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New Living Translation

Daniel 4:15

But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the wild animals among the plants of the field.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Angel (a Spirit);   Babylon;   Converts;   Dew;   Heathen;   Testimony;   Wicked (People);  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Trees;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Dream;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Allegory;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Prophet;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Azariah;   Daniel, Book of;   Grass;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Baltasar;   Grass;   Medicine;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Dew;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Daniel;   Dream;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Dan'iel;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Leaf;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Band;   Dream;   Grass;   Tender;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 23;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But leave the stump with its roots in the groundand with a band of iron and bronze around itin the tender grass of the field.Let him be drenched with dew from the skyand share the plants of the earthwith the animals.
Hebrew Names Version
Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the eretz, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of the sky: and let his portion be with the animals in the grass of the eretz:
King James Version
Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
English Standard Version
But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
New American Standard Bible
"Yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, But with a band of iron and bronze around it In the new grass of the field; And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, And let him share with the animals in the grass of the earth.
New Century Version
But leave the stump and its roots in the ground with a band of iron and bronze around it; let it stay in the field with the grass around it. "‘Let the man become wet with dew, and let him live among the animals and plants of the earth.
Amplified Bible
"Nevertheless leave the stump with its roots in the ground, Bound with a band of iron and bronze In the new grass of the field; And let him be wet with the dew of heaven, And let him feed with the animals in the grass of the earth.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Neuerthelesse leaue the stumpe of his rootes in the earth, and with a band of yron and brasse binde it among the grasse of the fielde, and let it be wet with the dewe of heauen, and let his portion be with the beastes among the grasse of the fielde.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, But with a band of iron and bronze around it In the new grass of the field; And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, And let him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
Berean Standard Bible
But leave the stump with its roots in the ground, and a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven and graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth.
Contemporary English Version
But leave its stump and roots in the ground, surrounded by grass and held by chains of iron and bronze. ‘Make sure that this ruler lives like the animals out in the open fields, unprotected from the dew.
Complete Jewish Bible
"‘This is the dream which I, King N'vukhadnetzar, saw. Now you, Belt'shatzar, tell me its interpretation. None of the sages of my kingdom can tell me the interpretation, but you can do it, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.'
Darby Translation
Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be bathed with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
Easy-to-Read Version
But let the stump and roots stay in the ground. Put a band of iron and bronze around it. The stump and roots will stay in the field with the grass all around it. It will live among the wild animals and plants in the fields. It will become wet with dew.
George Lamsa Translation
Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth; but it shall be bound with a band of iron and brass in the green grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his dwelling be with the beasts of the field in the grass of the earth;
Good News Translation
But leave the stump in the ground with a band of iron and bronze around it. Leave it there in the field with the grass. "‘Now let the dew fall on this man, and let him live with the animals and the plants.
Lexham English Bible
But the stump of its roots leave in the earth, along with a band of iron and bronze; leave it in the grass of the field. And in the dew of heaven let it be watered, and with the animals let his lot be in the grass of the earth.
Literal Translation
But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a fetter of iron and bronze, in the grass of the field. And let it be wet with the dew of the heavens, and his lot be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles leaue the grounde of his rote still in the earth, and bynde him vpon the playne felde, with cheynes of yron and stele. With the dew of heauen shall he be wet, and he shall haue his parte in the herbes of the grounde with other wylde beastes.
American Standard Version
Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven: and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
Bible in Basic English
But keep its broken end and its roots still in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass; let him have the young grass of the field for food, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his part be with the beasts.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen; and thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.'
King James Version (1611)
Neuerthelesse leaue the stumpe of his rootes in the earth, euen with a band of yron and brasse, in the tender grasse of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heauen, and let his portion be with the beastes in the grasse of the earth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Neuerthelesse, leaue the stumpe of his rootes still in the earth, and with a band of iron and brasse [binde it] among the grasse of the fielde, & let it be wet with the deawe of heauen, and let his portion be with the beastes among the grasse of the fielde.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
This is the vision which I king Nabuchodonosor saw: and do thou, Baltasar, declare the interpretation, for none of the wise men of my kingdom are able to shew me the interpretation of it: but thou, Daniel, art able; for the Holy Spirit of God is in thee.
English Revised Version
Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
World English Bible
Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of the sky: and let his portion be with the animals in the grass of the earth:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Netheles suffre ye the seed of rootis therof in erthe, and be he boondun with a boond of irun and of bras, in erbis that ben with out forth, and in the deew of heuene be he died, and his part be with wielde beestis in the erbe of erthe.
Update Bible Version
Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven: and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
Webster's Bible Translation
Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and [let] its portion [be] with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
New English Translation
But leave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it surrounded by the grass of the field. Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the animals in the grass of the land.
New King James Version
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.
New Life Bible
Yet leave the base of the tree with its roots in the ground, and tie a chain of iron and brass around it. Leave it there in the new grass of the field. Let him be wet with the water from heaven on the grass in the early morning. Let him share with the wild animals in the grass of the earth.
New Revised Standard
But leave its stump and roots in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be bathed with the dew of heaven, and let his lot be with the animals of the field in the grass of the earth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Nevertheless, the stock of its roots in the earth, leave ye, yea in a bond of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and, with the dew of the heavens, let it be drenched, and, with the wild beasts, be its portion, amongst, the herbage of the earth;
Douay-Rheims Bible
15 [12] [fn] Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, and let it be tied with a band of iron, and of brass, among the grass, that is without, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let its portion be with the wild beasts in the grass of the earth.
Revised Standard Version
But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven; let his lot be with the beasts in the grass of the earth;
Young's Literal Translation
but the stump of its roots leave in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens is it wet, and with the beasts [is] his portion in the herb of the earth;

Contextual Overview

4 "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my palace in comfort and prosperity. 5 But one night I had a dream that frightened me; I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in my bed. 6 So I issued an order calling in all the wise men of Babylon, so they could tell me what my dream meant. 7 When all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant. 8 At last Daniel came in before me, and I told him the dream. (He was named Belteshazzar after my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) 9 "I said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too great for you to solve. Now tell me what my dream means. 10 "‘While I was lying in my bed, this is what I dreamed. I saw a large tree in the middle of the earth. 11 The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. 12 It had fresh green leaves, and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. All the world was fed from this tree. 13 "‘Then as I lay there dreaming, I saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

leave: Daniel 4:25-27, Job 14:7-9, Ezekiel 29:14, Ezekiel 29:15

Reciprocal: Daniel 4:23 - and let his Daniel 4:26 - to leave Daniel 4:36 - mine Zechariah 6:1 - and the

Cross-References

Genesis 4:24
If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times, then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!"
Leviticus 26:18
"And if, in spite of all this, you still disobey me, I will punish you seven times over for your sins.
Leviticus 26:21
"If even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey me, I will inflict disaster on you seven times over for your sins.
Leviticus 26:24
then I myself will be hostile toward you. I will personally strike you with calamity seven times over for your sins.
Leviticus 26:28
then I will give full vent to my hostility. I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins.
1 Kings 16:7
The message from the Lord against Baasha and his family came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani. It was delivered because Baasha had done what was evil in the Lord 's sight (just as the family of Jeroboam had done), and also because Baasha had destroyed the family of Jeroboam. The Lord 's anger was provoked by Baasha's sins.
Psalms 59:11
Don't kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons; stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees, O Lord our shield.
Psalms 79:12
O Lord, pay back our neighbors seven times for the scorn they have hurled at you.
Proverbs 6:31
But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house.
Ezekiel 9:4
He said to him, "Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because of the detestable sins being committed in their city."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth,.... Let him not be utterly destroyed, or his life taken away; but let him continue in being; though in a forlorn condition, yet with hope of restoration; for a tree may be cut down to the stump, and yet revive again, Job 14:7 and let his kingdom remain:

even with a band of iron and brass; which some think was done to preserve it and to show that his kingdom remained firm and immovable; but that is meant by the former clause, Daniel 4:26, rather the allusion is to his distracted condition afterwards related; it being usual to bind madmen with chains of iron or brass, to keep them from hurting themselves and others, as in Mark 5:4:

in the tender grass of the field; where his dwelling should be, not in Babylon, and in his fine palace, living sumptuously as he now did; but in the field, grazing there like a beast, and like one that is feddered and confined to a certain place:

and let it be wet with the dew of heaven; suggesting that this would not only be his case in the daytime; but that he should lie all night in the field, and his body be wet all over with the dew that falls in the night, as if he had been dipped in a dyer's vat, as the word m signifies; and Jarchi says it has the signification of dipping; and not be in a stately chamber, and on a bed of down, but on a plot of grass, exposed to all the inclemencies of the air:

and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth; instead of feeding on royal dainties, as he had all his days, let him eat grass like the beasts of the field, as it seems he did.

m יצטבע "tingatur", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster; "intingatur", Junius Tremellius "tingetur", Piscator, Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth - As of a tree that is not wholly dead, but which may send up suckers and shoots again. See the note at Isaiah 11:1. In Theodotion this is, τὴν φυήν τῶν ῥιξῶν tēn phuēn tōn rizōn - the nature, germ. Schleusner renders the Greek, “the trunk of its roots.” The Vulgate is, germen radicum ejus, “the germ of his roots.” The Codex Chisianus has: ῥίξαν μίαν ἄφετε ἀυτοῦ ἐν τῇ γῇ rizan mian aphete autou en tē gē - “leave one of his roots in the earth.” The original Chaldee word (עקר ı̂qqar) means a “stump, trunk” (Gesenius); the Hebrew - עקר ēqer - the same word with different pointing, means a shrub, or shoot. It occurs only once in Hebrew Leviticus 25:47, where it is applied to the stock of a family, or to a person sprung from a foreign family resident in the Hebrew territory: “the stock of the stranger’s family.” The Chaldee form of the word occurs only in Daniel 4:15, Daniel 4:23, Daniel 4:26, rendered in each place “stump,” yet not meaning “stump” in the sense in which that word is now commonly employed. The word “stump” now means the stub of a tree; the part of the tree remaining in the earth, or projecting above it after the tree is cut down, without any reference to the question whether it be alive or dead. The word here used implies that it was still alive, or that there was a germ which would send up a new shoot, so that the tree would live again. The idea is, that though the mighty tree would fall, yet there would remain vitality in the root, or the portion that would remain in the earth after the tree was cut down, and that this would spring up again - a most striking image of what would occur to Nebuchadnezzar after he should be cast down from his lofty throne, and be again restored to his reason and to power.

Even with a band of iron and brass - This expression may be regarded as applicable either to the cut-down tree, or to the humbled monarch. If applied to the former, it would seem that the idea is, that the stump or root of a tree, deemed so valuable, would be carefully secured by an enclosure of iron or brass, either in the form of a hoop placed round the top of the stump, to preserve it from being opened or cracked by the heat of the sun, so as to admit moisture, which would rot it; or around the roots, to bind it together, with the hope that it would grow again; or it may refer to a railing or enclosure of iron or brass, to keep it from being plowed or dug up as worthless. In either case, it would be guarded with the hope that a tree so valuable might spring up again. If applied to the monarch - an explanation not inconsistent with the proper interpretation of the passage - it would seem to refer to some method of securing the royal maniac in bonds of iron and brass, as with the hope that his reason might still be restored, or with a view to keep him from inflicting fatal injury on himself. That the thing here referred to might be practiced in regard to a valuable tree cut down, or broken down, is by no means improbable; that it might be practiced in reference to the monarch is in accordance with the manner in which the insane have been treated in all ages and countries.

In the tender grass of the field - Out of doors; under no shelter; exposed to dews and rains. The stump would remain in the open field where the grass grew, until it should shoot up again; and in a condition strongly resembling that, the monarch would be excluded from his palace and from the abodes of men. For the meaning of this, as applied to Nebuchadnezzar, see the note at Daniel 4:25. The word which is rendered “tender grass,” means simply young grass or herbage. No emphasis should be put on the word tender. It simply means that he would be abroad where the grass springs up and grows.

And let it be wet with the dew of heaven - As applied to the tree, meaning that the dew would fall on it and continually moisten it. The falling of the dew upon it would contribute to preserve it alive and secure its growth again. In a dry soil, or if there were no rain or dew, the germ would die. It cannot be supposed that, in regard to the monarch, it could be meant that his remaining under the dew of heaven would in any way contribute to restore his reason, but all that is implied in regard to him is the fact that he would thus be an outcast. The word rendered “let it be wet” - יצטבע yı̂tseṭaba‛ from צבע tseba‛ - means, to dip in, to immerse; to tinge; to dye; though the word is not found in the latter senses in the Chaldee. In the Targums it is often used for “to dye, to color.” The word occurs only in this chapter of Daniel Daniel 4:15, Daniel 4:23, Daniel 4:33 and is in each place rendered in the same way. It is not used in the Hebrew scripture in the sense of to dye or tinge, except in the form of a noun - צבע tseba‛ - in Judges 5:30 : “To Sisera a prey of divers colors, a prey of divers colors of needlework, of divers colors of needlework.” In the passage before us, of course, there is no allusion of this kind, but the word means merely that the stump of the tree would be kept moist with the dew; as applicable to the tree that it might be more likely to sprout up again.

And let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth - Here is a change evidently from the tree to something represented by the tree. We could not say of a tree that its “portion was with the beasts in the grass,” though in the confused and incongruous images of a dream, nothing would be more natural than such a change from a tree to some object represented by it, or having some resemblance to it. It is probable that it was this circumstance that particularly attracted the attention of the monarch, for though the dream began with a “tree,” it ended with reference to “a person,” and evidently some one whose station would be well represented by such a magnificent and solitary tree. The sense here is, “let him share the lot of beasts; let him live as they do:” that is, let him live on grass. Compare Daniel 4:25.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 15. Leave the stump — Let him not be destroyed, nor his kingdom alienated.


 
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