Daniel 4:17

Bahasa Indonesia Sehari-hari

Titah ini adalah menurut putusan para penjaga dan hal ini menurut perkataan orang-orang kudus, supaya orang-orang yang hidup tahu, bahwa Yang Mahatinggi berkuasa atas kerajaan manusia dan memberikannya kepada siapa yang dikehendaki-Nya, bahkan orang yang paling kecil sekalipun dapat diangkat-Nya untuk kedudukan itu.

Parallel Translations

Alkitab Terjemahan Baru
Titah ini adalah menurut putusan para penjaga dan hal ini menurut perkataan orang-orang kudus, supaya orang-orang yang hidup tahu, bahwa Yang Mahatinggi berkuasa atas kerajaan manusia dan memberikannya kepada siapa yang dikehendaki-Nya, bahkan orang yang paling kecil sekalipun dapat diangkat-Nya untuk kedudukan itu.

Alkitab Terjemahan Lama
Maka perkara ini sudah ditentukan oleh segala utusan dan segala hal ihwal ini dengan firman mereka yang suci, supaya diaku oleh segala orang yang hidup, bahwa Allah taala dipertuhan atas segala kerajaan manusia dan dikaruniakan-Nya kepada barangsiapa yang dikehendaki-Nya, bahkan, boleh diangkat-Nya atasnya akan orang yang terkecil sekali.

Contextual Overview

⁴ I Nabuchodonozor beyng at rest in my house, and florishing in my palace, ⁵ Sawe a dreame, whiche made me afrayde, and the thoughtes vpon my bed, with the visios of my head, troubled me. ⁶ Therfore made I a decree, that they shoulde bring all the wyse men of Babylon before me, that they might declare vnto me the interpretatio of the dreame. ⁷ So came the wyse men, the soothsayers, the Chaldeans, and wisardes: to whom I tolde the dreame, but they coulde not shewe me the interpretation therof. ⁸ Till at the last Daniel came before me (whose name was Baltassar, according to the name of my God) which hath the spirite of the holy gods in hym, & before him I tolde the dreame, saying: ⁹ O Baltassar, thou prince of wyse men, forsomuch as I knowe that thou hast the spirite of the holy gods, & no secrete troubleth thee: tell me therefore the visions of my dreame that I haue seene, and the interpretation therof. ¹⁰ Thus were the visions of my head vpon my bed: And behold, I saw a tree in the mids of the earth, and the heyght therof was great, ¹¹ A great tree and strong, and the heyght therof reached vnto the heauen, and the sight thereof to the endes of all the earth. ¹² The leaues therof were fayre, and the fruite therof much, and in it was meate for all: the beastes of the fielde had shadowes vnder it, and the foules of the aire dwelt in the bowes therof: al fleshe fed of it. ¹³ I sawe in the visions of my head vpon my bed, and beholde a watcher and a holy one came downe from heauen,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

by the: Daniel 4:13, Daniel 4:14, 1 Kings 22:19, 1 Kings 22:20, 1 Timothy 5:21

the holy: Daniel 4:8, Daniel 4:9, Daniel 4:13, Isaiah 6:3, Isaiah 6:8, Revelation 4:8

that the living: Psalms 9:16, Psalms 83:17, Psalms 83:18, Ezekiel 25:17

the most High: Daniel 4:25, Daniel 4:32-35, Daniel 2:21, Daniel 5:18-21, Jeremiah 27:5-7

giveth: Psalms 75:6, Psalms 75:7

the basest: Daniel 4:25, Daniel 11:21, Exodus 9:16, 1 Samuel 2:8, 1 Kings 21:25, 2 Kings 21:6-18, 2 Chronicles 28:22, Psalms 12:8, Psalms 113:7, Psalms 113:8, Ezekiel 7:24, 1 Corinthians 1:28

Reciprocal: Exodus 7:17 - thou shalt Numbers 33:53 - General Deuteronomy 2:24 - behold Deuteronomy 32:8 - Most Joshua 6:2 - I have 1 Samuel 15:28 - hath given 2 Kings 9:6 - I have anointed 2 Chronicles 20:6 - rulest not Job 9:24 - earth Job 21:7 - mighty Psalms 7:17 - most Proverbs 30:9 - I be full Isaiah 57:15 - the high Daniel 2:47 - a Lord Daniel 4:24 - the decree Daniel 4:34 - the most High Daniel 5:21 - his heart was made like Hosea 2:7 - for John 19:11 - Thou Acts 7:48 - the most High

Cross-References

Genesis 4:4
Habel also brought of the firstlynges of his sheepe, & of the fatte thereof: and the Lorde had respect vnto Habel, and to his oblation.

Genesis 4:11
And nowe art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receaue thy brothers blood from thy hande.

Genesis 5:18
Iered lyued an hundreth sixtie & two yeres, and he begate Henoch.

Genesis 5:22
And Henoch walked with God after he begate Methuselah three hundreth yeres, and begate sonnes & daughters.

Genesis 11:4
And they sayd: Go to, let vs buylde vs a citie and a towre, whose toppe may reache vnto heauen, and let vs make vs a name, lest peraduenture we be scattered abrode into the vpper face of the whole earth.

2 Samuel 18:18
And this Absalom yet in his lyfe time toke and reared vp a piller, whiche is in the kinges dale: For he sayd, I haue no sonne to kepe my name in remembraunce, and he called the piller after his owne name, and it is called vnto this day Absaloms place.

Psalms 49:11
And yet they thynke that their houses shall continue for euer, and that their dwellyng places shall endure from one generation to another: [therfore] they call landes after their owne names.

Daniel 4:30
And the king spake, & sayd: Is not this great Babylon that I haue buylt for the house of the kingdome by the might of my power, and for the honour of my maiestie?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

This matter is by the decree of the watchers,.... That is, the cutting down the tree, and what is signified by it, was with the advice, consent, and approbation of the watchers, by whom is generally understood angels; not that they were the authors of this decree, but approvers of it; and were ready, not only to subscribe it, but to execute it; it being against a wicked man, and an oppressor of the Lord's people: they are represented as assessors with God; called into a consultation with him; alluding to the manner of kings and princes, who have their privy council, whom they advise with on occasion; though, properly speaking, nothing of this nature is to be attributed to God, only after the manner of men; see 1 Kings 22:19

and the demand by the word of the Holy Ones; the same as before, in other words; watchers and Holy Ones being the same, the holy angels;

1 Kings 22:19- :: and the decree and the demand the same; or the request o, or petition; which shows what concern they had in the decree; they only requested it might pass, or be carried into execution; though some understand this of saints on earth, who, in their prayers and supplications, requested for the judgments of God to come down upon this proud monarch: though, after all, it may be best to interpret the whole of the three Persons in the Godhead, who are perfectly pure and holy, essentially and inderivatively; and may be called watchers, because they watch over the good, to bring it upon the Lord's people; and over the evil, to bring it upon their enemies: and to them well agree the decree and the demand; and the rather this may be thought to be the true sense, since this decree is called the decree of the most High, Daniel 4:24, and who is expressed in the next clause:

to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men; though men have kingdoms on earth, and multitudes subject to them, yet they are not absolute sovereigns; there is a God that is higher than they, at whose control they are, and does whatsoever he pleases in their kingdoms, of which the event signified in this dream was a proof; and would be brought about on purpose to make it appear that those that live on earth (for, as for the dead, they know nothing what is done on it), both princes and people, might be sufficiently convinced of the truth of it:

and giveth it to whomsoever he will; that is, the kingdom; he takes it from one, and gives it to another; pulls down one, and sets up another, as he pleases; see Daniel 2:21:

and setteth up over it the basest of men; or, "the lowest of men" p; men of the meanest and lowest rank and condition of life, as David was taken from the sheepfold, and made king of Israel; perhaps respect is had to Nebuchadnezzar himself; not to his person, as Saadiah, who says he was short, and low of stature; but to his llater state and condition, when he was taken from among the beasts of the field, and restored to his throne and kingdom.

o שאלתא "petitio", Pagninus, Montanus; "postulatio", Munster; "hoc postulatum", Junius Tremellius "petitio haec", Piscator. p שפל אנשים "humliem hominum". Montanus, Grotius; "humilem inter homines", Pagninus; "humilem virorum", Michaelis; "humillimum hominum", Cocceius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This matter is by the decree of the watchers - See the notes at Daniel 4:13. They are described here not only as watching over the affairs of men, but as entrusted wth the execution of high and important designs of God. The representation is, that one of these heavenly beings was seen by Nebuchadnezzar in his visions, and that this one stated to him that he had come to execute what had been determined on by his associates, or in counsel with others. The idea would seem to be, that the affairs of the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar had been in important respects placed under the administration of these beings, and that in solemn council they had resolved on this measure. It is not said that this was not in accordance with, and under the direction of, a higher power - that of God; and that is rather implied when it is said that the great design of this was to show to the living that “the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men.” In itself considered, there is no improbability in supposing that the affairs of this lower world are in some respects placed under the administration of beings superior to man, nor that events may occur as the result of their deliberation, or, as it is here expressed, by their “decree.” If, in any respect, the affairs of the world are subject to their jurisdiction, there is every reason to suppose that there would be harmony of counsel and of action, and an event of this kind might be so represented.

And the demand - Or, the matter; the affair; the business. The Chaldee word properly means a question, a petition; then a subject of inquiry, a matter of business. Here it means, that this matter, or this business, was in accordance with the direction of the holy ones.

The holy ones - Synonymous with the watchers, and referring to the same. See the note at Daniel 4:13.

To the intent that the living may know - With the design that those who live on the earth may understand this. That is, the design was to furnish a proof of this, so impressive and striking, that it could not be doubted by any. No more effectual way of doing this could occur than by showing the absolute power of the Most High over such a monarch as Nebuchadnezzar.

That the Most High - He who is exalted above all men; all angels; all that pretend to be gods. The phrase here is designed to refer to the true God, and the object was to show that he was the most exalted of all beings, and had absolute control over all.

Ruleth in the kingdom of men - Whoever reigns, he reigns over them.

And giveth it to whomsoever he will - That is, he gives dominion over men to whomsoever he chooses. It is not by human ordering, or by arrangements among men. It is not by hereditary right; not by succession; not by conquest; not by usurpation; not by election, that this matter is finally determined; it is by the decree and purpose of God. He can remove the hereditary prince by death; he can cause him to be set aside by granting success to a usurper; he can dispose of a crown by conquest; he can cut off the conqueror by death, and transfer the crown to an inferior officer; he can remove one who was the united choice of a people by death, and put another in his place. So the apostle Paul says, “There is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” Romans 13:1.

And setteth up over it the basest of men - That is, he appoints over the kingdom of men, at his pleasure, those who are of the humblest or lowest rank. The allusion here is not to Nebuchadnezzar as if he were the “basest” or the “vilest” of men, but the statement is a general truth, that God, at his pleasure, sets aside those of exalted rank, and elevates those of the lowest rank in their place. There is an idea now attached commonly to the word “basest,” which the word used here by no means conveys. It does not denote the mean, the vile, the worthless, the illiberal, but those of humble or lowly rank. This is the proper meaning of the Chaldee word שׁפל sh^ephal - and so it is rendered in the Vulgate, humillimum hominem. The Greek of Theodotion, however, is, “what is disesteemed among men” - ἐξουδένωμα ἀνθρώπῶν exoudenōma anthrōpōn. In the latter part of the dream Daniel 4:15-16 we have an illustration of what often occurs in dreams - their singular incongruity. In the early part of the dream, the vision is that of a tree, and the idea is consistently carried out for a considerable part of it - the height of the tree, the branches, the leaves, the fruit, the shade, the stump; then suddenly there is a “change” to something that is living and human - the change of the “heart” to that of a beast; the being exposed to the dew of heaven; the portion with the beasts of the earth, etc. Such changes and incongruities, as every one knows, are common in dreams. So Shakespeare -

“True, I talk of dreams,

Which are the children of an idle brain,

Begot of nothing but vain fantasy;

Which is as thin of substance as the air,

And more inconstant than the wind, who woos

Even now the frozen bosom of the North,

And, being anger’d puffs away from thence

Turning his face to the dew-dropping South.”

Romeo and Juliet.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 17. This matter is by the decree of the watchers — See on Daniel 4:13.

The Most High ruleth — He never leaves the government of the world to man, to second causes, or to fortuitous occurrences. What are thus called are his agents; they are no moving causes.

And setteth up - the basest of men. —

"Tyrants and kings from Jove proceed

Those are permitted, these decreed."

The throne ennobles no man: to be properly filled, the man must be noble. Some of the greatest and some of the meanest of men have sat on the throne. Kings differ in education, seldom in intellect, from the common mass of men; the power and authority are from God. The king himself may be given either in mercy or in wrath. When James II. ruled this kingdom, it might well be said, God hath set up over it the basest of men. His successor was one of the best. The former nearly ruined it both in a civil and religious point of view; the latter was the means of restoring it in both these respects.