Bible Strands
Daniel 4:16
Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the mind of a beast till seven times pass him by.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The decree is delivered through the prophet Daniel to King Nebuchadnezzar during the interpretation of the king’s dream about a felled tree. It marks the moment the divine judgment against the ruler’s pride is formally pronounced.
The words — The Aramaic לִבְבֵ/הּ֙ (li.Ve/h) paired with מִן\־ (min-) אֲנָשָׁ֣/א ('e.no.sha/) indicates the removal of the human heart or mind. This is directly contrasted with חֵיוָ֖ה (chei.Vah), meaning an animal or beast, which is given in its place.
The thread — The loss of human reason and forced cohabitation with wild animals recurs in Daniel 4:25, where the king will dwell with field beasts and eat grass. The judicial hardening of a ruler’s heart aligns with the prophetic pattern of divine restraint described in Isaiah 6:10.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human authority and rationality are suspended when the Most High intervenes. It requires the reader to acknowledge that earthly power remains subject to divine decree regardless of the ruler’s status.
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
Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
Cross-references
- Daniel 4:23 And you, O king, saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying: ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and graze with the beasts of the field till seven times pass him by.’
- Isaiah 6:10 Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
- Daniel 4:25 You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field. You will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.
- Revelation 12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.
- Daniel 4:31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “It is decreed to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has departed from you.
- Daniel 7:25 He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.
- Daniel 11:13 For the king of the North will raise another army, larger than the first, and after some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies.
- Daniel 12:7 And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, and times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has finally been shattered, all these things will be completed.”
- Mark 5:4 Though he was often bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles. Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him.
- Luke 8:27 When Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothing or lived in a house, but he stayed in the tombs.