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Daniel 4:13

“I saw in the visions of my head on my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from the sky.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    “I saw in the visions of my head on my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from the sky.

  • KJV King James Version

    I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;

  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    (4-10) I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven.

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Cross-references (16)

Passages linked to Daniel 4:13 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.

  • Deuteronomy 33:2 He said, “Yahweh came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them. He shone from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones. At his right hand was a fiery law for them.
  • Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head on his bed. Then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters.
  • Daniel 8:13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who spoke, “How long will the vision about the continual burnt offering, and the disobedience that makes desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the army to be trodden under foot be?”
  • Psalms 89:7 a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him?
  • Daniel 4:5 I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
  • Daniel 4:23 “Whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from the sky, and saying, ‘Cut down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of the sky. Let his portion be with the animals of the field, until seven times pass over him.
  • Zechariah 14:5 You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with you.
  • Jude 1:14 About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones,
  • Psalms 103:20 Praise Yahweh, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.
  • Daniel 4:10 Thus were the visions of my head on my bed: I saw, and behold, a tree in the middle of the earth; and its height was great.
  • Daniel 7:17 ‘These great animals, which are four, are four kings, who will arise out of the earth.
  • Daniel 7:23 “Thus he said, ‘The fourth animal will be a fourth kingdom on earth, which will be different from all the kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, and will tread it down, and break it in pieces.
  • Matthew 25:31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
  • Mark 1:24 saying, “Ha! What do we have to do with you, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!”
  • Luke 4:34 saying, “Ah! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God!”
  • Revelation 14:10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

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Explain this verse (17 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain The second part of the dream follows here. Hitherto…

The second part of the dream follows here. Hitherto Nebuchadnezzar has described the beauty and excellency of his state under the figure of a lofty tree which afforded shade to the beasts and on whose fruit they fed, and next as giving, nests to the birds of heaven under its boughs. The cutting down of the tree now follows. I saw, says he, in the visions of my head upon my couch, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven No doubt we ought to understand an angel by a watcher. He is called “a holy one,” which is only another form of expression for an angel; and they are worthy of this name, because they are perpetually watchful in the performance of God’s commands. They are not subject to slumber, they are not nourished by either food or drink, but live a spiritual life; hence they have no use for sleep, which is the result of drink and food. Lastly, as angels have no bodies, their very spiritual nature makes them watchful. But this phrase not only expresses their nature but also their duty; because God has them at hand to fulfill his bidding, and destines them to the performance of his commands, hence they are called “watchers.” (Psalm 103:20.) In this Psalm angels are said to do his bidding, because, by an agility incomprehensible to us, they run about hither and thither, and fly directly from heaven to earth, from one end of the world to another — from the rising even to the setting sun. Since, therefore, angels can so easily and promptly fulfill God’s orders, they are deservedly called “watchers ” They are called “holy ones,” because they are not infected by human infirmities. But we are filled with really sins, not merely because we are earthly, but since we have contracted pollution from our first parents, which vitiates alike the whole body and mind. By this expression, then, Nebuchadnezzar desired to distinguish between angels and mortals. For although God here sanctifies his elect, yet as long as they dwell in the prison of the body they never arrive at the holiness of angels. Here then we mark the difference between angels and men. Nebuchadnezzar could not understand this by himself, but he was taught of God to perceive the destruction of the tree to arise not from man but from the Almighty.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Hereby he meaneth that Nebuchadnezzar should not only for…
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Dan 4:13 I saw in the visions of my…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain a watcher is meant an angel, a holy or…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain I saw in the visions of my head upon…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain A watcher - A holy angel, the instrument of…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 13. A watcher and a holy one] These…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain I saw in the visions of my head upon…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Changed, &c. It does not appear, by Scripture, that…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain watcher and an holy one--rather, "even an holy one."…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 13, 14. A holy one from heaven (compare Zec_4:10,…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 13. a watcher] i.e. not a guardian, but a…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (13) A watcher and a holy one—i.e., a holy…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain I saw in the visions of my head upon…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain Dan 4:17; Dan 4:23 plural in 17.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 4:13 a holy one: The term holy is not…

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