Original Word: טְרַד
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: trad
Pronunciation: teh-rawd'
Phonetic Spelling: (ter-ad')
KJV: drive
NASB: driven away
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H2956 (טָּרַד - constant)]

1. to expel

drive

(Aramaic) corresponding to tarad; to expel -- drive.

see HEBREW tarad

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to tarad
Definition
to chase away
NASB Translation
driven away (4).

Placement in the Canon

טְרַד appears only in the Aramaic sections of Daniel (Daniel 2–7), twice in the king’s first-person testimony (Daniel 4), once in the narrator’s confirmation (Daniel 4:33), and once in Daniel’s address to Belshazzar (Daniel 5:21). The tight clustering gives the word a sharply defined narrative function that centers on the divine humbling of proud monarchs.

Narrative Function

Each occurrence is tied to the sentence, execution, and historical recollection of Nebuchadnezzar’s madness. “You will be driven away from mankind and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field” (Daniel 4:25). The repetition—prediction, fulfillment, and later citation—creates a literary bracket that highlights God’s absolute sovereignty over the Gentile powers that dominate Judah during the exile.

Historical Background

Nebuchadnezzar II, the architect of Babylon’s imperial glory, had subjugated Jerusalem (2 Kings 24–25) and deported its elite. In public memory he would have appeared invincible. Yet Scripture records that in approximately the thirty-third year of his reign he succumbed to a divinely imposed psychosis, probably spanning seven literal years (“seven times”). The humiliation involved banishment from the palace precincts into the wild, where he lived as an untamed animal. Archaeological silence on this episode ironically corroborates Daniel: ancient monarchs never preserved official records of disgrace.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Kingship: The verb underscores the fact that God alone “removes kings and establishes them” (Daniel 2:21). The most powerful throne on earth can be vacated in an instant when the heavenly court issues its decree.
2. Humility and Grace: Nebuchadnezzar was driven out, yet not destroyed. Judgment was medicinal, intended to bring the king to confess that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He wishes” (Daniel 4:32).
3. Accountability of Rulers: Daniel 5:21 extends the lesson to Belshazzar. The earlier generation’s chastisement becomes the benchmark against which the later king is measured and found wanting. God’s dealings with rulers are consistent across generations.

Liturgical and Prophetic Resonance

Jewish liturgy that developed during and after the exile drew on Daniel’s testimony to encourage faith in God’s ultimate vindication of His people. Christian proclamation sees a prophetic foreshadowing of the eschatological judgment of the nations (Revelation 18), where every Babylon—ancient or future—is subject to being “driven” from its seat of power by the same Sovereign Lord.

Pastoral Application

• Pride invites divine opposition. Believers called to positions of influence must heed the warning embedded in טְרַד.
• God’s judgments are restorative; the moment Nebuchadnezzar “raised his eyes toward heaven” (Daniel 4:34) sanity returned. Repentance reverses exile.
• The Lord’s ability to expel a king from his throne encourages the faithful under hostile regimes: no oppressor is beyond God’s reach.

Inter-Testamental Echoes

Second Temple literature often recalled Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling as a paradigm for Gentile rulers (e.g., 1 Maccabees 2:62–63). Early Christian writers, including Tertullian and Chrysostom, cited Daniel 4 to admonish Roman emperors, showing that טְרַד’s theme of forced displacement retained homiletical power well into the church age.

Canonical Connections

The motif aligns with Psalms (“Surely the wrath of man shall praise You,” Psalm 76:10) and Proverbs (“Pride goes before destruction,” Proverbs 16:18). In the New Testament, Mary’s Magnificat celebrates the same principle: “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has exalted the humble” (Luke 1:52).

Summary

טְרַד in Daniel encapsulates God’s prerogative to drive out the proud and enthrone the humble. Its concentrated usage creates a vivid, cautionary portrait of divine discipline applied to world leaders, reinforcing the confession that “His dominion is an everlasting dominion” (Daniel 4:34).

טְרִ֔יד טְרִ֜יד טָֽרְדִ֜ין טָֽרְדִ֣ין טרדין טריד ṭā·rə·ḏîn tareDin ṭārəḏîn ṭə·rîḏ teRid ṭərîḏInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts