Daniel Chapter 4 Summary

Introduction Daniel chapter 4 holds an interesting position within the book of Daniel, as it is the only section that was authored by King Nebuchadnezzar. This is made clear from the opening of the chapter which clearly states, “King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples.” Daniel chapter four is not a letter written to inspire a body of believers, it does not stand to describe battles fought on the battle field. Daniel four is a story. In fact, Daniel chapter four holds such significance because of the context from which it was written. To give a brief synopsis of this chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that scares him and baffles his wise men, Daniel then interprets the dream leading to the wandering seven year humiliation of the king as a beast. Yet, the King’s reign is restored at the end of the chapter when he acknowledges Daniel’s God as the one true God. The rule of King Nebuchadnezzar can be seen throughout the book of Daniel, yet his relationship with Daniel’s God remains to be one of superficiality and arrogance. This presents …show more content…
On the very day of his inaugural speech he addresses the gods thanking them and saying, “O merciful Marduk, may the house that I have built endure forever, may I be satiated with its splendor, attain old age therein, with abundant offspring, and receive therein tribute of the kings of all regions, from all mankind.” The historical accounts of his privilege, wealth, and power matches up seamlessly with Daniel’s description. Yet, Nebuchadnezzar was known for the Babylonian Exile of the Jewish people. All of these things combined lead to the king writing Daniel chapter four. All of these characteristics made him a man that was obsessed with power and building a great kingdom for himself. This lead to the King denying the one true God in pursuit of his own petty power and political circumstance. These events lead to the great fall of the King.
Greeting from the