the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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Daniel 4:16
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Let his mind be changed from that of a human,and let him be given the mind of an animalfor seven periods of time.
let his heart be changed from man's, and let a animal's heart be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.
Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
Let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.
"Let his mind change from that of a human And let an animal's mind be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him.
Let him not think like a human any longer, but let him have the mind of an animal for seven years.
"Let his mind and nature be changed from a man's And let an animal's mind and nature be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him.
Let his heart be changed from mans nature, and let a beasts heart be giuen vnto him, and let seuen times be passed ouer him.
"Let his mind be changed from that of a man And let a beast's mind be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him.
Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the mind of a beast till seven times pass him by.
Give him the mind of a wild animal for seven long years.
"Dani'el, whose name was Belt'shatzar, was in shock awhile, frightened by his thoughts. The king said, ‘Belt'shatzar, don't let the dream or the interpretation frighten you.' Belt'shatzar answered, ‘My lord, if only the dream were about those who hate you, and the interpretation about your enemies!
Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
He will not think like a man any longer. He will have the mind of an animal. Seven seasons will pass while he is like this.'
Let his heart be changed from mans, and let a beasts heart be given to him; and let seven seasons change over him.
For seven years he will not have a human mind, but the mind of an animal.
Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let the mind of an animal be given to him, and let seven times pass over him.
Let his heart be changed from man's, and let the heart of the beasts be given to him. And let seven times pass over him.
That mans herte off his shall be taken from him, and a beastes herte shall be geuen him, till seuen yeares be come and gone vpon him.
let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
Let his heart be changed from that of a man, and the heart of a beast be given to him; and let seven times go by him.
Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while, and his thoughts affrighted him. The king spoke and said: 'Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation, affright thee.' Belteshazzar answered and said: 'My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine adversaries.
Let his heart bee changed from mans, and let a beasts heart be giuen vnto him, and let seuen times passe ouer him.
Let his heart be chaunged from mans [nature] and let a beastes heart be geued vnto hym, and let seuen times be passed ouer hym.
Then Daniel, whose name is Baltasar, was amazed about one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. And Baltasar answered and said, My lord, let the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation of it to thine enemies.
let his heart be changed from man's and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
let his heart be changed from man's, and let a animal's heart be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.
let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.
Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.
Let his mind be altered from that of a human being, and let an animal's mind be given to him, and let seven periods of time go by for him.
Let his heart be changed from that of a man,Let him be given the heart of a beast,And let seven times Daniel 4:23, 25, and 32">[fn] pass over him.
For seven periods of time, let him have the mind of a wild animal instead of the mind of a human.
Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and for seven years let him have the mind of an animal.
Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let the mind of an animal be given to him. And let seven times pass over him.
Let, its heart, from a man's, be changed, and, the heart of a wild beast, be given to it, - and let seven seasons pass over it.
16 [13] [fn] Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given him; and let seven times pass over him.
let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.
his heart from man's is changed, and the heart of a beast is given to him, and seven times pass over him;
A Dream of a Chopped-Down Tree King Nebuchadnezzar to everyone, everywhere—every race, color, and creed: "Peace and prosperity to all! It is my privilege to report to you the gracious miracles that the High God has done for me. "His miracles are staggering, his wonders are surprising. His kingdom lasts and lasts, his sovereign rule goes on forever. "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home taking it easy in my palace, without a care in the world. But as I was stretched out on my bed I had a dream that scared me—a nightmare that shook me. I sent for all the wise men of Babylon so that they could interpret the dream for me. When they were all assembled—magicians, enchanters, fortunetellers, witches—I told them the dream. None could tell me what it meant. "And then Daniel came in. His Babylonian name is Belteshazzar, named after my god, a man full of the divine Holy Spirit. I told him my dream. "‘Belteshazzar,' I said, ‘chief of the magicians, I know that you are a man full of the divine Holy Spirit and that there is no mystery that you can't solve. Listen to this dream that I had and interpret it for me. "‘This is what I saw as I was stretched out on my bed. I saw a big towering tree at the center of the world. As I watched, the tree grew huge and strong. Its top reached the sky and it could be seen from the four corners of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant—enough food for everyone! Wild animals found shelter under it, birds nested in its branches, everything living was fed and sheltered by it. "‘And this also is what I saw as I was stretched out on my bed. I saw a holy watchman descend from heaven, and call out: Chop down the tree, lop off its branches, strip its leaves and scatter its fruit. Chase the animals from beneath it and shoo the birds from its branches. But leave the stump and roots in the ground, belted with a strap of iron and bronze in the grassy meadow. Let him be soaked in heaven's dew and take his meals with the animals that graze. Let him lose his mind and get an animal's mind in exchange, And let this go on for seven seasons.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Let his: Here a transition is made from the tree to Nebuchadnezzar, whom it represented; the tree being lost sight of, a person came in its stead. This person having lost the heart, or disposition of a man, and conceiving himself a beast, should act as such, and herd among them.
be changed: Daniel 4:32, Daniel 4:33, Isaiah 6:10, Hebrews 1:11, Mark 5:4, Mark 5:5, Luke 8:27-29
seven times: That is, seven years, a time in the prophetic language denoting a year. Daniel 4:23, Daniel 4:25, Daniel 4:31, Daniel 7:25, Daniel 11:13, Daniel 12:7, Revelation 12:14
Reciprocal: Job 12:24 - He taketh Daniel 4:34 - at the end Daniel 4:36 - mine
Cross-References
And whanne thei herden the vois of the Lord God goynge in paradijs at the wynd after myddai, Adam and his wijf hidden hem fro the face of the Lord God in the middis of the tre of paradijs.
to dai thou castist me out fro the face of the erthe; and Y schal be hid fro thi face, and Y schal be vnstable of dwellyng and fleynge aboute in erthe; therfore ech man that schal fynde me schal slee me.
Forsothe al the puple herde voices, and siy laumpis, and the sowne of a clarioun, and the hil smokynge; and thei weren afeerd, and schakun with inward drede, and stoden afer,
And the Lord hadde merci on hem, and turnede ayen to hem for his couenaunt, which he hadde with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he nolde distrie hem, nether cast awei outirli, til in to present tyme.
For the Lord was wrooth ayens Jerusalem, and ayens Juda, til he caste hem awey fro his face; and Sedechie yede awei fro the king of Babiloyne.
Therfor the Lord seide to Sathan, Lo! alle thingis, whiche he hath, ben in thin hond; oneli stretche thou not forth thin hond in to hym. And Sathan yede out fro the face of the Lord.
Therfor Sathan yede out fro the face of the Lord, and smoot Joob with `a ful wickid botche fro the sole of the foot `til to his top;
Se he not the stremys of the flood of the stronde, of hony, and of botere.
And alle that louen thi name schulen haue glorie in thee;
As smoke failith, faile thei; as wax fletith fro the face of fier, so perische synneris fro the face of God.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Let his heart be changed from man's,.... Not as to the substance, but as to the quality:
and let a beast's heart be given unto him; from a human heart, let it be changed into a brutal one; let him be deprived of the use of reason, and have no more exercise of it than a brute has; let him be wholly governed by the animal senses, and behave and act as a beast does; be as senseless, stupid, and savage, as that: and such a heart Nebuchadnezzar had; not that his rational soul departed from him, then he must have died; but the powers of it were sadly vitiated and depraved; his understanding, imagining himself to be a beast, not a man; his judgment, in not distinguishing the actions of a beast from those of a man; his memory of things past utterly failed; he forgot what he had been, and was; his will, inclination, and fancy, were towards brutal things, and ran upon deserts, fields, and grass; and he shunned the society of men:
and let seven times pass over him: while in this condition; let him remain so long in it; not seven months, as Abarbinel, and others; nor seven half years, or three years and a half, as some in Theodoret; dividing the year into two parts, summer and winter; and suppose, that seven of these seasons passed over him before he recovered; but seven years are meant, as Jarchi, Saadiah, and Jacchiades, as the phrase is used in Daniel 7:25, so many years the temple of Solomon was building, which Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed, and so long this madness must remain upon him: no notice is taken of this affair by Heathen writers, only Abydenus n says, that being under a divine afflatus, he foretold the destruction of the Babylonian empire by a Persian mule (meaning Cyrus), and by a Mede, and immediately, ηφανιστο, he disappeared; which some have understood of this time of his madness, which quickly followed upon this dream.
n Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 41. p. 457.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him - Here the same thing occurs in a more marked form, showing that some man was represented by the vision, and indicating some change which was fitted to attract the deepest attention - as if the person referred to should cease to be a man, and become a beast. The word heart here seems to refer to nature - “let his nature or propensity cease to be that of a man, and become like that of a beast; let him cease to act as a man, and act as the beasts do - evincing as little mind, and living in the same manner.”
And let seven times pass over him - In this condition, or until he is restored. It is not indeed said that he would be restored, but this is implied
(a) in the very expression “until seven times shall pass over him,” as if he would then be restored in some way, or as if this condition would then terminate; and
(b) in the statement that “the stump of the roots “would be left in the earth as if it might still germinate again.
Everything, however, in the dream was fitted to produce perplexity as to what it could mean. The word rendered “times” (עדנין ‛ı̂ddânı̂yn - singular, עדן ‛iddân) is an important word in the interpretation of Daniel. It is of the same class of words as the Hebrew יעד yâ‛ad - to point out, to appoint, to fix; and would refer properly to time considered as “appointed” or “designated;” then it may mean any stated or designated period, as a year. The idea is that of time considered as designated or fixed by periods, and the word may refer to any such period, however long or short - a day, a month, a year, or any other measure of duration. What measurement or portion is intended in any particular case must be determined from the connection in which the word is found. The word used here does not occur in the Hebrew scripture, and is found only in the book of Daniel, where it is uniformly rendered “time” and “times.”
It is found only in the following places: Daniel 2:8, “that ye would gain the time;” Daniel 2:9, “till the time be changed;” Daniel 2:21, “and he changeth the times;” Daniel 3:5, Daniel 3:15, “at what time ye shall hear;” Daniel 4:16, Daniel 4:23, “and let seven times pass over him,” Daniel 4:25, Daniel 4:32, “seven times shall pass over him;” Daniel 7:12, “for a season and time;” Daniel 7:25, “until a time and times and the dividing of time.” In the place before us, so far as the meaning of the word is concerned, it might mean a day, a week, a month, or a year. The more common interpretation is what supposes that it was a year, and this will agree better with all the circumstances of the case than any other period. The Greek of Theodotion here is: καὶ ἑππὰ καιροὶ ὰλλαγήσονται ἐπ ̓ ἀυτόν kai hepta kairoi allagēsontai ep' auton - “And seven times shall change upon him;” that is, until seven seasons revolve over him.
The most natural construction of this Greek phrase would be to refer it to years. The Latin Vulgate interprets it in a similar way - et septem tempora mutentur super eum - “And let seven times be changed” or revolve “over him.” In the Codex Chisianus it is: καὶ ἐππὰ ἔτη βοσκηθῆ σὺν αὐτοῖς kai hepta etē boskēthē sun autois - “and let him feed with them seven years.” Luther renders it “times.” Josephus understands by it “seven years.” - “Ant.” b. x. ch. 10: Section 6. While the Chaldee word is indeterminate in respect to the length of time, the most natural and obvious construction here and elsewhere, in the use of the word, is to refer it to years. Days or weeks would be obviously too short, and though in this place the word “months” would perhaps embrace all that would be necessary, yet in the other places where the word occurs in Daniel it undoubtedly refers to years, and there is, therefore, a propriety in understanding it in the same manner here.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. Let his heart be changed — Let him conceive himself to be a beast, and act as such, herding among the beasts of the field.
Let seven times pass over him. — Let him continue in this state for seven years. I knew a man who was thus changed in his heart - in his imagination. He believed himself to be a bear, and would imitate the ursal growl, c. and the case did not appear to be hypochondriacal. Whether he ever came to sound mind, I know not.
