Daniel 4.12-The Tree's Foliage Was Beautiful, Its Fruit Abundant, The Beasts Found Shade Under It, The Birds Lived In Its Branches, Every Living Creature Was Fed From It
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday September 11, 2012
Daniel: Daniel 4:12-The Tree’s Foliage Was Beautiful, Its Fruit Abundant, The Beasts Found Shade Under It, The Birds Lived In Its Branches, Every Living Creature Fed From It
Lesson # 118
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 4:12.
This evening we will study Daniel 4:12, which records Nebuchadnezzar continuing to describe to Daniel the tree which appeared to him in a vision in a dream.
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. 7 So 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. 8 Then Daniel entered my presence whose name was Belteshazzar according to my god’s name and in addition one who possesses God’s Holy Spirit in him. Next, I communicated the content of the dream before him. 9 ‘O Belteshazzar, chief over the wise men, because I myself know personally that God’s Holy Spirit is in you so that any mystery is by no means too difficult for you, please consider the content of my dream, which I saw. Also, please communicate its interpretation. 10 Now, concerning the visions in my mind on my bed, I was in a trance like state staring as behold a tree was in the midst of the earth. In fact, its height was enormous. 11 The tree became enormous so that it was strong. Indeed, its height reached to the heavens so that it was visible to the extremity of the whole earth.’ (My translation)
Daniel 4:12 ‘Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, and all living creatures fed themselves from it.’ (NASB95)
Nebuchadnezzar under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of “asyndeton.”
He does this in order to emphasize the first statement here in Daniel 4:12, which records Nebuchadnezzar describing the tree he saw in the vision as having foliage which was beautiful as well as possessing abundant fruit.
In Daniel 4:19-27, Daniel interprets this dream which terrified Nebuchadnezzar and tells the king that the tree symbolizes him.
Therefore, based upon Daniel’s interpretation, this figure here in Daniel 4:12 emphasizes with the reader that the beautiful foliage of the tree and its abundant fruit symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom as overtly beautiful and provided food for many nations, ethnicities and language groups throughout the earth.
“Its foliage was beautiful” describes the tree in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as being attractive in outward appearance, implying healthy, flourishing, undiseased tree.
“And in it was food for all” is a result clause meaning that it is presenting the result of Nebuchadnezzar’s previous description of the tree which appeared to him in a vision in a dream.
Therefore, this indicates that “as a result of” the tree’s fruit being abundant, the tree provided food for all.
The context indicates that “all” refers to only the animal and bird kingdom since nowhere in Nebuchadnezzar’s description of the tree is there any allusion to mankind but only to the animal and bird kingdom.
Once again we have Daniel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of “asyndeton.”
Therefore, based upon Daniel’s interpretation, this figure emphasizes with the reader that the enormous tree which Nebuchadnezzar saw in a vision provided protection and rest for all mankind who are symbolized by the beasts of the field.
“The beasts of the field” is composed of the feminine singular construct form of the noun ḥê∙wā(h) (חֵיוָה) (khay-vaw´), “the beasts of” which is modified by the masculine singular noun bǎr (בַּר) (bar), “the field.”
The noun ḥê∙wā(h) is in the plural and means “wild animals” in contrast to domesticated animals.
The word is in the construct state meaning that it is governing the proper noun bǎr, which means “field” referring to “uncultivated land” or “unpopulated areas.”
“And all living creatures fed themselves from it” is an emphatic clause meaning that the word is introducing a statement that is intensifying and advancing upon the previous two descriptions of the tree by Nebuchadnezzar.
It is advancing upon and intensifying upon the third and fourth descriptions of the tree that the tree provided shade for the wild animals and the birds lived in its branches.
It is also reiterating and explicitly describing this tree as providing food for every living creature, i.e. animal and bird.
Daniel 4:12 ‘Its foliage was beautiful. Also, its fruit was abundant so that food was in it for the benefit of all. The beasts of the field found shade under it. Also, the birds of the sky lived in its branches. Indeed, each and every living creature was fed from it.’ (My translation)
In Daniel 4:12, we read of Nebuchadnezzar continuing to communicate the vision of an enormous tree, which he received from God in a dream.
This verse contains five more descriptions of this tree.
Daniel’s interpretation of this vision in verses 19-27 makes clear that this tree symbolized Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom.
Here in verse 12, the king describes the foliage of this tree as beautiful.
He then describes its fruit as abundant so that food was in it for the benefit of all who according to the next two descriptions are the animal and bird kingdoms.
Nebuchadnezzar then describes the beasts of the field finding shade under this tree.
He also says that the birds of the sky lived in its branches.
Then, emphatically, he states the each and every living creature was fed from it.
Nebuchadnezzar’s five-fold description of this enormous tree symbolized that every nation, ethnicity and language group on the earth was under his authority and was provided for by his kingdom and found protection from his kingdom.
This is according to Daniel’s interpretation, which says that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom had dominion over the entire earth.
However, this does not imply that he actually ruled every inch of the globe but rather that God had granted him dominion in whatever direction his ambition led him, which history tells us included Egypt, Nineveh, Arabia, Syria, Tyre, and its Phoenician colonies (Jeremiah 27:5–8).
“Its foliage was beautiful” symbolizes that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was outwardly attractive in appearance, implying that it was healthy and flourishing.
“Also, its fruit was abundant so that food was in it for the benefit of all” symbolically refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom as providing sustenance for the benefit of each and every human being under his dominion.
“The beasts of the field found shade under it” symbolizes unregenerate humanity who were under Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion who found rest and protection from his kingdom.
“Also, the birds of the sky lived in its branches” is also symbolizing unregenerate humanity who were under Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion who found rest and protection from his kingdom.
The human race is described from God’s perspective as animals since the entire human race is totally deprived and possessing absolutely no merit with Him because they are sinners by nature and practice.
Therefore, this description of the human race as beasts and birds indicates that God views sinful humanity as no better than the animal and bird kingdom.
This means that like the birds and the wild animals who are driven by impulse to act so sinful mankind is driven by impulse rather than reason or His Word because they are sinners by nature and practice from God’s perspective.
“Indeed, each and every living creature was fed from it” symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom as providing sustenance for the entire human race.
This five-fold description symbolizes that Nebuchadnezzar was the central authority on planet earth in the sixth century B.C. when the king received this vision of an enormous tree in a dream.
It also brings to an end the first part of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision, which describes his kingdom as possessing world-wide dominion over the entire human race.
The second part of the vision is contained in verses 13-17, which describes symbolically, the downfall of Nebuchadnezzar and his restoration after he acknowledges that the God of Israel is sovereign over him.