Daniel 4:12

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.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
leaves	עָפְיֵ֤הּ 'a.fe.Yeh	H6074	a twig · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
fair	שַׁפִּיר֙ sha.Pir	H8209	beautiful · adjective, both genders singular absolute
fruit	וְאִנְבֵּ֣הּ ve.'in.Beh	H4	a green plant · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
much	שַׂגִּ֔יא sa.Gi'	H7690	large (in size · adjective, both genders singular absolute
meat	וּמָז֨וֹן u.ma.Zon	H4203	food · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular absolute
all	לְכֹ֖לָּא le.Kho.la-'	H3606	properly · preposition + noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
beasts	חֵיוַ֣ת chei.Vat	H2423	an animal · noun, common feminine singular construct
field	בָּרָ֗א ba.Ra'	H1251	a field · noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
shadow	תַּטְלֵ֣ל tat.Lel	H2927	to cover with shade · verb, hiphil imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
under	תְּחֹת֜וֹהִי te.cho.To.hi	H8460	beneath · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
fowls	צִפֲּרֵ֣י tzi.pa.Rei	H6853	a bird. · noun, common masculine plural construct
heaven	שְׁמַיָּ֔א she.mai.Ya'	H8065	the sky (as aloft · noun, common masculine plural determined + particle of affirmation
dwelt	יְדוּרָן֙ ye.du.run	H1753	to reside · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine plural
boughs	וּבְעַנְפ֙וֹהִי֙ u.ve.'an.Fo.hi	H6056	a twig (as covering the limbs) · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
all	כָּל kol-	H3606	properly · noun, common both genders singular construct
flesh	בִּשְׂרָֽא bis.Ra'	H1321	flesh (from its freshness) · noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
fed	יִתְּזִ֥ין yi.te.Zin	H2110	perhaps properly · verb, imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
it	וּמִנֵּ֖הּ u.mi.Neh	H4481	properly · conjunction + preposition + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Luke 13:19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the ai…
Lamentations 4:20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the hea…
Ezekiel 17:23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under i…
Ezekiel 31:6-7 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and…
Jeremiah 27:6-7 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I giv…
Matthew 13:32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the…
Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Daniel 4:4-18

Nebuchadnezzar, before he relates the judgments of God that had been wrought upon him for his pride, gives an account of the fair warning he had of them before they came, a due regard to which might have prevented them. But he was told of them, and of the issue of them, before they came to pass, that, when they did come to pass, by comparing them with the prediction of them, he might see, and say, that they were the Lord's doing, and might be brought to believe that there is a divine revelation in the world, as well as a divine Providence, and that the works of God agree with his word. Now, in the account he here gives of his dream, by which he had notice of what was coming, we may observe,…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 4:12

beasts . . . shadow under it--implying that God's purpose in establishing empires in the world is that they may be as trees affording men "fruits" for "meat," and a "shadow" for "rest" (compare Lam 4:20). But the world powers abuse their trust for self; therefore Messiah comes to plant the tree of His gospel kingdom, which alone shall realize God's purpose (Eze 17:23; Mat 13:32). HERODOTUS [7.19] mentions a dream (probably suggested by the tradition of this dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel) which Xerxes had; namely, that he was crowned with olive, and that the branches of the olive filled the whole earth, but that afterwards the crown vanished from his head: signifying his universal dominio…

Read the whole note in the console

Adam Clarke on Daniel 4:10

I saw - a tree - This vision Nebuchadnezzar says made him afraid. What a mercy it is that God has hidden futurity from us! Were he to show every man the lot that is before him, the misery of the human race would be complete. Great men and princes are often represented, in the language of the prophets, under the similitude of trees; see Eze 17:5, Eze 17:6; Eze 31:3, etc.; Jer 22:15; Psa 1:3; Psa 37:35.

John Gill on Daniel 4:12

The Church Fathers

Barbarians lived a wild life, whereas more reasonable and civilized people, rapid and uplifted in their thinking, continued to pass their life under his authority.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:12

By "foliage" he refers to the visible splendor in apparel, throne, palace, warriors bearing shields and javelins, and foot soldiers, and by "fruit" to the tribute offered from all quarters.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:12

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Daniel — God is my judge, or judge of God. (1.) David’s second son, “born unto him in Hebron, of Abigail the Carmelitess” (1 Chr. 3:1). He is called also Chileab (2 Sam. 3:3). (2.) One of the four great…
Leaf — Of a tree. The olive-leaf mentioned Gen. 8:11. The barren fig-tree had nothing but leaves (Matt. 21:19; Mark 11:13). The oak-leaf is mentioned Isa. 1:30; 6:13. There are numerous allusions to leaves,…
Media — Heb. Madai, which is rendered in the Authorized Version (1) “Madai,” Gen. 10:2; (2) “Medes,” 2 Kings 17:6; 18:11; (3) “Media,” Esther 1:3; 10:2; Isa. 21:2; Dan. 8:20; (4) “Mede,” only in Dan. 11:1.…
B · Habitations of: Under spreading trees — Habitations of: Under spreading trees
Babylon · .Prophecies concerning — .Prophecies concerning
Birds · Rest on trees — Rest on trees
Converts · Nebuchadnezzar — Nebuchadnezzar
Heathen · .Nebuchadnezzar — .Nebuchadnezzar
Testimony · RELIGIOUS, EXEMPLIFIED — RELIGIOUS, EXEMPLIFIED
Tree · SYMBOLI — SYMBOLI
Trees · Parts of mentioned: The leaves — Parts of mentioned: The leaves

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Daniel 4:12

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Daniel 4:4-18

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 4:12

Adam Clarke on Daniel 4:10

John Gill on Daniel 4:12

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Daniel 4:12

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Daniel 4:4-18

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 4:12

Adam Clarke on Daniel 4:10

John Gill on Daniel 4:12

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Daniel 4:10-12

Keil & Delitzsch on Daniel 4:12

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Daniel 4:11

Rashi on Daniel 4:12