Before us is the second part of Chapter 4 in Daniel: Daniel has already interpreted the dream of the tree for Nebuchadnezzar, and now he explains in detail how the dream will be fulfilled upon the king's own person. He offers him advice on how the decree might be deferred, and ultimately we see how everything was fulfilled in practice - until Nebuchadnezzar himself writes an epistle to all nations acknowledging the kingdom of Heaven. We will follow the order of the verses according to the commentary of the Malbim, along with the insights of Chazal and the Rishonim mentioned in the lesson.
וְלָ֣ךְ טָֽרְדִ֣ין מִן־אֲנָשָׁ֡א וְעִם־חֵיוַ֣ת בָּרָא֩ לֶהֱוֵ֨ה מְדֹרָ֜ךְ וְעִשְׂבָּ֥א כְתוֹרִ֣ין לָ֣ךְ יְטַֽעֲמ֗וּן וּמִטַּ֤ל שְׁמַיָּא֙ לָ֣ךְ מְצַבְּעִ֔ין וְשִׁבְעָ֥ה עִדָּנִ֖ין יַחְלְפ֣וּן עֲלָ֑ךְ עַ֣ד דִּֽי־תִנְדַּ֗ע דִּֽי־שַׁלִּ֤יט עִלָּאָה֙ בְּמַלְכ֣וּת אֲנָשָׁ֔א וּלְמַן־דִּ֥י יִצְבֵּ֖א יִתְּנִנַּֽהּ׃ - And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall feed you grass like oxen, and you shall be drenched with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wishes.
Pay attention to the phrasing: "And you" - this refers to you personally, not to your sons and not to future generations. You yourself will be driven away from human beings. This describes two stages: First, "they shall drive you from men" - they will remove you from human society. This is indeed what happened in reality: when he began behaving like an animal, they concealed him inside the palace, in the manner of totalitarian regimes where the ruler has already been dead for two months yet the palace continues to broadcast "business as usual." They hoped it might pass, that perhaps medicine would help. Nothing helped. Then came the second stage: "and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field" - you will be cast out among the wild beasts of the field, where they will feed you grass like oxen, and you will be exposed to the dew of heaven, without a dwelling, just like animals.
And why specifically "seven periods of time"? The Malbim explains: during each successive period, Nebuchadnezzar attributed his condition to the astrological influence of one of the planets. As long as there was another planet to blame, there was no recognition of the truth. Once seven periods had passed, corresponding to the seven planets, there was no one left to blame - all the planets had completed their cycles. Only then, "until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men": you will realize that all of this comes upon you from God Most High, that there is a supreme Ruler who governs the kingdom of mankind, and gives it to whomever He wishes.
וְדִ֣י אֲמַ֗רוּ לְמִשְׁבַּ֞ק עִקַּ֤ר שָׁרְשׁ֙וֹהִי֙ דִּ֣י אִֽילָנָ֔א מַלְכוּתָ֖ךְ לָ֣ךְ קַיָּמָ֑א מִן־דִּ֣י תִנְדַּ֔ע דִּ֥י שַׁלִּטִ֖ן שְׁמַיָּֽא׃ - And as they commanded to leave the stump of the tree's roots, your kingdom shall remain for you, from the time that you know that the Heavens rule.
What you saw in the dream, that they commanded to leave the core of the tree's roots in the earth, means that your kingdom remains preserved - and again, not for the roots coming after you, but for you yourself. And when will it return to you? "From the time that you know that the Heavens rule" - when you come to the realization that there is a Ruler in heaven, that you are lowly, and that the Creator of the universe rules over you as well. This recognition is the condition for restoration.
If we pay attention, there is a part of the dream that received no interpretation, which Daniel skipped over. In verse 14 it says: "To the intent that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wishes, and sets up over it the lowliest of men." And who is "the lowliest of men," who was downtrodden until that time and who will rise and rule? The Jewish people. Daniel completely omits this conclusion. Why? So as not to arouse Nebuchadnezzar's wrath. For if the king were to hear that the Jewish people would ultimately rise, he might say: let us finish them off in advance. We already saw that Nebuchadnezzar erected an image entirely of gold to nullify the message of the previous dream - that his kingdom was merely the head of gold and destined to end, followed by the chest and arms of Media and Persia. A person who already attempted once to act against a dream's decree would try to do so here as well. Therefore, Daniel omitted this section and did not interpret it for him.
לָהֵ֣ן מַלְכָּ֗א מִלְכִּי֙ יִשְׁפַּ֣ר עֲלָ֔ךְ וַחֲטָאָךְ֙ בְּצִדְקָ֣ה פְרֻ֔ק וַעֲוָיָתָ֖ךְ בְּמִחַ֣ן עֲנָ֑יִן הֵ֛ן תֶּהֱוֵ֥ה אַרְכָ֖ה לִשְׁלֵוְתָֽךְ׃ - Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and redeem your sins through charity, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; perhaps there may be an extension of your tranquility.
"May my counsel be acceptable to you" - may my advice please you. "And redeem your sins through charity" - remove and redeem your sins by giving charity. "And your iniquities through showing mercy to the poor" - and atone for your iniquities by being gracious to, having pity on, and showing compassion to the poor. "Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your tranquility" - and thereby you will receive an extension of your peace, and the dream will not be fulfilled upon you. There is an enormous wonder here: Daniel comes and advises Nebuchadnezzar on how to evade the evil foretold in the dream. A wicked king who destroyed the Beit HaMikdash, whose like in cruelty has never been seen - it is written that not a single person smiled as long as Nebuchadnezzar was in the world, so terrifying was the fear he instilled. And it is written that when Nebuchadnezzar arrived in Gehinnom, the wicked in Gehinnom began to tremble. Wicked people in Gehinnom trembling! Meaning that Gehinnom was like Gan Eden compared to Nebuchadnezzar. And you, Daniel, come and teach him how to evade the decree of the Most High?
On this our Sages asked: What did Daniel see that led him to offer good advice to Nebuchadnezzar? He saw the Jewish people poor, humiliated exiles, begging door to door, and he advised him to show them mercy. This was not compassion for Nebuchadnezzar, but practical calculation: perhaps through this dream we can bring benefit to the Jewish people. The Jewish people were impoverished and wretched, arriving in exile with nothing at all, and Daniel's heart ached for them. He thought: let us seize this opportunity to help my brethren. So Nebuchadnezzar will receive a little tranquility and an extension - it is well worth it, provided that the people of Israel do not starve to death. He said to him: these poor people whom you exiled are hungry; sustain them. And so he did - he opened his storehouses and sustained them for twelve full months.
The Malbim notes: there is another detail in the dream that received no interpretation in Daniel's spoken explanation - "and from it all flesh was nourished", that all flesh fed upon that great tree. Why did he not interpret it? Because right here, in the advice itself, he interprets it: "You must nourish and show mercy to the poor" - this is precisely the meaning of that part of the dream. "Yitazin" is in the future tense: and from it all flesh shall be nourished. Heaven is hinting to you that you must nourish all flesh, and through this the evil of the dream will turn away from you. It turns out that Daniel did not invent any new advice of his own at all, but was simply continuing to interpret the dream.
Let us also notice Daniel's precision here: this is not a cancellation of the decree, but "an extension of your tranquility" - merely an extension. As people say today, you are getting an extension: it does not resolve the underlying problem, it merely buys time. Until when? Until you stop. And when did he stop? As our Sages teach - after twelve months. Daniel knew full well that Nebuchadnezzar would not hold out for very long in this endeavor.
"Redeem your sins through charity and your iniquities through showing mercy to the poor" - why did he divide between them? A sin (chet), according to the Malbim, is an action committed out of physical lust or passion, where one's evil inclination overpowered him. An iniquity (avon), by contrast, stems from a distortion of the intellect and corrupted views: he acts because he actually believes it is right to do so. And which is more severe? Certainly the iniquity. The sinner who fell to passion does not deny the truth; he was merely overwhelmed by his desire, and there is a reasonable prospect that his desire will pass and he will repent. But someone who commits an iniquity possesses an intellectual justification: here one must extort, here one must torment, this one must be oppressed and that one robbed - he actually believes his actions are proper and upright. Therefore, for a sin it is enough to give charity, to justify his deeds and perform good acts. But for an iniquity, which is willful heresy, this is not enough: there you must actively show mercy to the poor, and only that can help you.
כֹּ֣לָּא מְּטָ֔א עַל־נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר מַלְכָּֽא׃ - All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.
Everything came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. There is a dispute here: some say this is still part of the letter written by Nebuchadnezzar himself. For the letter began back at the end of the previous chapter: "King Nebuchadnezzar to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: may your peace abound... The signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed with me, it is pleasing before me to recount." According to this, everything we are reading here is contained within the letter: he is recounting all that happened to him and the kindness that Hashem showed him by restoring him to his kingdom, with the writing of the letter taking place after all these events had concluded, while the author of the Book of Daniel records its contents for us. On the other hand, some explain that "all this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar" is the voice of the author of the book, narrating to us that in the end, everything was fulfilled upon him.
לִקְצָ֥ת יַרְחִ֖ין תְּרֵֽי־עֲשַׂ֑ר עַל־הֵיכַ֧ל מַלְכוּתָ֛א דִּ֥י בָבֶ֖ל מְהַלֵּ֥ךְ הֲוָֽה׃ - At the end of twelve months, he was walking upon the royal palace of Babylon.
At the end of twelve months, Nebuchadnezzar was walking upon his royal palace in Babylon. That entire year he had not gone out to the palace, for he understood the terrible decree hanging over him. But after a year had passed, he said: The expiration date has passed, nothing happened, we can return to our former state, stop the pretenses, and act freely. A new year, new decrees - whatever was is in the past. And then he went out to the royal palace.
עָנֵ֤ה מַלְכָּא֙ וְאָמַ֔ר הֲלָ֥א דָא־הִ֖יא בָּבֶ֣ל רַבְּתָ֑א דִּֽי־אֲנָ֤ה בֱנַיְתַהּ֙ לְבֵ֣ית מַלְכ֔וּ בִּתְקָ֥ף חִסְנִ֖י וְלִיקָ֥ר הַדְרִֽי׃ - The king spoke and said, "Is this not great Babylon, which I built for a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?"
His intent was: I do not fear the decrees of the Most High God; I possess the power to overcome even the gods. This was the prevailing pagan belief of that era - that if a man is strong enough, he can prevail even over gods. And we have already seen this at the fiery furnace: when they told him that God could save them from his hand, he commanded to bring many mighty warriors - let us see how He will manage to save them. So too here: is this not great Babylon that I built for my royal residence, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty? My success and my fortune are ascending and mighty. And if there were any reality to the decree, my kingdom ought to have diminished somewhat by now, there should have been signs of instability - yet I see that everything remains in full strength and splendor, and nothing has been harmed. So what are all these stories about a decree, about a tree to be cut down, and about being cast out of the kingdom?
And Chazal say: What prompted Nebuchadnezzar to voice his claims specifically at this moment? He heard poor people arriving at the gate and crying out. He said: What is this sound of the multitude in my ears? He stepped out onto his royal palace and heard a great commotion outside, shouting and chaos - and the commoner the crowd, the louder and less polite they are. His servants said to him: This is what you yourself decreed twelve months ago, to open a soup kitchen and distribute charity to the poor; these are the poor coming to receive lunch. To this he answered and said: "This is great Babylon." Chazal say: He said, this is great Babylon, and had I squandered all my wealth on supporting the poor, the destitute, and the needy, how could I have built great Babylon? Only by virtue of saving did I build it. Why on earth handouts? "From now on, I will not support them" - as related in Midrash Tanchuma.
ע֗וֹד מִלְּתָא֙ בְּפֻ֣ם מַלְכָּ֔א קָ֖ל מִן־שְׁמַיָּ֣א נְפַ֑ל לָ֤ךְ אָֽמְרִין֙ נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֣ר מַלְכָּ֔א מַלְכוּתָ֖א עֲדָ֥ת מִנָּֽךְ׃ - While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "To you it is said, King Nebuchadnezzar: The kingdom has departed from you."
While the words were still in his mouth, before he even finished - a voice fell from heaven: To you it is said, King Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom has departed from you.
וּמִן־אֲנָשָׁא֩ לָ֨ךְ טָֽרְדִ֜ין וְעִם־חֵיוַ֧ת בָּרָ֣א מְדֹרָ֗ךְ עִשְּבָּ֤א כְתוֹרִין֙ לָ֣ךְ יְטַעֲמ֔וּן וְשִׁבְעָ֥ה עִדָּנִ֖ין יַחְלְפ֣וּן עֲלָ֑ךְ עַ֣ד דִּֽי־תִנְדַּ֗ע דִּֽי־שַׁלִּ֤יט עִלָּאָה֙ בְּמַלְכ֣וּת אֲנָשָׁ֔א וּלְמַן־דִּ֥י יִצְבֵּ֖א יִתְּנִנַּֽהּ׃ - "And they will drive you away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field; they will feed you grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wishes."
They will cast you out from human society, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field; they will feed you grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass over you - until you know that there is a supreme Ruler over the kingdom of men, and He grants it to whomever He desires.
בַּהּ־שַׁעֲתָ֗א מִלְּתָא֮ סָ֣פַת עַל־נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר֒ וּמִן־אֲנָשָׁ֣א טְרִ֔יד וְעִשְׂבָּ֤א כְתוֹרִין֙ יֵאכֻ֔ל וּמִטַּ֥ל שְׁמַיָּ֖א גִּשְׁמֵ֣הּ יִצְטַבַּ֑ע עַ֣ד דִּ֥י שַׂעְרֵ֛הּ כְּנִשְׁרִ֥ין רְבָ֖ה וְטִפְר֥וֹהִי כְצִפְּרִֽין׃ - At that very moment the matter was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from mankind and ate grass like oxen, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
At that very hour, immediately upon the emergence of the heavenly voice, the decree began to materialize. He was driven away from human company, began to eat grass like oxen, his body was drenched by the dew of heaven, his hair grew like eagles' feathers, and his nails grew like birds' claws - long and terrifying claws.
Here the Ibn Ezra notes, and so too the Malbim cites in the name of the Abarbanel, contrary to those who say that he turned into an actual ox in species, definition, and form. For if so, how was it that when he lifted his eyes to heaven his reason returned to him - does an ox have reason? And how could someone be both human and beast simultaneously? Moreover, if he turned into an ox and his body disappeared, how did his kingdom endure? Rather, as the Ibn Ezra phrases it: what departed from him was the intellect of the soul, "and behold, upon the departure of the soul's wisdom, his heart became and remained like the heart of a beast." In other words, physically he remained human, but the rational soul departed from him.
Ibn Ezra adds a testimony: I saw one of our companions, a trustworthy spirit - a truthful man who does not imagine or invent - and he related to me that he was on an island called Sardinia. There, a man ran away from his relatives because he lost his mind and went mad. He lived among the deer for many years, walking on all fours like them, not upright like a human being. The king of the island went out to hunt game and captured many deer, and along with them that madman was captured, who believed he was one of the deer. His relatives came and recognized him - people who knew he belonged to their family, that he had fled and vanished years earlier and was presumed missing, and here he was returned. They spoke to him, but he did not answer. They set bread before him to eat and wine to drink, but he refused. They gave him grasses like deer eat - and he ate; that was all he was willing to taste. And at midnight, he fled and returned to the hinds of the field.
Ten or fifteen years ago, a similar story was reported in the media about a person found living among wild animals: an infant whose parents died and he was left behind, and animals raised him. Animals rearing an infant they encounter is a known phenomenon, but usually the child is discovered quickly; there, however, he remained and grew up with them, becoming an actual wild beast. When confined, he would thrash wildly and make terrifying animal sounds. This is precisely what happened to Nevuchadnezzar: not that he acquired the face of an ox, but a human form behaving as a wild creature. Therefore, Scripture specifically mentions his hair and nails: a person who grows his hair out without grooming it comes to resemble an animal (and some explain that his hair became like feathers), and when a person lets his nails grow, they curve and do not remain straight, just like the talons of a falcon or hawk, long and sharp.
וְלִקְצָ֣ת יֽוֹמַיָּא֩ אֲנָ֨ה נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֜ר עַיְנַ֣י לִשְׁמַיָּ֣א נִטְלֵ֗ת וּמַנְדְּעִי֙ עֲלַ֣י יְת֔וּב וּלְעִלָּאָה֙ בָּרְכֵ֔ת וּלְחַ֥י עָלְמָ֖א שַׁבְּחֵ֣ת וְהַדְּרֵ֑ת דִּ֤י שָׁלְטָנֵהּ֙ שָׁלְטָ֣ן עָלַ֔ם וּמַלְכוּתֵ֖הּ עִם־דָּ֥ר וְדָֽר׃ - And at the end of the days, I, Nevuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and glorified the One who lives forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and Whose kingdom endures from generation to generation.
After the seven seasons, he recounts: I lifted my eyes to heaven - and as a result, my understanding returned to me. This touches upon a profound concept: an animal's head faces downward, whereas man's head faces upward, embodying the idea of "I will resemble the Most High." In an animal, all organs are on the same level: the organs of excretion and the organs of thought exist on one plane; it possesses no distinction between the place of waste and the intellect. In man, by contrast, the structure is arranged in tiers: the lower portion is baser and the upper portion is higher. Therefore, the senses are concentrated in the upper regions - touch in the hands, the mouth, the nose - and the intellect resides in the highest place, in the brain, the loftiest faculty in man. Even a giraffe, though its head is high, is built horizontally rather than standing upright; its neck may be longer or shorter, but the height of its body organs is naturally on a single plane. Thus, it was precisely the lifting of his eyes to heaven that restored his sanity: he realized he was not a beast, but a human being. Yet, as the Malbim notes, he still did not recall that he had been a king; he remembered only that he was a man, and that what he was undergoing was a punishment.
"And I blessed the Most High, and I praised and glorified the One who lives forever" - two aspects are expressed here. "The Most High" refers to the supreme God, from Whom everything originates. "The One who lives forever" expresses His constant providence: that He bestows life at every single moment and watches over His world. For the prevailing belief in those days was that the Holy One, blessed be He, is a transcendent God Who does not concern Himself with what happens down here below. One who studies the Malbim on the Book of Iyov will see that this was also Iyov's original view: why am I suffering? Because God abandoned the world to the celestial order and the heavenly stars, and events unfold according to astrological fate without divine providence. Nevuchadnezzar, too, originally believed this: he knew there was a God, but thought He did not involve Himself with humanity. Now, however, he declared: I have recognized that the Holy One, blessed be He, dealt with me personally; therefore, He is a mighty and sovereign God, Who constantly and perpetually watches over and governs all that occurs on earth.
וְכָל־דָּיְרֵ֤י אַרְעָא֙ כְּלָ֣ה חֲשִׁיבִ֔ין וּכְמִצְבְּיֵ֗הּ עָבֵד֙ בְּחֵ֣יל שְׁמַיָּ֔א וְדָיְרֵ֖י אַרְעָ֑א וְלָ֤א אִיתַי֙ דִּֽי־יְמַחֵ֣א בִידֵ֔הּ וְיֵ֥אמַר לֵ֖הּ מָ֥ה עֲבַֽדְתְּ׃ - All the inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth; and there is none who can strike His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'
I came to see that all the inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing: I had thought myself to be significant, and it became clear that man is nothing at all. He does as He pleases with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth, and there is none who can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?" This was the absolute opposite of his earlier worldview, which held that if a man grows exceedingly strong and acts with immense power, he can overpower the gods. Here it became clear that man, under all circumstances, is subject to the rule of the Creator, blessed be He.
בֵּהּ־זִמְנָ֞א מַנְדְּעִ֣י יְת֣וּב עֲלַ֗י וְלִיקַ֨ר מַלְכוּתִ֜י הַדְרִ֤י וְזִיוִי֙ יְת֣וּב עֲלַ֔י וְלִ֕י הַדָּֽבְרַ֥י וְרַבְרְבָנַ֖י יְבַע֑וֹן וְעַל־מַלְכוּתִ֣י הָתְקְנַ֔ת וּרְב֥וּ יַתִּירָ֖ה ה֥וּסְפַת לִֽי׃ - At that time my understanding returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and my splendor returned to me; and my counselors and my nobles sought me out, and I was established upon my kingdom, and greater majesty was added to me.
Here, the two stages of the restoration of his mind are completed: initially, only the awareness returned that he was a human being and that he was being punished; but once his realization became complete - that he was nothing and that everything is in the hands of the Almighty - his mind returned to him in full, remembering that he had been a king and ruler. "And for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and my splendor returned to me" - the knowledge concerning my kingdom, my honor, my majesty, and my radiance returned to me as well. "And my counselors and my nobles sought me out" - the ministers and magnates searched for me. "And I was established upon my kingdom" - Hashem restored me to my former state. Nor was it only to the same level, but rather "and greater majesty was added to me" - He granted me even greater stature than I possessed before.
Abarbanel explained, and the Malbim followed his approach, that when Nevuchadnezzar erected the image, his intention was to nullify the decree of the successive kingdoms: if the image is entirely of gold, there is neither silver, nor copper, nor iron - meaning not only will the golden rule be my head, but my monarchy will endure forever and ever. And this was the root of his punishment: you wanted the entire image to be gold; therefore, it will become evident to you that not even the head is complete gold. You demand dominion over future generations as well - yet you are told that you do not even possess your own generation, and in your very lifetime you will be deposed from the monarchy. Thus, all the events unfold sequentially from one another: from the dream of the image, which indicated that his kingdom would end, arose the erection of the image in the plain of Dura; from the erection of the image, wherein he proclaimed, "I wish to rule forever," he was punished and banished from his kingdom in his own lifetime, living as a beast until he acknowledged Hashem, and only once he acknowledged Him did he return to his throne. These three episodes are bound together and flow one from the other. And all of this he dispatched in an open epistle to all the nations.
כְּעַ֞ן אֲנָ֣ה נְבֻכַדְנֶצַּ֗ר מְשַׁבַּ֨ח וּמְרוֹמֵ֤ם וּמְהַדַּר֙ לְמֶ֣לֶךְ שְׁמַיָּ֔א דִּ֤י כָל־מַעֲבָד֙וֹהִי֙ קְשֹׁ֔ט וְאֹרְחָתֵ֖הּ דִּ֑ין וְדִי֙ מַהְלְכִ֣ין בְּגֵוָ֔ה יָכִ֖ל לְהַשְׁפָּלָֽה׃ - Now I, Nevuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are truth and His ways are justice, and those who walk in pride He is able to abase.
And now I, Nevuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven, having realized that all His deeds are truth and all His ways are justice and judgment - everything is guided by Divine providence. And what did I realize above all? "And those who walk in pride He is able to abase": that He dealt with me fittingly; for whoever walks with pride and malice of heart, rising up and saying, "I built, I made, I established, and why should I give, and why should the Creator of the world direct my kingdom?" - Hashem shows him that He is able to abase him, bring him down from that haughtiness of heart, and reduce him to the level of a beast of the field. Therefore, I am sending this letter to all nations, to acknowledge that Hashem is the supreme Ruler and that all of us depend on Him alone. And this letter was a tremendous Kiddush Hashem: Nevuchadnezzar, who ruled over all nations, recognizes the absolute sovereignty of the Creator of the world.
Daniel interpreted for Nevuchadnezzar all the details of the decree - banishment from human society, living like an animal, seven periods corresponding to the seven wandering planets until no one remained upon whom he could pin his hopes, and the restoration of kingship only once he acknowledged that "Heaven rules." What pertained to the Jewish people he wisely omitted, and his advice of charity and showing mercy to the poor was offered not out of pity for the king, but out of pain for the impoverished Jews begging at the doorsteps - and this counsel itself was the meaning of "and from it all flesh was nourished." The reprieve lasted twelve months, and when pride surged back within him with "Is this not great Babylon?" and he ceased supporting the poor, the Heavenly voice resounded and everything was fulfilled immediately. Only when he lifted his eyes to heaven, as is the way of a human being whose head points upward, his sanity returned to him, he recognized constant Divine providence and man's insignificance, and his kingdom was restored to him and even augmented. Hence, all these episodes form a single continuous chain, and their ultimate conclusion is one: "And those who walk in pride He is able to abase."