Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 4:9
O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods [is] in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
9. master of the magicians ] see Dan 2:48.
troubleth thee ] forceth, constraineth thee, i.e. reduces thee to straits.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians – Master, in the sense that he was first among them, or was superior to them all. Or, perhaps, he still retained office at the head of this class of men – the office to which he had been appointed when he interpreted the former dream, Dan 2:48. The word rendered master ( rab) is that which was applied to a teacher, a chief, or a great man among the Jews – from where came the title rabbi. Compare Dan 2:48; Dan 5:11.
Because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee – This he had learned by the skill which he had shown in interpreting his dream on former occasion, Dan. 2.
And no secret troubleth thee – That is, so troubles you that you cannot explain it; it is not beyond your power to disclose its signification. The word rendered secret ( raz) occurs in Dan 2:18-19, Dan 2:27-30, Dan 2:47. It is not elsewhere found. It means what is hidden, and has reference here to the concealed truth or intimation of the Divine will couched under a dream. The word rendered troubleth thee ( ‘anas) means, to urge, to press, to compel; and the idea here is, than it did not so press upon him as to give him anxiety. It was an easy matter for him to disclose its meaning. Greek, No mystery is beyond your power – ouk adunatei se.
Tell me the visions of my dream – The nature of the vision, or the purport of what I have seen. He seems to have desired to know what sort of a vision he should regard this to be, as well as its interpretation – whether as an intimation of the Divine will, or as an ordimary dream. The Greek and Arabic render this, Hear the vision of my dream, and tell me the interpretation thereof. This accords better with the probable meaning of the passage, though the word hear is not in the Chaldee.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
This argued he was convinced of Daniels great abilities, and that he truly deserved the title and dignity the king had honoured him with; and by this persuasion and confidence he had of him, Daniel would show he answered both the opinion and expectation the king had of him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. spirit of the holygodsNebuchadnezzar speaks as a heathen, who yet has imbibedsome notions of the true God. Hence he speaks of “gods” inthe plural but gives the epithet “holy,” whichapplies to Jehovah alone, the heathen gods making no pretension topurity, even in the opinion of their votaries (De32:31; compare Isa 63:11).”I know” refers to his knowledge of Daniel’s skill manyyears before (Da 2:8); hence hecalls him “master of the magicians.”
troublethgives theedifficulty in explaining it.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians,…. So he called him, either because he excelled them in knowledge, and was greater than they, as Jacchiades; though not of their rank and order, which Daniel would have scorned to have been among, and reckoned of; so that this would have been no compliment, but a grief unto him; or because he was appointed by the king chief over them, and even over their governors;
[See comments on Da 2:48]:
because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee;
[See comments on Da 4:8];
and no secret troubleth thee; any ways perplexes thy mind to find it out; it is easy to thee to come at; it gives thee no manner of trouble to get knowledge of it; there is no secret hidden from thee; all is plain before thee, and with the utmost facility canst thou reveal it:
tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen; that is, the meaning of them; for the king remembered this his dream, and afterwards tells it very particularly:
and the interpretation of it; it may be rendered, “that is, the interpretation of it” h; for that only was what the king wanted.
h “id est, interpretationem ejus”, Junius & Tremellius, Broughtonus, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9. O Belteshazzar, master of the Magi, since I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret can escape thee — or overcome thee, as I shall soon explain the word — relate the visions of my sleep which I saw, and their interpretation We yesterday shewed King Nebuchadnezzar to be a suppliant to Daniel, when reduced to extremity. He did not seek him at first, but consulted his Magicians, and he is now compelled to venerate the person whom he had despised. He calls him Belteshazzar, and doubtless the name severely wounded the Prophet’s mind; for another name had been imposed upon him by his parents from his earliest infancy; whence he could recognize himself as a Jew, and could draw his origin from a holy and elect nation. For his change of name was doubtless made by the tyrant’s cunning, as we have previously said, as to cause him to forget his own family. King Nebuchadnezzar wished, by changing his name, to render this holy servant of God degenerate. Hence, as often as he was called by this name, he was clearly offended in no slight degree. But this evil could not be remedied, since he was a captive, and knew he had to deal with a people victorious, proud, and cruel. Thus, in the last verse, Nebuchadnezzar had used this name according to the name of his god. Since then Daniel had a name of his own, which his parents had given him by God’s appointment, Nebuchadnezzar wished to blot out that sacred name, and so called him as a mark of respect Belteshazzar, which we may believe to have been deduced from the name of an idol. Hence this doubled the Prophet’s grief, when he was stained with that base spot in bearing an idol’s mark on his name; but it was his duty to endure this scourge of God among his other trials. Thus God exercised his servant in every way by enduring a cross.
He now calls him Prince of the Magi, and this doubtless wounded the holy Prophet’s feelings. He wished nothing better than separation from the Magi, who deceived the world by their impostures and soothsaying. For although they were skilled in the science of astrology, and knew some principles worthy of praise, yet we are sure they corrupted all the sciences. Hence Daniel did not willingly hear himself included among them; but he could not free himself from this infamy. Thus we see his patience to have been divinely proved in various ways. Now, Nebuchadnezzar adds, because I know the spirit of the holy gods to be in thee. Many understand this of angels; and this interpretation is not objectionable, as I have hinted elsewhere. For the existence of a supreme God was known to all the nations, but they fancied angels to be inferior deities. Whatever be the true meaning, Nebuchadnezzar here betrays his own ignorance, since he had made no real progress in the knowledge of the true God; because he was entangled in his former errors, and retained many gods, as from the beginning he had been imbued with that superstition. This passage might have been translated in the singular number, as some do, but it would be too forced, and the reason for such a translation is too weak; for they think Nebuchadnezzar to have been truly converted; but the vanity of this is proved by the whole context; and being occupied by this opinion, they wish to relieve him from all fault. But since it is clear that in this edict of Nebuchadnezzar many proofs of his old ignorance are comprehended, there is no reason why we should depart from the simple sense of the words. Hence he attributes a divine spirit to Daniel, but meanwhile imagines many gods. Since, therefore, the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, he says, and no secret overcomes thee Some translate אנס, anes, to be troublesome; it properly signifies to compel, or to force; for those who translate “there is no secret which can surpass thee,” depart from the correct sense. Others translate it, “to be troublesome.” This would be a more tolerable translation, but they would do better by translating, “no secret renders thee anxious or perplexed.” If the rules of grammar would allow the א aleph, to be a servile letter, the sense would be more suitable. For נסה, neseh, signifies to try, or prove, and also to elevate. We may translate it, “No secret is loftier than thy understanding;” or, “No secret proves thee;” if he had said, — Daniel was endued with a divine spirit; — he does not examine any proposition, and has no need to make an experiment in any science, since his answer is easy and at hand. But. it is necessary to remember what I said,—No secret renders thee anxious, or confounds thee. Nebuchadnezzar knew this. Then why did he not directly call him to himself in his perplexity? As Daniel could free him from all perplexity, the king’s ingratitude is proved, because he admitted the Magi to his counsels, and neglected Daniel. We see then how he always endeavored to avoid God, till he was drawn along by a violent hand, and thereby displayed the absence of conversion. For repentance is voluntary, and those only are said to repent, who willingly return by a change of mind to the God from whom they had revolted; and this cannot be done without faith and the love of God. He then asks him to relate his dream and its interpretation But the dream was not unknown, and he relates it to Daniel. There is, therefore, something superfluous in these words, but no doubt about the sense — as Nebuchadnezzar only asks for the explanation of his dream. It follows: —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9) Troubleth thee.Literally, goadeth thee, or, causeth thee this difficulty.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. Daniel is here recognized as master of the magicians. (See note Dan 2:48.) The otherwise unaccountable failure of the king to call on him first of all, instead of sending out a decree (Dan 4:6) to bring before him all the other magicians, may perhaps be explained as a mere matter of literary form on the part of the narrator, the effect of Daniel’s success being heightened by the previous unsuccessful attempts of all the other wise men. However, if the king, through an attempt to centralize the worship (Sayce) or for any other reason, was at this time an enemy of the priests (Dan 2:5; Dan 2:24-26), this might possibly have been a scheme of his. It should also be remembered that one version, which was probably the original LXX., omits Dan 4:6-7, which were evidently, therefore, not in the original text which it translated. This version says that immediately upon having his dream the king called Daniel and told it to him. It also gives an entirely different address to Daniel, although the phrase “the spirit of the holy gods is in thee” is not unnatural in a heathen ruler. (Compare Gen 41:38, Hebrews)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Saying, “O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy God is in you, and no secret is a problem to you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.” ’
Daniel had by now been master (Rab) over the ‘magicians’ (wise men) for many years (Dan 2:48), and had Nebuchadnezzar’s full confidence. Nebuchadnezzar knew that the spirit of the holy gods was in him, even though he may not have understood quite which god. But the fact that he mentioned the revealing of secrets may suggest that he means, correctly, the holy God who had previously revealed secrets through Daniel. So he asked him for an explanation of his visions and the dream in which they were contained.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Dream.
‘Thus were the visions of my head on my bed, I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree was growing and was strong, and its height reached to heaven, and a view of it to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were lush and its fruit plentiful, and on it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heaven dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.’
The same idea as is found in this dream is also found in Ezekiel’s parable about Pharaoh (Eze 31:3-9) but large trees were a common sight, as was their use by beasts and birds for food and protection, so that any similarity is probably coincidental. Great trees provided good illustrations, and were regularly used in antiquity to illustrate royalty. Thus Nebuchadnezzar (although he would withdraw from the thought and possibly shut it out of his mind) and the magicians had both probably recognised that it spoke of Nebuchadnezzar.
The tree was in the midst of the earth, and it was of great height. It was ‘world prominent’. This could hardly mean anything other than Nebuchadnezzar. The wording is such that it suggests that during the dream the growing was seen to take place. ‘Its height reached to heaven’ would remind Daniel’s readers of the tower of Babel (Gen 11:4), and they would see its connection with Nebuchadnezzar as significant. The tree was conspicuous to all who were in ‘the world’ i.e. his world.
It was also the great provider, providing food and protection. That is how great kings always liked to see themselves, justifying war by what they saw as their ‘benevolence’ to mankind. And Nebuchadnezzar would see himself as the feeder and protector of the empire, his ‘world’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Dan 4:9. Master of the magicians Or, chief of the diviners. Nebuchadnezzar gave this place and rank to Daniel, after he had interpreted his first dream to him concerning the statue. Instead of troubleth thee, we may read, too hard for thee. Houbigant, for tell me the visions of my dream, &c. reads, attend to the dream which I have seen, and declare its interpretation.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Dan 4:9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods [is] in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
Ver. 9. Because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee. ] The spirit of divination and prophecy.
And no secret troubleth thee.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
master of the magicians. Daniel still held the position given him in Dan 2:48.
secret. Chaldee. raz. Same word as in Dan 2: (except Dan 2:22). See notes on Dan 2:18, Dan 2:22.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
master: Dan 1:20, Dan 2:48, Dan 5:11
the spirit: Dan 4:8, Gen 41:38, 1Sa 4:8
no secret: Dan 4:5, Dan 2:3, Gen 11:6-8, Isa 33:18, Isa 54:14, Eze 28:3
tell: Dan 4:18, Dan 2:4, Dan 2:5, Gen 40:9-19, Gen 41:15-36, Jdg 7:13-15
Reciprocal: Gen 40:5 – General Deu 4:6 – Surely Deu 29:29 – secret 2Ki 6:12 – telleth Dan 1:17 – Daniel had understanding Dan 2:19 – was Dan 2:47 – a revealer Dan 4:17 – the holy Dan 4:19 – was astonied Mic 6:6 – the high
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Dan 4:9. The king remembered this dream, not because it wras any more impressive, for it could not have been more important than the one of the giant man. But in that case the Lord wished to convince him that Daniel had superhuman knowledge, which would not have been done merely by offering an interpretation of a dream, for any man might do that and nobody could know whether it was correct. But when he recalled the kings dream tt proved his divine standing. That evidence was not needed in the present case, hence the Lord enabled Nebuchadnezzar to relate his dream.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
4:9 O Belteshazzar, {e} master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods [is] in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
(e) Which also was a great grief to the Prophet, to be numbered among the sorcerers and men whose practices were wicked and contrary to God’s word.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Nebuchadnezzar addressed Daniel as the chief of the magicians. By this he probably meant that Daniel was his chief interpreter of the future, not that he was the head of a group of magicians. [Note: Leupold, p. 178.] Daniel’s fame in this regard had evidently become well known (cf. Eze 28:3).