Wenstrom Bible Ministries Marion, Iowa Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom wenstrom

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

2. Tuesday October 23, 2012Daniel: Daniel 4:33-Nebuchadnezzar Suffers From Boanthropy The Very Moment The Voice From Heaven Told The King The Sentence Against Him Was ExecutedLesson # 136

3. Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 4:33.

4. This evening we will study Daniel 4:33, which records Nebuchadnezzar suffering boanthropy the very moment the voice from heaven told the king that the sentence against him was executed.

5. Daniel 4:33 “Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.” (NASB95)

6. “Immediately” is composed of the preposition b- (בְּ־) (beh) and its object is the third person feminine singular pronominal suffix hî(ʾ) (הִיא) (hee), which is followed by the feminine singular noun šā∙ʿā(h) (שָׁעָה) (shaw-aw´).

7. The preposition b- is a temporal marker meaning “at” referring to the hour in which the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was executed.

8. The third person feminine singular pronominal suffix hî(ʾ) means “that” and is functioning like a demonstrative pronoun pointing out the noun šā∙ʿā(h), which means “same moment” referring to a point in time simultaneous with another point of time.

9. Therefore, these three words form an expression which literally means “at that very or same moment” and speak of a specific period of time or point in time simultaneous with another point of time.

10. The two points of time which are simultaneous with each other are presented to the reader in Daniel 4:31-33.

11. The point of time simultaneous with the actions recorded in verses 31-32 is recorded here in Daniel 4:33, which records that this sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled.

12. Therefore, this expression indicates that “immediately” or “at that very moment” the sentence against the king was executed.

13. This prepositional phrase which introduces Daniel 4:33 emphasizes the swiftness of the execution of this sentence against the king.

14. “The word” is the feminine singular form of the noun mil∙lā(h) (מִלָּה) (mil-law´), which means “the command.”

15. It is used in a collective sense for the eight commands issued by the Holy Watchman in Daniel 4:14-16, which according to Daniel’s interpretation in Daniel 4:20-26 symbolize Nebuchadnezzar being deposed from power for seven years while suffering boanthropy.

16. “Was fulfilled” is the third person feminine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active perfect of the verb sûp̄ (סוּף) (soof), which means “to execute” since the word’s subject is the noun mil∙lā(h), which we noted means “the command.”

17. Therefore, this verb means that, this command to depose Nebuchadnezzar from power by giving him the mental disorder of boanthropy “was executed” immediately.

18. “Concerning Nebuchadnezzar” is composed of the preposition ʿǎl (עַל) (al), “concerning” and its object is the masculine singular form of the proper name neḇû∙ḵǎḏ∙ně(ʾ)ṣ∙ṣǎr (נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר) (neb-oo-kad-nets-tsar), “Nebuchadnezzar.”

19. The preposition ʿǎl is a marker of advantage meaning that this command was “for the benefit of” Nebuchadnezzar because it humbled him and conformed his attitude and conduct to God’s will for his life.

20. This is indicated by the fact that God always has the best interests of His people in mind when He disciplines them according to Hebrews 12:4-12.

21. Also, the discipline served the king well since he repented and praised God for disciplining him.

22. “And he was driven away from mankind” presents the result of the command to depose Nebuchadnezzar from power for seven years as a result of giving him the mental disorder of boanthropy.

23. “And began eating grass like cattle” expresses the shock that Nebuchadnezzar, a world-ruler would be fed grass like cattle and denotes that this is out of the ordinary or not what we would expect a human being to do.

24. “Began eating” is composed of the third person masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active imperfect form of the verb ʾǎḵǎl (אֲכַל) (ak-al´), which literally means “to chew to pieces” and refers to Nebuchadnezzar chewing or eating the grass of the field.

25. It portrays the king chewing grass like cattle.

26. The imperfect conjugation or tense of the verb is a habitual imperfect meaning that Nebuchadnezzar performs this action on a habitual basis for seven years.

27. “Was drenched” is the third person masculine singular hitpaʿʿal (Hebrew: piel) passive imperfect form of the verb ṣeḇǎʿ (צְבַע) (tseb-ah´), which means “to be drenched” with the dew from heaven.

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

29. The hitpaʿʿal (Hebrew: piel) stem of this verb is iterative and denotes Nebuchadnezzar being continually drenched with the dew from heaven over a seven year period.

30. The imperfect conjugation or tense of the verb is a habitual imperfect meaning that this took place on a habitual basis for seven years.

31. “Until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers” is composed of the preposition ʿǎḏ (עַד) (ad) which is followed by the particle dî (דִּי) (dee), which together are translated “until” and then we have the masculine singular construct form of the noun śeʿǎr (שְׂעַר) (seh-ar´), “hair” which is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ) (הוּא) (who), “his”

32. and then we have the preposition k- (כְּ־) (kee) “like” and its object is the masculine plural noun nešǎr (נְשַׁר) (nesh-ar´), “eagles’” which is followed by the third person masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active perfect form of the verb reḇā(h) (רְבָה) (reb-aw´), “had grown.”

33. The preposition ʿǎḏ is employed with the particle dî as a marker of duration with reference to another point of time.

34. It is a temporal marker indicating that something occurs up to the time indicated by its object.

35. Here it denotes Nebuchadnezzar being driven from mankind and eating grass like cattle and being drenched with the dew from heaven “until” his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers and his nails like a bird’s claws.

36. The verb reḇā(h) means “to become extremely long” and its subject of course is Nebuchadnezzar’s hair.

37. Therefore, this verb denotes that Nebuchadnezzar’s hair “became extremely long” as a result of being driven away from mankind for seven years as a result of God punishing him with the mental disorder of boanthropy.

38. Daniel 4:33 At that very moment, the command was executed for the benefit of Nebuchadnezzar. Consequently, he was driven away from mankind. He even habitually ate grass like cattle. Furthermore, he was continually drenched with the dew from heaven until his hair became extremely long like eagle’s feathers likewise his nails like a bird’s claws. (My translation)

39. Daniel 4:29 makes clear that the execution of this sentence which was for the benefit of Nebuchadnezzar to humble him, did not take place until one year after Daniel interpreted the vision for Nebuchadnezzar, which Daniel followed with advice for the king to repent.

40. However, Daniel 4:33 makes clear that the king remained arrogant and did not repent and then suffered the consequences for his stubbornness.

41. The punishment was for the king’s benefit in that it was designed to humble the king before his Creator and Redeemer.

42. It was also designed to conform the king’s conduct to the will of God.

43. The Lord wanted the king to treat his subjects as he would himself.

44. However, the king mistreated the poor in his kingdom as implied by Daniel’s advice in Daniel 4:27.

45. The king undoubtedly was hidden from the view of the public.

46. He might have been hidden in a secluded park so that the public would not know his true condition.

47. That Nebuchadnezzar was not murdered by his enemies while suffering from this mental disorder for seven years is the direct result of the sovereignty of God.

48. Daniel would have played an instrumental role during this period by protecting the king and his interests as well as encouraging the royal dignitaries.

49. Daniel would have informed them of God’s plan for the king’s restoration.

50. That Daniel would have been instrumental in protecting the king during these seven years is not unreasonable and more than likely did occur.