Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 4:24
This [is] the interpretation, O king, and this [is] the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
24. and it is the decree of the most High, &c.] cf. Dan 4:17 a.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
This is the decree of the Most High – Daniel here designs evidently to direct the attention of the monarch to the one living and true God, and to show him that he presides over all. The purpose of the vision was, in a most impressive way, to convince the king of his existence and sovereignty. Hence, Daniel says that all this was in accordance with his decree. It was not a thing of chance; it was not ordered by idol gods; it was not an event that occurred by the mere force of circumstances, or as the result of the operation of secondary laws: it was a direct Divine interposition – the solemn purpose of the living God that it should be so. Nebuchadnezzar had represented this, in accordance with the prevailing views of religion in his land, as a decree of the Watchers Dan 4:17; Daniel, in accordance with his views of religion, and with truth, represents it as the decree of the true God.
Which is come upon my Lord the king – The decree had been previously formed; its execution had now come upon the king.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
By saying these words,
my lord the king, he endeavours to sweeten the bitterness of this cup of Gods displeasure as much as he can.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24. decree of the Most HighWhatwas termed in Da 4:17 byNebuchadnezzar, “the decree of the watchers,” ishere more accurately termed by Daniel, “the decree of theMost High.” They are but His ministers.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
This is the interpretation, O king,…. Of this part of the dream, namely, what follows in the two next verses:
and this is the decree of the most High; called before the decree of the watchers, Da 4:17, and is no other than the decree of that sovereign and absolute Being, whose purposes are unfrustrable:
which is come upon my lord the king; the decree had passed concerning him, and would be most certainly fulfilled: and, because of the certainty of it, it is represented as if it was; for it would shortly and surely come upon him, exactly as it was determined, and by the dream signified.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
TEXT: Dan. 4:24-27
24
this is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25
that thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and thou shalt be made to eat grass as oxen, and shalt be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee; till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
26
And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
27
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if there may be a lengthening of thy tranquility.
QUERIES
a.
Did the king actually dwell with the beasts of the field?
b.
How do the heavens rule?
c.
What is the meaning of a lengthening of thy tranquility?
PARAPHRASE
Your Majesty, the Most High God has decreedand it will surely happenthat you will be driven from association with sane and normal people and you will live in the fields like an animal, eating grass like an ox, your body wet with dew from staying out in the fields over night. For a definite period of time this will be your condition until you learn that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and gives power to rule to anyone He chooses. But inasmuch as the stump and the roots of the tree in your dream were to be left in the ground, it is decreed that you will be restored to sanity and your rule over Babylon will be given back to you; this will be done when you have learned that Heaven is sovereign over all men on the earth. This is true, O king, and if you will take heed to what I am saying to you and repent by ceasing to do evil and do what you know is right, showing mercy to the poor and weak, perhaps God will prolong your present state of peace and security and withdraw this impending judgment.
COMMENT
Dan. 4:24-25 . . . TILL THOU KNOW THAT THE MOST HIGH RULETH IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN . . . Daniel specifies in no uncertain terms that the object of his revelation is the king himself. The worlds most powerful and magnificent potentate will be driven from normal associations with other men and will be bereft of human rationality. He will literally live like a wild animaleven to eating grass like an ox and living oft-times out in the open. That this is not unheard of among the insane may be thoroughly documented. We ourselves have observed it in some of our modern-day mental institutions. It is plain from the text that Daniel was revealing this malady would be supernaturally inducedit was not from natural causes.
As we observed before, the term seven times probably means simply a specific and, in the purpose of God, an adequate time for the accomplishing of Gods providential goalit does not necessarily mean seven years.
The most important part of Daniels revelation is the focus or purpose of the kings insanity. The intent of the matter is to give mankind, specifically this heathen king and his subjects, and the captive covenant people, a proof that the fortunes of kings and empires are in the hand of Jehovahthat His providence perpetually interposes in the affairs of men, distributing thrones and empires, always for the good of the faithful, but according to His will. This revelation would be especially relevant for the Jews in pagan bondage and slavery. Their spiritual immaturity would cause them to doubt the faithfulness of God to His promised covenant made with their forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, etc.). Definite, prophetic, electrifying, empirical evidence was needed that God was able and would, in His own good time, overrule the power of paganism and carry on the fulfillment of His covenant in His faithful people,
Our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He pleased (Psa. 115:3). The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all (Psa. 103:9). God governs in the affairs of kingdoms and nations, and the Scriptures declare that the care of Providence extends to the most minute and inconsiderable parts of the creation; and, therefore, much more does it extend to the affairs of men and the fates of kingdoms (cf. Mat. 6:26; Jer. 27:5 ff). The Bible expressly asserts the setting up and pulling down of rulers and empires are from God (cf. Psa. 75:2-7). There are many instances in the Bible of Gods overruling the conduct of men, even of the wicked, to accomplish His own great designs, when the persons themselves had nothing in view but their own interests. Who could have thought that anything good would come from the murderous, selfish and perverted actions of the brothers of Joseph when they threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery in Egypt? Their only purpose was to get rid of one they envied and hated. But God had a very important purposethe deliverance of the covenant family and thousands of others. Therefore, Joseph tells his brothers, It was not you that sent me hither, but God (Gen. 45:8). See our Special Study Nine, pgs. 93113, entitled Theo-Ramic Philosophy of History, in Minor Prophets, pub. College Press.
Dan. 4:26-27 . . . BREAK OFF THY SINS BY RIGHTEOUSNESS . . . The part of the dream depicting the stump of the roots of the tree left in the ground predicted the possibility of Nebuchadnezzars rule being restored to him conditioned upon his acknowledgment that Daniels God rules omnipotently. This, as we learn later, is exactly what transpired, (cf. Dan. 4:34 ff).
Evidently Nebuchadnezzar was guilty of the common fault of monarchsinequity, tyrannism, violence in dealings with the ruled. He was missing the mark (sinning) according to Gods moral standards of government. So the prophet of God demands that the king break with his sins and practice justice, equity and kindness in the administration of government. There can be no mistaking it that God holds all rulers, pagan and godly, responsible for meeting His moral standards in governing (cf. Amos, chap. 12). Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy! If the king shows mercy to the poor and weak, he shall receive mercy from God. There will be, perhaps, an extension of his present time of peaceful and prosperous rule. The promise does not include the withdrawal of judgment of insanity, because the fundamental and overriding sin of Nebuchadnezzar is pride and it appears that he did not pay much heed to this warning by Daniel. In fact, he may have been offended and slightly angered with Danielthere is no mention of having rewarded Daniel as he had done on similar occasions earlier.
QUIZ
1.
Is such insanity as predicted of Nebuchadnezzar impossible?
2.
To what extent does God rule in the affairs of kings and empires?
3.
Why would God be concerned about the sins of a pagan ruler?
4.
Why did Daniel not promise the withdrawal of Gods judgment of insanity if the king would break with his sins?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(24) Which is come upon.See Note on Dan. 4:13.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Dan 4:24 This [is] the interpretation, O king, and this [is] the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
Ver. 24. This is the interpretation. ] See Dan 4:19 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Dan 4:24
Dan 4:24 ThisH1836 is the interpretation,H6591 O king,H4430 and thisH1932 is the decreeH1510 of the most High,H5943 whichH1768 is comeH4291 uponH5922 my lordH4756 the king:H4430
Dan 4:24
This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
The interpretation is finished, but there remains the decree of God which has come upon Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was never able to say he was not thoroughly warned from a divine source.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the decree: Dan 4:17, Job 20:29, *marg. Psa 2:7, Psa 148:6, Isa 14:24-27, Isa 23:9, Isa 46:10, Isa 46:11
come: Job 1:12-19, Job 40:11, Job 40:12, Psa 107:40
Reciprocal: Isa 57:15 – the high Dan 4:19 – My Lord Dan 4:31 – fell Luk 14:5 – Which Act 7:48 – the most High
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Dan 4:24. The description of the dream having been repeated, Daniel will next give the interpretation, which he says will be by the decree of the Most High.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Dan 4:24-26. This is the interpretation, O king, &c. We may observe that Daniel informs the king with the greatest tenderness, and most respectful terms, of the sad reverse of condition that was to happen to him. They shall drive thee from men In the Chaldee and Hebrew the plural active, they shall do, signifies no more than, thus it shall be, be the cause what it may. The meaning seems to be, that Nebuchadnezzar should be punished with insanity, which should so deprave his imagination, while he yet retained his memory, and, perhaps, his reason in some intervals, as that he should fancy himself to be a beast, and should live as such, till his heart, that is, his apprehension, appetite, or likings, should be changed from those of a man to those of a beast. To eat grass as oxen signifies to live upon the herbs of the field; for the original word signifies any kind of field-herb as well as grass. Till thou know that the most high God ruleth, &c. It appears from what is here said, that this judgment was inflicted on Nebuchadnezzar on account of his pride or haughtiness, and his making no acknowledgment of a Divine Providence ordering and governing the affairs of the world; but attributing the acquisition of all his great power and vast dominion to his own prudence and valour, instead of acknowledging it as the gift of the most high God. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump, &c., thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee There shall be no other king chosen during thy affliction, but thou shalt again receive thy kingly power, and reign as before. After that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule The heavens are here put for the God of the heavens.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The king’s condition, whatever it was, would continue for seven periods of time (cf. Dan 4:16) until the king had learned that the Most High is sovereign. Then Nebuchadnezzar would receive back both his senses and his throne. "Heaven ruling" (Dan 4:26) is a figure of speech (metonymy) for God ruling, since God lives in heaven. The Jews often substituted "heaven" for God’s name out of respect for Him. This is most obvious in Matthew’s Gospel, which was written primarily for Jews, in which "the kingdom of heaven" usually replaces the more common "kingdom of God" in the other Gospels. However, this is the only place in the Old Testament where the substitution of "heaven" for "God" occurs.