What is Daniel 4 about? Daniel 4 is King Nebuchadnezzar’s own testimony of how God humbled him. He dreamed of a great tree cut down, Daniel warned that he would live like an animal until he knew “that the Most High rules the kingdom of men,” and a year later his boast over Babylon brought it to pass, until he lifted his eyes to heaven and his kingdom was restored.
Test yourself: two Daniel 4 trivia questions are at the end of this article.
▶ Read the Full Day 6 Teaching: The Most High Rules
When Daniel 4 Takes Place
Daniel 4 comes after Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream of the great statue in Daniel 2 (see Daniel 2 meaning) and the fiery furnace in Daniel 3. Daniel, carried to Babylon as a youth (Daniel 1:8), is now a senior official in the king’s court. Daniel 4 is written as Nebuchadnezzar’s own testimony, an official letter to every people in his empire, and it opens with the lesson he had learned: “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation” (Daniel 4:3).
The king begins at the end of his story. Everything that follows explains how the most powerful ruler on earth came to call another kingdom the everlasting one.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of the Great Tree (Daniel 4:4–18)
The dream came when the king was “at ease” in his house and “prospering” in his palace (Daniel 4:4). It frightened him, his wise men could not explain it, and he called for Daniel:
The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth.
The tree fed all flesh and sheltered the beasts and the birds. Then a holy one came down from heaven and ordered it cut down, its branches stripped and its fruit scattered, with the stump left in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze (Daniel 4:14–15). The dream then turned from a tree to a man whose mind would be changed to a beast’s for seven periods of time, and it gave the reason:
The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.
What Does Daniel 4:17 Mean?
Daniel 4:17 means that God, not any king, holds final authority over the kingdoms of the earth. He gives them to whom He will, and He can set the lowliest of men over them. The same truth appears in Daniel’s praise in Daniel 2:21, where God “removes kings and sets up kings,” and across Scripture: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD” (Proverbs 21:1); “it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another” (Psalm 75:7). Paul writes that “there is no authority except from God” (Romans 13:1).
Daniel 3 and Daniel 6 show what that means for believers. Because every authority is from God, God’s word outranks a ruler’s word: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow to the king’s image, and Daniel kept praying when prayer was outlawed (Daniel and the lions’ den). The phrase “the Most High rules” repeats through Daniel 4 and 5 (4:25, 4:32, 5:21), and the proud king finally confesses it himself.
Who Are the Watchers in Daniel 4?
The watchers in Daniel 4 are God’s holy angels. Nebuchadnezzar saw “a watcher, a holy one,” come down from heaven (Daniel 4:13). In the Bible, this name for angels appears only in Daniel 4, and each time it is paired with “a holy one” or “the holy ones.” The Aramaic word comes from a root meaning to be awake: a watcher is a sentry who never sleeps.
Daniel 4:17 calls the sentence “the decree of the watchers,” but when Daniel explains it he names its source: “It is a decree of the Most High” (Daniel 4:24). The angels announce God’s decree; they do not replace it.
Many readers know “the Watchers” from the book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish book that gives the name to angels who rebelled. Jude refers to its prophecy (Jude 14). Most churches have never received the book of Enoch as Scripture: it was not part of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament that Jesus and the apostles quoted; it was written in the centuries just before Christ, long after Enoch lived, under his name; and quoting a book does not make it Scripture, as Paul quoted Greek poets in Athens (Acts 17:28). The Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches are the main churches that include it. Daniel uses the word differently: his watchers are holy ones who serve the decree of the Most High.
Daniel Interprets the Dream (Daniel 4:19–27)
Daniel was dismayed by the meaning and told the king he wished the dream were for his enemies (Daniel 4:19). Then he told the truth: the tree was Nebuchadnezzar, and he would be driven from among men to live with the beasts of the field,
till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules.
The stump was mercy inside the judgment: God would cut the tree down but leave its roots, so the kingdom could be given back. Daniel ended with a call to turn:
Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
Daniel spoke hard truth to the most powerful man on earth, and he spoke it with respect. He called him “my lord,” he did not soften the warning, and he pointed to the way out.
What Happened to Nebuchadnezzar? (Daniel 4:28–37)
God gave the king twelve months. Then:
At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
Babylon really was great. The king’s sin was taking the credit for it: I built it, by my power, for my glory. Proverbs 16:18 warns that “Pride goes before destruction,” and the answer came at once:
While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”
He lived in the field, wet with the dew of heaven, his hair grown long like feathers and his nails like claws (Daniel 4:33). At the end of that time he “lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned” (Daniel 4:34). He praised the God whose dominion is everlasting, his kingdom was given back, and he closed his letter with his own verdict:
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
Scripture records his praise in his own words, and Bible teachers differ on how far his faith went. The lesson is plain either way: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6), and believers are told to humble themselves under His mighty hand so that at the proper time He may exalt them (1 Peter 5:6).
Daniel 5: The Writing on the Wall
Daniel 5 moves to the last night of the Babylonian empire. King Belshazzar held a great feast and sent for the gold and silver vessels Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, the same vessels God had given into Babylon’s hand in Daniel 1:2. He and his guests drank from them and praised “the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (Daniel 5:4). Then:
Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.
No one could read it until Daniel, now an old man, was brought in. He refused the king’s rewards and reminded Belshazzar that he had not humbled himself, though he knew all that God had done to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:17–23). Then he read the writing:
And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
The writing on the wall was God’s verdict in three words: numbered, weighed and divided. It was carried out that night:
That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
How Babylon Fell in One Night
Babylon fell in 539 BC by the usual dating. Babylonian records from the time of Cyrus say his army entered Babylon without battle. The Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon describe how: the Euphrates River ran through the city under its walls, the Persians dug channels upstream to turn the river aside, and when the water dropped, soldiers entered along the riverbed while the city celebrated a festival. Historians still debate some details, but the account fits Daniel 5 closely.
The prophets had described it long before. Isaiah recorded God as the one “who says to the deep, ‘Be dry; I will dry up your rivers’” (Isaiah 44:27), in the verse before he names Cyrus, and God promised Cyrus “to open doors before him that gates may not be closed” (Isaiah 45:1). Jeremiah wrote, “The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting; they remain in their strongholds,” and “the fords have been seized” (Jeremiah 51:30–32). The walls Babylon trusted had a river running under them.
Lessons from Daniel 4 and 5
- God rules over every kingdom. Daniel 4:17 and 5:21 say it plainly; no ruler stands a day longer than the Most High allows.
- Pride takes credit for what God gave. Nebuchadnezzar said “my mighty power” and lost his mind until he looked up.
- Humility is a choice before it is a consequence. Nebuchadnezzar was humbled by force; Belshazzar knew the story and still lifted himself up (Daniel 5:22).
- Truth can be spoken with respect. Daniel served the king who destroyed his city, wished him well, and still told him the truth.
- God’s timing is exact. Babylon’s last night was named by the prophets long before it came.
For Daniel’s prayer for his people after Babylon fell, see Daniel 9: Daniel’s prayer for a nation.
Continue the Series
This study comes from Day 6 of Faithful in Babylon: Lessons from Daniel, a seven-day Bible teaching on FaithNFreedom Social. See the whole Faithful in Babylon series, or go back to Day 5, Daniel 9.
▶ Read the Full Day 6 Teaching: The Most High Rules
Closing Prayer
Father, You are the Most High, and You rule the kingdom of men. You remove kings and set up kings, and no one can stop what You have decided. Forgive us for the times we have taken credit for what You gave. Humble our hearts before You have to humble our pride. We pray for all who hold authority, that they would know that Heaven rules. Give us courage to speak truth with respect, as Daniel did. Thank You that Your kingdom is everlasting and that we belong to it. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Teaching and Discussion
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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Questions About Daniel 4
What is Daniel 4 about?
Daniel 4 is about how God humbled King Nebuchadnezzar until he knew that the Most High rules the kingdom of men. Written as the king’s own letter, it tells of his dream of a great tree cut down, Daniel’s warning, and the king’s boast over Babylon a year later. He lived like an animal until he lifted his eyes to heaven, praised God and had his kingdom restored (Daniel 4:34–37).
What does Daniel 4:17 mean?
Daniel 4:17 means that God holds final authority over every kingdom on earth. The verse says the dream’s sentence came “to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” No king rises or falls apart from God. Daniel 2:21, Psalm 75:7 and Romans 13:1 teach the same truth: God removes kings and sets up kings.
Who are the watchers in Daniel 4?
The watchers in Daniel 4 are God’s holy angels, sent from heaven to announce His decree. Daniel 4:13 calls one “a watcher, a holy one,” and the word comes from a root meaning to be awake. The sentence is called the decree of the watchers in 4:17, but Daniel names its source in 4:24: “It is a decree of the Most High.” The angels carry God’s word; they do not replace it.
What happened to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4?
In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar lost his kingdom and his reason for a time because of his pride. Twelve months after Daniel’s warning, he claimed he built Babylon by his own power for his own glory. A voice from heaven took his kingdom, and he lived in the field and ate grass like an ox. When he looked up to heaven, his reason returned, he praised God and his kingdom was given back.
What does the writing on the wall mean in Daniel 5?
The writing on the wall in Daniel 5 was God’s judgment on King Belshazzar: Mene, Tekel and Peres. Daniel explained that God had numbered the days of his kingdom, weighed him in the balances and found him wanting, and divided his kingdom to the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar had used the temple vessels to praise idols, and that very night he was killed and Babylon fell (Daniel 5:25–31).
How did Babylon fall in Daniel 5?
Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in a single night, in 539 BC by the usual dating. Daniel 5:30–31 says Belshazzar was killed that night and Darius the Mede received the kingdom. Babylonian records say Cyrus’s army entered without battle, and the Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon say the Persians turned the Euphrates aside and entered along the riverbed, as Isaiah 44:27 and Jeremiah 51:30–32 had described.
What can Christians learn from Daniel 4 and 5?
Christians learn from Daniel 4 and 5 that God rules over every kingdom and that pride comes before a fall. Nebuchadnezzar was humbled until he looked up to heaven, while Belshazzar knew that story and still lifted himself up. The chapters call believers to humble themselves under God’s mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6), to speak truth with respect as Daniel did, and to trust that God’s timing is exact.
Daniel 4 Trivia
1. How long did God give Nebuchadnezzar to turn before he lost his kingdom?
Show the answer
Twelve months. A year after Daniel’s warning, the king boasted on his palace roof, and while the words were still in his mouth the kingdom departed from him (Daniel 4:29–31).
2. Daniel 4:17 calls it the decree of the watchers. Whose decree does Daniel say it really is?
Show the answer
The Most High’s. The watchers announced the sentence, but when Daniel explained the dream he said, “It is a decree of the Most High” (Daniel 4:24).
