דניאל, פרק ד׳, פסוק כ׳

Daniel delivers a terrifying message to King Nebuchadnezzar, outlining a harsh heavenly decree brought by a holy messenger. The vision portrays a massive tree being chopped down, followed by a bizarre fate where the king is condemned to live in the fields, soaked by the dew, and existing like a wild beast for a set number of years. As the description unfolds, there is a sudden shift from the imagery of a felled tree to the reality of a human being living among animals. This abrupt change occurs because the tree does not symbolize the king's physical body, but rather his royal status and authority. The felling of the tree represents the complete stripping away of his power, while the subsequent details focus on the physical punishment that will afflict his actual body [אלשיך].

In recounting the dream, Daniel deliberately leaves out certain details that were present in the original vision, such as the chopping of the tree's branches and the animals fleeing from beneath it. This omission is intentional, keeping the focus strictly on what will happen to the king himself. The fleeing animals symbolize the ministers and servants who will abandon the king once madness takes hold of him—a natural consequence that is too obvious to need repeating. Furthermore, Daniel does not explicitly state that the king's heart will change from that of a human to an animal. This is already fully captured by the declaration that his lot will be with the wild beasts, indicating that his very nature will transform and he will behave entirely like an animal [מלבי״ם].

Despite the severity of this judgment, the vision holds a hidden promise for the future. The heavenly command to leave the roots of the tree firmly in the ground serves as a guarantee that the kingdom itself will not be permanently destroyed. The king's descent into madness and his isolation from human society are only temporary. The strong, deeply embedded roots of his royalty will survive the years of exile, remaining secure and intact as they await his eventual return to the throne [מלבי״ם].