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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Daniel 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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 4:11

The tree grew, and was strong ,.... Grew higher and broader, taller and thicker, increased in boughs and branches, and became strong and stable, that no winds nor storms could move it: this shows the increasing power of Nebuchadnezzar, the enlargement of his dominions, and the stability of his empire: and the height thereof reached unto heaven ; higher than any on earth; expressive of his dominion over all nations and people of the earth; or of his ambition of deity itself; and so... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 4:1-37

EXPOSITION THE MADNESS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR . We follow here the division of chapters which we find in our English Version, and as, indeed, in all modern versions. The Aramaic concludes the third chapter with the three verses which are placed in our version at the beginning of the fourth chapter. The arrangement of the Aramaic is followed by the Septuagint, by Theodotion, and by Jerome. The Peshitta and Paulus Tellensis follow the more logical division. Luther divides the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 4:4-27

Human greatness, its rise, fall, and restoration. "Behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great" ( Daniel 4:10 ). The subject naturally suggested by the text is that of human greatness, its rise, its decay, its restoration. It should be remembered, even in the first entertainment of the theme, that this greatness may inhere in man individual as in man collective. To guide our thoughts, especially in its practical applications, it will be well, then, to keep... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 4:10-18

A vision of self-ruin. It must always be regarded as a mark of God's kindness, when he forewarns men of his impending judgments. If vindictive retribution only was intended, there would be no premobition. The old adage current among the heathen, "The gods have feet of wool," ires no place in God's kingdom. "The axe is laid at the root of the tree"—a proof that kindness is not extinct in God's bosom. I. WE HAVE A PICTURE OF BRILLIANT PROSPERITY . It was a common method in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 4:11

The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth. This verse is transposed in the Septuagint with the following verse, and is rendered, "And its appearance ( ὅρασις ) was great, and its top approached to the heavens, and its breadth ( κύτος , equivalent to 'branches') filled ( πληροῦν ) to the clouds all things beneath the heaven and the sun and the moon were, and dwelt in it, and enlightened all the... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Daniel 4:11

The tree grew - Or the tree was “great” - רבה rebâh. It does not mean that the tree grew while he was looking at it so as to reach to the heaven, but that it stood before him in all its glory, its top reaching to the sky, and its branches extending afar.And was strong - It was well-proportioned, with a trunk adapted to its height, and to the mass of boughs and foliage which it bore. The strength here refers to its trunk, and to the fact that it seemed fixed firmly in the earth.And the height... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Daniel 4:10-16

Daniel 4:10-16. I saw, &c. The substance of what the king relates is, that he saw in a dream “a tree, strong and flourishing; [ in the midst of the earth, or of his empire;] its summit pierced the clouds, and its branches overshadowed the whole extent of his vast dominions: it was laden with fruit, and luxuriant in its foliage: the cattle reposed in its shade, and the fowls of the air lodged in its branches, and multitudes partook of its delicious fruit. But the king saw a celestial... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Daniel 4:1-37

Nebuchadnezzar’s madness (4:1-37)In this chapter Nebuchadnezzar recounts, for the benefit of his subjects, an experience that humbled his pride and brought him to acknowledge Yahweh as the one and only true God (4:1-3). It all began when Nebuchadnezzar had a puzzling dream. After getting no help from his Babylonian wise men, he told it to Daniel in the hope of discovering its meaning (4-9).The first thing that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream was a giant tree. It towered over the world and... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 4:10-12

The king described what he had seen in poetic language. His words therefore appear as a prophetic oracle. The ancients frequently used trees to describe rulers of nations (cf. Isaiah 2:12-13; Isaiah 10:34; Ezekiel 31:3-17). [Note: Young, pp. 101-2.] Thus Nebuchadnezzar may have anticipated that the tree in his dream represented himself. What happened to the tree in his dream then could account for his fear (Daniel 4:5). This tree was similar to Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. [Note: See Paul... read more

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