TRV
Translation
King James Version
That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
KJV (with Strong's)
That they shall drive H2957 thee from H4481 men H606, and thy dwelling H4070 shall be H1934 with H5974 the beasts H2423 of the field H1251, and they shall make thee to eat H2939 grass H6211 as oxen H8450, and they shall wet H6647 thee with the dew H2920 of heaven H8065, and seven H7655 times H5732 shall pass H2499 over H5922 thee, till H5705 thou know H3046 that the most High H5943 ruleth H7990 in the kingdom H4437 of men H606, and giveth H5415 it to whomsoever H4479 he will H6634.
Complete Jewish Bible
"'You will be driven from human society to live with the wild animals. You will be made to eat grass like an ox and be drenched with dew from the sky, as seven seasons pass over you; until you learn that the Most High rules in the human kingdom and gives it to whomever he pleases.
Berean Standard Bible
You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field. You will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.
American Standard Version
that thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and thou shalt be made to eat grass as oxen, and shalt be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee; till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
World English Bible Messianic
that you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field, and you shall be made to eat grass as oxen, and shall be wet with the dew of the sky, and seven times shall pass over you; until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will.
Young's Literal Translation
and they are driving thee away from men, and with the beast of the field is thy dwelling, and the herb as oxen they do cause thee to eat, and by the dew of the heavens they are wetting thee, and seven times do pass over thee, till that thou knowest that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it.
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Commentary on Daniel 4 verses 19–27
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.
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;
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:
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.
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;
24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
We have here the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream; and when once it is applied to himself, and it is declared that he is the tree in the dream (Mutato nomine de te fabula narratur - Change but the name, the fable speaks of thee), when once it is said, Thou art the man, there needs little more to be said for the explication of the dream. Out of his own mouth he is judged; so shall his doom be, he himself has decided it. The thing was so plain that Daniel, upon hearing the dream, was astonished for one hour, Dan 4:19. He was struck with amazement and terror at so great a judgment coming upon so great a prince. His flesh trembled for fear of God. He was likewise struck with confusion when he found himself under a necessity of being the man that must bring to the king these heavy tidings, which, having received so many favours from the king, he had rather he should have heard from any one else; so far is he from desiring the woeful day that he dreads it, and the thoughts of it trouble him. Those that come after the ruined sinner are said to be astonished at his day, as those that went before, and saw it coming (as Daniel here), were affrighted, Job 18:20.
I. The preface to the interpretation is a civil compliment which, as a courtier, he passes upon the king. The king observed him to stand as one astonished, and, thinking he was loth to speak out for fear of offending him, he encouraged him to deal plainly and faithfully with him; Let not the dream, nor the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. This he speaks either, 1. As one that sincerely desired to know this truth. Note, Those that consult the oracles of God must be ready to receive them as they are, whether they be for them or against them, and must accordingly give their ministers leave to be free with them. Or, 2. As one that despised the truth, and set it at defiance. When we see how regardless he was of this warning afterwards we are tempted to think that this was his meaning; "Let it not trouble thee, for I am resolved it shall not trouble me; nor will I lay it to heart." But, whether he have any concern for himself or no, Daniel is concerned for him, and therefore wishes, "The dream be to those that hate thee. Let the ill it bodes light on the head of thy enemies, not on thy head." Though Nebuchadnezzar was an idolater, a persecutor, and an oppressor of the people of God, yet he was, at present, Daniel's prince; and therefore, though Daniel foresees, and is now going to foretell, ill concerning him, he dares not wish ill to him.
II. The interpretation itself is only a repetition of the dream, with application to the king. "As for the tree which thou sawest flourishing (Dan 4:20, Dan 4:21), it is thou, O king!" Dan 4:22. And willing enough would the king be to hear this (as, before, to hear, Thou art the head of gold), but for that which follows. He shows the king his present prosperous state in the glass of his own dream; "Thy greatness has grown and reaches as near to heaven as human greatness can do, and thy dominion is to the end of the earth," Dan 2:37, Dan 2:38. "As for the doom passed upon the tree (Dan 4:23), it is the decree of the Most High, which comes upon my lord the king," Dan 4:24. He must not only be deposed from his throne, but driven from men, and being deprived of his reason, and having a beast's heart given him, his dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and with them he shall be a fellow-commoner: he shall eat grass as oxen, and, like them, lie out all weathers, and be wet with the dew of heaven, and this till seven times pass over him, that is, seven years; and then he shall know that the Most High rules, and when he is brought to know and own this he shall be restored to his dominion again (Dan 4:26): "Thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, shall remain as firm as the stump of the tree in the ground, and thou shalt have it, after thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule." God is here called the heavens, because it is in heaven that he has prepared his throne (Psa 103:19), thence he beholds all the sons of men, Psa 33:13. The heavens, even the heavens, are the Lord's; and the influence which the visible heavens have upon this earth is intended as a faint representation of the dominion the God of heaven has over this lower world; we are said to sin against heaven, Luk 15:18. Note, Then only we may expect comfortably to enjoy our right in, and government of, both ourselves and others, when we dutifully acknowledge God's title to, and dominion over, us and all we have.
III. The close of the interpretation is the pious counsel which Daniel, as a prophet, gave the king, Dan 4:27. Whether he appeared concerned or not at the interpretation of the dream, a word of advice would be very seasonable - if careless, to awaken him, if troubled, to comfort him; and it is not inconsistent with the dream and the interpretation of it, for Daniel knew not but it might be conditional, like the prediction of Nineveh's destruction. Observe, 1. How humbly he gives his advice, and with what tenderness and respect: "O king! let my counsel be acceptable unto thee; take it in good part, as coming from love, and well-meant, and let it not be misinterpreted." Note, Sinners need to be courted to their own good, and respectfully entreated to do well for themselves. The apostle beseeches men to suffer the word of exhortation, Heb 13:22. We think it a good point gained if people will be persuaded to take good counsel kindly; nay, if they will take it patiently. 2. What his advice is. He does not counsel him to enter into a course of physic, for the preventing of the distemper in his head, but to break off a course of sin that he was in, to reform his life. He wronged his own subjects, and dealt unfairly with his allies; and he must break off this by righteousness, by rendering to all their due, making amends for wrong done, and not triumphing over right with might. He had been cruel to the poor, to God's poor, to the poor Jews; and he must break off this iniquity by showing mercy to those poor, pitying those oppressed ones, setting them at liberty or making their captivity easy to them. Note, It is necessary, in repentance, that we not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well, not only do no wrong to any, but do good to all. 3. What the motive is with which he backs this advice: If it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility. Though it should not wholly prevent the judgment, yet by this means a reprieve may be obtained, as by Ahab's humbling himself, Kg1 21:29. Either the trouble may be the longer before it comes or the shorter when it does come; yet he cannot assure him of this, but it may be, it may prove so. Note, The mere probability of preventing a temporal judgment is inducement enough to a work so good in itself as the leaving off of our sins and reforming of our lives, much more the certainty of preventing our eternal ruin. "That will be a healing of thy error" (so some read it); "thus the quarrel will be taken up, and all will be well again."
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 19–27. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER FOUR
Verses 24, 25. "'This is the interpretation of the sentence of the Most High which has come upon my lord the king. They shall cast thee forth from among men and thy habitation shall be with cattle and wild beasts...'" Daniel moderates the severity of the sentence by complimentary language, so that (variant: and) after he has first set forth the harsher aspects, he may moderate the king's alarm by assurances of the kindlier treatment to follow. He draws the final inference:
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:25
Now, while some commentators claimed the “seven times” are seven years, others said three and a half. The divine Scripture, in fact, divides the year not into four seasons but into two more generic parts, winter and summer; so seven divisions of that kind amount to three and a half years. You will spend such a length of time in misfortune.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:25
God will take from you even human reason and will make you resemble the beasts so that you may learn from experience what is human and what is God, what is human fortune and what is divine kingship, and the fact that it is impossible to attain it unless God wishes.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Daniel 4:25 articulates the precise and severe judgment prophesied against King Nebuchadnezzar, detailing his expulsion from human society, his forced dwelling among wild animals, and his sustenance on grass like an ox. This profound and public humbling, marked by a divinely ordained period of "seven times," is explicitly purposed to bring the proud monarch to an undeniable realization: that the Most High God alone possesses ultimate sovereignty over all earthly kingdoms and bestows authority according to His divine will.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is the interpretive core of Daniel's explanation of King Nebuchadnezzar's second significant dream, recorded in Daniel 4:10-17. The dream vividly depicted a magnificent tree symbolizing the king's immense power and dominion over the known world. However, a divine decree commanded the tree's felling, leaving only a stump, signifying Nebuchadnezzar's impending fall from power and sanity. Daniel, uniquely gifted by God to interpret such mysteries, reveals that this judgment is a direct consequence of the king's escalating pride, particularly his boastful declaration in Daniel 4:30 about his own might in building Babylon. Verse 25 precisely articulates the nature, duration, and ultimate purpose of this divinely ordained discipline, setting the stage for the king's eventual restoration and profound confession of God's supremacy, as detailed in Daniel 4:34-37.
Historical & Cultural Context: Nebuchadnezzar reigned over the Neo-Babylonian Empire, an unparalleled superpower of its time. Ancient Near Eastern monarchs, including Nebuchadnezzar, often viewed themselves as divine or divinely appointed, holding absolute and unquestionable authority. The city of Babylon itself, with its monumental architecture like the Ishtar Gate and the Hanging Gardens, was a testament to Nebuchadnezzar's power and served as a physical manifestation of his pride. For such a king, accustomed to opulent palaces, universal deference, and the worship of his subjects, being "driven from men" and reduced to living like an animal was the ultimate humiliation and an unthinkable disgrace. This public and profound degradation was designed to shatter his self-perception and challenge the very foundation of his perceived divine right to rule, demonstrating God's superior authority over even the most powerful earthly potentates.
Key Themes: This verse profoundly contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Daniel. First and foremost is Divine Sovereignty, powerfully articulated by the phrase "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will." This asserts God's absolute control over all earthly powers and rulers, a truth consistently emphasized throughout Daniel, notably in Daniel 4:17 and Daniel 2:21. Second is the theme of Humility and Judgment, where Nebuchadnezzar's transformation into a beast-like state serves as a stark warning against pride and self-exaltation. God uses drastic measures to humble those who refuse to acknowledge His supremacy, underscoring the biblical principle that pride goes before destruction. Finally, the verse highlights Discipline for Recognition, as the affliction is explicitly stated to last "till thou know that the most High ruleth." This reveals the remedial nature of God's judgment, designed not merely for punishment but to bring Nebuchadnezzar to a genuine understanding and acknowledgment of God's ultimate authority and to foster true repentance.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Daniel 4:25 is rich in Symbolism and Irony. The magnificent tree from Nebuchadnezzar's dream is a powerful symbol of his vast power and dominion, which is then dramatically cut down, symbolizing his fall. His transformation into a beast, eating grass and living among animals, is a profound symbol of his loss of reason and human dignity, directly contrasting with his former elevated status. This entire scenario is steeped in Irony: the most powerful king on earth, who boasted of his own might and built the grandest city, is reduced to the lowest possible state, becoming indistinguishable from the very animals he once ruled over. This reversal of fortune serves as a stark and unforgettable lesson in humility. The verse also functions as Prophecy, foretelling the precise nature and duration of Nebuchadnezzar's affliction, which is later fulfilled within the chapter, demonstrating the reliability of God's word and His absolute control over future events.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Daniel 4:25 serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of divine sovereignty and human pride. It asserts that God's rule is not merely over the spiritual realm but extends directly into the temporal affairs of humanity, including the rise and fall of nations and their leaders. Nebuchadnezzar's humbling demonstrates that no human power, however vast or seemingly invincible, can stand against the Most High. This judgment is a powerful reminder that all authority is delegated by God, and true wisdom lies in acknowledging His ultimate supremacy rather than succumbing to self-exalting pride. The "seven times" of affliction highlight God's patient yet firm discipline, designed to bring about a transformative knowledge and acknowledgment of His rightful place as the supreme ruler.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Daniel 4:25 offers enduring lessons for every individual, especially those in positions of influence or authority. It is a powerful call to humility, reminding us that any power, talent, or success we possess is ultimately a gift from God, to be stewarded for His glory, not our own. The narrative challenges us to examine our hearts for any subtle forms of pride or self-sufficiency, urging us to acknowledge God's sovereignty in every aspect of our lives. Furthermore, the "seven times" of Nebuchadnezzar's suffering reveal God's redemptive purpose even in severe trials; difficulties and humbling experiences can be God's instruments to bring us to a deeper, more authentic understanding of His character and our absolute dependence on Him. It teaches us to trust that even when life feels like a wilderness, God is at work, shaping us to recognize His supreme rule and to live in alignment with His will.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "seven times" mean in Daniel 4:25?
Answer: While the Aramaic word for "times" (ʻiddân, H5732) can refer to an indefinite period, in the context of Daniel 4:25 and the subsequent narrative, it is almost universally interpreted by scholars to mean "seven years." This specific duration signifies the divinely appointed period of Nebuchadnezzar's madness and animalistic existence, after which his sanity and kingdom would be restored. This interpretation is supported by the detailed description of his physical transformation and eventual recovery, as recorded in Daniel 4:33.
Was Nebuchadnezzar's illness a known medical condition?
Answer: Scholars have debated the precise medical diagnosis for Nebuchadnezzar's condition. Some suggest a rare psychological disorder called clinical lycanthropy or boanthropy, where an individual believes they are an animal (in this case, an ox) and acts accordingly. However, the biblical account describes a supernatural intervention, a direct divine judgment that transcends typical medical explanations. The severity, suddenness, and specific duration of his condition, coupled with its explicit purpose ("till thou know that the most High ruleth"), point to a miraculous, divinely orchestrated affliction rather than a purely natural illness, demonstrating God's direct involvement in human affairs as stated in Daniel 4:17.
How does this verse apply to modern leaders and nations?
Answer: Daniel 4:25 serves as a timeless reminder that all earthly authority, whether held by political leaders, corporate executives, or any individual in a position of influence, is ultimately subordinate to God's supreme sovereignty. It warns against the dangers of pride and self-exaltation, emphasizing that God can humble even the most powerful. For nations, it underscores that their rise and fall are ultimately within God's control, and He "giveth it to whomsoever he will." Modern leaders are called to govern with humility, justice, and an acknowledgment of a higher authority, recognizing that their power is a stewardship from God, as exhorted in passages like Romans 13:1.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Daniel 4:25, with its profound declaration that "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will," finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Nebuchadnezzar was humbled by divine judgment to acknowledge God's sovereignty, Jesus, the eternal Son of God, voluntarily humbled Himself, not from pride but from divine love, taking "the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). The authority that God the Father gives "to whomsoever he will" is definitively given to Christ, for "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). Nebuchadnezzar's temporary reign pales in comparison to Christ's eternal and universal dominion; He is the "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16), whose kingdom "shall never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44). The humbling of Nebuchadnezzar served to reveal God's power over human kingdoms, but in Christ, we see God's ultimate reign not just over humanity, but for humanity, culminating in His redemptive work on the cross and His glorious resurrection, through which He establishes a spiritual kingdom that will encompass all who believe (John 18:36). Through Him, God's sovereign will is perfectly executed, bringing salvation and eternal life to all who acknowledge His supreme rule.