Daniel 4:5 - Forerunner Commentary

Daniel 4:5

3 ^aHow great are His signs,
And how mighty His wonders!
His kingdom is ^ban everlasting kingdom,
And His dominion is from generation to generation.

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace.

5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, ^aand the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head ^btroubled me.

6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

7 ^aThen the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation.

8 But at last Daniel came before me ^a(his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; ^bin him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying:

9 “Belteshazzar, ^achief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.

10 “These were the visions of my head while on my bed:
I was looking, and behold,
^aA tree in the midst of the earth,
And its height was great.

11 The tree grew and became strong;
Its height reached to the heavens,
And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.

12 Its leaves were lovely,
Its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
^aThe beasts of the field found shade under it,
The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,
And all flesh was fed from it.

13 “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was ^aa watcher, ^ba holy one, coming down from heaven.

14 He cried¹ aloud and said thus:
^a‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
^bLet the beasts get out from under it,
And the birds from its branches.

15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth,
Bound with a band of iron and bronze,
In the tender grass of the field.
Let it be wet with the dew of heaven,
And let him graze with the beasts
On the grass of the earth.

16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man,
Let him be given the heart of a beast,
And let seven ^atimes pass over him.

17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers,
And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,
In order ^athat the living may know
^bThat the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
^cGives it to whomever He will,
And sets over it the ^dlowest of men.’

18 “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, ^asince all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, ^bfor the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”

Daniel Explains the Second Dream

19 Then Daniel, ^awhose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts ^btroubled him. So the king spoke, and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may ^cthe dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation² concern your enemies!

20 ^a“The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth,

Verse Comparison: Daniel 4:5

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American Standard Version
I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

Amplified® Bible
I had a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts {and} imaginations and the visions of my head as I was lying upon my bed troubled {and} agitated me.

Contemporary English Version
when suddenly I had some horrifying dreams and visions.

Darby English Version
I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

Good News Bible
But I had a frightening dream and saw terrifying visions while I was asleep.

King James Version
I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

New American Standard Bible
"I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and {these} fantasies {as I lay} on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.

New International Version
I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in my bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me.

New King James Version
I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
"I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.

Revised Standard Version
I had a dream which made me afraid; as I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.

Young's Literal Translation
a dream I have seen, and it maketh me afraid, and the conceptions on my bed, and the visions of my head, do trouble me.

New English Translation
I saw a dream that¹ frightened me badly. The things I imagined while lying on my bed – these visions of my mind – were terrifying me.

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