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Daniel 4:23

in Daniel 4

And 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 verse

A commentator

Jerome

St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER FOUR · Written before 420.

Verse 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

Cut down the tree

on Daniel 4:23-24

Daniel repeats the watcher's sentence before he applies it, “Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump,” keeping to the vision's words. His next words mark what follows as 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

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 words

Every 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.

  • 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.

Related verses

10 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Jeremiah 18:6“O house of Israel, declares the LORD, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay? Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.15 worksDaniel 4:16Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the mind of a beast till seven times pass him by.4 worksDaniel 4:14He called out in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.4 worksDaniel 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 dew of heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind, setting over it whom He wishes.3 works1 Chronicles 29:30together with all the details of his reign, his might, and the circumstances that came upon him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the lands.3 worksDaniel 4:13As I lay on my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.3 works
The other 4 cross-references, with their words ▾
Luke 3:9The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”3 worksIsaiah 10:34He will clear the forest thickets with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.2 worksDaniel 4:26As for the command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules.2 worksDaniel 8:13Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?”2 works

The walk

5 stops

Each 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 5:21

    He 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.

Where this verse is studied

About Daniel

Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Daniel: the study guide →Read Daniel 4 →

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).

Read on in Daniel 4 →