In the second year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, Nabuchodonosor had a dream, and his spirit was terrified, and his dream went out of his mind.
וּבִשְׁנַ֣ת שְׁתַּ֗יִם לְמַלְכוּת֙ נְבֻֽכַדְנֶצַּ֔ר חָלַ֥ם נְבֻֽכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר חֲלֹמ֑וֹת וַתִּתְפָּ֣עֶם רוּח֔וֹ וּשְׁנָת֖וֹ נִהְיְתָ֥ה עָלָֽיו׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
This year marks the twelfth year. If three years have elapsed since the city was captured, which occurred in the ninth year, then this current year is indeed the twelfth. Some suggest that the Hebrews may use the same symbol for both numerals. This could either indicate an error by the scribe or suggest it is the second year following the presentation of the young men. However, this is not the central issue.
In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he had a troubling dream that left him in a state of unrest, causing the memory of it to escape him. There is some confusion regarding the timeline; if the young men were brought before him after three years as he commanded, how can it be said that he experienced a dream in the second year of his reign? The Jewish interpretation clarifies that this refers to the second year of his dominion over all foreign peoples, which included not just Judah and the Chaldeans, but also the Assyrians, Egyptians, Moabites, and other nations that he subdued with God’s allowance.
Josephus further records in the tenth book of his Antiquities that, “two years after the devastation of Egypt, King Nebuchadnezzar had a remarkable dream, and his spirit was troubled, causing the vision to elude him.” The unrighteous king had a prophetic dream so that God might be glorified through the holy youth’s interpretation of what he had seen, providing great solace to the captives and those faithful to God during their exile. This is similarly recounted regarding Pharaoh, not because they were worthy of such visions, but rather due to Joseph and Daniel’s virtue, which set them apart to deliver the interpretations.
We understand from this that Nebuchadnezzar, upon ascending to the throne, did not hesitate to wage war against the Jewish people during the third year of Jehoiakim's rule. He demanded tribute from Jehoiakim, took captives, and brought them into the territory of Assyria. The Prophet Jeremiah testifies to this period, stating: “the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon” (Jeremiah 25:1). Therefore, we see that Nebuchadnezzar, during the time he was king and in Jehoiakim’s third year, raised an army against the Jews.
Jeremiah the prophet, delivering his message to the people at the start of the fourth year, noted it was the first year of king Nebuchadnezzar. Furthermore, the esteemed Daniel indicated that the initial captivity occurred in the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign and then remarked, “In the second year of the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had a vision”; he included this detail purposefully, to help us accurately understand the timeline. This practice of mentioning kings by the number of years is also common among the divine Prophets. Thus, “in the second year of the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and his spirit was troubled, and his dream left him."
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS