Daniel has just heard a deeply disturbing dream described to him. Even the king appears to have understood that its meaning was not good news. No wonder none of the wise men were interested in interpreting this dream for the king!

Daniel 4:19

Then Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar, was puzzled for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king said, "Belteshazzar, do not let not the dream or the meaning of it trouble you." Belteshazzar answered, "My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you, and its meaning to your enemies!

Daniel is not perplexed because he doesn't understand the dream. He's upset and troubled because he does. He doesn't know how to tell the king this ominous, deeply disturbing news. He doesn't know what impact this will have on his people, the Jews. Will this event usher in civil or political unrest that will affect the Jewish captives? And how can he even begin to tell this hotheaded tyrant such news?

It is obvious that Daniel is very transparent about his troubled heart. How else would the king know how he's feeling? It takes a lot to transmit feelings of fear or concern to others. Even though these two are probably quite familiar with one another, there is a sense that Daniel's response is dramatic.

Nebuchadnezzar knows the message is bad news. But notice the nature of the relationship. We see a strong bond here between these two men. The king loves Daniel and is willing to accept the message because he knows that Daniel cares for him from the heart, unlike the pretense from other advisors.

Daniel 4:20-26

The tree you saw, which grew and was strong, whose height reached to the sky, visible to all the earth;

Whose leaves were fair and the fruit plentiful, providing food for all; under which the beasts of the field lived, and upon whose branches the birds of the air had their nests --

that tree is you, O king! You have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown to reach the sky, and your dominion to the end of the earth.

You, O king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven saying, 'Chop the tree down and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots of it in the earth, with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him.'

This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High that He has issued against my lord the king:

That you will be driven from men, and you will live with the beasts of the field, and you will eat grass as oxen, and you will be wet with the dew of heaven. Seven times shall pass over you, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he will.

Whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; this means your kingdom will be restored to you after you recognize that Heaven rules over you.

Daniel cuts to the chase fairly quickly. The bad news is that the king will go insane for a period of seven years. The good news is that God is gracious enough that he will restore the kingdom when the king understands who is really in charge.

The message is conditional. When Nebuchadnezzar recognizes the authority and dominion of God over his kingdom, then and only then will his sanity and his kingdom be restored to him.

Daniel 4:27

Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you: Break off your sins by doing what is right and by showing mercy to the poor. It may lead to a lengthening of your peace."

Daniel asks the king to look after the poor (although some Bibles use the word "oppressed," the Chaldean word actually refers to poverty more than oppression). This suggests that one of the wicked things Nebuchadnezzar is about to be punished for is his insensitivity to the poor.

There is scriptural precedent for repentance of a king overturning a prophetic judgement. This happened a number of times to Hebrew kings, and to the king of Nineveh as described in the account of Jonah.

Daniel isn't implying that the prophecy won't come true. He knows better than that. He is merely trying to hold off the sentence. If Nebuchadnezzar changes his ways, God might wait a little longer. He did spare the Assyrian city of Nineveh for its repentance after declaring that it would be destroyed because of sin, but eventually it did lay in ruins.

Daniel 4:28-30

All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

At the end of twelve months, as he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon,

the king spoke and said, "Is not this the great Babylon that I have built as the royal residence by the might of my power, and for the glory of my majesty?"

We don't know if 12 months was early or late. Did the king perhaps make an effort to change some of his ways, staving off sentencing for a year? There are no records that shed light on this, but the watchman angel was ready for the exact moment that Nebuchadnezzar's heart would be puffed up with pride.

Although the king had reason to be proud of this great city, he gives all the credit to himself. Through his earlier vision 35 years before, God has already told him that his mighty powers were a gift from God. In the vision he refers to, given just one year earlier, the angels told him that God sets up whomever He wishes as kings.

Daniel 4:31-33

While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, "O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is decreed; The kingdom is taken from you.

And you will be driven from people, and will live with the beasts of the field. You will eat grass as oxen. Seven times will pass over you until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he wishes."

That very hour what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven from men and ate grass as oxen. His body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.

Imagine the scene: a proud king filled with pride as he surveys his kingdom, then a voice from heaven reciting very familiar words. Was there dread? Was there fear and trembling? How much time did he have to ponder the words that came from the air before the madness set in?

The specific mental derangement that hit Nebuchadnezzar is called "Lacanthropy" which refers to a belief that the person is actually an animal. Though Lacanthropy generally refers to a wolf (we get our werewolf legends from this disease) it can mean any kind of animal. Some would say this particular form experienced by Nebuchadnezzar should more accurately be called "Boanthropy," which is a belief that the victim is an ox. There was a documented case of Boanthropy in England in the late 1920's.

There is a tradition in the Jewish Talmud that during this seven-year period of madness, Nebuchadnezzar was cared for by Daniel. From what we know of this man, that would certainly be in character for him.

There is a seven-year period in the life of Nebuchadnezzar when nothing is said about him historically.

Daniel 4:34-35

At the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my sanity returned unto me, and I praised the Most High, and I glorified and honoured him who lives forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation:

All the people of the earth are reputed as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the people of the earth. Nobody can hold back his hand or say to him, "What are you doing?"

First, Nebuchadnezzar recognized God as being in charge. That's the first step to salvation for all of us. Then he praised and glorified God for two unique qualities: his eternal existence (the "I AM") and his unchanging nature. Unlike the kingdoms of men that change 180 degrees in a day (we'll see just how fast in Daniel 5), the kingdom of God remains unchanging forever.

Note that the Aramaic text includes a reference to "the army" of heaven (some Bibles do not make this clear). Obviously Nebuchadnezzar gained a deep understanding about the reality of spiritual warfare.

Daniel 4:36

At the same time my reason returned to me. For the glory of my kingdom, my honour and splendor returned to me. My advisors and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.

How humble Nebuchadnezzar has become since lifting his eyes to Jehovah! He is clearly a changed man. He recognizes that his honor and splendor aren't his doing but given to him by God, saying that they were "returned" to him. This is only possible if someone else owns and controls them.

Note how he now refers to his magicians, astrologers, diviners, and other wise men as his "advisers and nobles." He appears to see them now as people, not as tools for wielding power over others.

He was restored to his throne and "became even greater than before." Even the most rapid restoration process would take months. This decree was not written a day or two after his sanity was restored, but must have been many months later. The changes in Nebuchadnezzar were not short-term changes but lasting ones.

Daniel 4:37

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and lift up and honour the King of heaven, whose works are truth, and his ways just. And those that walk in pride he is able to humble.

This last line is such a powerful conclusion. Nebuchadnezzar doesn't try to force his faith on others but acts as a witness and tells people that he has decided to praise, lift up and glorify God. He has also grasped the purpose of his ordeal. Every indication suggests this was a true conversion, and that we will see Nebuchadnezzar when we get to Heaven, possibly at Daniel's side.

We often look at acts of judgement by God as punishment. In fact, they are really a form of discipline, designed to bring us closer to Him. A careful study of the Bible shows that God always disciplines those he loves. He must have loved Nebuchadnezzar and seen within him a man worthy of salvation.

next: The Kingdom Falls

top of page

If you have questions or feedback about the material presented,
please contact