Nabonidus plagiarizing Daniel about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream

Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Visiting Professor, Department of Liberal Education, Kyungpook National University, Sangju Campus, South Korea, Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia

The history of religions’ school of the early 20^th century, represented by Hugo Radau et al, were only interested in Babel-Bibel comparisons but never considered Bibel-Babel connections. It is exactly what this is all about.

In the Stela of Nabonidus 8 at Column VI, Stephen Langdon discussed in 1912 a text that gives us all the hints that he may have borrowed his story from Daniel. Nabonidus explained that he prayed to his god. He saw a great star or meteor striking the moon and he was very worried in his heart (Col. VI lines 3-5). A meteor is a very big rock. In the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2, Daniel explained to the king Nebuchadnezzar, the father of Nabonidus, that a great rock came and hit the image that he saw in the dream and it became bigger to fill the earth. The god Bel step up on his side (belu id-lu ina idi-ia Col. VI line 6). He spoke to him and said that striking has no evil meaning (ṭi-ḫu-ti mim-ma i-dati lum-mi ul i-ba-aš-ši Col. VI lines 9-11). In Daniel there was no evil meaning as well since it was the symbol of the kingdom of God that grew over the whole earth. Nabonidus was in a dream and he could see Nebuchadnezzar, his predecessor, standing in a wagon with a lord that is called a priest (bel ^ameluursiggu Col. VI line 15). The priest or ursiggu was in conversation with Nebuchadnezzar. He said to Nebuchadnezzar: “Speak with Nabonidus and ask him to tell you the dream that he had and the explanation thereof.” (Col. VI lines 17-23). In Daniel the dreamer was King Nebuchadnezzar but now Nabonidus wants to compete with Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar by having a dream himself with an explanation. Nebuchadnezzar then said: “What a good thing is it that you saw, tell me?” (mi-na-a dum-ḳi ša ṭa-aṭ-tu-lu ḳi-ba-a ia-a-ši Col. VI lines 27-29). Nabonidus then spoke to Nebuchadnezzar and said: “In my dream I saw the great star and the moon and Jupiter coming together (i-na šutti-ia kakkabu rabu ^ilusin u ^ilumarduk Col. VI lines 31-32) in the midst of heaven (ina ḳi-rib ša-ma-me šu-lu-tu Col. VI line 33). It was “in clean glistering” (da-am-ḳi-iš ap-pa-liš-šu-nu-ti Col. VI line 34-35). Nebuchadnezzar then called his name, since Nabonidus was given another name.

Discussion

The content of the text is very interesting. Since Nabonidus ruled after 557 BCE and Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel’s interpretation of the his dreams preceded Nabonidus by more than three to four decades, it means that Nabonidus is aware of Daniel’s work and that genre played a vivid role in his perception when he became king. It was as if he also had to have a dream with an interpretation matching Nebuchadnezzar’s experience. There was a close religious associate with Nebuchadnezzar in the wagon in Nabonidus’ dream. Nebuchadnezzar shows himself interested in dreams and their interpretations just like we are told forty years before this text in the Book of Daniel. The role of Jewish scribes close to Nabonidus should not be ruled out. By the time of this writing of the stela of Nabonidus, Jewish scribes were in Babylon and surroundings more than 50 years. They were thus everywhere in society. Much of Nabonidus’ daily information would have come from such scribes.