4 I H576 Nebuchadnezzar H5020 was H1934 at rest H7954 in mine house, H1005 and flourishing H7487 in my palace: H1965
And thou saidst, H559 I shall be a lady H1404 for ever: H5769 so that thou didst not lay H7760 these things to thy heart, H3820 neither didst remember H2142 the latter end H319 of it. Therefore hear H8085 now this, thou that art given to pleasures, H5719 that dwellest H3427 carelessly, H983 that sayest H559 in thine heart, H3824 I am, and none else H657 beside me; I shall not sit H3427 as a widow, H490 neither shall I know H3045 the loss of children: H7908
Moab H4124 hath been at ease H7599 from his youth, H5271 and he hath settled H8252 on his lees, H8105 and hath not been emptied H7324 from vessel H3627 to vessel, H3627 neither hath he gone H1980 into captivity: H1473 therefore his taste H2940 remained H5975 in him, and his scent H7381 is not changed. H4171
Son H1121 of man, H120 say H559 unto the prince H5057 of Tyrus, H6865 Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Because thine heart H3820 is lifted up, H1361 and thou hast said, H559 I am a God, H410 I sit H3427 in the seat H4186 of God, H430 in the midst H3820 of the seas; H3220 yet thou art a man, H120 and not God, H410 though thou set H5414 thine heart H3820 as the heart H3820 of God: H430 Behold, thou art wiser H2450 than Daniel; H1840 there is no secret H5640 that they can hide H6004 from thee: With thy wisdom H2451 and with thine understanding H8394 thou hast gotten H6213 thee riches, H2428 and hast gotten H6213 gold H2091 and silver H3701 into thy treasures: H214 By thy great H7230 wisdom H2451 and by thy traffick H7404 hast thou increased H7235 thy riches, H2428 and thine heart H3824 is lifted up H1361 because of thy riches: H2428
Speak, H1696 and say, H559 Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh H6547 king H4428 of Egypt, H4714 the great H1419 dragon H8577 that lieth H7257 in the midst H8432 of his rivers, H2975 which hath said, H559 My river H2975 is mine own, and I have made H6213 it for myself.
And it shall come to pass at that time, H6256 that I will search H2664 Jerusalem H3389 with candles, H5216 and punish H6485 the men H582 that are settled H7087 on their lees: H8105 that say H559 in their heart, H3824 The LORD H3068 will not do good, H3190 neither will he do evil. H7489
And G2532 I will say G2046 to my G3450 soul, G5590 Soul, G5590 thou hast G2192 much G4183 goods G18 laid up G2749 for G1519 many G4183 years; G2094 take thine ease, G373 eat, G5315 drink, G4095 and be merry. G2165 But G1161 God G2316 said G2036 unto him, G846 Thou fool, G878 this G5026 night G3571 thy G4675 soul G5590 shall be required G523 of G575 thee: G4675 then G1161 whose G5101 shall those things be, G2071 which G3739 thou hast provided? G2090
For G1063 yourselves G846 know G1492 perfectly G199 that G3754 the day G2250 of the Lord G2962 so G3779 cometh G2064 as G5613 a thief G2812 in G1722 the night. G3571 For G1063 when G3752 they shall say, G3004 Peace G1515 and G2532 safety; G803 then G5119 sudden G160 destruction G3639 cometh upon G2186 them, G846 as G5618 travail G5604 upon G1722 a woman with child; G1064 G2192 and G2532 they shall G1628 not G3364 escape. G1628
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Daniel 4
Commentary on Daniel 4 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 4
The penman of this chapter is Nebuchadnezzar himself: the story here recorded concerning him is given us in his own words, as he himself drew it up and published it; but Daniel, a prophet, by inspiration, inserts it in his history, and so it has become a part of sacred writ and a very memorable part. Nebuchadnezzar was as daring a rival with God Almighty for the sovereignty as perhaps any mortal man ever was; but here he fairly owns himself conquered, and gives it under his hand that the God of Israel is above him. Here is,
This was extorted from him by the overruling power of that God who has all men's hearts in his hand, and stands upon record a lasting proof of God's supremacy, a monument of his glory, a trophy of his victory, and a warning to all not to think of prospering while they lift up or harden their hearts against God.
Dan 4:1-3
Here is,
Dan 4:4-18
Nebuchadnezzar, before he relates the judgments of God that had been wrought upon him for his pride, gives an account of the fair warning he had of them before they came, a due regard to which might have prevented them. But he was told of them, and of the issue of them, before they came to pass, that, when they did come to pass, by comparing them with the prediction of them, he might see, and say, that they were the Lord's doing, and might be brought to believe that there is a divine revelation in the world, as well as a divine Providence, and that the works of God agree with his word.
Now, in the account he here gives of his dream, by which he had notice of what was coming, we may observe,
Thus has Nebuchadnezzar fully and faithfully related his dream, what he saw and what he heard, and then demands of Daniel the interpretation of it (v. 18), for he found that no one else was able to interpret it, but was confident that he was: For the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, or of the Holy God, the proper title of the God of Israel. Much may be expected from those that have in them the Spirit of the Holy God. Whether Nebuchadnezzar had any jealousy that it was his own doom that was read by this dream does not appear; perhaps he was so vain and secure as to imagine that it was some other prince that was a rival with him, whose fall he had the pleasing prospect of given him in this dream; but, be it for him or against him, he is very solicitous to know the true meaning of it and depends upon Daniel to give it to him. Now, When God gives us general warnings of his judgments we should be desirous to understand his mind in them, to hear the Lord's voice crying in the city.
Dan 4:19-27
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, v. 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.
Dan 4:28-33
We have here Nebuchadnezzar's dream accomplished, and Daniel's application of it to him justified and confirmed. How he took it we are not told, whether he was pleased with Daniel or displeased; but here we have,
Dan 4:34-37
We have here Nebuchadnezzar's recovery from his distraction, and his return to his right mind, at the end of the days prefixed, that is, of the seven years. So long he continued a monument of God's justice and a trophy of his victory over the children of pride, and he was made more so by being struck mad than if he had been in an instant struck dead with a thunderbolt; yet it was a mercy to him that he was kept alive, for while there is life there is hope that we may yet praise God, as he did here: At the end of the days (says he), I lifted up my eyes unto heaven (v. 34), looked no longer down towards the earth as a beast, but begun to look up as a man. Os homini sublime dedit-Heaven gave to man an erect countenance. But there was more in it than this; he looked up as a devout man, as a penitent, as a humble petitioner for mercy, being perhaps never till now made sensible of his own misery. And now,
It was not long after this that Nebuchadnezzar ended his life and reign. Abydenus, quoted by Eusebius (Prap. Evang. 1.9), reports, from the tradition of the Chaldeans, that upon his death-bed he foretold the taking of Babylon by Cyrus. Whether he continued in the same good mind that here he seems to have been in we are not told, nor does any thing appear to the contrary but that he did: and, if so great a blasphemer and persecutor did find mercy, he was not the last. And, if our charity may reach so far as to hope he did, we must admire free grace, by which he lost his wits for a while that he might save his soul for ever.