Daniel 4.13-Nebuchadnezzar Was In A Trance Like State Staring Because Of The Visions In His Mind On His Bed As A Watcher, Yes A Holy One Descended From Heaven
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday September 12, 2012
Daniel: Daniel 4:13-Nebuchadnezzar Was In A Trance Like State Staring Because Of The Visions In His Mind On His Bed As A Watcher, Yes A Holy One Descended From Heaven
Lesson # 119
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 4:13.
This evening we will study Daniel 4:13, which records Nebuchadnezzar telling Daniel that he was in a trance like state staring at visions in his mind on his bed when a holy watcher came down from heaven.
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. 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)
Daniel 4:13 ‘I was looking in the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven.’ (NASB95)
“I was looking” is composed of the masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active participle form of the verb ḥǎzā(h) (חֲזָה) (khaz-aw´), “looking” which is followed by the first person masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active perfect form of the verb hǎwā(h) (הֲוָה) (hav-aw´), “I was.”
The Holy Spirit through Nebuchadnezzar uses the figure of asyndeton because He wants to communicate that the holy watcher descending from heaven was a solemn event in this vision the king received from God.
The verb hǎwā(h) denotes Nebuchadnezzar’s trance like state when he saw the holy watcher descending from heaven.
The verb ḥǎzā(h) means “to stare” in the sense of steadily looking at something with studious attention and with openmouthed wonder and amazement.
It is used with Nebuchadnezzar as its subject and refers to the king looking at a prophetic revelatory vision with studious attention and with open mouth wonder and amazement.
“The visions” is the masculine plural construct form of the noun ḥězû (חֱזוּ) (khay´-zev), which denotes that Nebuchadnezzar received this revelation while he was in a trance or altered state of consciousness in which extrasensory audiovisual experiences, which were revelatory in character, were perceived by the king.
The noun ḥězû is the object of the preposition bĕ, which is a marker of cause indicating the basis or the reason why Nebuchadnezzar was in a trance like state staring.
“Behold” is the interjection ʾǎlû (אֲלוּ) (al-oo´), which draws the attention of the reader in order to mark that what the king saw was impressive and astounding.
“An angelic watcher, a holy one” is composed of the masculine singular noun ʿîr (עִיר) (eer), “an watcher” which is followed by the conjunction wa (וְ) (waw), which is not translated and followed by the masculine singular adjective the masculine singular adjective qǎd∙dîš (קַדִּישׁ) (kad-deesh´), “a holy one.”
The noun ʿîr means “watcher” and is used to describe the individual descending from heaven in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision.
The adjective qǎd∙dîš is used as a substantive and means “holy one.”
The conjunction wa is used to join these two words in order to communicate one idea, which is called “hendiadys.”
Therefore, these two words express one idea, namely that Nebuchadnezzar saw in a vision a watcher, yes, a holy one, descending from heaven.
So this figure of hendiadys emphasizes that the awesome sight of this holy watcher descending from haven was supernatural in nature.
Daniel 4:13 ‘I was in a trance like state staring because of the visions in my mind on my bed as behold a watcher, yes a holy one descended out from the heavens.’ (My translation)
By identifying this expression ʿîr w qǎd·dîš, “a watcher, yes a holy one” in Daniel 4:13 as referring to an elect angel carrying out God’s orders in declaring judgment against Nebuchadnezzar indicates that the Trinity is employing an elect angel to make this decree known to the king.
Most commentators support this interpretation from sources outside the Scriptures and with Scripture in that the Scriptures do teach in many places that God uses elect angels to announce judgments against mankind.
However, there is another option we must consider, namely that the expression ʿîr w qǎd·dîš in Daniel 4:13 is referring to the preincarnate Christ.
Daniel 4:17 and 4:23 can help us to determine if this expression in Daniel 4:13 is referring to an elect angel or the preincarnate Christ.
Daniel 4:17 “This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers and the decision is a command of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men.” (NASB95)
Daniel 4:24, “This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king.” (NASB95)
It would conflict with the rest of Scripture and would not reflect what the text is saying if we interpret verse 17 as saying that the sentence against the king was by the decree of the elect angels, yes by the command of the holy ones.
The Scriptures teach that elect angels do not issue decrees of judgment against human beings or nations but only God does this.
Elect angels carry out God’s judgments at times and announce them at times as well.
This sentence against Nebuchadnezzar is not by the decree of the council of elect angels but rather by the decree of the councils of the Trinity, by the command of the Trinity, which is supported by Daniel’s statement in Daniel 4:24 that the decree is from the Most High.
Daniel 4:17 does not say that the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was by means of the announcement of the watchers, the holy ones but rather it was by the decree of the watchers, yes, by the command of the holy ones.
This would indicate that the “watchers, holy ones” in this verse is a reference to the Trinity rather than elect angels since the Scriptures teach that a judicial sentence against any of God’s moral rational creatures whether men or angels is always from the Trinity.
Elect angels are often used to execute judgment and announce it but never to render the decision themselves.
If this were an elect angel speaking in Daniel 4:13-17, it would be rather strange and conflict with the teaching of the Scriptures for the angel to announce the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar and then say it was by the decree or command of the elect angels.
This would mean that he is speaking on behalf of his fellow elect angels.
It would be more in line with Scripture if he was speaking on behalf of the Trinity rather than the elect angels.
Another factor to take into account is that Nebuchadnezzar does not employ the usual word for an angel, which is the noun mǎl∙ʾǎḵ, which means “messenger.”
If the king was referring in Daniel 4:13 to an angelic messenger it would seem more appropriate for him to use this noun rather than the noun ʿîr since this individual descending from heaven had a message for the king.
Interestingly, the noun mǎl∙ʾǎḵ appears only twice in the book of Daniel, namely Daniel 3:28 and 6:22 and in both instances, it refers to the preincarnate Christ.
All these factors mentioned above would indicate that Daniel 4:17 is teaching this announcement against Nebuchadnezzar was by the order of the Trinity who are described as the “watchers” and the “holy ones” in Daniel 4:17.
The Scriptures identify each member of the Trinity as holy and that God watches or observes mankind (Job 13:27; 33:11; Psalm 66:7; Proverbs 15:3) and that each member of the Trinity is omniscient (Father: Matthew 6:8; Son: John 2:25 and 18:4; Spirit: Isaiah 11:2).
These factors would also indicate that the expression ʿîr w qǎd·dîš in Daniel 4:13 is referring to the preincarnate Christ since the text of Daniel 4:17 is teaching that the sentence against the king was by order of the Trinity, rather than by the council of elect angels.
Thus, this interpretation would indicate that Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:13 experienced another “Christophany” or “Theophany” as he did in chapter three with the fourth individual in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, whose appearance the king described as being like the son of the gods.
Some would argue that Nebuchadnezzar would have no understanding of the Trinity or the Holy Spirit but this is beside the point since the king is not using the words “watchers” and “holy ones” in Daniel 4:17 but rather the watcher, holy one who descended from heaven.