A Lion Ate Grass like an Ox: Nebuchadnezzar and Empire Transformation in Daniel Four

Abstract

ABSTRACT Daniel 4 presents a complex combination of botanical and animal metaphors in relation to Nebuchadnezzar. In this article, these metaphors are explained by means of ancient Near Eastern royal ideology. By considering animal imageries in royal buildings, the concept of “cosmic tree” in relation to royal gardens and banquets, the oppressive and violent character of Nebuchadnezzar comes to the surface. From such characterization, the transformation of Nebuchadnezzar into an herbivore animal is understood to be part of the process of his humanization. This process is clarified by the intertextuality between Daniel 4 and 7, which explains the transformation of a lion into an ox; and between Daniel 4 and Isaiah 11, which explains the ethical exhortation of Daniel 4,24[27]. Nebuchadnezzar’s humanization, therefore, is seen as his submission to the ethical values required by the Most High for any political power, be it a foreigner or a Davidic king. The article concludes with the purpose of such message for Judahites under the power of Antiochus IV.