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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 4:13

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I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven;

13. a watcher ] i.e. not a guardian, but a wakeful one (Aq., Symm., , Vulg. vigil); so Dan 4:17 ; Dan 4:23. The term denotes an angel, or, possibly, a particular class of angels, so called, either as being ever ready to fulfil the Divine behests, or as being ever wakeful for some particular purpose (e.g. praise). It is of frequent occurrence in the Book of Enoch (in the Greek ), where it is applied usually (i. 5, x. 9, 15, xii. 4, xiii. 10, xiv. 1, 3, xv. 2, xvi. 1, 2, xci. 15) to the fallen angels, but it is also (xii. 3, and perhaps xii. 2) used of the holy angels, though it is not perfectly clear (see the note in Dillmann’s edition, p. 104 f.) whether it denotes them generally, or whether it is the name of a particular class (cf. Charles on i. 5, xxxix. 12): the use of the synonyms ‘the holy angels who watch’ in xx. 1 (in the Ethiopic, but not in the Greek text [240] ) of six archangels, and ‘those who sleep not’ in xxxix. 12, 13, xl. 2, lxi. 12, lxxi. 7, of certain exalted angels who incessantly hymn the Almighty, and guard His throne, does not entirely remove the uncertainty. The same word which is used here is also often used of angels in Syriac; see Payne Smit [241] Thes. Syr. col. 2843 4.

[240] See p. 356 in Charles’ edition (Oxford, 1893).

[241] yne Smith R. Payne Smith, Thesaurus Syriacus.

and a holy one ] another term denoting an angel: in the O.T., Job 5:1; Job 15:15, Psa 89:5; Psa 89:7, Zec 14:5, Dan 8:13 [A.V. ‘saint’ in these passages: see the note on Dan 8:13 ]; and repeatedly in the Book of Enoch, i. 9 (whence Judges 14), xii. 2, xiv. 23, xxxix. 5, &c. (see Charles’ note on i. 9).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed – In the visions that passed before me as I lay upon my bed, Dan 4:10.

And, behold, a watcher and an holy one – Or rather, perhaps, even a holy one; or, who was a holy one. He evidently does not intend to refer to two beings, a watcher, and one who was holy; but he means to designate the character of the watcher, that he was holy, or that he was one of the class of watchers who were ranked as holy – as if there were others to whom the name watcher might be applied who were not holy. So Bertholdt, not two, but only one, who was both a watcher, and was holy; one of those known as watchers and as holy ones. The copulative (v) and may be so used as to denote not an additional one or thing, but to specify something in addition to, or in explanation of, what the name applied would indicate. Compare 1Sa 28:3 : In Ramah, even ( v) in his own city. 1Sa 17:40 : and put them in a shepherds bag which he had, even ( v) in a scrip.

Compare Psa 68:9 (10); Amo 3:11; Amo 4:10; Jer 15:13; Isa 1:13; Isa 13:14; Isa 57:11; Ecc 8:2. – Gesenius, Lex. The word rendered watcher ( yr) is rendered in the Vulgate vigil; in the Greek of Theodotion the word is retained without an attempt to translate it – eir; the Codex Chisianus has angelos – an angel was sent in his strength from heaven. The original word ( yr) means, properly, a watcher, from yr, to be hot and ardent; then to be lively, or active, and then to awake, to be awake, to be awake at night, to watch. Compare Son 5:2; Mal 2:12. The word used here is employed to denote one who watches, only in this chapter of Daniel, Dan 4:13, Dan 4:17, Dan 4:23. It is in these places evidently applied to the angels, but why this term is used is unknown. Gesenius (Lex.) supposes that it is given to them as watching over the souls of men.

Jerome (in loc.) says that the reason why the name is given is because they always watch, and are prepared to do the will of God. According to Jerome, the Greek iris as applied to the rainbow, and which seems to be a heavenly being sent down to the earth, is derived from this word. Compare the Iliad, ii. 27. Theodoret says that the name is given to an angel, to denote that the angel is without a body – asomaton – for he that is encompassed with a body is the servant of sleep, but he that is free from a body is superior to the necessity of sleep. The term watchers, as applied to the celestial beings, is of Eastern origin, and not improbably was derived from Persia. The seven Amhaspands received their name on account of their great, holy eyes, and so, generally, all the heavenly Izeds watch in the high heaven over the world and the souls of men, and on this account are called the watchers of the world. – Zendavesta, as quoted by Bertholdt, in loc. The Bun-Dehesh, a commentary on the Zendavesta, contains an extract from it, which shows clearly the name and object of the watchers in the ancient system of Zoroaster. It runs thus: Ormuzd has set four watchers in the four parts of the heavens, to keep their eye upon the host of the stars.

They are bound to keep watch over the hosts of the celestial stars. One stands here as the watcher of his circle; the other there. He has placed them at such and such posts, as watchers over such and such a circle of the heavenly regions; and this by his own power and might. Tashter guards the east, Statevis watches the west, Venant the south, and Haftorang the north. – Rhode, Die heilige Sage des Zendvolks, p. 267, as quoted by Prof. Stuart., in loc. The epithet good is probably added here to distinguish this class of watchers from the bad ones, for Ahriman, the evil genius, had Archdeves and Deves, who corresponded in rank with the Amhaspands and Izeds of the Zendavesta, and who watched to do evil as anxiously as the others did to do good. – Prof. Stuart. It is not improbable that these terms, as applicable to celestial beings, would be known in the kingdom of Babylon, and nothing is more natural than that it should be so used in this book. It is not found in any of the books of pure Hebrew.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 13. A watcher and a holy one] These are both angels; but, according to the Chaldean oracles, of different orders. They appear, according to their opinions, to be a kind of judges of human actions who had the power of determining the lot of men; see Da 4:17.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

a watcher is meant an angel, a holy or good angel, the instruments of God, and his messengers to execute Gods judgments, which they watch constantly to perform, Psa 103:20,21.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

13. watcher and an holy onerather,”even an holy one.” Only one angel is intended, andhe not one of the bad, but of the holy angels. Called a”watcher,” because ever on the watch to execute God’s will[JEROME], (Psa 103:20;Psa 103:21). Compare as to theirwatchfulness, Re 4:8, “fullof eyes within . . . they rest not day and night.“Also they watch good men committed to their charge (Psa 34:7;Heb 1:14); and watch over theevil to record their sins, and at God’s bidding at last punish them(Jer 4:16; Jer 4:17),”watchers” applied to human instruments of God’svengeance. As to GOD(Dan 9:14; Job 7:12;Job 14:16; Jer 44:27).In a good sense (Gen 31:49;Jer 31:28). The idea of heavenly”watchers” under the supreme God (called in the Zendavestaof the Persian Zoroaster, Ormuzd) was founded on the primevalrevelation as to evil angels having watched for an opportunityuntil they succeeded in tempting man to his ruin, and good angelsministering to God’s servants (as Jacob, Gen 28:15;Gen 32:1; Gen 32:2).Compare the watching over Abraham for good, and over Sodom for wrathafter long watching in vain for good men it it, for whose sake Hewould spare it, Ge18:23-33; and over Lot for good, Ge19:1-38 Daniel fitly puts in Nebuchadnezzar’s mouth theexpression, though not found elsewhere in Scripture, yetsubstantially sanctioned by it (2Ch 16:9;Pro 15:3; Jer 32:19),and natural to him according to Oriental modes of thought.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed,…. The king goes on to relate what other things presented themselves to his imagination in his dream, concerning this tree which signified himself:

and, behold, a watcher: which Saadiah interprets of Bath Kol; but Aben Ezra, Jarchi, Jacchiades, and Ben Melech of an angel; so called because incorporeal, ever watches, and never sleeps, and is always attentive to, and observant of, the commands of God so the angels in the fragment of Enoch are called “egregori”, watchers; and the same word is here used in the Alexandrian copy. Some k render it “an enemy”, “an holy one”: according to the sense of the word in 1Sa 28:16, and produce it to show that angels are called enemies:

and an Holy One; one of the holy angels that never sinned, nor left their first estate, but continued in it; in which they are established by Christ, and are impeccable; are perfectly pure and holy in their nature and actions: such an one came down from heaven; the place of their abode, as it seemed to Nebuchadnezzar in his dream.

k Lex. Kabalist. in voce p. 54, 55.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(4:10)

By the words “I saw,” etc., a new incident of the dream is introduced. “A watcher and an holy one came down from heaven.” with the explic. , even, and that too, brings it before us in a very expressive way that the was an “holy one.” is not to be combined with , a messenger, but is derived from , to watch, and corresponds with the Hebr. , Son 5:2; Mal 2:12, and signifies not keeping watch, but being watchful, one who is awake, as the scholium to the of Theodotion in the Cod. Alex. explains it: . Similarly Jerome remarks: “ significat angelos, quod semper vigilent et ad Dei imperium sint parati .” From this place is derived the name of for the higher angels, who watch and slumber not, which is found in the book of Enoch and in other apocryphal writings, where it is used of good and of bad angels or demons. The designation of the angel as is peculiar to this passage in the O.T. This gives countenance to the conjecture that it is a word associated with the Chaldee doctrine of the gods. Kliefoth quite justly, indeed, remarks, that this designation does not come merely from the lips of Nebuchadnezzar, but is uttered also by the holy watcher himself (Dan 4:14), as well as by Daniel; and he draws thence the conclusion, that obviously the holy watcher himself used this expression first of himself and the whole council of his companions, that Nebuchadnezzar used the same expression after him (Dan 4:10), and that Daniel again adopted it from Nebuchadnezzar. Thence it follows that by the word angel we are not to understand a heathen deity; for as certainly as, according to this narrative, the dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar by God, so certainly was it a messenger of God who brought it. But from this it is not to be concluded that the name accords with the religious conceptions of Nebuchadnezzar and of the Babylonians. Regarding the Babylonian gods Diod. Sic. ii. 30, says: “Under the five planets (= gods) are ranked thirty others whom they call the counselling gods ( ), the half of whom have the oversight of the regions under the earth, and the other half oversee that which goes on on the earth, and among men, and in heaven. Every ten days one of these is sent as a messenger of the stars from the upper to the lower, and at the same time also one from the lower to the upper regions.”

If, according to Dan 4:14, the constitute a deliberative council forming a resolution regarding the fate of men, and then one of these comes down and makes known the resolution to the king, the conclusion is tenable that the correspond to the of the Babylonians. The divine inspiration of the dream corresponds with this idea. The correct thought lay at the foundation of the Chaldean representation of the , that the relation of God to the world was mediate through the instrumentality of heavenly beings. The biblical revelation recognises these mediating beings, and calls them messengers of God, or angels and holy ones. Yea, the Scripture speaks of the assembling of angels before the throne of God, in which assemblies God forms resolutions regarding the fate of men which the angels carry into execution; cf. Job 1:6., 1Ki 22:19., Psa 89:8 (7). Accordingly, if Nebuchadnezzar’s dream came from God, we can regard the as an angel of God who belonged to the around the throne of God (Psa 89:8). But this angel announced himself to the Chaldean king not as a messenger of the most high God, not as an angel in the sense of Scripture, but he speaks (Psa 89:14) of , of a resolution of the watchers, a fatum of the who have the oversight of this world. The conception is not biblical, but Babylonian heathen. According to the doctrine of Scripture, the angels do not determine the fate of men, but God alone does, around whom the angels stand as ministering spirits to fulfil His commands and make known His counsel to men. The angel designates to the Babylonian king the divine resolution regarding that judgment which would fall upon him from God to humble him for his pride as “the resolution of the watchers,” that it might be announced to him in the way most easily understood by him as a divine judgment. On the other hand, one may not object that a messenger of God cannot give himself the name of a heathen deity, and that if Nebuchadnezzar had through misunderstanding given to the bringer of the dream the name of one of his heathen gods, Daniel ought, in interpreting the dream, to have corrected the misunderstanding, as Klief. says. For the messenger of God obviated this misunderstanding by the explanation that the matter was a decree of the watchers, to acknowledge the living God, that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever He will (Dan 4:17), whereby he distinctly enough announces himself as a messenger of the Most High, i.e., of the living God. To go yet further, and to instruct the king that his religious conceptions of the gods, the , or , were erroneous, inasmuch as, besides the Highest, the only God, there are no other gods, but only angels, who are no , but creatures of God, was not at all necessary fore the purpose of his message. This purpose was only to lead Nebuchadnezzar to an acknowledgment of the Most High, i.e., to an acknowledgment that the Most High rules as King of heaven over the kingdom of men. Now, since this was declared by the messenger of God, Daniel in interpreting the dream to the king needed to say nothing more than what he said in vv. 21, 22 (24, 25), where he designates the matter as a resolution of the Most High, and thereby indirectly corrects the view of the king regarding the “resolutions of the watchers,” and gives the king distinctly to understand that the humiliation announced to him was determined,

(Note: We must altogether reject the assertion of Berth., v. Leng., Hitz., and Maur., that the language of this verse regarding the angel sent to Nebuchadnezzar is formed in accordance with the Persian representation of the seven Amschaspands ( Amescha – cpenta ), since, according to the judgment of all those most deeply conversant with Parsism, the doctrine of the Amescha – cpenta does not at all occur in the oldest parts of the Avesta, and the Avesta altogether is not so old as that the Babylonian doctrine of the gods can be shown to be dependent on the Zend doctrine of the Parsees.)

not by the of the Babylonians, but by the only true God, whom Daniel and his people worshipped. For Nebuchadnezzar designates as in the same sense in which, in Dan 4:5, he speaks of the holy gods.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

The second part of the dream follows here. Hitherto Nebuchadnezzar has described the beauty and excellency of his state under the figure of a lofty tree which afforded shade to the beasts and on whose fruit they fed, and next as giving, nests to the birds of heaven under its boughs. The cutting down of the tree now follows. I saw, says he, in the visions of my head upon my couch, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven No doubt we ought to understand an angel by a watcher. He is called “ a holy one,” which is only another form of expression for an angel; and they are worthy of this name, because they are perpetually watchful in the performance of God’s commands. They are not subject to slumber, they are not nourished by either food or drink, but live a spiritual life; hence they have no use for sleep, which is the result of drink and food. Lastly, as angels have no bodies, their very spiritual nature makes them watchful. But this phrase not only expresses their nature but also their duty; because God has them at hand to fulfill his bidding, and destines them to the performance of his commands, hence they are called “watchers.” (Psa 103:20.) In this Psalm angels are said to do his bidding, because, by an agility incomprehensible to us, they run about hither and thither, and fly directly from heaven to earth, from one end of the world to another — from the rising even to the setting sun. Since, therefore, angels can so easily and promptly fulfill God’s orders, they are deservedly called “ watchers ” They are called “ holy ones,” because they are not infected by human infirmities. But we are filled with really sins, not merely because we are earthly, but since we have contracted pollution from our first parents, which vitiates alike the whole body and mind. By this expression, then, Nebuchadnezzar desired to distinguish between angels and mortals. For although God here sanctifies his elect, yet as long as they dwell in the prison of the body they never arrive at the holiness of angels. Here then we mark the difference between angels and men. Nebuchadnezzar could not understand this by himself, but he was taught of God to perceive the destruction of the tree to arise not from man but from the Almighty.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

c. RULERS REVERIE RELATED, PART II

TEXT: Dan. 4:13-18

I saw in the visions of my head upon by bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven.

He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from its branches.

Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven: and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:

let his heart be changed from mans, and let a beasts heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the lowest of men.

This dream I, king Nebuchadnezzar, have seen; and thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

QUERIES

Who are the watchers and holy ones?

Why leaven the stump of its roots in the earth?

What are the seven times which are to pass over him?

PARAPHRASE

Then as I lay there dreaming, I saw a divine guardian descending from the heavens. He was shouting, Cut down this great tree; trim off its branches; shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Get the animals out from under it and drive the birds from its branches, but leave its stump and roots in the ground, banded with a chain of iron and brass, surrounded by the tender grass. Let the dews of heaven drench him and let him eat grass with the wild animals! For a certain period of time let him have the mind of an animal instead of a man. This sentence upon the tree is decreed by the divine guardians and is no idle fancy but a divine revelation of an impending fact. The purpose of that which is decreed is to show men everywhere that there is one Ruler who is higher than the highest among men, the Most High, and that He rules over all the kingdoms of men. The Most High gives rule of the nations to whomsoever He will. He prefers to use those who are humble to rule over nations and men, and deposes the proud and arrogant. And now, O Belteshazzar, this is what I, king Nebuchadnezzar have dreamed. Declare to me speedily what all this means. No one else can help me; all the wisest men of my kingdom have failed me. You alone can tell me because the spirit of deity is in you.

COMMENT

Dan. 4:13 I SAW . . . A WATCHER . . . A HOLY ONE . . . Some divine vigilante or divine guardian (an angel) manifested himself (perhaps more than one, cf. Dan. 4:17) to the king. Angels are called watchers in the religion of Zoroaster so it may be that a pagan king is using the term familiar to him concerning divine apparitions although it is more likely a simple, straigthforward description of what he saw. Angels are vigilant onesthey keep guard unceasingly (cf. Heb. 1:14; Mat. 18:10; see also our special study on Angels in connection with chapter 10 of this commentary). This is the only portion of scripture in the whole Bible where angels are called by the name watcher but even this title is descriptive of part of their ministry even as is the word angel. The king earlier described the manifested divine being he saw in the fiery furnace as one like a son of the gods (cf. Dan. 3:25). Some way or another the angel exhibited its supernatural nature to the king and he was impressed.

Dan. 4:14 HE CRIED ALOUD . . . HEW DOWN THE TREE . . . The divine vigilante suddenly shouted loudly and confidently, to someone (probably other divine beings), Cut down this towering, proud tree. Drastic, complete demolition of the tree is commandedeven to stripping it of its leaves and fruit and the scattering of all life depending upon it. As great and impressive as this tree is, so also, great was the fall thereof (cf. Mat. 7:24-27). One commentator has remarked on the scattering of animals and birds . . . a lively image of subjects alarmed by the fall of their sovereign . . .

Dan. 4:15-16 . . . LEAVE THE STUMP . . . LET IT BE WET WITH . . . DEW . . . LET HIS PORTION BE WITH THE BEASTS IN THE GRASS . . . LET HIS HEART BE CHANGED FROM MANS . . . Just as unexpected as the complete demolition of the tree earlier, now comes the command to leave the stump indicating the possibility of reviving the tree. Furthermore the stock of its roots is to be left indicating there shall be something left of this particular tree which may again grow. The band of iron probably refers, as Keil says, to the withdrawal of free self-determination through the fetter of madness, (cf. Psa. 107:10; Job. 36:8). This is the insanity referred to in our comments on Dan. 4:1.

From now on it seems as if the angel has stopped speaking in symbolic figures and is, for all practical purposes, interpreting some of the particulars of the fulfillment of this dream. Let him be wet, changes the subject from the tree to the man. This man shall find himself in such an insane state, like a dumb animal, that he shall not know enough to keep under cover at night. It will even be his lot to share with cattle the grass they eat. Robert Wilson, in Studies in The Book of Daniel, quotes from a work entitled Dictionary of Psychological Medicine, the complete loss of personal identity, and the conviction of being changed into one of the lower animals, accompanied frequently by a corresponding belief on the part of the beholders, is one of the most remarkable facts which the psychological history of the race reveals. In the same book a well-accredited case is cited of a man who imagined himself to be a wolf, and attempted to act like one. This phenomenon of man imitating animal in a state of mental illness is called lycanthropy. To all intents and purposes he behaves as a beast would behave, thus it is expressed as being changed in heart from a man to a beast. It is obvious that the physical heart is not meant.

This state is to continue until seven times shall pass away over him. This could mean seven years. But in a book like this, where the symbolical use of numbers stands out so prominently, the emphasis obviously rests on the seven as depicting some complete, fully-determined period of time, known to God and purposely begun and terminated by Godnot necessarily seven years. Dispensationalists see in this a period of humiliation of seven years for Nebuchadnezzar which in turn symbolizes the end of the Gentile age (that is, the period between Christs coming for [the rapture] and His coming with [the judgment], His saints). This period is supposed to be for seven years, and is that which most dispensationalists identify as Daniels 70th week (see Dan. 9:24 ff). Allis, in Prophecy and The Church, comments that the dispensational interpretation of Daniel 4 shows the extremes they are prepared to carry their interpretations to in order to establish their doctrines. Daniel plainly indicated that this dream applied directly and exclusively to Nebuchadnezzar and was completely fulfilled in the strange and tragic experience through which the king personally and individually passed. The dispensationalists see in the tree the type of Gentile domination, and in the cutting down of the tree the judgment of the apostate professing-church at the end of this age, after the rapture of the true Church. The seven times become the seven year interval between the rapture and the appearing; and Nebuchadnezzars changed attitude is regarded as foreshadowing the millennium,

Dan. 4:17-18 THE SENTENCE IS BY THE DECREE OF THE WATCHERS . . . By this statement the king is informed positively that the dream he had had is no idle and meaningless fancy on his part, but it is a divine revelation of an impending fact to be accomplished in his own person. But the most significant part of this entire event is the purpose for which it is designedto the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will . . . etc. And it is a lesson for all men of all ages, inscribed in the archives of history, that there is one Ruler which is higher than the highest among menthe Most High (cf. Isa. 10:5 ff; Jer. 27:5-7). Babylon, and especially as it was in the days of the proud and arrogant Nebuchadnezzar, came to symbolize the pride and the spirit of arrogance and rebellion of world power against God. So this dream and its fulfillment portrays that the pride of the world power will receive its just recompense of reward. We shall have more to say on this in following chapters.

After stating the content of the dream, the king, somewhat appealingly, commands Daniel to interpret it. The king appeals again to his confidence in Daniels superior abilities over the other wise men of Babylon for it is evident to the king that Daniel is in possession of the spirit of deity.

QUIZ

What does the term watcher . . . a holy one signify about the person who announced to Nebuchadnezzar his dream?

What does the hewing down of the tree signify?

What does the leaving of the stump signify?

What does leaving it to be wet with dew signify?

What does let his portion be with the beasts in the grass signify?

Is it possible for people to be insane enough to act like animals?

What is the purpose of this dream and its fulfillment to the person of Nebuchadnezzar? to all men of all ages?

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(13) A watcher and a holy onei.e., a holy one who is watchful; translated angel by the LXX., but simply transliterated into Eir by Theodotion. The word is used twice by the king, and once by Daniel (Dan. 4:23), but it is to be noticed that the prophet substitutes the Most High for the words of the king in Dan. 4:17). We must suppose that Nebuchadnezzar dreamed in a language familiar to himself, and that the objects of his dream were things with which his Babylonian education had made him acquainted. According to his mythology, the god of Nergal was regarded as manifesting himself in watching, so that he may have dreamed that he witnessed a descent of one of his deities. In this he is corrected by Daniel, being assured that the whole is sent from heaven, that the decree is ordered by the one true God, and that the holy watcher is an angel of God.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

13, 14. A holy one from heaven (compare Zec 4:10, where “ seven eyes” should probably read “seven watchers”) the “guardian angel” of Babylon (compare Dan 10:13-14) pronounces the death doom of this empire, declaring that what has been the protection of the nations will now be their destruction if they do not flee away from it. Perhaps this watcher took the form in Nebuchadnezzar’s eyes of one of the colossal cherubim who were called the “guardians” or “watchers” in front of the palaces. (See notes Ezekiel 10.)

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘I saw in the visions of my head on my bed, and behold a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven. He cried aloud and said thus, “Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake of his leaves and scatter his fruit. Let the beasts escape from under it and the birds from its branches. Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field. And let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given to him. And let seven times pass over him. The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whoever he will, and sets up over it the lowest of men.”

The implication is indeed quite plain, and it is no wonder that the wise men were wise enough to shrink from declaring it. The detail is slightly more difficult. None would have dreamed what it really meant, but suggestions might have been made. But not to this great king whose word could mean life or death.

The watcher and the holy one (or ‘the holy watcher’) would represent heavenly being(s), involved in watching the behaviour of mankind (see Dan 7:9-10 where the court of God watching over this scene is described). As far as non-Israelites were concerned this would not necessarily mean moral behaviour. To them the gods were not so much concerned about that, as about how earthly behaviour might affect things for the gods. Daniel, on the other hand, would see them as concerned with the maintenance of God’s laws.

There are two strands in the dream in Daniel’s presentation. One which is explaining why the king suffered as he did, so that others might recognise that he had been battling with the gods, and was therefore not to be demeaned. The other would be seen by Israelites as indicating that there was an awareness of his sins and guilt before God. We should note that the watcher does not act on his own behalf but on behalf of the Most High.

The cry to ‘cut down’ might be seen as being made to divine helpers of the watcher, or to God, or simply as a general cry to indicate that it will happen.

The total destruction of the tree apart from the stump is made quite clear in full detail. It is to lose all its ability to give benefit. The bands around the tree were often put round a stump to prevent it splitting. Here it is probably to be seen as God’s guarantee that the stump will be preserved and survive. The dew, and his being with the beasts, picture degradation and loss. The loss of a man’s heart and its being replaced by a beast indicates loss of rationalism, and beastly behaviour, but would have puzzled all. The ‘seven times’ indicates that what is happening is the result of divine action, a full and divinely perfect treatment from the gods. (In such contexts seven always means something like this. Its use in ancient religious myths to signify divine perfection (along with ‘three’ representing completeness) was prominent in such writings, in many cases almost exclusively so).

‘The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whoever he will, and sets up over it the lowest of men.’ Here it is made evident that the holy watcher acts on behalf of ‘the watchers’, indeed by their decree, and on behalf of the Most High. (We are told who these watchers are in Dan 7:9-10). To Nebuchadnezzar and the general readers of the decree the Most High was probably the king of the gods, to Daniel and the Israelites He was the one Most High God. The Most High is sovereign over all things and destroys men or raises them up as He will. This was an important point for Nebuchadnezzar. It removed any shame from what had happened.

This will all be dealt with in more detail when Daniel gives the inspired explanation.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Dan 4:13. A watcher Instead of watcher, Houbigant reads, an adversary, or opponent; which he thinks answers much better to the character of the angel here spoken of, as the avenger and punisher of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride. According to our translation, we must understand the word as referring to the attendance of the evangelical orders upon God’s throne, to receive and execute his commands. Hence they are called the eyes of the Lord.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Dan 4:13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;

Ver. 13. And, behold, a watcher and an holy one, ] i.e., A holy angel, active and watchful to know and do the will and commands of God for the good of the Church. Hence angels are said to be full of eyes, Eze 1:18 and to stand always beholding the face of God, Mat 18:10 as waiting an employment. How ready was that angel here Dan 4:31 to interrupt the proud king from heaven, and to tell him his doom! So in the next words.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Dan 4:13-18

13I 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.

14He 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.

15Yet 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 in the grass of the earth.

16Let his mind be changed from that of a man

And let a beast’s mind be given to him,

And let seven periods of time pass over him.

17This sentence is by the decree of the angelicwatchers

And the decision is a command of the holy ones,

In order that the living may know

That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind,

And bestows it on whom He wishes And sets over it the lowliest of men.’

18This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.

Dan 4:13 the angelic watcher This means one that stays awake (BDB 1105, The Hebrew counterpart is used of God in Psa 121:4). This Aramaic word and concept is used only in this chapter in the entire Bible. It is SINGULAR in Dan 4:13 but PLURAL in Dan 4:17. The Hebrew counterpart is used of angels in the inter-testamental books of Jubilees (Dan 4:15) and I Enoch (Dan 1:5) and for fallen angels (cf. I Enoch 10-16). It has been found in Cave 1 of the Qumran Text in the Genesis Apocraphon and is used for fallen angels. It is also known to be the title for the messenger of the gods in the Canaanite pantheon (Ras Shamra texts from Ugarit). We are uncertain if this is an allusion to Babylonian mythology or simply a unique way to refer to a special type of angel.

descended from heaven Since the word heaven is also used in Dan 4:11 b, however in a different sense, this is a good opportunity to emphasize the crucial aspect of context in interpretation. Lexicons and dictionaries do not give meaning, only literary (or verbal) contexts give meaning. In Dan 4:11 the term refers to the sky (cf. Dan 4:15 d, see Special Topic: Heaven, below), but in Dan 4:13 (cf. Dan 4:26-31, see Special Topic: The Heavens and the Third Heaven ) it refers to the dwelling place of God or the gods.

SPECIAL TOPIC: HEAVEN

Dan 4:14 He shouted out Apparently the reader is meant to understand that one of the holy watchers cried out to the other angelic beings (cf. Dan 4:17). Remember, however, this is a highly symbolic and figurative dream, not time-space reality.

Dan 4:15 a band of iron There has been much discussion about the band. Most commentators assume that it was for the protection of the stump, although some see it as being related to the restraints that bound Nebuchadnezzar during the time that he was deranged.

The tree stands for the kingship of Nebuchadnezzar. God cuts down/brings down his kingdom (cf. Isa 10:33-34; Eze 17:22-24). However, the stump remains and will regenerate. This metaphor is also used of the stump of Jesse (i.e., the Messiah, cf. Isa 11:1; Isa 53:2; Jer 23:5; Jer 33:15). This is the origin of the Messianic term Branch (i.e. netzer, cf. Isa 4:2; Zec 3:8; Zec 6:12).

SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS THE NAZARENE

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE BRANCH OF THE LORD

NASBlet him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth

NKJVlet him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth

NRSVlet his lot be with the animals of the field in the grass of the earth

TEVlet him live with the animals and the plants

NJBhave its lot with the animals, eating grass

As you can tell by theSe English translations, there are two ways to understand this ambiguous phrase.

1. The king will live outdoors on the ground with the domestic animals (NASB, NRSV, TEV).

2. The king will eat grass like the domestic animals (NKJV, NJB).

Dan 4:16 let his mind This word is literally heart, which in Hebrew was a metaphor for the mental processes and choices of the person.

NASBAnd let seven periods of time pass over him

NKJV, NRSVlet seven times pass over him

TEVfor seven years

NJBseven times shall pass over him

This phrase becomes theologically significant because

1. the term seven is used both literally and figuratively in the Bible (see Special Topic: Symbolic Numbers in Scripture ). In Hebrew thought it is the perfect number going back to the creation week of Genesis 1.

2. the term time is used in several of the prophecies of Daniel. Is it referring to a specific period of time or a full or perfect period of time? These questions must be answered from context, not philology or lexicology.

The LXX has seven years, but the term implies seasons, annual seasons. The time element is divinely set and known but recorded for us in a purposefully ambiguous way.

Dan 4:17 This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, And the decision is a command of the holy ones This seems to imply that the angels made the decision on their own, but Dan 4:24 shows the ultimate source of this decision was God. Again, it is important to realize that the Jews were uncertain at this time about their covenant relationship with God because the temple and Jerusalem (cf. Deu 12:10) had been destroyed and the Davidic king taken into exile (cf. 2 Samuel 7). They needed Him to show them that He was in control of all of world history.

The concluding part of this verse is very similar in theological emphasis to Dan 2:20. The entire book of Daniel makes this assertion again and again. To the Ancient Near Eastthe historical situation looked as if YHWH had been defeated by the Babylonian gods, but in reality YHWH was using the empires of the Fertile Crescent (Assyria, Babylon, Persia) to execute His will related to His people (cf. Isa 10:5; Jer 51:20). God’s people were reaping the consequences of idolatry and rebellion (cf. Deuteronomy 27-29). God needed to reassure His people and inform the pagan empires (Dan 4:25) of the source of their current political and military prowess.

Dan 4:18 inasmuch as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able This is a recurrent theme (cf. Dan 1:20; Dan 2:4-13; Dan 4:7; Dan 5:7-8).

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

a watcher and an holy one. Figure of speech Hendiadys (App-6) = an holy angel.

watcher. A Chaldee name (‘ir) for an angelic being, watching over the affairs of men. Compare: Dan 4:17, Dan 4:23. Not the same root as in Dan 9:14.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Dan 4:13

Dan 4:13 I sawH1934 H2370 in the visionsH2376 of my headH7217 uponH5922 my bed,H4903 and, behold,H431 a watcherH5894 and an holy oneH6922 came downH5182 fromH4481 heaven;H8065

Dan 4:13

I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;

A council of angels is intended in this narrative over which God presides supreme. Dan 4:17 refers to these heavenly beings in the plural. The watchers would be angelic beings placed over the administration of particular kingdoms by God, (Dan 10:13; Dan 10:20) Michael was said to be “the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people,” Israel, (Dan 12:1). The holy one which came down from heaven would likely have been the same individual who walked in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. The holy ones being in the plural does not necessarily rule out God in that the Godhead is composed of the three independent but unified persons. In Dan 4:13 a holy one came down from heaven while in Dan 4:17 it simply meant the word came from all three of them. This is a demonstration of the plurality of the godhead while at the same time shows the unity of their nature and purpose.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

watcher

Dan 4:17; Dan 4:23 plural in 17.

Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes

in the: Dan 4:5, Dan 4:10, Dan 7:1, a watcher. Either a holy angel, or a divine person, called a watcher, as watching over the affairs of men. Dan 4:17, Dan 4:23, Psa 103:20

an holy: Dan 8:13, Deu 33:2, Psa 89:7, Zec 14:5, Mat 25:31, Mar 1:24, Luk 4:34, Jud 1:14, Rev 14:10

Reciprocal: Isa 10:34 – by a mighty one

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Dan 4:13, Watcher and an holy one does not mean there were two persons. The first word is from iyr which Strong defines, A watcher, i,e an angel (as guardian).” Holy one is added as an adjective for watcher, Moffatt’s version renders this place, “One of the angel-guard,” and this also agrees with the singular pronoun with which the next verse begins.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

4:13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a {g} watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;

(g) Meaning the angel of God, who neither eats nor sleeps, but is always ready to do God’s will, and is not infected with man’s corruption, but is always holy. And in that he commands to cut down this tree, he knew that it would not be cut down by man, but by God.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

The watcher who descended from heaven (Dan 4:13) was probably a divine agent, an angel, though Nebuchadnezzar described it using terminology from his background (cf. Dan 4:17). [Note: Keil, p. 150; Goldingay, p. 88.] Earthly kings had watchmen who served as their eyes and ears and who carried out the bidding of their lords. The binding of the stump (Dan 4:15) hints at a restoration of the tree’s life and its growth after its cutting down. After all, the stump could have been removed. The significance of the iron and bronze band that bound the stump is questionable. It kept the tree stump from disintegrating, and perhaps it symbolized the madness that would bind Nebuchadnezzar [Note: Walvoord, p. 103.] or the fact that he would be protected while demented. [Note: Archer, "Daniel," , p. 64.] As the description proceeds, it becomes increasingly clear that the tree represents a man. "It" now becomes "him" (Dan 4:15).

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

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