Daniel Chapter 4

This chapter was written by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. It is his own personal conversion story, an account of how the God of heaven finally humbled him in order to save him. Because of this story, we believe that Nebuchadnezzar will someday be in heaven.

Earlier steps in Nebuchadnezzar’s Conversion

The story of Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion begins at the very beginning of the book of Daniel. Although he was an idolater who did not know the true God, we find him being used by God to punish His rebellious people (Daniel 1:1, 2). Nebuchadnezzar tried to brainwash the Hebrew captives he had taken, by influencing them to accept the Babylonian culture and religion (Daniel 1:4, 5). But God used the four Hebrew young men who remained faithful to Him to introduce the king to the true God of heaven.

In Chapter 1 Nebuchadnezzar saw how God blessed these young men during their years of training in Babylon (Daniel 1:19, 20). In Chapter 2 God spoke directly to Nebuchadnezzar through a dream, revealing Himself as the only true God who is in control of history, the One who had given Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom, power, strength, and glory (Daniel 2:28, 29, 37, 38). Nebuchadnezzar was greatly impressed by this revelation, but he acknowledged this God only as “Daniel’s God” (Daniel 2:47), and not his own. And in Chapter 3 he rebelled against God’s authority by making the golden image and attempting to force the world to worship it (Daniel 3:15). When God miraculously delivered his faithful servants from the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed that he blessed the “God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego” and attempted to go into league with Him (Daniel 3:28, 29). However, his character remained unchanged.

Chapter 4 concludes Nebuchadnezzar’s story, describing the events that finally led to his conversion.

Verse 1

Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion story is in the form of a royal proclamation. It was written near the end of his reign, more than 30 years after his initial introduction to the God of heaven. Nebuchadnezzar begins his testimony with the expression, “peace be multiplied to you,” a greeting familiar to God’s people. When he wrote this account, Nebuchadnezzar was at peace with God, with himself and with the world.

Verse 2

Nebuchadnezzar continues with a simple and humble declaration of his purpose for writing this account. These words reveal that he now had a personal relationship with God.

This royal proclamation is highly unusual, because it was not customary for a sovereign monarch to allow anything unfavorable to be written about himself. For a king to voluntarily give this frank and humble account about himself must have been unheard of, and is further evidence that Nebuchadnezzar was a converted man.

Verse 3

What a difference there is in the tone of his words from those in the earlier stories! His praise of the Most High God is reminiscent of Daniel’s words of praise in Chapter 2.

Verse 4

This verse helps us identify the time of this narrative. Nebuchadnezzar’s wars of conquest were now over, and he was enjoying the peace and prosperity of the final years of his 43-year reign.

Verse 5

Here begins Nebuchadnezzar’s story of how God humbled him. Once again God gave him a dream, which greatly frightened and troubled him. But unlike his earlier dream of the great image he remembered every detail.

Verses 6, 7

Ignoring the earlier failure of his wise men, Nebuchadnezzar again summoned them to provide the interpretation of his dream.

It is puzzling why he called the wise men instead of going directly to Daniel. No doubt he realized that his heart was not right with the true God. He may have recognized that the dream was a negative message from God, and perhaps he was embarrassed to tell Daniel about it. Or he may have been testing his wise men, to see if they could give the interpretation. And the wise men may have been afraid to offer any kind of interpretation because they recognized that the dream was an evil message about the king. Whatever his reason for calling the wise men, they were unable or unwilling to provide the interpretation.

Verses 8, 9

At last Daniel was called before Nebuchadnezzar, and the king asked him to explain the dream.

Notice an interesting detail in these verses. In verse 9, when Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel to explain the dream, he called Daniel by his Babylonian name. But when afterward telling the story (verse 8) he calls Daniel by his Hebrew name, mentioning his Babylonian name only for identification and then pointing out that the Spirit of the true God was in him. This is still more evidence that a converted man is telling this story.

Verses 10 - 12

Nebuchadnezzar then began to recount his dream. In the dream, he saw a great tree located in the very midst of the earth. As he watched, it grew high into the sky until it could be seen to the far ends of the earth. The tree was beautiful, and produced abundant fruit. It was so large and fruitful that it fed and sheltered the entire world.

Verse 13

Then Nebuchadnezzar saw a messenger coming down from heaven, bearing a sentence against this great tree. The fact that this heavenly messenger is called a “watcher” is strong evidence that the messenger was Jesus Himself (see 2 Chronicles 16:9, Genesis 16:13, 11:5-7, Jeremiah 4:14-18). (SOP 1)

Verses 14 - 16

The divine sentence was given to cut down the tree, but the stump and roots were to be preserved.

As the divine Watcher continues the sentence, notice that the imagery changes in vs. 15 from the symbol of a tree to the actual object it represented. “He” (a man) would graze with the beasts, his heart would be changed from a man’s heart to that of a beast, and seven “times” would pass over him.

Verse 17

The divine Watcher concluded by stating that the decision and sentence was from God Himself. He then declared the purpose of the sentence – so that all might know that the Most High God rules over all earthly kingdoms and sets up our earthly leaders.

Verse 18

Nebuchadnezzar explained to Daniel that the wise men had been unable to make known the interpretation and commanded him to do so, expressing confidence that he could provide the interpretation because “the Spirit of the Holy God” was in him.

Verses 19 - 23

Daniel was so astonished and horrified by Nebuchadnezzar’s account that he sat in stunned silence for some time (an hour, KJV). The Spirit had granted him an understanding of the dream, and he realized that God was entrusting him with the most difficult task of his life – to convey heaven’s rebuke to the most powerful dictator on earth for his pride. No doubt Daniel’s long silence was at least in part because of his genuine love for the king.

Finally Nebuchadnezzar spoke, giving Daniel words of encouragement. Daniel then broke his silence, wishing the dream and its interpretation upon the king’s enemies. He then repeated Nebuchadnezzar’s entire account of the dream, applying the symbol of the great tree to King Nebuchadnezzar himself.

Verse 24

Daniel began his interpretation of the dream by confirming that the decree upon King Nebuchadnezzar was from God Himself.

Verse 25

He then declared that King Nebuchadnezzar would go mad for seven years (a time equals a year, see margin), living with the beasts of the field, eating grass and being wet with the dew of heaven. As a result of this experience, Nebuchadnezzar would learn to recognize and submit to the authority of God.

Verse 26

The command to preserve the tree’s stump and roots was an assurance from God that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would be preserved for him while he was learning his lesson.

Verse 27

Daniel then concluded with a touching personal appeal, encouraging the king to amend his ways while the divine sentence still might be avoided.

Verses 28 – 30

Nebuchadnezzar was greatly impressed by this message from God. For a time he was affected by it, but he failed to walk in the light and became forgetful, gradually slipping back into his former ways. (SOP 2) Twelve months passed, and one evening found him walking around his palace admiring the city. Pride again welled up in his heart, and he exclaimed, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built . . . ?”

A Description of Ancient Babylon

Babylon was a magnificent city, unrivaled in ancient times. Modern excavations have revealed details that give us some idea of what Babylon was like in Nebuchadnezzar’s day.

The walls around the city were 13 miles long. The inner wall was 21½ feet thick and the outer wall 12¼ feet thick, with a road along the top of each wall. The primary entrance to the city was the Ishtar Gate, a double structure 165 feet long with four towers. The walls were of bricks, whose glazed surfaces formed colorful raised figures of animals and mythological beasts. The approach to the Ishtar Gate was lined with defensive walls. On these walls were glazed-brick lions in relief, either white with yellow manes or yellow with red manes on a blue background.

The river Euphrates ran through a portion of the city, and was lined with walls containing large double gates. The two different sections of the city were connected by a bridge that rested on piers.

Babylon was a religious center without rival on earth. It contained the sanctuary of the god Marduk, with 52 other temples, 955 small sanctuaries and 384 street altars. The center of Babylon’s glory was the famous temple tower, called esagila, which means “the foundation stone of heaven and earth.” It was 299 feet square at the base and probably 300 feet high. It is believed that this tower may mark the spot of the ancient Tower of Babel. Surrounding this tower was a great temple complex. Its courts and buildings were the scenes of many religious ceremonies performed in honor of the god Marduk.

Babylon also contained several castles, or palaces, of extraordinary luxury. The Central Palace contained the Museum of Antiquities, a collection of valuable objects of Babylon’s glorious past history, such as statues, inscriptions and trophies of war. The southern palace contained the famous hanging gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It was a large vaulted building with a roof garden, irrigated by a system of pipes through which water was pumped up. The hanging gardens were built by Nebuchadnezzar for his Median wife, who missed the wooded hills of her native land.

Several inscriptions written by King Nebuchadnezzar have been found. One of them, now in the Berlin Museum, reads as follows:

“I have made Babylon, the holy city, the glory of the great gods, more prominent than before, and have promoted its rebuilding. I have caused the sanctuaries of gods and goddesses to lighten up like the day. No king among all kings has ever created, no earlier king has ever built, what I have magnificently built for Marduk. I have furthered to the utmost the equipment of Esagila, and the renovation of Babylon more than had ever been done before. All my valuable works, the beautification of the sanctuaries of the great gods, which I undertook more than my royal ancestors, which I wrote in a document and put it down for coming generations. All my deeds, which I have written in this document, shall those read who know [how to read] and remember the glory of the great gods. May the way of my life be long, may I rejoice in offspring; may my offspring rule over the blackheaded people into all eternity, and may the mentioning of my name be proclaimed for good at all future times.”

Verses 31, 32

While the king was still speaking, a voice was heard from heaven pronouncing the divine sentence upon him.

Verse 33

That very hour the sentence was fulfilled. The vain monarch was stricken with a mental disease called lycanthropy, in which the person imagines himself to be an animal and begins to act like one. For seven years this once brilliant man crawled on hands and knees in a paddock of his palace naked and unkempt, unwashed and shackled in chains.

The message of Nebuchadnezzar’s experience is painfully clear. Without God in control of the will, the most powerful and wise person on earth is no different than an animal. (SOP 3)

But praise the Lord, those “whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:6. He does this to produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness in his life.

As promised, God preserved Nebuchadnezzar’s throne from usurpers during the seven years of his insanity. Most likely it was Daniel himself who guarded and preserved it for the king.

Verses 34, 35

At the end of the seven years, Nebuchadnezzar’s reason returned. His eyes were now fixed upon heaven, and he publicly praised and worshipped his Redeemer. Like every newly-converted person, he was anxious to share his experience with the world.

Verses 36, 37

As promised by God, Nebuchadnezzar’s throne was restored to him, and “excellent majesty was added” to him. Now thoroughly converted, he concluded his testimony with words of praise to his new God, who had humbled him in order to exalt him. (SOP 4)

For more than 30 years God worked with Nebuchadnezzar, leading him on step by step. The Spirit patiently dealt with his pride and self will until He succeeded in subduing his tyrannical nature.

The lesson of his story is for us all. Every one of us needs to be personally converted, purged of our pride and self will. It was for our benefit that Jesus inspired Daniel to incorporate Nebuchadnezzar’s own personal conversion story into his book.

Spirit of Prophecy Quotations

1 “As the beasts have no knowledge of God, and therefore do not acknowledge his sovereignty, so Nebuchadnezzar had been unmindful of God and his mercies. Prosperity and popularity had led him to feel independent of God, and to use for his own glory the talent of reason that God had entrusted to him. Messages of warning were sent to him, but he heeded them not. The heavenly Watcher [note that Watcher is here capitalized] took cognizance of the king's spirit and actions, and in a moment stripped the proud boaster of all that his Creator had given him.” – The Youth’s Instructor, March 28, 1905.

2 “For a time the impression of the warning and the counsel of the prophet was strong upon Nebuchadnezzar; but the heart that is not transformed by the grace of God soon loses the impressions of the Holy Spirit. Self-indulgence and ambition had not yet been eradicated from the king's heart, and later on these traits reappeared. Notwithstanding the instruction so graciously given him, and the warnings of past experience, Nebuchadnezzar again allowed himself to be controlled by a spirit of jealousy against the kingdoms that were to follow. His rule, which heretofore had been to a great degree just and merciful, became oppressive. Hardening his heart, he used his God-given talents for self-glorification, exalting himself above the God who had given him life and power.

“For months the judgment of God lingered. But instead of being led to repentance by this forbearance, the king indulged his pride until he lost confidence in the interpretation of the dream, and jested at his former fears.”

– Prophets and Kings, page 519.

3 “When Nebuchadnezzar glorified himself, and did not give praise to God, he was made an example before the world of how God regards this spirit of self-exaltation.” – The Review and Herald, June 18, 1889.

4 “The once proud monarch had become a humble child of God; the tyrannical, overbearing ruler, a wise and compassionate king. He who had defied and blasphemed the God of heaven, now acknowledged the power of the Most High and earnestly sought to promote the fear of Jehovah and the happiness of his subjects. Under the rebuke of Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords, Nebuchadnezzar had learned at last the lesson which all rulers need to learn--that true greatness consists in true goodness. He acknowledged Jehovah as the living God, saying, "I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase."

“God's purpose that the greatest kingdom in the world should show forth His praise was now fulfilled. This public proclamation, in which Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the mercy and goodness and authority of God, was the last act of his life recorded in sacred history.” – Prophets and Kings, page 521.