| Daniel 4 | |
|---|---|
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| Book | Book of Daniel |
| Category | Ketuvim |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 27 |
Daniel 4, the fourth chapter of the Bible's Book of Daniel, is presented in the form of a letter from king Nebuchadnezzar II[1] in which he learns a lesson of God's sovereignty, "who is able to bring low those who walk in pride". Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a great tree that shelters the whole world, but an angelic "watcher" appears and decrees that the tree must be cut down and that for seven years, he will have his human mind taken away and will eat grass like an ox. This comes to pass, and at the end of his punishment, Nebuchadnezzar praises God. Daniel's role is to interpret the dream for the king.[2]
The message of the story is that all earthly power, including that of kings, is subordinate to the power of God.[3] This chapter forms a contrasting pair with chapter 5, where Nebuchadnezzar learns that God alone controls the world and he is restored to his kingdom, while Belshazzar fails to learn from Nebuchadnezzar's example and has his kingdom taken from him and given to the Medes and Persians.[4]
- ^ Wesselius 2002, p. 295.
- ^ Seow 2003, pp. 61–63.
- ^ Seow 2003, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Albertz 2001, p. 178.