Daniel 4:23
in Daniel 4And you, O king, saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying: ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground, and a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and graze with the beasts of the field till seven times pass him by.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless 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;
KJV
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;
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This verse in Daniel 4
Commentary
4 notes on this verseVerse 23. "'Let him be bound with iron and with brass in the grass out of doors, and let him be sprinkled with dew of heaven, and let his feeding be with the wild beasts, until seven times pass over him.'" It was also written to the same effect above. And so those who object to the historicity of the narrative ask us how Nebuchadnezzar would have been bound with chains of iron and brass, or who would have bound him or tied him up with fetters.
This site's exposition
Hew the tree down
on Daniel 4:23-24
Daniel repeats the watcher's sentence nearly word for word before he will apply it, hew the tree down, and destroy it, yet leave the stump, a pattern the bench reads as deliberate, the interpreter binding himself to the vision's own words rather than his own gloss. This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High states plainly that what follows is not Daniel's opinion but a sentence already passed in heaven and only now announced on earth.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And whereas the king saw a watcher, and an Holy One,.... Here is related another part of the dream, which respects the cutting down of the tree, or the miserable condition the king should be brought into; see Dan 4:13.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And whereas the king saw a watcher ... - See the note at Dan 4:13. The recapitulation in this verse is slightly varied from the statement in Dan 4:14-16, still so as not materially to affect the sense. Daniel seems to have designed to recal the principal circumstances in the dream, so as to identify it in the king’s mind, and so as to prepare him for the statement of the fearful events which were to happen to him.
The words behind it
37 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְדִ֣י | vedi | and that | H1768 → | 345 times |
| חֲזָ֣ה | chazah | he saw | H2370 → | 31 times |
| מַלְכָּ֡א | malka' | king the | H4430 → | 180 times |
| עִ֣יר | ʾir | a watcher | H5894 → | 3 times |
| וְקַדִּ֣ישׁ | vekadish | and a holy [one] | H6922 → | 13 times |
| נָחִ֣ת׀ | nachit | coming down | H5182 → | 6 times |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4481 → | 109 times |
| שְׁמַיָּ֡א | shemaiya' | heavens the | H8065 → | 38 times |
| וְאָמַר֩ | veamar | and saying | H560 → | 71 times |
| גֹּ֨דּוּ | godu | cut down! | H1414 → | |
| אִֽילָנָ֜א | ʾilana' | tree the | H363 → | 6 times |
| וְחַבְּל֗וּהִי | vechabeluhi | and destroy it | H2255 → | 6 times |
| בְּרַ֨ם | beram | nevertheless | H1297 → | 5 times |
| עִקַּ֤ר | ʾikar | [the] stump of | H6136 → | 3 times |
| שָׁרְשׁ֙וֹהִי֙ | shareshohi | roots its | H8330 → | 3 times |
| בְּאַרְעָ֣א | beara' | in ground the | H772 → | 21 times |
| שְׁבֻ֔קוּ | shevuku | leave! | H7662 → | 5 times |
| וּבֶאֱסוּר֙ | uveesur | and with a fetter | H613 → | |
| דִּֽי־ | di- | of | H1768 → | 345 times |
| פַרְזֶ֣ל | farzel | iron | H6523 → | 20 times |
| וּנְחָ֔שׁ | unechash | and bronze | H5174 → | 9 times |
| בְּדִתְאָ֖א | bedita' | in grass the | H1883 → | |
| דִּ֣י | di | of | H1768 → | 345 times |
| בָרָ֑א | vara' | field the | H1251 → | 8 times |
| וּבְטַ֧ל | uvetal | and with [the] dew of | H2920 → | 5 times |
| שְׁמַיָּ֣א | shemaiya' | heavens the | H8065 → | 38 times |
| יִצְטַבַּ֗ע | yitztaba' | let it become wet | H6647 → | 5 times |
| וְעִם־ | veim- | and [be] with | H5974 → | 22 times |
| חֵיוַ֤ת | cheivat | [the] animal[s] of | H2423 → | 20 times |
| בָּרָא֙ | bara' | field the | H1251 → | 8 times |
| חֲלָקֵ֔הּ | chalakeh | portion its | H2508 → | |
| עַ֛ד | ʾad | until | H5705 → | 35 times |
| דִּֽי־ | di- | that | H1768 → | 345 times |
| שִׁבְעָ֥ה | shivah | seven | H7655 → | 6 times |
| עִדָּנִ֖ין | ʾidanin | times | H5732 → | 13 times |
| יַחְלְפ֥וּן | yachlefun | they will pass | H2499 → | |
| עֲלֽוֹהִי׃ | alohi | over it | H5922 → |
וְדִ֣יand that
vediH1768 →345 times
חֲזָ֣הhe saw
chazahH2370 →31 times
מַלְכָּ֡אking the
malka'H4430 →180 times
עִ֣ירa watcher
ʾirH5894 →3 times
וְקַדִּ֣ישׁand a holy [one]
vekadishH6922 →13 times
נָחִ֣ת׀coming down
nachitH5182 →6 times
מִן־from
min-H4481 →109 times
שְׁמַיָּ֡אheavens the
shemaiya'H8065 →38 times
וְאָמַר֩and saying
veamarH560 →71 times
גֹּ֨דּוּcut down!
goduH1414 →
אִֽילָנָ֜אtree the
ʾilana'H363 →6 times
וְחַבְּל֗וּהִיand destroy it
vechabeluhiH2255 →6 times
בְּרַ֨םnevertheless
beramH1297 →5 times
עִקַּ֤ר[the] stump of
ʾikarH6136 →3 times
שָׁרְשׁ֙וֹהִי֙roots its
shareshohiH8330 →3 times
בְּאַרְעָ֣אin ground the
beara'H772 →21 times
שְׁבֻ֔קוּleave!
shevukuH7662 →5 times
וּבֶאֱסוּר֙and with a fetter
uveesurH613 →
דִּֽי־of
di-H1768 →345 times
פַרְזֶ֣לiron
farzelH6523 →20 times
וּנְחָ֔שׁand bronze
unechashH5174 →9 times
בְּדִתְאָ֖אin grass the
bedita'H1883 →
דִּ֣יof
diH1768 →345 times
בָרָ֑אfield the
vara'H1251 →8 times
וּבְטַ֧לand with [the] dew of
uvetalH2920 →5 times
שְׁמַיָּ֣אheavens the
shemaiya'H8065 →38 times
יִצְטַבַּ֗עlet it become wet
yitztaba'H6647 →5 times
וְעִם־and [be] with
veim-H5974 →22 times
חֵיוַ֤ת[the] animal[s] of
cheivatH2423 →20 times
בָּרָא֙field the
bara'H1251 →8 times
חֲלָקֵ֔הּportion its
chalakehH2508 →
עַ֛דuntil
ʾadH5705 →35 times
דִּֽי־that
di-H1768 →345 times
שִׁבְעָ֥הseven
shivahH7655 →6 times
עִדָּנִ֖יןtimes
ʾidaninH5732 →13 times
יַחְלְפ֥וּןthey will pass
yachlefunH2499 →
עֲלֽוֹהִי׃over it
alohiH5922 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Daniel 5:21He was driven away from mankind, and his mind was like that of a beast. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the…
it leads to
- Daniel 4:25
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,…
- Ezekiel 17:24
Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make…
- Daniel 4:35
All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain…
- Daniel 4:17
This decision is the decree of the watchers, the verdict declared by the holy ones, so that the living will know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it…
- Psalms 83:17–18
May they be ever ashamed and terrified; may they perish in disgrace.
- Daniel 4:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
On this chapter
About Daniel
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER FOUR; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).