Daniel 4:10, commentary and pictures

Nebuchadnezzar himself recounts a night vision seen while lying in bed, in which a tree of immense height stood in the center of the earth, and he appeals to Daniel for its meaning while Daniel is troubled by its message of coming judgment upon the king. The tree pictures Nebuchadnezzar himself in the greatness, strength and prosperity God had granted him as the most powerful ruler of his time. Its lofty height, wide branches, abundant fruit and shelter for beasts and birds show his kingdom firmly established, with nations gathered under his sovereignty and families finding food, refuge and peace under his rule. Its later cutting down while the stump is preserved announces his downfall into madness and life among the beasts for seven years, proving that the Most High rules human kingdoms and gives them to whom He wills. The dream therefore warns against trusting in self and human wisdom and against turning God-given authority into self-exaltation and domination, since rulers are exalted to shelter, protect and provide for the weak and needy, not to control minds or lord it over others.

Dream Setting and Meaning

Thus were the visions of the head upon the bed as Nebuchadnezzar himself told them to Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods and whom no secret troubles, saying he saw a tree of great height in the midst of the earth and appealing to Daniel to declare the interpretation, while Daniel was troubled when he saw its significance of coming judgment upon the king. It begins another dream God gave to Nebuchadnezzar after he had seen the form of the Fourth with the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace and had acknowledged their God as the living God, but did not continue to walk in the light and lost the holy impression made upon his mind. God had already revealed Himself to the king by the dream of the great image explained as his kingdom being the head of gold, and by His power when Jesus was with the three Hebrews in the burning fiery furnace after they refused to worship the golden image set up in the plain of Dura, leading the king to confess their God was the living God, and because the king did not continue in that light God gave this further dream in the fourth chapter. It introduces Nebuchadnezzar's second dream, a night vision while lying in bed, in which he sees a very tall, great tree standing at the center or in the midst of the earth.

The tree represents Nebuchadnezzar himself in his greatness, strength, and prosperity, picturing his powerful rule, vast reach, abundant fruit, and sheltering branches, which God had granted him before his downfall. Its great height begins a picture of abundance and far-reaching shelter with widely extended branches where creatures find food and refuge. The shelter for beasts, for flocks and herds from the mountains and hills, and for the birds of the air building their nests in the branches means that nations were gathered under his sovereignty and families found peace under his rule, and its firm planting means his kingdom was firmly established in the hearts of his loyal subjects.

Its later cutting down, while its stump is preserved, announces the king's humbling and shows that the Most High rules human kingdoms and gives them to whom He wills. Its fate represents the king's downfall after prosperity led him to pride himself on his power and achievements and to defy God's warnings; he would lose his reason, be brought low, and live among the beasts for seven years.

God's Purpose for Government

The dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar when he was the greatest ruler and most powerful king of his time. His prosperity had been given him by God for the glory of God, and for that reason his kingdom had been designated as the head of gold. His rule was pictured by such a sheltering tree because he was at one time a superior ruler, more compassionate toward his subjects than the ruler of any other heathen nation.

The lofty tree giving shelter to the beasts of the field and the birds of the air shows the purpose of all government. God exalts rulers to shelter and protect their subjects and to provide for those under their care. Such authority is not permission to dominate others or dictate their conduct. It is not given to control the minds and practices of others, to put a yoke upon fellow men, to command with you shall and you shall not, or to lord it over God's purchased possession. Those entrusted with power are to protect the weak, help the needy, and care for the widow and fatherless.

Warning Against Self-Exaltation

The night vision opens with a very tall, great tree standing in the midst of the earth, its height great and its branches extending widely so that creatures find food and refuge in it, and the dream is a warning of the king's peril. It was a very striking and very explicit dream, yet he turned the warnings of God against himself. Instead of tracing out from it the end of all earthly things and the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom, he turned aside to follow the imaginations of his proud heart, thinking his kingdom should become a more extensive and powerful kingdom than it then was.

The magicians, the astrologers, the soothsayers, and the Chaldeans could not make the dream known to the king or tell its interpretation. Those who do not love and fear God cannot understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. They cannot approach unto the throne of Him who dwells in light unapproachable, to whom the things of God are mysteries of mysteries. Daniel told the dream and its interpretation before the king because as a servant of God he understood the things of God. He was esteemed by the king for unswerving integrity, faithfulness in honoring God at all times and in all places, and unexcelled wisdom. With his fellows he had refused to make any compromise to secure positions in the court or even to preserve life when the honor of God was involved.

The record of Nebuchadnezzar's life warns against trusting in oneself and one's own wisdom or making human strength one's support. His case warns against exalting and magnifying self in God's work. Carrying on God's work by human wisdom, claiming authority and power over His heritage, and investigating and criticizing and condemning workers who do not meet one's ideas and carry out one's mind brings in principles the Lord will not sustain or favor. Revealing a spirit of supremacy by making laws and pledges for the future does the same. The vision of the great tree was part of the heaven-sent light and instruction he received, and ignoring that light brought judgment, while Belshazzar's later calamity came from disregarding the lesson given to Nebuchadnezzar.