What does Daniel 4:11 mean?

This description comes from a dream, not an actual example. Nebuchadnezzar is consulting with Daniel about a troubling vision (Daniel 4:4–5, 8–9). Critics who simply skim passages without reading them in context sometimes point to this as an example of scientific error. On a spherical earth, no tree would be visible from everywhere, no matter how tall it might be. Yet this depiction is part of a dream: what the king sees in his sleep is not part of the real world.

Some translators dispute the word "visible." This is the simplest rendering, but the implication goes beyond just line-of-sight. The tree is described as incredibly influential and important (Daniel 4:12). The tree is not simply seen, it is known and revered. This factors into the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 4:22), which implies that the mighty king will be humbled (Daniel 4:25).

Nebuchadnezzar had increased significantly in terms of the size of his kingdom and its strength. Everyone in the known world at the time could see the greatness of the Babylonian empire. Other empires had existed before Babylon. Chief among them were Egypt, Syria, and Assyria, but none of them had grown to the magnitude and splendor of the Babylonian empire. Nebuchadnezzar held sway over a vast, powerful, and productive kingdom. But would it last much longer? In his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's first dream, Daniel gave an answer (Daniel 2:39–40). In this case, as well, the king's absolute rule will not last forever. What applied to Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom applies as well to powerful nations today. Someday all kingdoms of the world, including the most powerful ones, will surrender their rule to King Jesus (Revelation 11:15).