Lexical Summary sheelah: Request, Petition, Inquiry Original Word: שְׁאֵלָא Strong's Exhaustive Concordance demand (Aramaic) from sh'el; properly, a question (at law), i.e. Judicial decision or mandate -- demand. see HEBREW sh'el NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) from sheel Definition affair NASB Translation decision (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [שְׁאֵלָה] noun feminine affair (weakened from question, inquiry, compare Dr); — emphatic שְׁאֵלְתָּא Daniel 4:14. Topical Lexicon Occurrence and Narrative Setting שְׁאֵלָא appears once, in Daniel 4:17, within Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream. The Babylonian king beholds a great tree that is felled at the command of heavenly beings. The term denotes the formal “request” or “demand” that issues from the council of “watchers” and “holy ones,” inaugurating the divine judgment that will humble the monarch for seven seasons. Literary and Linguistic Observations In the Aramaic section of Daniel (Daniel 2 – 7), שְׁאֵלָא carries the weight of an official petition presented before the supreme King. Its appearance alongside “decree” underscores a two-fold courtroom progression: the proposal (שְׁאֵלָא) voiced by angelic ministers and the ratified decree enacted by God Himself. The pairing creates a forensic rhythm: request, ruling, execution. Theological Significance in Daniel Daniel 4:17 declares, “This matter is by the decree of the watchers; this command is by the word of the holy ones, so that the living may know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He wishes, setting over it the lowliest of men”. The single occurrence of שְׁאֵלָא therefore highlights: • Divine sovereignty—Heaven’s court initiates earthly events; no throne stands secure apart from the Most High (compare Daniel 2:21; Psalm 75:6-7). Implications for Prayer and Worship Because שְׁאֵלָא describes a petition arising in Heaven itself, it links human intercession with the larger heavenly liturgy. Believers echo the watchers when praying, “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10). Effective prayer aligns with God’s purposes, acknowledges His right to exalt and abase (Luke 14:11), and seeks outcomes that magnify His rule. Historical and Intertestamental Echoes Second Temple literature (e.g., 1 Enoch) expands upon the theme of watchers, yet biblical Daniel remains the canonical anchor: angelic beings are ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14) who advance, not challenge, God’s sovereignty. The Persian context of irrevocable royal decrees (Esther 8:8; Daniel 6:8) may lie behind the narrative, but Daniel makes clear that divine verdicts overrule human law. Christological and Eschatological Connections The tree that shelters “beasts of the field” and “birds of the air” (Daniel 4:12) anticipates Kingdom imagery fulfilled in the reign of Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:31-32). Nebuchadnezzar’s fall and restoration anticipate the pattern of death and exaltation realized perfectly in Christ (Philippians 2:5-11), and portend the future judgment where every proud ruler is measured against the Lamb (Revelation 19:11-16). Practical Ministry Applications • Preaching—Use Daniel 4 to call the powerful and the powerless alike to humility before God. Forms and Transliterations שְׁאֵֽלְתָ֑א שאלתא šə’êləṯā šə·’ê·lə·ṯā sheeleTaLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 4:17 HEB: וּמֵאמַ֥ר קַדִּישִׁ֖ין שְׁאֵֽלְתָ֑א עַד־ דִּבְרַ֡ת NAS: of the [angelic] watchers And the decision is a command KJV: of the watchers, and the demand by the word INT: command of the holy and the decision to the intent 1 Occurrence |
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