76. Nebuchadnezzar Destroys Jerusalem

Daniel Becomes A Slave

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand. Dan 1:1-2.  This was in 606 BCE.

And the king, Nebuchadnezzar, ordered that some of the sons of Israel, ... sons in whom was no blemish, but who were handsome and skillful in all wisdom; and who had knowledge and understanding, even those who were able to stand in the king's palace, those who had strength of body for the service which would be required of them in attending on the court.  A firm constitution of body is required for those protracted services of standing in the hall of the royal presence". Barnes Bible Commentary.

and to whom they might teach the writing and the language of the Chaldeans. ... among them were four of the sons of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Dan 1:3-7. These last three we know better as Shadrach; ... Meshach; and ... Abednego. 

In about 597 BCE king Nebuchadnezzar made another incursion into Judah, captured Jerusalem, and took the king of Judah, Jehoiachin, captive.  Then in 586 in the reign of Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem again.  He, Jehovah, caused the king of the Chaldeans to go up against them. And he, Nebuchadnezzar, killed their choice ones by the sword ... and had no pity on the young man and the virgin, the old man and the very aged; ... they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all the palaces of it with fire, and destroyed all its beautiful vessels. And the ones who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia. 2 Chron. 36:17-20.

Nebuchadnezzar Losses His Wits

In the meantime, Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind, and they, the people of Babylon, or their gods, or angels, shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you. Dan 4:32.  Bible teachers tell us that in the prophecies of Daniel, the word, times means years.

He was driven from men, and ate grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens, until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. Dan 4:33.

(Note: ... besides the neglect of the external appearance, there is also to be observed the circumstance that sometimes in psychical maladies the nails assume a peculiarly monstrous luxuriance with deformity. Besides, his remaining for a long time in the open air is to be considered, “for it is an actual experience that the hair, the more it is exposed to the influences of the rough weather and to the sun's rays, the more does it grow in hardness, and thus becomes like unto the feathers of an eagle.”) Kiel and Delitzsch Bible Commentary.

His illness is well known to science ... as that form of hypochondriasis in which a man takes himself for a wolf (lycanthropy), or a dog (kynanthropy), or some other animal. Probably the fifth-century monks, who were known as "Boskoi," from feeding on grass, may have been, in many cases, half maniacs who in time took themselves for oxen. Expositors Bible Com.

At the end of days, when the seven years were finished, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up my eyes to Heaven, and my understanding returned to me, ... And the glory of my kingdom, my honor and brightness returned to me. Dan 4:34-36.

There is no record that any other ruler took the king's place while the king was temporarily "out of service".  This fact has caused some to believe that the myth of the king's illness was only for the purpose of teaching a lesson; humility. To quote the passage as any proof that the writer of Daniel is narrating literal history is an extraordinary misuse of it. Expositors Bible Com.

Jeremiah had predicted that the captivity in Babylon would last 70 years.  

• Nebuchadnezzar, the second ruler of the neo-Babylonian kingdom, ruled for 43 years, 
• Evil-Marduk reigned for 17 years, 
• after that Belshazzar also reigned for 17 years. 

The total of the rulership of these three kings is 77 years.  Therefore, it is not unreasonable to believe that Evil-Marduk's rule overlapped with Nebuchadnezzar's rule for seven years, while Nebuchadnezzar was suffering from his malady?  If this hypothesis is true, the Babylonian captivity would have been exactly seventy years, as Jeremiah had predicted it would be.