The Second Dream—Daniel ch.

 This chapter is remarkable in that is consists of a proclamation from a

Gentile King, to his subjects, recalling the very public manner in which
he had been brought low by the Hebrew God.
o The structure of this chapter can be broken up thus:
 1. Prologue (v. 1-3)—the royal declaration
 2. The Dream Recounted (v. 4-18)—The King speaks
 3. The Dream Interpreted (v. 19-27)—The King listens
 4. The Dream Realised (v. 28-33)—The King recalls
 5. Epilogue (v.34-37)—A Royal confession
 The prologue begins with a declaration ‘unto all people, nations, and
languages’, which is the kind of hyperbolic language that was
customary for Babylonian edicts.
o It is interesting to note a difference between this edict, and
other contemporaneous ones of its kind—namely that it does
not include the grandiose titles that the king would normally
have associated with himself (e.g., King of Kings). Perhaps
this is a reminder to everyone of how the subsequent
experiences had humbled the king.
 Indeed, the king goes on to recognise the universal sovereignty not of
himself, but of the God of the Hebrews, whom he describes as having
dominion ‘from generation to generation’.
 After this, he goes on to recount in the next fourteen verses the dream
that he had ‘while flourishing in his palace’, which seems to indicate
that he has at the zenith of his power. Indeed, archaeological studies in
the region have unearthed various monuments from this time period
that attest to the stability and peace that Nebuchadnezzar had brought.
 Once again, the king has a deeply troubling dream; once again, the
wise men and astrologers of his high court are unable to provide the
answer.
 Daniel arrives at court and is hailed by the king as the ‘master of the
magicians’, indicating that at the time of the dream, the king had not
yet fully grasped that Daniel was distinct from the pagan soothsayers
that advised the king.
 The dream begins with a tree in ‘the midst of the earth’, which grows
until it reaches heaven and is able to feed all the animals of the earth
with its produce. This is taken by some to be an image of
Nebuchadnezzar’s political sovereignty over the vast Babylonian
Empire, with the vast amounts of subjects that were under his rule.
 There is an interruption in verse 13-14, where a ‘watcher and a holy
one’ descends from heaven and decrees that the tree be cut down to the
stump, and that the animals (or subjects) shall be allowed to scatter.
 Judgement against the tree is tempered with divine mercy, and the
roots will be allowed to survive, albeit with discipline of ‘iron and
brass’. This act of mercy stands in stark contrast to the draconian and
harsh punishments that the king threatened to his subjects, namely that
their property would be reduced to dunghills.
 All this would be done to show the ultimate omnipotence and divine
sovereignty of ‘the most high’, and the dream was so dramatic that it
astonied ‘Daniel for one hour’. He well understood the implications of
the dream, telling the Babylonian King that he would be humiliated
before his subjects by the God of the Hebrews would take superhuman
bravery.
 Proclaiming to Nebuchadnezzar that he needed to repent of his sins,
show mercy to the poor, and to cease being full of pride was bold of
Daniel, and in vv. 29-30 he fails to do so—bringing upon himself
seven years of madness. It is interesting to note that around this time,
Nebuchadnezzar had built up large parts of Babylon (such as the Ishtar
Gate), not attributing any of these fine works to the providence of the
God of the Hebrews.
 After the seven years have run their course, the king ‘blessed the most
High’ and recognises the immutable power of God. He is returned to
power with his senses intact. This episode is important in the wider
biblical narrative as it demonstrated to the peoples of the empire that
the God of the Hebrews was real, and that despite being conquered, the
Israelites were his chosen people.

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