John Calvin Commentary Daniel 4:26

"And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule." — Daniel 4:26 (ASV)

Here Daniel closes the interpretation of the dream and shows how God did not treat King Nebuchadnezzar so severely, thereby showing clemency. He mitigates, indeed, the extreme rigor of the punishment to induce Nebuchadnezzar to call upon God and repent, by allowing him the hope of pardon, as a clearer exhortation will follow later.

But Daniel now prepares him for penitence by saying, His kingdom should stand. For God might have cast him out from interaction with humankind, and thus he would have always remained among wild beasts. He might have instantly removed him from the world; but this is a mark of his clemency, since he wished to restore him, not to a merely moderate station, but to his former dignity, as if it had never been diminished.

We see, therefore, how useful the dream was to King Nebuchadnezzar, as long as he did not despise the Prophet’s holy admonition through ingratitude towards God. This was because Daniel not only predicted the impending slaughter but also brought a message of reconciliation at the same time.

God, therefore, had instructed the king effectively, unless he had been unteachable and perverse, like the majority of humankind. Besides, from this we may gather the general doctrine that we are invited to repentance when God puts an end to his chastisements. He does this because he sets before us a taste of his clemency to instill in us the hope that he can be entreated, if only we flee to him heartily and sincerely.

We must also notice what Daniel adds in the second part of the verse: from which you may know that there is power in heaven. For under these words, the promise of spiritual grace is included. God will not only punish the king of Babylon to humble him, but he will also work in him and change his mind, as he later fulfilled, though after a long interval.

From which you shall know, then, he says, that power is in heaven. I have stated that the grace of the Spirit is promised here, as we know how badly men profit, even if God repeats his stripes a hundredfold. Such is the hardness and obstinacy of our hearts—for we tend to grow more and more obdurate while God calls us to repentance.

And, doubtless, Nebuchadnezzar would have been like Pharaoh, unless God had humbled him, not only with outward penalties, but had also added the inward prompting of his Spirit, to allow himself to be instructed and to submit himself to the judgment and power of heaven. Daniel means this when he says, Therefore you shall know; for Nebuchadnezzar would never have acquired this knowledge of his own accord unless he had been touched by the secret movement of the Spirit.

He adds, That there is power in heaven; meaning, God governs the world and exercises supreme power. He contrasts heaven with earth here, meaning all humankind.

For if kings see all things tranquil around them, and if no one causes them terror, they think themselves beyond all chance of danger, as they say. Desiring certainty in their station, they look around on all sides but never raise their eyes upwards to heaven, as if God did not concern himself with observing the kingdoms of the earth, setting up whomever he willed, and humbling all the proud.

The princes of this world never consider their power to be from heaven, as if this were entirely out of God’s hands; but, as I have said, they look right and left, before and behind. This is the reason why Daniel said, Power is from heaven. There is a contrast then between God and all humankind, as if he had said, You shall know God reigns—as we have previously seen. It follows: