Daniel 4:10 (ESV)

10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

From Daniel 4:10 onwards we read what the king had been dreaming. It is very striking that, in these circumstances, the Lord uses the image of a tree for Nebuchadnezzar. It concerns a tree that is standing in the centre of the world. The Lord here connects to a representation that was rather popular at the time among the peoples around Israel. It was the idea that the tree of life would be standing somewhere on earth. That tree of life represented the centre of the world. This tree was supposed to provide eternal life. Finding this tree was very special and important in the eyes of many people back then. It seems that Nebuchadnezzar is the tree of life in person. It is he who, from his tremendous position of power, lifts culture to great heights. His power is so great that he looks like a god.