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In Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar regains his sanity and speaks in language that echoes Deuteronomy and also Tobit’s hymn of praise. Both follow this Deuteronomic tradition, one placing it in the mouth of a foreign king and the other in a common prayer.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Tobit 13:1
Deuterocanon
1 And he said Blessed is God that lives for ever, and his kingdom, For he chastises, and shows mercy. 2 He leads down to Hades below the earth, And he brings up from the great destruction; And there is nothing that shall escape his hand. 3 Give thanks to him before the Gentiles, you children of Israel, For he has scattered you among them, 4 And there he has shown you his greatness; And extol him before all the living. Because he is our Lord, and he our God, and he our Father, Yes, he is God to all the ages:
Date: 225–175 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Daniel 4:34
Hebrew Bible
33 Now in that very moment this pronouncement about Nebuchadnezzar came true. He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers and his nails like a bird’s claws. 34 But at the end of the appointed time I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven, and my sanity returned to me. I extolled the Most High, and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever. For his authority is an everlasting authority, and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he wishes with the army of heaven and with those who inhabit the earth. No one slaps his hand and says to him, “What have you done?”
Date: 200–101 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... This prayer can almost be detached from the events and stand alone as a hymn to God. Some scholars see it as an independent composition inserted here; e.g. Zimmermann and Deselaers. See also Nickelsburg. It reflects the influence of Deuteronomy 31–32, where we have Moses’ final words to the people of Israel. Tobit’s prayer also addresses Jerusalem, and prays that the Temple will last forever. The prayer reflects the Deuteronomic view that God punishes for transgressions, but also is merciful ..."
Robert J. Littman, Tobit: The Book of Tobit in Codex Sinaiticus (Leiden: Brill, 2008), 149.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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