Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 4:5
I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
5. the thoughts ] imaginations (without the art.); cf. R.V. marg. The word is a peculiar one, and is found only here in the O.T. The idea expressed by it is probably that of fancyings, imaginings (in Syr. it means a mirage); in the Targums it is used especially (like the cognate verb) of sinful imaginations, as Isa 57:17 (for the Heb. ‘way’), Eze 38:10.
visions of my head ] Dan 2:28.
troubled me ] alarmed me: cf. Dan 4:19, Dan 5:6; Dan 5:10, Dan 7:15; Dan 7:28; also Dan 5:9. The corresponding Hebrew word means to perturb or dismay.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I saw a dream – That is, he saw a representation made to him in a dream. There is something incongruous in our language in saying of one that he saw a dream.
Which made me afraid – The fear evidently arose from the apprehension that it was designed to disclose some important and solemn event. This was in accordance with a prevalent belief then (comp. Dan 2:1), and it may be added that it is in accordance with a prevalent belief now. There are few persons, whatever may be their abstract belief, who are not more or less disturbed by fearful and solemn representations passing before the mind in the visions of the night. Compare Job 4:12-17; Job 33:14-15. So Virgil (Aen. iv. 9):
Anna soror, quae me suspensam insomnia terrent!
And the thoughts upon my bed – The thoughts which I had upon my bed; to wit, in my dream.
And the visions of my head – What I seemed to see. The vision seemed to be floating around his head.
Troubled me – Disturbed me; produced apprehension of what was to come; of some great and important event.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. I saw a dream] See this dream circumstantially explained in the following verses.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
There is no felicity in this world lasting; a black cloud, big with storm and tempest, spoils the fairest sun-shine day. They that fear not God shall be frighted by him. God doth justly make epicures and tyrants uneasy in the midst of their fools paradise, where if the fool saith in his heart, There is no God, he shall soon find in his heart to think otherwise.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
I saw a dream which made me afraid,…. Things were represented to his fancy in a dream, as if he saw them with his eyes, as the tree, its leaves and fruit; the shaking and cutting it down to the stump, c. and though he did not understand the meaning of it, yet he thought it portended some evil, which threw him into a panic; he was afraid that something bad would befall him, though he knew not what: thus God can make the minds of the greatest men uneasy amidst all their glory, pride, and pleasure:
and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me; the thoughts that came into his mind while he was upon his bed dreaming, and the things which were represented to his fancy in his brain, he remembered when awake, gave him a great deal of trouble and uneasiness, what should be the meaning of them, and what would be the issue and event of these things.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(4:2)
While in this state of security and peace, he was alarmed by a dream. The abrupt manner in which the matter is here introduced well illustrates the unexpected suddenness of the even itself. , thoughts, from , to think, to meditate; in the Mishna and in Syr. images of the imagination; here, images in a dream. The words are more properly taken as a passage by themselves with the verb, I had (I saw), supplied, than connected with the following noun to . Regarding see under Dan 2:28. On this matter Chr. B. Michaelis has well remarked: ” Licet somnii interpretationem nondum intelligeret, tamen sensit, infortunium sibi isthoc somnio portendi.”
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
5-7. See notes Dan 2:1-2. In the coronation decree of Nabonidus recently found in the ruins of Babylon (see Babylonian and Oriental Record, September, 1896) this king, the father of Belshazzar, tells how Nebuchadnezzar appeared to him in a night vision accompanied by the Babylonian high priest carrying a drawn sword. Nabonidus tells Nebuchadnezzar a dream which had troubled him greatly, and Nebuchadnezzar interprets it for him, the high priest being, as it seems, the “medium” through which this conversation between the living and the dead king was carried on. In another night vision mentioned in the same decree the goddess “who can raise to life the dead” appears to him.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Dan 4:5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
Ver. 5. I saw a dream, which made me afraid. ] It is seldom seen that God alloweth unto the greatest darlings of the world a perfect contentment; something they must complain of that shall give an unsavoury verdure to their sweetest morsels, and make their very felicity miserable.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
dream. One of twenty recorded dreams. See note on Gen 20:3.
visions of my head, &c. Compare Dan 4:10, and Dan 2:28.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Dan 4:5-7
Dan 4:5 I sawH2370 a dreamH2493 which made me afraid,H1763 and the thoughtsH2031 uponH5922 my bedH4903 and the visionsH2376 of my headH7217 troubledH927 me.
Dan 4:6 Therefore madeH4481 H7761 I a decreeH2942 to bring inH5924 allH3606 the wiseH2445 men of BabylonH895 beforeH6925 me, thatH1768 they might make knownH3046 unto me the interpretationH6591 of the dream.H2493
Dan 4:7 ThenH116 came inH5954 the magicians,H2749 the astrologers,H826 the Chaldeans,H3779 and the soothsayers:H1505 and IH576 toldH560 the dreamH2493 beforeH6925 them; but they did notH3809 make knownH3046 unto me the interpretationH6591 thereof.
Dan 4:5-7
I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
This is an old story with priest class and mystics of Babylon. This is certainly not the first time they stood before the king of Babylon unable to fulfill his request. We notice here that this time they did not face execution for their inability to interpret this dream. Nebuchadnezzar remembered this one and was able to recount the dream to them but they still could not interpret it. Call to mind that on the earlier occasion, they told Nebuchadnezzar they could reveal the meaning if he would tell them the dream. This time he told them the dream and they still couldn’t interpret it for him.
It is an evident sign that Nebuchadnezzar was softening from his earlier hasty decrees on those who failed to provide what he requested. Nebuchadnezzar is showing the signs here of being more reasonable and less compulsive. It is without a doubt that the Chaldeans and mystics were nervous about this. They had faced Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath before and it was not a good memory for them.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
a dream: Dan 2:1, Dan 5:5, Dan 5:6, Dan 5:10, Dan 7:28, Gen 41:1, Job 7:13, Job 7:14
and the thoughts: Dan 2:28, Dan 2:29
Reciprocal: Gen 37:5 – dreamed Gen 40:5 – General Gen 40:6 – behold Gen 41:8 – his spirit Job 4:13 – thoughts Job 33:15 – a dream Dan 4:9 – no secret Dan 4:13 – in the Dan 4:19 – let Dan 7:1 – Daniel Dan 7:15 – the visions Luk 24:38 – and why
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
NEBUCHADNEZZARS DREAM
I saw a dream.
Dan 4:5
I. An alarming dream which God sent to Nebuchadnezzar, and which his soothsayers were unable to interpret, greatly startled the king, whose empire at that time was enjoying a settled peace.How often when men are at rest in their houses, and flourishing in their palaces, they are nearer the blow of the axe than in hours of stress and storm. See to it that in seasons of prosperity you walk humbly with God, and bear fruit, that the axe may not be laid to the root of the tree. What a remarkable description that is of Gods angels given us in Dan 4:13! They are watchers and also holy ones. Gods angels watch over the saints, and it is in their interests that His chastisements fall upon their oppressors, O suffering saint!
II. The sentence which Daniel announced, that the king should become deranged in his mind, imagining himself a beast, and ranging with animals in the royal demesne, was a terrible one.But he did not hesitate in his duty to warn the proud monarch of the imminence of the worst, adding words of entreaty (Dan 4:27). Men may secure a lengthening of their tranquillity, and a mitigation of their sentence if they will forsake the sin with which God has a controversy. O proud boast! How apt we are to speak of our fortunes, our prestige, our influence amongst men, as the great Babylon which we have built (Dan 4:30). We are apt at attributing the success of our life to ourselves, and forgetting that after all there is only one Agent and Arbiter of events, to Whom we must give praise and honour for ever (Dan 4:35-36).
Illustration
Pride leads to madness. In Nebuchadnezzar we see its ultimate resultthat to which it tends in all men. Pride unbalances the reason. As a scale may need only the addition of another ounce to weigh it down, so a proud man may need only one more strong emotion of pride to sink him into grovelling idiocy. While Nebuchadnezzars insanity may have been a judicial infliction, like Miriams leprosy (Num 12:10), it was more probably the natural result of a long course of mentally disturbing worship of self.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Dan 4:5. It was the appearance of the things Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream that frightened him, not what it meant, for he did not know what that was.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
4:5 I saw a {b} dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
(b) This was another dream besides that which he saw of the four empires, for Daniel both declared what that dream was, and what it meant, and here he expounds this dream.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
His dream, which was also a vision from God, terrified him, as the original language makes clear (cf. Dan 2:1; Dan 2:3). He still believed in his wise men even though they had let him down previously (Dan 2:10-12). This time he told them his dream and simply asked them to interpret it. They failed again, so he called in his expert in these matters: Daniel.
"This school of pompous quacks should long since have been dismissed." [Note: Culver, "Daniel," p. 783.]