Daniel 4.7-The Occult Priests, Necromancers, Astrologers And Diviners Could Not Interpret Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday August 29, 2012
Daniel: Daniel 4:7-The Occult Priests, Necromancers, Astrologers And Diviners Could Not Interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
Lesson # 113
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 4:7.
This evening we will study Daniel 4:7 which records the city of Babylon’s occult priests, necromancers, astrologers and diviners obeying his command to assemble before him but failing to interpret the king’s dream which had terrified him.
Daniel 4:1 “King Nebuchadnezzar, to each and every person belonging to the nations, ethnicities and language groups, who are living throughout the entire earth: May your prosperity increase! 2 It is pleasing to me to make known the miraculous signs, yes, and wondrous signs at that, which the Most High God performed on my behalf. 3 How great are His miraculous signs! Indeed, how great are His wondrous signs! His kingdom is eternal. In other words, His governmental dominion is from generation to generation. 4 I myself, Nebuchadnezzar was content in my house, specifically prosperous in my palace. 5 I saw a dream, which caused me to be frightened, specifically revelations on my bed. Indeed, visions in my mind caused me to be terrified. 6 Therefore, from me a command was issued for the purpose of causing each and every one of the city of Babylon’s wise men to be brought into my presence in order that they could make known to me the dream’s interpretation.” (My translation)
Daniel 4:7 “Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners came in and I related the dream to them, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.” (NASB95)
“Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners came in” presents to the reader the result of Nebuchadnezzar’s command recorded in Daniel 4:6.
Therefore, it indicates that the city of Babylon’s occult priests, necromancers, astrologers and diviners entered Nebuchadnezzar’s presence “as a result of” obeying his command to do so.
“Magicians” is the masculine plural form of the noun ḥǎr∙ṭōm (חַרְטֹם) (khar-tome), which refers to “occultist priests” who were a class of intelligent and clever priests involved with the occult, which is driven by demons.
These occult priests occupied themselves with the arts and sciences of the Babylonians, which involves astrology, the interpretation of dreams, the foretelling of events, as well as magic and channeling.
They were regarded as the possessors of secret arts and led the Babylonians in the worship of their gods like Marduk.
“Conjurers” is the masculine plural form of the noun ʾǎš∙šāp̄ (אַשָּׁף) (ash-shawf), which refers to a necromancer who was an individual who attempted to contact the dead for the purpose of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events.
“Chaldeans” is the masculine plural form of the noun kǎś∙dāy (כַּשְׂדָּי) (kas-day), which is the Aramaic cognate of the proper noun kǎś∙dîm, which we saw in Daniel 2:2 were astrologers.
The astrologers studied the magnitudes, movements and constitutions of the heavenly bodies.
They are interested in the effect of these celestial phenomena on human life and supposedly can foretell events by the positions of the planets and stars.
The Babylonians developed sophisticated methods of reading the stars to determine proper times for action.
The Bible does not seek to describe the skills, tactics, or methods of these individuals engaged in various practices to determine the opportune time.
Rather the Bible mocks such practices and shows that God’s word to the prophets and the wise of Israel far surpasses any of their skills.
“Diviners” is the masculine plural peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active participle form of the verb gezǎr (גְּזַר) (ghez-ar´) which refers to those who practice rhabdomancy, hepatoscopy, teraphim, necromancy, hydromancy, lots, and dreams.
Rhabdomancy was divination by use of a rod or staff (cf. Exodus 4:4, 17; 17:9) whereas hepatoscopy was divination by the examination of an animal’s liver (Ezekiel 21:19-21).
Another form of divination was through the use of teraphim, i.e. divination by consulting with images.
Hydromancy was divination by the observation of water.
Divination was practiced by drawing lots and interpreting dreams.
“Came in” is the the masculine plural peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active participle form of the verb ʿǎlǎl (עֲלַל) (al-al´), which refers to the city of Babylon’s occult priests, necromancers, astrologers and diviners entering Nebuchadnezzar’s presence.
The participle form of the verb denotes simultaneous action with the verb ʾǎmǎr indicating that “when” the city of Babylon’s occult priests, necromancers, astrologers and diviners entered Nebuchadnezzar’s presence the king communicated to them the content of his dream.
Daniel 4:7 “Consequently, when the occult priests, necromancers, astrologers as well as diviners entered, I communicated the content of the dream before them but they could not make its interpretation known to me.” (My translation)
These occult priests, necromancers, astrologers and diviners undoubtedly were terrified since it was not long ago that the king ordered their execution for the failure to tell him both the content and interpretation of the dream of the statue of a man which is recorded in chapter two.
Daniel saved their lives by requesting that the king not kill them since they had no capacity whatsoever to fulfill the king’s request nor any man.
God had given Daniel both the content and interpretation of the dream which he communicated to Nebuchadnezzar who in turn praised Daniel’s God and rewarded both him and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Daniel 2:24 records Daniel making a request of Arioch, the king’s executioner to not kill the wise men.
He could have requested that Arioch only spare his life and the lives of his three friends and not include the occult priests, necromancers, witches and astrologers.
Daniel would have been justified since the practices of these four groups were condemned by God in the Mosaic Law.
Yet, Daniel pleads for their lives which was a great demonstration of the love of God in Daniel’s life, which was a great reflection of God’s love towards His enemies.
The failure of the wise men to meet Nebuchadnezzar’s demands meant that all their previous predictions, all their astrological forecasts, all their fortune telling, was nothing but figments of their own imaginations.
They were admitting that their mythology which claimed that their gods came among members of the human race was false and without any evidence.
So the wise men were exposed, which leads to Nebuchadnezzar becoming furious with them and issuing the decree to execute all of them.
The king’s decree to execute the city of Babylon’s wise men was unfair since it included executing Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah who did not belong to the occult priests, necromancers, witches or astrologers but were diplomats or dignitaries working in various areas of the king of Babylon’s government.
Thus, this decree was unfair to the other diplomats or dignitaries working in the government who did not belong to the occult priests, necromancers, witches or astrologers.
However, the king’s decree is fair in relation to the occult priests, necromancers, witches or astrologers for two reasons.
First of all, they were deceiving the king that they were in contact with the gods and were lying to him as we have already pointed out in detail.
Also, the activities of these four groups were an abomination in the judgment of the Lord and worthy of the death penalty in Israel (cf. Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Leviticus 20:27).
Daniel 2:48 records the king making Daniel ruler over the entire province of the city of Babylon or in other words chief over the senior officials over each and every one of the city of Babylon’s wise men.
Undoubtedly Daniel evangelized the wise men and taught them the ways of his God, Yahweh.
So in Daniel 4:6-7, we have the king again asking his wise men to interpret his dream, which he knows and they know they can’t do and have been proven to have no ability to meet this request of the king to interpret his dream.
There are three possible reasons why Nebuchadnezzar sent for the wise men and then as a last resort Daniel.
The first is that the wise men had been under Daniel’s authority, which might have caused the king to believe that the wise men were taught by Daniel to interpret dreams.
The second reason is that Nebuchadnezzar might have felt embarrassed because of his great pride to call on the latter since chapter three records that he executed his three friends.
The first reason could have been used by the king to rationalize not having to face Daniel again, which undoubtedly would have been embarrassing to him.
The third reason is that the king knows with this revelation or vision that God is dealing with him and is not happy with him which is reflected in Daniel’s interpretation, which said that the king would be deposed for seven years until he acknowledged that God was sovereign over him.