Where the capital city of Babylon once stood is today a semi-desert, sandy, yet sometimes swampy flat plain. Irrigation at times throughout history could make the area lush with fields of grain and vegetables. In the days of Daniel, a common sight would be onions and barley. The latter mostly because the demand for year-round crops via irrigation had raised the salt content of the soil, and wheat didn't grow well; barley was more tolerant. As noted before, stones were rare, but clay for bricks had been abundant for thousands of years. Nebuchadnezzar's kilns had been busy with bricks more than for executions. We find they had begun mixing colors into the clay, as well as glazing, to produce bricks with various tints, blue being quite dominant in Imperial building projects.
While this has perhaps been one of the easiest places on earth for man to prosper in a sedentary settlement, and is reputed the birth place of civilization and settled living, men brought to this area an unspoken assumption their gods were best met at the tops of mountains. Since there were none in the area, they were built artificially of bricks. Ziggurats, the brick pyramids of the Mesopotamian Valley, were everywhere. They were generally aligned for use in marking astrological observations and events. The stars themselves were believed to be the physical manifestations of gods, with varying ranks and classes in a system we hardly comprehend today. Nebuchadnezzar's capital city was a massive pile of bricks, visible for miles around. His palace included more than one pagan shrine, a network of terraces and high brick towers, from which descended the famous Hanging Gardens. They appeared as mountains in these sandy plains of muted yellow, brightly colored and shining in the sun, draped in glorious green.
Such sights inspired a seemingly justified awe at the man who stood in the center of all these things. Not only a builder and designer, the brilliant ruler managed to vanquish all the armies he met in battle, commanding his troops himself. Yet he was a literate man, apparently conversant in several languages. We would today easily rank him among the grandest geniuses, and Daniel's admiration was fully justified. Yet for all this, his life was darkened by a pagan outlook, loaded with superstition. It is apparent this chapter of Daniel was taken directly from the Imperial archives, a declaration of Nebuchadnezzar himself, written in the first person. The tone and figures of speech retain a pantheistic assumption, even while he confesses Jehovah as God above all gods.
Rather late in his reign as best we can tell, we find the relative absence of official Imperial records for this period rather supports this narrative. It would be contrary to politically correct views of that time and place, and would explain why he felt it was necessary to produce this personal decree, and why it survives only in Daniel's book. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and it was obvious to him it was no idle sifting of the brain's memories, but a portent of the future. The dream was troubling, because whatever it meant, it was not a hopeful image. After consulting the usual crowd of magi, with no useful answer, he called Daniel. He related his dream.
Nebuchadnezzar refers to Daniel in the same pagan frame of reference he apparently carried to the grave, for he seems to have died not long after this story and this decree. We know from archeology Nebuchadnezzar dearly loved the great cedars of Lebanon, and had personally supervised the felling of a great many for hauling to his palace. In his dream stood such a great tree, a common symbol of rulers for a very long time. Brutal though he may have been in battle, as ruler he was truly a noble, even imperial kind of man. People who were loyal to his rule did, indeed, prosper quite well. Even the exiled Judeans living in the shadow of his capital were getting quite wealthy and comfortable. Into this scene came one from above. We would know this as an angel, but to Nebuchadnezzar, it was a demi-god at least, one of the stars of the sky.
The decree from this divine being was to cut down the magnificent tree, and drive away all who prospered in its shadow. The log would be trimmed, the leaves pulled and the fruit scattered. The stump would be preserved, but bound with fetters and left alone in the fields. Then, the voice said it would live on grass, rest in the open at night, and rather exist as an animal. This would continue for an undefined period of sevens, symbolic of an offering to the gods. While it's possible this meant years, it need not be so, and to demand such a meaning would miss the point. It was long enough for his place to be nearly forgotten.
Daniel was stunned. Since time was never measured in increments less than an hour, the phrase would certainly mean somewhat less of a period, but long enough to alarm Nebuchadnezzar. To Daniel it was all too obvious. His master demanded an answer, regardless of the consequences. In a day and age when bringing bad news to the throne was often to carry one's death warrant, the Emperor essentially told Daniel not to worry about such consequences, because the interpretation was too important. Daniel somberly noted the dream was a dream to his enemies, implying it was a nightmare for Nebuchadnezzar.
The majestic beginning of the image noted the glory of Babylon and her ruler. It was not so long ago Nebuchadnezzar had finally pacified Syria, Judea, Egypt, Persia and everything within reach of his troops. With peace came trade and prosperity as never before. The recent additions to the palace, the splendid avenue down the city center, and fortifications throughout the empire were beyond comparing with the contemptible and primitive constructions of previous civilizations in that valley. People were genuinely doing well.
But all this was from the hand of Daniel's God. He granted it freely, and could as easily take it away. This He promised to do. The Emperor would be driven insane, apparently a form of lycanthropy, but instead of a wolf, seeing himself as a goat. Apparently a similar malady affected Nabonidus, his successor. This madness would have the man thinking himself an animal, living out of doors and acting wildly. But it was not the end. The band of iron and bronze was as much protective and confining. When the time was passed, and the man came to himself, he would come to God. Still, this was an awful thing, and it could probably be avoided. Daniel's urging was for Nebuchadnezzar to become righteous. In the context, the meaning is a call to become humble, to limit his pride and show compassion to those less fortunate. In short, Daniel warned Nebuchadnezzar to keep in mind he was just a short step from being a destitute nobody himself.
A year later, as the Emperor strolled on the upper terraces of his magnificent palace, he was seized by a powerful pride that all this was the product of his efforts. No sooner had he said it, a voice from Heaven reminded him he had been warned, and now the doom was upon him. He had failed to humble himself and acknowledge it was the God of Israel Who delivered Israel into his hands, along with every other kingdom and empire.
While we can be sure Nebuchadnezzar was given preferential treatment by letting him loose in an Imperial park, this would be pretty much the same for any favored patient -- put them in a safe asylum and hope for the best. One of his sons held regency on his behalf, but not one of his courtiers came to visit him. The man wallowed in the grass, slept on the ground, completely let himself go with matted hair and beard, long filthy nails, etc. These two items were of particular note in a culture where men fussed over having the most carefully curled hair and clean hands. Such were the marks of privilege, education and refined manners. At the end of his time, Nebuchadnezzar came to his senses and immediately gave the glory to Jehovah.
It appears Nebuchadnezzar became a genuine convert, insofar as it was possible. We reasonably doubt he began attending synagogue, but certainly made Jehovah his chief deity. Near as we can tell, this all came just before his death. The records from the end of his reign are scant. However, the narrative tells us he died in the former comfort and luxury of his Imperial majesty. Things were altogether unsettled after his passing. None of those following had anything like his grand stature in intellect, character, and certainly not his late-found devotion to Jehovah.
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Ed Hurst
15 November 2007
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