Daniel 2:37
Daniel 2:3737You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.
Daniel calls Nebuchadnezzar "the king of kings" in 2:37 and Ezekiel calls him the same in 26:7. The Watchtower cites these usages to argue that "King of kings" is a transferable title — a delegated honour rather than a divine designation — which softens the force of where Jesus bears the same title.
The comparison is the argument. When and apply "king of kings" to Nebuchadnezzar, the phrase means "supreme among earthly kings" — a human emperor at the top of a human hierarchy. When applies "Lord of lords" to Jehovah, the phrase means something ontologically different — the supreme being over all reality, not merely the chief among peers. Scripture uses the same words at two altitudes. When calls Jesus "King of kings and Lord of lords," the question is which altitude the New Testament has in view. tells us: the Lamb conquers "because he is Lord of lords and King of kings" — the title is ontological, not delegated. And calls the one "King of kings and Lord of lords" the one "who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light." Those are Jehovah-level claims attached to the title when it is applied to Jesus — not Nebuchadnezzar-level claims. establishes the possibility of two altitudes. Revelation settles which altitude is meant.