Daniel Chapter 4 Verses 15-16

15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven; let his lot be with the beasts in the grass of the earth; 16 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.

Although the tree was to be cut down, the stump was to be left, and it was to have a band of iron and bronze placed around it.

The purpose of these bands seems to have been to protect and preserve the stump. They would keep the stump from being removed.

Although Daniel had not yet interpreted the king’s dream, I think we can now see why the dream was so troubling to the king. Look very carefully at what the watcher said in verse 15.

But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven; let his lot be with the beasts in the grass of the earth

The watcher begins referring to the ‘stump’ as a man! It was no doubt very clear to the king which man the watcher had in mind.

What was going to happen to this stump/man?

The mind of this stump was to changed from that of a man to that of a beast.

The word for ‘mind’ here means ‘heart.’

It ‘refers to the inner self as the seat of moral reflection, choice of the will, and pattern of behavior.’

How long was this change going to last?

It was to last for ‘seven times.’ What does that mean?

The word ‘times’ can denotes years or seasons or it can be more general as it is in 2:8 and 3:5.

Most commentators translate it as ‘appointed times’ or ‘seasons,’ which would mean that it refers to 7 years.

Another possibility is that ‘seven times’ denotes an indefinite period of time that is long enough for the lesson to be learned.

As we know, seven denotes perfection. Thus, this period of seven times might denote a period of time that would be just right for Nebuchadnezzar to learn his lesson.

This is supported by the wording later in verse 25.

Daniel 4:25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men, and gives it to whom he will.

This passage seems to stress the meaning of the seven times.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have an interesting approach to the “seven times.”

The seven times denotes seven years, each day of which also denotes a year. (Thus, we have 2520 years.)

This period is the “times of the Gentiles” – the period of Gentile opposition, which is depicted by Nebuchadnezzar’s madness. (Doesn’t it seem odd that a time of Gentile prominence would be symbolized by the insanity of a very prominent Gentile?)

This period supposedly began in 607 BC when they say the temple was destroyed. (This actually happened in 587 BC. They give incorrect dates for virtually all of the events that we have been studying.)

Counting 2520 years from 607 BC brings us to 1914, which is when they say the kingdom was established.

Many textbooks have the answers to certain exercises and problems listed in the back of the book. The purpose of these answers is to allow the students to check their work. However, many students look at the answers first and then work backwards through the problem trying to set things up so that they obtain the answer they started with. This seems to be what the Jehovah’s Witnesses have done. They started with the answer ‘1914’ and then worked backward through history doing whatever they needed to make sure they got the answer they were seeking.

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