Daniel 4:16

Christian Standard Bible ®

Let his mind be changed from that of a human,and let him be given the mind of an animalfor seven periods of time.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
let his heart be changed from man's, and let a animal's heart be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.

King James Version
Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

English Standard Version
Let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.

New American Standard Bible
"Let his mind change from that of a human And let an animal's mind be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him.

New Century Version
Let him not think like a human any longer, but let him have the mind of an animal for seven years.

Amplified Bible
"Let his mind and nature be changed from a man's And let an animal's mind and nature be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Let his heart be changed from mans nature, and let a beasts heart be giuen vnto him, and let seuen times be passed ouer him.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Let his mind be changed from that of a man And let a beast's mind be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him.

Berean Standard Bible
Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the mind of a beast till seven times pass him by.

Contemporary English Version
Give him the mind of a wild animal for seven long years.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Dani'el, whose name was Belt'shatzar, was in shock awhile, frightened by his thoughts. The king said, ‘Belt'shatzar, don't let the dream or the interpretation frighten you.' Belt'shatzar answered, ‘My lord, if only the dream were about those who hate you, and the interpretation about your enemies!

Darby Translation
Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

Easy-to-Read Version
He will not think like a man any longer. He will have the mind of an animal. Seven seasons will pass while he is like this.'

George Lamsa Translation
Let his heart be changed from mans, and let a beasts heart be given to him; and let seven seasons change over him.

Good News Translation
For seven years he will not have a human mind, but the mind of an animal.

Lexham English Bible
Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let the mind of an animal be given to him, and let seven times pass over him.

Literal Translation
Let his heart be changed from man's, and let the heart of the beasts be given to him. And let seven times pass over him.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
That mans herte off his shall be taken from him, and a beastes herte shall be geuen him, till seuen yeares be come and gone vpon him.

American Standard Version
let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

Bible in Basic English
Let his heart be changed from that of a man, and the heart of a beast be given to him; and let seven times go by him.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while, and his thoughts affrighted him. The king spoke and said: 'Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation, affright thee.' Belteshazzar answered and said: 'My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine adversaries.

King James Version (1611)
Let his heart bee changed from mans, and let a beasts heart be giuen vnto him, and let seuen times passe ouer him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Let his heart be chaunged from mans [nature] and let a beastes heart be geued vnto hym, and let seuen times be passed ouer hym.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Then Daniel, whose name is Baltasar, was amazed about one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. And Baltasar answered and said, My lord, let the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation of it to thine enemies.

English Revised Version
let his heart be changed from man's and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

World English Bible
let his heart be changed from man's, and let a animal's heart be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
His herte be chaungid fro mannus herte, and the herte of a wielde beeste be youun to hym, and seuene tymes be chaungid on hym.

Update Bible Version
let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.

New English Translation
Let his mind be altered from that of a human being, and let an animal's mind be given to him, and let seven periods of time go by for him.

New King James Version
Let his heart be changed from that of a man,Let him be given the heart of a beast,And let seven times Daniel 4:23, 25, and 32">[fn] pass over him.

New Living Translation
For seven periods of time, let him have the mind of a wild animal instead of the mind of a human.

New Life Bible
Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and for seven years let him have the mind of an animal.

New Revised Standard
Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let the mind of an animal be given to him. And let seven times pass over him.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Let, its heart, from a man's, be changed, and, the heart of a wild beast, be given to it, - and let seven seasons pass over it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
16 [13] [fn] Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given him; and let seven times pass over him.

Revised Standard Version
let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.

Young's Literal Translation
his heart from man's is changed, and the heart of a beast is given to him, and seven times pass over him;

THE MESSAGE
A Dream of a Chopped-Down Tree King Nebuchadnezzar to everyone, everywhere—every race, color, and creed: "Peace and prosperity to all! It is my privilege to report to you the gracious miracles that the High God has done for me. "His miracles are staggering, his wonders are surprising. His kingdom lasts and lasts, his sovereign rule goes on forever. "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home taking it easy in my palace, without a care in the world. But as I was stretched out on my bed I had a dream that scared me—a nightmare that shook me. I sent for all the wise men of Babylon so that they could interpret the dream for me. When they were all assembled—magicians, enchanters, fortunetellers, witches—I told them the dream. None could tell me what it meant. "And then Daniel came in. His Babylonian name is Belteshazzar, named after my god, a man full of the divine Holy Spirit. I told him my dream. "‘Belteshazzar,' I said, ‘chief of the magicians, I know that you are a man full of the divine Holy Spirit and that there is no mystery that you can't solve. Listen to this dream that I had and interpret it for me. "‘This is what I saw as I was stretched out on my bed. I saw a big towering tree at the center of the world. As I watched, the tree grew huge and strong. Its top reached the sky and it could be seen from the four corners of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant—enough food for everyone! Wild animals found shelter under it, birds nested in its branches, everything living was fed and sheltered by it. "‘And this also is what I saw as I was stretched out on my bed. I saw a holy watchman descend from heaven, and call out: Chop down the tree, lop off its branches, strip its leaves and scatter its fruit. Chase the animals from beneath it and shoo the birds from its branches. But leave the stump and roots in the ground, belted with a strap of iron and bronze in the grassy meadow. Let him be soaked in heaven's dew and take his meals with the animals that graze. Let him lose his mind and get an animal's mind in exchange, And let this go on for seven seasons.

Contextual Overview

⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. ⁵I had a dream, and it frightened me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me. ⁶So I issued a decree to bring all the wise men of Babylon to me in order that they might make the dream’s interpretation known to me. ⁷When the magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners came in, I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me. ⁸Finally Daniel, named Belteshazzar after the name of my god—and a spirit of the holy gods is in him—came before me. I told him the dream: ⁹“Belteshazzar, head of the magicians, because I know that you have the spirit of the holy gods and that no mystery puzzles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its interpretation. ¹⁰In the visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this: ¹¹The tree grew large and strong;its top reached to the sky,and it was visible to the ends of the earth. ¹²Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant,and on it was food for all.Wild animals found shelter under it,the birds of the sky lived in its branches,and every creature was fed from it. ¹³“As I was lying in my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Let his: Here a transition is made from the tree to Nebuchadnezzar, whom it represented; the tree being lost sight of, a person came in its stead. This person having lost the heart, or disposition of a man, and conceiving himself a beast, should act as such, and herd among them.

be changed: Daniel 4:32, Daniel 4:33, Isaiah 6:10, Hebrews 1:11, Mark 5:4, Mark 5:5, Luke 8:27-29

seven times: That is, seven years, a time in the prophetic language denoting a year. Daniel 4:23, Daniel 4:25, Daniel 4:31, Daniel 7:25, Daniel 11:13, Daniel 12:7, Revelation 12:14

Reciprocal: Job 12:24 - He taketh Daniel 4:34 - at the end Daniel 4:36 - mine

Cross-References

Genesis 3:8
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Genesis 4:14
Since you are banishing me today from the face of the earth, and I must hide from your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me.”

Exodus 20:18
All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance.

2 Kings 13:23
but the Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and turned toward them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was not willing to destroy them. Even now he has not banished them from his presence.

2 Kings 24:20
Because of the Lord’s anger, it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he finally banished them from his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Job 1:12
“Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “everything he owns is in your power. However, do not lay a hand on Job himself.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.

Job 2:7
So Satan left the Lord’s presence and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Job 20:17
He will not enjoy the streams,the rivers flowing with honey and curds.

Psalms 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;let them shout for joy forever.May you shelter them,and may those who love your name boast about you.

Psalms 68:2
As smoke is blown away,so you blow them away.As wax melts before the fire,so the wicked are destroyed before God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Let his heart be changed from man's,.... Not as to the substance, but as to the quality:

and let a beast's heart be given unto him; from a human heart, let it be changed into a brutal one; let him be deprived of the use of reason, and have no more exercise of it than a brute has; let him be wholly governed by the animal senses, and behave and act as a beast does; be as senseless, stupid, and savage, as that: and such a heart Nebuchadnezzar had; not that his rational soul departed from him, then he must have died; but the powers of it were sadly vitiated and depraved; his understanding, imagining himself to be a beast, not a man; his judgment, in not distinguishing the actions of a beast from those of a man; his memory of things past utterly failed; he forgot what he had been, and was; his will, inclination, and fancy, were towards brutal things, and ran upon deserts, fields, and grass; and he shunned the society of men:

and let seven times pass over him: while in this condition; let him remain so long in it; not seven months, as Abarbinel, and others; nor seven half years, or three years and a half, as some in Theodoret; dividing the year into two parts, summer and winter; and suppose, that seven of these seasons passed over him before he recovered; but seven years are meant, as Jarchi, Saadiah, and Jacchiades, as the phrase is used in Daniel 7:25, so many years the temple of Solomon was building, which Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed, and so long this madness must remain upon him: no notice is taken of this affair by Heathen writers, only Abydenus n says, that being under a divine afflatus, he foretold the destruction of the Babylonian empire by a Persian mule (meaning Cyrus), and by a Mede, and immediately, ηφανιστο, he disappeared; which some have understood of this time of his madness, which quickly followed upon this dream.

n Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 41. p. 457.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him - Here the same thing occurs in a more marked form, showing that some man was represented by the vision, and indicating some change which was fitted to attract the deepest attention - as if the person referred to should cease to be a man, and become a beast. The word heart here seems to refer to nature - “let his nature or propensity cease to be that of a man, and become like that of a beast; let him cease to act as a man, and act as the beasts do - evincing as little mind, and living in the same manner.”

And let seven times pass over him - In this condition, or until he is restored. It is not indeed said that he would be restored, but this is implied

(a) in the very expression “until seven times shall pass over him,” as if he would then be restored in some way, or as if this condition would then terminate; and

(b) in the statement that “the stump of the roots “would be left in the earth as if it might still germinate again.

Everything, however, in the dream was fitted to produce perplexity as to what it could mean. The word rendered “times” (עדנין ‛ı̂ddânı̂yn - singular, עדן ‛iddân) is an important word in the interpretation of Daniel. It is of the same class of words as the Hebrew יעד yâ‛ad - to point out, to appoint, to fix; and would refer properly to time considered as “appointed” or “designated;” then it may mean any stated or designated period, as a year. The idea is that of time considered as designated or fixed by periods, and the word may refer to any such period, however long or short - a day, a month, a year, or any other measure of duration. What measurement or portion is intended in any particular case must be determined from the connection in which the word is found. The word used here does not occur in the Hebrew scripture, and is found only in the book of Daniel, where it is uniformly rendered “time” and “times.”

It is found only in the following places: Daniel 2:8, “that ye would gain the time;” Daniel 2:9, “till the time be changed;” Daniel 2:21, “and he changeth the times;” Daniel 3:5, Daniel 3:15, “at what time ye shall hear;” Daniel 4:16, Daniel 4:23, “and let seven times pass over him,” Daniel 4:25, Daniel 4:32, “seven times shall pass over him;” Daniel 7:12, “for a season and time;” Daniel 7:25, “until a time and times and the dividing of time.” In the place before us, so far as the meaning of the word is concerned, it might mean a day, a week, a month, or a year. The more common interpretation is what supposes that it was a year, and this will agree better with all the circumstances of the case than any other period. The Greek of Theodotion here is: καὶ ἑππὰ καιροὶ ὰλλαγήσονται ἐπ ̓ ἀυτόν kai hepta kairoi allagēsontai ep' auton - “And seven times shall change upon him;” that is, until seven seasons revolve over him.

The most natural construction of this Greek phrase would be to refer it to years. The Latin Vulgate interprets it in a similar way - et septem tempora mutentur super eum - “And let seven times be changed” or revolve “over him.” In the Codex Chisianus it is: καὶ ἐππὰ ἔτη βοσκηθῆ σὺν αὐτοῖς kai hepta etē boskēthē sun autois - “and let him feed with them seven years.” Luther renders it “times.” Josephus understands by it “seven years.” - “Ant.” b. x. ch. 10: Section 6. While the Chaldee word is indeterminate in respect to the length of time, the most natural and obvious construction here and elsewhere, in the use of the word, is to refer it to years. Days or weeks would be obviously too short, and though in this place the word “months” would perhaps embrace all that would be necessary, yet in the other places where the word occurs in Daniel it undoubtedly refers to years, and there is, therefore, a propriety in understanding it in the same manner here.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 16. Let his heart be changed — Let him conceive himself to be a beast, and act as such, herding among the beasts of the field.

Let seven times pass over him. — Let him continue in this state for seven years. I knew a man who was thus changed in his heart - in his imagination. He believed himself to be a bear, and would imitate the ursal growl, c. and the case did not appear to be hypochondriacal. Whether he ever came to sound mind, I know not.