Daniel 4 31

Daniel 4:31 kjv

While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

Daniel 4:31 nkjv

While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!

Daniel 4:31 niv

Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.

Daniel 4:31 esv

While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, "O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,

Daniel 4:31 nlt

"While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom.

Daniel 4 verses

Daniel 4 31 meaning

Daniel 4:31 declares the immediate, divine judgment upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the very moment of his arrogant boast concerning his personal achievements, a voice directly from heaven announces that his kingdom has been taken from him. This signifies the instant fulfillment of the prophetic dream and Daniel's interpretation, demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty over all earthly rulers and His swift action against pride.

Daniel 4 31 Context

Daniel chapter 4 is Nebuchadnezzar's personal testimony, narrated by him in a royal decree to all peoples, nations, and languages. It recounts a dream he had, depicting a majestic tree that was suddenly cut down, leaving only a stump. Daniel interpreted this dream as a prophecy of the king's impending loss of sanity and kingship for "seven times" due to his pride, after which he would be restored if he acknowledged the Most High God. For a year after the warning, Nebuchadnezzar seemed to remain in power. However, the turning point in verse 30 shows him standing on his palace, boasting of his own might and majesty in building "great Babylon," clearly indicating his failure to repent. This sets the stage for the immediate and dramatic divine intervention in verse 31, which marks the swift and exact fulfillment of the prophecy, directly consequent to his unrepentant arrogance.

Daniel 4 31 Word analysis

• While the word: (Aramaic: kad milta’) - milta’ means "word" or "matter." This refers specifically to the boastful speech Nebuchadnezzar had just uttered in verse 30, declaring his own power and glory. The use of "while" (kad) emphasizes the instantaneous nature of the divine response, striking even as the words of pride were still articulating.
• was in the king’s mouth: (Aramaic: al pum malka’) - Literally, "on the mouth of the king." This imagery vividly portrays the immediacy. The judgment was so swift that it interceded before the echoes of his boast had faded, leaving no time for reflection or reconsideration, and ensuring a direct link between his words and the consequence.
• there fell a voice: (Aramaic: qal min sh'mayya nachēt) - qal means "voice" or "sound," nachēt means "descended" or "fell." This indicates a clear, distinct, audible manifestation from above. It was not a subtle impression but a direct, undeniable auditory experience for the king, originating supernaturally from the realm of God.
• from heaven: (Aramaic: min sh'mayya) - Explicitly states the divine origin of the voice. Heaven, the abode of God, signifies that this is not human judgment or coincidence, but the decree of the Most High God, validating Daniel's prophecy and confirming God's ultimate authority.
• saying, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar: (Aramaic: ‘āmar lāk malḵā nēḇūḵaḏneṣṣar) - The direct address, calling the most powerful monarch by name, asserts the speaker's superior authority. It underlines the personal nature of the judgment against a king who claimed self-sufficiency and diminished God's role.
• to you it is declared: (Aramaic: qal ‘āmar lāk) - "A voice says to you." Reinforces that the message is for him, personal and unmistakable. The declarative nature ensures there is no misinterpretation possible concerning the source or recipient of the message.
• The kingdom: (Aramaic: malḵūṯā) - Refers to his political dominion, royal authority, power, and the entirety of his imperial rule. It is the very object of his recent boast.
• has departed: (Aramaic: ‘aḏāṯ) - This Aramaic verb is in the perfect tense, meaning "it has departed" or "it has gone." This is crucial as it implies the action is complete and immediate—not a future event but a present reality. The kingdom has already been removed from him by divine decree at that very instant.
• from you: (Aramaic: minnāḵ) - Specifies the exact target of the judgment: the king personally. His identity as ruler is directly stripped away, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of his downfall.

Words-group analysis:

• "While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven": This powerful juxtaposition emphasizes the utter swiftness and certainty of God's judgment. The peak of human arrogance (Nebuchadnezzar's boast) is met with immediate divine rebuke. This divine timing serves as a potent warning against delayed repentance and demonstrates God's perfect precision in justice.
• "O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: The kingdom has departed from you!": The formal yet devastating pronouncement confirms the prophecy of Daniel 4:25-26. The shift to a declarative past tense ("has departed") conveys that the judgment is not merely a threat, but a divinely accomplished fact, instantaneously realized. It is an unassailable pronouncement of cosmic justice being meted out to an earthly potentate.

Daniel 4 31 Bonus section

• The sudden and public nature of this divine pronouncement would have served not only to humble Nebuchadnezzar but also to reassert the supreme authority of Yahweh over all earthly deities and rulers to those who witnessed or later learned of the event in Babylon. It functions as a powerful polemic against the polytheistic Babylonian worldview and its divine kingship ideologies.
• This immediate fulfillment of prophecy also serves to confirm the authority of Daniel's earlier interpretation, showcasing the reliability of God's Word spoken through His prophets.
• The dramatic nature of the event — a literal voice from the sky—is rare in Scripture and emphasizes the extraordinary importance of this judgment and the profound spiritual lesson intended for Nebuchadnezzar and subsequent generations.

Daniel 4 31 Commentary

Daniel 4:31 marks the pivotal moment of Nebuchadnezzar's divine chastisement. His unbridled self-exaltation in verse 30, declaring his dominion as solely a product of his own strength, drew an immediate and unreserved response from Heaven. The swiftness of the divine voice, descending even as his proud words lingered, highlights God's zero-tolerance for such arrogance and His undeniable sovereignty over human affairs. The announcement—that "the kingdom has departed from you"—is delivered not as a future warning but as a present, accomplished fact, underscoring the absolute power of God to divest human rulers of their authority. This serves as a stark testament to the truth that all power originates from and is subject to the Most High, who exalts and abases according to His perfect will. It is the direct and public manifestation of the prophetic warning against a king who refused to give glory to the true God.