seven seasons will pass over

Daniel 4:16

Amichai Lau-Lavie (he/him)

Apr 15, 2025

^{Every empire will be replaced and even the most fierce and feared leader will face consequences - even if it takes a lifetime or at least seven seasons. That’s what this story reminds us today — when we need to hold on to this vision, to dream towards change.}

^{Ever dream of being a tree that is cut down? Some nightmares don’t require a psychoanalyst to make sense - but some, like the terrifying one that a king dreams in today’s chapter - call for an expert and have given countless scholars much to ponder over the ages. The next big royal dream that Daniel interprets for the king seems, like most of this book, much more fiction than fact.}

^{And yet, surprise - recent archaeological discoveries have shed new light on what has for centuries been assumed as a quaint poetic text, with either an ancient error by the author/s or later scribes of this book.}

^{Who was the Babylonian king who was banished from the palace and is depicted in his dream as a fallen tree?}

^{Chapter 4 begins with King Nebuchadnezzar, in the first person, narrating a nightmare in which a lush and giant tree, home to many creatures, is cut down by an fiery angel and then set in chains. Of all the king’s advisors, only Daniel - named here as Belteshazzar - knows how to make sense of this nocturnal nightmare, and it isn’t pretty:}

אֱדַיִן דָּנִיֵּאל דִּי־שְׁמֵהּ בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר אֶשְׁתּוֹמַם כְּשָׁעָה חֲדָה וְרַעְיֹנֹהִי יְבַהֲלֻנֵּהּ עָנֵה מַלְכָּא וְאָמַר בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר חֶלְמָא וּפִשְׁרֵא אַל־יְבַהֲלָךְ עָנֵה בֵלְטְשַׁאצַּר וְאָמַר מָרִאי חֶלְמָא לְשָׂנְאָךְ וּפִשְׁרֵהּ לְעָרָךְ׃

וְלָךְ טָרְדִין מִן־אֲנָשָׁא וְעִם־חֵיוַת בָּרָא לֶהֱוֵה מְדֹרָךְ וְעִשְׂבָּא כְתוֹרִין לָךְ יְטַעֲמוּן וּמִטַּל שְׁמַיָּא לָךְ מְצַבְּעִין וְשִׁבְעָה עִדָּנִין יַחְלְפוּן עֲלָךְ עַד דִּי־תִנְדַּע דִּי־שַׁלִּיט עִלָּאָה בְּמַלְכוּת אֲנָשָׁא וּלְמַן־דִּי יִצְבֵּא יִתְּנִנַּהּ׃

Then Daniel, called Belteshazzar, was perplexed for a while, and alarmed by his thoughts. The king addressed him, “Let the dream and its meaning not alarm you.” Belteshazzar replied, “My lord, would that the dream were for your enemy and its meaning for your foe!

You will be driven away from society and have your habitation with the beasts of the field. You will be fed grass like cattle, and be drenched with the dew of heaven; seven seasons will pass over you until you come to know that the Most High is sovereign over human dominion, and gives it out at will.

^{Daniel 4:16}

^{The destiny that Daniel predicts is harsh: The king is the tree, and the cutting down means that the king will be banished from his court, his crown removed, legacy lost, and he’ll be living in the fields like an animal, for seven seasons, in order to learn humility in the presence of the divine, greater than all kings.}

^{According to the chapter - that is exactly what happens to King Nebuchadnezzar, who will be reduced to humility, and end up proclaiming the greatness of the Jewish God above all others.}

^{For centuries this chapter was seen as another fanciful fantasy meant to give suffering Jews in exile some sense of relief over their lowly status and minority status.}

^{But In}¹⁹⁵⁶^{, a fragment of a scroll discovered in}^{Cave 4 at Qumran}^{was published. The fragment is titled}^{"The Prayer of Nabonidus."}^{It is written in}^Aramaic^:

^{“The words of the prayer which Nabonidus, king of the land of Babylon, the great king, prayed when he was afflicted with a severe skin disease by the decree of the Most High God in Teima. I was afflicted for seven years, and I was not like [other] people. I prayed to the Most High God, and He forgave my sins. A Jewish man from among the exiles came and said to me: ‘Declare and write down to give glory and greatness to the name of the Most High God.’ And so I wrote.”}

^{This is a remarkable testimony that}^{directly parallels}^{the story in our biblical chapter—except instead of}^{Nebuchadnezzar}^{, the king is}^Nabonidus^{, his historical successor.}

^Nabonidus^{was the}^{last king of Babylon}^{who reigned from 556 to 539 BCE, after assassinating the previous king, who was a 9-year-old child. He elevated}^Sin^{, the moon god, to the position of}^{chief deity}^{, pushing aside}^Marduk^{from his central status, and thus}^{created enemies}^{—namely, the priests of Marduk in Babylon.}

^{Until the discovery of this Qumran scroll, it was known that Nabonidus had}^{abandoned Babylon}^and^{lived in isolation}^{for ten years. In 539 BCE, when}^{Cyrus, king of Persia}^{, approached Babylon with his army, the}^{priests of Marduk}^{hastily opened the gates to him, eager to rid themselves of the strange rule of the absentee king.}

^The^{Qumran scroll}^{, which connects directly to}^{Daniel chapter 4}^{, helps explain why Nabonidus left the capital: he was struck with a terrible skin disease and}^{was forced to withdraw from human society}^.

^{It seems that in the}^{later retelling}^{of this story in the}^{Book of Daniel}^,^Nabonidus^{- not mentioned at all in the Bible)- was}^{replaced by Nebuchadnezzar}^.

^{This is one of those}^{extraordinary moments}^{where a scroll discovered in the}^{20th century}^{holds a}^{dialogue with a 2,500-year-old biblical story}^{, confirming and illuminating each other—and}^{strengthening our sense of connection to history and heritage}^{. What’s in a dream? How does history make it way through codes and hidden messages into the chapters of our civilization?}

^{Whoever the king was and whatever the agenda of the authors may have been - we read this chapter today, during Passover week, with the legacy of cruel pharaohs who refuse their people’s freedom and dignity as a stark reminder -- tyrants will topple, even seemingly powerful people will give in with humility to powers greater than they -- and justice, in ways big and small, will eventually embrace us all. And in case we missed this point - tomorrow’s chapter - famous and important - will remind us all that the writing’s been on the wall - and is still there for us to not lose hope and keep believing in better. Dream on.}

Image: William Blake, Nebuchadnezzar, The Tate, London

Below the Bible Belt: 929 chapters, 42 months, daily reflections.

Become a free or paid subscriber and join Rabbi Amichai’s 3+ years interactive online quest to question, queer + re-read between the lines of the entire Hebrew Bible. Enjoy daily posts, weekly videos and monthly learning sessions. 2022-2025.

Become a Paid Subscriber? Thank you for your support!

#Daniel #BookofDaniel #hebrewbible #כתובים #Ketuvim #Bible #Tanach #929 #דניאל #ספרדניאל #labshul #belowthebiblebelt929

#Daniel4 #Nightmares #dreaminterpretation #tyrantswillfall #^{Nebuchadnezzar}#Belteshazzar #Babylonianexile #^{Qumran #Nabonidus} #deadseascrolls #biblicalarcheology #passover #tyrantswilltopple #hopeisamuscle #peace #prayforpeace #nomorewar #stopthewarnow

Below the Bible Belt

seven seasons will pass over

Daniel 4:16

Every empire will be replaced and even the most fierce and feared leader will face consequences - even if it takes a lifetime or at least seven seasons. That’s what this story reminds us today — when we need to hold on to this vision, to dream towards change.

And yet, surprise - recent archaeological discoveries have shed new light on what has for centuries been assumed as a quaint poetic text, with either an ancient error by the author/s or later scribes of this book.

Who was the Babylonian king who was banished from the palace and is depicted in his dream as a fallen tree?

Then Daniel, called Belteshazzar, was perplexed for a while, and alarmed by his thoughts. The king addressed him, “Let the dream and its meaning not alarm you.” Belteshazzar replied, “My lord, would that the dream were for your enemy and its meaning for your foe!

Daniel 4:16

According to the chapter - that is exactly what happens to King Nebuchadnezzar, who will be reduced to humility, and end up proclaiming the greatness of the Jewish God above all others.

For centuries this chapter was seen as another fanciful fantasy meant to give suffering Jews in exile some sense of relief over their lowly status and minority status.

But In 1956, a fragment of a scroll discovered in Cave 4 at Qumran was published. The fragment is titled "The Prayer of Nabonidus." It is written in Aramaic:

This is a remarkable testimony that directly parallels the story in our biblical chapter—except instead of Nebuchadnezzar, the king is Nabonidus, his historical successor.

The Qumran scroll, which connects directly to Daniel chapter 4, helps explain why Nabonidus left the capital: he was struck with a terrible skin disease and was forced to withdraw from human society.

It seems that in the later retelling of this story in the Book of Daniel, Nabonidus - not mentioned at all in the Bible)- was replaced by Nebuchadnezzar.

Image: William Blake, Nebuchadnezzar, The Tate, London

Below the Bible Belt: 929 chapters, 42 months, daily reflections.

Discussion about this post

^{Every empire will be replaced and even the most fierce and feared leader will face consequences - even if it takes a lifetime or at least seven seasons. That’s what this story reminds us today — when we need to hold on to this vision, to dream towards change.}

^{And yet, surprise - recent archaeological discoveries have shed new light on what has for centuries been assumed as a quaint poetic text, with either an ancient error by the author/s or later scribes of this book.}

^{Who was the Babylonian king who was banished from the palace and is depicted in his dream as a fallen tree?}

^{Daniel 4:16}

^{According to the chapter - that is exactly what happens to King Nebuchadnezzar, who will be reduced to humility, and end up proclaiming the greatness of the Jewish God above all others.}

^{For centuries this chapter was seen as another fanciful fantasy meant to give suffering Jews in exile some sense of relief over their lowly status and minority status.}

^{But In}¹⁹⁵⁶^{, a fragment of a scroll discovered in}^{Cave 4 at Qumran}^{was published. The fragment is titled}^{"The Prayer of Nabonidus."}^{It is written in}^Aramaic^:

^{This is a remarkable testimony that}^{directly parallels}^{the story in our biblical chapter—except instead of}^{Nebuchadnezzar}^{, the king is}^Nabonidus^{, his historical successor.}

^The^{Qumran scroll}^{, which connects directly to}^{Daniel chapter 4}^{, helps explain why Nabonidus left the capital: he was struck with a terrible skin disease and}^{was forced to withdraw from human society}^.

^{It seems that in the}^{later retelling}^{of this story in the}^{Book of Daniel}^,^Nabonidus^{- not mentioned at all in the Bible)- was}^{replaced by Nebuchadnezzar}^.