The Biblical meaning of Nebuchadnezzar's dream

by Doug Mason 6 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Doug Mason

  In Chapter 2 of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a metallic image with a head of gold, and the remainder of the image was made of less valuable metals. In his interpretation of the dream, Daniel told the king that the gold represented the rule by Babylon. The other metals indicated that Babylonian rule would be followed by subsequent empires.

  In Chapter 3 of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar built an image that was gold from head to toe, thereby indicating his belief that Babylon would continue to reign supreme, and would not be followed by any other empire.

  In Chapter 4 of Daniel, following Nebuchadnezzar's debasement and the restoration of his sanity and the return of his honor and splendor, he declared:

  "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble."

  And that is what Chapter 4 is all about. Nothing more!

  Doug
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  veradico

  It's a neat interpretation, but Nebuchadnezzar does not seem to be opposed to Daniel's prophecy at the end of chapter 2. In fact, if the author wanted that (i.e. a proud rejection of Babylon's eventual doom) to be the significance of the golden image, he could have made Neb's madness be the consequence of having the image built, instead of a few proud words about his present greatness. I think the standard interpretation has to do with making clear God's support of those who reject idols--esp. the idol of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
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  JCanon

  Interesting observation, Doug. I hadn't thought of any significance for the golden image in relation to prophecy or anything.

  JCanon
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  Doug Mason

  I had hoped someone might have observed the continuation of the theme with the immediately subsequent chapter 5 of Daniel.
  
  That chapter sees the practical application of the message upon Babylon. The following is from Daniel 5:26-31 in the NIV:
  
  "This is what these words mean:
  
  "'Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
  Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
  Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.' ..."
  
  "That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two."
  
  Doug
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  Abandoned

  Interesting observation, Doug. I hadn't thought of any significance for the golden image in relation to prophecy or anything.

  JCanon

  Umm, sorry to bust in here, but are you saying, the man who has already claimed to be the messiah and reincarnation of Jesus Christ, that you didn't quite understand the significance of one of the scriptures? Just wondering...
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  JCanon

  Umm, sorry to bust in here, but are you saying, the man who has already claimed to be the messiah and reincarnation of Jesus Christ, that you didn't quite understand the significance of one of the scriptures? Just wondering...

  Daniel talks of many stars shining brightly and spreading knowledge and Joel talks about holy spirit falling upon all sorts. So little gems of knowledge may come from many sources, you never know. What's great about some of these discussions is the "refining" of the doctrine. My focus has been on correcting the chronology of the NB and Persian Periods and then with a focus on the time of the Exodus per Egyptian history. Others have developed other insights which I learn from.

  But I pay attention to the details of these prophecies. Like the "7 times" prophecy mentions the tree being banded for the "7 times". But the bands are different; one copper, one iron. This represents the first and second coming of the christ, the first being of iron and the second of copper. So the second coming is associated with everything copper, such as the copper serpent that caused healing when you stared at it.

  I just commented, since the head of gold represented Babylon that there might have been something symbolically significant rather than incidental that this image was gold. But, of course, as others have commented, that concept of a critical connection immediately falls apart on examination. So I wasn't agreeing with Mason, simply acknowledging I hadn't thought of checking for a relevant connection with the dream.

  It could be relevant. For instance, it could imply that Babylon the Great would try to destroy God's chosen followers who refuse to bow down to it, and even though they cast them into the fires of the oven, God saves them, not even allowing their garments to be singed. So consideration that this symbolically represents Babylon the Great in some way certainly is something new to consider which I hadn't before. It's relationship to the dream, therefore, is empiric only in that golden images are linked with Babylon or Babylon the great.

  JC
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  Abandoned

  Umm, you just pulled a Watchtower and spoke four paragraphs without even answering the question. I guess that probably answers the question adequately enough.