Wenstrom Bible Ministries Marion, Iowa Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom www.wenstrom.org

1. Wenstrom Bible MinistriesMarion, IowaPastor-Teacher Bill Wenstromwww.wenstrom.org

2. Tuesday September 18, 2012Daniel: Daniel 4:15-The Holy Watcher Orders Tree To Be Preserved And Not Destroyed CompletelyLesson # 121

3. Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 4:1.

4. This evening we will study Daniel 4:15, which records the Holy Watcher who descended from the heavens ordering that the tree in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream be preserved and not destroyed completely.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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. 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. 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.

11. 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.

12. 13 I was in a trance like state staring because of the visions in my mind on my bed as behold a watchman, yes a holy one descended out from the heavens.

13. 14 He publicly proclaimed with authority and said “Cut down the tree! Also, lop off its branches! Strip off its foliage! Furthermore, scatter its fruit! Let the beasts flee out from under it as well as the birds from its branches!’ (My translation)

14. Daniel 4:15 “Yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field; And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth.” (NASB95)

15. “Yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground” stands in direct contrast with the Holy Watcher’s statement in Daniel 4:14, which records that after the holy watcher, which we noted is the preincarnate Christ, descended from the heavens, He publicly proclaimed with authority five commands.

16. Therefore, the contrast is between cutting down the tree so that the animals and birds lose its benefits and leaving the taproot of the tree in the ground so that it was not destroyed completely.

17. “Leave” is the second person masculine plural peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active imperative form of the verb šeḇǎq (שְׁבַק) (sheb-ak´), which means “to leave something intact” and here its object is the taproot or stump of the tree.

18. Therefore, this verb indicates that the preincarnate Christ is ordering the elect angels to “leave intact” the taproot or stump of the tree, which Nebuchadnezzar saw in this vision.

19. The imperative mood of the verb is an imperative of command meaning that the holy watchman who is the preincarnate Christ is ordering the taproot of this enormous tree to be left intact.

20. The second person plural form of the verb is a reference to elect angels carrying out the preincarnate Christ’s orders.

21. “The stump” is the masculine singular construct form of the noun ʿiq∙qǎr (עִקַּר) (ik-kar´), which means “taproot” or “stump” of the enormous tree, which the preincarnate Christ ordered the elect angels to cut down in Daniel 4:14.

22. This word refers to the primary root that grows vertically downward and gives off small lateral roots.

23. “But with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field” is an adversative clause meaning that it stands in contrast with the previous order by the Holy Watcher to leave intact the taproot of this enormous tree which produces the tree’s roots.

24. Therefore, the word is marking a contrast between the taproot of the tree being left in the ground by itself with it having around it a band of iron and bronze.

25. “A band” is the masculine singular noun ʾěsûr (אֱסוּר) (es-oor´), which refers to a hoop of metal around a tree base for constriction.

26. This band would not serve to prevent the stump from rotting.

27. Thus, it appears to be used in a symbolic manner for the mental disorder that Nebuchadnezzar would suffer for seven years, which appears to be indicated by the statements in Daniel 4:16.

28. This verse records the Holy Watcher proclaiming that the mind of this tree be changed from that of a man to that of an animal, which indicates that the tree symbolizes a man, which Daniel interprets as Nebuchadnezzar.

29. The noun ʾěsûr is the object of the preposition bĕ, which is a marker of accompaniment meaning that the stump of the tree was to be “accompanied by” a band composed of iron as well as bronze.

30. “Let him be drenched” is composed of the conjunction wa (וְ) (waw), “and” which is followed by the preposition bĕ (בְּ) (beh) “in” and its object this is the masculine singular construct form of the noun ṭǎl (טַל) (tal), “the dew of” which is modified by the masculine plural dual noun šemǎ∙yin (שְׁמַיִן) (shaw-mah´-yin), “heaven” and then we have the third person masculine singular hitpaʿʿal (Hebrew: piel) middle imperfect form of the verb ṣeḇǎʿ (צְבַע) (tseb-ah´), “let him be drenched.”

31. The verb ṣeḇǎʿ means “to be drenched” with the dew from heaven.

32. This word along with the prepositional phrase which follows it means to be exposed to the elements as an animal.

33. The emphasis is upon the wetness on the skin of a person implying a harsh existence.

34. The hitpaʿʿal (Hebrew: piel) stem of this verb is iterative and denotes this stump of the tree being drenched on a habitual basis or over a long period of time.

35. The jussive form of this verb is used with its ordinary pragmatic force in that it is directed from a superior to an inferior or vice versa, i.e. the preincarnate Christ is directing this order to the elect angels.

36. This is a divine jussive which has the force of a command.

37. Here we have the Lord proclaiming a curse against the tree, which symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar.

38. “Share” is the masculine singular construct form of the noun ḥǎlāq (חֲלָק) (khal-awk´), which means “dwelling place” in the sense of residing in a certain location with emphasis on where one will live.

39. Here it is used of the stump of the tree in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which Daniel interprets as symbolizing Nebuchadnezzar and is alluded to by this word.

40. This word is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ), which means “its” referring to the taproot of the enormous tree which appeared to Nebuchadnezzar in a vision and functions as a possessive pronoun.

41. “The beasts” is the feminine singular form of the noun ḥê∙wā(h) (חֵיוָה) (khay-vaw´), which means “beasts, wild animals” in contrast to domesticated animals.

42. This noun is the object of the preposition ʿim, which is a marker of relation implying being in the same location.

43. Here it denotes that the dwelling place of the stump of the tree, which symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar was to be “among” the beasts in the grass of the field.

44. Daniel 4:15 “Nevertheless, leave intact in the ground, the taproot which produces its roots but with a band composed of iron as well as bronze in the midst of the wild grass produced by the open field. Also, let it be drenched with the dew from heaven as well as its dwelling place among the beasts in the grass produced by the field.” (My translation)

45. Since the tree is a symbolic reference to Nebuchadnezzar according to Daniel’s interpretation in Daniel 4:22, the taproot is a reference to Nebuchadnezzar under discipline from God.

46. Daniel’s interpretation in Daniel 4:20-27 indicates quite clearly that the eight commands in Daniel 4:14-15 issued by the Holy Watcher refer to the fact that Nebuchadnezzar will not be put to death by God but rather will be severely disciplined.

47. The band mentioned around the tree stump appears to be symbolic for the mental disorder that Nebuchadnezzar would suffer for seven years.

48. This is indicated by the statements in Daniel 4:16, which records the Holy Watcher proclaiming that the mind of this tree be changed from that of a man to that of animal.