for his patient humility in the past. Daniel also seems to care about the king, who has treated Daniel with great generosity and kindness. The king must realize this internal conflict is going on in Daniel, because he tells Daniel he wants the truth and tells him to proceed and not be alarmed.
Of course as we have all surmised, the tree in the dream represents Nebuchadnezzar. The king has become great and strong and his dominion has spread over the earth. Daniel gets right to the point on this identification of that part of the dream. I liked this commentary that gives an historical perspective quoted on Precept Austin from Renald Showers (from his book about Daniel at the link at the end):
God’s representation of Nebuchadnezzar as a large tree that provided food and lodging for all was very fitting for at least two reasons. First, in several of his inscriptions Nebuchadnezzar had boasted about the peaceful shelter and abundance of food that he had provided for his subjects through Babylon. Indeed, in these boasts he used language descriptive of a tree when referring to his rule through Babylon. In one inscription he said, “The produce of the lands, the product of the mountains, the bountiful wealth of the sea within her I received. Under her everlasting shadow I gathered all men in peace. Vast heaps of grain beyond measure I stored up within her.” In another inscription he declared, “Under her everlasting shadow I gathered all men in peace. A reign of abundance, years of plenty I caused to be in my land.”
Second, as a result of military campaigns that took him several times through the forests of Lebanon, Nebuchadnezzar became greatly captivated by the huge cedar trees of that land. This attitude was reflected in one of his inscriptions where he described the trees as follows: “mighty cedars, tall and strong, of costly value, whose dark forms towered aloft, the massive growth of Lebanon.” Indeed, in his inscriptions Nebuchadnezzar boasted that he personally had cut down some of these huge trees with his own hands. He even had a picture of himself cutting a cedar inscribed on stone. One gets the impression that the king exalted in the fact that he could cut down such a towering giant of strength. (The Most High God- A Commentary on the Book of Daniel).
The second part of the dream describes how an angelic being descends and requires that the tree be chopped down, leaving a stump with an iron band. Daniel tells the king that he will be driven away from his kingdom for a period of time and will engage in behaviors like an animal, grazing in the grass. I wonder if the king thought this was a metaphor for something, not realizing that it would be fulfilled exactly as described in the near future.
There are competing commentaries on the meaning of the iron band, but I think I would subscribe to the most common theory that the band is meant to preserve the tree stump so that the kingdom is returned to Nebuchadnezzar when he realizes Who is sovereign and reigns over mankind. Men without God become just like the animals, as we have seen so often in our fractured and dissolute culture.
Daniel offers the king an out: If he will break away from his sins by doing righteousness and his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, then there may be a prolonging of his prosperity. Daniel cares enough to confront the king with his sinful behavior. It’s truly a wonder that Daniel was not tossed into the furnace (or to the lions, as we will see in chapter 6 under a different king). But apparently the king takes this information “under advisement” and does not act against the messenger. He also does not repent at this time, however.
This commentary from Enduring Word is quite succinct:
b. It is you, O king: Daniel applied the point without ambiguity. Instead of reaching for a general point (such as saying, “We all could use a little more humility”) Daniel brought the truth in love. This was similar to what the prophet Nathan said to King David: You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7).
i. “Great men and princes are often represented, in the language of the prophets, under the similitude of trees, see Ezekiel 17:5-6; 31:3 and following; Jeremiah 22:15; Psalm 1:3; 37:35.” (Adam Clarke)
c. Drive you from men… make you eat grass like oxen… wet you with the dew of heaven: When Daniel explained this to Nebuchadnezzar, the king probably couldn’t guess just how literally it would be fulfilled.
d. After you come to know that Heaven rules: This was God’s intended purpose for Nebuchadnezzar. The king could have avoided this humiliating fate if he genuinely humbled himself.
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a. Break off your sins: The right reaction to the threat of judgment is a humble repentance. Unfortunately, Nebuchadnezzar did not do this. He should have followed the example of the repentance of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 3).
i. We might think that Nebuchadnezzar had more reason than most to be proud – after all, he was a great king. Still, he should have remembered the principle Benjamin Franklin put forth in one of his proverbs: “The greatest monarch on the proudest throne, is obliged to sit upon his own rear end.”
b. Break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor: Nebuchadnezzar was not only counseled to stop sinning, but also to practice righteousness and generosity.
I love the Benjamin Franklin quote! Great kings and all of us who might be too proud to repent should also remember that we will suffer illnesses, tragedies and losses of family and friends. No great king from the past (other than the one true King) has an empty tomb to brag about. Nebuchadnezzar is remembered today only because of a few artifacts from ancient Babylon (and the book of Daniel).
My next devotional examines Daniel 4:28-37 - The vision is fulfilled for the king.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help me to stay humble and focused on You as the Ruler of the Universe. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Precept Austin was accessed on 4/7/2025 to review commentary for Daniel 4:19-27.
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.