Daniel 4:10

In these visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this come to pass: There was a tree in the midst of the land, and its height was great.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Nebuchadnezzar addresses Belteshazzar while recounting a dream he experienced while lying in bed. He requests an explanation of the visions that alarmed him during this rest.

The words — The Hebrew וְ/חֶזְוֵ֥י (ve./chez.Vei) translates to "and [the] visions of," paired with רֵאשִׁ֖י (re.Sh/i) meaning "head my." This phrasing explicitly locates the prophetic sight within the king’s own mind.

The thread — The bedridden vision motif recurs in Daniel 4:5, where similar dreams alarm the king. The flourishing tree image aligns with the agricultural metaphors in Jeremiah 12:2 and Psalms 37:35.

Why it lands — The text establishes that divine revelation interrupts human rest and demands interpretation. It requires the reader to recognize that apparent security is the precise moment God introduces a warning.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְחֶזְוֵ֥יve./chez.Veiand/ [the] visions of רֵאשִׁ֖יre.Sh/ihead/ my עַֽל־'al-on מִשְׁכְּבִ֑יmish.ke.V/ibed/ my חָזֵ֣הcha.Zehseeing הֲוֵ֔יתha.VeitI was וַאֲל֥וּva./'a.Luand/ lo!אִילָ֛ן'i.Lana tree בְּג֥וֹאbe./Go'in/ [the] midst of אַרְעָ֖א'ar.'A/'land/ the וְרוּמֵ֥הּve./ru.Me/hand/ height/ its שַׂגִּֽיא׃sa.Gi'[was] great

King James Version

Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 12:2 You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.
Daniel 4:5 I had a dream, and it frightened me; while I was in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
Psalms 37:35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
Isaiah 10:33 Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled.
Ezekiel 31:3 Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It towered on high; its top was among the clouds.
Daniel 4:20 The tree you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached the sky and was visible to all the earth,