John Calvin Commentary Daniel 4:4-6

"I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream." — Daniel 4:4-6 (ASV)

Nebuchadnezzar here explains how he acknowledged the Supreme God. He does not relate the proofs which he had previously received; but since his pride was subdued in this last dream, he makes a passing allusion to it. Meanwhile, he doubtless recalled his former dreams to mind and condemned himself for his ingratitude, for burying this great power of God in oblivion and for wiping away the remembrance of those benefits with which God had adorned him.

Here, however, he speaks only of his last dream, which we will see in its own place. But before he comes to the dream, he says, he was at rest. שלה, seleh, signifies "rest" and "happiness"; and since prosperity renders men secure, it is metaphorically used for "security." David, when he pronounces the same sentence upon himself, uses the same words (Psalms 30:6): I said in my prosperity, or rest; שלוה, selueh, which some translate "abundance," but it rather signifies a quiet or prosperous state.

Nebuchadnezzar, therefore, here marks the circumstance of time; from this we may know he was divinely seized, because prosperous fortune had rendered him stupid and drunken. There is nothing surprising in this, for the old and common proverb is, "fullness is the parent of ferocity," as we see horses when too much fed, prance about and throw their riders. Thus also it happens with men. For if God treats them rather indulgently and liberally, they become fierce and insolent towards all men, and strike off God’s yoke, and forget they are only men. And when this happened to David, what will happen to the profane and to others who are still too much devoted to the world? For David confesses he was so deceived by his quiet and felicity as to determine within himself that he had nothing else to fear: I said in my happiness, or my quiet, I shall not be removed; and he afterwards adds,

O Lord, thou didst chastise me, and I was laid low (Psalms 38:7).

Since, therefore, David promised himself perpetual quiet in the world because God spared him for a time, how should our tranquility be suspected, lest we grow torpid on our lees? Nebuchadnezzar, then, does not recite this in vain: I was quiet at home, I flourished in my palace, since this was the cause of his confidence and pride, and of his carelessly despising God.

He afterwards adds, he saw a dream and was disturbed. He, doubtless, wished here to distinguish his dreams from common ones, which often arise from either a disturbance of the brain, or our daily thoughts, or other causes, as we have elsewhere seen. It is not necessary to repeat what we have already treated more copiously.

It is sufficient to state, briefly, how this dream, in which God previously informed him of the future punishment at hand, is separated from others which are either troubled, or fluctuating, or without reason. He says, therefore, he saw a dream, and was disturbed, while he was awake. He adds, his thoughts were upon his bed; and then, he was disturbed by visions of the head. These expressions only point towards that heavenly oracle, or vision, or dream, of which we will afterwards speak more fully.

It follows, he put forth a decree to summon all the wise men of Babylon to explain, or make manifest, the interpretation of the dream. Doubtless the king often dreamt, and did not always call together the Magi and soothsayers, and astrologers, and others who were skilled in the science of divination, or at least professed to be so.

He did not consult them on all his dreams; but because God had inscribed in his heart a distinct mark by which he had denoted this dream, so the king could not rest until he heard its interpretation. As we previously saw the authority of the first dream about the Four Monarchies and the Eternal Kingdom of Christ confirmed, so the king perceived this one to have proceeded from heaven.

There is another difference between this dream and the one previously explained. For God blotted out King Nebuchadnezzar's remembrance of the dream about the Four Monarchies, so that it became necessary for Daniel to reveal the dream to the king, and at the same time to add the interpretation.

Daniel was then more obscure. Although he proved himself to have excelled all the Chaldeans, King Nebuchadnezzar would have wondered at him less if he had only been an interpreter of a dream. God wished, therefore, to acquire greater reverence for his prophet and his doctrine, when God enjoined upon Daniel two duties: first, the divination of the dream itself, and then the explanation of its sense and purpose.

In this second dream, Daniel is only an interpreter. God had already sufficiently proved him to be endowed with a heavenly spirit, when Nebuchadnezzar not only called him among the rest of the Magi, but separated him from them all. He afterwards says:

Regarding the words used above, we have previously resolved any difficulty, because we cannot accurately define what area of expertise each one professed. They clearly covered their shamelessness with honorable titles, even though they devoted themselves to every possible deception. They called themselves by the common name of 'learned men,' when they were actually unacquainted with any true art or science, and they deceived humanity with miserable predictions. Therefore, by these words, Daniel included all the Magi, soothsayers, astrologers, and augurs who claimed to practice the art of divination.

Here Nebuchadnezzar confesses that he sent for these men in vain. Therefore, it follows that this whole practice was a fallacy, or, at least, Daniel’s interpretation of the dream was not by human skill, but by revelation from heaven. I hold this view, since Nebuchadnezzar wished to clearly express that Daniel’s power of interpreting his dream did not originate from man, but was a unique gift of the Spirit.

He had considered it an established fact that if any knowledge or skill in divination existed, it must be found among the Magi, soothsayers, augurs, and other Chaldeans who boasted of possessing perfect wisdom. It was therefore undisputed that the astrologers and the others were the most skilled in divination, and as far as human abilities permitted, nothing was beyond their knowledge.

Therefore, it follows, on the other hand, that Daniel was divinely instructed. If he had been only an astrologer or magician, he, like the others, would have required a long apprenticeship in this practice. Nebuchadnezzar, therefore, wishes here to praise Daniel above all the Magi, as if he were saying, 'He is a heavenly Prophet!' This will also become clearer from what follows.