Bible Strands
Daniel 4:12
Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and upon it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, in its branches the birds of the air nested, and from it every creature was fed.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Daniel narrates a royal dream vision to Nebuchadnezzar, describing a colossal tree that grows strong and reaches the sky before a heavenly watcher descends. The passage functions as the descriptive centerpiece of the king's nightmare prior to its divine interpretation.
The words — The Hebrew שַׂגִּיא (sa.gi') and שָׁפִיר (sha.pir) translate to "plentiful" and "beautiful," marking the tree's overwhelming abundance and aesthetic perfection. עָפִיֵּהּ ('a.fi.ye.h) and מָזוֹן (ma.zon) specify "foliage" and "food," grounding the vision in tangible provision rather than abstract symbolism.
The thread — The motif of a great tree sheltering birds and feeding beasts appears in Ezekiel 17:23 and Luke 13:19. These passages reuse the botanical image to describe divine planting and kingdom expansion.
Why it lands — The text declares that earthly power and prosperity are temporary structures designed to sustain creation, not permanent monuments. It requires the reader to assess what they build against the imminent judgment of the watcher.
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
King James Version
The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
Cross-references
- Luke 13:19 It is like a mustard seed that a man tossed into his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
- Lamentations 4:20 The LORD’s anointed, the breath of our life, was captured in their pits. We had said of him, “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”
- Ezekiel 17:23 I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel so that it will bear branches; it will yield fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.
- Ezekiel 31:6 All the birds of the air nested in its branches, and all the beasts of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade.
- Jeremiah 27:6 So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have even made the beasts of the field subject to him.
- Matthew 13:32 Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
- Mark 13:32 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.