Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spoke and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, nor its interpretation, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and its interpretation to thine enemies!
Nebuchadnezzar has just told his dream to the one man he trusts with it. The answer he gets is silence. Why did Daniel go quiet? Why did the king have to calm the prophet down? And what should we make of the wish Daniel speaks first?
The hard part was how to tell the man in front of him.
No wonder Daniel seemed to be struck dumb when the royal dreamer had set before him the visions of his head. For one hour he was astonished, and his thoughts troubled him. How was he to tell this proud ruler of the evil and degradation that was ready to fall on his crowned head?
(The older translation reads "astonied for one hour"; the ESV renders it "was dismayed for a while.")
Daniel had every earthly reason to welcome bad news for the king who held his nation captive. He did not.
Before hearing the interpretation of the dream we learn the effect it produced on Daniel. He was a captive in a strange land under the yoke of a foreign king; but it was no pleasure to Daniel to know that judgment and disaster were coming on the king.
The king was afraid of a dream he did not understand. Daniel was afraid of one he did.
In verse 19 we see that Daniel himself, to whom the meaning of the dream was at once revealed, was also afraid and troubled, for he realised it warned the king of coming chastisement from the hand of God — a blow of the severest kind.
The roles reverse for a moment: the man under sentence tells the messenger not to be upset. One writer reads Daniel's reply closely, and notices that the verse changes what it calls him.
The meaning of the dream unfolded to his soul as he heard it. He understood what it meant for the king. Filled with amazement and troubled, he appears to have been reluctant to tell him what the dream meant. Nebuchadnezzar saw this and told him not to let the dream or its interpretation trouble him. … We may ask whether Daniel, in answering as he did, kept the level of his prophetic office as a messenger from God. He had the interpretation straight from God. Notice too that in the record of this sentence the name Daniel is dropped. For the first and only time it is Belteshazzar — not "Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar," but simply Belteshazzar — who answers the king.
That Babylonian name was itself a claim on Daniel. The king named him after his own god.
The king could only turn to Daniel, addressing him as Belteshazzar, "according to the name of my god." … He hoped for light from a man who had "the spirit of the holy gods" in him. Yet we are not surprised that before the Most High he was afraid.
Daniel's first words wish the dream away onto the king's enemies. The same writer who questions that reply also shows what lay behind it, and what it cost Daniel to speak at all.
We can now understand why Daniel was tempted to say, "May the dream be for those who hate you," as the judgment hanging over the king rose up before him. Only the courage that came from knowing his mission was from God let him unroll the scroll of the king's future without flinching. It took courage for the Jewish captive-prophet to stand before the ruler of the world and describe such an overwhelming disaster.
Another writer notes that Daniel did not speak until the king urged him on.
The king has to encourage him before he will open his mouth and tell his unhappy listener the doom that awaited him from the hand of God. But he was there as the mouthpiece of God. He had to translate God's words to the king faithfully, whatever the result might be.
The dream came to a man who had already seen God act again and again, and had not changed.
Nebuchadnezzar tells this story himself, to show the mercy shown to him. Yet his own account makes it plain. After all the remarkable events of the previous chapters, he was still the same man underneath. There was no thorough change in his soul, nothing that brought his heart to God. He was at ease in his house and flourishing in his palace. As a man of the earth, everything God had put into his hands only fed his pride and self-satisfaction. In this condition God sends him a fresh testimony.
- Unchanged — Nebuchadnezzar had seen God act again and again, and was still the same man underneath. Every gift only fed his pride, so God sent him a fresh testimony.
- Understood — The meaning unfolded to Daniel as he listened. He saw what was coming for the king, and it left him silent.
- Unwilling — A captive under a foreign king, Daniel took no pleasure in the king's coming disaster. The king had to tell his own prophet not to be troubled.
- Uncomfortable — Daniel's first words wish the dream onto the king's enemies. One writer calls this a temptation, and asks whether it fell below his prophetic office.
- Unflinching — Knowing his mission came from God gave Daniel courage. He carried God's message across without changing it, whatever the result.
The tree that thou sawest, which grew and was strong, whose height reached unto the heavens, and the sight of it to all the earth;
Daniel has heard the king's dream. He stood silent and troubled for an hour. Now he starts to explain it, and his first word is that the great tree stands for a man. So why does Scripture picture a ruler as a tree? And how does heaven judge greatness that grows this high and spreads this far?
An earlier dream had already called Nebuchadnezzar the head of gold. The tree here is a narrower picture.
Notice a difference between the head of gold in chapter 2 and the tree here, in what each one pictures. Both concern Nebuchadnezzar, as the text plainly says. But the head of gold takes in his dynasty too, since the second of the four prophetic kingdoms does not appear until his dynasty ends. The tree is a symbol of Nebuchadnezzar himself, as the judgment carried out shows. One more thing: his degradation is really a picture of what Gentile power in government is like, right up to its replacement, when Christ appears to set up His kingdom.
The image is not random. Other passages use the same symbol and agree on its meaning.
These passages show what the symbol of a tree points to: greatness in the earth, unless fruit is the object. It holds in every case — an individual who stands for power, like Nebuchadnezzar, or a nation that rises to the top, or a system of religion, as in Matthew 13. That is its consistent teaching… In Daniel the tree clearly means earthly power. This tree was the admiration of men. It had everything that pleased the heart: its own magnificent size, the beauty of its boughs and leaves, the plentiful sweet fruit, and the kind shade where all these creatures, the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky, found protection.
The creatures sheltering under the branches are not decoration. They match what God had already handed to this king, and Ezekiel draws the same picture of another empire.
The prophets often use the figure of a tree for men in their earthly greatness. Ezekiel says: "Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon… of towering height." He goes on: "All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth to their young, and under its shadow lived all great nations" (Ezek. 31:3-9). This striking match helps us a great deal with the symbols in Nebuchadnezzar's dreams. It shows how fitting the picture is for a man lifted high in the government of the earth, giving far-reaching, wide-spreading shelter to people of every rank and condition. The beasts of the field and the birds of the sky come into the picture because God had given both alike into his hand (see Dan. 2:38).
Everyone on earth admired this tree. Then heaven sent an inspector of its own.
Not long after, heaven visited it. In heaven's judgment it was a completely different thing. The Watcher and the Holy One came down, as the Lord Himself had done in the earlier days of Babel and of Sodom. This visitor from heaven inspected the tree of beautiful, astonishing growth. But to Him it was no object of admiration or worship. He was not moved to desire its beauty. All flesh thought it good for food, pleasant to the eye, and desirable for every purpose. In His thoughts it was none of these. He looked at it as something ripe for righteous judgment.
Daniel knew what everyone else was cheering for. That kind of knowledge is the believer's normal place.
This was solemn. Everyone was celebrating together — the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and all flesh were glorying in the very thing heaven was condemning to destruction. But Daniel had the mind of heaven about this tree, the mind of the Watcher and the Holy One. Among the men of that day, only men like him had it. For the saint on earth has the mind of heaven within him. This is our place. All flesh may feed on a thing while faith, the mind of Christ in us, sees its end under the sure judgment of God.
The tree's height and spread lasted only for a season.
Nebuchadnezzar on the throne was a tree (see Dan. 4:22), but his leaf faded. For a brief moment prosperity shone on him; where is he now, and his glory?
- Seen — the tree is what all the earth could see; Daniel says plainly it is the king himself, not his dynasty.
- Given — its height and its shelter for beasts and birds match exactly what God had already placed in his hand.
- Admired — man's eye found everything in it: size, beauty, fruit, shelter for every rank of life.
- Inspected — heaven came down and saw the same tree as ripe for judgment, not beautiful.
- Faded — the fair leaf did not last; faith shares Daniel's mind about it, not Babylon's.
whose leaves were beautiful, and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens had their habitation
Daniel has listened to the king's dream in silence, and now he begins to explain it, starting with the picture of the great tree. What does such a tree stand for, and did the greatness everyone admired look the same from heaven?
The tree carries a settled meaning wherever it appears. One writer states the rule:
The symbol of a tree points to greatness in the earth, unless fruit is the object. That holds in every case: an individual who expresses power, like Nebuchadnezzar, or a nation that rises to the top, or a system of religion, as in Matthew 13. That is its universal teaching… This tree was the admiration of men. It had everything that pleases the heart: its own great size, the beauty of its branches and leaves, the abundance and sweetness of its fruit. Under its kind shade all these creatures, the beasts of the field and the birds of the air, found protection.
Why does the dream mention the beasts and the birds at all? One writer points back to what this king had already been given:
The beasts of the field and the birds of the air appear here because both alike had been given into his hand (see Daniel 2:38). So they, like people, count as subject to his authority, sustained and protected by it.
The tree really did shelter others. But God, who gives such a position, watches how the holder uses it:
We may notice the force of this symbol of a great tree. It is a mighty one of the earth, able to take others under its protection. In this case it was one in the highest position possible for man. The birds of the air had their home in it; that is to say, all classes of people sought shelter and protection in it. We learn also that God takes note of the principles that guide the governments of the earth. He sees them as holders of the power they have from God. His throne is not on the earth, as it was in Israel. Still, God watches over all, and judges the one to whom He has committed authority.
Daniel's words land on one man. That marks a difference from the earlier dream of the great statue:
Notice a difference between the head of gold in chapter 2 and the tree here, in how each one applies. Both concern Nebuchadnezzar, as the text plainly says. But the head of gold takes in his dynasty as well, since the second of the four prophetic kingdoms does not appear until his dynasty ends. The tree is a symbol of Nebuchadnezzar himself, as the judgment carried out shows. We must add that his degradation pictures the character of Gentile power in government, right up to the moment Christ appears to set up His kingdom and replaces it.
Everyone on earth admired this tree. Heaven read the same tree the opposite way, and one man on earth shared heaven's reading:
This was solemn. At a moment when everyone alike was lifted high, the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and all flesh were glorying in the very thing heaven was dooming to destruction. But Daniel, among all the men of that day, was one who had the mind of heaven… For the saint on the earth has the mind of heaven in him. This is our place. All flesh may feed on that which faith, or the mind of Christ in us, sees is heading for the sure judgment of God.
The tree grew because God made it grow. That is where the danger lay:
God had entrusted this power to Nebuchadnezzar; He had blessed the king beyond measure in temporal things. As a result pride takes hold of him, even though the interpretation of the dream had warned him… It is this: if God, in His providence, lifts a man up, that man then lifts himself up. All is then lost… he cannot receive power without raising himself against the God who gave it. "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built?" He makes himself the centre instead of God.
- Given — God handed the king every part of this greatness, and the beasts and birds were already in his hand.
- Grown — The tree is the standard picture of greatness on earth, and men admired everything about this one.
- Sheltering — People of every rank sheltered in its branches, real protection through real power.
- Watched — His throne is not on the earth here, as it was in Israel, yet He watches and judges the one He entrusted with authority.
- Claimed — God lifted the man up, so the man lifted himself up and made himself the centre; commentators read his fall as a picture of Gentile power to the end.
it is thou, O king, who art grown and become strong; for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto the heavens, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.
Daniel has listened to a dream about a vast tree, and now he names it: the tree is the man standing in front of him. It is the hinge of the chapter. A grand picture of world power becomes a personal verdict on the man who holds it.
Chapter 2 had already told Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold. Here the picture narrows. One writer marks the difference.
Note a difference between the head of gold in chapter 2 and the tree here, in what each one stands for. Both concern Nebuchadnezzar, as the text says plainly. But the head of gold includes his dynasty, since the second of the four prophetic kingdoms only appears once his dynasty ends. The tree is a symbol of Nebuchadnezzar himself, as the judgment carried out on him shows.
The same writer adds that this downfall was more than one man's story. It pictures "the character of the Gentile power in government" until Christ appears to set up His kingdom.
The dream piles up detail after detail of beauty and usefulness. Then it records a sentence from heaven.
This tree was the admiration of men. It had everything that pleases the heart. Its size was magnificent. Its boughs and leaves were beautiful. Its fruit was plentiful and sweet. Under its kindly shade all these creatures, the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky, found protection. It held all this and more, and these were man's thoughts about it. But what was God's estimate? "And the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, Cut the tree down and destroy it."
Kelly adds that this is "merely a destruction for a time." God never wipes a thing out of existence.
The verse speaks of a dominion reaching the ends of the earth. One writer asks where such power comes from, and what comes with it.
We may notice the force of this symbol of a great tree. It is a mighty one of the earth, able to take others under its protection. In this case it was one in the highest position possible for man. The birds of the sky had their home in it; that is to say, all classes of persons sought shelter and protection in it. We learn also that God takes notice of the principles that guide the governments of the earth. They hold their power from God… He does not rule directly. But He holds responsible the one to whom He has entrusted the rule.
The same writer explains why the animals appear in the dream at all. Both "the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky... had been given into his hand" — as Daniel had told the king back in chapter 2 (Edward Dennett).
Jesus later compared the kingdom of heaven to a tiny seed that grows into a tree. One writer reads that parable through this verse and finds a puzzle.
Daniel interprets the tree of the king himself (v. 22): "It is you, O king, who have grown and become strong." So the figure stands for worldly power and greatness. We meet it elsewhere too, always with the same meaning (as Ezek. 17:5; Ezek. 31:3-6). But the strange thing in Matt. 13 is that "the smallest of all seeds" should grow into such a tree. For the seed, here as elsewhere, is "the word of the kingdom" (v. 19)… So how could a great worldly power come from sowing the gospel in the world?
A tree can also be measured by how long it lasts. One writer applies that test to Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar on the throne was a tree (see Dan. 4:22), but his leaf faded. For a brief moment prosperity shone upon him; where is he now and his glory? "…but are like chaff that the wind drives away."
- Named. The tree is the king himself, not a nation or a dynasty. The head of gold in chapter 2 was wider: it took in his line as well.
- Given. His height and his dominion were real. But God handed him the creatures sheltering in his branches; he did not seize them.
- Watched. God does not rule the world's governments directly. He holds responsible the man He trusts with power.
- Judged. Men admired the tree's size, fruit and shade. God's verdict was the order to cut it down — and only for a time, not forever.
- Faded. The same tree turns up in the parable of the mustard seed, where worldly greatness grows out of gospel seed. Nebuchadnezzar's leaf faded. Where is that glory now?