Daniel 4:19-24

Daniel 4:19

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.

 

Daniel hears the dream and now has become astonied or appalled at what he now knows about the dream.  The word “troubled” carries with it the meaning of “to be terrified.”  Daniel was distraught at the meaning of this dream that he withheld commentary for one full hour.  Then the King consoles Daniel that the meaning of the dream should not worry or trouble him.  Then Daniel tells the king that the dream he has dreamed will be a comfort to those that hate him and the interpretation will be favored by those who are his enemies.  What is about to happen to Nebuchadnezzar will be hailed as a victory by his enemies.

 

Daniel 4:20

The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;

 

Then Daniel begins to detail and interpret the dream to the king. He starts with the description of the tree.  He makes sure he gives the details as the tree reaching to Heaven and that it was visible throughout the whole earth.

 

Daniel 4:21

Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:

 

He describes the leaves on the tree. The word “fair” carries with it the meaning of “beautiful.”  The tree also bore much fruit and as a result, it was the source for the food of many beasts and birds.  The beasts of the field also came to find shade from the heat of the day and birds also found a great place to live.

 

Daniel 4:22

It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

 

Then Daniel relays to the king that the tree in the dream had represented him.  It represented his strength and the greatness he had as king of the entire kingdom of Babylon and how his fame had reached even unto the end of the earth.  It was basically a hyperbolic statement given by Daniel to satisfy the king and his vanity.

 

Daniel 4:23

And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;

 

Daniel now explains to him the part about the destruction of the tree.  The king saw the angel or angels coming down from Heaven with orders to cut down the tree and destroy the whole thing above ground but they were to leave the stump and the roots because the tree was going to grow again but with a different attitude.  Then the tree was to be banded with iron and brass symbolic of binding a person out of their mind.  The tree was then to be left in the field, out in the open where the morning dew of Heaven would overlay it and his portion was to live with the beast of the field for a period of seven years.

 

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:

 

Once again Daniel will give the king the meaning of a dream which was given to him by the Lord God.  This time the meaning was aimed directly at Nebuchadnezzar and what was shortly going to come to pass.  It was more than just a dream but it was a divine decree which meant it was going to happen and could not be thwarted.

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