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А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
1-8. Видение четырех животных. 9-14. Божественный суд над ними и водворение Царства Божия. 15-28. Объяснение видения небожителем.
Matthew Henry: Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible - 1706
The six former chapters of this book were historical; we now enter with fear and trembling upon the six latter, which are prophetical, wherein are many things dark and hard to be understood, which we dare not positively determine the sense of, and yet many things plain and profitable, which I trust God will enable us to make a good use of. In this chapter we have, I. Daniel's vision of the four beasts, ver. 1-8. II. His vision of God's throne of government and judgment, ver. 9-14. III. The interpretation of these visions, given him by an angel that stood by, ver. 15-28. Whether those visions look as far forward as the end of time, or whether they were to have a speedy accomplishment, is hard to say, nor are the most judicious interpreters agreed concerning it.
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
The prophet having, in the preceding chapters of this book, related some remarkable events concerning himself and his brethren in the captivity, and given proof of his being enabled, by Divine assistance, to interpret the dreams of others, enters now into a detail of his own visions, returning to a period prior to the transactions recorded in the last chapter. The first in order of the prophet's visions is that of the four beasts, which arose out of a very tempestuous ocean, Dan 7:1-9; and of one like the Son of man who annihilated the dominion of the fourth beast, because of the proud and blasphemous words of one of its horns, Dan 7:9-14. An angel deciphers the hieroglyphics contained in this chapter, declaring that the Four beasts, diverse one from another, represent the Four Paramount empires of the habitable globe, which should succeed each other; and are evidently the same which were shadowed forth to Nebuchadnezzar by another set of hieroglyphics, (see the second chapter), Dan 7:15-26. But for the consolation of the people of God, it is added that, at the time appointed in the counsel of Jehovah, "the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the Most High;" and that this kingdom shall never be destroyed or transferred to another people, as all the preceding dominations have been, but shall itself stand for ever, Dan 7:27, Dan 7:28. It will be proper to remark that the period of a time, times, and a half, mentioned in the twenty-fifth verse as the duration of the dominion of the little horn that made war with the saints, (generally supposed to be a symbolical representation of the papal power), had most probably its commencement in a.d. 755 or 756, when Pepin, king of France, invested the pope with temporal power. This hypothesis will bring the conclusion of the period to about the year of Christ 2000, a time fixed by Jews and Christians for some remarkable revolution; when the world, as they suppose, will be renewed, the wicked cease from troubling the Church, and the saints of the Most High have dominion over the whole habitable globe. But this is all hypothesis.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:0: Section I. - Analysis of the Chapter
This chapter contains an account of a remarkable prophetic dream which Daniel had in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, and of the interpretation of the dream. After a brief statement of the contents of the chapter, it will be proper, in order to its more clear exposition, to state the different methods which have been proposed for interpreting it, or the different views of its application which have been adopted. The chapter comprises the following main points: the vision, Dan 7:1-14; and the explanation, Dan 7:15-28.
I. The vision, Dan 7:1-14. The dream occurred in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, and was immediately written out. Daniel is represented as standing near the sea, and a violent wind rages upon the sea, tossing the waves in wild commotion. Suddenly he sees four monsters emerge from the agitated waves, each one apparently remaining for a little time, and then disappearing. The first, in its general form, resembled a lion, but had wings like an eagle. On this he attentively gazed, until the wings were plucked away, and the beast was made to stand upright as a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.
Nothing is said as to what became of the beast after this. Then there appeared a second beast, resembling a bear, raising itself up on one side, and having three ribs in its mouth, and a command was given to it to arise and devour much flesh. Nothing is said further of what became of this beast. Then there arose another beast like a leopard, with four wings, and four heads, and to this beast was given wide dominion. Nothing is said as to what became of this animal. Then there arose a fourth beast more remarkable still. Its form is not mentioned, but it was fierce and strong. It had great iron teeth. It trampled down everything before it, and devoured and brake in pieces. This beast had at first ten horns, but soon there sprang up in the midst of them another - a smaller horn at first, but as this increased three of the ten horns were plucked up by the roots - apparently either by this, or in order to give place to it. What was more remarkable still, in this smaller horn there appeared the eyes of a man - emblematic of intelligence and vigilance; and a mouth speaking great things - indicative of pride and arrogance. Daniel looked on this singular vision until a throne was set up or established, and then the Ancient of days did sit - until the old forms of dominations ceased, and the reign of God was introduced and established. He contemplated it until, on account of the great words which the "horn spake," the beast was slain, and his body was destroyed, and given to the burning flame. In the meantime the dominion was taken away from the other beasts; though their existence was prolonged for a little time. Then appeared in vision one in the form of man, who came to the Ancient of days, and there was given to him universal dominion over all people a kingdom that should never be destroyed.
II. The interpretation of the vision Dan 7:15-28. Daniel was greatly troubled at the vision which he had seen, and he approached one who stood near, and asked him the meaning of it, Dan 7:15-16. The explanation with which he was favored was, in general, the following: That those four beasts which he had seen represented four kings or kingdoms which would exist on the earth, and that the great design of the vision was to state the fact that the saints of tho Most High would ultimately possess the kingdom, and would reign foRev_er, Dan 7:17-18. The grand purpose of the vision was to represent the succession of dynasties, and the particular character of each one, until the government over the world should pass into the hands of the people of God, or until the actual rule on the earth should be in the hands of the righteous. The ultimate object, the thing to which all Rev_olutions tended, and which was designed to be indicated in the vision, was the final reign of the saints on the earth. There was to be a time when the kingdom under the whole heaven was to be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; or, in other words, there would be a state of things on the earth, when "all dominions," or all "rulers" (margin, Dan 7:27), would obey him. This general announcement in reference to the ultimate thing contemplated, and to the three first kingdoms, represented by the three first beasts, was satisfactory to Daniel, but he was still perplexed in regard to the particular thing designed to be represented by the fourth beast, so remarkable in its structure, so unlike all the others, and undergoing so surprising a transformation, Dan 7:19-22. The sum of what was stated to him, in regard to the events represented by the fourth beast, is as follows:
(1) That this was designed to represent a fourth kingdom or dynasty which would arise upon the earth, in many respects, different from the three which would precede it. It was to be a kingdom which would be distinguished for oppressive conquests. It would subdue the whole earth, and it would crush, and prostrate, and trample down those whom it invaded. The description would characterize a dominion that would be stern, and mighty, and cruel, and successful; that would keep the nations which it subdued under its control by the terror of arms rather than by the administration of just laws; Dan 7:23.
(2) The ten horns that Daniel saw spring out of its head denoted ten kings that would arise, or a succession of rulers that would sway the authority of the kingdom, Dan 7:24.
(3) The other horn that sprang up among the ten, and after them, denoted another dynasty that would arise, and this would have peculiar characteristics. It would so far have connection with the former that it would spring out of them. But in most important respects it would differ from them. Its characteristics may be summed up as follows:
(a) It would spring from their midst, or be somehow attached, or connected with them - as the horn sprang from the head of the beast - and this would properly denote that the new power somehow sprang from the dynasty denoted by the fourth beast - as the horn sprang from the head of that beast;
(b) though springing from that, it would be "diverse" from it, having a character to be determined, not from the mere fact of its origin, but from something else.
(c) It would "subdue three of these kings;" that is, it would evercome and prostrate a certain portion of the power and authority denoted by the ten horns perhaps meaning that it would usurp something like one-third of the power of the kingdom denoted by the fourth beast.
(d) It would be characterized by arrogance and haughtiness - so much so that the fair construction of its claims would be that of "speaking against the Most High."
(e) It would "wear out the saints of the Most High" - evidently referring to persecution.
(f) It would claim legislative authority so as to "change times and laws" - clearly referring to some claim set up over established laws, or to unusual authority, Dan 7:24-25.
(4) Into the hand of this new power, all these things would be given for "a time, and times, and half a time:" implying that it would not be permanent, but would come to an end, Dan 7:25.
(5) After that there would be a judgment - a judicial determination in regard to this new power, and the dominion would be taken away, to be utterly destroyed, Dan 7:26.
(6) There would come a period when the whole dominion of the earth would pass into the hands of the saints; or, in other words, there would be a universal reign of the principles of truth and righteousness, Dan 7:27.
In the conclusion of the chapter Dan 7:28, Daniel says that these communications deeply affected his heart. He had been permitted to look far into futurity, and to contemplate vast changes in the progress of human affairs, and even to look forward to a period when all the nations would be brought under the dominion of the law of God, and the friends of the Most High would be put in possession of all power. Such events were fitted to fill the mind with solemn thought, and it is not wonderful that he contemplated them with deep emotion.
Section II. - Various Methods of Interpreting This Chapter
It is hardly necessary to say that there have been very different methods of interpreting this chapter, and that the views of its proper interpretation are by no means agreed on by expositors. It may be useful to refer to some of those methods before we advance to its exposition, that they may be before the mind in its consideration. We shall be the better able to ascertain what is the true interpretation by inquiring which of them, if any, accords with the fair exposition of the language employed by the sacred writer. The opinions entertained may be reduced to the following classes:
I. Hardt supposes that the four beasts here denote four particular kings - Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach, Belshazzar, and Cyrus.
II. Ephraem, who is followed by Eichhorn, supposes that the first beast referred to the Babylonian-Chaldean kingdom; the second, the Medish empire under Cyaxares II, the three "ribs" of which denote the Medish, Persian, and Chaldean portions of that empire; the third, the Persian empire, the four heads and wings of which denote the spread of the Persian empire toward the four regions under heaven, or to all parts of the world; the fourth, to the Grecian empire under Alexander and his successors, the ten horns of which denote ten eminent kings among the successors of Alexander, and the "little horn," that sprang up among them, Antiochus Epiphanes. The succeeding state of things, according to Ephraem and Eichhorn, refers to the kingdom of the Messiah.
III. Grotius, representing another class of interpreters, whom Hetzel follows, supposes that the succession of the kingdoms here referred to is the Babylonian-Chaldean; the Persian; the kingdom of Alexander, and his successors. The fifth is the Roman empire.
IV. The most common interpretation which has pRev_ailed in the church is what supposes that the first beast denotes the Chaldean kingdom; the second, the Medo-Persian; the third, the Greek empire under Alexander and his successors; the fourth, the Roman empire. The dominion of the saints is the reign of the Messiah and his laws. But this opinion, particularly as far as pertains to the fourth and fifth of these kingdoms, has had a great variety of modifications, especially in reference to the signification of the ten horns, and the little horn that sprang up among them. Some who, under the fifth kingdom, suppose that the reign of Christ is referred to, regard the fourth kingdom as relating to Rome under the Caesars, and that the ten horns refer to a succession of ten regents, and the little horn to Julius Caesar. Others, who refer the last empire to the personal reign of Christ on the earth, and the kingdom which he would set up, suppose that the ten horns refer to ten kings or dynasties that sprang out of the Roman power - either a succession of the emperors, or those who came in after the invasion of the northern hordes, or certain kingdoms of Europe which succeeded the Roman power after it fell; and by the little horn, they suppose that either the Turkish power with its various branches is designated, or Mahomet, or the Papacy, or Anti-christ.
V. The Jews, in general, suppose that the fifth kingdom refers to the reign of the Messiah; but still there has been great diversity of views among them in regard to the application of particular parts of the prophecy. Many of the older interpreters among them supposed that the ten horns denoted ten Roman Caesars, and that the last horn referred to Titus Vespasian. Most of the later Jewish interpreters refer this to their fabulous Gog and Magog.
VI. Another interpretation which has had its advocates is what supposes that the first kingdom was the Chaldean; the second, the Persian; the third, that of Alexander; the fourth, that of his successors; and the fifth, that of the Asmonean princes who rose up to deliver the Jewish nation from the despotism of the Syrian kings.
VII. As a specimen of one mode of interpretation which has pRev_ailed to some extent in the church, the opinion of Cocceius may be referred to. He supposes that the first beast, with the eagle's wings, denoted the reign of the Christian emperors in Rome, and the spread of Christianity under them into remote regions of the East and West; the second, with the three ribs in his mouth, the Arian Goths, Vandals, and Lombards; the third, with the four heads and four wings, the Mahometan kingdom with the four Caliphates; the fourth, the kingdom of Charlemagne, and the ten horns in this kingdom, the Carlovingians, Saxons, Salle, Swedish, Hollandish, English, etc., princes and dynasties or people; and the little horn, the Papacy as the actual Anti-christ.
The statement of these various opinions, and methods of interpretation, I have translated from Bertholdt, Daniel, pp. 419-426. To these should be added the opinion which Bertholdt himself maintains, and which has been held by many others, and which Bertholdt has explained and defended at length, pp. 426-446. That opinion is, substantially, that the first kingdom is the Babylonian kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar, and that the wings of the first beast denote the extended spread of that empire. The second beast, with the three "ribs," or fangs, denotes the Median, Lydian, and Babylonian kingdoms, which were erected under one scepter, the Persian. The third beast, with the four wings and four heads, denotes the Grecian dynasty under Alexander, and the spread of that kingdom throughout the four parts of the world. The fourth beast denotes the kingdom of the Lagidae and Seleucidae, under which the Hebrews suffered so much. The statement respecting this kingdom Dan 7:7, that "it was diverse from all that went before it," refers to the "plurality of the fourth kingdom." or the fact that it was an aggregate made up of many others - a kingdom in a collective sense. The "ten horns" denote ten successive princes or kings in that kingdom, and Bertholdt enumerates them in the following order:
1. Seleucus Nicator;
2. Antiochus Soter;
3. Antiochus Theos;
4. Seleucus Kallinicus;
5. Seleucus Keraunus;
6. Antiochus the Great;
7. Seleucus Philopater;
8. Heliodorus;
9. Ptolemy Philometer;
10. Demetrius.
The eleventh - denoted by the little horn - was Antiochus Epiphanes, who brought so many calamitities upon the Hebrew people. His reign lasted, according to Bertholdt, "a time, and times, and half a time" - or three years and a half; and then the kingdom was restored to the people of God to be a permanent reign, and, ultimately, under the Messiah, to fill the world and endure to the end of time.
The interpretation thus stated, supposing that the "little horn" refers to Antiochus Epiphanes, is also maintained by Prof. Stuart. - Hints on Prophecy, 2nd ed., pp. 85-98. Compare also Commentary on Daniel, pp. 173-194, and 205-211.
Amidst such a variety of views, the only hope of arriving at any satisfactory conclusion respecting the meaning of this chapter is by a careful examination of the text, and the fair meaning of the symbols employed by Daniel.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
Dan 7:1, Daniel's vision of the four beasts, Dan 7:9, and of God's kingdom; Dan 7:15, The interpretation thereof.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch

The Vision of the Four World-Kingdoms; the Judgment; and the Kingdom of the Holy God
After presenting to view (Daniel 3-6) in concrete delineation, partly in the prophetically significant experiences of Daniel and his friends, and partly in the typical events which befell the world-rulers, the position and conduct of the representatives of the world-power in relation to the worshippers of the living God, there follows in this chapter the record of a vision seen by Daniel in the first year of Belshazzar. In this vision the four world-monarchies which were shown to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream in the form of an image are represented under the symbol of beasts; and there is a further unfolding not only of the nature and character of the four successive world-kingdoms, but also of the everlasting kingdom of God established by the judgment of the world-kingdoms. With this vision, recorded like the preceding chapters in the Chaldean language, the first part of this work, treating of the development of the world-power in its four principal forms, is brought to a conclusion suitable to its form and contents.
This chapter is divided, according to its contents, into two equal portions. Dan 7:1-14 contain the vision, and Dan 7:15-28 its interpretation. After an historical introduction it is narrated how Daniel saw (Dan 7:2-8) four great beasts rise up one after another out of the storm-tossed sea; then the judgment of God against the fourth beast and the other beasts (Dan 7:9-12); and finally (Dan 7:13, Dan 7:14), the delivering up of the kingdom over all nations to the Son of man, who came with the clouds of heaven. Being deeply moved (Dan 7:15) by what he saw, the import of the vision is first made known to him in general by an angel (Dan 7:16-18), and then more particularly by the judgment (Dan 7:19-26) against the fourth beast, and its destruction, and by the setting up of the kingdom of the saints of the Most High (Dan 7:27). The narrative of the vision is brought to a close by a statement of the impression made by this divine revelation on the mind of the prophet (Dan 7:28).
(Note: According to the modern critics, this vision also is to be regarded as belonging to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes; and, as von Lengerke says, the representation of the Messianic kingdom (Dan 7:13 and Dan 7:14) is the only prophetic portion of it, all the other parts merely announcing what had already occurred. According to Hitzig, this dream-vision must have been composed (cf. Dan 7:25, Dan 8:14) shortly before the consecration of the temple (1 Macc. 4:52, 59). On the other hand, Kranichfeld remarks, that if this chapter were composed during the time of the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes, "then it would show that its author was in the greatest ignorance as to the principal historical dates of his own time;" and he adduces in illustration the date in Dan 7:25, and the failure of the attempts of the opponents of its genuineness to authenticate in history the ten horns which grew up before the eleventh horn, and the three kingdoms (Dan 7:7., 20). According to Dan 7:25, the blaspheming of the Most High, the wearing out of the saints, and the changing of all religious ordinances continue for three and a half times, which are taken for three and a half years, after the expiry of which an end will be made, by means of the judgment, to the heathen oppression. But these three and a half years are not historically proved to be the period of the religious persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes. "In both of the books of the Maccabees (1 Macc. 1:54; 2 Macc. 10:5) the period of the desecration of the temple (according to v. Leng.) lasted only three years; and Josephus, Ant. xii. 7. 6, speaks also of three years, reckoning from the year 145 Seleucid. and the 25th day of the month Kisleu, when the first burnt-offering was offered on the idol-altar (1 Macc. 1:57), to the 25th day of Kisleu in the year 148 Seleucid., when for the first time sacrifice was offered (1 Macc. 4:52) on the newly erected altar." But since the βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως was, according to 1 Macc. 1:54, erected on the 15th day of Kisleu in the year 145 Seleucid., ten days before the first offering of sacrifice upon it, most reckon from the 15th Kisleu, and thus make the period three years and ten days. Hitzig seeks to gain a quarter of a year more by going back in his reckoning to the arrival in Judea (1 Macc. 1:29, cf. 2 Macc. 5:24) of the chief collector of tribute sent by Apollonius. C. von Lengerke thinks that the period of three and a half years cannot be reckoned with historical accuracy. Hilgenfeld would reckon the commencement of this period from some other event in relation to the temple, which, however, has not been recorded in history. - From all this it is clear as noonday that the three and a half years are not historically identified, and thus that the Maccabean pseudo-Daniel was ignorant of the principal events of his time. Just as little are these critics able historically to identify the ten kings (Dan 7:7 and Dan 7:20), as we shall show in an Excursus on the four world-kingdoms at the close of this chapter.)
Appendix to Daniel 1-7
The Four World-Kingdoms
There yet remains for our consideration the question, What are the historical world-kingdoms which are represented by Nebuchadnezzar's image (Daniel 2), and by Daniel's vision of four beasts rising up out of the sea? Almost all interpreters understand that these two vision are to be interpreted in the same way. "The four kingdoms or dynasties, which were symbolized (Daniel 2) by the different parts of the human image, from the head to the feet, are the same as those which were symbolized by the four great beasts rising up out of the sea." This is the view not only of Bleek, who herein agrees with Auberlen, but also of Kranichfeld and Kliefoth, and all church interpreters. These four kingdoms, according to the interpretation commonly received in the church, are the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Macedo-Grecian, and the Roman. "In this interpretation and opinion," Luther observes, "all the world are agreed, and history and fact abundantly establish it." This opinion prevailed till about the end of the last century, for the contrary opinion of individual earlier interprets had found no favour.
(Note: This is true regarding the opinion of Ephrem Syrus and of Cosmas Indicopleustes, who held that the second kingdom was the Median, the third the Persian, and the fourth the kingdom of Alexander and his successors. This view has been adopted only by an anonymous writer in the Comment. Var. in Dan. in Mai's Collectio nov. Script. Vett. p. 176. The same thing may be said of the opinion of Polychronius and Grotius, that the second kingdom was the Medo-Persian, the third the monarchy of Alexander, and the fourth the kingdom of his followers - a view which has found only one weak advocate in J. Chr. Becmann in a dissert. de Monarchia Quarta, Franc. ad Od. 1671.)
But from that time, when faith in the supernatural origin and character of biblical prophecy was shaken by Deism and Rationalism, then as a consequence, with the rejection of the genuineness of the book of Daniel the reference of the fourth kingdom to the Roman world-monarchy was also denied. For the pseudo-Daniel of the times of the Maccabees could furnish no prophecy which could reach further than the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. If the reference of the fourth kingdom to the Roman empire was therefore a priori excluded, the four kingdoms must be so explained that the pretended prophecy should not extend further than to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. For this end all probabilities were created, and yet nothing further was reached than that one critic confuted another. While Ewald and Bunsen advanced the opinion that the Assyrian kingdom is specially to be understood by the first kingdom, and that the Maccabean author of the book was first compelled by the reference to Nebuchadnezzar to separate, in opposition to history, the Median from the Persian kingdom, so as to preserve the number four, Hitzig, in agreement with von Redepenning, has sought to divide the Babylonian kingdom, and to refer the first kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar and the second to his successor Belshazzar; while Bertholdt, Jahn, and Rosenmller, with Grotius, have divided the kingdom of Alexander from the kingdom of his successors. But as both of these divisions appear to be altogether too arbitrary, Venema, Bleek, de Wette, Lcke, v. Leng., Maurer, Hitzig (Daniel vii.), Hilgenfeld, and Kranichfeld have disjoined the Medo-Persian monarchy into two world-kingdoms, the Median and the Persian, and in this they are followed by Delitzsch. See Art. Daniel in Herz.'s Real Encyc.
When we examine these views more closely, the first named is confuted by what Ewald himself (Die Proph. iii. 314) has said on this point. The four world-kingdoms "must follow each other strictly in chronological order, the succeeding being always inferior, sterner, and more reckless than that which went before. They thus appear in the gigantic image (Daniel 2), which in its four parts, from head to feet, is formed of altogether different materials; in like manner in Daniel 7 four different beasts successively appear on the scene, the one of which, according to Daniel 8, always destroys the other. Now it cannot be said, indeed, in strict historical fact that the Chaldean kingdom first gave way to the Median, and this again to the Persian, but, as it is always said, the Persian and Median together under Cyrus overthrew the Chaldean and formed one kingdom. This is stated by the author himself in Daniel 8, where the Medo-Persian kingdom is presented as one under the image of a two-horned ram. According to this, he should have reckoned from Nabucodrossor only three world-kingdoms, if he had not received the number of four world-kingdoms from an old prophet living under the Assyrian dominion, who understood by the four kingdoms the Assyrian, the Chaldean, the Medo-Persian, and the Grecian. Since now this number, it is self-evident to him, can neither be increased nor diminished, there remained nothing else for him than to separate the Median from the Persian kingdom at that point where he rendered directly prominent the order and the number four, while he at other times views them together." But what then made it necessary for this pseudo-prophet to interpret the golden head of Nebuchadnezzar, and to entangle himself thereby, in opposition not only to the history, but also to his own better judgment, Daniel 8, if in the old sources used by him the Assyrian is to be understood as the first kingdom? To this manifest objection Ewald has given no answer, and has not shown that in Daniel 2 and 7 the Median kingdom is separated from the Persian. Thus this hypothesis is destitute of every foundation, and the derivation of the number four for the world-kingdoms from a prophetic book of the Assyrian period is one of the groundless ideas with which Ewald thinks to enrich biblical literature.
Hitzig's opinion, that Daniel had derived the idea of separating the heathen power into four kingdoms following each other from the representation of the four ages of the world, has no better foundation. It was natural for him to represent Assyria as the first kingdom, yet as he wished not to refer to the past, but to future, he could only begin with the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar. Regarding himself as bound to the number four, he divided on that account, in Daniel 2, the Chaldean dominion into two periods, and in Daniel 7, for the same reason, the Medo-Persian into two kingdoms, the Median and the Persian. This view Hitzig founds partly on this, that in Dan 2:38 not the Chaldean kingdom but Nebuchadnezzar is designated as the golden head, and that for Daniel there exist only two Chaldean kings; and partly on this, that the second מלכוּ (Dan 2:39) is named as inferior to the Chaldean, which could not be said of the Medo-Persian as compared with the Chaldean; and, finally, partly on this, that in the vision seen in the first year of Belshazzar (Daniel 7), Nebuchadnezzar already belonged to the past, while according to Dan 7:17 the first kingdom was yet future. But apart from the incorrectness of the assertion, that for the author of this book only two Chaldean kings existed, it does not follow from the circumstance that Nebuchadnezzar is styled the golden head of the image, that he personally is meant as distinct from the Chaldean king that succeeded him; on the contrary, that Nebuchadnezzar comes to view only as the founder, and at that time the actual ruler, of the kingdom, is clear from Dan 2:39, "after thee shall arise another kingdom" (מלכוּ), not another king (מלך), as it ought to be read, according to Hitzig's opinion. Belshazzar did not found another kingdom, or, as Hitzig says, another dominion (Herschaft), but he only continued the kingdom or dominion of Nebuchadnezzar. The two other reasons advanced have been already disposed of in the interpretation of Dan 2:39 and of Dan 7:17. The expression, "inferior to thee" (Dan 2:39), would not relate to the Medo-Persian kingdom as compared with the Chaldean only if it referred to the geographical extension of the kingdom, which is not the case. And the argument deduced from the words "shall arise" in Dan 7:17 proves too much, and therefore nothing. If in the word יקוּמוּן (shall arise) it be held that the first kingdom was yet to arise, then also the dominion of Belshazzar would be thereby excluded, which existed at the time of that vision. Moreover the supposition that מלכוּ means in Dan 2:39 the government of an individual king, but in Dan 2:4 a kingdom, the passages being parallel in their contents and in their form, and that מלכין in Dan 7:17 ("the four beasts are four kings") means, when applied to the first two beasts, separate kings, and when applied to the two last, kingdoms, violates all the rules of hermeneutics. "Two rulers personally cannot possibly be placed in the same category with two kingdoms" (Kliefoth).
But the view of Bertholdt, that the third kingdom represents the monarchy of Alexander, and the fourth that of his διάδοχοι (successors), is at the present day generally abandoned. And there is good reason that it should be so; for it is plain that the description of the iron nature of the fourth kingdom in Daniel 2 breaking all things in pieces, as well as of the terribleness of the fourth beast in Daniel 7, by no means agrees with the kingdoms of the successors of Alexander, which in point of might and greatness were far inferior to the monarchy of Alexander, as is indeed expressly stated in Dan 11:4. Hitzig has, moreover, justly remarked, on the other hand, that "for the author of this book the kingdom of Alexander and that of his successors form together the יון מלכוּת, Dan 8:21 (the kingdom of Javan = Grecia). But if he had separated them, he could not have spoken of the kingdom of the successors as 'diverse' in character from that of Alexander, Dan 7:7, Dan 7:19. Finally, by such a view a right interpretation of the four heads, Dan 7:6, and the special meaning of the legs which were wholly of iron, Dan 2:33, is lost."
Now, since the untenableness of these three suppositions is obvious, there only remains the expedient to divide the Medo-Persian world-kingdom into a Median and a Persian kingdom, and to combine the former with the second and the latter with the third of Daniel's kingdoms. But this scheme also is broken to pieces by the twofold circumstance, (1) that, as Maurer himself acknowledges, history knows nothing whatever of a Median world-kingdom; and (2) that, as Kranichfeld is compelled to confess (p. 122ff.), "it cannot be proved from Dan 5:28; Dan 7:1, 29; Dan 9:1; Dan 11:1, that the author of the book, in the vision in Daniel 2 or 7, or at all, conceived of an exclusively Median world-kingdom, and knew nothing of the Persian race as an inner component part of this kingdom." It is true the book of Daniel, according to Daniel 8, recognises a distinction between a Median and a Persian dynasty (cf. Dan 8:3), but in other respects it recognises only one kingdom, which comprehends in its unity the Median and the Persian race. In harmony with this, the author speaks, at the time when the Median government over Babylon was actually in existence, only of one law of the kingdom for Medes and Persians (Dan 6:9, Dan 6:13, Dan 6:16), i.e., one law which rested on a common agreement of the two nations bound together into one kingdom. "The author of this book, who at the time of Darius, king of the Medes, knew only of one kingdom common to both races," according to Kran., "speaks also in the preceding period of the Chaldean independence of the Medes only in conjunction with the Persians (cf. Dan 5:28; Dan 8:20), and, after the analogy of the remark already made, not as of two separated kingdoms, but in the sense of one kingdom, comprehending in it, along with the Median race, also the Persians as another and an important component part. This finds its ratification during the independence of Babylon even in Dan 8:20; for there the kings of the Medes and the Persians are represented by one beast, although at the same time two separate dynasties are in view. This actual fact of a national union into one kingdom very naturally and fully explains why, in the case of Cyrus, as well as in that of Darius, the national origin of the governors, emphatically set forth, was of interest for the author (cf. Dan 9:1; Dan 6:1; Dan 11:1; Dan 6:28), while with regard to the Chaldean kings there is no similar particular notice taken of their origin; and generally, instead of a statement of the personal descent of Darius and Cyrus, much rather only a direct mention of the particular people ruled by each - e.g., for these rulers the special designations 'king of the Persians,' 'king of the Medes'-was to be expected
(Note: Kranichfeld goes on to say, that Hilgenfeld goes too far if he concludes from the attribute, the Mede (Dan 6:1 Dan 5:31), that the author wished to represent thereby a separate kingdom of the Medes in opposition to a kingdom of the Persians at a later time nationally distinct from it; further, that as in the sequel the Median dynasty of the Medo-Persian kingdom passed over into a Persian dynasty, and through the government of the Persian Cyrus the Persian race naturally came forth into the foreground and assumed a prominent place, the kingdom was designated a potiori as that of the Persians (Dan 10:1, Dan 10:13, Dan 10:20; Dan 11:2), like as, in other circumstances (Is 13:17; Jer 51:11, Jer 51:28), the Medians alone are a potiori represented as the destroyers of Babylon. "As there was, during the flourishing period of the Median dynasty, a kingdom of the Medes and Persians (cf. Dan 5:28; Dan 8:20), so there is, since the time of Cyrus the Persian, a kingdom of the Persians and Medes (cf. Esther 1:3, Esther 1:18, 1 Macc. 1:1; 14:2). We find in Daniel, at the time of the Median supremacy in the kingdom, the law of the Medes and Persians (Dan 6:9, Dan 6:13, Dan 6:16), and subsequently we naturally find the law of the Persians and Medes, Esther 1:19.")
(cf. Dan 8:20; Dan 10:1, Dan 10:13, Dan 10:20; Dan 11:2)." Hence, as Kranichfeld further rightly judges, it could not (Daniel 8) appear appropriate to suppose that the author had Persian in view as the third kingdom, while in the visions Daniel 2 and 7 we would regard Persian as a kingdom altogether separated from the Median kingdom. Moreover the author in Daniel 8 speaks of the one horn of the ram as growing up after the other, in order thereby to indicate the growing up of the Persian dynasty after the Median, and consequently the two dynasties together in one and the same kingdom (Dan 8:3, cf. Dan 8:20). Yet, in spite of all these testimonies to the contrary, Daniel must in Daniel 2 and 7 have had in view by the second world-kingdom the Median, and by the third the Persian, because at that time he did not think that in the relation of the Median and the Persian no other change in the future would happen than a simple change of dynasty, but because, at the time in which the Median kingdom stood in a threatening attitude toward the Chaldean (both in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar and in the first year of his son Belshazzar, i.e., Evilmerodach), he thought that a sovereign Persian kingdom would rise up victoriously opposite the Median rival of Nebuchadnezzar.
As opposed to this expedient, we will not insist on the improbability that Daniel within two years should have wholly changed his opinion as to the relation between the Medians and the Persians, though it would be difficult to find a valid ground for this. Nor shall we lay any stress on this consideration, that the assumed error of the prophet regarding the contents of the divine revelation in Daniel 2 and 7 appears irreconcilable with the supernatural illumination of Daniel, because Kranichfeld regards the prophetic statements as only the produce of enlightened human mental culture. But we must closely examine the question how this reference of the world-kingdoms spoken of stands related to the characteristics of the third and fourth kingdoms as stated in Daniel 2 and 7.
The description of the second and third kingdoms is very briefly given in Daniel 2 and 7. Even though the statement, Dan 2:39, that the second kingdom would be smaller than the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar could point to a Median kingdom, and the statement that the third kingdom would rule over the whole earth might refer to the spread of the dominion of the Persians beyond the boundaries of the Chaldean and Medo-Persian kingdom under Darius, yet the description of both of these kingdoms in Dan 7:5 sufficiently shows the untenableness of this interpretation. The second kingdom is represented under the image of a bear, which raises itself up on one side, and has three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. The three ribs in its mouth the advocates of this view do not know how to interpret. According to Kran., they are to be regarded as pointing out constituent parts of a whole, of an older kingdom, which he does not attempt more definitely to describe, because history records nothing of the conquests which Darius the Mede may have gained during the two years of his reign after the conquest of Babylon and the overthrow of the Chaldean kingdom by Cyrus. And the leopard representing (Dan 7:6) the third kingdom has not only four wings, but also four heads. The four heads show beyond a doubt the vision of the kingdom represented by the leopard into four kingdoms, just as in Daniel 8 the four horns of the he-goat, which in Dan 8:22 are expressly interpreted of four kingdoms rising out of the kingdom of Javan. But a division into four kingdoms cannot by any means be proved of the Persian world-kingdom. Therefore the four heads must here, according to Kran., represent only the vigilant watchfulness and aggression over all the regions of the earth, the pushing movement toward the different regions of the heavens, or, according to Hitzig, the four kings of Persia whom alone Daniel knew. But the first of these interpretations confutes itself, since heads are never the symbol of watchfulness or of aggressive power; and the second is set aside by a comparison with Dan 8:22. If the four horns of the he-goat represent four world-kingdoms rising up together, then the four heads of the leopard can never represent four kings reigning after one another, even though it were the case, which it is not (Dan 11:2), that Daniel knew only four kings of Persia.
Yet more incompatible are the statements regarding the fourth world-kingdom in Daniel 2 and 7 with the supposition that the kingdom of Alexander and his followers is to be understood by it. Neither the monarchy of Alexander nor the Javanic world-kingdom accords with the iron nature of the fourth kingdom, represented by the legs of iron, breaking all things in pieces, nor with the internal division of this kingdom, represented by the feet consisting partly of iron and partly of clay, nor finally with the ten toes formed of iron and clay mixed (Dan 2:33, Dan 2:40-43). As little does the monarchy of Alexander and his successors resemble a fearful beast with ten horns, which was without any representative in the animal world, according to which Daniel could have named it (Dan 7:7, Dan 7:19). Kranichfeld rejects, therefore, the historical meaning of the image in Daniel 2, and seeks to interpret its separate features only as the expression of the irreparable division of the ungodly kingdom assailing the theocracy with destructive vehemence, and therein of dependent weakness and inner dissolution. Hitzig finds in the two legs the representation of a monarchy which, as the Greek domination, sets its one foot on Europe and its other on Asia; and he regards Syria and Egypt as the material of it - Syria as the iron, Egypt as the clay. Others, again, regard the feet as the kingdoms of the Seleucidae and the Ptolemies, and in the ten horns they seek the other kingdoms of the Διάδοχοι. On the other hand, Kliefoth justly asks, "How came Syria and Egypt to be feet? And the toes go out of the feet, but the other kingdoms of the Διάδοχοι do not arise out of Syria and Egypt." And if in this circumstance, that it is said of the fourth terrible beast that it was different from all the beasts that went before, and that no likeness was found for it among the beasts of prey, Kran. only finds it declared "that it puts forth its whole peculiarity according to its power in such a way that no name can any longer be found for it," then this in no respect whatever agrees with the monarchy of Alexander. According to Hitz., the difference of the fourth beast is to be sought in the monarchy of Alexander transplanted from Europe into Asia, as over against the three monarchies, which shared in common an oriental home, a different kind of culture, and a despotic government. But was the transference of a European monarchy and culture into Asia something so fearful that Daniel could find no name whereby to represent the terribleness of this beast? The relation of Alexander to the Jews in no respect corresponds to this representation; and in Daniel 8 Daniel does not say a word about the rapidity of its conquests. He had thus an entirely different conception of the Greek monarchy from that of his modern interpreters.
Finally, if we take into consideration that the terrible beast which represents the fourth world-power has ten horns (Dan 7:7), which is to be explained as denoting that out of the same kingdom ten kings shall arise (Dan 7:24), and, on the contrary, that by the breaking off from the he-goat, representing the monarchy of Alexander, of the one great horn, which signified the first king, and the subsequent springing up of four similar horns, is to be understood that four kingdoms shall arise out of it (Dan 8:5, Dan 8:8,Dan 8:21-22); then the difference of the number of the horns shows that the beast with the ten horns cannot represent the same kingdom as that which is represented by the he-goat with four horns, since the number four is neither according to its numerical nor its symbolical meaning identical with the number ten. Moreover, this identifying of the two is quite set aside by the impossibility of interpreting the ten horns historically. Giving weight to the explanation of the angel, that the ten horns represent the rising up of ten kings, Berth., v. Leng., Hitz., and Del. have endeavoured to find these kings among the Seleucidae, but they have not been able to discover more than seven: 1. Seleucus Nicator; 2. Antiochus Soter; 3. Antiochus Theus; 4. Seleucus Callinicus; 5. Seleuchus Ceraunus; 6. Antiochus the Great; 7. Seleucus Philopator, the brother and predecessor of Antiochus Epiphanes, who after Philopator's death mounted the throne of Syria, having set aside other heirs who had a better title to it, and who must be that little horn which reached the kingdom by the rooting up of three kings. The three kings whom Antiochus plucked up by the roots (cf. Dan 7:8, Dan 7:20,Dan 7:24) must be Heliodorus, the murderer of Philopator; Demetrius, who was a hostage in Rome, the son of Philopator, and the legitimate successor to the throne; and the son of Ptolemy Philometor, for whom his mother Cleopatra, the sister of Seleucus Philopator and of Antiochus Epiphanes, claimed the Syrian throne. But no one of these three reached the royal dignity, and none of them was dethroned or plucked up by the roots by Antiochus Epiphanes. Heliodorus, it is true, strove for the kingdom (Appian, Syriac. 45); but his efforts were defeated, yet not by Antiochus Epiphanes, but by Attalus and Eumenes. Demetrius, after his death, was the legitimate heir to the throne, but could not assert his rights, because he was a hostage in Rome; and since he did not at all mount the throne, he was not of course dethroned by his uncle Antiochus Epiphanes. Finally, Ptolemy Philometor, after the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, for a short time, it is true, united the Syrian crown with the Egyptian (1 Macc. 11:13; Polyb. 40:12), but during the life of Antiochus Epiphanes, and before he ascended the throne, he was neither de jure nor de facto king of Syria; and the "pretended efforts of Cleopatra to gain for her son Philometor the crown of Syria are nowhere proved" (Hitzig).
Of this historical interpretation we cannot thus say even so much as that it "only very scantily meets the case" (Delitzsch); for it does not at all accord with the prophecy that the little horn (Antiochus Epiphanes) plucked up by the roots three of the existing kings. Hitzig and Hilgenfeld (Die Proph. Esra u. Daniel p. 82) have therefore dropped out of view the Syrian kingdom of Philometor, and, in order to gain the number ten, have ranked Alexander the Great among the Syrian kings, and taken Seleucus Philopator into the triad of the pretended Syrian kings that were plucked up by the roots by Antiochus Epiphanes. But Alexander the Great can neither according to the evidence of history, nor according to the statement of the book of Daniel, be counted among the kings of Syria; and Seleucus Philopator was not murdered by Antiochus Epiphanes, but Antiochus Epiphanes lived at the time of this deed in Athens (Appian, Syr. 45); and the murderer Heliodorus cannot have accomplished that crime as the instrument of Antiochus, because he aspired to gain the throne for himself, and was only prevented from doing so by the intervention of Attalus and Eumenes. Hilgenfeld also does not venture to reckon Heliodorus, the murderer of the king, among the triad of uprooted kings, but seeks to supply his place by an older son of Seleucus Philopator, murdered at the instigation of Antiochus Epiphanes according to Gutschmid; but he fails to observe that a king's son murdered during the lifetime of his father, reigning as king, could not possibly be represented as a king whom Antiochus Epiphanes drove from his throne. Of the ten kings of the Grecian world-kingdom of the branch of the Seleucidae before Antiochus Epiphanes, whom Hilgenfeld believes that he is almost able "to grasp with his hands," history gives as little information as of the uprooting of the three Syrian kings by Antiochus Epiphanes.
But even though the historical relevancy of the attempt to authenticate the ten Syrian kings in the kingdom of the Seleucidae were more satisfactory than, from what has been remarked, appears to be the case, yet this interpretation of the fourth beast would be shattered against the ten horns, because these horns did not grow up one after another, but are found simultaneously on the head of the beast, and consequently cannot mean ten Syrian kings following one another, as not only all interpreters who regard the beast as representing the Roman empire, but also Bell. and Kran., acknowledge, in spite of the reference of this beast to the Javanic world-kingdom. "We are induced," as Bleek justly observes, "by Dan 7:8, where it is said of the little horn that it would rise up between the ten horns, to think of ten contemporaneous kings, or rather kingdoms, existing along with each other, which rise out of the fourth kingdom." Therefore he will "not deny that the reference to the successors of Alexander is rendered obscure by the fact that Daniel 8 speaks of four monarchies which arise out of that of Alexander after his death." This obscurity, however, he thinks he is able to clear up by the remark, that "in the kind of development of the historical relations after the death of Alexander, the parts of his kingdom which formed themselves into independent kingdoms might be numbered in different ways." Thus, in Daniel 7, "as ten from the number of the generals who in the arrangements of the division of the kingdom (323 b.c.) retained the chief provinces: 1. Kraterus (Macedonia); 2. Antipater (Greece); 3. Lysimachus (Thrace); 4. Leonatus (Phrygia Minor on the Hellespont); 5. Antigonus (Phrygia Major, Lycia, and Pamphylia); 6. Cassander (Karia); 7. Eumenes (Cappadocia and Paphlagonia); 8. Laomedon (Syria and Palestine); 9. Pithon (Media); 10. Ptolemy Lagus (Egypt)." But Zndel justly observes in opposition to this view, that "these kingdoms could only have significance if this number, instead of being a selection from the whole, had been itself the whole. But this is not the case. For at that time the kingdom, according to Justin, hist. L. xiii. 4, was divided into more than thirty separate parts.
(Note: Justinus, l.c., mentions the following, viz.: 1. Ptolemy (Egypt, Africa, Arabia); 2. Laomedon (Syria and Palestine); 3. Philotas (Cilicia); 4. Philo (Illyria); 5. Atropatos (Media Major); 6. Scynus (Susiana); 7. Antigonus (Phrygia Major); 8. Nearchus (Lycia and Pamphylia); 9. Cassander (Caria); 10. Menander (Lydia); 11. Leonatus (Phrygia Minor); 12. Lysimachus (Thracia and Pontus); 13. Eumenes (Cappadocia and Paphlagonia); 14. Taxiles (the countries between the Hydaspes and the Indus); 15. Pithon (India); 16. Extarches (Caucasus); 17. Sybirtios (Gedrosia); 18. Statanor or Stasanor (Drangiana and Aria); 19. Amyntas (Bactria); 20. Seytaeus (Sogdiana); 21. Nicanor (Parthia); 22. Philippus (Hyrcania); 23. Phrataphernes (Armenia); 24. Tlepolenus (Persia); 25. Peucestes (Babylonia); 26. Archon (the Pelasgi); 27. Arcesilaus (Mesopotamia). Besides these there were other generals not named.)
Although all the names do not perfectly agree as given by different writers, yet this is manifest, that there is no information regarding a division of the kingdom of Alexander into ten exclusively. History knows nothing of such a thing; not only so, but much more, this reckoning of Bleek's falls into the same mistake as the oldest of Porphyry, that it is an arbitrary selection and not a fixed number." But if Bleek wishes to support his arbitrary selection by references to the Sibylline Oracles, where also mention is made of the horns of Daniel in connection with Alexander, Hilgenfeld (Jd. Apokal. p. 71ff.) has, on the contrary, shown that this passage is derived from Daniel, and is therefore useless as a support to Bleek's hypothesis, because in it the immediate successors of Alexander are not meant, but ten kings following one another; this passage also only shows that the sibyllist had given to the number ten an interpretation regarded by Bleek himself as incompatible with the words of Daniel.
But notwithstanding the impossibility of interpreting the ten horns of the Greek world-kingdom, and notwithstanding the above-mentioned incompatibility of the statements of Daniel 2 and 7 regarding the third kingdom with those of Daniel 8 regarding the Medo-Persian kingdom,
(Note: This incompatibility Kliefoth has so conclusively (p. 245f.) stated, that in confirmation of the above remarks we quote his words. "The bear and the panther," he says, "are related to each other as the ram and the he-goat; but how, in two visions following each other and related to each other, the one Medo-Persian kingdom could be likened to beasts so entirely different as a winged panther and a he-goat is quite inconceivable. The interpreters must help themselves by saying that the choice of the beasts is altogether arbitrary. Daniel 8 describes Medo-Persia as a kingdom comprehending two peoples united together within it; but Daniel 7 says regarding its third kingdom with four heads, that after an original unity it shall fall to pieces on all sides. And interpreters are compelled to meet this contradiction by explaining the four heads, some in one way, and others in another, but all equally unsuccessfully. According to Daniel 8 Medo-Persia will extend itself only into three regions of the earth, while according to Daniel 7 the third kingdom with its four wings will extend itself on all sides. It comes to this, therefore, that these interpreters must divide Medo-Persia in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 into two kingdoms, of Media and Persia, while in Daniel 8 they must recognise but one Medo-Persian kingdom.")
yet, according to Kranichfeld, the identification of the fourth kingdom of Daniel with the Javanic world-kingdom receives a confirmation from the representation of Daniel 11 and Dan 12:1-13, particularly by the striking resemblance of the description of the fourth kingdom in Daniel 2 and 7 with that of the Javanic in Daniel 8ff. "As in Daniel 2 and 7 the inward discord of the fourth kingdom is predicated, so this is obviously represented in the inner hateful strife of the kingdom, of which Dan 11:3. treats; as here the discord appears as inextinguishable, so there; as to the special means also for preventing so striking that it can overbalance the fundamental differences? "Of all that Daniel 8 says, in Dan 8:5-8, Dan 8:21, Dan 8:22, of Macedonia, nothing at all is found in the statements of Daniel 2 and 7 regarding the fourth kingdom." Kliefoth. Also the inner dissolution predicated of the fourth kingdom, Dan 2:41., which is represented by the iron and clay of the feet of the image, is fundamentally different from the strife of the prince of the south with the prince of the north represented in Dan 11:3. The mixing of iron and clay, which do not unite together, refers to two nationalities essentially different from each other, which cannot be combined into one nation by any means of human effort, but not at all to the wars and conflicts of princes (Dan 11:3.), the Ptolemies and the Seleucidae, for the supremacy; and the attempts to combine together national individualities into one kingdom by means of the mingling together of different races by external force, are essentially different from the political marriages by which the Ptolemies and the Seleucidae sought to establish peace and friendship with each other.
(Note: How little political marriages were characteristic of the Ptolemies and the Seleucidae, rather how much more frequently they took place among the Romans, from the time of Sulla down to that of Diocletian, and that often in a violent way - cum frequenti divortio et raptu gravidarum - as a means of obtaining or holding the government, is shown from the numerous collection of cases of this sort compiled by J. C. Velthusen in his treatise Animad. ad Dan. 2:277-25, imprimis de principum Romanorum connubiis ad firmandam tyrannidem inventis, Helmst. 1783, in vol. v. of the Comentatt. Theolog. of Velth., edited by Kuinoel and Ruperti. Since this treatise has not received any attention from modern critics, we will quote from it the judgment which Cato passed on Caesar's triplex ad evertendam rempublicam inventa politicarum nuptiarum conspiratio. His words are these: "rem esse plane non tolerabilem, quod connubiorum lenociniis imperium collocari (διαμαστρωπεύεσθαι) caeperit, et per mulieres sese mutuo ad praefecturas, exercitus, imperia auderet introducere" (p. 379).)
There is more plausibility in criticism which gives prominence to the resemblance in the description of the two violent persecutors of the people of God who arise out of the Javanic and the fourth world-kingdom, and are represented in Daniel 8 as well as in Daniel 7 under the figure of a little horn. "If" - for thus Kran. has formulated this resemblance - "in the fourth kingdom, according to Dan 7:8, Dan 7:11, Dan 7:20-21, Dan 7:25, the heathen oppressor appears speaking insolent words against the Most High and making war with the saints, so Dan 8:10., 24, Dan 11:31, Dan 11:36, unfolds, only more fully, in his fundamental characteristics, the same enemy; and as in Dan 7:25 the severe oppression continues or three and a half times, so also that contemplated in Dan 8:14 and in Dan 12:7, in connection with Dan 12:1. and Daniel 11." On the ground of this view of the case, Delitzsch asks, "Is it likely that the little horn which raised itself up and persecuted the church of God is in Daniel 8. Antiochus Epiphanes rising up out of the divided kingdom of Alexander, and in Daniel 7, on the contrary, is a king rising up in the Roman world-kingdom? The representation of both, in their relation to Jehovah, His people, and their religion, is the same. The symbolism in Daniel 7 and 8 coincides, in so far as the arch-enemy is a little horn which rises above three others." We must answer this question decidedly in the affirmative, since the difference between the two enemies is not only likely, but certain. The similarity of the symbol in Daniel 7 and 8 reaches no further than that in both chapters the persecuting enemy is represented as a little horn growing gradually to greater power. But in Dan 8:9 this little horn arises from one of the four horns of the he-goat, without doing injury to the other three horns; while in Dan 7:8 the little horn rises up between the ten horns of the dreadful beast, and outroots three of these horns. The little horn in Daniel 8, as a branch which grows out of one of these, does not increase the number of the existing horns, as that in Daniel 7, which increases the number there to eleven. This distinction cannot, as Kranichfeld supposes, be regarded merely as a formal difference in the figurative representation; it constitutes an essential distinction for which the use of different symbols for the representation of the world-kingdoms in Daniel 2 and 7 furnishes no true analogue. By these two different images two wholly different things are compared with each other.
The representations of the four world-kingdoms in Daniel 2 and in Daniel 7 are only formally different - in Daniel 2 a human image, in Daniel 7 four beasts - but in reality these representations answer to each other, feature for feature, only so that in Daniel 7 further outlines are added, which entirely agree with, but do not contradict, the image in Daniel 2. On the contrary, in Daniel 7 and 8 essential contradictions present themselves in the parallel symbols - four horns and ten horns - which cannot be weakened down to mere formal differences. As little does the description of the enemy of the people of God, portrayed as a little horn in Daniel 8, correspond with that in Daniel 7. The fierce and crafty king arising out of the kingdoms of Alexander's successors will become "great toward the south and toward the east and toward the pleasant land, and wax great even to the host of heaven, and cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground; yea, he will magnify himself even to the prince of the host, and take away the daily sacrifice, and cast down the place of the sanctuary" (Dan 8:9-12, Dan 8:23-25). On the other hand, the king who rises up out of the fourth world-kingdom, who overthrows three other kings, will "speak great things against the Most High, and make war against the saints of the Most High, and prevail against them, and think to change times and laws" (Dan 7:8, Dan 7:20,Dan 7:25). These two enemies resemble each other in this, that they both make war against the people of God; but they differ in that he who arises out of the third world-kingdom, extending his power toward the south and the east, i.e., towards Egypt and Babylon, and towards the Holy Land, shall crush some of the people of God, and by the taking away of the daily worship and the destruction of the sanctuary in Jerusalem, will rise up against God; while, on the contrary, he that shall arise out of the fourth world-kingdom will go much further. He will establish his kingdom by the destruction of three kingdoms, by great words put himself in the place of God, and as if he were God will think to change the times and the laws of men. Conformably to this, the length of time during which the persecution of these two adversaries will continue is different. The laying waste of the sanctuary by the power of the little horn arising out the Javanic world-kingdom will continue 2300 evening-mornings (Dan 8:14): to the power of the little horn arising out of the fourth world-kingdom the saints of the Most High must be given up for a time, two times, and half a time (Dan 7:25). No one will be persuaded, with Kranichfeld, that these two entirely different periods of time are alike. This difference of the periods of time again appears in Dan 12:7, Dan 12:11-12, where also the three and a half times (Dan 12:7) agree neither with the 1290 nor with the 1335 days. It is therefore not correct to say that in Daniel 8 and 7 Antichrist, the last enemy of the church, is represented, and that the aspects of the imagery in both chapters strongly resemble each other. The very opposite is apparent as soon as one considers the contents of the description without prejudice, and does not, with Kranichfeld and others, hold merely by the details of the representation and take the husk for the kernel. The enemy in Daniel 8 proceeds only so far against God that he attacks His people, removes His worship, and lays waste the sanctuary; the enemy in Daniel 7 makes himself like God (לצד, Dan 7:25), thinks himself to be God, and in his madness dares even to seek to change the times and the laws which God has ordained, and which He alone has the power to change. The enemy in Daniel 8 it is an abuse of words to call Antichrist; for his offence against God is not greater than the crime of Ahaz and Manasseh, who also took away the worship of the true God, and set up the worship of idols in His stead. On the other hand, it never came into the mind of an Ahaz, nor of Manasseh, nor of Antiochus Epiphanes, who set himself to put an end to the worship of God among the Jews, to put themselves in the place of God, and to seek to change times and laws. The likeness which the enemy in Daniel 8, i.e., Antiochus Epiphanes, in his rage against the Mosaic religion and the Jews who were faithful to their law, has to the enemy in Daniel 7, who makes himself like God, limits itself to the relation between the type and the antitype. Antiochus, in his conduct towards the Old Testament people of God, is only the type of Antichrist, who will arise out of the ten kingdoms of the fourth world-kingdom (Dan 7:24) and be diverse from them, arrogate to himself the omnipotence which is given to Christ, and in this arrogance will put himself in the place of God.
The sameness of the designation given to both of these adversaries of the people of God, a "little horn," not only points to the relation of type and antitype, but also, as Kliefoth has justly remarked, to "intentional and definite" parallelism between the third world-kingdom (the Macedonian) and the fourth (the Roman). "On all points the changes of the fourth kingdom are described similarly to the changes which took place in the Macedonian kingdom; but in every point of resemblance also there is indicated some distinct difference, so that the Macedonian kingdom in its development comes to stand as the type and representative of the fourth kingdom, lying as yet in the far-off future." The parallelism appears in this, that in the he-goat, representing the Javanic kingdom, after the breaking of the one great horn four considerable horns come up; and the fourth beast has ten horns; and the horns in both show that out of the one kingdom four, and out of the other ten, kingdoms shall arise;-further, that as out of one of the Javanic Diadoch kingdoms, so also from among the ten kingdoms into which the fourth kingdom is divided, a little horn comes up; the little horn in the Javanic kingdom, however, developes itself and founds its dominion differently from that of the fourth kingdom. If one carefully considers the resemblances and the differences of this description, he cannot fail to observe "the relation of an imperfect preliminary step of heathenish ungodliness to a higher step afterwards taken," which Kran. (p. 282) seeks in a typical delineation. For the assertion of this critic, that "in the pretended typical, as in the antitypical situation, the same thoughts of the rising up against the Most High, the removal of His worship, and the destruction of the sanctuary always similarly occur," is, according to the exegetical explanation given above, simply untrue. The difference reduces itself not merely to the greater fulness with which, "not the chief hero, but the type," is treated, but it shows itself in the diversity of the thoughts; for the elevation to the place of God, and the seeking to change the times and the laws, manifests one of a higher degree of godlessness than the removing of the Jewish sacrificial worship and the desecration of the Jewish temple.
Finally, the relation of the type to the antitype appears yet more distinctly in the determining of the time which will be appointed to both enemies for their opposition to God; for, though apparently they are alike, they are in reality very differently designated, and particularly in the explanation of the angel, Dan 8:17, Dan 8:19, and in the representation of the conduct of both enemies in Daniel 11 and Dan 12:1-13, as we shall show in our exposition of these chapters.
Since, then, neither the division of the Medo-Persian kingdom into the Median and the Persian is allowable, nor the identification of the fourth kingdom, Daniel 2 and 7, with the Javanic world-kingdom in Daniel 8, we may regard as correct the traditional church view, that the four world-kingdoms are the Chaldean, the Medo-Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman. This opinion, which has been recently maintained by Hv., Hengst., Hofm., Auberl., Zndel, Klief., and by C. P. Caspari and H. L. Reichel, alone accords without any force or arbitrariness with the representation of these kingdoms in both visions, with each separately as well as with both together. If we compare, for instance, the two visions with each other, they are partly distinguished in this, that while Nebuchadnezzar sees the world-power in its successive unfoldings represented by one metallic image, Daniel, on the other hand, sees it in the form of four ravenous beasts; partly in this, that in Daniel 7 the nature of the world-power, and its relation to the kingdom of God, is more distinctly described than in the image seen by Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 2. These diversities have their foundation in the person of the respective recipients of the revelation. Nebuchadnezzar, the founder of the world-power, sees its development in its unity and in its earthly glory. As opposed to the kingdom of God, the world-kingdoms, in all the phases of their development, form a united power of outward glory. But its splendour gradually decreases. The image with the golden head has its breast and arms of silver, its belly of brass, its legs of iron, its feet of iron and clay mixed. Thus the image stands on feet that are weak and easily broken, so that a stone rolling against them can break in pieces the whole colossus. Since, then, the image must represent four phases of the world-kingdoms following each other, they must be represented by the separate parts of the image. Beginning with the head, as denoting the first kingdom, the second kingdom is in natural order represented by the breast and arms, the third by the belly, and the fourth by the legs and feet. Since this of necessity follows from the image being that of the human body, yet in the interpretation we may not attach any weight to the circumstance that the second kingdom is represented by the breasts and the two arms, and the fourth by the two legs; but this circumstance may be taken into consideration only in so far as importance is given to it by the interpretation which is furnished in the text, or as it finds corresponding importance in the vision of Daniel 7.
If we thus consider now the image, Daniel 2, the selection of different metals for its separate parts must be regarded as certainly designed not only to distinguish the four world-kingdoms from each other, but also at the same time to bring to view their different natures and qualities. This is evident from the interpretation in Dan 2:39., where the hardness and the crushing power of the iron, and the brittleness of the clay, are brought to view. From this intimation it is at the same time obvious that the metals are not, as Auberlen, p. 228ff., thinks, to be viewed only as to their worth, and that by the successive depreciation of the materials - gold, silver, brass, iron, clay - a continuous decline of the world-power, or a diminution of the world-kingdoms as to their inner worth and power, is intended. Though Aub. says many things that are true and excellent regarding the downward progress of the world-development in general, the successive deterioration of humanity from paradise to the day of judgment, yet this aspect of the subject does not come here primarily before us, but is only a subordinate element in the contemplation. Daniel does not depict, as Aub. with P. Lange supposes, the world-civilisations in the world-monarchies; he does not describe "the progress from a state of nature to one of refined culture - from a natural, vigorous, solid mode of existence to a life of refinement and intellectualism, which is represented by the eye (Dan 7:8) of Antichrist;" but he describes in both visions only the development of the world-power opposite to the kingdom of God, and its influence upon it in the future. If Aub. holds as the foundation of his opinion, that "gold and silver are nobler and more valuable metals, but that, on the other hand, iron and brass are infinitely more important for the cause of civilisation and culture," he has confounded two different points of view: he has made the essential worth and value of the former metals, and the purpose and use of the latter, the one point of comparison. Gold and silver are nobler and more valuable than brass and iron, yet they have less intrinsic worth. The difference is frequently noticed in the Old Testament. Gold and silver are not only more highly valued than brass and iron (cf. Is 60:17), but silver and gold are also metonymically used to designate moral purity and righteousness (cf. Mal 3:3 with Is 1:22); brass and iron, on the contrary, are used to designate moral impurity (cf. Jer 6:28; Ezek 22:18) and stubborn rebellion against God (Is 48:4). With reference to the relative worth of the metals, their gradation in the image shows, without doubt, an increasing moral and religious deterioration of the world-kingdoms. It must not, however, be hence thought, as Auberlen does, "that the Babylonian and Persian religions presuppose more genuine truthfulness, more sacred reverence for that which is divine, deeper earnestness in contending against the evil, in the nations among whom they sprung up, than the Hellenic, which is so much richer and more beautifully developed;" for this distinction is not supported by history. But although this may be said of the Persian, it cannot be held as true of the Babylonian religion, from all we know of it. Kranichfeld (p. 107) is more correct when in the succession of the metals he finds "the thought conceived by the theocrat of a definite fourfold procedure or expression of character comparatively corresponding to them, of a fourfold דּרך (way, Jer 6:27) of the heathen kingdoms manifesting an increasing deterioration." The two first kingdoms, the golden and the silver, in general appear to him in their conduct as proportionally noble, virtuous, and in their relation to the theocracy even relatively pious; the two latter, on the contrary, which presented themselves to him in the likeness of brass and iron, as among the four morally base, as standing in the moral scale lower and lowest, and in relation to the theocracy as more relentless and wicked (see v. 40)
(Note: Kliefoth (p. 93) in a similar manner says, "From the application which in Dan 2:40 is made of the iron material, we see that the substances representing the different kingdoms, and their deterioration from the gold down to the iron, must denote something else than that the world-power, in the course of its historical formation, will become always baser and more worthless - that also its more tender or more cruel treatment of the nations, and of the men subdued by it, must be characterized. If the bonds which the Babylonian world-monarchy wound around the nations which were brought into subjection to it, by its very primitive military and bureaucratic regulations, were loose, gentle, pliable as a golden ring, those of the Medo-Persian were of harder silver, those of the Macedonian of yet harder copper, but the yoke of the fourth will be one of iron.")).
With this the declaration of the text as to the position of the four world-kingdoms and their rulers with referenced to the people of God stand in accord; for, on the one hand, Nebuchadnezzar, and the first rulers of the second kingdom, Darius the Median and Cyrus the Persian, respect the revelations of the living God, and not only in their own persons give honour to this God, but also command their heathen subjects to render unto Him fear and reverence; on the other hand, on the contrary, from the third and the fourth kingdoms the greatest persecutors of the kingdom of God, who wish utterly to destroy it (Daniel 7, 8), arise. In this respect the two first world-kingdoms, seen in their rulers, are like gold and silver, the two latter like copper and iron.
The relation of the world-kingdoms to the kingdom and people of God, represented by this gradation of the metals, corresponds only to the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman world-kingdoms, but not to the Babylonian, Median, and Persian. This appears more manifest in the representation of them by four ravenous beasts, the lion, the ear, the leopard, and another beast to which no likeness can be found, Daniel 7. Its eagle's wings were torn from the lion, and it had given to it, by God, a man's heart; the bear shows only wild voracity-holding its prey between its teeth, it raises its one side for new prey; the leopard with four heads and four wings springs forward as in flight over the whole earth, to seize it and to exercise dominion over it; the fourth nameless beast devours and breaks in pieces with its iron teeth all that remains, and stamps upon it with its iron feet, and thus represents godless barbarity in its fullest development. But for the historical interpretation there comes yet particularly into view the circumstance that the fourth beast is represented by no animal existing in nature, and is designated by no historical name, as in the case of the first (Dan 2:38) and the second and third (Dan 8:20-21); for the two first had already come into existence in Daniel's time, and of the third, the people at least out of whom it was to arise had then already come into relation to the people of Israel (Joel 3:6, Joel 3:8). The fourth kingdom, on the contrary, is represented by a nameless beast, because in Daniel's time Rome had not come into contact with Israel, and as yet lay beyond the circle of vision of Old Testament prophecy. Although Daniel receives much more special revelations regarding this world-kingdom (Daniel 7) than Nebuchadnezzar does in his dream (Daniel 2), yet all the separate lines of the representation of the beast and its horn are given with so much want of precision that every reference to a historical people is at fault, and from the vision and its interpretation it was not to be known where this kingdom would arise, whether in Asia or elsewhere. The strength of the monster, devouring and trampling mercilessly on all things, is in harmony with its iron nature, and in its ten horns its powerful armour is depicted. The very concrete expressions regarding the little or eleventh horn contain only ideal traces respecting the position of the king or kingdom represented by it, which distinctly show, indeed, the elevation of the same above all human and divine authority, but give no indication at all of any special historical connections.
Thus it appears that the two vision, on the one hand, do not copy their prophetic representation from historical facts, that the prophecy is not vaticinium ex eventu; but, on the other hand, also that it is not derived from general ideas, as Hitz. and Kran. have attempted to show. While Hitzig thinks that the idea of the four ages of the world lies at the foundation, not of the fourfoldness of the monarchies, but of the kind of representation given of them in Daniel 2, - an idea which came from India to Greece, and was adopted by Daniel in its Greek form, - Kranichfeld considers that, under divine enlightenment, Daniel delineated the ideal of the advancing completion of heathen depravation in four stages (not in five, six, etc.), after the notion of the four ages of the world which we find not only in the Indian four jugas, but also in the Greco-Roman representation of the metallic aeons. Now although for this book of Daniel no special dependence on the Greeks can be proved from the use and value of the metals, because they were used by the ancient Hebrews as metaphorical symbols, yet the combination of the idea of the ages of the world so firmly and definitely stamped with just the number four remains a very noteworthy phenomenon, which must have had a deeper foundation lying in the very fact itself. This foundation, he concludes, is to be sought in the four stages of the age of man.
This conjecture might appear plausible if Kranichfeld had proved the supposed four stages of the age of man as an idea familiar to the O.T. He has not, however, furnished this proof, but limited himself to the remark, that the combination of the number four with the ages of the life of man was one lying very near to Daniel, since the four phases of the development of heathenism come into view (Daniel 2) in the image of a human being, the personification of heathendom. A very marvellous conclusion indeed! What, then, have the four parts of the human figure - the head, breast, belly, feet - in common with the four stages of the age of man? The whole combination wants every point of support. The idea of the development of the world-power in four kingdoms following after each other, and becoming continually the more oppressive to the people of God, has no inward connection with the representation of the four ages of the world, and - as even Ewald (Daniel p. 346), in opposition to this combination, remarks - "the mere comparison with gold, silver, brass, iron lies too near for the author of this book to need to borrow it from Hesiod." The agreement of the two ideas in the number four (although Hesiod has inserted the age of the heroes between the brazen and the iron aeon, and thus has not adhered to the number four) would much more readily have been explained from the symbolical meaning of four as the number of the world, if it were the mere product of human speculation or combination in the case of the world-ages as of the world-kingdoms, and not much rather, in the case of the world-ages, were derived from the historical development of humanity and of Daniel's world-kingdoms, from divine revelation. Yet much less are the remaining declarations regarding the development and the course of the world-kingdoms to be conceived of as the product of enlightened human thought. This may be said of the general delineation of the second and third world-kingdoms (Daniel 2 and 7), and yet much more of the very special declaration regarding them in Daniel 8, but most of all of the fourth world-kingdom. If one wished to deduce the fearful power of this kingdom destroying all things from the idea of the rising up of hostility against that which is divine, closely bound up with the deterioration of the state of the world, and to attach importance to this, that the number ten of the horns of the fourth beast, corresponding to the number of the toes of the feet, is derived from the apprehension of heathendom as the figure of a man, and is not to be understood numerically, but symbolically; yet there remains, not to mention other elements, the growth of the little horn between the ten existing horns, and its elevation to power through the destruction of three existing horns, which are deduced neither from the symbolical meaning of the numbers nor are devised by enlightened human thought, but much rather constrain us to a recognition of an immediate divine revelation.
If we now approach more closely to the historical reference of the fourth world-kingdom, it must be acknowledge that we cannot understand by it the Grecian, but only the Roman world-power. With it, not with the Macedonian monarchy, agree both the iron nature of the image (Daniel 2), and the statements (Dan 7:23) that this kingdom would be different from all that preceded it, and that it would devour and break and trample upon the whole earth. The Roman kingdom was the first universal monarchy in the full sense. Along with the three earlier world-kingdoms, the nations of the world-historical future remained still unsubdued: along with the Oriental kingdoms, Greece and Rome, and along with the Macedonia, the growing power of Rome.
First the Roman kingdom spread its power and dominion over the whole οἰκουμένη, over all the historical nations of antiquity in Europe, Africa, and Asia. "There is" (says Herodian, ii. 11. 7) "no part of the earth and no region of the heavens whither the Romans have not extended their dominion." Still more the prophecy of Daniel reminds us of the comparison of the Roman world-kingdom with the earlier world-kingdoms, the Assyrico-Baylonian, the Persian, and the Grecian, in Dionys. Halicar., when in the proaem. 9 he says: "There are the most famous kingdoms down to our time, and this their duration and power. But the kingdom of the Romans ruled through all the regions of the earth which are not inaccessible, but are inhabited by men; it ruled also over the whole sea, and it alone and first made the east and the west its boundaries." Concerning the other features of the image in Daniel 2, we can seek neither in the two legs and feet of the image, nor in the twofold material of the feet, any hint as to the division of the Roman kingdom into the Eastern and Western Rome. The iron and clay are in the image indeed not so divided as that the one foot is of iron and the other of clay, but iron and clay are bound together in both of the feet. In this union of two heterogeneous materials there also lies no hint that, by the dispersion of the nations, the plastic material of the Germanic and the Slavic tribes was added to the Old Roman universal kingdom (Dan 2:40) with its thoroughly iron nature (Auberl. p. 252, cf. with Hof. Weiss. u. Erf. i. p. 281). For the clay in the image does not comes into view as a malleable and plastic material, but, according to the express interpretation of Daniel (v. 42), only in respect of its brittleness. The mixing of iron and clay, which do not inwardly combine together, shows the inner division of the nations, of separate natural stocks and national character is, which constituted the Roman empire, who were kept together by external force, whereby the iron firmness of the Roman nation was mingled with brittle clay.
The kingdoms represented by the ten horns belong still to the future. To be able to judge regarding them with any certainty, we must first make clear to ourselves the place of the Messianic kingdom with reference to the fourth world-kingdom, and then compare the prophecy of the Apocalypse of John regarding the formation of the world-power - a prophecy which rests on the book of Daniel.
The Messianic Kingdom and the Son of Man
In the image of the monarchies, Daniel 2, the everlasting kingdom of God is simply placed over against the kingdoms of the world without mention being made of the king of this kingdom. The human image is struck and broken to pieces by a stone rolling down against its feet, but the stone itself grows into a great mountain and fills the whole earth (Dan 2:34.). This stone is a figure of that kingdom which the God of heaven will erect in the days of the kings of the fourth world-kingdom; a kingdom which to all eternity shall never be destroyed, and which shall crush all the kingdoms of the world (Dan 2:44). In Daniel 7, on the contrary, Daniel sees not only the judgment which God holds over the kingdoms of the world, to destroy them for ever with the death of their last ruler, but also the deliverance of the kingdom to the Messiah coming with the clouds of heaven in the likeness of a son of man, whom all nations shall serve, and whose dominion shall stand for ever (Dan 7:9-14, cf. Dan 7:26.).
In both visions the Messianic kingdom appears in its completion. Whence Auberlen (p. 248), with other chiliasts, concludes that the beginning of this kingdom can refer to nothing else than to the coming of Christ for the founding of the so-called kingdom of the thousand years; an event still imminent to us. In favour of this view, he argues (1) that the judgment on Antichrist, whose appearance is yet future, goes before the beginning of this kingdom; (2) that this kingdom in both chapters is depicted as a kingdom of glory and dominion while till this time the kingdom of heaven on the earth is yet a kingdom of the cross. But the judgment on Antichrist does not altogether go before the beginning of this kingdom, but only before the final completion of the Messianic kingdom; and the Messianic kingdom has the glory and dominion over all the kingdoms under heaven, according to Daniel 2 and 7, not from the beginning, but acquires them only for the first time after the destruction of all the world-kingdoms and of the last powerful enemy arising out of them. The stone which breaks the image becomes for the first time after it has struck the image a great mountain which fills the whole earth (Dan 2:35), and the kingdom of God is erected by the God of heaven, according to Dan 2:44, not for the first time after the destruction of all the world-kingdoms, but in the days of the kings of the fourth world-monarchy, and thus during its continuance. With this Daniel 7 harmonizes; for, according to Dan 7:21, Dan 7:22, Dan 7:25, Dan 7:27, the little horn of the fourth beast carries on war with the saints of the Most High till the Ancient of days executes judgment in their behalf, and the time arrives when the saints shall possess the kingdom. Here we distinctly see the kingdom of heaven upon earth bearing the form of the cross, out of which condition it shall be raised by the judgment into the state of glory. The kingdom of the Messiah is thus already begun, and is warred against by Antichrist, and the judgment on Antichrist only goes before the raising of it to glory. (3) Auberlen adduces as a third argument, that (according to Roos, Hofm., etc.) only the people of Israel in opposition to the heathen nations and kingdoms can be understood by the "people of the saints of the Most High" (Dan 7:18, Dan 7:27), because Daniel could only think of this people. But to this Kranichfeld has rightly replied, that Daniel and the whole O.T. knew nothing whatever of such a distinction between a non-Israelitish and an Israelitish epoch within the kingdom of Messiah, but only a Messianic kingdom in which Israel forms the enduring centre for the heathen believing nations drawing near to them. To this we add, that the division of the kingdom of heaven founded by Christ on the earth into a period of the church of the Gentiles, and following this a period of a thousand years of the dominion of Jewish Christians, contradicts the clear statements of Christ and the apostles in the N.T., and is only based on a misconception of a few passages of the Apocalypse.
Daniel certainly predicts the completion of the kingdom of God in glory, but he does not prophesy that the kingdom of heaven will then for the first time begin, but indicates its beginnings in a simple form, although he does not at large represent its gradual development in the war against the world-power, just as he also gives only a few brief intimations of the temporary development of the world-kingdoms. If Aub. (p. 251) replies that the words of the text, Dan 2:35, "then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together," cannot at all permit the thought of the co-existence of the fourth world-kingdom and the kingdom of God, he attributes to these words a meaning which they do not bear. The "together" refers only to the breaking in pieces of the five substances named, of which the world-kingdoms are formed, the destruction of the world-power in all its parts, but not that this happened at one and the same moment, and that then for the first time the kingdom of God which is from heaven began. The stone which brake the image in pieces, then first, it is true, grows up into a great mountain filling the whole earth. The destruction of the world-kingdoms can in reality proceed only gradually along with the growth of the stone, and thus also the kingdom of God can destroy the world-kingdoms only by its gradual extension over the earth. The destruction of the world-power in all its component parts began with the foundation of the kingdom of heaven at the appearance of Christ upon earth, or with the establishment of the church of Christ, and only reaches its completion at the second coming of our Lord at the final judgment. In the image Daniel saw in a moment, as a single act, what in its actual accomplishment or in its historical development extends through the centuries of Christendom. Auberlen has in his argument identified the image with the actual realization, and has not observed that his conception of the words Dan 2:35 does not accord with the millennium, which according to Rev_ 20:1-15 does not gradually from small beginnings spread itself over the earth - is not to be likened to a stone which first after the destruction of the world-kingdom grows up into a mountain.
So also in Daniel 7 Daniel sees the judgment of the world-kingdoms in the form of an act limited to a point of time, by which not only the beast whose power culminates in the little horn is killed, but also the dominion and the kingdom over all nations is given over to the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven and appearing before God the Judge. If one here identifies the form of the prophetic vision with the actual fact, then he places Daniel in opposition to the teaching of the N.T. regarding the judgment of the world. According to N.T. doctrine, Christ, the Son of man, receives the dominion and power over all nations not for the first time on the day of judgment, after the destruction of the world-kingdoms by the Father, but He received it (Mt 28:18) after the completion of His work and before His ascension; and it is not God the Father who holds the judgment, but the Son raised to the right hand of the Father comes in the clouds of heaven to judge the world (Mt 25:31). The Father committed the judgment to the Son even while He yet sojourned on this earth in the form of a servant and founded the kingdom of heaven (Jn 5:27). The judgment begins not for the first time either before or after the millennium, about which chiliasts contend with one another, but the last judgment forms only the final completion of the judgment commencing at the first coming of Christ to the earth, which continues from that time onward through the centuries of the spread of the kingdom of heaven upon earth in the form of the Christian church, till the visible return of Christ in His glory in the clouds of heaven to the final judgment of the living and the dead. This doctrine is disclosed to us for the first time by the appearance of Christ; for by it are unfolded to us for the first time the prophecies regarding the Messiah in His lowliness and in His glory, in the clear knowledge of the first appearance of Christ in the form of a servant for the founding of the kingdom of God by His death and resurrection, and the return of the Son of man from heaven in the glory of His Father for the perfecting of His kingdom by the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment.
That which has been said above, avails also for explaining the revelation which Daniel received regarding the King of the kingdom of God. While His appearance in the form of a son of man with the clouds of heaven, according to the statements of the N.T. regarding the second coming of Christ, points to His coming again in glory, yet, as above remarked, His coming before the Ancient of days, i.e., before God, and receiving from God the kingdom and the dominion, does not accord with the statements of the N.T. regarding the return of Christ to judge the world; so that we must here also distinguish between the actual contents and the form of the prophetic representation, and between the thought of the prophecy and its realization or historical fulfilment. Only because of a disregard of this distinction could Fries, e.g., derive from Dan 7:13 an argument against the parallelizing of this passage with Mt 24:30; Mk 14:62, and Rev_ 1:7, as well as against the reference to the Messias of the personage seen by Daniel in the clouds of heaven as a son of man.
In the vision, in which the Ancient of days, i.e., God, holds judgment over the world and its rulers, and in the solemn assembly for judgment grants to the Son of man appearing before Him the kingdom and the dominion, only this truth is contemplated by the prophet, that the Father gave to the Son all power in heaven and in earth; that He gave the power over the nations which the rulers of the earth had, and which they used only for the oppression of the saints of God, to the Son of man, and in Him to the people of the saints, and thereby founded the kingdom which shall endure for ever. But as to the way and manner in which God executes judgment over the world-power, and in which He gives (Dan 7:22, Dan 7:27) to the Son of man and to the people of the saints the dominion and the power over all the kingdoms under the heavens - on this the prophecy gives no particular disclosures; this much, however, is clear from Dan 7:27, that the judgment held by the Ancient of days over the world-power which was hostile to God is not a full annihilation of the kingdoms under the whole heavens, but only an abolition of their hostile dominion and power, and a subjection of all the kingdoms of this earth to the power and dominion of the Son of man, whereby the hostile rulers, together with all ungodly natures, shall be for ever destroyed. The further disclosures regarding the completion of this judgment are given us in the N.T., from which we learn that the Father executes judgment by the Son, to whom He has given all power in heaven and on earth. With this further explanation of the matter the passages of the N.T. referring to Dan 7:13, regarding the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven to execute judgment over the world, easily harmonize. To show this, we must examine somewhat more closely the conception and the use of the words "Son of man" in the N.T.
The Son of Man, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Tit is well known that Jesus only during His sojourn on earth made use of this designation of Himself, as appears in the N.T. Bengel on Mt 16:13 remarks: "Nemo nisi solus Christus a nemine dum ipse in terra ambularet, nisi a semetipso appellitatus est filius hominis." Even after Christ's ascension the apostles do not use this name of Christ. In the passages Acts 7:56 and Rev_ 1:13; Rev_ 14:14, where alone it is found in the N.T. beyond the Gospels, the title is borrowed from Dan 7:13. It is, moreover, generally acknowledged that Jesus wished by thus designating Himself to point Himself out as the Messiah; and "this pointing Himself out as the Messiah is founded," as H. A. W. Meyer on Mt 8:20 rightly remarks, "not on Ps 8:1-9, but, as is manifest from such passages as Mt 24:30; Mt 26:64 (cf. also Acts 7:56), on the description of that prophetic vision, Dan 7:13, well known to the Jews (Jn 12:34), and found also in the pre-Christian book of Enoch, where the Messiah appears in the clouds of heaven = כּבר אנשׁὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, amid the angels of the divine judgment-seat." The comparison in the = כὡς to a son of man refers to the form in which He is seen by the prophet (see pp. 645f.), and affirms neither the true humanity nor the superhuman nature of Him who appeared. The superhuman or divine nature of the person seen in the form of a man lies in the coming with the clouds of heaven, since it is true only of God that He makes the clouds His chariot; Ps 104:3, cf. Is 19:1. But on the other hand, also, the words do not exclude the humanity, as little as the ὅμοιος υἱῷ ἀνθρώπου, Rev_ 1:13; for, as C. B. Michaelis has remarked, כ non excludit rei veritatem, sed formam ejus quod visum est describit; so that with Oehler (Herz. Realenc.) we may say: The Messiah here appears as a divine being as much as He does a human. The union of the divine and the human natures lies also in the self-designation of Christ as ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, although as to the meaning Jesus unites with it there is diversity of opinion.
That this was a designation of the Messiah common among the Jews in the time of Jesus, we cannot positively affirm, because only Jesus Himself made use of it; His disciples did not, much less did the people so style the Messiah. If, then, Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of man, He means thereby not merely to say that He was the Messiah, but He wishes to designate Himself as the Messiah of Daniel's prophecy, i.e., as the Son of man coming to the earth in the clouds of heaven. He thereby lays claim at once to a divine original, or a divine pre-existence, as well as to affirm true humanity of His person, and seeks to represent Himself, according to John's expression, as the Logos becoming flesh.
(Note: Meyer justly remarks: "The consciousness from which Jesus appropriates to Himself this designation by Daniel was the antithesis of the God-sonship, the necessary (contrary to Schleiermacher) self-consciousness of a divine pre-existence appearing in the most decided manner in John, the glory (δόχα) of which He had laid aside that He might appear as that ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου of Daniel in a form not originally appertaining to Him ... . Whatever has, apart from this, been found in the expression, as that Christ hereby designated Himself as the Son of man in the highest sense of the word, as the second Adam, as the ideal of humanity (Bhme, Neander, Ebrard, Olsh., Kahnis, Gess, and Weisse), or as the man whom the whole history of mankind since Adam has in view (Hofm. Schriftbew. ii. 1, p. 81, cf. Thomas. Chr. Pers. u. Werk, ii. p. 15), is introduced unhistorically with reference to Daniel 7.")
This view of the expression will be confirmed by a comparison of the passages in which Jesus uses it. In Jn 1:51, "Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man," the divine glory is intimated as concealed in the lowliness of the Son of man: the Son of man who walks on the earth in the form of a man is the Son of God. So also in the answer which Jesus gave to the high priest, when he solemnly adjured Him to say "whether He were the Christ, the Son of God" (Mt 26:63), pointing distinctly to Dan 7:13, "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." In like manner in all the other passages in the Gospels in which Jesus designates Himself the Son of man, He points either to His present lowliness or to His future glory, as is abundantly proved by Fr. A. Philippi (Kirch. Glaubenslehre, iv. 1, p. 415, der 2 Auf.) by a lucid comparison of all the passages in the Gospel of Matthew.
From the use of the expression "the Son of man" by Jesus (not only where He refers to His supernatural greatness or His divine pre-existence, but also where He places His human lowliness in contrast with His divine nature), it follows that even in those passages which treat of His coming to judgment, connected with the description, borrowed from Dan 7:13, of His coming in the clouds of heaven, He seeks to prove not so much His appearance for judgment, as rather only the divine power and glory which the Father gave Him, or to indicate from the Scriptures that the Father gave Him dominion over all people, and that He will come to reveal this dominion by the judgment of the world and the completion of His kingdom. The power to execute judgment over the living and the dead, the Father, i.e., God as the Lord of the world, has given to His Son, to Christ, because He is the Son of man (Jn 5:27), i.e., because He as man is at the same time of a divine nature, by virtue of which He is of one essence with the Father. This truth is manifested in the vision, Dan 7:13-14, in this, that the Ancient of days gives glory and the kingdom to Him who appears before Him in the form of a man coming in the clouds of heaven, that all people and nations might honour Him. Therewith He gave Him also implicite the power to execute judgment over all peoples; for the judgment is only a disclosure of the sovereignty given to Him.
The Little Horn and the Apocalyptic Beast
The giving of the kingdom to the Son of man goes before the appearance of the great adversary of the people of God represented by the little horn - the adversary in whom the enmity of the world against the kingdom of God reaches its highest manifestation. But to form a well-founded judgment regarding the appearance of this last enemy, we must compare the description given of him in Dan 7:8, Dan 7:24. with the apocalyptic description of the same enemy under the image of the beast out of the sea or out of the abyss, Rev_ 13:1-8 and Rev_ 17:7-13.
John saw a Beast Rise Up Out Of The Sea which had seven heads and ten horns, and on its horns ten crowns; it was like a leopard, but had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave him his throne and great power. One of its heads appears as if it had received a deadly wound, but its deadly wound was healed, Rev_ 13:1-3. In this beast the four beasts of Daniel, the lion, the bear, the leopard, and the nameless ten-horned beast (Dan 7:7), are united, and its heads and horns are represented, like the beasts of Daniel, as kings (Rev_ 17:9, Rev_ 17:12). The beast seen by John represents accordingly the world-power, in such a way that the four aspects of the same, which Daniel saw in the form of four beasts rising up one after another, are a whole united together into one. In this all interpreters are agreed. Hofmann is wrong (Schriftbew. ii. 2, p. 699), however, when from the circumstance that this beast has the body of a leopard, has its peculiar form like that of a leopard, he draws the conclusion "that John sees the Grecian kingdom rise again in a new form, in which it bears the lion's mouth of the Chaldean, the bear's feet of the Median or Persian, and the ten horns of the last kingdom." For the apocalyptic beast has the body of a leopard from no other reason than because the fourth beast of Daniel was to be compared with no other beast existing in nature, whose appearance could be selected for that purpose. In these circumstances nothing else remained than to lay hold on the form of Daniel's third beast and to make choice of it for the body of the beast, and to unite with it the feet, the mouth or the jaws, and the ten horns of the other beasts.
But that the apocalyptic beast must represent not the rising again of Daniel's third world-kingdom, but the appearance of the fourth, and that specially in its last form, which Daniel had seen as the little horn, appears evidently from this, not to mention the explanation given in Rev 17, that the beast with the seven heads and ten horns, with the name of blasphemy on its heads (Rev_ 13:1), the marks of the little horn of Daniel, speaks great things and blasphemies, and continues forty and two months (Rev_ 13:5), corresponding to the three and a half times of Daniel, Dan 7:25. Hofmann, on the other hand, rightly remarks, that the beast must represent not merely the last world-power, but at the same time the last world-ruler, the chief enemy of the saints of God. As with Daniel the world-power and its representative are conceived of as one and the same, so here also with John. This is seen in the insensible transition of the neuter to the masculine, τῷ θηρίῳ ὅς ἔχει, v. 14. In this beast not only does the whole world-power concentrate itself, but in it also attains to its personal head. The ten horns are to be conceived of as on one of the heads, and that the seventh or last, and not (Dsterdieck, etc.) as distributed among the seven heads, so that one horn should be assigned to each head, and three horns should be conceived as between the sixth and the seventh head. This wonderful supposition owes its origin only to the historical reference of the beast to the first Roman emperor, and stands in opposition to the interpretation of the beast which is given by John, Rev_ 17:7. There John sees the woman, the great Babylon, the mother of harlots and abominations, sitting on a scarlet-coloured beast, which was full of names of blasphemy, and had ten horns (Rev_ 17:3). The identity of the seven-headed beast (Daniel 13) with the scarlet-coloured beast (Rev 17) is justly recognised by the greater number of recent interpreters, even by Dst. Of this red beast the angel, Rev_ 17:8, says first, "The beast that thou sawest was and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition; and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder ... when they behold the beast that was and is not, and yet is" (καὶ πάρεσται = shall come, be present, i.e., again, according to a more accurate reading). In these words the most of interpreters find a paraphrase of the statement, Rev_ 13:3, Rev_ 13:12, Rev_ 13:14, that the beast was wounded to the death, but that its deadly wound was healed. "The distinguishing of the two statements (viz., of the not-being and the death-wound, the coming again and the healing of the wound) has," as A. Christiani (uebersichtl. Darstellung des Inhalts der Apok., in der Dorpater Zeitschriftf. Thel. 1861, iii. p. 219) rightly remarks, "its foundation (against Ebrard) either in the false supposition that the beast in Rev 17 is different from that in Rev 13, or in this, that there must abstractly be a distinction between the world-power (Rev 13) and the ruler of the world (Rev 17); whereby, moreover, it is not clear wherein the difference between the death-wound and the not-being consists (against Aub.)." The being, the not-being, and the appearing gain of the beast, are not to be understood of the present time as regards the seer, so as to mean: the beast existed before John's time, after that it was not, and then one day shall again appear, which has been combined with the fable of Nero's coming again; but the past, the present, and the future of the beast are, with Vitringa, Bengel, Christ., to be regarded from the standpoint of the vision, according to which the time of the fulfilment, belonging to the future, is to be regarded as the point of time from which the being, the not-being, and the appearing again are represented, so that these three elements form the determination of the nature of the beast in its historical manifestation.
Hereupon the angel points out to the seer the secret of the woman and of the beast which bears the woman, beginning with the interpretation of the beast, Rev_ 17:9. "The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth; and there are seven kings." The heads are thus defined in a twofold way: For the woman they are seven mountains, on which she sits; but in so far as they belong to the beast, they are seven kings (Hofm. p. 711, Christ., etc.). The reference of the mountains to the seven hills of Rome is to be rejected, because it is difficult to understand how the heads can represent at one and the same time both mountains and kings. Mountains are, according to the prophetic view, seats of power, symbols of world-kingdoms (cf. Ps 68:17; Ps 76:5; Jer 51:25; Ezek 35:2), and thus are here as little to be thought of as occupying space along with one another as are the seven kings to be thought of as contemporaneous (Hofm., Aub.). According to this, the βασιλείς are not also separate kings of one kingdom, but kingships, dominions, as in Daniel ruler and kingdom are taken together. One need not, however, on this account assume that βασιλείς stands for βασιλείαι; for, according to Dan 8:20-22, "the kingdom is named where the person of the ruler is at once brought into view; but where it is sought to designate the sovereignty, then the king is named, either so that he represents it altogether, or so that its founder is particularly distinguished" (Hofm. p. 714).
The angel further says of the seven heads: "Five (of these sovereignties) are fallen," i.e., are already past, "one is," i.e., still exists, "the other is not yet come; and when it cometh, it must continue a short space." This explanation is obviously given from the point of view of the present of the seer. The five fallen βασιλείς (sovereignties) are Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Medo-Persia, and Greece (Hengst., Aub., Christ.), and not Assyria, Chaldea, Persia, Grecia, and the kingdom of the Seleucidae, as Hofmann, with Ebrard and Stier, affirms. The reception of the Seleucidae or of Antiochus Epiphanes into the rank of world-rulers, depends, with Hofmann, on the erroneous interpretation of the apocalyptic beast-image as representing the reappearance of the Grecian world-kingdom, and falls with this error. The chief argument which Hofmann alleges against Egypt, that it was never a power which raised itself up to subdue or unite the world under itself, or is thus represented in the Scriptures, Aub. (p. 309) has already invalidated by showing that Egypt was the first world-power with which the kingdom of God came into conflict under Moses, when it began to exist as a nation and a kingdom. Afterwards, under the kings, Israel was involved in the wars of Egypt and Assyria in like manner as at a later period they were in those of the Ptolemies and the Seleucidae. For this reason Egypt and Assyria are often named together by the prophets, particularly as the world-powers with which the people of God committed whoredom, yea, by the older prophets generally as the representatives of the world-power (4Kings 17:4; Hos 7:11; Hos 12:1; Hos 9:3; Hos 11:5, Hos 11:11; Mic 7:12; Is 52:4; Is 19:23-25; Jer 2:18, Jer 2:36; Zech 10:10). On the other hand, the Seleucidan appears before us in Daniel 8 and 11:1-25 as an offshoot of the Grecian world-kingdom, without anything further being intimated regarding him. In Daniel 7 there is as little said of him as there is in Zechariah's vision of the four-horsed chariots.
The sixth sovereignty, which "is" (ὁ εἷς ἔστιν), is the Roman world-power exercising dominion at the time of John, the Roman emperor. The seventh is as yet future, and must, when it comes, continue a short time (ὀλίγον). If the sixth sovereignty is the Roman, they by the seventh we may understand the world-powers of modern Europe that have come into its place. The angel adds (Rev_ 17:11), "The beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth (king), and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." By that which is called "even the eighth" can properly be meant only the seventh. The contrast lying in the καὶ αὐτὸς ὀγδοός demands this. But that instead of the seventh (Rev_ 17:10, ὁ ἄλλος the beast itself is named, therewith it is manifestly intimated that in the eighth the beast embodies itself, or passes into its completed form of existence as a beast. This is supported partly by the expression ἐκ τῶν ἑπτά which is added to ὀγδοός, partly by the designation as "the beast that was and is not." That addition does not merely say, one out of the seven, for which John would have written εἷς ἐκ τῶν ἑπτά (cf. Rev_ 17:1 and Rev_ 21:9), or, formed like the seven, but, growing up out of the seven, as the blossom out of the plant (βλαστάνων, as the Greek Andreas explains, and erroneously adds ἐκ μίας αὐτῶν). It is the comprehensive essence of these seven, the embodiment of the beast itself, which for the first time reaches in it to its perfect form (Aub., Dsterd., Christ.). As such it is placed over against the seven as the eighth; but it is not therefore an eighth kingdom, for it is not represented by an eighth head, but only by the beast-only the beast which was, and is not, and then shall be again (πάρεσται, Rev_ 17:11, cf. Rev_ 17:8). If now this definition, according to the above, means the same thing as is intended in Daniel 13 by the deadly wound of the beast and the healing again of the wound, then these words mean that the world-power in one of its heads (the seventh?) receives the deadly wound, so that the beast is not-i.e., it cannot show its power, its beast-nature-till the healing of the same, but after the healing of the wound it will appear as the eighth ruler in its full nature as a beast, and will unfold the power of its ten horns. Of these ten horns the angel says, Rev_ 17:12, "They are ten kings which have received no βασιλείαν, but will receive power as kings one hour with the beast." By this is it affirmed, on the one side, that the ten horns belong to the seventh beast; but, on the other, it appears from this interpretation of the angel, taken in connection with that going before, that the ruler with the ten horns and the highest phases of the development of the world-power, and is to be regarded as contemporary with the ten βασιλείς which receive power as kings with the beast.
The statement, however, that the seventh ruler is also an eighth, and must represent the beast in its perfect form, without his being denoted by an eighth head to the beast, has its foundation, without doubt, in the dependence of the apocalyptic delineation on Daniel's prophecy of the fourth world-power, in which (Daniel 2) the iron legs are distinguished from the feet, which consist partly of iron and partly of clay; and yet more distinctly in Daniel 7 the climax of the power of the fourth beast is represented in the little horn growing up between its ten horns, and yet neither is it called in Daniel 2 a fifth kingdom, nor yet in Daniel 7 is the little horn designated as a fifth world-ruler.
The apocalyptic delineation of the world-power and the world-ruler is related, therefore, to the prophecy of Daniel in such a manner that, in the first place, it goes back to the elements of the same, and gathers them together into one combined image, according to its whole development in the past, present, and future, while Daniel's prophecy goes forth from the present, beginning with the Chaldean world-kingdom. Moreover, the Apocalypse discloses the spiritual principle working in the world-power. The dragon, i.e., Satan, as prince of this world, gave his throne and his power to the beast. Finally, the Apocalypse extends itself at large over the unfolding, as yet future, of the ungodly world-kingdom; for it places in view, in addition to the sixth ruler existing in the presence of the seer, the rising up of yet a seventh, in which the beast, healed of its death-wound, will first as the eighth ruler fully reveal its ungodly nature. The dividing of the fourth world-kingdom of Daniel between two rulers has its foundation in the purpose to gain the significant number seven. By the number seven of the heads while Daniel saw only four beasts, the apocalyptic beast must be represented as the diabolical contrast to the Lamb. The seven heads and ten horns the beast has in common with the dragon, which gave his power to the beast (cf. Rev_ 13:1-2 with Rev_ 12:3). The seven heads of the dragon and of the beast are the infernal caricature and the antithesis of the seven Spirits of God, the seven eyes and seven horns of the Lamb (Rev_ 5:6), just as the seven mountains on which the woman sits are the antitype and the antithesis of the hill of Zion, the chosen mountain of the Lord. (Cf. Lmmert, Babel, das Thier u. der falsche Prophet, 1863, p. 84.) From the symbolical signification of the numbers, it is also clear how the beast which was and is not can also appear as the eighth ruler. The eighth, arising from the addition of one to seven, denotes a new beginning, or the beginning of a new life, as frequently in the laws relating to religious worship, as e.g., regarding circumcision, the consecration of priests, the purification of lepers, the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles, etc. Cf. Leyrer in Herz.'s Real. Encycl. xviii. p. 370. According to him, the beast is called καὶ αὐτὸς ὀγδοός (Rev_ 17:11), "because, although it is of the seven which hitherto have constituted the antichristian development in its completeness, a new one presumes to establish itself in self-deification, and in open rebellion against God, raising itself to the experiment of an absolute world-monarchy before the final judgment passes upon it."
As the number seven of the heads of the beast in the Apocalypse, so also the number four of the beasts rising up out of the sea in Daniel's vision comes first under consideration, according to their symbolical meaning as the number of the world. For the sake of this significance of the number four, only the four world-kingdoms are spoken of, while in the fourth there are distinctly two different phases of the development of the world-kingdom. If we look at this significance of the numbers, the difference between the representation of Daniel and that of the Apocalypse reduces itself to this, that Daniel designates the world-power simply only in opposition to the kingdom of God; the Apocalypse, on the contrary, designates it according to its concealed spiritual background, and in its antichristian form. The world-number four appears here augmented to the antichristian contrast to the divine number seven. But in both representations the beast forming the last phase of the world-kingdom has ten horns. This number also has a symbolical meaning; it is the signature of definitive completeness, of fullest development and perfection. "The ten horns are kings; for 'horn' as well as 'king' signifies might crushing, conquering" (Lmmert, p. 78). The little horn which outrooted three existing ones and entered into their place, makes, with the remaining seven, eight; but eight is seven augmented. It is therefore the beast itself in its highest power, and ripe for judgment, just as the beast which was and is not mounts up as the eighth ruler, to be destroyed, after a short period of action, by the judgment.
But while we attach a symbolical import to the numbers, we do not, however, wish to dispute that their numerical worth may not also be realized in the fulfilment. As the comparison of Daniel 7 with 8 beyond doubt shows that the second and third kingdoms which the prophet saw have historically realized themselves in the succession of the Medo-Persian and Grecian kingdoms after the Babylonian; as, moreover, in the prophet delineation of the fourth world-kingdom the character of the Roman world-power is not to be mistaken; finally, as in the Apocalypse the first six heads of the beast are referred to the world-powers that have hitherto appeared in history: so may also the prophecy of the seven heads and of the ten horns of the beast (in Daniel. and the Apoc.) perhaps yet so fulfil itself in the future, that the antichristian world-power may reach its completion in ten rulers who receive power as kings one hour with the beast, i.e., as companions and helpers of Antichrist, carry on war for a while against the Lord and His saints, till at the appearance of the Lord to judgment they shall be destroyed, together with the beast and the dragon.
How indeed this part of the prophecy, relating to the last unfolding of the ungodly and antichristian world-power, shall fulfil itself, whether merely according to the symbolical meaning of the numbers, or finally also actually, the day will first make clear.
John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 7
This chapter contains Daniel's vision of the four beasts, The time, place, manner, writing, and declaration of the vision, Dan 7:1, the rise of the beasts, and the description of them, Dan 7:2, the judgment of God upon them, especially the last, and the delivery of universal monarchy to his Son, Dan 7:9, the interpretation of the vision at the request of Daniel, being greatly affected with it, Dan 7:15, a particular inquiry of his about the fourth beast, concerning which a full account is given, Dan 7:19, all which caused in him many thoughts of heart, and reflections of mind, Dan 7:28.
7:17:1: Յամին առաջներորդի Բաղտասարայ արքայի Քաղդեացւոց, երա՛զ ետես Դանիէլ. եւ տեսիլ գլխոյ նորա յանկողնի իւրում. եւ զերազն գրեա՛ց[12179]։Թ [12179] Ոմանք. Յամին առաջնորդի։
1 Քաղդէացիների Բաղդասար արքայի առաջին տարում Դանիէլը երազ տեսաւ. գլխում մի տեսիլք երեւաց, երբ իր անկողնում էր, եւ նա գրի առաւ իր երազը:
7 Բաբելոնի Բաղտասար թագաւորին առաջին տարին, Դանիէլ երազ մը տեսաւ։ Իր անկողնին մէջ՝ իր գլխուն տեսիլքները եւ երազը գրեց համառօտ կերպով։
Յամին առաջներորդի Բաղտասարայ արքայի [113]Քաղդէացւոց` երազ ետես Դանիէլ, եւ տեսիլ գլխոյ նորա յանկողնի իւրում. եւ զերազն [114]գրեաց:

7:1: Յամին առաջներորդի Բաղտասարայ արքայի Քաղդեացւոց, երա՛զ ետես Դանիէլ. եւ տեսիլ գլխոյ նորա յանկողնի իւրում. եւ զերազն գրեա՛ց[12179]։Թ
[12179] Ոմանք. Յամին առաջնորդի։
1 Քաղդէացիների Բաղդասար արքայի առաջին տարում Դանիէլը երազ տեսաւ. գլխում մի տեսիլք երեւաց, երբ իր անկողնում էր, եւ նա գրի առաւ իր երազը:
7 Բաբելոնի Բաղտասար թագաւորին առաջին տարին, Դանիէլ երազ մը տեսաւ։ Իր անկողնին մէջ՝ իր գլխուն տեսիլքները եւ երազը գրեց համառօտ կերպով։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:17:1 В первый год Валтасара, царя Вавилонского, Даниил видел сон и пророческие видения головы своей на ложе своем. Тогда он записал этот сон, изложив сущность дела.
7:1 ἔτους ετος year πρώτου πρωτος first; foremost βασιλεύοντος βασιλευω reign Βαλτασαρ βαλτασαρ territory; estate Βαβυλωνίας βαβυλωνια Daniēl; Thanil ὅραμα οραμα vision εἶδε οραω view; see παρὰ παρα from; by κεφαλὴν κεφαλη head; top ἐπὶ επι in; on τῆς ο the κοίτης κοιτη lying down; relations αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him τότε τοτε at that Δανιηλ δανιηλ Daniēl; Thanil τὸ ο the ὅραμα οραμα vision ὃ ος who; what εἶδεν οραω view; see ἔγραψεν γραφω write εἰς εις into; for κεφάλαια κεφαλαιον capital; summary λόγων λογος word; log
7:1 בִּ bi בְּ in שְׁנַ֣ת šᵊnˈaṯ שְׁנָה year חֲדָ֗ה ḥᵃḏˈā חַד one לְ lᵊ לְ to בֵלְאשַׁצַּר֙ vēlᵊšaṣṣˌar בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר Belshazzar מֶ֣לֶךְ mˈeleḵ מֶלֶךְ king בָּבֶ֔ל bāvˈel בָּבֶל Babylon דָּנִיֵּאל֙ dāniyyēl דָּנִיֵּאל Daniel חֵ֣לֶם ḥˈēlem חֵלֶם dream חֲזָ֔ה ḥᵃzˈā חזה see וְ wᵊ וְ and חֶזְוֵ֥י ḥezwˌê חֱזוּ vision רֵאשֵׁ֖הּ rēšˌēh רֵאשׁ head עַֽל־ ʕˈal- עַל upon מִשְׁכְּבֵ֑הּ miškᵊvˈēh מִשְׁכַּב bed בֵּ bē בְּ in אדַ֨יִן֙ ʔḏˈayin אֱדַיִן then חֶלְמָ֣א ḥelmˈā חֵלֶם dream כְתַ֔ב ḵᵊṯˈav כתב write רֵ֥אשׁ rˌēš רֵאשׁ head מִלִּ֖ין millˌîn מִלָּה word אֲמַֽר׃ ʔᵃmˈar אמר say
7:1. anno primo Balthasar regis Babylonis Danihel somnium vidit visio autem capitis eius in cubili suo et somnium scribens brevi sermone conprehendit summatimque perstringens aitIn the first year of Baltasar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream: and the vision of his head was upon his bed: and writing the dream, he comprehended it in a few words: and relating the sum of it in short, he said:
1. In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters.
7:1. In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and a vision in his head on his bed. And, writing down the dream, he understood it in a concise manner, and so, summarizing it tersely, he said:
7:1. In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, [and] told the sum of the matters.
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, [and] told the sum of the matters:

7:1 В первый год Валтасара, царя Вавилонского, Даниил видел сон и пророческие видения головы своей на ложе своем. Тогда он записал этот сон, изложив сущность дела.
7:1
ἔτους ετος year
πρώτου πρωτος first; foremost
βασιλεύοντος βασιλευω reign
Βαλτασαρ βαλτασαρ territory; estate
Βαβυλωνίας βαβυλωνια Daniēl; Thanil
ὅραμα οραμα vision
εἶδε οραω view; see
παρὰ παρα from; by
κεφαλὴν κεφαλη head; top
ἐπὶ επι in; on
τῆς ο the
κοίτης κοιτη lying down; relations
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
τότε τοτε at that
Δανιηλ δανιηλ Daniēl; Thanil
τὸ ο the
ὅραμα οραμα vision
ος who; what
εἶδεν οραω view; see
ἔγραψεν γραφω write
εἰς εις into; for
κεφάλαια κεφαλαιον capital; summary
λόγων λογος word; log
7:1
בִּ bi בְּ in
שְׁנַ֣ת šᵊnˈaṯ שְׁנָה year
חֲדָ֗ה ḥᵃḏˈā חַד one
לְ lᵊ לְ to
בֵלְאשַׁצַּר֙ vēlᵊšaṣṣˌar בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר Belshazzar
מֶ֣לֶךְ mˈeleḵ מֶלֶךְ king
בָּבֶ֔ל bāvˈel בָּבֶל Babylon
דָּנִיֵּאל֙ dāniyyēl דָּנִיֵּאל Daniel
חֵ֣לֶם ḥˈēlem חֵלֶם dream
חֲזָ֔ה ḥᵃzˈā חזה see
וְ wᵊ וְ and
חֶזְוֵ֥י ḥezwˌê חֱזוּ vision
רֵאשֵׁ֖הּ rēšˌēh רֵאשׁ head
עַֽל־ ʕˈal- עַל upon
מִשְׁכְּבֵ֑הּ miškᵊvˈēh מִשְׁכַּב bed
בֵּ בְּ in
אדַ֨יִן֙ ʔḏˈayin אֱדַיִן then
חֶלְמָ֣א ḥelmˈā חֵלֶם dream
כְתַ֔ב ḵᵊṯˈav כתב write
רֵ֥אשׁ rˌēš רֵאשׁ head
מִלִּ֖ין millˌîn מִלָּה word
אֲמַֽר׃ ʔᵃmˈar אמר say
7:1. anno primo Balthasar regis Babylonis Danihel somnium vidit visio autem capitis eius in cubili suo et somnium scribens brevi sermone conprehendit summatimque perstringens ait
In the first year of Baltasar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream: and the vision of his head was upon his bed: and writing the dream, he comprehended it in a few words: and relating the sum of it in short, he said:
7:1. In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and a vision in his head on his bed. And, writing down the dream, he understood it in a concise manner, and so, summarizing it tersely, he said:
7:1. In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, [and] told the sum of the matters.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
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А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
1. Подобно сновидению Навуходоносора (2: гл.), видение 7: гл. раскрывает мысль о преемственной смене четырех земных монархий и о водворении после божественного суда над ними вечного Царства Божия. Единые по основной мысли, они различаются прежде всего со стороны воплощающих ее образов. Во главе второй эти последние заимствованы из области предметов неодушевленных материальных, в главе седьмой - из области живых существ. Подобное различие в образах служит выражением двух неодинаковых точек зрения на Царство Божие и земное. Для язычника Навуходоносора могущество мира было блестящим металлом, а Царство Божие - ничего не стоящим камнем: земные царства представлялись ему несравнимо превосходящими Царство Божие. Даниилу, наоборот, ясно превосходство этого последнего над первыми, и потому оно представлено под образом своей главы - Сына человеческого, земные - под образом различных зверей: человек выше животного. Кроме того, видение 7: гл. отличается большей полнотой, содержательностью, - говорит, хотя и прикровенно, о судьбах Царства Божия, связанных с появлением антихриста.
Matthew Henry: Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible - 1706
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
The date of this chapter places it before ch. v., which was in the last year of Belshazzar, and ch. iv., which was in the first of Darius; for Daniel had those visions in the first year of Belshazzar, when the captivity of the Jews in Babylon was drawing near a period. Belshazzar's name here is, in the original, spelt differently from what it used to be; before it was Bel-she-azar--Bel is he that treasures up riches. But this is Bel-eshe-zar--Bel is on fire by the enemy. Bel was the god of the Chaldeans; he had prospered, but is now to be consumed.
We have, in these verses, Daniel's vision of the four monarchies that were oppressive to the Jews. Observe,
I. The circumstances of this vision. Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and now he is himself honoured with similar divine discoveries (v. 1): He had visions of his head upon his bed, when he was asleep; so God sometimes revealed himself and his mind to the children of men, when deep sleep fell upon them (Job xxxiii. 15); for when we are most retired from the world, and taken off from the things of sense, we are most fit for communion with God. But when he was awake he wrote the dream for his own use, lest he should forget it as a dream which passes away; and he told the sum of the matters to his brethren the Jews for their use, and gave it to them in writing, that it might be communicated to those at a distance and preserved for their children after them, who shall see these things accomplished. The Jews, misunderstanding some of the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, flattered themselves with hopes that, after their return to their own land, they should enjoy a complete and uninterrupted tranquility; but that they might not so deceive themselves, and their calamities be made doubly grievous by the disappointment, God by this prophet lets them know that they shall have tribulation: those promises of their prosperity were to be accomplished in the spiritual blessings of the kingdom of grace; as Christ has told his disciples they must expect persecution, and the promises they depend upon will be accomplished in the eternal blessings of the kingdom of glory. Daniel both wrote these things and spoke them, to intimate that the church should be taught both by the scriptures and by ministers' preaching, both by the written word and by word of mouth; and ministers in their preaching are to tell the sum of the matters that are written.
II. The vision itself, which foretels the revolutions of government in those nations which the church of the Jews, for the following ages, was to be under the influence of. 1. He observed the four winds to strive upon the great sea, v. 2. They strove which should blow strongest, and, at length, blow alone. This represents the contests among princes for empire, and the shakings of the nations by these contests, to which those mighty monarchies, which he was now to have a prospect of, owed their rise. One wind from any point of the compass, if it blow hard, will cause a great commotion in the sea; but what a tumult must needs be raised when the four winds strive for mastery! This is it which the kings of the nations are contending for in their wars, which are as noisy and violent as the battle of the winds; but how is the poor sea tossed and torn, how terrible are its concussions, and how violent its convulsions, while the winds are at strife which shall have the sole power of troubling it! Note, This world is like a stormy tempestuous sea; thanks to the proud ambitious winds that vex it. 2. He saw four great beasts come up from the sea, from the troubled waters, in which aspiring minds love to fish. The monarchs and monarchies are represented by beasts, because too often it is by brutish rage and tyranny that they are raised and supported. These beasts were diverse one from another (v. 3), of different shapes, to denote the different genius and complexion of the nations in whose hands they were lodged. (1.) The first beast was like a lion, v. 4. This was the Chaldean monarchy, that was fierce and strong, and made the kings absolute. This lion had eagle's wings, with which to fly upon the prey, denoting the wonderful speed that Nebuchadnezzar made in his conquest of kingdoms. But Daniel soon sees the wings plucked, a full stop put to the career of their victorious arms. Divers countries that had been tributaries to them revolt from them, and make head against them; so that this monstrous animal, this winged lion, is made to stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart is given to it. It has lost the heart of a lion, which it had been famous for (one of our English kings was called Cœur de Lion--Lion-heart), has lost its courage and become feeble and faint, dreading every thing and daring nothing; they are put in fear, and made to know themselves to be but men. Sometimes the valour of a nation strangely sinks, and it becomes cowardly and effeminate, so that what was the head of the nations in an age or two becomes the tail. (2.) The second beast was like a bear, v. 5. This was the Persian monarchy, less strong and generous than the former, but no less ravenous. This bear raised up itself on one side against the lion, and soon mastered it. It raised up one dominion; so some read it. Persia and Media, which in Nebuchadnezzar's image were the two arms in one breast, now set up a joint government. This bear had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth, the remains of those nations it had devoured, which were the marks of its voraciousness, and yet an indication that though it had devoured much it could not devour all; some ribs still stuck in the teeth of it, which it could not conquer. Whereupon it was said to it, "Arise, devour much flesh; let alone the bones, the ribs, that cannot be conquered, and set upon that which will be an easier prey." The princes will stir up both the kings and the people to push on their conquests, and let nothing stand before them. Note, Conquests, unjustly made, are but like those of the beasts of prey, and in this much worse, that the beasts prey not upon those of their own kind, as wicked and unreasonable men do. (3.) The third beast was like a leopard, v. 6. This was the Grecian monarchy, founded by Alexander the Great, active, crafty, and cruel, like a leopard. He had four wings of a fowl; the lion seems to have had but two wings; but the leopard had four, for though Nebuchadnezzar made great despatch in his conquests Alexander made much greater. In six years' time he gained the whole empire of Persia, a great part besides of Asia, made himself master of Syria, Egypt, India, and other nations. This beast had four heads; upon Alexander's death his conquests were divided among his four chief captains; Seleucus Nicanor had Asia the Great; Perdiccas, and after him Antigonus, had Asia the Less; Cassander had Macedonia; and Ptolemeus had Egypt. Dominion was given to this beast; it was given of God, from whom alone promotion comes. (4.) The fourth beast was more fierce, and formidable, and mischievous, than any of them, unlike any of the other, nor is there any among the beasts of prey to which it might be compared, v. 7. The learned are not agreed concerning this anonymous beast; some make it to be the Roman empire, which, when it was in its glory, comprehended ten kingdoms, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Britain, Sarmatia, Pannonia, Asia, Greece, and Egypt; and then the little horn which rose by the fall of three of the other horns (v. 8) they make to be the Turkish empire, which rose in the room of Asia, Greece, and Egypt. Others make this fourth beast to be the kingdom of Syria, the family of the Seleucidæ, which was very cruel and oppressive to the people of the Jews, as we find in Josephus and the history of the Maccabees. And herein that empire was diverse from those which went before, that none of the preceding powers compelled the Jews to renounce their religion, but the kings of Syria did, and used them barbarously. Their armies and commanders were the great iron teeth with which they devoured and broke in pieces the people of God, and they trampled upon the residue of them. The ten horns are then supposed to be ten kings that reigned successively in Syria; and then the little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes, the last of the ten, who by one means or other undermined three of the kings, and got the government. He was a man of great ingenuity, and therefore is said to have eyes like the eyes of a man; and he was very bold and daring, had a mouth speaking great things. We shall meet with him again in these prophecies.
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:1: In the first year of Belshazzar - This is the same Belshazzar who was slain at the taking of Babylon, as we have seen at the conclusion of chap. 5. That chapter should have followed both this and the succeeding. The reason why the fifth chapter was put in an improper place was, that all the historic parts might be together, and the prophetic be by themselves; and, accordingly, the former end with the preceding chapter, and the latter with this. The division therefore is not chronological but merely artificial.
Told the sum of the matters - That he might not forget this extraordinary dream, he wrote down the leading particulars when he arose.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:1: In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon - On the character and reign of Belshazzar, see Introduction to Dan. 5 Section II. He was the last of the kings of Babylon, and this fact may cast some light on the disclosures made in the dream.
Daniel had a dream - Margin, as in Hebrew, saw. He saw a series of events in vision when he was asleep. The dream refers to that representation, and was of such a nature that it was proper to speak of it as if he saw it. Compare the notes at Dan 2:1.
And visions of his head upon his bed - See the notes at Dan 4:5.
Then he wrote the dream - He made a record of it at the time. He did not commit it to tradition, or wait for its fulfillment before it was recorded, but long before the events referred to occurred he committed the prediction to writing, that when the prophecy was fulfilled they might be compared with it. It was customary among the prophets to record their predictions, whether communicated in a dream, in a vision, or by words to them, that there might be no doubt when the event occurred that there had been an inspired prediction of it, and that there might be an opportunity of a careful comparison of the prediction with the event. Often the prophets were commanded to record their predictions. See Isa 8:1, Isa 8:16; Isa 30:8; Hab 2:2. Compare Rev 1:19; Rev 14:13; Rev 21:5. In many instances, as in the case before us, the record was made hundreds of years before the event occurred, and as there is all the evidence that there could be in a case that the record has not been altered to adapt it to the event, the highest proof is thus furnished of the inspiration of the prophets. The meaning here is, that Daniel wrote out the dream as soon as it occurred.
And told the sum of the matters - Chaldee, "And spake the head of the words." That is, he spake or told them by writing. He made a communication of them in this manner to the world. It is not implied that he made any oral communication of them to anyone, but that he communicated them - to wit, in the way specified. The word "sum" here - ראשׁ rē'sh - means "head"; and would properly denote such a record as would be a heading up, or a summary - as stating in a brief way the contents of a book, or the chief points of a thing without going into detail. The meaning here seems to be that he did not go into detail - as by writing names, and dates, and places; or, perhaps, that he did not enter into a minute description of all that he saw in regard to the beasts that came up from the sea, but that he recorded what might be considered as peculiar, and as having special significancy.
The Codex Chisianus renders this, ἔγραψεν ἐις κεφάλαια λόγων egrapsen eis kephalaia logō n - "He wrote in heads of words," that is, he reduced it to a summary description. It is well remarked by Lengerke, on this place, that the prophets, when they described what was to occur to tyrants in future times, conveyed their oracles in a comparatively dark and obscure manner, yet so as to be clear when the events should occur. The reason of this is obvious. If the meaning of many of the predictions had been understood by those to whom they referred, that fact would have been a motive to them to induce them to defeat them; and as the fulfillment depended on their voluntary agency, the prophecy would have been void. It was necessary, therefore, in general, to avoid direct predictions, and the mention of names, dates, and places, and to make use of symbols whose meaning would be obscure at the time when the prediction was made, but which would be plain when the event should occur. A comparison of Dan 7:4, Dan 7:9, Dan 7:11, Dan 7:14, will show that only a sumptuary of what was to occur was recorded.
Matters - Margin, as in Chaldee, words. The term words, however; is often used to denote things.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:1: Cir, am 3449, bc 555
Belshazzar: Dan 5:1, Dan 5:22, Dan 5:30, Dan 8:1; Jer 27:7
Daniel: Dan 2:1, Dan 2:28, Dan 2:29, Dan 4:5; Num 12:6; Job 33:14-16; Jer 23:28; Joe 2:28; Amo 3:7; Act 2:17, Act 2:18
had: Chal, saw
visions: Dan 7:7, Dan 7:13, Dan 7:15; Gen 15:1, Gen 46:2; Job 4:13; Eze 1:1; Co2 12:1
he wrote: Isa 8:1, Isa 30:8; Hab 2:2; Rom 15:4; Rev 1:19, Rev 10:4
matters: or, words
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch
7:1
The time here indicated, "in the first year of Belshazzar," which cannot, as is evident, mean "shortly before the reign of Belshazzar" (Hitz.), but that Daniel received the following revelation in the course of the first year of the reign of this king, stands related to the contest of the revelation. This vision accords not only in many respects with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2), but has the same subject. This subject, however, the representation of the world-power in its principal forms, is differently given in the two chapters. In Daniel 2 it is represented according to its whole character as an image of a man whose different parts consist of different metals, and in Daniel 7 under the figure of four beasts which arise one after the other out of the sea. In the former its destruction is represented by a stone breaking the image in pieces, while in the latter it is effected by a solemn act of judgment. This further difference also is to be observed, that in this chapter, the first, but chiefly the fourth world-kingdom, in its development and relation to the people of God, is much more clearly exhibited than in Daniel 2. These differences have their principal reason in the difference of the recipients of the divine revelation: Nebuchadnezzar, the founder of the world-power, saw this power in its imposing greatness and glory; while Daniel, the prophet of God, saw it in its opposition to God in the form of ravenous beasts of prey. Nebuchadnezzar had his dream in the second year of his reign, when he had just founded his world-monarchy; while Daniel had his vision of the world-kingdoms and of the judgment against them in the first year of Belshazzar, i.e., Evilmerodach, the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar, when with the death of the golden head of the world-monarchy its glory began to fade, and the spirit of its opposition to God became more manifest. This revelation was made to the prophet in a dream-vision by night upon his bed. Compare Dan 2:28. Immediately thereafter Daniel wrote down the principal parts of the dream, that it might be publicly proclaimed - the sum of the things (מלּין ראשׁ) which he had seen in the dream. אמר, to say, to relate, is not opposed to כּתב, to write, but explains it: by means of writing down the vision he said, i.e., reported, the chief contents of the dream, omitting secondary things, e.g., the minute description of the beasts.
Geneva 1599
7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: (a) then he wrote the dream, [and] told the sum of the matters.
(a) Whereas the people of Israel looked for a continual peace, after the seventy years which Jeremiah had declared, he shows that this rest will not be a deliverance from all troubles, but a beginning. And therefore he encourages them to look for a continual affliction until the Messiah is uttered and revealed, by whom they would have a spiritual deliverance, and all the promises would be fulfilled. And they would have a certain experience of this in the destruction of the Babylonian kingdom.
John Gill
7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon,.... Daniel having finished the historical part of his book, and committed to writing what was necessary concerning himself and his three companions, and concerning Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius the Mede, proceeds to the prophetic part, and goes back to the first year of Belshazzar's reign, seventeen years before his death, and the fall of the Babylonish monarchy last mentioned; for so long Belshazzar reigned, according to Josephus (u); and with which agrees the canon of Ptolemy, who ascribes so many years to the reign of Nabonadius, the same, with Belshazzar: he began to reign, according to Bishop Usher (w), Dean Prideaux (x), and Mr, Whiston (y), in the year of the world 3449 A.M., and 555 B.C.; and in the first year of his reign Daniel had the dream of the four monarchies, as follows:
Daniel had a dream: as Nebuchadnezzar before had, concerning the same things, the four monarchies of the world, and the kingdom of Christ, only represented in a different manner: or, "saw a dream" (z); in his dream he had a vision, and objects were presented to his fancy as if he really saw them, as follows:
and visions of his head came upon his bed; as he lay upon his bed, and deep sleep was fallen on him, things in a visionary way were exhibited to him very wonderful and surprising, and which made strong impressions upon him:
then he wrote the dream: awaking out of his sleep, and perfectly remembering the dream he had dreamed, and recollecting the several things he had seen in it; that they might not be lost, but transmitted to posterity for their use and benefit, he immediately committed them to writing:
and told the sum of the matters; the whole of what he had dreamt and seen; or however the sum and substance of it, the more principal parts of it, the most interesting things in it, and of the greatest importance: when it was daylight, and he rose from his bed, and went out of his chamber, he called his friends together, and told them by word of mouth what he had seen in his dream the night past; or read what he had written of it, which was as follows:
(u) Antiqu. Jud. l. 10. c. 11. sect. 4. (w) Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3449. (x) Connexion, &c. part. 1. p. 114. (y) Chronological Tables, cent. 10. (z) "somnium vidit". V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, &c.
John Wesley
7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar - This prophecy is written in Chaldee, to be a monument to him, of the reverence his father and grandfather shewed towards God, who had done such mighty works for them. Then he wrote - These visions were recorded for the benefit of the church, to rectify their mistake: for they thought all things would succeed prosperously after they returned out of their captivity.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:1 VISION OF THE FOUR BEASTS. (Dan. 7:1-28)
Belshazzar--Good Hebrew manuscripts have "Belshazzar"; meaning "Bel is to be burnt with hostile fire" (Jer 50:2; Jer 51:44). In the history he is called by his ordinary name; in the prophecy, which gives his true destiny, he is called a corresponding name, by the change of a letter.
visions of his head--not confused "dreams," but distinct images seen while his mind was collected.
sum--a "summary." In predictions, generally, details are not given so fully as to leave no scope for free agency, faith, and patient waiting for God manifesting His will in the event. He "wrote" it for the Church in all ages; he "told" it for the comfort of his captive fellow countrymen.
7:27:2: Ես Դանիէլ տեսանէի՛ ՚ի տեսլեան գիշերոյ. եւ ահա չո՛րք հողմք երկնից բախէին զծով մեծ[12180]։ [12180] Ոմանք. Զծովն մեծ։
2 «Ես՝ Դանիէլս, գիշերային տեսիլքում տեսնում էի,
2 Դանիէլ ըսաւ. «Գիշերը տեսիլքիս մէջ տեսայ թէ երկնքի չորս հովերը մեծ ծովուն վրայ կը յարձակէին
Ես Դանիէլ տեսանէի`` ի տեսլեան գիշերոյ, եւ ահա չորք հողմք երկնից բախէին զծով մեծ:

7:2: Ես Դանիէլ տեսանէի՛ ՚ի տեսլեան գիշերոյ. եւ ահա չո՛րք հողմք երկնից բախէին զծով մեծ[12180]։
[12180] Ոմանք. Զծովն մեծ։
2 «Ես՝ Դանիէլս, գիշերային տեսիլքում տեսնում էի,
2 Դանիէլ ըսաւ. «Գիշերը տեսիլքիս մէջ տեսայ թէ երկնքի չորս հովերը մեծ ծովուն վրայ կը յարձակէին
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:27:2 Начав речь, Даниил сказал: видел я в ночном видении моем, и вот, четыре ветра небесных боролись на великом море,
7:2 ἐπὶ επι in; on τῆς ο the κοίτης κοιτη lying down; relations μου μου of me; mine ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe καθ᾿ κατα down; by ὕπνους υπνος slumber; sleep νυκτὸς νυξ night καὶ και and; even ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am τέσσαρες τεσσαρες four ἄνεμοι ανεμος gale τοῦ ο the οὐρανοῦ ουρανος sky; heaven ἐνέπεσον εμπιπτω fall in εἰς εις into; for τὴν ο the θάλασσαν θαλασσα sea τὴν ο the μεγάλην μεγας great; loud
7:2 עָנֵ֤ה ʕānˈē ענה answer דָנִיֵּאל֙ ḏāniyyēl דָּנִיֵּאל Daniel וְ wᵊ וְ and אָמַ֔ר ʔāmˈar אמר say חָזֵ֥ה ḥāzˌē חזה see הֲוֵ֛ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be בְּ bᵊ בְּ in חֶזְוִ֖י ḥezwˌî חֱזוּ vision עִם־ ʕim- עִם with לֵֽילְיָ֑א lˈêlᵊyˈā לֵילֵי night וַ wa וְ and אֲר֗וּ ʔᵃrˈû אֲרוּ behold אַרְבַּע֙ ʔarbˌaʕ אַרְבַּע four רוּחֵ֣י rûḥˈê רוּחַ wind שְׁמַיָּ֔א šᵊmayyˈā שְׁמַיִן heaven מְגִיחָ֖ן mᵊḡîḥˌān גוח stir up לְ lᵊ לְ to יַמָּ֥א yammˌā יַם sea רַבָּֽא׃ rabbˈā רַב great
7:2. videbam in visione mea nocte et ecce quattuor venti caeli pugnabant in mari magnoI saw in my vision by night, and behold the four winds of the heavens strove upon the great sea.
2. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven brake forth upon the great sea.
7:2. I saw in my vision at night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens fought upon the great sea.
7:2. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea:

7:2 Начав речь, Даниил сказал: видел я в ночном видении моем, и вот, четыре ветра небесных боролись на великом море,
7:2
ἐπὶ επι in; on
τῆς ο the
κοίτης κοιτη lying down; relations
μου μου of me; mine
ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe
καθ᾿ κατα down; by
ὕπνους υπνος slumber; sleep
νυκτὸς νυξ night
καὶ και and; even
ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am
τέσσαρες τεσσαρες four
ἄνεμοι ανεμος gale
τοῦ ο the
οὐρανοῦ ουρανος sky; heaven
ἐνέπεσον εμπιπτω fall in
εἰς εις into; for
τὴν ο the
θάλασσαν θαλασσα sea
τὴν ο the
μεγάλην μεγας great; loud
7:2
עָנֵ֤ה ʕānˈē ענה answer
דָנִיֵּאל֙ ḏāniyyēl דָּנִיֵּאל Daniel
וְ wᵊ וְ and
אָמַ֔ר ʔāmˈar אמר say
חָזֵ֥ה ḥāzˌē חזה see
הֲוֵ֛ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be
בְּ bᵊ בְּ in
חֶזְוִ֖י ḥezwˌî חֱזוּ vision
עִם־ ʕim- עִם with
לֵֽילְיָ֑א lˈêlᵊyˈā לֵילֵי night
וַ wa וְ and
אֲר֗וּ ʔᵃrˈû אֲרוּ behold
אַרְבַּע֙ ʔarbˌaʕ אַרְבַּע four
רוּחֵ֣י rûḥˈê רוּחַ wind
שְׁמַיָּ֔א šᵊmayyˈā שְׁמַיִן heaven
מְגִיחָ֖ן mᵊḡîḥˌān גוח stir up
לְ lᵊ לְ to
יַמָּ֥א yammˌā יַם sea
רַבָּֽא׃ rabbˈā רַב great
7:2. videbam in visione mea nocte et ecce quattuor venti caeli pugnabant in mari magno
I saw in my vision by night, and behold the four winds of the heavens strove upon the great sea.
7:2. I saw in my vision at night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens fought upon the great sea.
7:2. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ kad▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ tb▾ all ▾
А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
2. Сообразно с словами 23: ст. данной гл.: "зверь четвертый - четвертое царство будет на земле, отличное от всех царств", каждый из четырех виденных пророком зверей является символом известного царства. Представление их под образом животных соответствует как библейской ветхозаветной символике, в которой предводители войск, князья, верховные правители народов изображаются под видом животных (Ис 34:6-8; Иез 39:18), так и внебиблейской. В Зендавесте, напр., дух хранитель персидского царства представляется под образом барана с заостренными рогами. Звери выходят из моря, - царства возникают из недр языческого мира.
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:2: The four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea - The idea of strife is taken here from the effects that must be produced, were the east, the west, the north, and the south winds to rise tempestuously, and meet on the surface of the sea. By the great sea, the Mediterranean is meant; and is so called to distinguish it from those lakes called seas by the Hebrews; such as the Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, Sea of Tiberias, etc.; but even that may refer to Asia, the scene of all these contentions. This dream is the same in meaning, under different emblems, as that of Nebuchadnezzar's metallic image; but in Daniel's dream several circumstances are added. It is supposed that Daniel had this dream about forty-eight years after Nebuchadnezzar had the vision of the great image.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:2: Daniel spake and said - That is, he spake and said in the manner intimated in the pRev_ious verse. It was by a record made at the time, and thus he might be said to speak to his own generation and to all future times.
I saw in my vision by night - I beheld in the vision; that is, he saw represented to him the scene which he proceeds to describe. He seemed to see the sea in a tempest, and these monsters come up from it, and the strange succession of events which followed.
And behold, the four winds of the heaven - The winds that blow under the heaven, or that seem to come from the heaven - or the air. Compare Jer 49:36. The number of the winds is here referred to as four as they are now, as blowing mainly from the four quarters of the earth. Nothing is more common now than to designate them in this manner - as the east, the south, the west, the north wind. So the Latins - Eurus, Auster, Zephyrus, Boreas.
Strove - מגיחן megı̂ ychâ n. Burst, or rushed forth; seemed to conflict together. The winds burst, rushed from all quarters, and seemed to meet on the sea, throwing it into wild commotion. The Hebrew word (גיח gı̂ yach) means to break or burst forth, as a fountain or stream of waters, Job 40:23; an infant breaking forth from the womb, Job 38:8; a warrior rushing forth to battle, Eze 32:2. Hence, the Chaldean to break forth; to rush forth as the winds. The symbol here would naturally denote some wild commotion among the nations, as if the winds of heaven should rush together in confusion.
Upon the great sea - This expression would properly apply to any great sea or ocean, but it is probable that the one that would occur to Daniel would be the Mediterranean Sea, as that was best known to him and his contemporaries. A heaving ocean - or an ocean tossed with storms - would be a natural emblem to denote a nation, or nations, agitated with internal conflicts, or nations in the midst of Rev_olutions. Among the sacred poets and the prophets, hosts of armies invading a land are compared to overflowing waters, and mighty changes among the nations to the heaving billows of the ocean in a storm. Compare Jer 46:7-8; Jer 47:2; Isa 8:7-8; Isa 17:12; Isa 59:19; Dan 11:40; Rev 13:1. The classic reader will be reminded in the description here of the words of Virgil, AEn. I. 82, following:
"Ac venti, velut agmine facto
Qua data porta ruunt, et terras turbine perflant.
Incubuere mari, totumque a sedibus imis
Una Eurusque, Notusque ruunt, creberquc procellis.
Africus, et vastos volvunt ad littora fluctus."
Compare also Ovid, Trist. I. 2, 25, following. It was from this agitated sea that the beasts that Daniel saw, representing successive kingdoms, seemed to rise; and the fair interpretation of this part of the symbol is, that there was, or would be, as it appeared in vision to Daniel, commotions among the nations resembling the sea driven by storms, and that from these commotions there would arise successive kingdoms having the characteristics specified by the appearance of the four beasts. We naturally look, in the fulfillment of this, to some state of things in which the nations were agitated and convulsed; in which they struggled against each other, as the winds strove upon the sea; a state of things which preceded the rise of these four successive kingdoms. Without now pretending to determine whether that was the time denoted by this, it is certain that all that is here said would find a counterpart in the period which immediately preceded the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, or the kingdom which he founded and adorned. His rapid and extensive conquests; the agitation of the nations in self-defense, and their wars against one another, would be well denoted by the agitation of the ocean as seen in vision by Daniel. It is true that there have been many other periods of the world to which the image would be applicable, but no one can doubt that it was applicable to this period, and that would be all that would be necessary if the design was to represent a series of kingdoms commencing with that of Nebuchadnezzar.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:2: the four: Rev 7:1
the great: Rev 17:15
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch
7:2
With Dan 7:2 Daniel begins his written report: "Daniel began and said," introduces the matter. חזוי עם־ליליא, visions in (during) the night, cf. Dan 2:19. Dan 7:2 and Dan 7:3 describe the scene in general. The four winds of heaven break loose upon the great sea, and rage fiercely, so that four great beasts, each diverse from the others, arise out of its bosom. The great sea is not the Mediterranean (Berth., Ges., Hitz., Ewald), for such a geographical reference is foreign to the context. It is the ocean; and the storm on it represents the "tumults of the people," commotions among the nations of the world (Hv., Leng., Hofm., etc.), corresponding to the prophetic comparison found in Jer 17:12; Jer 46:7. "Since the beasts represent the forms of the world-power, the sea must represent that out of which they arise, the whole heathen world" (Hofmann). In the interpretation of the image (Dan 7:17) יגּמא מן is explained by ארעא מן. גּיח means to break forth (Ezek 32:2), to burst out in storm, not causative, "to make the great sea break forth" (Kran.). The causative meaning is not certainly found either in the Hebrew or the Chaldee. The four winds stand in relation to the four quarters of the heavens; cf. Jer 49:39. Calvin remarks: Mundus similis turbulento mari, quod non agitatur una procella vel uno vento, sed diversis ventis inter se confligentibus, ac si totum coelum conspiraret ad motus excitandos. With this, however, the meaning of the words is not exhausted. The four winds of heaven are not merely diversi venti, and their bursting forth is not only an image of a general commotion represented by a storm in the ocean. The winds of the heavens represent the heavenly powers and forces by which God sets the nations of the world in motion; and the number four has a symbolical meaning: that the people of all regions of the earth are moved hither and thither in violent commotion. "(Ecumenical commotions give rise to oecumenical kingdoms" (Kliefoth). As a consequence of the storm on the sea, there arise out of it four fierce beasts, not all at once, but, as Dan 7:6 and Dan 7:7 teach, one after another, and each having a different appearance. The diversity of the form of the beasts, inasmuch as they represent kingdoms, is determined beforehand, not only to make it noticeable that the selection of this symbol is not arbitrary but is significant (Hvernick), but emphatically to intimate that the vision of different kingdoms is not to be dealt with, as many interpreters seem inclined to do, as one only of different kings of one kingdom.
Geneva 1599
7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon (b) the great sea.
(b) Which signified that there wold be horrible troubles and afflictions in the world in all corners of the world, and at various times.
John Gill
7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night,.... He declared he had had a vision by night, and this was the substance of it:
and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea: the east, west, north, and south winds, broke out from each of their quarters, and rushed in upon the great sea; either the Mediterranean, so called in comparison of the sea of Sodom, and the sea of Tiberias in Judea; or upon the waters of the main ocean, and raised up its waves, and seemed as it were to be striving and fighting with them, and put them into a strange agitation; by which may be meant the whole world, and the kingdoms and nations of it, because of its largeness, inconstancy, instability, and disquietude; see Rev_ 17:15, and by the "four winds" some understand the angels, either good or bad, concerned in the affairs of Providence on earth, either by divine order or permission; or rather the kings of the earth raising commotions in it, striving and fighting with one another, either to defend or enlarge their dominions; and which have been the means in Providence of the rising up of some great state or monarchy, as after appears.
John Wesley
7:2 The four winds - Probably by the four winds of the great sea is signified commotions of contrary nations, striving together by wars, and producing these four beasts successively.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:2 the four winds--answering to the "four beasts"; their several conflicts in the four quarters or directions of the world.
strove--burst forth (from the abyss) [MAURER].
sea--The world powers rise out of the agitations of the political sea (Jer 46:7-8; Lk 21:25; compare Rev_ 13:1; Rev_ 17:15; Rev_ 21:1); the kingdom of God and the Son of man from the clouds of heaven (Dan 7:13; compare Jn 8:23). TREGELLES takes "the great sea" to mean, as always elsewhere in Scripture (Josh 1:4; Josh 9:1), the Mediterranean, the center territorially of the four kingdoms of the vision, which all border on it and have Jerusalem subject to them. Babylon did not border on the Mediterranean, nor rule Jerusalem, till Nebuchadnezzar's time, when both things took place simultaneously. Persia encircled more of this sea, namely, from the Hellespont to Cyrene. Greece did not become a monarchy before Alexander's time, but then, succeeding to Persia, it became mistress of Jerusalem. It surrounded still more of the Mediterranean, adding the coasts of Greece to the part held by Persia. Rome, under Augustus, realized three things at once--it became a monarchy; it became mistress of the last of the four parts of Alexander's empire (symbolized by the four heads of the third beast), and of Jerusalem; it surrounded all the Mediterranean.
7:37:3: Եւ չորք գազանք մեծամեծք ելանէին ՚ի ծովէ անտի՝ այլակերպք միմեանց[12181]։ [12181] Այլք. Անտի այլակերպք ՚ի միմեանց։
3 որ, ահա, երկնքի չորս հողմերը բախում էին մեծ ծովը, եւ ծովից դուրս էին գալիս տարբեր կերպարանքով չորս մեծամեծ գազաններ:
3 Ու ծովէն չորս մեծ գազաններ ելան, որոնք իրարմէ տարբեր էին։
Եւ չորք գազանք մեծամեծք ելանէին ի ծովէ անտի` այլակերպք ի միմեանց:

7:3: Եւ չորք գազանք մեծամեծք ելանէին ՚ի ծովէ անտի՝ այլակերպք միմեանց[12181]։
[12181] Այլք. Անտի այլակերպք ՚ի միմեանց։
3 որ, ահա, երկնքի չորս հողմերը բախում էին մեծ ծովը, եւ ծովից դուրս էին գալիս տարբեր կերպարանքով չորս մեծամեծ գազաններ:
3 Ու ծովէն չորս մեծ գազաններ ելան, որոնք իրարմէ տարբեր էին։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:37:3 и четыре больших зверя вышли из моря, непохожие один на другого.
7:3 καὶ και and; even τέσσαρα τεσσαρες four θηρία θηριον beast ἀνέβαινον αναβαινω step up; ascend ἐκ εκ from; out of τῆς ο the θαλάσσης θαλασσα sea διαφέροντα διαφερω transcend; transport ἓν εις.1 one; unit παρὰ παρα from; by τὸ ο the ἕν εις.1 one; unit
7:3 וְ wᵊ וְ and אַרְבַּ֤ע ʔarbˈaʕ אַרְבַּע four חֵיוָן֙ ḥêwˌān חֵיוָה animal רַבְרְבָ֔ן ravrᵊvˈān רַב great סָלְקָ֖ן solqˌān סלק go up מִן־ min- מִן from יַמָּ֑א yammˈā יַם sea שָׁנְיָ֖ן šonyˌān שׁנה be different דָּ֥א dˌā דָּא this מִן־ min- מִן from דָּֽא׃ dˈā דָּא this
7:3. et quattuor bestiae grandes ascendebant de mari diversae inter seAnd four great beasts, different one from another, came up out of the sea.
3. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
7:3. And four great beasts, different from one another, ascended from the sea.
7:3. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another:

7:3 и четыре больших зверя вышли из моря, непохожие один на другого.
7:3
καὶ και and; even
τέσσαρα τεσσαρες four
θηρία θηριον beast
ἀνέβαινον αναβαινω step up; ascend
ἐκ εκ from; out of
τῆς ο the
θαλάσσης θαλασσα sea
διαφέροντα διαφερω transcend; transport
ἓν εις.1 one; unit
παρὰ παρα from; by
τὸ ο the
ἕν εις.1 one; unit
7:3
וְ wᵊ וְ and
אַרְבַּ֤ע ʔarbˈaʕ אַרְבַּע four
חֵיוָן֙ ḥêwˌān חֵיוָה animal
רַבְרְבָ֔ן ravrᵊvˈān רַב great
סָלְקָ֖ן solqˌān סלק go up
מִן־ min- מִן from
יַמָּ֑א yammˈā יַם sea
שָׁנְיָ֖ן šonyˌān שׁנה be different
דָּ֥א dˌā דָּא this
מִן־ min- מִן from
דָּֽא׃ dˈā דָּא this
7:3. et quattuor bestiae grandes ascendebant de mari diversae inter se
And four great beasts, different one from another, came up out of the sea.
7:3. And four great beasts, different from one another, ascended from the sea.
7:3. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ all ▾
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:3: Four great beasts came up from the sea - The term sea, in Hebrew ים yam, from המה hamah, to be tumultuous, agitated, etc., seems to be used here to point out the then known terraqueous globe, because of its generally agitated state; and the four winds striving, point out those predatory wars that prevailed almost universally among men, from the days of Nimrod, the founder of the Assyrian or Babylonish monarchy, down to that time, and in the end gave birth to the four great monarchies which are the subject of this vision.
Diverse one from another - The people were different; the laws and customs different; and the administration of each differently executed.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:3: And four great beasts came up from the sea - Not at once, but in succession. See the following verses. Their particular form is described in the subsequent verses. The design of mentioning them here, as coming up from, the sea, seems to have been to show that this succession of kingdoms sprang from the agitations and commotions among the nations represented by the heaving ocean. It is not uncommon for the prophets to make use of animals to represent or symbolize kingdoms and nations - usually by some animal which was in a manner peculiar to the land that was symbolized, or which abounded there. Thus in Isa 27:1, leviathan, or the dragon, or crocodile, is used to represent Babylon. See the note at that passage. In Eze 29:3-5, the dragon or the crocodile of the Nile is put for Pharaoh; in Eze 32:2, Pharaoh is compared to a young lion, and to a whale in the seas. In Psa 74:13-14, the kingdom of Egypt is compared to the dragon and the leviathan.
So on ancient coins, animals are often used as emblems of kingdoms, as it may be added, the lion and the unicorn represent Great Britain now, and the eagle the United States. It is well remarked by Lengerke (in loc.), that when the prophets design to represent kingdoms that are made up of other kingdoms, or that are combined by being brought by conquest under the power of others, they do this, not by any single animal as actually found in nature, but by monsters - fabulous beings that are compounded of others, in which the peculiar qualities of different animals are brought together - as in the case of the lion with eagle's wings. Thus in Rev 13:1, the Romish power is represented by a beast coming out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, Compare it. Ezra (Apocry.) 11:1, where an eagle is represented as coming from the sea with twelve feathered wings and three heads. As an illustration of the attempts made in the apocryphal writings to imitate the prophets, the whole of chapter 11 and chapter 12 of the second book of Ezra may be referred to.
Diverse one from another - Though they all came up from the same abyss, yet they differed from each other - denoting, doubtless, that though the successive kingdoms referred to would all rise out of the nations represented by the agitated sea, yet that in important respects they would differ from each other.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:3: four: Four kingdoms (Dan 7:17), called beasts, from their tyranny and oppression, emerging from the wars and commotions of the world. Dan 2:32, Dan 2:33, Dan 2:37-40; Zac 6:1-8
beasts: Dan 7:4-8, Dan 7:17; Psa 76:4; Eze 19:3-8; Rev 13:1
John Gill
7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea,.... Which are afterwards interpreted of four kings or kingdoms, Dan 7:17, which rose up in the world, not at once, but successively, and out of the sea or world, through the commotions and agitations of it; and these are the four monarchies, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman; compared to "beasts", because of the rapine and violence, cruelty, oppression, and tyranny, by which they were obtained, set up, supported, and maintained; and to "great ones", being not like single separate kingdoms, as the kingdom of Israel, and the like, but consisting of many kingdoms and nations, and so like beasts of an enormous size:
diverse one from another; in their situation, language, manner, strength, and power; hence expressed by divers sorts of beasts, as the lion, bear, leopard, &c.; as in Nebuchadnezzar's dream by different metals, gold, silver, brass, and iron.
John Wesley
7:3 Four great beasts - That is, four great monarchies, great, in comparison of particular kingdoms; beasts for their tyrannical oppressions.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:3 beasts--not living animals, as the cherubic four in Rev_ 4:7 (for the original is a different word from "beasts," and ought to be there translated, living animals). The cherubic living animals represent redeemed man, combining in himself the highest forms of animal life. But the "beasts" here represent the world powers, in their beast-like, grovelling character. It is on the fundamental harmony between nature and spirit, between the three kingdoms of nature, history, and revelation, that Scripture symbolism rests. The selection of symbols is not arbitrary, but based on the essence of things.
7:47:4: Առաջինն՝ իբրեւ զմատակ առեւծ թեւաւո՛ր. եւ թեւք նորա իբրեւ արծուոյ. հայէի մինչ թափեցան թեւք նորա եւ ջնջեցա՛ւ յերկրէ. եւ եկա՛ց իբրեւ ՚ի վերայ ոտի՛ց մարդոյ, եւ սիրտ մարդոյ տուաւ նմա[12182]։ [12182] Ոմանք. Որպէս արծուոյ. եւ հայէի։ Այլք. Մինչեւ թափեցան։
4 Առաջինը նման էր թեւաւոր մատակ առիւծի, եւ նրա թեւերը արծուի թեւերի նման էին. ես նայում էի, մինչեւ որ նրա թեւերը թափուեցին, նա պարզ երեւաց գետնին եւ կանգնեց ինչպէս մարդը ոտքերի վրայ, ու մարդու սիրտ տրուեց նրան:
4 «Առաջինը առիւծի պէս էր ու արծիւի թեւեր ունէր։ Երբ կը նայէի՝ անոր թեւերը փրցուեցան ու երկրէն վերցուեցաւ եւ մարդու պէս ոտքերու վրայ կայնեցաւ ու անոր մարդու սիրտ տրուեցաւ։
Առաջինն` իբրեւ [115]զմատակ առեւծ թեւաւոր``, եւ թեւք նորա իբրեւ արծուոյ. հայէի մինչեւ թափեցան թեւք նորա եւ [116]ջնջեցաւ յերկրէ. եւ եկաց իբրեւ ի վերայ ոտից մարդոյ``, եւ սիրտ մարդոյ տուաւ նմա:

7:4: Առաջինն՝ իբրեւ զմատակ առեւծ թեւաւո՛ր. եւ թեւք նորա իբրեւ արծուոյ. հայէի մինչ թափեցան թեւք նորա եւ ջնջեցա՛ւ յերկրէ. եւ եկա՛ց իբրեւ ՚ի վերայ ոտի՛ց մարդոյ, եւ սիրտ մարդոյ տուաւ նմա[12182]։
[12182] Ոմանք. Որպէս արծուոյ. եւ հայէի։ Այլք. Մինչեւ թափեցան։
4 Առաջինը նման էր թեւաւոր մատակ առիւծի, եւ նրա թեւերը արծուի թեւերի նման էին. ես նայում էի, մինչեւ որ նրա թեւերը թափուեցին, նա պարզ երեւաց գետնին եւ կանգնեց ինչպէս մարդը ոտքերի վրայ, ու մարդու սիրտ տրուեց նրան:
4 «Առաջինը առիւծի պէս էր ու արծիւի թեւեր ունէր։ Երբ կը նայէի՝ անոր թեւերը փրցուեցան ու երկրէն վերցուեցաւ եւ մարդու պէս ոտքերու վրայ կայնեցաւ ու անոր մարդու սիրտ տրուեցաւ։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:47:4 Первый как лев, но у него крылья орлиные; я смотрел, доколе не вырваны были у него крылья, и он поднят был от земли, и стал на ноги, как человек, и сердце человеческое дано ему.
7:4 τὸ ο the πρῶτον πρωτος first; foremost ὡσεὶ ωσει as if; about λέαινα λεαινα have; hold πτερὰ πτερον as if; about ἀετοῦ αετος eagle ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe ἕως εως till; until ὅτου οστις who; that ἐτίλη τιλλω pick τὰ ο the πτερὰ πτερον he; him καὶ και and; even ἤρθη αιρω lift; remove ἀπὸ απο from; away τῆς ο the γῆς γη earth; land καὶ και and; even ἐπὶ επι in; on ποδῶν πους foot; pace ἀνθρωπίνων ανθρωπινος human; humanely ἐστάθη ιστημι stand; establish καὶ και and; even ἀνθρωπίνη ανθρωπινος human; humanely καρδία καρδια heart ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit αὐτῇ αυτος he; him
7:4 קַדְמָיְתָ֣א qaḏmāyᵊṯˈā קַדְמָי first כְ ḵᵊ כְּ like אַרְיֵ֔ה ʔaryˈē אַרְיֵה lion וְ wᵊ וְ and גַפִּ֥ין ḡappˌîn גַּף wing דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative] נְשַׁ֖ר nᵊšˌar נְשַׁר eagle לַ֑הּ lˈah לְ to חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see הֲוֵ֡ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be עַד֩ ʕˌaḏ עַד until דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative] מְּרִ֨יטוּ mmᵊrˌîṭû מרט pluck out גַפַּ֜יהּ ḡappˈayh גַּף wing וּ û וְ and נְטִ֣ילַת nᵊṭˈîlaṯ נטל lift up מִן־ min- מִן from אַרְעָ֗א ʔarʕˈā אֲרַע earth וְ wᵊ וְ and עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon רַגְלַ֨יִן֙ raḡlˈayin רְגַל foot כֶּ ke כְּ like אֱנָ֣שׁ ʔᵉnˈāš אֱנָשׁ mankind הֳקִימַ֔ת hᵒqîmˈaṯ קום stand וּ û וְ and לְבַ֥ב lᵊvˌav לְבַב heart אֱנָ֖שׁ ʔᵉnˌāš אֱנָשׁ mankind יְהִ֥יב yᵊhˌîv יהב give לַֽהּ׃ lˈah לְ to
7:4. prima quasi leaena et alas habebat aquilae aspiciebam donec evulsae sunt alae eius et sublata est de terra et super pedes quasi homo stetit et cor eius datum est eiThe first was like a lioness, and had the wings of an eagle: I beheld till her wings were plucked off, and she was lifted up from the earth, and stood upon her feet as a man, and the heart of a man was given to her.
4. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon two feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
7:4. The first was like a lioness and had the wings of an eagle. I watched as its wings were plucked off, and it was raised from the earth and stood on its feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.
7:4. The first [was] like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
The first [was] like a lion, and had eagle' s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man' s heart was given to it:

7:4 Первый как лев, но у него крылья орлиные; я смотрел, доколе не вырваны были у него крылья, и он поднят был от земли, и стал на ноги, как человек, и сердце человеческое дано ему.
7:4
τὸ ο the
πρῶτον πρωτος first; foremost
ὡσεὶ ωσει as if; about
λέαινα λεαινα have; hold
πτερὰ πτερον as if; about
ἀετοῦ αετος eagle
ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe
ἕως εως till; until
ὅτου οστις who; that
ἐτίλη τιλλω pick
τὰ ο the
πτερὰ πτερον he; him
καὶ και and; even
ἤρθη αιρω lift; remove
ἀπὸ απο from; away
τῆς ο the
γῆς γη earth; land
καὶ και and; even
ἐπὶ επι in; on
ποδῶν πους foot; pace
ἀνθρωπίνων ανθρωπινος human; humanely
ἐστάθη ιστημι stand; establish
καὶ και and; even
ἀνθρωπίνη ανθρωπινος human; humanely
καρδία καρδια heart
ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit
αὐτῇ αυτος he; him
7:4
קַדְמָיְתָ֣א qaḏmāyᵊṯˈā קַדְמָי first
כְ ḵᵊ כְּ like
אַרְיֵ֔ה ʔaryˈē אַרְיֵה lion
וְ wᵊ וְ and
גַפִּ֥ין ḡappˌîn גַּף wing
דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative]
נְשַׁ֖ר nᵊšˌar נְשַׁר eagle
לַ֑הּ lˈah לְ to
חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see
הֲוֵ֡ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be
עַד֩ ʕˌaḏ עַד until
דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative]
מְּרִ֨יטוּ mmᵊrˌîṭû מרט pluck out
גַפַּ֜יהּ ḡappˈayh גַּף wing
וּ û וְ and
נְטִ֣ילַת nᵊṭˈîlaṯ נטל lift up
מִן־ min- מִן from
אַרְעָ֗א ʔarʕˈā אֲרַע earth
וְ wᵊ וְ and
עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon
רַגְלַ֨יִן֙ raḡlˈayin רְגַל foot
כֶּ ke כְּ like
אֱנָ֣שׁ ʔᵉnˈāš אֱנָשׁ mankind
הֳקִימַ֔ת hᵒqîmˈaṯ קום stand
וּ û וְ and
לְבַ֥ב lᵊvˌav לְבַב heart
אֱנָ֖שׁ ʔᵉnˌāš אֱנָשׁ mankind
יְהִ֥יב yᵊhˌîv יהב give
לַֽהּ׃ lˈah לְ to
7:4. prima quasi leaena et alas habebat aquilae aspiciebam donec evulsae sunt alae eius et sublata est de terra et super pedes quasi homo stetit et cor eius datum est ei
The first was like a lioness, and had the wings of an eagle: I beheld till her wings were plucked off, and she was lifted up from the earth, and stood upon her feet as a man, and the heart of a man was given to her.
7:4. The first was like a lioness and had the wings of an eagle. I watched as its wings were plucked off, and it was raised from the earth and stood on its feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.
7:4. The first [was] like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ kad▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ tb▾ all ▾
А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
4. Как голова между членами и золото между металлами (2:32), так лев, первый среди животных, и орел, первый среди птиц, указывают на царственное место первой монархии среди дальнейших других. Под символом льва и орла у близких по времени к Даниилу пророков изображается царство Вавилонское (Иер 2:15; 4:7; 5:6; 48:40: и т. п. Авв 1:8). Сообразно с этим, и лев с орлиными крыльями видения Даниила символизирует ту же самую монархию. В начале могущественная, она утрачивает с течением времени свою первоначальную силу, - у льва вырываются орлиные крылья, и превращается в обыкновенное человеческое царство, - льву дается человеческое сердце.
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:4: The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings - Bp. Newton well remarks, that these great beasts, as explained by the angel, Dan 7:17, are kingdoms. They arise out of a stormy and tempestuous sea; that is, out of the wars and commotions of the world; and they are called great in comparison of other states and kingdoms, and are denominated beasts for their tyrannical and cruel oppression.
These four beasts are indeed monstrous productions; a lion with eagle's wings; a bear with three ribs in its mouth; a leopard with four wings, and four heads; and a beast with ten horns. But such emblems and hieroglyphics were usual among the eastern nations, as may be seen in the monuments of antiquity. A winged lion, and such like fictitious animals, may be seen in many parts of the ruins of Persepolis. Horns are attributed to beasts which naturally have none, being used in hieroglyphic writings for symbols of strength and power. And such figures are supposed to be the symbols of different nations; and are not more strange than many that are still used in heraldry. I believe the science of heraldry arose out of the knowledge gained from the symbols used in the Sacred Writings, and the little acquaintance anciently obtained of the meaning of some of the Egyptian hieroglyphics. Hence our wiverons, griffins, unicorns, with a congeries of natural and unnatural things, split eagles, two-headed swans, etc., etc., etc.
The beast like a lion is the kingdom of the Babylonians; and the king of Babylon is compared to a lion, Jer 4:7; Isa 5:29; and is said to fly as an eagle, Jer 48:40; Eze 17:3, Eze 17:7. The lion is considered the king of the beasts, and the eagle the king of the birds; and therefore the kingdom of Babylon, which was signified by the golden head of the great image, was the first and noblest of all the kingdoms; and was the greatest then in being. The wings of the eagle denote the rapidity with which the lion - Nebuchadnezzar, made his conquests; for in a few years, by his own arms, he brought his empire to such an extent, and raised it to such a degree of eminence, as was truly surprising; and all tended to show with what propriety this eagle-winged lion is here made his emblem.
The wings thereof were plucked - Lydia, Media, and Persia, which had been provinces of the Babylonish empire, cast off the yoke, and put themselves under kings of their own. Besides, the rapidity of its conquests was stopped by its wars with the Medes and Persians; by whom it was at last conquered, and divided between Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian.
And it was lifted up from the earth - That is, the wings were plucked, rendered unfit for farther flight, by which it had before been lifted up from the earth; making its conquests almost with the rapidity of an eagle's flight. In what a short time did Nebuchadnezzar, who is here chiefly intended, conquer Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Egypt, Arabia, etc.! But on his death the wings were plucked; and no farther extension of the empire took place under Evil-merodach or Belshazzar, till it was lost by the latter, and became divided as we have seen above.
And made stand upon the feet as a man - This I think refers to the taming of Nebuchadnezzar's pride. He had acted like a fierce and ravening lion. God struck him with insanity; he then lived the life of a beast, and had a beast's heart-disposition, and habits. At last God restored him.
And a man's heart was given to it - He became humane, humble, and pious; and in this state he appears to have died.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:4: The first was like a lion - It is to be assumed, in explaining and applying these symbols, that they are significant - that is, that there was some adaptedness or propriety in using these symbols to denote the kingdoms referred to; or that in each case there was a reason why the particular animal was selected for a symbol rather than one of the others; that is, there was something in the lion that was better fitted to symbolize the kingdom referred to than there was in the bear or the leopard, and this was the reason why this particular symbol was chosen in the case. It is to be further assumed that all the characteristics in the symbol were significant, and we are to expect to find them all in the kingdom which they were designed to represent; nor can the symbol be fairly applied to any kingdom, unless something shall be found in its character or history that shall correspond alike to the particular circumstances referred to in the symbol, and to the grouping or succession. In regard to the first beast, there were five things that entered into the symbol, all of which it is to be presumed were significant: the lion, the eagle's wings - the fact that the wings were plucked - the fact that the beast was lifted up so as to stand up as a man - and the fact that the heart of a man was given to it. It is proper to consider these in their order, and then to inquire whether they found a fulfillment in any known state of things.
(a) The animal that was seen: "the lion." The lion, "the king of beasts," is the symbol of strength and courage, and becomes the proper emblem of a king - as when the Mussulmans call Ali, Mahomet's son-in-law, "The Lion of God, always victorious." Thus it is often used in the Scriptures. Gen 49:9, "Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?" The warlike character, the conquest, the supremacy of that tribe are here undoubtedly denoted. So in Eze 19:2-3. "What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions." Here is an allusion, says Grotius, to Gen 49:9. Judea was among the nations like a lioness among the beasts of the forest; she had strength and sovereignty. The lion is an emblem of a hero: Sa2 23:20, "He slew two lion-like men of Moab." Compare Gesenius zu isa i. 851. So Hercules and Achilles are called by Homer θυμολέοντα thumoleonta, or λεοντόθυμον leontothumon - lion-hearted - Iliad e 639, ee 228, Odyssey l 766. See the character, the intrepidity, and the habits of the lion fully illustrated in Bochart, Hieroz. lib. iii. c. 2, pp. 723-745 - Credner, der prophet Joel, s. 100. f. Compare also the following places in Scripture: Psa 7:2; Psa 22:21; Psa 57:4; Psa 58:6; Psa 74:4; Sa1 17:37; Job 4:10; Jer 4:7; Jer 49:19; Joe 1:6; Isa 29:1-2. The proper notion here, so far as the emblem of a lion is concerned, is that of a king or kingdom that would be distinguished for power, conquest, dominion; that would be in relation to other kings and kingdoms as the lion is among the beasts of the forest - keeping them in awe, and maintaining dominion over them - marching where he pleases, with none to cope with him or to resist him.
(b) The eagle's wings: "and had eagle's wings." Here appears one peculiarity of the emblem - the union of things which are not found joined together in nature - the representation of things or qualities which no one animal would represent. The lion would denote one thing, or one quality in the kingdom referred to - power, dominion, sovereignty - but there would be some characteristic in that king or kingdom which nothing in the lion would properly represent, and which could be symbolized only by attaching to him qualities to be found in some other animal. The lion, distinguished for his power, his dominion, his keeping other animals in awe - his spring, and the severity of his blow - is not remarkable for his speed, nor for going forth to conquest. He does not range far to accomplish his purpose, nor are his movements eminent for fleetness. Hence, there were attached to the lion the wings of an eagle. The proper notion, therefore, of this symbol, would be that of a dominion or conquest rapidly secured, as if a lion, the king of beasts, should move, not as he commonly does, with a spring or bound, confining himself to a certain space or range, but should move as the eagle does, with rapid and prolonged flight, extending his conquests afar. The meaning of the symbol may be seen by comparing this passage with Isa 46:11, where Cyrus is compared to "a ravenous bird" - "calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsels from a far country." The eagle is an emblem of swiftness: Jer 4:13, "His horses are swifter than eagles;" Jer 48:40, "Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab." See also Jer 49:22; Lam 4:19; Hab 1:8.
(c) The clipping of the wings: "I beheld until the wings thereof were plucked" The word used (מרט meraṭ) means, to pluck or pull, as to pull out the beard (compare Neh 13:25; Isa 50:6), and would here be properly applied to some process of pulling out the feathers or quills from the wings of the eagle. The obvious and proper meaning of this symbol is, that there was some check put to the progress of the conqueror - as there would be to an eagle by plucking off the feathers from his wings; that is, the rapidity of his conquests would cease. The prophet says, that he looked on until this was done, implying that it was not accomplished at once, but leaving the impression that these conquests were extended far. They were, however, checked, and we see the lion again without the wings; the sovereign who has ceased to spread his triumphs over the earth.
(d) The lifting up from the earth: "and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon the feet as a man." That is, the lion, with the wings thus plucked off, was made to stand upright on his hind feet - an unusual position, but the meaning of the symbol is not difficult. It was still the lion - the monarch - but changed as if the lion was changed to a man; that is, as if the ferocity, and the power, and the energy of the lion had given place to the comparative weakness of a man. There would be as much difference in the case referred to as there would be if a lion so fierce and powerful should be made so far to change his nature as to stand upright, and to walk as a man. This would evidently denote some remarkable change - something that would be unusual - something where there would be a diminution of ferocity, and yet perhaps a change to comparative weakness - as a man is feebler than a lion.
(e) The giving to it of a man's heart: "and a man heart was given to it." The word heart in the Scriptures often has a closer relation to the intellect or the understanding than it new has commonly with us; and here perhaps it is a general term to denote something like human nature - that is, there would be as great a change in the case as if the nature of the lion should be transformed to that of a man; or, the meaning may be, that this mighty empire, carrying its arms with the rapidity of an eagle, and the fierceness of a lion, through the world, would be checked in its career; its ferocity would be tamed, and it would be characterized by comparative moderation and humanity. In Dan 4:16, it is said of Nebuchadnezzar, "Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him;" here, if the symbol refers to him, it does not refer to that scene of humiliation when he was compelled to eat grass like a beast, but to the fact that he was brought to look at things as a man should do; he ceased to act like a ravenous beast, and was led to calm reflection, and to think and speak like a man - a rational being. Or, if it refers to the empire of Babylon, instead of the monarch, it would mean that a change had come over the nation under the succession of princes, so that the fierceness and ferocity of the first princes of the empire had ceased, and the nation had not only closed its conquests, but had actually become, to some extent, moderate and rational.
Now, in regard to the application of this symbol, there can be but little difficulty, and there is almost no difference of opinion among expositors. All, or nearly all, agree that it refers to the kingdom of Babylon, of which Nebuchadnezzar was the head, and to the gradual diminution of the ferocity of conquest under a succession of comparatively weak princes. Whatever view may be taken of the book of Daniel whether it be regarded as inspired prophecy composed by Daniel himself, and written at the time when it professes to have been, or whether it be supposed to have been written long after his time by some one who forged it in his name, there can be no doubt that it relates to the head of the Babylonian empire, or to that which the "head of gold," in the image referred to in Dan. 2, represents. The circumstances all so well agree with that application, that, although in the explication of the dream Dan 7:16-27 this part of it is not explained - for the perplexity of Daniel related particularly to the fourth beast Dan 7:19, yet there can be no reasonable doubt as to what was intended. For
(a) the lion - the king of beasts - would accurately symbolize that kingdom in the days of Nebuchadnezzar - a kingdom occupying the same position among other kingdoms which the lion does among other beasts, and well represented in its power and ferocity by the lion. See the character and position of this kingdom fully illustrated in the notes at Dan 2:37-38.
(b) The eagle's wings would accurately denote the rapid conquests of that kingdom - its leaving, as it were, its own native domain, and flying abroad. The lion alone would have represented the character of the kingdom considered as already having spread itself, or as being at the head of other kingdoms; the wings of the eagle, the rapidity with which the arms of the Babylonians were carried into Palestine, Egypt, Assyria, etc. It is true that this symbol alone would not designate Babylon anymore than it would the conquests of Cyrus, or Alexander, or Caesar, but it is to be taken in the connection in which it is here found, and no one can doubt that it has a striking applicability to Babylon.
(c) The clipping or plucking of these wings would denote the cessation of conquest - as if it would extend no farther; that is, we see a nation once distinguished for the invasion of other nations now ceasing its conquests; and remarkable, not for its victories, but as standing at the head of all other nations, as the lion stands among the beasts of the forest. All who are acquainted with history know that, after the conquests of that kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar, it ceased characteristically to be a kingdom distinguished for conquest, but that, though under his successors, it held a pre-eminence or headship among the nations, yet its victories were extended no further. The successors of Nebuchadnezzar were comparatively weak and indolent princes - as if the wings of the monster had been plucked.
(d) The rising up of the lion on the feet, and standing on the feet as a man, would denote, not inappropriately, the change of the kingdom under the successors of Nebuchadnezzar. See above in the explanation of the symbol.
(e) The giving of a man's heart to it would not be inapplicable to the change produced in the empire after the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and under a succession of comparatively weak and inefficient princes. Instead of the heart of the lion - of being "lion-hearted" - it had the heart of a man; that is, the character of wildness and fierceness denoted by an untamed beast was succeeded by what would be better represented by a human being. It is not the character of the lion changed to that of the bear, or the panther, or the leopard; nor is it man considered as a warrior or conqueror, but man as he is distinguished from the wild and ferocious beast of the desert. The change in the character of the empire, until it ceased under the feeble reign of Belshazzar; would be well denoted by this symbol.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:4: like: Deu 28:49; Sa2 1:23; Isa 5:28, Isa 5:29; Jer 4:7, Jer 4:13, Jer 25:38, Jer 48:40; Lam 4:19; Eze 17:3; Hab 1:6-8; Mat 24:28
the wings: Dan 4:31-33; Jer 50:30-32
and it: or, wherewith it, etc
lifted: Dan 4:30, Dan 5:18-23; Isa 14:13-17; jer 25:9-26; Hab 2:5-10
and a: Dan 4:32, Dan 4:36; Job 25:6; Psa 9:20; Eze 28:2, Eze 28:9
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch
7:4
In these verses there is a description of the four beasts. - Dan 7:4. The first beasts resembled a lion with eagle's wings. At the entrance to a temple at Birs Nimrud there has been found (Layard, Bab. and Nin.) such a symbolical figure, viz., a winged eagle with the head of a man. There have been found also images of winged beasts at Babylon (Mnter, Relig. der Bab.). These discoveries may be referred to as evidence that this book was composed in Babylon, and also as explaining the Babylonian colouring of the dream. But the representation of nations and kingdoms by the images of beasts is much more widely spread, and affords the prophetic symbolism the necessary analogues and substrata for the vision. Lions and eagles are not taken into consideration here on account of their strength, rapacity, and swiftness, but simply because they are kings among beasts and birds: "The beast rules royally like the lion, and wings its conquering royal flight high over the οἰκουμένη like the eagle" (Kliefoth). This emblem corresponds with the representation of the first kingdom with the golden head (Daniel 2). What the gold is among metals and the head among the members of the body, that the lion is among beasts and the eagle among birds.
After a time Daniel sees a change take place with this beast. The wings, i.e., the feathers by which it flies, are plucked off: it is deprived of its power of flight, so that it can no more fly conquering over the earth, or hover as a ruler over it; i.e., the kingdom will be deprived of the power of conquering, for it will be lifted up from the earth (הקימת is Hoph., cf. Dan 4:33), and be placed on its feet as a man. The lifting up from the earth does not represent, accordingly, being taken away or blown away from the earth, not the destruction of the Chaldean kingdom (Theodrt., Hieron., Raschi, Hitzig, and others), but the raising of it up when lying prostrate on the ground to the right attitude of a human being. This change is further described by the words, "a man's heart was given to it," denoting that the beast-nature was transformed to that of a man. The three expressions thus convey the idea, that the lion, after it was deprived of its power of flight, was not only in external appearance raised from the form of a beast to that of a man, but also that inwardly the nature of the beast was ennobled into that of a man. In this description of the change that occurred to the lion there is without doubt a reference to what is said of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4: it cannot, however, be thence concluded, with Hofmann and others, that the words refer directly to Nebuchadnezzar's insanity; for here it is not the king, but the kingdom, that is the subject with reference to whose fate that event in the life of its founder was significant. Forasmuch as it was on account of his haughtiness that madness came upon him, so that he sank down to the level of the beasts of the field, so also for the same reason was his kingdom hindered in its flight over the earth. "Nebuchadnezzar's madness was for his kingdom the plucking off of its wings;" and as when he gave glory to the Most High his reason returned to him, and then for the first time he attained to the true dignity of man, so also was his world-kingdom ennobled in him, although the continued influence of this ennobling may not be perceived from the events in the reign of his son, recorded in Daniel 5. Besides, there lies herein not only the idea of the superiority of the first world-kingdom over the others, as is represented in Daniel 2 by the golden head of the metallic image, but also manifestly the typical thought that the world-kingdom will first be raised to the dignity of manhood when its beast-like nature is taken away. Where this transformation does not take place, or where it is not permanent, there must the kingdom perish. This is the prophetic meaning, for the sake of which that occurrence in the life of the founder of the world-monarchy is here transferred to his kingdom.
Dan 7:5
The second beast. - וארו signifies that this beast came first into sight after the lion, which also the predicates תנינה אחרי prove.אחרי expresses the difference from the first beast, תנינה the order in which it appears. The beast was like a bear. Next to the lion it is the strongest among animals; and on account of its voracity it was called by Aristotle ζῶον παμφάγον. The words לשׁטר־חד הקימת present some difficulty. They have been differently explained. The explanation of Rabbi Nathan, "and it established a dominion," with which Kranichfeld also agrees, is not only in opposition to the חד, but is also irreconcilable with the line of thought. חד is not the indefinite article, but the numeral; and the thought that the beast established one dominion, or a united dominion, is in the highest degree strange, for the character of a united or compact dominion belongs to the second world-kingdom in no case in a greater degree than to the Babylonian kingdom, and in general the establishing of a dominion cannot properly be predicated of a beast = a kingdom. The old translators (lxx, Theod., Peshito, Saad.) and the rabbis have interpreted the word שׁטר in the sense of side, a meaning which is supported by the Targ. סטר, and is greatly strengthened by the Arabic s'thar, without our needing to adopt the reading שׂטר, found in several Codd. The object to the verb הקימת is easily supplied by the context: it raised up, i.e., its body, on one side. This means neither that it leaned on one side (Ebrard), nor that it stood on its fore feet (Hvernick), for the sides of a bear are not its fore and hinder part; but we are to conceive that the beast, resting on its feet, raised up the feet of the one side for the purpose of going forward, and so raised the shoulder or the whole body on that side. But with such a motion of the beast the geographical situation of the kingdom (Geier, Mich., Ros.) cannot naturally be represented, much less can the near approach of the destruction of the kingdom (Hitzig) be signified. Hofmann, Delitzsch, and Kliefoth have found the right interpretation by a reference to Daniel 2 and 8. As in Daniel 2 the arms on each side of the breast signify that the second kingdom will consist of two parts, and this is more distinctly indicated in Daniel 8 by the two horns, one of which rose up after the other, and higher, so also in this verse the double-sidedness of this world-kingdom is represented by the beast lifting itself up on the one side. The Medo-Persian bear, as such, has, as Kliefoth well remarks, two sides: the one, the Median side, is at rest after the efforts made for the erection of the world-kingdom; but the other, the Persian side, raises itself up, and then becomes not only higher than the first, but also is prepared for new rapine.
The further expression, it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth, has also been variously interpreted. That עלעין means ribs, not sides, is as certain as that the ribs in the mouth between the teeth do not denote side-teeth, tusks, or fangs (Saad., Hv.). The עלעין in the mouth between the teeth are the booty which the bear has seized, according to the undoubted use of the word; cf. Amos 3:12; Ps 124:6; Job 29:17; Jer 51:44. Accordingly, by the ribs we cannot understand either the Persians, Medians, and Babylonians, as the nations that constituted the strength of the kingdom (Ephr. Syr., Hieron., Ros.), or the three Median kings (Ewald), because neither the Medes nor the three Median kings can be regarded as a prey of the Median or Medo-Persian world. The "ribs" which the beast is grinding between its teeth cannot be the peoples who constitute the kingdom, or the kings ruling over it, but only peoples who constitute the kingdom, or the kings ruling over it, but only peoples or countries which it has conquered and annexed to itself. The determining of these peoples and countries depends on which kingdom is represented by the bear. Of the interpreters who understand by the bear the Median kingdom, Maurer and Delitzsch refer to the three chief satrapies (Daniel 6:3 [Dan 6:2]). Not these, however, but only the lands divided between them, could be regarded as the prey between the teeth of the beast, and then Media also must be excluded; so that the reference of the words to the three satrapies is altogether inadmissible. Hitzig thinks that the reference is to three towns that were destroyed by the Medians, viz., Nineveh, Larissa, and a third which he cannot specify; v. Leng. regards the number three as a round number, by which the voracity of the beast is shown; Kranichfeld understands by the three ribs constituent parts of a whole of an older national confederation already dissolved and broken asunder, of which, however, he has no proof. We see, then, that if the bear is taken as representing the Median kingdom, the three ribs in its mouth cannot be explained. If, on the other hand, the Medo-Persian world-kingdom is intended by the bear, then the three ribs in its mouth are the three kingdoms Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt, which were conquered by the Medo-Persians. This is the view of Hofm., Ebr., Znd., and Klief. The latter, however, thinks that the number "Three" ought not to be regarded as symbolical, but as forming only the contrast to the number four in Dan 7:6, and intimating that the second beast will not devour in all the regions of the world, but only on three sides, and will make a threefold and not a fourfold plunder, and therefore will not reach absolute universality. But since the symbolical value of each number is formed from its arithmetical signification, there is no reason here, any more than there is in the analogous passages, Dan 8:4, Dan 8:22, to depart wholly from the exact signification.
The last expression of the verse, Arise, devour much flesh, most interpreters regard as a summons to go forth conquering. But this exposition is neither necessary, nor does it correspond to the relative position of the words. The eating much flesh does not form such a contrast to the three ribs in the mouth between the teeth, that it must be interpreted of other flesh than that already held by the teeth with the ribs. It may be very well understood, with Ebrard and Kliefoth, of the consuming of the flesh of the ribs; so that the command to eat much flesh is only an explication of the figure of the ribs held between the teeth, and contains only the thought that the beast must wholly consume the plunder it has seized with its teeth. The plur. אמרין (they spoke) is impersonal, and is therefore not to be attributed to the angel as speaking.
Dan 7:6
The third beast, which Daniel saw after the second, was like a panther (leopard), which is neither so kingly as the lion nor so strong as the bear, but is like to both in rapacity, and superior to them in the springing agility with which it catches its prey; so that one may say, with Kliefoth, that in the subordination of the panther to the lion and the bear, the same gradation is repeated as that this is found (of the third kingdom) in Daniel 2 of the copper (brass). Of the panther it is said, that it had four wings of a fowl and four heads. The representation of the beast with four wings increases the agility of its movements to the speed of the flight of a bird, and expresses the thought that the kingdom represented by that beast would extend itself in flight over the earth; not so royally as Nebuchadnezzar, - for the panther has not eagle's wings, but only the wings of a fowl, - but extending to all the regions of the earth, for it has four wings. At the same time the beast has four heads, not two only, as one might have expected with four wings. The number four thus shows that the heads have an independent signification, and do not stand in relation to the four wings, symbolizing the spreading out of the kingdom into the four quarters of the heavens (Bertholdt, Hv., Kran.). As little do the four wings correspond with the four heads in such a way that by both there is represented only the dividing of the kingdom into four other kingdoms (Hv.. Comment., Auberl.). Wings are everywhere an emblem of rapid motion; heads, on the contrary, where the beast signifies a kingdom, are the heads of the kingdom, i.e., the kings or rulers: hence it follows that the four heads of the panther are the four successive Persian kings whom alone Daniel knows (Dan 11:2). Without regard to the false interpretations of Dan 11:2 on which this opinion rests, it is to be noticed that the four heads do not rise up one after another, but that they all exist contemporaneously on the body of the beast, and therefore can only represent four contemporary kings, or signify that this kingdom is divided into four kingdoms. That the four wings are mentioned before the four heads, signifies that the kingdom spreads itself over the earth with the speed of a bird's flight, and then becomes a fourfold-kingdom, or divides itself into four kingdoms, as is distinctly shown in Dan 8:5. - The last statement, and dominion was given to it, corresponds with that in Dan 2:39, it shall bear rule over all the earth, i.e., shall found an actual and strong world-empire.
Dan 7:7-8
The fourth beast. - Introduced by a more detailed description, the fourth beast is presented more distinctly before our notice than those which preceded it. Its terribleness and its strength, breaking in pieces and destroying all things, and the fact that no beast is named to which it can be likened, represent it as different from all the beasts that went before. This description corresponds with that of the fourth kingdom denoted by the legs and the feet of the metallic image of the monarchies (Daniel 2). The iron breaking in pieces all things (Dan 2:40) is here represented by the great iron teeth with which this monster devoured and brake in pieces. In addition to that, there are also feet, or, as Dan 7:19 by way of supplement adds, "claws of brass," with which in the mere fury of its rage it destroyed all that remained, i.e., all that it did not devour and destroy with its teeth. וגו משׁניה היא (it was made different) denotes not complete diversity of being, from which Hitz. and Del. conclude that the expression suits only the Macedonian world-kingdom, which as occidental was different in its nature from the three preceding monarchies, which shared among themselves an oriental home and a different form of civilisation and despotic government. For although משׁניה expresses more than אחרי (Dan 7:5), yet the דּא מן דּא שׁנין (diverse one from another), spoken (Dan 7:3) of all the beasts, shows that משׁניה cannot be regarded as expressing perfect diversity of being, but only diversity in appearance. The beast was of such terrible strength and destructive rage, that the whole animal world could furnish no representative by whose name it might be characterized. It had ten horns, by which its terrible strength is denoted, because a horn is in Scripture always the universal symbol of armed strength. With this the interpretation (Dan 7:24), that these horns are so many kings or kingdoms, fully corresponds. In the ten horns the ten toes of the image (Daniel 2) are again repeated. The number ten comes into consideration only according to its symbolical meaning of comprehensive and definite totality. That the horns are on the head of the one beast, signifies that the unfolding of its power in the ten kingdoms is not a weakening of its power, but only its full display.
Dan 7:8
Here a new event is brought under our notice. While continuing to contemplate the horns (the idea of continuance lies in the particip. with the verb. fin.), Daniel sees another little horn rise up among them, which uproots, i.e., destroys, three of the other horns that were already there. He observes that this horn had the eyes of a man, and a mouth which spake great things. The eye and the mouth suggest a human being as represented by the horn. Eyes and seeing with eyes are the symbols of insight, circumspection, prudence. This king will thus excel the others in point of wisdom and circumspection. But why the eyes of a man? Certainly this is not merely to indicate to the reader that the horn signified a man. This is already distinctly enough shown by the fact that eyes, a mouth, and speech were attributed to it. The eyes of a man were not attributed to it in opposition to a beast, but in opposition to a higher celestial being, for whom the ruler denoted by the horn might be mistaken on account of the terribleness of his rule and government; "ne eum putemus juxta quorundam opinionem vel diabolum esse vel daemonem, sed unum de hominibus, in quo totus Satanas habitaturus sit corporaliter," as Jerome well remarks; cf. Hofmann and Kliefoth. - A mouth which speaketh great things is a vainglorious mouth. רברבן are presumptuous things, not directly blasphemies (Hv.). In the Apocalypse, Rev_ 13:5, μεγάλα and βλασφημίαι are distinguished.
Geneva 1599
7:4 The first [was] like a (c) lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
(c) Meaning the Assyrian and Chaldean empire, which was most strong and fierce in power, and most soon to come to their authority, as though they had wings to fly: yet their wings were pulled off by the Persians, and they went on their feet, and were made like other men, which is meant here by man's heart.
John Gill
7:4 The first was like a lion,.... That which rose up first, the kingdom of the Babylonians, as the Syriac version expresses it; or the Assyrian monarchy, founded by Nimrod, increased by the Assyrians, and brought to its height under Nebuchadnezzar by the Babylonians and Chaldeans; this is said to be like a "lion" for its strength and power, for its greatness, dignity, and majesty; the same with the head of gold in Nebuchadnezzar's dream; see Jer 4:7,
and had eagles' wings; denoting the celerity and swiftness with which Nebuchadnezzar ran, or rather flew, over several kingdoms and countries, and added them to his empire; see Jer 4:13,
and I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked; it was retarded and stopped in its conquests; it could fly no further, nor make any new acquisitions; yea, it was deplumed and stripped of some of its dominions, the Medes and Persians falling off, and making war with it:
and it was lifted up from the earth; or, "with which it was lifted up from, the earth" (a); with which wings it raised itself up, and lifted itself above other kingdoms and nations; but now were plucked, and could not soar aloft as formerly; its glory and majesty, power and strength, were lessened, whole provinces revolting, as in the times of Evilmerodach, Neriglissar, and Belshazzar:
and made stand upon the feet as a man; it did not fly like an eagle as before, and overrun countries, and waste them; or go upon all four, as a beast; but stood on its feet, its two hinder legs, like a man; signifying that it abated, in the reigns of the above princes, of its strength and fierceness, and became more mild and tractable, and was reduced within bounds like other kingdoms:
and a man's heart was given to it; instead of a lion like heart, that was bold and intrepid, and feared nothing, it became weak and fearful, and timorous like the heart of man, especially in Belshazzar's time; not only when he saw the handwriting on the wall, to which Jacchiades refers this; but when he was so fearful of Cyrus that he shut himself up in Babylon, and durst not stir out to give him battle, as Xenophon (b) relates; and when the city was taken, the Babylonians were obliged to deliver up their arms, employ themselves in tilling their fields, and to pay tribute to the Persians, and always salute them as their lords and masters, as the same historian (c) says; see Jer 51:30.
(a) "quibus efferebatur e terra", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "per quas efferebatur supra terram", Grotius. (b) Cyropaedia, l. 5. c. 10. (c) Cyropaedia, l. 7. c. 24.
John Wesley
7:4 The first - This was the Chaldean, or Assyrian; whose seat was first at Babylon, afterwards at Nineveh, and then at Babylon again. Eagle's wings - They were swift, over - running many countries, and brought their monarchy to a prodigious height in a short time. The wings were plucked - Which was first done in stopping the career of their victories, and afterwards in casting them out of their kingdom. A man's heart - They lost their lion - like courage, and became faint and cowardly like other men.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:4 lion--the symbol of strength and courage; chief among the kingdoms, as the lion among the beasts. Nebuchadnezzar is called "the lion" (Jer 4:7).
eagle's wings--denoting a widespread and rapidly acquired (Is 46:11; Jer 4:13; Lam 4:19; Hab 1:6) empire (Jer 48:40).
plucked--Its ability for widespread conquests passed away under Evil-merodach, &c. [GROTIUS]; rather, during Nebuchadnezzar's privation of his throne, while deranged.
Tit was lifted up from the earth--that is, from its grovelling bestiality.
made stand . . . as a man--So long as Nebuchadnezzar, in haughty pride, relied on his own strength, he forfeited the true dignity of man, and was therefore degraded to be with the beasts. Dan 4:16 : "Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him." But after he learned by this sore discipline that "the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men" (Dan 4:35-36), the change took place in him, "a man's heart is given to him; instead of his former beast's heart, he attains man's true position, namely, to be consciously dependent on God." Compare Ps 9:20.
7:57:5: Եւ ահա երկրորդ գազանն նմա՛ն արջոյ, եւ եկաց ՚ի կողմն մի. եւ կողք երեք ՚ի բերա՛ն նորա՝ ՚ի մէջ ժանեաց նորա. եւ ա՛յսպէս ասէին ցնա. Արի՛ կե՛ր զմարմինս բազմաց։
5 Իսկ ահա երկրորդ գազանը նման էր արջի, մի կողմ էր կանգնած եւ երեք կողոսկրեր կային բերանում՝ ժանիքների մէջ: Այսպէս էին ասում նրան. “Ելի՛ր, կե՛ր շատերի մարմինը”:
5 «Երկրորդ գազանը արջի նման էր ու մէկ կողմը կայնեցաւ։ Բերանը՝ ակռաներուն մէջ՝ երեք կողի ոսկոր կար եւ անոր այսպէս ըսին. ‘Ելի՛ր, շատ միս կե՛ր’։
Եւ ահա երկրորդ գազանն նման արջոյ, եւ եկաց ի կողմն մի. եւ կողք երեք ի բերան նորա, ի մէջ ժանեաց նորա. եւ այսպէս ասէին ցնա. Արի կեր զմարմինս բազմաց:

7:5: Եւ ահա երկրորդ գազանն նմա՛ն արջոյ, եւ եկաց ՚ի կողմն մի. եւ կողք երեք ՚ի բերա՛ն նորա՝ ՚ի մէջ ժանեաց նորա. եւ ա՛յսպէս ասէին ցնա. Արի՛ կե՛ր զմարմինս բազմաց։
5 Իսկ ահա երկրորդ գազանը նման էր արջի, մի կողմ էր կանգնած եւ երեք կողոսկրեր կային բերանում՝ ժանիքների մէջ: Այսպէս էին ասում նրան. “Ելի՛ր, կե՛ր շատերի մարմինը”:
5 «Երկրորդ գազանը արջի նման էր ու մէկ կողմը կայնեցաւ։ Բերանը՝ ակռաներուն մէջ՝ երեք կողի ոսկոր կար եւ անոր այսպէս ըսին. ‘Ելի՛ր, շատ միս կե՛ր’։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:57:5 И вот еще зверь, второй, похожий на медведя, стоял с одной стороны, и три клыка во рту у него, между зубами его; ему сказано так: >
7:5 καὶ και and; even ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am μετ᾿ μετα with; amid αὐτὴν αυτος he; him ἄλλο αλλος another; else θηρίον θηριον beast ὁμοίωσιν ομοιωσις likening ἔχον εχω have; hold ἄρκου αρκτος bear καὶ και and; even ἐπὶ επι in; on τοῦ ο the ἑνὸς εις.1 one; unit πλευροῦ πλευρον stand; establish καὶ και and; even τρία τρεις three πλευρὰ πλευρον be ἐν εν in τῷ ο the στόματι στομα mouth; edge αὐτῆς αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even οὕτως ουτως so; this way εἶπεν επω say; speak ἀνάστα ανιστημι stand up; resurrect κατάφαγε κατεσθιω consume; eat up σάρκας σαρξ flesh πολλάς πολυς much; many
7:5 וַ wa וְ and אֲר֣וּ ʔᵃrˈû אֲרוּ behold חֵיוָה֩ ḥêwˌā חֵיוָה animal אָחֳרִ֨י ʔoḥᵒrˌî אָחֳרִי another תִנְיָנָ֜ה ṯinyānˈā תִּנְיָן second דָּמְיָ֣ה domyˈā דמה resemble לְ lᵊ לְ to דֹ֗ב ḏˈōv דֹּב bear וְ wᵊ וְ and לִ li לְ to שְׂטַר־ śᵊṭar- שְׂטַר side חַד֙ ḥˌaḏ חַד one הֳקִמַ֔ת hᵒqimˈaṯ קום stand וּ û וְ and תְלָ֥ת ṯᵊlˌāṯ תְּלָת three עִלְעִ֛ין ʕilʕˈîn עֲלַע rib בְּ bᵊ בְּ in פֻמַּ֖הּ fummˌah פֻּם mouth בֵּ֣ין bˈên בֵּין between שִׁנַּ֑הּשׁניה *šinnˈah שֵׁן tooth וְ wᵊ וְ and כֵן֙ ḵˌēn כֵּן thus אָמְרִ֣ין ʔomrˈîn אמר say לַ֔הּ lˈah לְ to ק֥וּמִֽי qˌûmˈî קום stand אֲכֻ֖לִי ʔᵃḵˌulî אכל eat בְּשַׂ֥ר bᵊśˌar בְּשַׂר flesh שַׂגִּֽיא׃ śaggˈî שַׂגִּיא much
7:5. et ecce bestia alia similis urso in parte stetit et tres ordines erant in ore eius et in dentibus eius et sic dicebant ei surge comede carnes plurimasAnd behold another beast, like a bear, stood up on one side: and there were three rows in the mouth thereof, and in the teeth thereof, and thus they said to it: Arise, devour much flesh.
5. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in his mouth between his teeth: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
7:5. And behold, another beast, like a bear, stood to one side, and there were three rows in its mouth and in its teeth, and they spoke to it in this way: “Arise, devour much flesh.”
7:5. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and [it had] three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and [it had] three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh:

7:5 И вот еще зверь, второй, похожий на медведя, стоял с одной стороны, и три клыка во рту у него, между зубами его; ему сказано так: <<встань, ешь мяса много!>>
7:5
καὶ και and; even
ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am
μετ᾿ μετα with; amid
αὐτὴν αυτος he; him
ἄλλο αλλος another; else
θηρίον θηριον beast
ὁμοίωσιν ομοιωσις likening
ἔχον εχω have; hold
ἄρκου αρκτος bear
καὶ και and; even
ἐπὶ επι in; on
τοῦ ο the
ἑνὸς εις.1 one; unit
πλευροῦ πλευρον stand; establish
καὶ και and; even
τρία τρεις three
πλευρὰ πλευρον be
ἐν εν in
τῷ ο the
στόματι στομα mouth; edge
αὐτῆς αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
οὕτως ουτως so; this way
εἶπεν επω say; speak
ἀνάστα ανιστημι stand up; resurrect
κατάφαγε κατεσθιω consume; eat up
σάρκας σαρξ flesh
πολλάς πολυς much; many
7:5
וַ wa וְ and
אֲר֣וּ ʔᵃrˈû אֲרוּ behold
חֵיוָה֩ ḥêwˌā חֵיוָה animal
אָחֳרִ֨י ʔoḥᵒrˌî אָחֳרִי another
תִנְיָנָ֜ה ṯinyānˈā תִּנְיָן second
דָּמְיָ֣ה domyˈā דמה resemble
לְ lᵊ לְ to
דֹ֗ב ḏˈōv דֹּב bear
וְ wᵊ וְ and
לִ li לְ to
שְׂטַר־ śᵊṭar- שְׂטַר side
חַד֙ ḥˌaḏ חַד one
הֳקִמַ֔ת hᵒqimˈaṯ קום stand
וּ û וְ and
תְלָ֥ת ṯᵊlˌāṯ תְּלָת three
עִלְעִ֛ין ʕilʕˈîn עֲלַע rib
בְּ bᵊ בְּ in
פֻמַּ֖הּ fummˌah פֻּם mouth
בֵּ֣ין bˈên בֵּין between
שִׁנַּ֑הּשׁניה
*šinnˈah שֵׁן tooth
וְ wᵊ וְ and
כֵן֙ ḵˌēn כֵּן thus
אָמְרִ֣ין ʔomrˈîn אמר say
לַ֔הּ lˈah לְ to
ק֥וּמִֽי qˌûmˈî קום stand
אֲכֻ֖לִי ʔᵃḵˌulî אכל eat
בְּשַׂ֥ר bᵊśˌar בְּשַׂר flesh
שַׂגִּֽיא׃ śaggˈî שַׂגִּיא much
7:5. et ecce bestia alia similis urso in parte stetit et tres ordines erant in ore eius et in dentibus eius et sic dicebant ei surge comede carnes plurimas
And behold another beast, like a bear, stood up on one side: and there were three rows in the mouth thereof, and in the teeth thereof, and thus they said to it: Arise, devour much flesh.
7:5. And behold, another beast, like a bear, stood to one side, and there were three rows in its mouth and in its teeth, and they spoke to it in this way: “Arise, devour much flesh.”
7:5. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and [it had] three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ tb▾ all ▾
А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
5. Символом второго царства является медведь. Свирепость, прожорливость ("встань, ешь мяса много!") этого зверя довольно ясно указывают на следующую за вавилонскою мидо-персидскую монархию, ненасытную, как свидетельствует история, в своих завоеваниях. Они начались при Кире подчинением Бактрии, мелких малоазийских народностей, признававших власть Креза Лидийского, Лидии, греческих малоазийских колоний - Эолии, Ионии и союзного с Лидией Вавилона, продолжились при сыне Кира Камбизе захватом Египта и завершились при Дарий Гистаспе и Ксерксе, распространивших власть персов на весь почти исторический восток (Есф 1:1). Три клыка во рту медведя указывают на Вавилонию, Мидию и Персию, объединенные под властью Кира и его преемников.
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:5: Another beast - like to a bear - This was the Medo-Persian empire, represented here under the symbol of the bear, as the largest species of these animals was found in Media, a mountainous, cold, and rough country, covered with woods. The Medes and Persians are compared to a bear on account of their cruelty and thirst after blood, a bear being a most voracious and cruel animal; the bear is termed by Aristotle an all-devouring animal; and the Medo-Persians are known to have been great robbers and spoilers. See Jer 51:48-56. The Persians were notorious for the cruelty of their punishments. See Calmet.
Raised up itself on one side - Cyrus arose on the borders of Chaldea, and thus the bear appeared to put itself in the position to attack the lion.
It had three ribs in the mouth of it - As if it had just finished its repast on some animal that it had seized. Some think three tusks curved like ribs, are meant; others three throats, עלעין illin, by which it (Cyrus) had absorbed the three empires of the Babylonians, Medes, and Persians; for these symbolic animals do not so much denote four empires, as four kings. See Jer 51:17. Others think three row of teeth are meant to denote the triple power of the Medes, Persians, and Babylonians, conjoined. Or the east, north, and south, which were subdued by the Persians. But the ribs being between the teeth of the bear may show how Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt were ground and oppressed by the bear - the Persians; though, as ribs strengthen the body, they were a powerful support to their conquerors.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:5: And, behold, another beast, a second, like to a bear - That is, after the lion had appeared, and he had watched it until it had undergone these surprising transformations. There are several circumstances, also, in regard to this symbol, all of which, it is to be supposed, were significant, and all of which demand explication before it is attempted to apply them.
(a) The animal seen: the bear. For a full description of the bear, see Bochart, Hieroz. lib. iii. c. 9: The animal is well known, and has properties quite distinct from the lion and other animals. There was doubtless some reason why this symbol was employed to denote a particular kingdom, and there was something in the kingdom that corresponded with these peculiar properties, as there was in the case of the lion. The bear might, in some respects, have been a proper representative of Babylon, but it would not in all nor in the main respects. According to Bochart (Hiefoz, vol. i. p. 812), the bear is distinguished mainly for two things, cunning and ferocity. Aristotle says that the bear is greedy as well as silly and foolhardy. (Wemyss, Key to the Symbolic Language of Scripture.) The name in Hebrew is taken from his grumbling or growling. Compare Isa 19:11 :
"We roar all like bears."
Compare Horace, Epod. 16, 51:
"Nec vespertinus circumgemit ursus ovile."
Virgil mentions their ferocity:
"Atque in praesepibus ursi Saevire."
- AEn. vii. 17.
The bear is noted as especially fierce when hungry, or when robbed of its whelps. Jerome (on Hos 13:8) remarks, "It is said by those who have studied the nature of wild beasts, that none among them is more ferocious than the bear when deprived of its young, or when hungry." Compare Sa2 17:8; Pro 17:12; Hos 13:8. The characteristics of the kingdom, therefore, that would be denoted by the bear would be ferocity, roughness, fierceness in war, especially when provoked; a spirit less manly and noble than that denoted by the lion; severe in its treatment of enemies, with a mixture of fierce and savage cunning.
(b) Its rising up on one of its sides: "and it raised up itself on one side." The Chaldee word used here (שׁטר sheṭ ar) occurs nowhere else. It means side (Gesenius), and would be applied here to the side of an animal, as if he lifted up one side before the other when he rose. The Latin Vulgate renders it, in parte stetit. The Greek (Walton), έις μέρος ἕν ἐστάθη eis meros hen estathē - "it stood on one part;" or, as Thompson renders it, "he stood half erect." The Codex Chisianus, ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς πλευροῦ ἐστάθη epi tou henos pleurou estathē - "it stood upon one side." Maurer renders this, "on one of its forefeet it was recumbent, and stood on the other," and says that this is the figure exhibited on one of the stones found in Babylon, an engraving of which may be seen in Munter, Religion d. Babyl. p. 112. The animal referred to here, as found in Babylon, says Lengerke, "lies kneeling on the right forefoot, and is in the act of rising on the left foot." Bertholdt and Havernick understand this as meaning that the animal stood on the hindfeet, with the forepart raised, as the bear is said to do; but probably the true position is that referred to by Maurer and Lengerke, that the animal was in the act of raising itself up from a recumbent posture, and rested on one of its forefeet while the other was reached out, and the body on that side was partially raised. This position would naturally denote a kingdom that had been quiet and at rest, but that was now rousing itself deliberately for some purpose, as of conquest or war - as the bear that had been couching down would rise when hungry, or when going forth for prey.
(c) The ribs in its mouth: "and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it." Bertholdt understands this of fangs or tusks - or fangs crooked or bent like ribs, p. 451, But the proper meaning of the Chaldee עלע ‛ ala‛ is the same as the Hebrew צלע tsē lâ‛ - "a rib." - Gesenius. The Latin Vulgate is, tres ordines - three rows; the Syriac and the Greek, three ribs. This would be sufficiently characteristic of a bear, and the attitude of the animal here seems to be that it had killed some other animal, and had, in devouring it, torn out three ribs from its side, and now held them in its mouth. It was slowly rising from a recumbent posture, with these ribs in its mouth, and about to receive a command to go forth and devour much flesh. The number three, in this place, Lengerke supposes to be a round number, without any special significancy; others suppose that it denotes the number of nations or kingdoms which the people here represented by the bear had overcome. Perhaps this latter would be the more obvious idea as suggested by the symbol, but it is not necessary, in order to a proper understanding of a symbol, to press such a point too closely. The natural idea which would be suggested by this part of the symbol would be that of a kingdom or people of a fierce and rough character having already subdued some, and then, after reposing, rising up with the trophies of its former conquests to go forth to new victories, or to overcome others. The symbol would be a very striking one to represent a conquering nation in such a posture.
(d) The command given to this beast: "and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh." That is, it was said to it; or some one having authority said it. A voice was heard commanding it to go forth and devour. This command is wholly in accordance with the nature of the bear. The bear is called by Aristotle σαρκοφαγῶν sarkofagō n, flesh-eater, and ξῶον πάμφαγον xō on pamphagon, a beast devouring everything (Hist. Nat. viii. 5), and no better description could be given of it. As a symbol, this would properly be applicable to a nation about receiving, as it were, a command from God to go forth to wider conquests than it had already made; to arouse itself from its repose and to achieve new triumphs.
The application of this symbol was not explained by the angel to Daniel; but if the former pertained to Babylon, there can be little difficulty in understanding to what this is to be applied. It is evidently to what succeeded the Babylonian - the Medo-Persian, the kingdom ruled successively by Cyrus, Cambyses, Smerdis, Darius, Xerxes, Artaxerxes, and Darius Nothus, until it was overthrown by Alexander the Great. The only inquiry now is as to the pertinency of the symbol here employed to represent this kingdom.
(a) The symbol of the bear. As already seen, the bear would denote any fierce, rough, overbearing, and arbitrary kingdom, and it is clear that while it might have applicability to any such kingdom, it would better represent that of Medo-Persia than the lion would, for while, in some respects, either symbol would be applicable to either nation, the Medo-Persian did not stand so decidedly at the head of nations as the Babylonian. As to its character, however, the bear was not an inappropriate symbol. Taking the whole nation together, it was fierce and rough, and unpolished, little disposed to friendliness with the nations, and dissatisfied while any around it had peace or prosperity. In the image seen in Dan. ii., this kingdom, denoted by the breast and arms of silver Dan. 7:32, is described in the explanation Dan. 7:39 as "inferior to thee;" that is, to Nebuchadnezzar. For a sufficiently full account of this kingdom - of the mad projects of Cambyses, and his savage rage against the Ethiopians - well represented by the ferocity of the bear; of the ill-starred expedition to Greece under Xerxes - an expedition in its fierceness and folly well represented by the bear, and of the degeneracy of the national character after Xerxes - well represented by the bear as compared with the lion, see the notes at Dan 2:39. No one acquainted with the history of that nation can doubt the propriety and applicability of the emblem.
(b) The rising up on its side, or from a recumbent posture, as if it had been in a state of repose, and was now arousing itself for action. Different interpretations have been adopted of this emblem as applicable to the Medo-Persians. The ancient Hebrew interpreters, as Jerome remarks, explain it as meaning that that kingdom was "on one side" in the sense of separate; that is, that this kingdom kept itself aloof from Judea, or did not inflict injury on it. Thus also Grotius explains it as meaning that it did not injure Judea - Judea nihil nocuit." Ephraern the Syrian, and Theodoret, explain it as meaning that the empire of the Medo-Persians was situated on the side of Judea, or held itself within its proper bounds, in the sense that it never extended its dominion, like Babylon, over the whole earth. Rosenmuller explains it as meaning that in relation to the kingdom represented by the lion, it was at its side, both occupying the regions of the East. John D. Michaelis understands it as denoting that, as the bear was raising itself up, one part being more raised than the other, the Medo-Persian empire was composed of two kingdoms, one of which was more exalted or advanced than the other.
Compare Lengerke. The true meaning however, is that, as seen by Daniel, the nation that had been in a state of repose was now preparing itself for new conquests - a state descriptive of, and in every way quite applicable to the condition of the Medo-Persian empire, after the conquests by Cyrus, as he overran the kingdom of Lydia, etc., then reposing, and now about arousing to the conquest and subjugation of Babylon. The precise time, therefore, indicated would be about 544 b. c. (Calmer), when, having overcome the Medes, and having secured the conquest of Lydia, and the dethronement of Croesus, he is meditating the destruction of Babylon. This interval of repose lasted about a year, and it is at this time that the united empire is seen, under the image of the bear rising on its side, arousing itself to go forth to new conquests.
(c) The ribs in the mouth of the beast. This, as above remarked, would properly refer to some pRev_ious conquest - as a bear appearing in that manner would indicate that some other animal had been overcome and slain by him, and torn in pieces. The emblem would be fulfilled if the power here symbolized had been successful in former wars, and had rent kingdoms or people asunder. That this description would apply to the Medo-Persian power before its attack on Babylon, or before extending its dominion over Babylon, and its establishment as the Medo-Persian kingdoms, no one can doubt. Compare the notes at Dan 2:39. It has been commonly supposed that Cyrus succeeded to the throne of Media without war. But this is far from being the case - though so represented in what may be regarded as the romance of the Cyropaedia In the Anabasis of Xenophon, however, the fact of his having subdued Media by arms is distinctly admitted, Dan 3:4, Dan 3:7, Dan 3:12. Herodotus, Ctesias, Isocrates, and Strabo, all agree also in the fact that it was so. The Upper Tigris was the seat of one campaign, where the cities of Larissa and Mespila were taken by Cyrus. From Strabo we learn that the decisive battle was fought on the spot where Cyrus afterward built Pasargardae, in Persia, for his capital. See Kitto, Cyclo., art. "Cyrus." In addition to this, we are to remember the well-known conquests of Cyrus in Lydia and elsewhere, and the propriety of the emblem will be apparent. It may not be certain that the number three is significant in the emblem, but it is possible that there may have been reference to the three kingdoms of Persia, Media, and Lydia, that were actually under the dominion of Cyrus when the aggressive movement was made on Babylon.
(d) The command to "arise and devour much flesh." No one can fail to see the appropriateness of this, considered as addressed to the Medo-Persian power - that power which subdued Babylon; which brought under its dominion a considerable part of the world, and which, under Darius and Xerxes, poured its million on Greece. The emblem used here is, therefore, one of the most striking and appropriate that could be employed, and it cannot be doubted that it had reference to this kingdom, and that, in all the particulars, there was a clear fulfillment.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:5: another: Dan 2:39, Dan 8:3; Kg2 2:24; Pro 17:12; Hos 13:8
itself on one side: or, one dominion, Dan 5:28, Dan 8:4, Dan 11:2
three ribs: Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt.
Arise: Isa 13:17, Isa 13:18, Isa 56:9; Jer 50:21-32; Eze 39:17-20
Geneva 1599
7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a (d) bear, and it raised up itself on (e) one side, and [it had] three ribs in the (f) mouth of it between the teeth of it: (g) and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
(d) Meaning the Persians who were barbarous and cruel.
(e) They were small in the beginning, and were shut up in the mountains, and had no strength.
(f) That is, destroyed many kingdoms and whose hunger could not be satisfied.
(g) That is, the angels by God's commandment, who by this means punished the ingratitude of the world.
John Gill
7:5 And, behold, another beast, a second, like to a bear,.... Another monarchy, and which succeeded the former, and rose up upon the ruins of it, the Medo-Persian monarchy; and so the Syriac version prefixes to this verse, by way of explanation,
"the kingdom of the Medes''
like to a bear, less generous and strong than the lion; more rough and uncivil, but equally cruel and voracious; which describes the Medes and Persians as a fierce and cruel people, and less polished, and more uncivilized, than the Chaldeans; and answers to the silver breasts and arms in Nebuchadnezzar's dream; see Is 13:17,
and it raised up itself on one side; either of the lion, the first beast it destroyed; or rather on one side of itself, on the side of Persia; from whence Cyrus came, who was the principal instrument of raising this empire to the pitch it was brought unto. Some render it, "and it raised up one government" (d); one empire out of many nations and kingdoms it subdued:
and it had three ribs in the mouth of it, between the teeth of it; that is, three ribs covered with flesh, which, it was devouring; the bear being very voracious, and a great flesh eater: these, according to some, signify three kings that followed Darius the Mede; Cyrus, Ahasuerus, and Darius; so Jarchi and Jacchiades; and, according to Jerom, three kingdoms, the Babylonian, Median, and Persian: but neither of these kings nor kingdoms can be said to be in its mouth, and between its teeth, as ground and devoured by it, unless the Babylonian; wherefore it is better interpreted by others, as Theodoret, the three parts of the world it conquered, westward, northward, and southward, Dan 8:4, though it is best of all, with Sir Isaac Newton and Bishop Chandler, to understand by them Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt; which countries were ground and oppressed by the Medes and Persians, as the ribs of any creature are ground in the mouth of a bear:
and they said thus unto it, arise, devour much flesh; which Jerom refers to Haman's orders to destroy the Jews in the times of Ahasuerus; but it is much better applied by others to Cyaxares or Darius sending for Cyrus to take upon him the command of his army; and to the Hyrcanians, Gobryas, and others, inviting him to avenge them on the Babylonians, promising to join and assist him, as Xenophon (e) relates: or rather this is to be interpreted of the divine will, and of the conduct of Providence by means of angels stirring up the spirit of Cyrus, and of the Medes and Persians, to attack and subdue many nations, and particularly the Babylonians, and fill themselves with their wealth and substance; hence they are styled the Lord's sanctified, whom he ordered and called to such service; see Is 13:3.
(d) "quae dominatum unum erexit", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; "et dominatum quendana erexit", Piscator. (e) Cyropaedia l. 1. c. 22. l. 4. c. 4, 24.
John Wesley
7:5 Another beast - The Mede's and Persians, a fierce, ravenous creature. On one side - The north side; for the Mede first arose and sent to Cyrus the Persian to come and assist him against the Assyrian. Three ribs - Several of the Babylonian subjects revolted, and all these made the three ribs.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:5 bear--symbolizing the austere life of the Persians in their mountains, also their cruelty (Is 13:17-18; Cambyses, Ochus, and other of the Persian princes were notoriously cruel; the Persian laws involved, for one man's offense, the whole kindred and neighborhood in destruction, Dan 6:24) and rapacity. "A bear is an all-devouring animal" [ARISTOTLE, 8.5], (Jer 51:48, Jer 51:56).
raised . . . itself on one side--but the Hebrew, "It raised up one dominion." The Medes, an ancient people, and the Persians, a modern tribe, formed one united sovereignty in contrast to the third and fourth kingdoms, each originally one, afterwards divided. English Version is the result of a slight change of a Hebrew letter. The idea then would be, "It lay on one of its fore feet, and stood on the other"; a figure still to be seen on one of the stones of Babylon [MUNTER, The Religion of Babylonia, 112]; denoting a kingdom that had been at rest, but is now rousing itself for conquest. Media is the lower side, passiveness; Persia, the upper, active element [AUBERLEN]. The three ribs in its mouth are Media, Lydia, and Babylon, brought under the Persian sway. Rather, Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt, not properly parts of its body, but seized by Medo-Persia [SIR ISAAC NEWTON]. Called "ribs" because they strengthened the Medo-Persian empire. "Between its teeth," as being much grinded by it.
devour much flesh--that is, subjugate many nations.
7:67:6: Եւ զկնի նորա հայէի, եւ ահա ա՛յլ գազան իբրեւ զինծ. եւ չորք թեւք թռչնոյ ՚ի վերայ նորա. եւ չո՛րք գլուխք գազանին. եւ իշխանութիւն տուաւ նմա[12183]։ [12183] Օրինակ մի. Այլ գազան ելանէր իբրեւ զինձ. եւ չորս թեւ։
6 Դրանից յետոյ նայում էի. եւ ահա տեսայ մի այլ գազան ընձի նման. նրա վրայ թռչունի չորս թեւեր կային. գազանը չորս գլուխ ունէր, եւ իշխանութիւն տրուեց նրան:
6 «Անկէ ետքը տեսայ, ահա ինձի նման ուրիշ մը, որուն կռնակին վրայ թռչունի չորս թեւեր կային։ Այս գազանը չորս գլուխ ունէր։ Անոր իշխանութիւն տրուեցաւ։
Եւ զկնի նորա հայէի, եւ ահա այլ գազան իբրեւ զինձ. եւ չորք թեւք թռչնոյ ի վերայ նորա, եւ չորք գլուխք գազանին, եւ իշխանութիւն տուաւ նմա:

7:6: Եւ զկնի նորա հայէի, եւ ահա ա՛յլ գազան իբրեւ զինծ. եւ չորք թեւք թռչնոյ ՚ի վերայ նորա. եւ չո՛րք գլուխք գազանին. եւ իշխանութիւն տուաւ նմա[12183]։
[12183] Օրինակ մի. Այլ գազան ելանէր իբրեւ զինձ. եւ չորս թեւ։
6 Դրանից յետոյ նայում էի. եւ ահա տեսայ մի այլ գազան ընձի նման. նրա վրայ թռչունի չորս թեւեր կային. գազանը չորս գլուխ ունէր, եւ իշխանութիւն տրուեց նրան:
6 «Անկէ ետքը տեսայ, ահա ինձի նման ուրիշ մը, որուն կռնակին վրայ թռչունի չորս թեւեր կային։ Այս գազանը չորս գլուխ ունէր։ Անոր իշխանութիւն տրուեցաւ։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:67:6 Затем видел я, вот еще зверь, как барс; на спине у него четыре птичьих крыла, и четыре головы были у зверя сего, и власть дана была ему.
7:6 καὶ και and; even μετὰ μετα with; amid ταῦτα ουτος this; he ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe θηρίον θηριον beast ἄλλο αλλος another; else ὡσεὶ ωσει as if; about πάρδαλιν παρδαλις leopard καὶ και and; even πτερὰ πτερον four ἐπέτεινον επιτεινω upon; above αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even τέσσαρες τεσσαρες four κεφαλαὶ κεφαλη head; top τῷ ο the θηρίῳ θηριον beast καὶ και and; even γλῶσσα γλωσσα tongue ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
7:6 בָּאתַ֨ר bāṯˌar בָּאתַר after דְּנָ֜ה dᵊnˈā דְּנָה this חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see הֲוֵ֗ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be וַ wa וְ and אֲר֤וּ ʔᵃrˈû אֲרוּ behold אָֽחֳרִי֙ ʔˈoḥᵒrî אָחֳרִי another כִּ ki כְּ like נְמַ֔ר nᵊmˈar נְמַר panther וְ wᵊ וְ and לַ֨הּ lˌah לְ to גַּפִּ֥ין gappˌîn גַּף wing אַרְבַּ֛ע ʔarbˈaʕ אַרְבַּע four דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative] עֹ֖וף ʕˌôf עֹוף bird עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon גַּבַּ֑הּגביה *gabbˈah גַּב side וְ wᵊ וְ and אַרְבְּעָ֤ה ʔarbᵊʕˈā אַרְבַּע four רֵאשִׁין֙ rēšîn רֵאשׁ head לְ lᵊ לְ to חֵ֣יוְתָ֔א ḥˈêwᵊṯˈā חֵיוָה animal וְ wᵊ וְ and שָׁלְטָ֖ן šolṭˌān שָׁלְטָן official יְהִ֥יב yᵊhˌîv יהב give לַֽהּ׃ lˈah לְ to
7:6. post hoc aspiciebam et ecce alia quasi pardus et alas habebat avis quattuor super se et quattuor capita erant in bestia et potestas data est eiAfter this I beheld, and lo, another like a leopard, and it had upon it four wings, as of a fowl, and the beast had four heads, and power was given to it.
6. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7:6. After this, I watched, and behold, another like a leopard, and it had wings like a bird, four upon it, and four heads were on the beast, and power was given to it.
7:6. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it:

7:6 Затем видел я, вот еще зверь, как барс; на спине у него четыре птичьих крыла, и четыре головы были у зверя сего, и власть дана была ему.
7:6
καὶ και and; even
μετὰ μετα with; amid
ταῦτα ουτος this; he
ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe
θηρίον θηριον beast
ἄλλο αλλος another; else
ὡσεὶ ωσει as if; about
πάρδαλιν παρδαλις leopard
καὶ και and; even
πτερὰ πτερον four
ἐπέτεινον επιτεινω upon; above
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
τέσσαρες τεσσαρες four
κεφαλαὶ κεφαλη head; top
τῷ ο the
θηρίῳ θηριον beast
καὶ και and; even
γλῶσσα γλωσσα tongue
ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit
αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
7:6
בָּאתַ֨ר bāṯˌar בָּאתַר after
דְּנָ֜ה dᵊnˈā דְּנָה this
חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see
הֲוֵ֗ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be
וַ wa וְ and
אֲר֤וּ ʔᵃrˈû אֲרוּ behold
אָֽחֳרִי֙ ʔˈoḥᵒrî אָחֳרִי another
כִּ ki כְּ like
נְמַ֔ר nᵊmˈar נְמַר panther
וְ wᵊ וְ and
לַ֨הּ lˌah לְ to
גַּפִּ֥ין gappˌîn גַּף wing
אַרְבַּ֛ע ʔarbˈaʕ אַרְבַּע four
דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative]
עֹ֖וף ʕˌôf עֹוף bird
עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon
גַּבַּ֑הּגביה
*gabbˈah גַּב side
וְ wᵊ וְ and
אַרְבְּעָ֤ה ʔarbᵊʕˈā אַרְבַּע four
רֵאשִׁין֙ rēšîn רֵאשׁ head
לְ lᵊ לְ to
חֵ֣יוְתָ֔א ḥˈêwᵊṯˈā חֵיוָה animal
וְ wᵊ וְ and
שָׁלְטָ֖ן šolṭˌān שָׁלְטָן official
יְהִ֥יב yᵊhˌîv יהב give
לַֽהּ׃ lˈah לְ to
7:6. post hoc aspiciebam et ecce alia quasi pardus et alas habebat avis quattuor super se et quattuor capita erant in bestia et potestas data est ei
After this I beheld, and lo, another like a leopard, and it had upon it four wings, as of a fowl, and the beast had four heads, and power was given to it.
7:6. After this, I watched, and behold, another like a leopard, and it had wings like a bird, four upon it, and four heads were on the beast, and power was given to it.
7:6. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ tb▾ all ▾
А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
6. Третье царство представлено под образом барса с четырьмя птичьими крыльями и четырьмя головами. Кровожадность этого зверя, его необыкновенная быстрота при захвате добычи довольно точно характеризуют стремительную в завоеваниях греко-македонскую империю. Распространением до пределов земли при Александре Македонском (1: Мак 1:1-4) она обязана не только своей силе, но и решительным, быстрым действиям против врагов (подробнее об этом см. в толковании 5-7: ст. 8: гл.). Распространение македонской империи по всем четырем странам света, ее господство "над областями и народами и властителями", "над всею землею" (1: Мак 1:3-4) обозначается в видении четырьмя крыльями, а распадение после смерти Александра Македонского на четыре части, - государства Фракийское, Македонское Сирийское и Египетское, - четырьмя головами.
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:6: Another like a leopard - four wings - four heads - This was the Macedonian or Greek empire; and Alexander the Great its king. Alexander and his subjects are fitly compared to a leopard.
1. The leopard is remarkable for its swiftness. Alexander and the Macedonians were very rapid in their conquests.
2. The leopard is a spotted animal; a proper emblem of the various nations, with their various customs and languages, which constituted the Macedonian empire. It may refer to the character of Alexander himself, sometimes mild, at others cruel; sober and drunken; continent and lecherous; having a great power of self-government, and at other times being a slave to his passions.
3. The leopard, though small, is not afraid to attack the lion.
Four wings of a fowl - The Babylonian empire was represented with two wings; and they sufficiently marked the rapidity of Nebuchadnezzar's conquests; but the Macedonian has here four wings; for nothing, in the history of the world, was equal to the conquests of Alexander, who ran through all the countries from Illyricum and the Adriatic Sea to the Indian Ocean and the River Ganges; and in twelve years subdued part of Europe, and all Asia.
The beast had also four heads - Signifying the empire after the death of Alexander, divided between his four generals. Cassander reigning over Macedon and Greece; Lysimachus, over Thrace and Bithynia; Ptolemy, over Egypt; and Seleucus, over Syria.
Dominion was given to it - It was not owing to the skill, courage, or valor of Alexander and his troops, that he made those wondrous conquests; the nations were given to him. For, as Bishop Newton says, had he not been assisted by the mighty power of God, how could he, with only thirty thousand men, have overcome Darius with six hundred thousand; and in so short a time have brought the countries from Greece as far as India into subjection?
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:6: After this I beheld, and, lo, another, like a leopard - That is, as before, after the bear had appeared - indicating that this was to be a succeeding kingdom or power. The beast which now appeared was a monster, and, as in the former cases, so in regard to this, there are several circumstances which demand explanation in order to understand the symbol. It may assist us, perhaps, in forming a correct idea of the symbol here introduced to have before us a representation of the animal as it appeared to Daniel.
(a) The animal itself: "a leopard." The word used here - נמר nemar - or in Hebrew נמר nâ mê r - denotes a panther or leopard, so called from his spots. This is a well-known beast of prey, distinguished for blood-thirstiness and cruelty, and these characteristics are especially applicable to the female panther. The animal is referred to in the Scriptures as emblematic of the following things, or as having the following characteristics:
(1) As next in dignity to the lion - of the same general nature. Compare Bochart, Hieroz. P. I. lib. iii. c. vii. Thus the lion and the panther, or leopard, are often united in the Scriptures. Compare Jer 5:6; Hos 13:7. See also in the Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus 28:23. So also they are united in Homer, r
Ὄυτε οἶν παρδάλιος τόσσον μένος, ὄυτε λέοντος.
Oute oun pardalios tosson menos, oute leontos.
"Neither had the leopard nor the lion such strength."
(2) As distinguished for cruelty, or a fierce nature, as contrasted with the gentle and tame animal. Isa 11:6, "and the leopard shall lie down with the kid." In Jer 5:6, it is compared with the lion and the wolf: "A lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities." Compare Hos 13:7.
(3) As distinguished for swiftness or fleetness. Hab 1:8 : "their horses are swifter than the leopards." Compare also the quotations from the classics in Bochart as above, p. 788. His fleetness is often referred to - the celerity of his spring or bound especially - by the Greek and Roman writers.
(4) As insidious, or as lying in wait, and springing unexpectedly upon the unwary traveler. Compare Hos 13:7 : "As a leopard by the way will I observe them;" that is, I will "watch" (אשׁור 'â shû r) them. So Pliny says of leopards: Insidunt pardi condensa arborurn, occultatique earurn ramis in prcetereuntia desiliunt.
(5) They are characterized by their spots. In the general nature of the animal there is a strong resemblance to the lion. Thus, an Arabic writer quoted by Bochart, deflates the leopard to be "an animal resembling the lion, except that it is smaller, and has a skin marked by black spots." The proper idea in this representation, when used as a symbol, would be of a nation or kingdom that would have more nobleness than the one represented by the bear, but a less decisive headship over others than that represented by the lion; a nation that, was addicted to conquest, or that preyed upon others; a nation rapid in its movements, and springing upon others unawares, and perhaps in its spots denoting a nation or people made up, not of homogeneous elements, but of various different people. See below in the application of this.
(b) The four wings: which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl. The first beast was seen with the wings of an eagle, but without any specified number; this appears with wings, but without specifying any particular kind of wings, though the number is mentioned. In both of them celerity of movement is undoubtedly intended - celerity beyond what would be properly denoted by the animal itself the lion or the leopard. If there is a difference in the design of the representation, as there would seem to be by mentioning the kind of wings in the one case, and the number in the other, it is probable that the former would denote a more bold and extended flight; the latter a flight more rapid, denoted by the four wings. We should look for the fulfillment of the former in a nation that extended its conquests over a broader space; in the latter, to a nation that moved with more celerity. But there is some danger of pressing these similitudes too far. Nothing is said in the passage about the arrangement of the wings, except that they were on the back of the animal. It is to be supposed that there were two on each side.
(c) The four heads: "the beast had also four heads." This representation must have been designed to signify either that the one power or kingdom denoted by the leopard was composed of four separate powers or nations now united in one; or that there were four successive kings or dynasties that made up its history; or that the power or kingdom actually appeared, as seen in its pRev_ailing characteristic, as a distinct dominion, as having four heads, or as being divided into so many separate sovereignties. It seems to me that either one of these would be a proper and natural fulfillment of the design of the image, though the second suggested would be less proper than either of the others, as the heads appeared on the animal not in succession - as the little horn sprung up in the midst of the other ten, as represented in the fourth beast - but existed simultaneously. The general idea would be, that in some way the one particular sovereignty had four sources of power blended into one, or actually exerted the same kind of dominion, and constituted, in fact, the one kingdom as distinguished from the others.
(d) The dominion given to it: "and dominion was given to it." That is, it was appointed to rule where the former had ruled, and until it should be succeeded by another - the beast with the ten horns.
In regard to the application of this, though the angel did not explain it to Daniel, except in general that a kingdom was represented by it. Dan 7:17, it would seem that there could be little difficulty, though there has been some variety in the views entertained. Maurer, Lengerke, and some others, refer it to the Medo-Persian empire - supposing that the second symbol referred to the kingdom of Media. But the objections to this are so obvious, and so numerous, that it seems to me the opinion cannot be entertained, for
(1) the kingdom of Media did not, in any proper sense, succeed that of Babylon;
(2) the representation of the bear with three ribs has no proper application to Media;
(3) the whole description, as we have seen above, of the second beast, accords entirely with the history of the Medo-Persian empire.
If this be so, then we naturally look for the fulfillment of this symbol - the third head - in the kingdom or dynasty that followed directly that of Medo-Persia - the Macedonian dynasty or kingdom founded by Alexander the Great, extending over the same countries before occupied by Babylon and the Medo-Persian empire, and continuing until it was swallowed up in the conquests of Rome. We shall find that all the circumstances agree with this supposition:
(a) The animal - the leopard. The comparative nobleness of the animal; a beast of prey; the celerity of its movements; the spring or bound with which it leaps upon its prey - all agree well with the kingdom of which Alexander was the founder. Indeed there was no other kingdom among the ancients to which it could be better applied; and it will be admitted that, on the supposition that it was the design of Daniel to choose a symbol that would represent the Macedonian empire, he could not have selected one that was better adapted to it than the leopard. All the characteristics of the animal that have been noticed -
(1) as next in dignity to the lion:
(2) as distinguished for a fierce nature;
(3) as characterized by fleetness;
(4) as known for lying in wait, and springing suddenly upon its prey; and
(5) in the point to be noticed soon - their spots - all agree with the characteristics of Alexander, and his movements among the nations, and with the kingdom that was founded by him in the East.
(b) The four wings. These represent well the rapidity of the conquests of Alexander, for no more rapid conquests were ever made than were his in the East. It was noticed that the leopard had four wings, as contrasted with the first beast, in reference to which the number is not mentioned: the one denoting a broader flight, and the other a more rapid one; and the one agrees well with the conquests of Nebuchadnezzar, and the other with those of Alexander.
(c) The four heads united to one body. It is well known that when Alexander died, his empire was left to four of his generals, and that they came to be at the head of as many distinct dominions, yet all springing from the same source, and all, in fact, out of the Macedonian empire. This fact would not be so well represented by four distinct and separate animals, as by one animal with four heads; that is, as the head represents authority or dominion, one empire, in fact, now ruling by four distinct authorities. The one empire, considered as Macedonian, continued its sway until it was swallowed up by the Romans; that is, the Macedonian power or dominion as distinct from that of Babylon or Medo-Persia; as having characteristics unlike these; as introducing a new order of things, continued, though that power was broken up and exercised under distinct manifestations of sovereignty. The fact was, that, at the death of Alexander, to whom the founding of this empire was owing, "Philip Aridaeus, brother of Alexander, and his infant son by Roxana, were appointed by the generals of the army to succeed, and Perdiccas was made regent. The empire was divided into thirty-three governments, distributed among as many general officers. Hence arose a series of bloody, desolating wars, and a period of confusion, anarchy, and crime ensued, that is almost without a parallel in the history of the world. After the battle of Ipsus, 301 b. c., in which Antigonus was defeated, the empire was divided into four kingdoms - Thrace and Bithynia under Lysimachus; Syria and the East under Seleucus; Egypt, under Ptolemy Soter; and Macedonia under Cassander." - Lyman Hist. Chart. It was these four powers, thus springing out of the one empire founded by Alexander, that was clearly represented by. the four heads.
(d) The dominion given to it. No one can doubt that a dominion was given to Alexander and the Macedonian dynasty, which would fully correspond with this. In fact the dominion of the world was practically conceded to that kingdom.
(e) There is only one other circumstance to be noticed, though perhaps we are not to seek an exact accomphshment for that in any specific events. It is the fact tbat the leopard is marked by spots - a circumstance which many have supposed had a fulfillment in the fact that numerous nations, not homogeneous, were found in the empire of Alexander. So Bochart, Hieroz. P. I. lib. iii. c. vii. p. 789, says: "The spots of the leopard refer to the different customs of the nations over which he ruled. Among these, besides the Macedonians, Greeks, Thracians, and Illyrians, in Europe, there were in Africa the Libyans, Egyptians, and Troglodites; in Asia, almost all the nations to the Ganges." But, without insisting on this, no one can compare the other particulars which were clearly designed to be symbolic, without perceiving that they had a full accomplishment in the Macedonian empire.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:6: lo: Dan 2:39, Dan 8:5-7, Dan 8:20, Dan 8:21, Dan 10:20, Dan 11:3-20; Hos 13:7; Rev 13:2
another: The Greek empire, founded by Alexander the Great.
four wings: Dan 7:4; Eze 17:3
four heads: Divided into 4 parts by Alexander's generals. Dan 8:8, Dan 8:22, Dan 11:4-20
Geneva 1599
7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a (h) leopard, which had upon the back of it (i) four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and (k) dominion was given to it.
(h) Meaning Alexander the king of Macedonia.
(i) That is, his four chief captains, which had the empire among them after his death. Selencus had Asia the great, Antigonus the less, Cassander and after him Antipater was king of Macedonia, and Ptolemeus had Egypt.
(k) It was not of himself nor of his own power that he gained all these countries: for his army contained only thirty thousand men, and he overcame in one battle Darius, who had one million, when he was so heavy with sleep that his eyes were hardly open, as the stories report: therefore this power was given to him from God.
John Gill
7:6 After this I beheld, and, lo another, like a leopard,.... Another beast, another monarchy, a third monarchy succeeding the Persian monarchy, and which rose up on the ruins of that; Darius king of the Persians being beaten by Alexander king of Macedon, who was the instrument of setting up the Grecian monarchy here intended; compared to a leopard, a smaller creature than a lion; signifying that this monarchy arose from a small beginning; and a crafty one, Alexander having many wise counsellors of his father's about him, though he himself was rash and hasty; and a spotted one, denoting the various virtues and vices of Alexander, and his inconstancy in them; sometimes exercising the one, and sometimes the other; or rather the different nations, and the manners of them, he conquered, of which this empire consisted; not to say anything of the cruelty and swiftness of this creature, which are both to be observed in this conqueror:
which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; denoting the swiftness of Alexander in his conquests; who in a few years made himself master of the whole world, at least as he thought, whose empire was greater than that of Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans, to whom only two wings of an eagle are given, Dan 7:4. Says Jerom,
"nothing was more swift than the conquest of Alexander, from Illyricum and the Adriatic sea, unto the Indian ocean, and the river Ganges; he rather ran through the world by victories than by battles, and in six years subdued part of Europe, all Asia even unto India,''
to which may be added all Egypt, Syria, and Palestine. Arimazes being master of a rock in Sogdiana, which was thought inaccessible and impregnable, Alexander sent a messenger to him to demand the delivery of it to him; but, among other things he proudly said, he asked the messenger, with a sneer, if Alexander could fly; which, when the messenger reported, nettled him much, that he should be insulted because he had not wings; and vowed that the next night he would make him believe that the Macedonians did fly; and accordingly they found ways and means to get to the top of it, which, when the governor saw, he declared that Alexander's soldiers had wings (f):
the beast also had four heads; which signify the four kingdoms into which the Grecian empire was divided after Alexander's death, under four of his generals, who were heads or governors of them: Macedonia under Antipater, or, as others, Cassander; Egypt under Ptolemy; Syria under Seleucus; and Asia under Antigonus, or, as others, Lysimachus:
and dominion was given to it; the dominion of the whole world, or, however, a very large dominion; and this was given of God, and according to his will, and the ordering of his providence; for to nothing else can it be ascribed, that with thirty thousand men Alexander should beat an army of six hundred thousand; and with such a handful of men subdue so many kingdoms and nations, and that in the space of a few years.
(f) Curt. Hist. l. 7. c. 11.
John Wesley
7:6 Like a leopard - This leopard was the Grecian monarchy; a leopard is less than a lion, so was this monarchy at first, but yet durst fight with a lion; so did Alexander encounter Darius with an inferior force. A leopard also for his swiftness; therefore described with four wings on his back. Four heads - He was succeeded by four of his chief commanders, who divided that empire into four parts.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:6 leopard--smaller than the lion; swift (Hab 1:8); cruel (Is 11:6), the opposite of tame; springing suddenly from its hiding place on its prey (Hos 13:7); spotted. So Alexander, a small king, of a small kingdom, Macedon, attacked Darius at the head of the vast empire reaching from the Ægean Sea to the Indies. In twelve years he subjugated part of Europe, and all Asia from Illyricum and the Adriatic to the Ganges, not so much fighting as conquering [JEROME]. Hence, whereas Babylon is represented with two wings, Macedon has four, so rapid were its conquests. The various spots denote the various nations incorporated into his empire [BOCHART]; Or Alexander's own variation in character, at one time mild, at another cruel, now temperate, and now drunken and licentious.
four heads--explained in Dan 8:8, Dan 8:22; the four kingdoms of the Diadochi or "successors" into which the Macedonian empire was divided at the death of Alexander, namely, Macedon and Greece under Cassander, Thrace and Bithynia under Lysimachus, Egypt under PTOLEMY, and Syria under Seleucus.
dominion . . . given to it--by God; not by Alexander's own might. For how unlikely it was that thirty thousand men should overthrow several hundreds of thousands! JOSEPHUS [Antiquities, 11.6] says that Alexander adored the high priest of Jerusalem, saying that he at Dium in Macedonia had seen a vision of God so habited, inviting him to go to Asia, and promising him success.
7:77:7: Եւ զկնի նորա հայէի. եւ ահա գազանն չորրորդ՝ ահե՛ղ եւ զարմանալի՝ եւ հզօր առաւել, եւ ժանիք նորա երկաթիք. ուտէր եւ մանրէր, եւ զմնացորդսն առ ո՛տն կոտորէր. եւ ինքն առաւել այլակե՛րպ քան զամենայն գազանսն որ յառաջ քան զնա. եւ եղջեւրք տասն ՚ի նմա[12184]։ [12184] Օրինակ մի յաւելու. Երկաթիք, եւ մագիլք նորա պղնձիք, ուտէր... այլակերպ էր քան։
7 Դրանից յետոյ դարձեալ նայում էի. եւ ահա տեսայ չորրորդ գազանին, որ ահեղ, զարմանալի եւ առաւել հզօր էր. նրա ժանիքները երկաթեայ էին, ուտում-մանրում էր եւ մնացորդները ոտքի տակ կոտրատում: Սա աւելի այլակերպ էր, քան նրանից առաջ բոլոր գազանները. տասը եղջիւր ունէր:
7 Անկէ ետքը գիշերուան տեսիլքներու մէջ տեսայ չորրորդ գազան մը։ Անիկա ահեղ, սոսկալի ու խիստ զօրաւոր էր։ Անիկա մեծ երկաթէ ակռաներ ունէր։ Կ’ուտէր ու կը փշրէր ու մնացածը ոտքերովը կը կոխկռտէր։ Իրմէ առաջ եկող գազաններէն տարբեր էր։ Տասը եղջիւր ունէր։
[117]Եւ զկնի նորա հայէի`` եւ ահա գազանն չորրորդ` ահեղ եւ զարմանալի եւ հզօր առաւել, եւ ժանիք նորա [118]երկաթիք. ուտէր եւ մանրէր, եւ զմնացորդսն առ ոտն կոտորէր. եւ ինքն առաւել այլակերպ քան զամենայն գազանսն որ յառաջ քան զնա, եւ եղջեւրք տասն ի նմա:

7:7: Եւ զկնի նորա հայէի. եւ ահա գազանն չորրորդ՝ ահե՛ղ եւ զարմանալի՝ եւ հզօր առաւել, եւ ժանիք նորա երկաթիք. ուտէր եւ մանրէր, եւ զմնացորդսն առ ո՛տն կոտորէր. եւ ինքն առաւել այլակե՛րպ քան զամենայն գազանսն որ յառաջ քան զնա. եւ եղջեւրք տասն ՚ի նմա[12184]։
[12184] Օրինակ մի յաւելու. Երկաթիք, եւ մագիլք նորա պղնձիք, ուտէր... այլակերպ էր քան։
7 Դրանից յետոյ դարձեալ նայում էի. եւ ահա տեսայ չորրորդ գազանին, որ ահեղ, զարմանալի եւ առաւել հզօր էր. նրա ժանիքները երկաթեայ էին, ուտում-մանրում էր եւ մնացորդները ոտքի տակ կոտրատում: Սա աւելի այլակերպ էր, քան նրանից առաջ բոլոր գազանները. տասը եղջիւր ունէր:
7 Անկէ ետքը գիշերուան տեսիլքներու մէջ տեսայ չորրորդ գազան մը։ Անիկա ահեղ, սոսկալի ու խիստ զօրաւոր էր։ Անիկա մեծ երկաթէ ակռաներ ունէր։ Կ’ուտէր ու կը փշրէր ու մնացածը ոտքերովը կը կոխկռտէր։ Իրմէ առաջ եկող գազաններէն տարբեր էր։ Տասը եղջիւր ունէր։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:77:7 После сего видел я в ночных видениях, и вот зверь четвертый, страшный и ужасный и весьма сильный; у него большие железные зубы; он пожирает и сокрушает, остатки же попирает ногами; он отличен был от всех прежних зверей, и десять рогов было у него.
7:7 μετὰ μετα with; amid δὲ δε though; while ταῦτα ουτος this; he ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe ἐν εν in ὁράματι οραμα vision τῆς ο the νυκτὸς νυξ night θηρίον θηριον beast τέταρτον τεταρτος fourth φοβερόν φοβερος fearful; fearsome καὶ και and; even ὁ ο the φόβος φοβος fear; awe αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him ὑπερφέρων υπερφερω force ἔχον εχω have; hold ὀδόντας οδους tooth σιδηροῦς σιδηρεος of iron μεγάλους μεγας great; loud ἐσθίον εσθιω eat; consume καὶ και and; even κοπανίζον κοπανιζω circling; in a circle τοῖς ο the ποσὶ πους foot; pace καταπατοῦν καταπατεω trample διαφόρως διαφορως resort to; treat παρὰ παρα from; by πάντα πας all; every τὰ ο the πρὸ προ before; ahead of αὐτού αυτος he; him θηρία θηριον beast εἶχε εχω have; hold δὲ δε though; while κέρατα κερας horn δέκα δεκα ten
7:7 בָּאתַ֣ר bāṯˈar בָּאתַר after דְּנָה֩ dᵊnˌā דְּנָה this חָזֵ֨ה ḥāzˌē חזה see הֲוֵ֜ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be בְּ bᵊ בְּ in חֶזְוֵ֣י ḥezwˈê חֱזוּ vision לֵֽילְיָ֗א lˈêlᵊyˈā לֵילֵי night וַ wa וְ and אֲר֣וּ ʔᵃrˈû אֲרוּ behold חֵיוָ֣ה ḥêwˈā חֵיוָה animal רְֽבִיעָאָ֡הרביעיה *rᵊˈvîʕāʔˈā רְבִיעָי fourth דְּחִילָה֩ dᵊḥîlˌā דחל fear וְ wᵊ וְ and אֵֽימְתָנִ֨י ʔˈêmᵊṯānˌî אֵימְתָנִי terrible וְ wᵊ וְ and תַקִּיפָ֜א ṯaqqîfˈā תַּקִּיף strong יַתִּ֗ירָא yattˈîrā יַתִּיר excessive וְ wᵊ וְ and שִׁנַּ֨יִן šinnˌayin שֵׁן tooth דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative] פַרְזֶ֥ל farzˌel פַּרְזֶל iron לַהּ֙ lˌah לְ to רַבְרְבָ֔ן ravrᵊvˈān רַב great אָֽכְלָ֣ה ʔˈāḵᵊlˈā אכל eat וּ û וְ and מַדֱּקָ֔ה maddᵉqˈā דקק crush וּ û וְ and שְׁאָרָ֖א šᵊʔārˌā שְׁאָר rest בְּב *bᵊ בְּ in רַגְלַ֣הּרגליה *raḡlˈah רְגַל foot רָפְסָ֑ה rofsˈā רפס trample upon וְ wᵊ וְ and הִ֣יא hˈî הִיא she מְשַׁנְּיָ֗ה mᵊšannᵊyˈā שׁנה be different מִן־ min- מִן from כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole חֵֽיוָתָא֙ ḥˈêwāṯā חֵיוָה animal דִּ֣י dˈî דִּי [relative] קָֽדָמַ֔יהּ qˈāḏāmˈayh קֳדָם before וְ wᵊ וְ and קַרְנַ֥יִן qarnˌayin קֶרֶן horn עֲשַׂ֖ר ʕᵃśˌar עֲשַׂר ten לַֽהּ׃ lˈah לְ to
7:7. post hoc aspiciebam in visione noctis et ecce bestia quarta terribilis atque mirabilis et fortis nimis dentes ferreos habebat magnos comedens atque comminuens et reliqua pedibus suis conculcans dissimilis autem erat ceteris bestiis quas videram ante eam et habebat cornua decemAfter this I beheld in the vision of the night, and lo, a fourth beast, terrible and wonderful, and exceeding strong, it had great iron teeth, eating and breaking in pieces, and treading down the rest with his feet: and it was unlike to the other beasts which I had seen before it, and had ten horns.
7. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
7:7. After this, I watched in the vision of the night, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible yet wondrous, and exceedingly strong; it had great iron teeth, eating yet crushing, and trampling down the remainder with his feet, but it was unlike the other beasts, which I had seen before it, and it had ten horns.
7:7. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had ten horns.
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had ten horns:

7:7 После сего видел я в ночных видениях, и вот зверь четвертый, страшный и ужасный и весьма сильный; у него большие железные зубы; он пожирает и сокрушает, остатки же попирает ногами; он отличен был от всех прежних зверей, и десять рогов было у него.
7:7
μετὰ μετα with; amid
δὲ δε though; while
ταῦτα ουτος this; he
ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe
ἐν εν in
ὁράματι οραμα vision
τῆς ο the
νυκτὸς νυξ night
θηρίον θηριον beast
τέταρτον τεταρτος fourth
φοβερόν φοβερος fearful; fearsome
καὶ και and; even
ο the
φόβος φοβος fear; awe
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
ὑπερφέρων υπερφερω force
ἔχον εχω have; hold
ὀδόντας οδους tooth
σιδηροῦς σιδηρεος of iron
μεγάλους μεγας great; loud
ἐσθίον εσθιω eat; consume
καὶ και and; even
κοπανίζον κοπανιζω circling; in a circle
τοῖς ο the
ποσὶ πους foot; pace
καταπατοῦν καταπατεω trample
διαφόρως διαφορως resort to; treat
παρὰ παρα from; by
πάντα πας all; every
τὰ ο the
πρὸ προ before; ahead of
αὐτού αυτος he; him
θηρία θηριον beast
εἶχε εχω have; hold
δὲ δε though; while
κέρατα κερας horn
δέκα δεκα ten
7:7
בָּאתַ֣ר bāṯˈar בָּאתַר after
דְּנָה֩ dᵊnˌā דְּנָה this
חָזֵ֨ה ḥāzˌē חזה see
הֲוֵ֜ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be
בְּ bᵊ בְּ in
חֶזְוֵ֣י ḥezwˈê חֱזוּ vision
לֵֽילְיָ֗א lˈêlᵊyˈā לֵילֵי night
וַ wa וְ and
אֲר֣וּ ʔᵃrˈû אֲרוּ behold
חֵיוָ֣ה ḥêwˈā חֵיוָה animal
רְֽבִיעָאָ֡הרביעיה
*rᵊˈvîʕāʔˈā רְבִיעָי fourth
דְּחִילָה֩ dᵊḥîlˌā דחל fear
וְ wᵊ וְ and
אֵֽימְתָנִ֨י ʔˈêmᵊṯānˌî אֵימְתָנִי terrible
וְ wᵊ וְ and
תַקִּיפָ֜א ṯaqqîfˈā תַּקִּיף strong
יַתִּ֗ירָא yattˈîrā יַתִּיר excessive
וְ wᵊ וְ and
שִׁנַּ֨יִן šinnˌayin שֵׁן tooth
דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative]
פַרְזֶ֥ל farzˌel פַּרְזֶל iron
לַהּ֙ lˌah לְ to
רַבְרְבָ֔ן ravrᵊvˈān רַב great
אָֽכְלָ֣ה ʔˈāḵᵊlˈā אכל eat
וּ û וְ and
מַדֱּקָ֔ה maddᵉqˈā דקק crush
וּ û וְ and
שְׁאָרָ֖א šᵊʔārˌā שְׁאָר rest
בְּב
*bᵊ בְּ in
רַגְלַ֣הּרגליה
*raḡlˈah רְגַל foot
רָפְסָ֑ה rofsˈā רפס trample upon
וְ wᵊ וְ and
הִ֣יא hˈî הִיא she
מְשַׁנְּיָ֗ה mᵊšannᵊyˈā שׁנה be different
מִן־ min- מִן from
כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole
חֵֽיוָתָא֙ ḥˈêwāṯā חֵיוָה animal
דִּ֣י dˈî דִּי [relative]
קָֽדָמַ֔יהּ qˈāḏāmˈayh קֳדָם before
וְ wᵊ וְ and
קַרְנַ֥יִן qarnˌayin קֶרֶן horn
עֲשַׂ֖ר ʕᵃśˌar עֲשַׂר ten
לַֽהּ׃ lˈah לְ to
7:7. post hoc aspiciebam in visione noctis et ecce bestia quarta terribilis atque mirabilis et fortis nimis dentes ferreos habebat magnos comedens atque comminuens et reliqua pedibus suis conculcans dissimilis autem erat ceteris bestiis quas videram ante eam et habebat cornua decem
After this I beheld in the vision of the night, and lo, a fourth beast, terrible and wonderful, and exceeding strong, it had great iron teeth, eating and breaking in pieces, and treading down the rest with his feet: and it was unlike to the other beasts which I had seen before it, and had ten horns.
7:7. After this, I watched in the vision of the night, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible yet wondrous, and exceedingly strong; it had great iron teeth, eating yet crushing, and trampling down the remainder with his feet, but it was unlike the other beasts, which I had seen before it, and it had ten horns.
7:7. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had ten horns.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ tb▾ all ▾
А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
7. По словам небесного собеседника пророка Даниила, четвертый зверь означает царство, отличное от всех предшествующих (ст. 23). Его особенности заключаются в страшной всесокрушающей силе, символизируемой громадными железными клыками, и в выдающейся жадности к разрушению, истреблению: "он (зверь) пожирает и сокрушает, остатки же попирает ногами". Таким всесокрушавшим, пожиравшим всю землю (ст. 23) и уничтожавшим стоявшие на пути к обладанию миром препятствия царством было царство римское. Эту черту отмечают уже древние историки. Так, Иродион замечает, "что нет страны под небесным сводом, на которую римляне не распространили бы своей власти". Дионисий Галикарнасский, сравнивая римскую империю с предыдущими, говорит: "царство халдейское, персидское и греческое - самые славные из всех бывших до нашего времени, но Рим распространяет свое господство на все страны и моря, какие только доступны человеку. Своим необъятным владычеством он обнимает весь Восток и весь Запад". Десять рогов на голове зверя - десять царей (ст. 24).
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:7: I saw - a fourth beast - it had great iron teeth - This is allowed, on all hands, to be the Roman empire. It was dreadful, terrible, and exceeding strong: it devoured, and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue, that is, the remains of the former kingdoms, with its feet. It reduced Macedon into a Roman province about one hundred and sixty-eight years before Christ; the kingdom of Pergamos about one hundred and thirty-three years; Syria about sixty-five; and Egypt about thirty years before Christ. And, besides the remains of the Macedonian empire, it subdued many other provinces and kingdoms; so that it might, by a very usual figure, be said to devour the whole earth, to tread it down, and break it to pieces; and became in effect, what the Roman writers delight to call it, the empire of the whole world.
It (the fourth beast) was diverse from all the beasts that were before it - Not only in its republican form of government, but also in power and greatness, extent of dominion, and length of duration.
It had ten horns - The ten kingdoms into which the Roman empire was afterwards divided. Calmet says, ten Syrian kings: and he finds them thus: -
1. Seleucus Nicator.
2. Antiochus Soter.
3. Antiochus Theos.
4. Antiochus Callinicus.
5. Seleucus Ceraunus.
6. Antiochus the Great.
7. Seleucus, surnamed Philopater, brother of Antiochus Epiphanes.
8. Laomedon of Mitylene, to whom Syria and Phoenicia had been intrusted.
9. Antigone. And,
10. His son Demetrius, who possessed those provinces, with the title of kings.
This is too much like forced work. There are different opinions concerning these ten kings; or rather which they were that constituted this division of the Roman empire. They are reckoned thus: -
1. The Roman senate.
2. The Greeks, in Ravenna.
3. The Lombards in Lombardy.
4. The Buns in Hungary.
5. The Alemans, in Germany.
6. The Franks in France.
7. The Burgundians in Burgundy.
8. The Saracens in Africa, and a part of Spain.
9. The Goths, in other parts of Spain.
10. And the Saxons, in Britain.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:7: After this I saw in the night visions - The other beasts were seen also in a dream Dan 7:1, and this probably in the same night, though as a subsequent part of the dream, for the whole vision evidently passed before the prophet in a single dream. The succession, or the fact that he saw one after the other, indicates a sucession in the kingdoms. They were not to be at the same time upon the earth, but one was to arise after another in the order here indicated, though they were in some respects to occupy the same territory. The singular character of the beast that now appears; the number of the horns; the springing up of a new horn; the might and terror of the beast, and the long duration of its dominion upon the earth, attracted and fixed the attention of Daniel, led him into a more minute description of the appearance of the animal, and induced him particularly to ask an explanation of the angel of the meaning of this part of the vision, Dan 7:19.
And, behold, a fourth beast - This beast had peculiar characteristics, all of which were regarded as symbolic, and all of which demand explanation in order that we may have a just view of the nature and design of the symbol.
As in reference to the three former beasts, so also in regard to this, it will be proper to explain first the significance of the different parts of the symbol, and then in the exposition (Dan 7:19, following) to inquire into the application. The particulars of this symbol are more numerous, more striking, and more important than in either of the pRev_ious ones. These particulars are the following Dan 7:7-11 :
(a) The animal itself Dan 5:7 : "a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly." The form or nature of the beast is not given as in the preceding cases - the lion, the bear, and the leopard - but it is left for the imagination to fill up. It was a beast more terrific in its appearance than either of the others, and was evidently a monster such as could not be designated by a single name. The terms which are used here in describing the beast - "dreadful, terrible, exceedingly strong," are nearly synonymous, and are heaped together in order to give an impressive view of the terror inspired by the beast. There can be no doubt as to the general meaning of this, for it is explained Dan 7:23 as denoting a kingdom that "should devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and break it in pieces." As a symbol, it would denote some power much more fearful and much more to be dreaded; having a wider dominion; and more stern, more oppressive in its character, more severe in its exactions, and more entirely destroying the liberty of others; advancing more by power and terror, and less by art and cunning, than either. This characteristic is manifest throughout the symbol.
(b) The teeth Dan 7:7 : "and it had great iron teeth." Not only teeth or tusks, such as other animals may have, but teeth made of iron. This is characteristic of a monster, and shows that there was to be something very peculiar in the dominion that was here symbolized. The teeth are of use to eat or devour; and the symbol here is that of devouring or rending - as a fierce monster with such teeth might be supposed to rend or devour all that was before it. This, too, would denote a nation exceedingly fierce; a nation of savage ferocity; a nation that would be signally formidable to all others. For illustration, compare Jer 15:12; Mic 4:13. As explained in Dan 7:23, it is said that the kingdom denoted by this would "devour the whole earth." Teeth - great teeth, are often used as the symbols of cruelty, or of a devouring enemy. Thus in Pro 30:14 : "There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth are as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men." So David uses the word to denote the cruelty of tyrants: Psa 3:7, "Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly;" Psa 57:4, "whose teeth are spears and arrows;" Psa 58:6, "break their teeth in their mouth; break out the great teeth of the young lions."
(c) The stamping with the feet Dan 7:7 : "it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it." That is, like a fierce monster, whatever it could not devour it stamped down and crushed in the earth. This indicates a disposition or purpose to destroy, for the sake of destroying, or where no other purpose could be gained. It denotes rage, wrath, a determination to crush all in its way, to have universal dominion; and would be applicable to a nation that subdued and crushed others for the mere sake of doing it, or because it was unwilling that any other should exist and enjoy liberty - even where itself could not hope for any advantage.
(d) The fact that it was different from all that went before it Dan 7:7 : "and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it." The prophet does not specify particularly in what respects it was different, for he does not attempt to give its appearance. It was not a lion, a bear, or a leopard, but he does not say precisely what it was. Probably it was such a monster that there were no animals with which it could be compared. He states some circumstances, however, in which it was different - as in regard to the ten horns, the little horn, the iron teeth, etc., but still the imagination is left to fill up the picture in general. The meaning of this must be, that the fourth kingdom, represented by this beast, would be materially different from those which preceded it, and we must look for the fulfillment in some features that would characterize it by which it would be unlike the others. There must be something marked in the difference - something that would be more than the common difference between nations.
(e) The ten horns Dan 7:7 : "and it had ten horns." That is, the prophet saw on it ten horns as characterizing the beast. The horn is a symbol of power, and is frequently so used as an emblem or symbol in Daniel Dan 7:7-8, Dan 7:20, Dan 7:24; Dan 8:3-9, Dan 8:20-22 and Rev_elation Rev 5:6; Rev 13:1, Rev 13:11; Rev 17:3, Rev 17:12, Rev 17:16. It is used as a symbol because the great strength of horned animals is found there. Thus in Amo 6:13, it is said:
"Ye that rejoice in a thing of nought,
That say, Have we not taken dominion to ourselves By our own strength?"
(Heb. horns.)
So in Deu 33:17 :
"His beauty shall be that of a young bull,
And his horns shall be the horns of a rhinoceros:
With these he shall push the people to the extremities of the land:
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
Such the thousands of Manasseh."
- Wemyss.
So in Kg1 22:11, we find horns used in a symbolic action on the part of the false prophet Zedekiah. "He made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them." In Zac 1:18, the four horns that are seen by the prophet are said to be the four great powers which had scattered and wasted the Jews. Compare Wemyss on the Symbolic Language of Scripture, art. "Horns." There can be no doubt as to the meaning of the symbol here, for it is explained in a subsequent part of the chapter Dan 7:24, "the ten horns are the ten kings that shall arise." It would seem also, from that explanation, that they were to be ten kings that would "arise" or spring out of that kingdom at some period of its history. "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise;" that is, not that the kingdom itself would spring out of ten others that would be amalgamated or consolidated into one, but that out of that one kingdom there would spring up ten that would exercise dominion, or in which the power of the one kingdom would be ultimately lodged. Though Daniel appears to have seen these horns as pertaining to the beast when he first saw him, yet the subsequent explanation is, that these horns were emblems of the manner in which the power of that one kingdom would be finally exerted; or that ten kings or dynasties would spring out of it. We are, then, naturally to look for the fulfillment of this in some one great kingdom of huge power that would crush the nations, and from which, while the same general characteristic would remain, there would spring up ten kings, or dynasties, or kingdoms, in which the power would be concentrated.
(f) The springing up of the little horn Dan 7:8 : "I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn." There are several points to be noticed in regard to this:
(1) The fact that he "considered the horns;" that is, he looked on them until another sprang up among them. This implies that when he first saw the monster, it had no such horn, and that the horn sprang up a considerable time after he first saw it - intimating that it would occur, perhaps, far on in the history of the kingdom that was symbolized. It is implied that it was not an event which would soon occur.
(2) It sprang up "among" the others (ביניהן bē ynē yhē n) - starting from the same source, and pertaining to the same animal, and therefore a development or putting forth of the same power. The language used here does not designate, with any degree of certainty, the precise place which it occupied, but it would seem that the others stood close together, and that this sprang out of the center, or from the very midst of them - implying that the new dominion symbolized would not be a foreign dominion, but one that would spring out of the kingdom itself, or that would seem to grow up in the kingdom.
(3) It was a little horn; that is, it was small at first, though subsequently it grew so as to be emblematic of great power. This would denote that the power symbolized would be small at first - springing up gradually. The fulfillment of this would be found, neither in conquest nor in Rev_olution, nor in a change of dynasty, nor in a sudden change of a constitution, but in some power that had an obscure origin, and that was feeble and small at the beginning, yet gradually increasing, until, by its own growth, it put aside a portion of the power before exercised and occupied its place. We should naturally look for the fulfillment of this in the increase of some power within the state that had a humble origin, and that slowly developed itself until it absorbed a considerable portion of the authority that essentially resided in the kingdom represented by the monster.
(4) In the growth of that "horn," three of the others were plucked up by the roots. The proper meaning of the word used to express this (אתעקרו 'ethe‛ ă qâ râ v) is, that they were rooted out - as a tree is overturned by the roots, or the roots are turned out from the earth. The process by which this was done seems to have been by growth. The gradual increase of the horn so crowded on the others that a portion of them was forced out, and fell. What is fairly indicated by this was not any act of violence, or any sudden convulsion or Rev_olution, but such a gradual growth of power that a portion of the original power was removed, and this new power occupied its place. There was no Rev_olution, properly so-called; no change of the whole dynasty, for a large portion of the horns remained, but the gradual rise of a new power that would wield a portion of that formerly wielded by others, and that would now wield the power in its place. The number three would either indicate that three parts out of the ten were absorbed in this way, or that a considerable, though an indefinite portion, was thus absorbed.
(5) The eyes: "and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man." Eyes denote intelligence, as we see objects by their aid. The rims of the wheels in Ezekiel's vision were full of eyes Eze 1:18, as symbolic of intelligence. This would denote that the power here referred to would be remarkably sagacious. We should naturally look for the fulfillment of this in a power that laid its plans wisely and intelligently; that had large and clear views of policy; that was shrewd and far-seeing in its counsels and purposes; that was skilled in diplomacy; or, that was eminent for statesman-like plans. This part of the symbol, if it stood alone, would find its fulfillment in any wise and shrewd administration; as it stands here, surrounded by others, it would seem that this, as contrasted with them, was characteristically shrewd and far-seeing in its policy. Lengerke, following Jerome, supposes that this means that the object referred to would be a man, "as the eyes of men are keener and sharper than those of other animals." But the more correct interpretation is that above referred to - that it denotes intelligence, shrewdness, sagacity.
(6) The mouth: "and a mouth speaking great things." A mouth indicating pride and arrogance. This is explained in Dan 7:25, as meaning that he to whom it refers would "speak great words against the Most High;" that is, would be guilty of blasphemy. There would be such arrogance, and such claims set up, and such a spirit evinced, that it would be in fact a speaking against God. We naturally look for the fulfillment of this to some haughty and blaspheming power; some power that would really blaspheme religion, and that would be opposed to its progress and prosperity in the world. The Septuagint, in the Codex Chisianus, adds here, "and shall make war against the saints;" but these words are not found in the original Chaldee. They accord, however, well with the explanation in Dan 7:25. What has been here considered embraces all that pertains properly to this symbol - the symbol of the fourth beast - except the fact stated in Dan 7:11, that the beast was slain, and that his body was given to the burning flame. The inquiry as to the fulfillment will be appropriate when we come to consider the explanation given at the request of Daniel, by the angel, in Dan 7:19-25.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:7: I saw: Dan 7:2, Dan 7:13
a fourth: The Roman empire, which destroyed the Grecian, and became mistress of the world. Dan 7:19, Dan 7:23, Dan 2:40, Dan 8:10; Sa2 22:43
and it had ten: Dan 7:24, Dan 2:41, Dan 2:42; Rev 12:3, Rev 13:1, Rev 17:7, Rev 17:12
Geneva 1599
7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a (l) fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great (m) iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped (n) the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had (o) ten horns.
(l) That is, the Roman empire which was a monster, and could not be compared to any beast, because there was no beast that was even comparable.
(m) Signifying the tyranny and greediness of the Romans.
(n) That which the Romans could not quietly enjoy in other countries, they would give it to other kings and rulers, so that whenever they wanted to, they might take it again: which liberality is here called the stamping of the rest under the feet.
(o) That is, various and different provinces which were governed by the deputies and proconsuls: and each one of these might be compared to a king.
John Gill
7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast,.... Not in another night, as Jarchi; but in the same night, and in the same visions of it; only after he had seen the other three successively, then last of all he saw this fourth beast; and more being said of this than of the rest, shows that this was the principal thing in the vision to be observed, as being to endure until, and having a close connection with, the kingdom of the Messiah; which, arising, shall destroy it, and take place of it: this is not the Turkish empire, as Aben Ezra, and others: nor the kingdom of the Seleucidae, as Grotius, and others; to which neither the characters, nor the duration of it, agree; but the Roman empire, which succeeded the Grecian, so Gorionides (g):
dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; exceeding powerful, as the Roman empire was, and terrible to all the kingdoms of the earth; its armies, wherever they came, struck terror among the nations, and threw them into a panic, killing, wasting, robbing all they met with (h); and especially it was terrible to Christians, by their persecutions of them, as both Rome Pagan and Rome Papal have been. Rome has its name from strength with the Greeks, and from height with the Hebrews, as Jerom (i) observes:
Tit had great iron teeth; which may design its generals and emperors, such as Scipio, Pompey, Julius Caesar, and others; which crushed and devoured all that came in their way: this monarchy answers to the legs and feet of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's dream:
Tit devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it; it devoured nations, broke kingdoms in pieces, and brought them in subjection to them; reducing them to the greatest servitude, and obliging them to pay heavy taxes and tribute:
Tit was diverse from all the beasts that were before it: in its original, language, laws, customs, and forms of government; it was such a monster, that no name could be given it; there was no one beast in nature to which it could be compared; it had all the ill properties of the other beasts, for craft, cruelty oppression, and tyranny; and therefore John describes this same beast as being like a leopard, having the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. Rev_ 13:2,
and it had ten horns; which are explained of ten kings or kingdoms, Dan 7:24, the same with the ten toes in Nebuchadnezzar's dream and with the ten kings that received power as kings with the beast or ten kingdoms, into which the Roman empire was divided about the time of the rise of antichrist,see Gill on Rev_17:12.
(g) (Curt. Hist.) l. 3. c. 15. p. 221. (h) Raptores Orbis, &c. Taciti Vita Agricolae, c. 30. (i) Adv. Jovinian. l. 2. fol. 32. L.
John Wesley
7:7 A fourth beast - The Roman empire.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:7 As Daniel lived under the kingdom of the first beast, and therefore needed not to describe it, and as the second and third are described fully in the second part of the book, the chief emphasis falls on the fourth. Also prophecy most dwells on the end, which is the consummation of the preceding series of events. It is in the fourth that the world power manifests fully its God-opposing nature. Whereas the three former kingdoms were designated respectively, as a lion, bear, and leopard, no particular beast is specified as the image of the fourth; for Rome is so terrible as to be not describable by any one, but combines in itself all that we can imagine inexpressibly fierce in all beasts. Hence thrice (Dan 7:7, Dan 7:19, Dan 7:23) it is repeated, that the fourth was "diverse from all" the others. The formula of introduction, "I saw in the night visions," occurs here, as at Dan 7:2, and again at Dan 7:13, thus dividing the whole vision into three parts--the first embracing the three kingdoms, the second the fourth and its overthrow, the third Messiah's kingdom. The first three together take up a few centuries; the fourth, thousands of years. The whole lower half of the image in the second chapter is given to it. And whereas the other kingdoms consist of only one material, this consists of two, iron and clay (on which much stress is laid, Dan 2:41-43); the "iron teeth" here allude to one material in the fourth kingdom of the image.
ten horns--It is with the crisis, rather than the course, of the fourth kingdom that this seventh chapter is mainly concerned. The ten kings (Dan 7:24, the "horns" representing power), that is, kingdoms, into which Rome was divided on its incorporation with the Germanic and Slavonic tribes, and again at the Reformation, are thought by many to be here intended. But the variation of the list of the ten, and their ignoring the eastern half of the empire altogether, and the existence of the Papacy before the breaking up of even the Western empire, instead of being the "little horn" springing up after the other ten, are against this view. The Western Roman empire continued till A.D. 731, and the Eastern, till A.D. 1453. The ten kingdoms, therefore, prefigured by the ten "toes" (Dan 2:41; compare Rev_ 13:1; Rev_ 17:12), are the ten kingdoms into which Rome shall be found finally divided when Antichrist shall appear [TREGELLES]. These, probably, are prefigured by the number ten being the prevalent one at the chief turning points of Roman history.
7:87:8: Պշուցեալ հայէի ընդ եղջեւրս նորա. եւ ահա ա՛յլ եղջեւր փոքրիկ ելանէ՛ր ՚ի մէջ նոցա, եւ երեք եղջեւրք յառաջնոցն ՚ի բա՛ց խլէին յերեսաց նորա. եւ ահա ա՛չք իբրեւ զաչս մարդոյ յեղջեւրն յայնմիկ, եւ բերան որ խօսէր զմեծամեծս[12185]։ [12185] Ոմանք. Եւ պշուցեալ։ Բազումք. Եւ բերան նորա խօսէր։
8 Ապշած նայում էի նրա եղջիւրներին. եւ ահա մի ուրիշ փոքրիկ եղջիւր էր դուրս գալիս դրանց միջից. նախկիններից երեք եղջիւրներ թափւում էին նրա առաջ. եւ ահա մարդու աչքերի պէս աչքեր կային այդ եղջիւրի վրայ, նաեւ մի բերան, որ մեծ-մեծ բաներ էր խօսում:
8 Երբ եղջիւրները կը դիտէի, ահա անոնց մէջ ուրիշ պզտիկ եղջիւր մը ելաւ, որուն առջեւէն միւս եղջիւրներէն երեքը խլուեցան եւ ահա այս եղջիւրին վրայ մարդու աչքերու պէս աչքեր ու մեծ բաներ խօսող բերան կար։
Պշուցեալ հայէի ընդ եղջեւրս նորա. եւ ահա այլ եղջեւր փոքրիկ ելանէր ի մէջ նոցա, եւ երեք եղջեւրք յառաջնոցն ի բաց խլէին յերեսաց նորա, եւ ահա աչք իբրեւ զաչս մարդոյ յեղջերն յայնմիկ, եւ բերան որ խօսէր զմեծամեծս:

7:8: Պշուցեալ հայէի ընդ եղջեւրս նորա. եւ ահա ա՛յլ եղջեւր փոքրիկ ելանէ՛ր ՚ի մէջ նոցա, եւ երեք եղջեւրք յառաջնոցն ՚ի բա՛ց խլէին յերեսաց նորա. եւ ահա ա՛չք իբրեւ զաչս մարդոյ յեղջեւրն յայնմիկ, եւ բերան որ խօսէր զմեծամեծս[12185]։
[12185] Ոմանք. Եւ պշուցեալ։ Բազումք. Եւ բերան նորա խօսէր։
8 Ապշած նայում էի նրա եղջիւրներին. եւ ահա մի ուրիշ փոքրիկ եղջիւր էր դուրս գալիս դրանց միջից. նախկիններից երեք եղջիւրներ թափւում էին նրա առաջ. եւ ահա մարդու աչքերի պէս աչքեր կային այդ եղջիւրի վրայ, նաեւ մի բերան, որ մեծ-մեծ բաներ էր խօսում:
8 Երբ եղջիւրները կը դիտէի, ահա անոնց մէջ ուրիշ պզտիկ եղջիւր մը ելաւ, որուն առջեւէն միւս եղջիւրներէն երեքը խլուեցան եւ ահա այս եղջիւրին վրայ մարդու աչքերու պէս աչքեր ու մեծ բաներ խօսող բերան կար։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:87:8 Я смотрел на эти рога, и вот, вышел между ними еще небольшой рог, и три из прежних рогов с корнем исторгнуты были перед ним, и вот, в этом роге были глаза, как глаза человеческие, и уста, говорящие высокомерно.
7:8 καὶ και and; even βουλαὶ βουλη intent πολλαὶ πολυς much; many ἐν εν in τοῖς ο the κέρασιν κερας horn αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am ἄλλο αλλος another; else ἓν εις.1 one; unit κέρας κερας horn ἀνεφύη αναφυω up; each μέσον μεσος in the midst; in the middle αὐτῶν αυτος he; him μικρὸν μικρος little; small ἐν εν in τοῖς ο the κέρασιν κερας horn αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even τρία τρεις three τῶν ο the κεράτων κερας horn τῶν ο the πρώτων πρωτος first; foremost ἐξηράνθησαν ξηραινω wither; dry δι᾿ δια through; because of αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am ὀφθαλμοὶ οφθαλμος eye; sight ὥσπερ ωσπερ just as ὀφθαλμοὶ οφθαλμος eye; sight ἀνθρώπινοι ανθρωπινος human; humanely ἐν εν in τῷ ο the κέρατι κερας horn τούτῳ ουτος this; he καὶ και and; even στόμα στομα mouth; edge λαλοῦν λαλεω talk; speak μεγάλα μεγας great; loud καὶ και and; even ἐποίει ποιεω do; make πόλεμον πολεμος battle πρὸς προς to; toward τοὺς ο the ἁγίους αγιος holy
7:8 מִשְׂתַּכַּ֨ל miśtakkˌal שׂכל consider הֲוֵ֜ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be בְּ bᵊ בְּ in קַרְנַיָּ֗א qarnayyˈā קֶרֶן horn וַ֠ wa וְ and אֲלוּ ʔᵃlˌû אֲלוּ behold קֶ֣רֶן qˈeren קֶרֶן horn אָחֳרִ֤י ʔoḥᵒrˈî אָחֳרִי another זְעֵירָה֙ zᵊʕêrˌā זְעֵיר small סִלְקָ֣ת silqˈāṯ סלק go up בֵּֽינֵיהֵ֔ןביניהון *bˈênêhˈēn בֵּין between וּ û וְ and תְלָ֗ת ṯᵊlˈāṯ תְּלָת three מִן־ min- מִן from קַרְנַיָּא֙ qarnayyˌā קֶרֶן horn קַדְמָ֣יָתָ֔א qaḏmˈāyāṯˈā קַדְמָי first אֶתְעֲקַ֖רָהאתעקרו *ʔeṯʕᵃqˌarā עקר pluck out מִן־ min- מִן from קֳדָמַ֑הּקדמיה *qᵒḏāmˈah קֳדָם before וַ wa וְ and אֲל֨וּ ʔᵃlˌû אֲלוּ behold עַיְנִ֜ין ʕaynˈîn עַיִן eye כְּ kᵊ כְּ like עַיְנֵ֤י ʕaynˈê עַיִן eye אֲנָשָׁא֙ ʔᵃnāšˌā אֱנָשׁ mankind בְּ bᵊ בְּ in קַרְנָא־ qarnā- קֶרֶן horn דָ֔א ḏˈā דָּא this וּ û וְ and פֻ֖ם fˌum פֻּם mouth מְמַלִּ֥ל mᵊmallˌil מלל speak רַבְרְבָֽן׃ ravrᵊvˈān רַב great
7:8. considerabam cornua et ecce cornu aliud parvulum ortum est de medio eorum et tria de cornibus primis evulsa sunt a facie eius et ecce oculi quasi oculi hominis erant in cornu isto et os loquens ingentiaI considered the horns, and behold another little horn sprung out of the midst of them: and three of the first horns were plucked up at the presence thereof: and behold eyes like the eyes of a man were in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things.
8. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
7:8. I considered the horns, and behold, another little horn rose out of the midst of them. And three of the first horns were rooted out by its presence. And behold, eyes like the eyes of a man were in this horn, and a mouth speaking unnatural things.
7:8. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things:

7:8 Я смотрел на эти рога, и вот, вышел между ними еще небольшой рог, и три из прежних рогов с корнем исторгнуты были перед ним, и вот, в этом роге были глаза, как глаза человеческие, и уста, говорящие высокомерно.
7:8
καὶ και and; even
βουλαὶ βουλη intent
πολλαὶ πολυς much; many
ἐν εν in
τοῖς ο the
κέρασιν κερας horn
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am
ἄλλο αλλος another; else
ἓν εις.1 one; unit
κέρας κερας horn
ἀνεφύη αναφυω up; each
μέσον μεσος in the midst; in the middle
αὐτῶν αυτος he; him
μικρὸν μικρος little; small
ἐν εν in
τοῖς ο the
κέρασιν κερας horn
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
τρία τρεις three
τῶν ο the
κεράτων κερας horn
τῶν ο the
πρώτων πρωτος first; foremost
ἐξηράνθησαν ξηραινω wither; dry
δι᾿ δια through; because of
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am
ὀφθαλμοὶ οφθαλμος eye; sight
ὥσπερ ωσπερ just as
ὀφθαλμοὶ οφθαλμος eye; sight
ἀνθρώπινοι ανθρωπινος human; humanely
ἐν εν in
τῷ ο the
κέρατι κερας horn
τούτῳ ουτος this; he
καὶ και and; even
στόμα στομα mouth; edge
λαλοῦν λαλεω talk; speak
μεγάλα μεγας great; loud
καὶ και and; even
ἐποίει ποιεω do; make
πόλεμον πολεμος battle
πρὸς προς to; toward
τοὺς ο the
ἁγίους αγιος holy
7:8
מִשְׂתַּכַּ֨ל miśtakkˌal שׂכל consider
הֲוֵ֜ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be
בְּ bᵊ בְּ in
קַרְנַיָּ֗א qarnayyˈā קֶרֶן horn
וַ֠ wa וְ and
אֲלוּ ʔᵃlˌû אֲלוּ behold
קֶ֣רֶן qˈeren קֶרֶן horn
אָחֳרִ֤י ʔoḥᵒrˈî אָחֳרִי another
זְעֵירָה֙ zᵊʕêrˌā זְעֵיר small
סִלְקָ֣ת silqˈāṯ סלק go up
בֵּֽינֵיהֵ֔ןביניהון
*bˈênêhˈēn בֵּין between
וּ û וְ and
תְלָ֗ת ṯᵊlˈāṯ תְּלָת three
מִן־ min- מִן from
קַרְנַיָּא֙ qarnayyˌā קֶרֶן horn
קַדְמָ֣יָתָ֔א qaḏmˈāyāṯˈā קַדְמָי first
אֶתְעֲקַ֖רָהאתעקרו
*ʔeṯʕᵃqˌarā עקר pluck out
מִן־ min- מִן from
קֳדָמַ֑הּקדמיה
*qᵒḏāmˈah קֳדָם before
וַ wa וְ and
אֲל֨וּ ʔᵃlˌû אֲלוּ behold
עַיְנִ֜ין ʕaynˈîn עַיִן eye
כְּ kᵊ כְּ like
עַיְנֵ֤י ʕaynˈê עַיִן eye
אֲנָשָׁא֙ ʔᵃnāšˌā אֱנָשׁ mankind
בְּ bᵊ בְּ in
קַרְנָא־ qarnā- קֶרֶן horn
דָ֔א ḏˈā דָּא this
וּ û וְ and
פֻ֖ם fˌum פֻּם mouth
מְמַלִּ֥ל mᵊmallˌil מלל speak
רַבְרְבָֽן׃ ravrᵊvˈān רַב great
7:8. considerabam cornua et ecce cornu aliud parvulum ortum est de medio eorum et tria de cornibus primis evulsa sunt a facie eius et ecce oculi quasi oculi hominis erant in cornu isto et os loquens ingentia
I considered the horns, and behold another little horn sprung out of the midst of them: and three of the first horns were plucked up at the presence thereof: and behold eyes like the eyes of a man were in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things.
7:8. I considered the horns, and behold, another little horn rose out of the midst of them. And three of the first horns were rooted out by its presence. And behold, eyes like the eyes of a man were in this horn, and a mouth speaking unnatural things.
7:8. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ac▾ tb▾ all ▾
А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
8. Подобно десяти первым рогам, новый рог, выросший на голове четвертого зверя, также означает царя, только резко отличающегося от первых. И действительно, если данные ему человеческие глаза и высокомерно говорящие уста указывают на человеческое существо особенной хитрости, - выдающееся знание (ср. Быт 3:5), гордость, то объяснения небожителя свидетельствуют, что эти свойства проникнуты характером исключительной боговраждебности. Одиннадцатый рог употребит свою силу на борьбу со святыми Вышнего, которых будет поражать в течение времени, времен и полувремени, пытаясь отменить у них праздничные времена и закон, а свое высокомерие проявит в гордых словах против Всевышнего (ст. 21, 25).
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:8: Another little horn - Among Protestant writers this is considered to be the popedom.
Before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up - These were probably,
1. The exarchate of Ravenna.
2. The kingdom of the Lombards. And,
3. The state of Rome.
The first was given to the Pope, Stephen II., by Pepin, king of France, a.d. 755; and this constituted the pope's temporal princes. The second was given to St. Peter by Charlemagne, in 774. The third, the state of Rome, was vested in the pope, both in spirituals and temporals, and confirmed to him by Lewis the pious. These are the three horns which were plucked up from the roots before the little horn.
Were eyes like the eyes of a man - Intimating cunning and superintendence; for the pope calls himself Episcopus episcoporum, the Overseer of overseers.
And a mouth speaking great things - Full of boasting; pretending to unlimited jurisdiction; binding and loosing at pleasure; promising to absolve from all sins, present, past, and future; and threatening to send to everlasting destruction all kings, kingdoms, and individuals, who would dare to dispute his power and authority.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:8: another: Dan 7:20-25, Dan 8:9-12; Rev 13:11-13
eyes like: Dan 8:23-25; Rev 9:7
a mouth: Dan 7:25, Dan 11:36; Sa1 2:3; Psa 12:3; Th2 2:4; Ti2 3:2; Pe2 2:18; Jde 1:16; Rev 13:1, Rev 13:5, Rev 13:6
Geneva 1599
7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little (p) horn, before whom there were (q) three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] (r) eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
(p) Which is meant of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, etc., who were as kings in effect, but because they could not rule, except by the consent of the senate, their power is compared to a little horn. For Muhammad did not come from the Roman Empire, and the pope has no vocation of government: therefore this cannot be applied to them, and also in this prophecy the Prophet's purpose is chiefly to comfort the Jews until the revelation of Christ. Some take it for the whole body of antichrist.
(q) Meaning a certain portion of the ten horns: that is, a part from the whole estate was taken away. For Augustus took from the senate the liberty of choosing the deputies to send into the provinces, and took the governing of certain countries to himself.
(r) These Roman emperors at the first used a certain humanity and gentleness, and were content that others, as the consuls, and senate, should bear the names of dignity, so that they might have the profit. And therefore in election and counsels they would behave themselves according as did other senators: yet against their enemies and those that would resist them, they were fierce and cruel, which is here meant by the proud mouth.
John Gill
7:8 I considered the horns,.... The ten horns of the fourth beast; these the prophet particularly looked at, took special notice of them, carefully observed them, their number, form, and situation, and pondered in his mind what should be the meaning of them:
and, behold; while he was attentive to these, and thinking within himself what they should be, something still more wonderful presented:
there came up among them another little horn; not Titus Vespasian, as Jarchi; nor the Turkish empire, as Saadiah; nor Antiochus Epiphanes, as many Christian interpreters; for not a single person or king is meant by a horn, but a kingdom or state, and a succession of governors; as by the other ten horns are meant ten kings or kingdoms; besides, this little horn is a part of the fourth, and not the third beast, to which Antiochus belonged; and was to rise up, not in the third or Grecian monarchy, as he did, but in the fourth and Roman monarchy; and was to continue until the spiritual coming of Christ; or, until his kingdom in a spiritual sense takers place; which is not true of him: and since no other has appeared in the Roman empire, to whom the characters of this horn agree, but antichrist or the pope of Rome, he may be well thought to be intended. Irenaeus (k), an ancient Christian writer, who lived in the second century, interprets it of antichrist; of whom having said many things, has these words:
"Daniel having respect to the end of the last kingdom; that is the last ten kings among whom their kingdom should be divided, upon whom the son of perdition shall come; he says that ten horns shall be upon the beast, and another little horn should rise up in the midst of them; and three horns of the first be rooted out before him; and, "behold", saith he, "in this horn were eyes as the eyes of man", &c.; of whom again the Apostle Paul, in Th2 2:8 declaring together the cause of his coming, thus says, "and then shall that wicked one be revealed &c."''
and in a following chapter (l) the same writer observes,
"John the disciple of the Lord in the Revelation hath yet more manifestly signified of the last time, and of those ten kings in it, among whom the empire that now reigns (the Roman empire) shall be divided; declaring what shall be the ten horns, which were seen by Daniel; saying, "the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet, &c."; therefore it is manifest, that of these he that is to come shall slay three, and the rest shall be subject to him, and he shall be the eighth among them;''
and Jerom on the place says, that this is the sense of
"all ecclesiastical writers, that when the Roman empire is destroyed, there shall be ten kings who shall divide it among them; and an eleventh shall arise, a little king, who shall conquer three of the ten kings; and having slain them, the other seven shall submit their necks to the conqueror:''
who he further observes is not a devil or demon, but a man, the man of sin, and son of perdition; so as that he dare to sit in the temple of God, making himself as if he was God: now to the Roman antichrist everything here said answers: he is a "horn", possessed of power, strength, authority, and dominion, of which the horn is an emblem; a "little" one, which rose from small beginnings, and came to his ecclesiastic power, from a common pastor or bishop, to be a metropolitan of Italy, and then universal bishop; and to his secular power, which at first was very small, and since increased; and yet in comparison of other horns or kingdoms, but little; though, being allowed to exercise a power within others, is, or at least has been, very formidable: this "came up among" the other horns; when the northern barbarous nations broke into the empire and set up ten kingdoms in it, this little horn sprung up among them; and while they were forming kingdoms for themselves, he was contriving one for himself; they rose at the same time and reigned together; see Rev_ 17:12,
before whom, there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; before whom three kings or kingdoms fell, and were subdued as in Dan 7:20 which, according to Mr. Mede (m), were the kingdoms of the Greeks, of the Longobards, and of the Franks; but, according to Sir Isaac Newton (n), they were the exarchate of Ravenna, the kingdom of the Lombards, and the senate and dukedom of Rome; or, according to the present bishop of Clogher (o), the Campagnia of Rome, the exarchate of Ravenna, and the region of Pentapolis, which were plucked up by Pipin and Charlemagne, kings of France, and given to the pope; and were confirmed to him by their successor Lewis the pious, and is what is called the patrimony of St. Peter; in memory of which a piece of Mosaic work was made and put up in the pope's palace, representing St. Peter with three keys in his lap; signifying the three keys of the three parts of his patrimony; and to show his sovereignty over them, the pope to this day wears a triple crown:
and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man; in some monstrous births there have been eyes in the knees, and in the belly above the navel (p); but never was there known such a monster as this, to have a horn, and eyes in the horn; horns some monsters have but not eyes in them: these may design the pretended sanctity and religion of the pope of Rome or antichrist, who, though a beast, would be thought to be a man, a religious creature; or his pretended modesty, humanity, and courtesy, when he is all the reverse; or rather his insight into the Scriptures he makes pretension to, setting himself up as an infallible judge of them, and of all controversies: though they seem better to design what he really has than what he pretends to; and may denote his penetration and sagacity, his craft and cunning, and sharp looking out to get power and dominion, temporal and spiritual; and his watchfulness to keep it, that it is not encroached upon, and took away from him; and also all means and instruments by which he inspects his own and others' affairs; particularly the order of the Jesuits, which are his eyes everywhere, spies in all kingdoms and courts, and get intelligence of what is done in the councils and cabinets of princes: how many eyes this horn had is not said; nor is it easy to say how many the pope of Rome has; he has as many as Argus, and more too, and these sharp and piercing:
and a mouth speaking great things as that he is Christ's vicar on earth, Peter's successor, head of the church, and universal bishop; that he is infallible, and cannot err; that he has all power in heaven, earth, and hell; that he can forgive sin, grant indulgences, make new laws, and bind the consciences of men; dispense with the laws of God and men; dispose of kingdoms, and remove and set up kings at pleasure, with many others of the like kind; see Rev_ 13:5.
(k) Advers. Haeress, l. 5. c. 25. (l) Ibid. c. 26. (m) Works, B. 4. p. 779. (n) Observations on Daniel, p. 75-78, 80, 88. (o) Inquiry into the Time of the Messiah's coming, p. 28. (p) Vid. Schott. Phyica Curiosa, l. 5. c. 25. p. 711, 712.
John Wesley
7:8 Another little horn - Probably either the Turk or the Romish antichrist.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:8 little horn--little at first, but afterwards waxing greater than all others. He must be sought "among them," namely, the ten horns. The Roman empire did not represent itself as a continuation of Alexander's; but the Germanic empire calls itself "the holy Roman empire." Napoleon's attempted universal monarchy was avowedly Roman: his son was called king of Rome. The czar (CÃ&brvbr;sar) also professes to represent the eastern half of the Roman empire. The Roman civilization, church, language, and law are the chief elements in Germanic civilization. But the Romanic element seeks universal empire, while the Germanic seeks individualization. Hence the universal monarchies attempted by the Papacy, Charlemagne, Charles V, and Napoleon have failed, the iron not amalgamating with the clay. In the king symbolized by "the little horn," the God-opposing, haughty spirit of the world, represented by the fourth monarchy, finds its intensest development. "The man of sin," "the son of perdition" (Th2 2:3). Antichrist (1Jn 2:18, 1Jn 2:22; 1Jn 4:3). It is the complete evolution of the evil principle introduced by the fall.
three of the first horns plucked up--the exarchate of Ravenna, the kingdom of the Lombards and the state of Rome, which constituted the Pope's dominions at the first; obtained by Pope Zachary and Stephen II in return for acknowledging the usurper Pepin lawful king of France [NEWTON]. See TREGELLES' objections, Dan 7:7, "ten horns," Note. The "little horn," in his view, is to be Antichrist rising three and a half years before Christ's second advent, having first overthrown three of the ten contemporaneous kingdoms, into which the fourth monarchy, under which we live, shall be finally divided. Popery seems to be a fulfilment of the prophecy in many particulars, the Pope claiming to be God on earth and above all earthly dominions; but the spirit of Antichrist prefigured by Popery will probably culminate in ONE individual, to be destroyed by Christ's coming; He will be the product of the political world powers, whereas Popery which prepares His way, is a Church become worldly.
eyes of man--Eyes express intelligence (Ezek 1:18); so (Gen 3:5) the serpent's promise was, man's "eyes should be opened," if he would but rebel against God. Antichrist shall consummate the self-apotheosis, begun at the fall, high intellectual culture, independent of God. The metals representing Babylon and Medo-Persia, gold and silver, are more precious than brass and iron, representing Greece and Rome; but the latter metals are more useful to civilization (Gen 4:22). The clay, representing the Germanic element, is the most plastic material. Thus there is a progress in culture; but this is not a progress necessarily in man's truest dignity, namely, union and likeness to God. Nay, it has led him farther from God, to self-reliance and world-love. The beginnings of civilization were among the children of Cain (Gen 4:17-24; Lk 16:8). Antiochus Epiphanes, the first Antichrist, came from civilized Greece, and loved art. As Hellenic civilization produced the first, so modern civilization under the fourth monarchy will produce the last Antichrist. The "mouth" and "eyes" are those of a man, while the symbol is otherwise brutish that is it will assume man's true dignity, namely, wear the guise of the kingdom of God (which comes as the "Son of man" from above), while it is really bestial, namely, severed from God. Antichrist promises the same things as Christ, but in an opposite way: a caricature of Christ, offering a regenerated world without the cross. Babylon and Persia in their religion had more reverence for things divine than Greece and Rome in the imperial stages of their history. Nebuchadnezzar's human heart, given him (Dan 4:16) on his repentance, contrasts with the human eyes of Antichrist, the pseudo son of man, namely, intellectual culture, while heart and mouth blaspheme God. The deterioration politically corresponds: the first kingdom, an organic unity; the second, divided into Median and Persian; the third branches off into four; the fourth, into ten. The two eastern kingdoms are marked by nobler metals; the two western, by baser; individualization and division appear in the latter, and it is they which produce the two Antichrists.
7:97:9: Տեսանէի մինչեւ աթոռք անկանէին, եւ Հինաւուրցն նստէր. հանդերձ նորա սպիտակ իբրեւ զձիւն, եւ հեր գլխոյ նորա իբրեւ զասր սուրբ. աթո՛ռ նորա իբրեւ զբո՛ց հրոյ, անի՛ւք նորա իբրեւ զհուր բորբոքեալ[12186]. [12186] Ոմանք. Եւ Հինաւուրց նստէր։ Օրինակ մի. Որպէս զբոց հրոյ. անիւք կառաց նորա որպէս զհուր։
9 Նայում էի, մինչեւ որ աթոռներ դրուեցին, եւ մի Ծերունի նստում էր այնտեղ. նրա հագուստը ձեան պէս սպիտակ էր, նրա գլխի մազերը մաքուր էին գեղմի նման, նրա աթոռը՝ կրակի բոցի նման, եւ նրա անիւները՝ ինչպէս բորբոքուած կրակ:
9 «Երբ կը դիտէի, աթոռներ դրուեցան ու Հինաւուրցը նստաւ։ Անոր զգեստը՝ ձիւնի պէս ճերմակ ու գլխուն մազը մաքուր բուրդի պէս էր։ Անոր աթոռը՝ կրակի բոցի պէս ու անիւները վառած կրակի պէս էին։
Տեսանէի մինչեւ աթոռք անկանէին, եւ Հինաւուրցն նստէր. հանդերձ նորա սպիտակ իբրեւ զձիւն, եւ հեր գլխոյ նորա իբրեւ զասր սուրբ, աթոռ նորա իբրեւ զբոց հրոյ, անիւք նորա իբրեւ զհուր բորբոքեալ:

7:9: Տեսանէի մինչեւ աթոռք անկանէին, եւ Հինաւուրցն նստէր. հանդերձ նորա սպիտակ իբրեւ զձիւն, եւ հեր գլխոյ նորա իբրեւ զասր սուրբ. աթո՛ռ նորա իբրեւ զբո՛ց հրոյ, անի՛ւք նորա իբրեւ զհուր բորբոքեալ[12186].
[12186] Ոմանք. Եւ Հինաւուրց նստէր։ Օրինակ մի. Որպէս զբոց հրոյ. անիւք կառաց նորա որպէս զհուր։
9 Նայում էի, մինչեւ որ աթոռներ դրուեցին, եւ մի Ծերունի նստում էր այնտեղ. նրա հագուստը ձեան պէս սպիտակ էր, նրա գլխի մազերը մաքուր էին գեղմի նման, նրա աթոռը՝ կրակի բոցի նման, եւ նրա անիւները՝ ինչպէս բորբոքուած կրակ:
9 «Երբ կը դիտէի, աթոռներ դրուեցան ու Հինաւուրցը նստաւ։ Անոր զգեստը՝ ձիւնի պէս ճերմակ ու գլխուն մազը մաքուր բուրդի պէս էր։ Անոր աթոռը՝ կրակի բոցի պէս ու անիւները վառած կրակի պէս էին։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:97:9 Видел я, наконец, что поставлены были престолы, и воссел Ветхий днями; одеяние на Нем было бело, как снег, и волосы главы Его как чистая в{о}лна; престол Его как пламя огня, колеса Его пылающий огонь.
7:9 ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe ἕως εως till; until ὅτε οτε when θρόνοι θρονος throne ἐτέθησαν τιθημι put; make καὶ και and; even παλαιὸς παλαιος old ἡμερῶν ημερα day ἐκάθητο καθημαι sit; settle ἔχων εχω have; hold περιβολὴν περιβολη as if; about χιόνα χιων snow καὶ και and; even τὸ ο the τρίχωμα τριχωμα the κεφαλῆς κεφαλη head; top αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him ὡσεὶ ωσει as if; about ἔριον εριον wool λευκὸν λευκος white καθαρόν καθαρος clean; clear ὁ ο the θρόνος θρονος throne ὡσεὶ ωσει as if; about φλὸξ φλοξ blaze πυρός πυρ fire
7:9 חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see הֲוֵ֗ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be עַ֣ד ʕˈaḏ עַד until דִּ֤י dˈî דִּי [relative] כָרְסָוָן֙ ḵorsāwˌān כָּרְסֵא throne רְמִ֔יו rᵊmˈiʸw רמה throw וְ wᵊ וְ and עַתִּ֥יק ʕattˌîq עַתִּיק old יֹומִ֖ין yômˌîn יֹום day יְתִ֑ב yᵊṯˈiv יתב sit לְבוּשֵׁ֣הּ׀ lᵊvûšˈēh לְבוּשׁ garment כִּ ki כְּ like תְלַ֣ג ṯᵊlˈaḡ תְּלַג snow חִוָּ֗ר ḥiwwˈār חִוָּר white וּ û וְ and שְׂעַ֤ר śᵊʕˈar שְׂעַר hair רֵאשֵׁהּ֙ rēšˌēh רֵאשׁ head כַּ ka כְּ like עֲמַ֣ר ʕᵃmˈar עֲמַר wool נְקֵ֔א nᵊqˈē נְקֵא pure כָּרְסְיֵהּ֙ korsᵊyˌēh כָּרְסֵא throne שְׁבִיבִ֣ין šᵊvîvˈîn שְׁבִיב flame דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative] נ֔וּר nˈûr נוּר fire גַּלְגִּלֹּ֖והִי galgillˌôhî גַּלְגַּל wheel נ֥וּר nˌûr נוּר fire דָּלִֽק׃ dālˈiq דלק burn
7:9. aspiciebam donec throni positi sunt et antiquus dierum sedit vestimentum eius quasi nix candidum et capilli capitis eius quasi lana munda thronus eius flammae ignis rotae eius ignis accensusI beheld till thrones were placed, and the ancient of days sat: his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool: his throne like flames of fire: the wheels of it like a burning fire.
9. I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, the wheels thereof burning fire.
7:9. I watched until thrones were set up, and the ancient of days sat down. His garment was radiant like snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool; his throne was flames of fire, its wheels had been set on fire.
7:9. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire.
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire:

7:9 Видел я, наконец, что поставлены были престолы, и воссел Ветхий днями; одеяние на Нем было бело, как снег, и волосы главы Его как чистая в{о}лна; престол Его как пламя огня, колеса Его пылающий огонь.
7:9
ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe
ἕως εως till; until
ὅτε οτε when
θρόνοι θρονος throne
ἐτέθησαν τιθημι put; make
καὶ και and; even
παλαιὸς παλαιος old
ἡμερῶν ημερα day
ἐκάθητο καθημαι sit; settle
ἔχων εχω have; hold
περιβολὴν περιβολη as if; about
χιόνα χιων snow
καὶ και and; even
τὸ ο the
τρίχωμα τριχωμα the
κεφαλῆς κεφαλη head; top
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
ὡσεὶ ωσει as if; about
ἔριον εριον wool
λευκὸν λευκος white
καθαρόν καθαρος clean; clear
ο the
θρόνος θρονος throne
ὡσεὶ ωσει as if; about
φλὸξ φλοξ blaze
πυρός πυρ fire
7:9
חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see
הֲוֵ֗ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be
עַ֣ד ʕˈaḏ עַד until
דִּ֤י dˈî דִּי [relative]
כָרְסָוָן֙ ḵorsāwˌān כָּרְסֵא throne
רְמִ֔יו rᵊmˈiʸw רמה throw
וְ wᵊ וְ and
עַתִּ֥יק ʕattˌîq עַתִּיק old
יֹומִ֖ין yômˌîn יֹום day
יְתִ֑ב yᵊṯˈiv יתב sit
לְבוּשֵׁ֣הּ׀ lᵊvûšˈēh לְבוּשׁ garment
כִּ ki כְּ like
תְלַ֣ג ṯᵊlˈaḡ תְּלַג snow
חִוָּ֗ר ḥiwwˈār חִוָּר white
וּ û וְ and
שְׂעַ֤ר śᵊʕˈar שְׂעַר hair
רֵאשֵׁהּ֙ rēšˌēh רֵאשׁ head
כַּ ka כְּ like
עֲמַ֣ר ʕᵃmˈar עֲמַר wool
נְקֵ֔א nᵊqˈē נְקֵא pure
כָּרְסְיֵהּ֙ korsᵊyˌēh כָּרְסֵא throne
שְׁבִיבִ֣ין šᵊvîvˈîn שְׁבִיב flame
דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative]
נ֔וּר nˈûr נוּר fire
גַּלְגִּלֹּ֖והִי galgillˌôhî גַּלְגַּל wheel
נ֥וּר nˌûr נוּר fire
דָּלִֽק׃ dālˈiq דלק burn
7:9. aspiciebam donec throni positi sunt et antiquus dierum sedit vestimentum eius quasi nix candidum et capilli capitis eius quasi lana munda thronus eius flammae ignis rotae eius ignis accensus
I beheld till thrones were placed, and the ancient of days sat: his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool: his throne like flames of fire: the wheels of it like a burning fire.
7:9. I watched until thrones were set up, and the ancient of days sat down. His garment was radiant like snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool; his throne was flames of fire, its wheels had been set on fire.
7:9. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ kad▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ mh▾ tb▾ all ▾
А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
9. Жизнь и деятельность одиннадцатого рога заканчивается судом над ним. Величественный вид Судии - Господа, вид Старца, свидетельствует о внушаемом Им благоговении; о совершеннейшей чистоте и святости Его существа говорит облекающая Его белая одежда и чистые, как волна, волосы (Ис 1:18). [Собственно говоря, волна - по-славянски - овечья шерсть, обработанная и отбеленная. Прим. ред. ] Его святая ревность символизируется огненным видом престола, а ее простирающееся на все живущее действие - истекающею из-под престола рекою. Окруженный бесчисленными сонмами Ангелов, призванных к участию в суде, Судия воссел на престоле, и "книги раскрылись", - обнаружились и подверглись обсуждению дела подсудимых, не скрытые от всеведения Божия.
Matthew Henry: Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible - 1706
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. 13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Whether we understand the fourth beast to signify the Syrian empire, or the Roman, or the former as the figure of the latter, it is plain that these verses are intended for the comfort and support of the people of God in reference to the persecutions they were likely to sustain both from the one and from the other, and from all their proud enemies in every age; for it is written for their learning on whom the ends of the world have come, that they also, through patience and comfort of this scripture, might have hope. Three things are here discovered that are very encouraging:--
I. That there is a judgment to come, and God is the Judge. Now men have their day, and every pretender thinks he should have his day, and struggles for it. But he that sits in heaven laughs at them, for he sees that his day is coming, Ps. xxxvii. 13. I beheld (v. 9) till the thrones were cast down, not only the thrones of these beasts, but all rule, authority, power, that are set up in opposition to the kingdom of God among men (1 Cor. xv. 24): such are the thrones of the kingdoms of the world, in comparison with God's kingdom; those that see them set up need but wait awhile, and they will see them cast down. I beheld till thrones were set up (so it may as well be read), Christ's throne and the throne of his Father. One of the rabbin confesses that these thrones are set up, one for God, another for the Son of David. It is the judgment that is here set, v. 10. Now, 1. This is intended to proclaim God's wise and righteous government of the world by his providence; and an unspeakable satisfaction it gives to all good men, in the midst of the convulsions and revolutions of states and kingdoms, that the Lord has prepared his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all (Ps. ciii. 19), that verily there is a God that judges in the earth, Ps. lviii. 11. 2. Perhaps it points at the destruction brought by the providence of God upon the empire of Syria, or that of Rome, for their tyrannizing over the people of God. But, 3. It seems principally designed to describe the last judgment, for though it follow not immediately upon the dominion of the fourth beast, nay, though it be yet to come, perhaps many ages to come, yet it was intended that in every age the people of God should encourage themselves, under their troubles, with the belief and prospect of it. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of it, Jude 14. Does the mouth of the enemy speak great things, v. 8. Here are far greater things which the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Many of the New-Testament predictions of the judgment to come have a plain allusion to this vision, especially St John's vision of it, Rev. xx. 11, 12. (1.) The Judge is the Ancient of days himself, God the Father, the glory of whose presence is here described. He is called the Ancient of days, because he is God from everlasting to everlasting. Among men we reckon that with the ancient is wisdom, and days shall speak; shall not all flesh then be silent before him who is the Ancient of days? The glory of the Judge is here set forth by his garment, which was white as snow, denoting his splendour and purity in all the administrations of his justice; and the hair of his head clean and white, as the pure wool, that, as the white and hoary head, he may appear venerable. (2.) The throne is very formidable. It is like the fiery flame, dreadful to the wicked that shall be summoned before it. And the throne being movable upon wheels, or at least the chariot in which he rode the circuit, the wheels thereof are as burning fire, to devour the adversaries; for our God is a consuming fire, and with him are everlasting burnings, Isa. xxxiii. 14. This is enlarged upon, v. 10. As to all his faithful friends there proceeds out of the throne of God and the Lamb a pure river of water of life (Rev. xxii. 1), so to all his implacable enemies there issues and comes forth from his throne a fiery stream, a stream of brimstone (Isa. xxx. 33), a fire that shall devour before him. He is a swift witness, and his word a word upon the wheels. (3.) The attendants are numerous and very splendid. The Shechinah is always attended with angels; it is so here (v. 10): Thousand thousands minister to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before him. It is his glory that he has such attendants, but much more his glory that he neither needs them nor can be benefited by them. See how numerous the heavenly hosts are (there are thousands of angels), and how obsequious they are--they stand before God, ready to go on his errands and to take the first intimation of his will and pleasure. They will particularly be employed as ministers of his justice in the last judgment day, when the Son of man shall come, and all the holy angels with him. Enoch prophesied that the Lord should come with his holy myriads. (4.) The process is fair and unexceptionable: The judgment is set, publicly and openly, that all may have recourse to it; and the books are opened. As in courts of judgment among men the proceedings are in writing and upon record, which is laid open when the cause comes to a hearing, the examination of witnesses is produced, and affidavits are read, to clear the matter of fact, and the statute and common-law books are consulted to find out what is the law, so, in the judgment of the great day, the equity of the sentence will be as incontestably evident as if there were books opened to justify it.
II. That the proud and cruel enemies of the church of God will certainly be reckoned with and brought down in due time, v. 11, 12. This is here represented to us, 1. In the destroying of the fourth beast. God's quarrel with this beast is because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke, bidding defiance to Heaven, and triumphing over all that is sacred; this provokes God more than any thing, for the enemy to behave himself proudly, Deut. xxxii. 27. Therefore Pharaoh must be humbled, because he has said, Who is the Lord? and has said, I will pursue, I will overtake. Enoch foretold that therefore the Lord would come to judge the world, that he might convince all that are ungodly of their hard speeches, Jude 15. Note, Great words are but idle words, for which men must give account in the great day. And see what becomes of this beast that talks so big: He is slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame. The Syrian empire, after Antiochus, was destroyed. He himself died of a miserable disease, his family was rooted out, the kingdom wasted by the Parthians and Armenians, and at length made a province of the Roman empire by Pompey. And the Roman empire itself (if we take that for the fourth beast), after it began to persecute Christianity, declined and wasted away, and the body of it was destroyed. So shall all thy enemies perish, O Lord! and be slain before thee. 2. In the diminishing and weakening of the other three beasts (v. 12): They had their dominion taken away, and so were disabled from doing the mischiefs they had done to the church and people of God; but a prolonging in life was given them, for a time and a season, a set time, the bounds of which they could not pass. The power of the foregoing kingdoms was quite broken, but the people of them still remained in a mean, weak, and low condition. We may allude to this in describing the remainders of sin in the hearts of good people; they have corruptions in them, the lives of which are prolonged, so that they are not perfectly free from sin, but the dominion of them is taken away, so that sin does not reign in their mortal bodies. And thus God deals with his church's enemies; sometimes he breaks the teeth of them (Ps. iii. 7), when he does not break the neck of them, crushes the persecution, but reprieves the persecutors, that they may have space to repent. And it is fit that God, in doing his own work, should take his own time and way.
III. That the kingdom of the Messiah shall be set up, and kept up, in the world, in spite of all the opposition of the powers of darkness. Let the heathen rage and fret as long as they please, God will set his King upon his holy hill of Zion. Daniel sees this in vision, and comforts himself and his friends with the prospect of it. This is the same with Nebuchadnezzar's foresight of the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, which broke in pieces the image; but in this vision there is much more of pure gospel than in that. 1. The Messiah is here called the Son of man--one like unto the Son of man; for he was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, was found in fashion as a man. I saw one like unto the Son of man, one exactly agreeing with the idea formed in the divine counsels of him that in the fulness of time was to be the Mediator between God and man. He is like unto the son of man, but is indeed the Son of God. Our Savior seems plainly to refer to this vision when he says (John v. 27) that the Father has therefore given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of man, and because he is the person whom Daniel saw in vision, to whom a kingdom and dominion were to be given. 2. He is said to come with the clouds of heaven. Some refer this to his incarnation; he descended in the clouds of heaven, came into the world unseen, as the glory of the Lord took possession of the temple in a cloud. The empires of the world were beasts that rose out of the sea; but Christ's kingdom is from above: he is the Lord from heaven. I think it is rather to be referred to his ascension; when he returned to the Father the eye of his disciples followed him, till a cloud received him out of their sight, Acts i. 9. He made that cloud his chariot, wherein he rode triumphantly to the upper world. He comes swiftly, irresistibly, and comes in state, for he comes with the clouds of heaven. 3. He is here represented as having a mighty interest in Heaven. When the cloud received him out of the sight of his disciples, it is worth while to enquire (as the sons of the prophets concerning Elijah in a like case) whither it carried him, where it lodged him; and here we are told, abundantly to our satisfaction, that he came to the Ancient of days; for he ascended to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God (John xx. 17); from him he came forth, and to him he returns, to be glorified with him, and to sit down at his right hand. It was with a great deal of pleasure that he said, Now I go to him that sent me. But was he welcome? Yes, not doubt, he was, for they brought him near before him; he was introduced into his Father's presence, with the attendance and adorations of all the angels of God, Heb. i. 6. God caused him to draw near and approach to him, as an advocate and undertaker for us (Jer. xxx. 21), that we through him might be made nigh. By this solemn near approach which he made to the Ancient of days it appears that the Father accepted the sacrifice he offered, and the satisfaction he made, and was entirely well pleased with all he had done. He was brought near, as our high priest, who for us enters within the veil, and as our forerunner, 4. He is here represented as having a mighty influence upon this earth, v. 14. When he went to be glorified with his Father he had a power given him over all flesh, John xvii. 2, 5. With the prospect of this Daniel and his friends are here comforted, that not only the dominion of the church's enemies shall be taken away (v. 12), but the church's head and best friend shall have the dominion given him; to him every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. Phil. ii. 9, 10. To him are given glory and a kingdom, and they are given by him who has an unquestionable right to give them, which, some think with an eye to these words, our Savior teaches us to acknowledge in the close of the Lord's prayer, For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. It is here foretold that the kingdom of the exalted Redeemer shall be, (1.) A universal kingdom, the only universal monarchy, whatever others have pretended to, or aimed at: All people, nations, and languages, shall fear him, and be under his jurisdiction, either as his willing subjects or as his conquered captives, to be either ruled or overruled by him. One way or other, the kingdoms of the world shall all become his kingdoms. (2.) An everlasting kingdom. His dominion shall not pass away to any successor, much less to any invader, and his kingdom is that which shall not be destroyed. Even the gates of hell, or the infernal powers and policies, shall not prevail against it. The church shall continue militant to the end of time, and triumphant to the endless ages of eternity.
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:9: The thrones were cast down - דמיו might be translated erected, so the Vulgate, positi sunt, and so all the versions; but that ours is a proper translation, is sufficiently evident from Dan 3:6, Dan 3:16, Dan 3:20; Dan 6:17, etc.; where the original word can be used in no other sense than that of throwing or casting down. There is a reference here to preparations made for a general assize, or to the convocation of the sanhedrin, where the father of the consistory sat with his assessors on each side in the form of a semicircle, and the people stood before them.
The Ancient of days - God Almighty; and this is the only place in the sacred writings where God the Father is represented in a human form.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:9: I beheld - "I continued looking on these strange sights, and contemplating these transformations." This implies that some time elapsed before all these things had occurred. He looked on until he saw a solemn judgment passed on this fourth beast particularly, as if God had come forth in his majesty and glory to pronounce that judgment, and to bring the power and arrogance of the beast to an end.
Till the thrones were cast down - The Chaldee word (כרסון kâ resâ vâ n) means, properly, thrones - seats on which monarchs sit. So far as the word is concerned, it would apply either to a throne occupied by an earthly monarch, or to the throne of God. The use of the plural here would seem to imply, at least, that the reference is not to the throne of God, but to some other throne. Maurer and Lengerke suppose that the allusion is to the thrones on which the celestial beings sat in the solemn judgment that was to be pronounced - the throne of God, and the thrones or seats of the attending inhabitants of heaven, coming with him to the solemn judgment. Lengerke refers for illustration to Kg1 22:19; Isa 6:1; Job 1:6, and Rev 5:11-12. But the word itself might be properly applied to the thrones of earthly monarchs as well as to the throne of God. The phrase "were cast down" (רמיו remı̂ yv), in our translation, would seem to suppose that there was some throwing down, or overturning of thrones, at this period, and that the solemn judgment would follow this, or be consequent on this.
The Chaldee word (רמא remâ h) means, as explained by Gesenius, to cast, to throw Dan 3:21, Dan 3:24; Dan 6:16-17; to set, to place, e. g., thrones; to impose tribute Ezr 7:24. The passage is rendered by the Latin Vulgate, throni positi sunt - "thrones were placed;" by the Greek, ἐτέθησαν etethē san - "were placed." So Luther, stuhle gesetzt; and so Lengerke, stuhle aufgestellt - the thrones were placed, or set up. The proper meaning, therefore, of the phrase would seem to be - not, as in our translation, that the "thrones would be cast down" - as if there was to be an overturning of thrones on the earth to mark this particular period of history - but that there was, in the vision, a setting up, or a placing of thrones for the purpose of administering judgment, etc., on the beast. The use of the plural is, doubtless, in accordance with the language elsewhere employed, to denote the fact that the great Judge would be surrounded with others who would be, as it were, associated in administering justice - either angels or redeemed spirits.
Nothing is more common in the Scripture than to represent others as thus associated with God in pronouncing judgment on men. Compare Mat 19:28; Luk 22:30; Co1 6:2-3; Ti1 5:21; Rev 2:26; Rev 4:4. The era, or period, therefore, marked here, would be when a solemn Divine judgment was to be passed on the "beast," or when some events were to take place, as if such a judgment were pronounced. The events pertaining to the fourth beast were to be the last in the series preparatory to the reign of the saints, or the setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah, and therefore it is introduced in this manner, as if a solemn judgment scene were to occur.
And the Ancient of days did sit - Was seated for the purposes of judgment. The phrase "Ancient of days" - יומין עתיק ‛ attı̂ yq yô mı̂ yn - is one that denotes an elderly or old person; meaning, he who is most ancient as to days, and is equivalent to the French L'Eternel, or English, The Eternal. It occurs only in Dan 7:9, Dan 7:13, Dan 7:22, and is a representation of one venerable in years, sitting down for the purposes of judgment. The appellation does not of itself denote eternity, but it is employed, probably, with reference to the fact that God is eternal. God is often represented under some such appellation, as he that is "from everlasting to everlasting" Psa 90:2, "the first and the last" Isa 44:6, etc. There can be no doubt that the reference here is to God as a Judge, or as about to pronounce judgment, though there is no necessity for supposing that it will be in a visible and literal form, anymore than there is for supposing that all that is here represented by symbols will literally take place.
If it should be insisted on that the proper interpretation demands that there will be a literal and visible judgment, such as is here described, it may be replied that the same rigid interpretation would demand that there will be a literal "slaying of the beast, and a giving of his body to the flame" Dan 7:11, and more generally still, that all that is here referred to by symbols will literally occur. The fact, however, is, that all these events are referred to by symbols - symbols which have an expressive meaning, but which, by their very nature and design, are not to be literally understood. All that is fairly implied here is, that events would occur in regard to this fourth beast as if God should sit in solemn judgment on it, and should condemn it in the manner here referred to. We are, doubtless, in the fulfillment of this - to look for some event that will be of so decisive and marked a character, that it may be regarded as a Divine judgment in the case, or that will show the strongly marked Divine disapprobation - as really as if the judgment-seat were formally set, and God should appear in majesty to give sentence. Sitting was the usual posture among the ancients, as it is among the moderns, in pronouncing judgment. Among the ancients the judge sat on a throne or bench while the parties stood before him (compare Zac 4:13), and with the Greeks and Romans so essential was the sitting posture for a judge, that a sentence pronounced in any other posture was not valid. - Lengerke. It was a maxim, Animus sedendo magis sapit; or, as Servius on the AEn. i. 56, remarks, Est enim curantis et solliciti sedere.
Whose garment was white as snow - Whose robe. The reference here is to the long flowing robe that was worn by ancient princes, noblemen, or priests. See the notes at Isa 6:1. Compare the notes at Rev 1:13. White was an emblem of purity and honor, and was not an improper symbol of the purity of the judge, and of the justness of the sentence which he would pronounce. So the elder Pitt, in his celebrated speech against employing Indians in the war with the American people, besought the bishops to "interpose the unsullied purity of their lawn." Lengerke supposes, as Prof. Stuart does on Rev 1:13, that the whiteness here referred to was not the mere color of the material of which the robe was made, but, was a celestial splendor or brightness, as if it were lightning or fire - such as is appropriate to the Divine Majesty. Lengerke refers here to Exo 19:18-24; Dan 2:22; Mat 17:2; Ti1 6:16; 2 Esdras 7:55; Ascension of Isa 8:21-25; Rev 1:13-14; Rev 4:2-4. But the more correct interpretation is to suppose that this refers to a pure white robe, such as judges might wear, and which would not be an improper symbol of their office.
And the hair of his head like the pure wool - That is, for whiteness - a characteristic of venerable age. Compare the notes at Rev 1:14. The image here set before us is that of one venerable by years and wisdom.
His throne was like the fiery flame - The seat on which he sat seemed to be fire. That is, it was brilliant and splendid, as if it were a mass of flame.
And his wheels as burning fire - The wheels of his throne - for, as in Ezek. 1; 10, the throne on which Jehovah sat appeared to be on wheels. In Ezekiel Eze 1:16; Eze 10:9, the wheels of the throne appeared to be of the color of beryl; that is, they were like precious stones. Here, perhaps, they had only the appearance of a flame - as such wheels would seem to flash flames. So, Milton, in describing the chariot of the Son of God:
"Forth rush'd with whirlwind sound
The chariot of Paternal Deity,
Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn,
Itself instinct with spirit, but convoyed
By four cherubic shapes; four faces each
Had wondrous; as with stars their bodies all,
And wings were set with eyes; with eyes the wheels
Of beryl, and careering fires between."
- Par. Lost, b. vi.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:9: till: Dan 2:34, Dan 2:35, Dan 2:44, Dan 2:45; Co1 15:24, Co1 15:25; Rev 19:18-21, Rev 20:1-4
the Ancient: Dan 7:13, Dan 7:22; Psa 90:2, Psa 102:24, Psa 102:25; Isa 9:6; Mic 5:2; Hab 1:12
whose: Psa 45:8, Psa 104:2; Mat 17:2; Mar 9:3; Phi 3:9; Ti1 6:16; Jo1 1:5; Rev 1:14
his throne: Act 2:30, Act 2:33; Th2 1:7, Th2 1:8; Pe2 3:7-10
and his wheels: Psa 104:3, Psa 104:4; Eze 1:13-21, Eze 10:2-7
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch
7:9
The judgment on the horn speaking great things and on the other beasts, and the delivering of the kingdom to the Son of Man.
After Daniel had for a while contemplated the rising up of the little horn that appeared among the ten horns, the scene changed. There is a solemn sitting in judgment by God, and sentence is pronounced. Seats or chairs were placed. רמיו, activ. with an indefinite subject: they were thrown, i.e., they were placed in order quickly, or with a noise. Seats, not merely a throne for God the Judge, but a number of seats for the assembly sitting in judgment with God. That assembly consists neither of the elders of Israel (Rabb.), nor of glorified men (Hengstb. on Rev_ 4:4), but of angels (Ps 89:8), who are to be distinguished from the thousands and tens of thousands mentioned in Dan 7:10; for these do not sit upon thrones, but stand before God as servants to fulfil His commands and execute His judgments. יומין עתּיק, one advanced in days, very old, is not the Eternal; for although God is meant, yet Daniel does not see the everlasting God, but an old man, or a man of grey hairs, in whose majestic from God makes Himself visible (cf. Ezek 1:26). When Daniel represents the true God as an aged man, he does so not in contrast with the recent gods of the heathen which Antiochus Epiphanes wished to introduce, or specially with reference to new gods, as Hitzig and Kran. suppose, by reference to Deut 32:17 and Jer 23:23; for God is not called the old God, but appears only as an old man, because age inspires veneration and conveys the impression of majesty. This impression is heightened by the robe with which He is covered, and by the appearance of the hair of His head, and also by the flames of fire which are seen to go forth from His throne. His robe is white as snow, and the hair of His head is white like pure wool; cf. Rev_ 1:14. Both are symbols of spotless purity and holiness. Flames of fire proceed from His throne as if it consisted of it, and the wheels of His throne scatter forth fire. One must not take the fire exclusively as a sign of punishment. Fire and the shining of fire are the constant phenomena of the manifestation of God in the world, as the earthly elements most fitting for the representation of the burning zeal with which the holy God not only punishes and destroys sinners, but also purifies and renders glorious His own people; see under Ex 3:3. The fire-scattering wheels of the throne show the omnipresence of the divine throne of judgment, the going of the judgment of God over the whole earth (Kliefoth). The fire which engirds with flame the throne of God pours itself forth as a stream from God into the world, consuming all that is sinful and hostile to God in the world, and rendering the people and kingdom of God glorious. קדמוהי מן (from before Him) refers to God, and not to His throne. A thousand times a thousand and ten thousand times ten thousand are hyperbolical expressions for an innumerable company of angels, who as His servants stand around God; cf. Deut 33:2; Ps 68:18. The Keri presents the Chaldaic form אלפין for the Hebraizing form of the text אלפים (thousands), and for רבון the Hebraizing form רבבן (myriads), often found in the Targg., to harmonize the plur. form with the singular רבּו going before.
Forthwith the judgment begins. יתב דּינא we translate, with most interpreters, the judgment sets itself. דּינא, judgment, abstr. pro concreto, as judicium in Cicero, Verr. 2. 18. This idea alone is admissible in Dan 7:26, and here also it is more simple than that defended by Dathe and Kran.: "He" (i.e., the Ancient of days) "sets Himself for judgment," - which would form a pure tautology, since His placing Himself for judgment has been already (Dan 7:9) mentioned, and nothing would be said regarding the object for which the throne was set. - "The books were opened." The actions of men are recorded in the books, according to which they are judged, some being ordained to eternal life and others condemned to eternal death; cf. Rev_ 20:12, and the notes under Dan 12:1. The horn speaking great things is first visited with the sentence of death.
Geneva 1599
7:9 I beheld till the (s) thrones were cast down, and the (t) Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire.
(s) Meaning, the places where God and his angels would come to judge these monarchies, which judgment would begin at the first coming of Christ.
(t) That is, God who was before all times, and is here described in a way such that man's nature is able to comprehend some portion of his glory.
John Gill
7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down,.... On which the governors of the above monarchies sat; and those of the ten kings, signified by the ten horns; and also that of the little horn. The prophet kept looking on the objects before him, till he in his dream, and the visions of the night, saw all those empires and kingdoms demolished, and all rule, power, and authority, put down, and way made for the glorious kingdom of the Messiah, and his saints with him; to this sense Aben Ezra, Saadiah, and Jacchiades, interpret the word used; but the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it, "until the thrones were set up" (q); for the judges to sit upon to try, judge, and condemn the four beasts or monarchies; in order to make way for the kingdom of the Son of man to take place in the spirituality and glory of it: here are more thrones than one; see Rev_ 20:4, one for the Ancient of days, and another for him who was like to the Son of man, brought near before him; and so the Jews (r) say, here were two thrones pitched and prepared, one for the Ancient of days, and another for David, that is, the Messiah, or Son of David; and so Jarchi paraphrases the words,
"the thrones were pitched and prepared to sit upon in judgment:''
and this sense is confirmed by the use of the word in Ezra 7:24 and in the Targum on 4Kings 18:14 and to this agrees best the following clause:
and the Ancient of days did sit; on one of the thrones pitched, as chief Judge: this is to be understood of God the Father, as distinct from the Messiah, the Son of God, said to be like the Son of man brought unto him, Dan 7:13 and is so called, not only because he is from everlasting, and without beginning of days; but chiefly because he is permanent, and endures for ever; his years fail not, and of his days there will be no end; and he will be when these empires, signified by the four beasts, will be no more; and very fit to be Judge of them, because of his consummate wisdom and prudence, signified also by this phrase; and the divine Father of Christ is still more proper, because it is in Christ's cause the judgment will proceed; and this in order to introduce him openly into his dominions in the world:
whose garment was white as snow; denoting the purity of his nature, the brightness of his majesty, and his uncorruptness in judgment:
and the hair of his head like the pure wool; signifying his venerableness, gravity, wisdom, and ripeness of judgment; being wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working:
his throne was like the fiery flame; expressive of him, as awful and formidable, as a consuming fire; and of his piercing judgment, and the severity of it:
and his wheels as burning fire; the wheels of his throne; alluding to such seats and thrones as were made to turn about, and to be moved from place to place; denoting the power and providence of God everywhere; the clear view he has of all things, in all places; and his swiftness in the execution of his judgments.
(q) "subsellia posita sunt", Tigurine version; "solia posita sunt", Piscator, Cocceius; "throni elati sunt", Pagninus, Montanus. (r) T. Bab. Chagiga, fol. 14. 1. & Gloss in ib.
John Wesley
7:9 The thrones - The kingdoms of this world were destroyed by God the king, and judge of all, called the Ancient of days, because of his eternal deity.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:9 I beheld till--I continued looking till.
thrones . . . cast down--rather, "thrones were placed" [Vulgate and LUTHER], namely, for the saints and elect angels to whom "judgment is given" (Dan 7:22), as assessors with the Judge. Compare Dan 7:10, "thousand thousands ministered unto Him" (Mt 19:28; Lk 22:30; 1Cor 6:2-3; Ti1 5:21; Rev_ 2:26; Rev_ 4:4). In English Version the thrones cast down are those of the previously mentioned kings who give place to Messiah.
Ancient of days--"The everlasting Father" (Is 9:6). HE is the Judge here, as THE SON does not judge in His own cause, and it is His cause which is the one at issue with Antichrist.
sit--the attitude of a judge about to pass sentence.
white--The judicial purity of the Judge, and of all things round Him, is hereby expressed (Rev_ 1:14).
wheels--as Oriental thrones move on wheels. Like the rapid flame, God's judgments are most swift in falling where He wills them (Ezek 1:15-16). The judgment here is not the last judgment, for then there will be no beast, and heaven and earth shall have passed away; but it is that on Antichrist (the last development of the fourth kingdom), typical of the last judgment: Christ coming to substitute the millennial kingdom of glory for that of the cross (Rev_ 17:12-14; Rev_ 19:15-21; Rev_ 11:15).
7:107:10: գետ հրոյ յորդեալ ելանէր առաջի նորա. հազարք հազարաց պաշտէին զնա, եւ բեւրք բիւրուց կային առաջի նորա. ատեա՛ն նստաւ՝ եւ դպրութիւնք բացան։
10 Նրա առաջից հոսում էր կրակէ յորդ մի գետ, հազար-հազարաւորներ պաշտում էին նրան, եւ բիւր-բիւրաւորներ կային նրա առջեւ: Նա ատեան նստեց, եւ գրքերը բացուեցին:
10 Անոր առջեւէն կրակի գետ մը կ’ելլէր ու կը վազէր։ Հազարաւորներ ծառայութիւն կ’ընէին անոր եւ բիւրաւորներ անոր առջեւ կը կայնէին։ Ատեանը բազմեցաւ դատելու ու գրքերը բացուեցան։
գետ հրոյ յորդեալ ելանէր առաջի նորա. հազարք հազարաց պաշտէին զնա, եւ բեւրք բիւրուց կային առաջի նորա. ատեան նստաւ եւ դպրութիւնք բացան:

7:10: գետ հրոյ յորդեալ ելանէր առաջի նորա. հազարք հազարաց պաշտէին զնա, եւ բեւրք բիւրուց կային առաջի նորա. ատեա՛ն նստաւ՝ եւ դպրութիւնք բացան։
10 Նրա առաջից հոսում էր կրակէ յորդ մի գետ, հազար-հազարաւորներ պաշտում էին նրան, եւ բիւր-բիւրաւորներ կային նրա առջեւ: Նա ատեան նստեց, եւ գրքերը բացուեցին:
10 Անոր առջեւէն կրակի գետ մը կ’ելլէր ու կը վազէր։ Հազարաւորներ ծառայութիւն կ’ընէին անոր եւ բիւրաւորներ անոր առջեւ կը կայնէին։ Ատեանը բազմեցաւ դատելու ու գրքերը բացուեցան։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:107:10 Огненная река выходила и проходила пред Ним; тысячи тысяч служили Ему и тьмы тем предстояли пред Ним; судьи сели, и раскрылись книги.
7:10 καὶ και and; even ἐξεπορεύετο εκπορευομαι emerge; travel out κατὰ κατα down; by πρόσωπον προσωπον face; ahead of αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him ποταμὸς ποταμος river πυρός πυρ fire χίλιαι χιλιοι thousand χιλιάδες χιλιας thousand ἐθεράπευον θεραπευω cure; minister to αὐτὸν αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even μύριαι μυριοι myriad μυριάδες μυριας myriad παρειστήκεισαν παριστημι stand by; present αὐτῷ αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even κριτήριον κριτηριον lawsuit ἐκάθισε καθιζω sit down; seat καὶ και and; even βίβλοι βιβλος book ἠνεῴχθησαν ανοιγω open up
7:10 נְהַ֣ר nᵊhˈar נְהַר river דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative] נ֗וּר nˈûr נוּר fire נָגֵ֤ד nāḡˈēḏ נגד flow וְ wᵊ וְ and נָפֵק֙ nāfˌēq נפק go out מִן־ min- מִן from קֳדָמֹ֔והִי qᵒḏāmˈôhî קֳדָם before אֶ֤לֶף ʔˈelef אֲלַף thousand אַלְפִין֙אלפים *ʔalᵊfîn אֲלַף thousand יְשַׁמְּשׁוּנֵּ֔הּ yᵊšammᵊšûnnˈēh שׁמשׁ serve וְ wᵊ וְ and רִבֹּ֥ו ribbˌô רִבֹּו myriad רִבְבָ֖ןרבון *rivᵊvˌān רִבֹּו myriad קָֽדָמֹ֣והִי qˈāḏāmˈôhî קֳדָם before יְקוּמ֑וּן yᵊqûmˈûn קום stand דִּינָ֥א dînˌā דִּין judgement יְתִ֖ב yᵊṯˌiv יתב sit וְ wᵊ וְ and סִפְרִ֥ין sifrˌîn סְפַר book פְּתִֽיחוּ׃ pᵊṯˈîḥû פתח open
7:10. fluvius igneus rapidusque egrediebatur a facie eius milia milium ministrabant ei et decies milies centena milia adsistebant ei iudicium sedit et libri aperti suntA swift stream of fire issued forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before him: the judgment sat, and the books were opened.
10. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
7:10. A river of fire rushed forth from his presence. Thousands upon thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times hundreds of thousands attended before him. The trial began, and the books were opened.
7:10. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened:

7:10 Огненная река выходила и проходила пред Ним; тысячи тысяч служили Ему и тьмы тем предстояли пред Ним; судьи сели, и раскрылись книги.
7:10
καὶ και and; even
ἐξεπορεύετο εκπορευομαι emerge; travel out
κατὰ κατα down; by
πρόσωπον προσωπον face; ahead of
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
ποταμὸς ποταμος river
πυρός πυρ fire
χίλιαι χιλιοι thousand
χιλιάδες χιλιας thousand
ἐθεράπευον θεραπευω cure; minister to
αὐτὸν αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
μύριαι μυριοι myriad
μυριάδες μυριας myriad
παρειστήκεισαν παριστημι stand by; present
αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
κριτήριον κριτηριον lawsuit
ἐκάθισε καθιζω sit down; seat
καὶ και and; even
βίβλοι βιβλος book
ἠνεῴχθησαν ανοιγω open up
7:10
נְהַ֣ר nᵊhˈar נְהַר river
דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative]
נ֗וּר nˈûr נוּר fire
נָגֵ֤ד nāḡˈēḏ נגד flow
וְ wᵊ וְ and
נָפֵק֙ nāfˌēq נפק go out
מִן־ min- מִן from
קֳדָמֹ֔והִי qᵒḏāmˈôhî קֳדָם before
אֶ֤לֶף ʔˈelef אֲלַף thousand
אַלְפִין֙אלפים
*ʔalᵊfîn אֲלַף thousand
יְשַׁמְּשׁוּנֵּ֔הּ yᵊšammᵊšûnnˈēh שׁמשׁ serve
וְ wᵊ וְ and
רִבֹּ֥ו ribbˌô רִבֹּו myriad
רִבְבָ֖ןרבון
*rivᵊvˌān רִבֹּו myriad
קָֽדָמֹ֣והִי qˈāḏāmˈôhî קֳדָם before
יְקוּמ֑וּן yᵊqûmˈûn קום stand
דִּינָ֥א dînˌā דִּין judgement
יְתִ֖ב yᵊṯˌiv יתב sit
וְ wᵊ וְ and
סִפְרִ֥ין sifrˌîn סְפַר book
פְּתִֽיחוּ׃ pᵊṯˈîḥû פתח open
7:10. fluvius igneus rapidusque egrediebatur a facie eius milia milium ministrabant ei et decies milies centena milia adsistebant ei iudicium sedit et libri aperti sunt
A swift stream of fire issued forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before him: the judgment sat, and the books were opened.
7:10. A river of fire rushed forth from his presence. Thousands upon thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times hundreds of thousands attended before him. The trial began, and the books were opened.
7:10. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ all ▾
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:10: A fiery stream issued - This is not spoken of the final judgment; but of that which he was to execute upon this fourth beast, the Roman empire; and the little boasting horn which is a part of the fourth beast, and must fall when the other falls.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:10: A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him - Streams of fire seemed to burst forth from his throne. Representations of this kind abound in the Scriptures to illustrate the majesty and glory of God. Compare Rev 4:5, "And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices." Exo 19:16; Hab 3:4; Psa 18:8.
Thousand thousands ministered unto him - "A thousand of thousands;" that is, thousands multiplied a thousand times. The mind is struck with the fact that there are thousands present - and then the number seems as great as if those thousands were multiplied a thousand times. The idea is that there was an immense - a countless host. The reference here is to the angels, and God is often represented as attended with great numbers of these celestial beings when he comes down to our world. Deu 33:2, "he came with ten thousands of saints;" that is, of holy ones. Psa 68:17, "the chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels." Compare Jde 1:14. The word "ministered" means that they attended on him.
And ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him - An innumerable host. These were not to be judged, but were attendants on him as he pronounced sentence. The judgment here referred to was not on the world at large, but on the beast, preparatory to giving the kingdom to the one who was like the Son of man Dan 7:13-14.
The judgment was set - That is, all the arrangements for a solemn act of judgment were made, and the process of the judgment commenced.
And the books were opened - As containing the record of the deeds of those who were to be judged. Compare Rev 20:12. The great Judge is represented as having before him the record of all the deeds on which judgment was to be pronounced, and to be about to pronounce sentence according to those deeds. The judgment here referred to seems to have been some solemn act on the part of God transferring the power over the world, from what had long swayed it, to the saints. As already remarked, the necessary interpretation of the passage does not require us to understand this of a literal and visible judgment - of a personal appearing of the "Ancient of days" - of a formal application to him by "one like the Son of man" Dan 7:13 - or of a public and visible making over to him of a kingdom upon the earth. It is to be remembered that all this passed in vision before the mind of the prophet; that it is a symbolic representation; and that we are to find the fulfillment of this in some event changing the course of empire - putting a period to the power represented by the "beast" and the "horn," and causing that power to pass into other hands - producing a change as great on the earth as if such a solemn act of judgment were passed. The nature of the representation requires that we should look for the fulfillment of this in some great and momentous change in human affairs - some events that would take away the power of the "beast," and that would cause the dominion to pass into other hands. On the fulfillment, see the notes at Dan 7:26.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:10: fiery: Psa 50:3, Psa 97:2, Psa 97:3; Isa 30:27, Isa 30:33, Isa 66:15, Isa 66:16; Nah 1:5, Nah 1:6
thousand thousands: Deu 33:2; Kg1 22:19; Psa 68:17; Zac 14:5; Mat 25:31; Heb 12:22; Jde 1:14; Rev 5:11
the judgment: Psa 96:11-13; Mal 3:16-18; Rev 20:11-15
Geneva 1599
7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand (u) times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the (x) books were opened.
(u) That is, an infinite number of angels, who were ready to execute his commandment.
(x) This is meant of the first coming of Christ, when the will of God was plainly revealed by his Gospel.
John Gill
7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him,.... Or, "a river of fire" (s); which denotes the copious judgments of God, the abundance of them; the full flow of his wrath, and the fierceness of it; and also its rapidity, which cannot be resisted and stopped:
thousand thousands ministered unto him; attended upon him, waiting his orders, and ready to execute them; an innumerable company of angels, Ps 103:20,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; to be judged by him; the numerous inhabitants of the several monarchies, with their kings; particularly all the antichristian states, and the worshippers of the beast, whom the whole world went after, Rev_ 13:3,
the judgment was set; that is, the court was set; the Judge was upon the bench, and all his assessors and apparitors about him, and that ministered to him:
and the books were opened; both to take the trial in writing, and to produce evidence against the criminals; the book of God's purposes and decrees concerning these beasts; the book of prophecies relating to them; the book of God's remembrance, and of their own consciences, with respect to the evils committed by them; and the book of records, statutes, and laws made in such cases; even the book of the Scriptures, which contains the revelation of the will of God. In some things there is a likeness between this and the last and future judgment, and in other things a disagreement; the Judge in both is a divine Person, the eternal God, omniscient, omnipotent, holy, just, and true, which is absolutely necessary for carrying on such a process; none but God over all is equal to such a work: in the last judgment, as in this, there will be thrones; the throne of God and of the Lamb, particularly a great white throne, a symbol of purity, justice, and equity, on which the Judge himself will sit, and execute judgment, from whose presence the earth and heaven will flee away; and besides, there will be other thrones for the martyrs of Jesus, and true professors of his name, to sit upon as spectators, witnesses, and approvers of the solemn procedure, and shall reign with Christ a thousand years: likewise the number of the persons judged, as here, will be very great, even innumerable; all, both small and great, as to age or dignity, will stand before the Judge, to be judged by him, and receive their sentence from him; and there will be books for that purpose, as here, even the same, and particularly the book of life, in which, if a man's name is not written, he will be cast into the lake of fire; see Rev_ 20:4, but in other things they differ; here the Judge is God the Father, the first Person in the Trinity, called the Ancient of days, distinguished from Christ, said to be like the Son of man; whereas the last and future judgment will be committed to the Son of God, the second Person, who is ordained Judge of quick and dead; and who will come a second time to judge the world in righteousness; and, though the description of the Ancient of days will agree well enough with him, he having the same glorious perfections his Father has, which qualify him for a Judge; see Rev_ 1:14, yet it is certain not he, but his divine Father, is intended: nor in the account of the future judgment is there any mention of "a fiery stream" issuing forth before him, as here, for the burning of the body of the beast; unless the lake of fire may be thought to answer to it, into which will be cast all such who have no part in the Lamb, nor a name in his book of life: however, the accounts of both are very awful and striking; and this may be considered as a type, example, presage, and pledge, of the future judgment; this will be at the beginning of the spiritual reign of Christ, when antichrist will be destroyed with the breath of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming; the judgment of the saints will be at the beginning of his personal reign, even of the quick and dead, those that will be found alive, and those that will be raised from the dead, at his appearing and kingdom; and the judgment of the wicked will be at the close of it, or at the end of the Millennium; see Rev_ 20:5.
(s) "fluvius ignis", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:10 thousand . . . ministered unto him--so at the giving of the law (Deut 33:2; Ps 68:17; Heb 12:22; Jude 1:14).
ten . . . thousand before him--image from the Sanhedrim, in which the father of the consistory sat with his assessors on each side, in the form of a semicircle, and the people standing before him.
judgment was set--The judges sat (Rev_ 20:4).
books . . . opened-- (Rev_ 20:12). Forensic image; all the documents of the cause at issue, connected with the condemnation of Antichrist and his kingdom, and the setting up of Messiah's kingdom. Judgment must pass on the world as being under the curse, before the glory comes; but Antichrist offers glory without the cross, a renewed world without the world being judged.
7:117:11: Տեսանէի յայնժամ ՚ի բարբառոյ մեծամեծ բանիցն զոր եղջեւրն այն խօսէր, մինչեւ բարձաւ գազանն եւ կորեաւ. եւ մարմին նորա տուաւ յայրումն հրոյ։
11 Այն ժամանակ ես շարունակում էի նայել այն մեծամեծ խօսքերի պատճառով, որ այդ եղջիւրն էր խօսում, մինչեւ որ գազանը վերացաւ ու կորաւ, եւ նրա մարմինը տրուեց կրակին՝ այրուելու:
11 Երբ այն կողմը կը նայէի, այն եղջիւրին մեծ խօսքերուն ձայնին համար, տեսայ թէ գազանը սպաննուեցաւ եւ անոր մարմինը կորսուեցաւ ու կրակի բոցերու տրուեցաւ։
Տեսանէի յայնժամ ի բարբառոյ մեծամեծ բանիցն զոր եղջեւրն այն խօսէր, [119]մինչեւ բարձաւ գազանն եւ կորեաւ. եւ մարմին նորա`` տուաւ յայրումն հրոյ:

7:11: Տեսանէի յայնժամ ՚ի բարբառոյ մեծամեծ բանիցն զոր եղջեւրն այն խօսէր, մինչեւ բարձաւ գազանն եւ կորեաւ. եւ մարմին նորա տուաւ յայրումն հրոյ։
11 Այն ժամանակ ես շարունակում էի նայել այն մեծամեծ խօսքերի պատճառով, որ այդ եղջիւրն էր խօսում, մինչեւ որ գազանը վերացաւ ու կորաւ, եւ նրա մարմինը տրուեց կրակին՝ այրուելու:
11 Երբ այն կողմը կը նայէի, այն եղջիւրին մեծ խօսքերուն ձայնին համար, տեսայ թէ գազանը սպաննուեցաւ եւ անոր մարմինը կորսուեցաւ ու կրակի բոցերու տրուեցաւ։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:117:11 Видел я тогда, что за изречение высокомерных слов, какие говорил рог, зверь был убит в глазах моих, и тело его сокрушено и предано на сожжение огню.
7:11 ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe τότε τοτε at that τὴν ο the φωνὴν φωνη voice; sound τῶν ο the λόγων λογος word; log τῶν ο the μεγάλων μεγας great; loud ὧν ος who; what τὸ ο the κέρας κερας horn ἐλάλει λαλεω talk; speak καὶ και and; even ἀπετυμπανίσθη αποτυμπανιζω the θηρίον θηριον beast καὶ και and; even ἀπώλετο απολλυμι destroy; lose τὸ ο the σῶμα σωμα body αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit εἰς εις into; for καῦσιν καυσις burning πυρός πυρ fire
7:11 חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see הֲוֵ֔ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be בֵּ bē בְּ in אדַ֗יִן ʔḏˈayin אֱדַיִן then מִן־ min- מִן from קָל֙ qˌāl קָל voice מִלַּיָּ֣א millayyˈā מִלָּה word רַבְרְבָתָ֔א ravrᵊvāṯˈā רַב great דִּ֥י dˌî דִּי [relative] קַרְנָ֖א qarnˌā קֶרֶן horn מְמַלֱּלָ֑ה mᵊmallᵉlˈā מלל speak חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see הֲוֵ֡ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be עַד֩ ʕˌaḏ עַד until דִּ֨י dˌî דִּי [relative] קְטִילַ֤ת qᵊṭîlˈaṯ קטל kill חֵֽיוְתָא֙ ḥˈêwᵊṯā חֵיוָה animal וְ wᵊ וְ and הוּבַ֣ד hûvˈaḏ אבד perish גִּשְׁמַ֔הּ gišmˈah גְּשֵׁם body וִ wi וְ and יהִיבַ֖ת yhîvˌaṯ יהב give לִ li לְ to יקֵדַ֥ת yqēḏˌaṯ יְקֵדָה firebrand אֶשָּֽׁא׃ ʔeššˈā אֶשָּׁא fire
7:11. aspiciebam propter vocem sermonum grandium quos cornu illud loquebatur et vidi quoniam interfecta esset bestia et perisset corpus eius et traditum esset ad conburendum igniI beheld, because of the voice of the great words which that horn spoke: and I saw that the beast was slain, and the body thereof was destroyed, and given to the fire to be burnt:
11. I beheld at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and he was given to be burned with fire.
7:11. I watched because of the voice of the great words which that horn was speaking, and I saw that the beast had been destroyed, and its body was ruined and had been handed over to be burnt with fire.
7:11. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld [even] till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld [even] till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame:

7:11 Видел я тогда, что за изречение высокомерных слов, какие говорил рог, зверь был убит в глазах моих, и тело его сокрушено и предано на сожжение огню.
7:11
ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe
τότε τοτε at that
τὴν ο the
φωνὴν φωνη voice; sound
τῶν ο the
λόγων λογος word; log
τῶν ο the
μεγάλων μεγας great; loud
ὧν ος who; what
τὸ ο the
κέρας κερας horn
ἐλάλει λαλεω talk; speak
καὶ και and; even
ἀπετυμπανίσθη αποτυμπανιζω the
θηρίον θηριον beast
καὶ και and; even
ἀπώλετο απολλυμι destroy; lose
τὸ ο the
σῶμα σωμα body
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit
εἰς εις into; for
καῦσιν καυσις burning
πυρός πυρ fire
7:11
חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see
הֲוֵ֔ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be
בֵּ בְּ in
אדַ֗יִן ʔḏˈayin אֱדַיִן then
מִן־ min- מִן from
קָל֙ qˌāl קָל voice
מִלַּיָּ֣א millayyˈā מִלָּה word
רַבְרְבָתָ֔א ravrᵊvāṯˈā רַב great
דִּ֥י dˌî דִּי [relative]
קַרְנָ֖א qarnˌā קֶרֶן horn
מְמַלֱּלָ֑ה mᵊmallᵉlˈā מלל speak
חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see
הֲוֵ֡ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be
עַד֩ ʕˌaḏ עַד until
דִּ֨י dˌî דִּי [relative]
קְטִילַ֤ת qᵊṭîlˈaṯ קטל kill
חֵֽיוְתָא֙ ḥˈêwᵊṯā חֵיוָה animal
וְ wᵊ וְ and
הוּבַ֣ד hûvˈaḏ אבד perish
גִּשְׁמַ֔הּ gišmˈah גְּשֵׁם body
וִ wi וְ and
יהִיבַ֖ת yhîvˌaṯ יהב give
לִ li לְ to
יקֵדַ֥ת yqēḏˌaṯ יְקֵדָה firebrand
אֶשָּֽׁא׃ ʔeššˈā אֶשָּׁא fire
7:11. aspiciebam propter vocem sermonum grandium quos cornu illud loquebatur et vidi quoniam interfecta esset bestia et perisset corpus eius et traditum esset ad conburendum igni
I beheld, because of the voice of the great words which that horn spoke: and I saw that the beast was slain, and the body thereof was destroyed, and given to the fire to be burnt:
7:11. I watched because of the voice of the great words which that horn was speaking, and I saw that the beast had been destroyed, and its body was ruined and had been handed over to be burnt with fire.
7:11. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld [even] till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ kad▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ tb▾ all ▾
А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
11. Результатом суда было полное уничтожение боговраждебной силы, воплотившейся в четвертом звере, - он был убит, и его тело отдано на сожжение огню (ср. Ис 66:24). Лишились власти и три первых зверя. Они погибли ранее, каждый в свое определенное Богом время.
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:11: I beheld then because of the voice (or, the beast will be destroyed because) of the great words which the horn spake - his body destroyed - When the dominion was taken from the rest of the beasts, their bodies were not destroyed, but suffered to continue still in being; but when the dominion shall be taken away from this beast, his body shall be totally destroyed; because other kingdoms succeeded to those, but no other earthly kingdom shall succeed to this. - Bishop Newton.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:11: I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake - I was attracted by these words - by their arrogance, and haughtiness, and pride; and I saw that it was on account of these mainly that the solemn judgment proceeded against the beast. The attitude of the seer here is this - he heard arrogant and proud words uttered by the "horn," and he waited in deep attention, and in earnest expectation, to learn what judgment would be pronounced. He had seen Dan 7:8 that horn spring up and grow to great power, and utter great things; he had then seen, immediately on this, a solemn and sublime preparation for judgment, and he now waited anxiously to learn what sentence would be pronounced. The result is stated in the subsequent part of the verse.
I beheld - I continued beholding. This would seem to imply that it was not done at once, but that some time intervened.
Even until the beast was slain - The fourth beast: what had the ten horns, and on which the little horn had sprung up. This was the result of the judgment. It is evidently implied here that the beast was slain on account of the words uttered by the horn that sprang up, or that the pride and arrogance denoted by that symbol were the cause of the fact that the beast was put to death. It is not said by whom the beast would be slain; but the fair meaning is, that the procuring cause of that death would be the Divine judgment, on account of the pride and arrogancy of the "horn" that sprang up in the midst of the others. If the "beast" represents a mighty monarchy that would exist on the earth and the "little horn" a new power that would spring out of that, then the fulfillment is to be found in such a fact as this - that this power, so mighty and terrible formerly, and that crushed down the nations, would, under the Divine judgment, be ultimately destroyed, on account of the nature of the authority claimed. We are to look for the accomplishment of this in some such state of things as that of a new power springing out of an existing dominion, that the existing dominion still remains, but was so much controlled by the new power, that it would be necessary to destroy the former on account of the arrogance and pride of what sprang from it. In other words, the destruction of the kingdom represented by the fourth beast would be, as a Divine judgment, on account of the arrogancy of that represented by the little horn.
And his body destroyed - That is, there would be a destruction of the kingdom here represented as much as there would be of the beast if his body was destroyed. The power of that kingdom, as such, is to come to an end.
And given to the burning flame - Consumed. This would represent, in strong terms, that the power here symbolized by the beast would be utterly destroyed. It is not, however, necessary to suppose that this is to be the mode in which it would be done, or that it would be by fire. It is to be remembered that all this is symbol, and no one part of the symbol should be taken literally more than another, nor is it congruous to suppose there would be a literal consuming fire in the case anymore than that there would be literally a beast, or ten horns, or a little horn, The fair meaning is, that there would be as real a destruction as if it were accomplished by fire; or a destruction of which fire would be the proper emblem. The allusion is here, probably, to the fact that the dead bodies of animals were often consumed by fire.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:11: the voice: Dan 7:8, Dan 7:25; Pe2 2:18; Jde 1:16; Rev 13:5, Rev 13:6, Rev 20:4, Rev 20:12
even: Dan 7:26, Dan 8:25, Dan 11:45; Th2 2:8; Rev 18:8, Rev 19:20, Rev 20:10
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch
7:11
The construction of this verse is disputed. The second הוית חזה (I was seeing) repeats the first for the purpose of carrying on the line of thought broken by the interposed sentence. בּאדין (then) is separated by the accents from the first הוית חזה and joined to the clause following: "then on account of the voice of the great words." By this interposed sentence the occasion of the judgment which Daniel sees passed upon the beast is once more brought to view. קל מן, "on account of the voice of the words," i.e., on account of the loud words, not "from the time of the words, or from the time when the voice of the great words made itself heard" (Klief.). The following expression, דּי עד (till that), does not by any means require the temporal conception מן. To specify the terminus a quo of the vision was as little necessary here as in the דּי עד הוית חזה, Dan 7:9. The temporal conception of מן alters not only the parallelism of the passage Dan 7:9 and Dan 7:11, but also the course of thought in the representation, according to which Daniel remains overwhelmed during the vision till all the separate parts of it have passed before his view, i.e., till he has seen the close of the judgment. The first part of this scene consists of the constituting of the judgment (Dan 7:9, Dan 7:10), the second of the death and extinction of the horn speaking great things (Dan 7:11), with which is connected (Dan 7:12) the mention of the destruction of the dominion of the other beasts. If one considers that the words "I beheld till that" correspond with the like expression in Dan 7:9, he will not seek, with Kran., in the דּי עד a reference to a lasting process of judicial execution ending with destruction. The thought is simply this: Daniel remained contemplating the vision till the beast was slain, etc. חיותא (the beast) is, by virtue of the explanatory sentence interposed in the first hemistich, the horn speaking great things. The ungodly power of the fourth beast reaches its climax in the blaspheming horn; in this horn, therefore, the beast is slain and destroyed, while its body is given to the burning. אשּׁא ליקדת (to the burning fire) corresponds with the Hebr. אשׁ לשׂרפת, Is 64:10. The burning in the fire is not the mere figure of destruction, specially justified by the thunder-storm which gathered as a veil around the scene of judgment (Kran.), for there is no mention of a storm either in Dan 7:9 or anywhere else in this entire vision. The supposition that the burning is only the figure of destruction, as e.g., in Is 9:4, is decidedly opposed by the parallel passages, Is 66:14, which Daniel had in view, and Rev_ 19:20 and Rev_ 20:10, where this prophecy is again taken up, and the judgment is expressed by a being cast into a like of fire with everlasting torment; so that v. Lengerke is right when he remarks that this passage speaks of the fiery torments of the wicked after death, and thus that a state of retribution after death is indicated.
Geneva 1599
7:11 I beheld then (y) because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld [even] till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
(y) Meaning that he was astonished when he saw these emperors in such dignity and pride, so suddenly destroyed at the coming of Christ, when this fourth monarchy was subject to men of other nations.
John Gill
7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake,.... Or, "from the voice" (t); from the time it was heard, the prophet continued looking to see what would be the issue of all this; especially from the time he heard the little horn speak such blasphemous things against God, and Christ, and his people, which were so intolerable, that he concluded some notice would be taken of them in a way of correction and punishment; and the rather, when he saw the Judge appear with so much majesty and grandeur, and all things prepared for a judicial process:
I beheld even till the beast was slain; the fourth beast, the Roman monarchy, to which a period will be put, and be utterly abolished in every form and shape, and with it the little horn or Papacy; when the beast on which the whore of Rome sits and rules, and by whom she is supported, will go into perdition; and she herself shall be made desolate and naked, her flesh eaten, and she burned with fire by the ten horns, or kings, that shall rise up against her, being filled with hatred to her, Rev_ 17:3,
and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame; when Rome with all its power and wealth shall cease, and be no more, the whole body of the antichristian states shall perish; the city of Rome shall be burnt with fire; the beast and false prophet shall be taken and cast into a lake of fire, burning with brimstone, Rev_ 18:8.
(t) "a voce", Montanus, Cocceius; "ex quo coepit vox", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius; "ex quo audita fuit vox", Piscator.
John Wesley
7:11 Destroyed - This cannot but be meant of the ruin and judgment of antichrist.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:11 Here is set forth the execution on earth of the judgment pronounced in the unseen heavenly court of judicature (Dan 7:9-10).
body . . . given to . . . flame-- (Rev_ 19:20).
7:127:12: Եւ այլոց գազանացն իշխանութիւն փոփոխեցաւ. եւ երկայնութիւն կենաց տուաւ նոցա մինչեւ ՚ի ժամանակ[12187]։ [12187] Այլք. Իշխանութիւն փոխեցաւ։ Ոսկան յաւելու. Մինչեւ ՚ի ժամանակս եւ ՚ի ժամանակս։
12 Միւս գազանների իշխանութիւնը վերացուեց, եւ կեանքի երկարութեան որոշակի ժամանակ տրուեց նրանց:
12 Թէեւ միւս գազաններուն իշխանութիւնը վերցուեցաւ, բայց ժամանակ մը անոր կեանքը երկարեցաւ։
Եւ այլոց գազանացն իշխանութիւն [120]փոխեցաւ, եւ երկայնութիւն կենաց տուաւ նոցա մինչեւ ի ժամանակ եւ ի ժամանակս:

7:12: Եւ այլոց գազանացն իշխանութիւն փոփոխեցաւ. եւ երկայնութիւն կենաց տուաւ նոցա մինչեւ ՚ի ժամանակ[12187]։
[12187] Այլք. Իշխանութիւն փոխեցաւ։ Ոսկան յաւելու. Մինչեւ ՚ի ժամանակս եւ ՚ի ժամանակս։
12 Միւս գազանների իշխանութիւնը վերացուեց, եւ կեանքի երկարութեան որոշակի ժամանակ տրուեց նրանց:
12 Թէեւ միւս գազաններուն իշխանութիւնը վերցուեցաւ, բայց ժամանակ մը անոր կեանքը երկարեցաւ։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:127:12 И у прочих зверей отнята власть их, и продолжение жизни дано им только на время и на срок.
7:12 καὶ και and; even τοὺς ο the κύκλῳ κυκλω circling; in a circle αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him ἀπέστησε αφιστημι distance; keep distance τῆς ο the ἐξουσίας εξουσια authority; influence αὐτῶν αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even χρόνος χρονος time; while ζωῆς ζωη life; vitality ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit αὐτοῖς αυτος he; him ἕως εως till; until χρόνου χρονος time; while καὶ και and; even καιροῦ καιρος season; opportunity
7:12 וּ û וְ and שְׁאָר֙ šᵊʔˌār שְׁאָר rest חֵֽיוָתָ֔א ḥˈêwāṯˈā חֵיוָה animal הֶעְדִּ֖יו heʕdˌiʸw עדה go שָׁלְטָנְהֹ֑ון šolṭānᵊhˈôn שָׁלְטָן official וְ wᵊ וְ and אַרְכָ֧ה ʔarᵊḵˈā אַרְכָה length בְ vᵊ בְּ in חַיִּ֛ין ḥayyˈîn חַיִּין life יְהִ֥יבַת yᵊhˌîvaṯ יהב give לְהֹ֖ון lᵊhˌôn לְ to עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until זְמַ֥ן zᵊmˌan זְמָן time וְ wᵊ וְ and עִדָּֽן׃ ʕiddˈān עִדָּן time
7:12. aliarum quoque bestiarum ablata esset potestas et tempora vitae constituta essent eis usque ad tempus et tempusAnd that the power of the other beasts was taken away: and that times of life were appointed them for a time, and a time.
12. And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
7:12. Likewise, the power of the other beasts was taken away, and a limited time of life was appointed to them, until one time and another.
7:12. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time:

7:12 И у прочих зверей отнята власть их, и продолжение жизни дано им только на время и на срок.
7:12
καὶ και and; even
τοὺς ο the
κύκλῳ κυκλω circling; in a circle
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
ἀπέστησε αφιστημι distance; keep distance
τῆς ο the
ἐξουσίας εξουσια authority; influence
αὐτῶν αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
χρόνος χρονος time; while
ζωῆς ζωη life; vitality
ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit
αὐτοῖς αυτος he; him
ἕως εως till; until
χρόνου χρονος time; while
καὶ και and; even
καιροῦ καιρος season; opportunity
7:12
וּ û וְ and
שְׁאָר֙ šᵊʔˌār שְׁאָר rest
חֵֽיוָתָ֔א ḥˈêwāṯˈā חֵיוָה animal
הֶעְדִּ֖יו heʕdˌiʸw עדה go
שָׁלְטָנְהֹ֑ון šolṭānᵊhˈôn שָׁלְטָן official
וְ wᵊ וְ and
אַרְכָ֧ה ʔarᵊḵˈā אַרְכָה length
בְ vᵊ בְּ in
חַיִּ֛ין ḥayyˈîn חַיִּין life
יְהִ֥יבַת yᵊhˌîvaṯ יהב give
לְהֹ֖ון lᵊhˌôn לְ to
עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until
זְמַ֥ן zᵊmˌan זְמָן time
וְ wᵊ וְ and
עִדָּֽן׃ ʕiddˈān עִדָּן time
7:12. aliarum quoque bestiarum ablata esset potestas et tempora vitae constituta essent eis usque ad tempus et tempus
And that the power of the other beasts was taken away: and that times of life were appointed them for a time, and a time.
7:12. Likewise, the power of the other beasts was taken away, and a limited time of life was appointed to them, until one time and another.
7:12. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jg▾ gnv▾ kad▾ tr▾ ab▾ all ▾
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:12: As concerning the rest of the beasts - They had been superseded, but not destroyed. It would seem that they were still represented in vision to Daniel, as retaining their existence, though their power was taken away, and their fierceness subdued, or that they still seemed to remain alive for a time, or while the vision was passing. They were not cut down, destroyed, and consumed as the fourth beast was.
They had their dominion taken away - They were superseded, or they no longer exercised power. They no more appeared exerting a control over the nations. They still existed, but they were subdued and quiet. It was possible to discern them, but they no longer acted the conspicuous part which they had done in the days of their greatness and grandeur. Their power had passed away. This cannot be difficult of interpretation. We should naturally look for the fulfillment of this in the fact that the nations referred to by these first three beasts were still in being, and could be recognized as nations, in their boundaries, or customs, or languages; but that the power which they had wielded had passed into other hands.
Yet their lives were prolonged - Margin, as in Chaldee, "a prolonging in life was given them." That is, they were not utterly destroyed and consumed as the power of the fourth beast was after the solemn judgment. The meaning is, that in these kingdoms there would be energy for a time. They had life still; and the difference between them and the kingdom represented by the fourth beast was what would exist between wild animals subdued but still living, and a wild animal killed and burned. We should look for the fulfillment of this in some state of things where the kingdoms referred to by the three beasts were subdued and succeeded by others, though they still retained something of their national character; while the other kingdom had no successor of a civil kind, but where its power wholly ceased, and the dominion went wholly into other hands - so that it might be said that that kingdom, as such, had wholly ceased to be.
For a season and time - Compare the notes at Dan 7:25. The time mentioned here is not definite. The phrase used (ועדן עד־זמן ‛ ad-zeman ve‛ı̂ ddâ n) refers to a definite period, both the words in the original referring to a designated or appointed time, though neither of them indicates anything about the length of the time, anymore than our word time does. Luther renders this, "For there was a time and an hour appointed to them how long each one should continue." Grotius explains this as meaning, "Beyond the time fixed by God they could not continue." The true meaning of the Chaldee is probably this: "For a time, even a definite time." The mind of the prophet is at first fixed upon the fact that they continue to live; then upon the fact, somehow apparent, that it is for a definite period. Perhaps in the vision he saw them one after another die or disappear. In the words used here, however, there is nothing by which we can determine how long they were to continue. The time that the power represented by the little horn is to continue explained in Dan 7:25, but there is no clue by which we can ascertain how long the existence of the power represented by the first three beasts was to continue. All that is clear is, that it was to be lengthened out for some period, but that that was a definite and fixed period.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:12: the rest: Dan 7:4-6, Dan 8:7
their lives were prolonged: Chal, a prolonging in life was given them
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch
7:12
In this verse it is in addition remarked, that the dominion of the other beasts was also destroyed, because the duration of their lives was determined for a time and an hour. The construction of the words forbids us (with Luther) to regard the first part of Dan 7:12 as dependent on דּי עד of Dan 7:11. The object חיותא וּשׁאר (the rest of the beasts) is presented in the form of an absolute nominative, whereby the statement of Dan 7:12 is separated from the preceding. העדּיו, impersonal, instead of the passive, as דּקוּ in Dan 2:35 : "their dominion was made to perish," for "their dominion was destroyed." "The other beasts" are not those that remained of the seven horns of the fourth beast, which were not uprooted by the horn coming up amongst them, the remaining kingdoms of the fourth monarchy after the destruction by that horn, for with the death of the beast the whole fourth world-monarchy is destroyed; nor are they the other kingdoms yet remaining at the time of the overthrow of the fourth world-monarchy or the destruction of the fourth beast (J. D. Mich., v. Leng.), which only lose their political power, but first of all would become subject to the new dominant people (Hitzig), for such other kingdoms have no existence in the prophetic view of Daniel, since the beasts represent world-kingdoms whose dominion stretches over the whole earth. The "remaining beasts" are much rather the first three beasts which arose out of the sea before the fourth, as is rightly acknowledged by Chr. B. Mich., Ros., Hv., Hofm., Maur., Klief., and Kran., with the old interpreters. Although the four world-kingdoms symbolized by those beasts follow each other in actual history, so that the earlier is always overthrown by that which comes after it, yet the dominion of the one is transferred to the other; so in the prophetic representation the death or the disappearance of the first three beasts is not expressly remarked, but is here first indicated, without our needing for that reason to regard העדּיו as the pluperfect. For the exposition of this verse also we may not appeal to Daniel 2, where all the four world-kingdoms are represented in one human image, and the stone which rolled against the feet of this image broke not only the feet, but with them the whole image to pieces (Dan 2:34.), which in Dan 2:44 is explained as meaning that the kingdom of God will bring to an end all those kingdoms. From this we cannot conclude that those kingdoms had long before already perished at the hour appointed for them, but that a remainder (שׁאר) of them yet continued to exist (Hv.), for the representation in this chapter is different; and the rest of the beasts cannot possibly mean that which remained of the beasts after their destruction, but only the beasts that remained after the death of the fourth beast. The mas. suff. to שׁלטנהון (their dominion) and להון refer ad sensum to the possessor or ruler of the world-kingdom represented by the beasts. With that interpretation of "the rest of the beasts" the statement also of the second half of the verse does not agree, for it proves that the subject is the destruction of the dominion of all the beasts which arose up before the fourth. The length or duration of life is the time of the continuance of the world-kingdoms represented by the beasts, and thus the end of life is the destruction of the kingdom. The passive pret. יהיבת is not to be taken thus as the imperf.: "a period of life was appointed to them," but as the pluperf.: "had been granted to them," and the passage formally connected by the simple וis to be taken as confirming the preceding statement. ועדּן זמן (placed together as Dan 2:21 in the meaning there explained) is not to be identified with זמנא, Dan 7:22 (v. Leng., Kran.). The form (stat. absol., not emphat.) shows that not a definite time, the time of the divine judgment of the fourth beast, is meant, but the time of the continuance of the power and dominion for each of the several beasts (kingdoms), foreseen only in the counsel of the Most High, and not further defined. In accordance with this, the statement of Dan 7:12 is that the first three beasts also had their dominion taken away one after another, each at its appointed time; for to each God gave its duration of life, extending to the season and time appointed by Him. Thus Kliefoth, with the older interpreters, correctly regards the connecting of the end of the first three beasts with that of the last as denoting that in the horn not merely the fourth kingdom, but also the first three kingdoms, the whole world-power, is brought to an end by the last judgment. This thought, right in itself, and distinctly announced in the destruction of the image (Daniel 2), appears, however, to lie less in the altogether loose connection of Dan 7:12 with Dan 7:11 than in the whole context, and certainly in this, that with the fourth beast in general the unfolding of the world-power in its diverse phases is exhausted, and with the judgment of this kingdom the kingdom of God is raised to everlasting supremacy.
Geneva 1599
7:12 As (z) concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
(z) As the three former monarchies had an end at the time that God appointed, even though they flourished for a time, so will this fourth have an end, and they that patiently wait for God's appointment, will enjoy the promises.
John Gill
7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts..... The other three which represent the Babylonian, Persian and Grecian monarchies:
they had their dominion taken away; not at this time when the fourth beast, or Roman empire, is destroyed, but long ago; and not together, but successively; the dominion was taken away from the Babylonians, and given to the Persians; and then their dominion was taken away, and given to the Grecians; and after that the dominion of the Grecians was taken away from them, and given to the Romans: the prophet having observed what became of the fourth beast, he was most intent upon, just in a few words takes notice of the fate of the other three, before this:
yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time: these monarchies did not at once become extinct, as the fourth beast or monarchy will, but by degrees; and the kingdoms of which they consisted are still in being, though in another form of government, and in different hands; whereas, when the fourth monarchy is destroyed, all rule and authority will be put down, and the kingdom be given to Christ and his saints, as follow:
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:12 the rest of the beasts--that is, the three first, had passed away not by direct destroying judgments, such as consumed the little horn, as being the finally matured evil of the fourth beast. They had continued to exist but their "dominion was was taken away"; whereas the fourth beast shall cease utterly, superseded by Messiah's kingdom.
for a season . . . time--Not only the triumph of the beasts over the godly, but their very existence is limited to a definite time, and that time the exactly suitable one (compare Mt 24:22). Probably a definite period is meant by a "season and time" (compare Dan 7:25; Rev_ 20:3). It is striking, the fourth monarchy, though Christianized for fifteen hundred years past, is not distinguished from the previous heathen monarchies, or from its own heathen portion. Nay, it is represented as the most God-opposed of all, and culminating at last in blasphemous Antichrist. The reason is: Christ's kingdom now is not of this world (Jn 18:36); and only at the second advent of Christ does it become an external power of the world. Hence Daniel, whose province it was to prophesy of the world powers, does not treat of Christianity until it becomes a world power, namely, at the second advent. The kingdom of God is a hidden one till Jesus comes again (Rom 8:17; Col 3:2-3; Ti2 2:11-12). Rome was worldly while heathen, and remains worldly, though Christianized. So the New Testament views the present Ã&brvbr;on or age of the world as essentially heathenish, which we cannot love without forsaking Christ (Rom 12:2; 1Cor 1:20; 1Cor 2:6, 1Cor 2:8; 1Cor 3:18; 1Cor 7:31; 2Cor 4:4; Gal 1:4; Eph 2:2; Ti2 4:10; compare 1Jn 2:15, 1Jn 2:17). The object of Christianity is not so much to Christianize the present world as to save souls out of it, so as not to be condemned with the world (1Cor 11:32), but to rule with Him in His millennium (Mt 5:5; Lk 12:32; Lk 22:28-30; Rom 5:17; 1Cor 6:2; Rev_ 1:6; Rev_ 2:26-28; Rev_ 3:21; Rev_ 20:4). This is to be our hope, not to reign in the present world course (1Cor 4:8; 2Cor 4:18; Phil 3:20; Heb 13:14). There must be a "regeneration" of the world, as of the individual, a death previous to a resurrection, a destruction of the world kingdoms, before they rise anew as the kingdoms of Christ (Mt 19:28). Even the millennium will not perfectly eradicate the world's corruption; another apostasy and judgment will follow (Rev_ 20:7-15), in which the world of nature is to be destroyed and renewed, as the world of history was before the millennium (2Pet 3:8-13); then comes the perfect earth and heaven (Rev_ 21:1). Thus there is an onward progress, and the Christian is waiting for the consummation (Mk 13:33-37; Lk 12:35-36, ; Th1 1:9-10), as His Lord also is "expecting" (Heb 10:13).
7:137:13: Տեսանէի ՚ի տեսլեան գիշերոյ՝ եւ ահա ընդ ամպս երկնից իբրեւ Որդի մարդոյ գայր՝ եւ հասանէր մինչեւ ՚ի Հինաւուրցն, եւ մատուցա՛ւ առաջի նորա։
13 Գիշերային տեսիլքում տեսնում էի, որ, ահա, երկնքի ամպերի միջից գալիս էր մէկը մարդու Որդու նման եւ հասնում Ծերունուն. նա բերուեց նրա առջեւ:
13 Գիշերը տեսիլքի մէջ կը տեսնէի, թէ ամպերով Որդի մարդոյ նման մէկը կու գար, մինչեւ հասաւ անոր որ յաւիտեան կենդանի է ու Որդին մարդոյ անոր մօտեցուցին։
Տեսանէի ի տեսլեան գիշերոյ, եւ ահա ընդ ամպս երկնից իբրեւ Որդի մարդոյ գայր, եւ հասանէր մինչեւ ի Հինաւուրցն, եւ մատուցաւ առաջի նորա:

7:13: Տեսանէի ՚ի տեսլեան գիշերոյ՝ եւ ահա ընդ ամպս երկնից իբրեւ Որդի մարդոյ գայր՝ եւ հասանէր մինչեւ ՚ի Հինաւուրցն, եւ մատուցա՛ւ առաջի նորա։
13 Գիշերային տեսիլքում տեսնում էի, որ, ահա, երկնքի ամպերի միջից գալիս էր մէկը մարդու Որդու նման եւ հասնում Ծերունուն. նա բերուեց նրա առջեւ:
13 Գիշերը տեսիլքի մէջ կը տեսնէի, թէ ամպերով Որդի մարդոյ նման մէկը կու գար, մինչեւ հասաւ անոր որ յաւիտեան կենդանի է ու Որդին մարդոյ անոր մօտեցուցին։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:137:13 Видел я в ночных видениях, вот, с облаками небесными шел как бы Сын человеческий, дошел до Ветхого днями и подведен был к Нему.
7:13 ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe ἐν εν in ὁράματι οραμα vision τῆς ο the νυκτὸς νυξ night καὶ και and; even ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am ἐπὶ επι in; on τῶν ο the νεφελῶν νεφελη cloud τοῦ ο the οὐρανοῦ ουρανος sky; heaven ὡς ως.1 as; how υἱὸς υιος son ἀνθρώπου ανθρωπος person; human ἤρχετο ερχομαι come; go καὶ και and; even ὡς ως.1 as; how παλαιὸς παλαιος old ἡμερῶν ημερα day παρῆν παρειμι here; present καὶ και and; even οἱ ο the παρεστηκότες παριστημι stand by; present παρῆσαν παρειμι here; present αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
7:13 חָזֵ֤ה ḥāzˈē חזה see הֲוֵית֙ hᵃwêṯ הוה be בְּ bᵊ בְּ in חֶזְוֵ֣י ḥezwˈê חֱזוּ vision לֵֽילְיָ֔א lˈêlᵊyˈā לֵילֵי night וַ wa וְ and אֲרוּ֙ ʔᵃrˌû אֲרוּ behold עִם־ ʕim- עִם with עֲנָנֵ֣י ʕᵃnānˈê עֲנָן cloud שְׁמַיָּ֔א šᵊmayyˈā שְׁמַיִן heaven כְּ kᵊ כְּ like בַ֥ר vˌar בַּר son אֱנָ֖שׁ ʔᵉnˌāš אֱנָשׁ mankind אָתֵ֣ה ʔāṯˈē אתה come הֲוָ֑ה hᵃwˈā הוה be וְ wᵊ וְ and עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until עַתִּ֤יק ʕattˈîq עַתִּיק old יֹֽומַיָּא֙ yˈômayyā יֹום day מְטָ֔ה mᵊṭˈā מטא come וּ û וְ and קְדָמֹ֖והִי qᵊḏāmˌôhî קֳדָם before הַקְרְבֽוּהִי׃ haqrᵊvˈûhî קרב approach
7:13. aspiciebam ergo in visione noctis et ecce cum nubibus caeli quasi filius hominis veniebat et usque ad antiquum dierum pervenit et in conspectu eius obtulerunt eumI beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and lo, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came even to the ancient of days: and they presented him before him.
13. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
7:13. I watched, therefore, in the vision of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man arrived, and he approached all the way to the ancient of days, and they presented him before him.
7:13. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him:

7:13 Видел я в ночных видениях, вот, с облаками небесными шел как бы Сын человеческий, дошел до Ветхого днями и подведен был к Нему.
7:13
ἐθεώρουν θεωρεω observe
ἐν εν in
ὁράματι οραμα vision
τῆς ο the
νυκτὸς νυξ night
καὶ και and; even
ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am
ἐπὶ επι in; on
τῶν ο the
νεφελῶν νεφελη cloud
τοῦ ο the
οὐρανοῦ ουρανος sky; heaven
ὡς ως.1 as; how
υἱὸς υιος son
ἀνθρώπου ανθρωπος person; human
ἤρχετο ερχομαι come; go
καὶ και and; even
ὡς ως.1 as; how
παλαιὸς παλαιος old
ἡμερῶν ημερα day
παρῆν παρειμι here; present
καὶ και and; even
οἱ ο the
παρεστηκότες παριστημι stand by; present
παρῆσαν παρειμι here; present
αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
7:13
חָזֵ֤ה ḥāzˈē חזה see
הֲוֵית֙ hᵃwêṯ הוה be
בְּ bᵊ בְּ in
חֶזְוֵ֣י ḥezwˈê חֱזוּ vision
לֵֽילְיָ֔א lˈêlᵊyˈā לֵילֵי night
וַ wa וְ and
אֲרוּ֙ ʔᵃrˌû אֲרוּ behold
עִם־ ʕim- עִם with
עֲנָנֵ֣י ʕᵃnānˈê עֲנָן cloud
שְׁמַיָּ֔א šᵊmayyˈā שְׁמַיִן heaven
כְּ kᵊ כְּ like
בַ֥ר vˌar בַּר son
אֱנָ֖שׁ ʔᵉnˌāš אֱנָשׁ mankind
אָתֵ֣ה ʔāṯˈē אתה come
הֲוָ֑ה hᵃwˈā הוה be
וְ wᵊ וְ and
עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until
עַתִּ֤יק ʕattˈîq עַתִּיק old
יֹֽומַיָּא֙ yˈômayyā יֹום day
מְטָ֔ה mᵊṭˈā מטא come
וּ û וְ and
קְדָמֹ֖והִי qᵊḏāmˌôhî קֳדָם before
הַקְרְבֽוּהִי׃ haqrᵊvˈûhî קרב approach
7:13. aspiciebam ergo in visione noctis et ecce cum nubibus caeli quasi filius hominis veniebat et usque ad antiquum dierum pervenit et in conspectu eius obtulerunt eum
I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and lo, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came even to the ancient of days: and they presented him before him.
7:13. I watched, therefore, in the vision of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man arrived, and he approached all the way to the ancient of days, and they presented him before him.
7:13. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
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А. П. Лопухин: Tолковая Библия или комментарий на все книги Св.Писания Ветхого и Нового Заветов - 1903-1914
13. Созерцаемый пророком суд над четвертым зверем завершился открытием вселенского, вечного и славного Царства святых Всевышнего (ср. ст. 27), возглавляемого Сыном Человеческим. В видении Он выступает в качестве отдельной от общества святых Вышнего личности. Последнее открылось ранее Его явления: одиннадцатый рог ведет войну со святыми, превозмогает их, пока не приходит Ветхий днями, производит суд, после которого является на облаках Сын Человеческий (ст. 21, 22). Во-вторых, он является личностью высшей, ибо таков смысл слов: "идущий на облаках небесных" (ст. 13; ср. Пс 103:3; Ис 19:1; Наум 1:3; Мф 24:30; Откр 1:7).

Боговраждебная деятельность одиннадцатого рога, ее продолжительность и его судьба очерчена в видении Даниила не только сходно, но вполне тожественно с деятельностью последнего и величайшего врага христианской Церкви - антихриста. И этому последнему даны уста, говорящие гордо и богохульно, дано право вести войну со святыми. "И отверз он уста свои, говорится в Апокалипсисе, для хулы на Бога, ... и дано было ему вести войну со святыми и побеждать их" (Откр 13:6-7), но, подобно рогу, он брошен "в озеро огненное, горящее серою" (Откр 19:20). За гибелью 11-го рога следует открытие вселенского Царства святых. Это дает основание разуметь под одиннадцатым рогом четвертого зверя-антихриста. За его смертью последует открытие царства славы с подчинением Сыну Человеческому народов, племен и языков (ст. 14). Равным образом и в Новом Завете говорится, что на всемирном суде и с открытием царства Слова преклонится пред Христом всяко колено (Рим 14:11).
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:13: One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven - This most certainly points out the Lord Jesus, בר אנש bar enosh, the Son of miserable man; who took our nature upon him that he might redeem us unto himself. To prove himself to be the Messiah he applies, before the high priests, these words of the Prophet Daniel to himself Mat 24:30.
Near before him - The Ancient of days.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:13: I saw in the night visions - Evidently in the same night visions, or on the same occasion, for the visions are connected. See Dan 7:1, Dan 7:7. The meaning is, that he continued beholding, or that a new vision passed before him.
And, behold, one like the Son of man ... - It is remarkable that Daniel does not attempt to represent this by any symbol. The representation by symbols ceases with the fourth beast; and now the description assumes a literal form - the setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah and of the saints. Why this change of form occurs is not stated or known, but the sacred writers seem carefully to have avoided any representation of the Messiah by symbols. The phrase "The Son of Man" - אנשׁ בר bar 'ĕ nâ sh - does not occur elsewhere in the Old Testament in such a connection, and with such a reference as it has here, though it is often found in the New, and is, in fact, the favorite term by which the Saviour designates himself. In Dan 3:25, we have the phrase "the Son of God" (see the note at that passage), as applicable to one who appeared with the three" children" that were cast into the burning furnace; and in Ezekiel, the phrase "son of man" often occurs as applicable to himself as a prophet, being found more than eighty times in his prophecies, but the expression here used does not elsewhere occur in the Old Testament as applicable to the personage intended. As occurring here, it is important to explain it, not only in view of the events connected with it in the prophecy, but as having done much to mould the language of the New Testament. There are three questions in regard to its meaning: What does it signify? To whom does it refer? And what would be its proper fulfillment?
(1) The phrase is more than a mere Hebrew or Chaldee expression to denote man, but is always used with some peculiar significancy, and with relation to some peculiar characteristic of the person to whom it is applied, or with some special design. To ascertain this design, regard should be had to the expression of the original. "While the words אישׁ 'ı̂ ysh and אישׁה 'ı̂ iyshâ h are used simply as designations of sex, אנושׁ 'ĕ nô sh, which is etymologically akin to אישׁ 'ı̂ ysh, is employed with constant reference to its original meaning, to be weak, sick; it is the ethical designation of man, but אדם 'â dâ m denotes man as to his, physical, natural condition - whence the use of the word in such passages as Psa 8:4; Job 25:6, and also its connection with בן bê n are satisfactorily explained, The emphatic address אדם בן bê n 'â dâ m - Son of man - is therefore (in Ezekiel) a continued admonition to the prophet to remember that he is a man like all the rest." - Havernick, Com. on, Eze 2:1-2, quoted in the Bibliotheca Sacra, v. 718. The expression used here is בר־אנושׁ bar -'ĕ nô sh, and would properly refer to man as weak and feeble, and as liable to be sick, etc. Applied to anyone as "a Son of man," it would be used to denote that he partook of the weakness and infirmities of the race; and, as the phrase "the Son of man" is used in the New Testament when applied by the Saviour to himself, there is an undoubted reference to this fact - that he sustained a peculiar relation to our race; that he was in all respects a man; that he was one of us; that he had so taken our nature on himself that there was a peculiar propriety that a term which would at once designate this should be given to him. The phrase used here by Daniel would denote some one
(a) in the human form;
(b) some one sustaining a peculiar relation to man - as if human nature were embodied in him.
(2) The next inquiry here is, to whom, this refers? Who, in fact, was the one that was thus seen in vision by the prophet? Or who was designed to be set forth by this? This inquiry is not so much, whom did Daniel suppose or understand this to be? as, who was in fact designed to be represented; or in whom would the fulfillment be found? For, on the supposition that this was a heavenly vision, it is clear that it was intended to designate some one in whom the complete fulfillment was to be found. Now, admitting that this was a heavenly vision, and that it was intended to represent what would occur in future times, there are the clearest reasons for supposing that the Messiah was referred to; and indeed this is so plain, that it may be assumed as one of the indisputable things by which to determine the character and design of the prophecy. Among these reasons are the following:
(a) The name itself, as a name assumed by the Lord Jesus - the favorite name by which he chose to designate himself when on the earth. This name he used technically; he used it as one that would be understood to denote the Messiah; he used it as if it needed no explanation as having a reference to the Messiah. But this usage could have been derived only from this passage in Daniel, for there is no other place in the Old Testament where the name could refer with propriety to the Messiah, or would be understood to be applicable to him.
(b) This interpretation has been given to it by the Jewish writers in general, in all ages. I refer to this, not to say that their explanation is authoritative, but to show that it is the natural and obvious meaning; and because, as we shall see, it is what has given shape and form to the language of the New Testament, and is fully sanctioned there. Thus, in the ancient book of Zohar it is said, "In the times of the Messiah, Israel shall be one people to the Lord, and he shall make them one nation in the earth, and they shall rule above and below; as it is written, "Behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven;" this is the King Messiah, of whom it is written, And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, etc." So in the Talmud, and so the majority of the ancient Jewish rabbis. See Gill, Com. in loc. It is true that this interpretation has not been uniform among the Jewish rabbis, but still it has pRev_ailed among them, as it has among Christian interpreters.
(c) A sanction seems to be given to this interpretation by the adoption of the title "Son of man" by the Lord Jesus, as that by which he chose to designate himself. That title was such as would constantly suggest this place in Daniel as referring to himself, and especially as he connected with it the declaration that "the Son of man would come in the clouds of heaven, etc." It was hardly possible that he should use the title in such a connection without suggesting this place in Daniel, or without leaving the impression on the minds of his hearers that he meant to be understood as applying this to himself.
(d) It may be added, that it cannot with propriety be applied to any other. Porphyry, indeed, supposed that Judas Maccabeus was intended; Grotius that it referred to the Roman people; Aben Ezra to the people of Israel; and Cocceius to the people of the Most High (Gill); but all these are unnatural interpretations, and are contrary to what one would obtain by allowing the language of the New Testament to influence his mind. The title - so often used by the Saviour himself; the attending circumstances of the clouds of heaven; the place which the vision occupies - so immediately preceding the setting up of the kingdom of the saints; and the fact that that kingdom can be set up only under the Messiah, all point to him as the personage represented in the vision.
(3) But if it refers to the Messiah, the next inquiry is, What is to be regarded as the proper fulfillment of the vision? To what precisely does it relate? Are we to suppose that there will be a literal appearing of the Son of man - the Messiah - in the clouds of heaven, and a passing over of the kingdom in a public and solemn manner into the hands of the saints? In reply to these questions, it may be remarked
(a) that this cannot be understood as relating to the last judgment, for it is not introduced with reference to at all. The "Son of man" is not here represented as coming with a view to judge the world at the winding-up of human affairs, but for the purpose of setting up a kingdom, or procuring a kingdom for his saints. There is no assembling of the people of the world together; no act of judging the righteous and the wicked; no pronouncing of a sentence on either. It is evident that the world is to continue much longer under the dominion of the saints.
(b) It is not to be taken literally; that is, we are not, from this passage, to expect a literal appearance of the of man in the clouds of heaven, preparatory to the setting up of the kingdom of the saints. For if one portion is to be taken literally, there is no reason why all should not be. Then we are to expect, not merely the appearing of the Son of man in the clouds, but also the following things, as a part of the fulfillment of the vision, to wit: the literal placing of a throne, or seat; the literal streaming forth of flame from his throne; the literal appearing of the "Ancient of days," with a garment of white, and hair as wool; a literal approach of the Son of man to him as seated on his throne to ask of him a kingdom, etc. But no one can believe that all this is to occur; no one does believe that it will.
(c) The proper interpretation is to regard this, as it was seen by Daniel, as a vision - a representation of a state of things in the world as if what is here described would occur. That is, great events were to take place, of which this would be a proper symbolic representation - or as if the Son of man, the Messiah, would thus appear; would approach the "Ancient of days;" would receive a kingdom, and would make it over to the saints. Now, there is no real difficulty in understanding what is here meant to be taught, and what we are to expect; and these points of fact are the following, namely,:
1. That he who is here called the "Ancient of days" is the source of power and dominion.
2. That there would be some severe adjudication of the power here represented by the beast and the horn.
3. That the kingdom or dominion of the world is to be in fact given to him who is here called "the Son of man" - the Messiah - a fact represented here by his approaching the "Ancient of days," who is the source of all power.
4. That there is to be some passing over of the kingdom or power into the hands of the saints; or some setting up of a kingdom on the earth, of which he is to be the head, and in which the dominion over the world shall be in fact in the hands of his people, and the laws of the Messiah everywhere pRev_ail. What will be the essential characteristics of that kingdom we may learn by the exposition of Dan 7:14, compared with Dan 7:27.
Came with the clouds of heaven - That is, he seemed to come down from the sky encompassed with clouds. So the Saviour, probably intending to refer to this language, speaks of himself, when he shall come to judge the world, as coming in clouds, or encompassed by clouds, Mat 24:30; Mat 26:64; Mar 13:26; Mar 14:62. Compare Rev 1:7. Clouds are an appropriate symbol of the Divinity. See Psa 97:2; Psa 104:3. The same symbol was employed by the pagan, representing their deities as appearing covered with a cloud:
"Tandem venias, precamur,
Nube candentes humeros amictus,
Augur Apollo!"
- Horace, Lyr. I. 2.
The allusion in the place before us is not to the last judgment, but to the fact that a kingdom on tho earth would be passed over into the hands of the Messiah. He is represented as coming sublimely to the world, and as receiving a kingdom that would succeed those represented by the beasts.
And came to the Ancient of days - Dan 7:9. This shows that the passage cannot refer to the final judgment. He comes to the "Ancient of days" - to God as the source of power - as if to ask a petition for a kingdom; not to pronounce a judgment on mankind. The act here appropriately denotes that God is the source of all power; that all who reign derive their authority from him, and that even the Messiah, in setting up his kingdom in the world, receives it at the hand of the Father. This is in accordance with all the representations in the New Testament. We are not to suppose that this will occur literally. There is to be no such literal sitting of one with the appearance of age - denoted by the "Ancient of days" - on a throne; nor is there to be any such literal approaching him by one in the form of a man to receive a kingdom. Such passages show the absurdity of the attcmpts to interpret the language of the Scriptures literally. All that this symbol fairly means must be, that the kingdom that was to be set up under the Messiah on the earth was received from God.
And they brought him near before him - That is, he was brought near before him. Or, it may mean that his attendants brought him near. All that the language necessarily implies is, that he came near to his seat, and received from him a kingdom.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:13: one like: Psa 8:4, Psa 8:5; Isa 9:6, Isa 9:7; Eze 1:26; Mat 13:41, Mat 24:30, Mat 25:31, Mat 26:64; Mar 13:26, Mar 14:61, Mar 14:62; Luk 21:27, Luk 21:36; Joh 3:13, Joh 5:27, Joh 12:34; Act 7:56; Phi 2:6-8; Heb 2:14; Rev 1:7, Rev 1:13, Rev 1:18, Rev 14:14
the Ancient: Dan 7:9, Dan 7:22
and they: Psa 47:5, Psa 68:17, Psa 68:18; Jer 49:19; Eph 1:20, Eph 1:21; Ti1 6:16; Heb 9:24
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch
7:13
The giving of the kingdom to the Son of Man. - The judgment does not come to an end with the destruction of the world-power in its various embodiments. That is only its first act, which is immediately followed by the second, the erection of the kingdom of God by the Son of man. This act is introduced by the repetition of the formula, I saw in the night-visions (Dan 7:7 and Dan 7:2). (One) like a son of man came in the clouds of heaven. ענני עם, with the clouds, i.e., in connection with them, in or on them as the case may be, surrounded by clouds; cf. Rev_ 1:7, Mk 13:26, Mt 24:30; Mt 26:64. He who comes is not named, but is only described according to his appearance like a son of man, i.e., resembling a man (אנשׁ בּר as אדם בן = אנושׁ or אדם). That this was a man is not implied in these words, but only that he was like a man, and not like a beast or some other creature. Now, as the beasts signify not beasts but kingdoms, so that which appeared in the form of a man may signify something else than a human individuum. Following the example of Aben Ezra, Paulus, and Wegscheider, Hofmann (Schriftbew. ii. 1. 80, and 2, p. 582f.), Hitzig, Weisse, Volkmar, Fries (Jahrbb.f. D. Theol. iv. p. 261), Baxmann, and Herzfeld (Gesch. des V. Isr. ii. p. 381) interpret this appearance in the form of a man not of the Messiah, as the Jewish and Christian interpreters in general do, but of the people of Israel, and adduce in support of this view the fact that, in the explanation of the vision, Dan 7:27, cf. Dan 7:24, the kingdom, the dominion, and the power, which according to Dan 7:14 the son of man received, was given to the people of the saints of the Most High. But Dan 7:27 affords no valid support to this supposition, for the angel there gives forth his declaration regarding the everlasting kingdom of God, not in the form of an interpretation of Daniel's vision, as in the case of the four beasts in Dan 7:17 and Dan 7:23, but he only says that, after the destruction of the horn and its dominion, the kingdom and the power will be given to the people of the saints, because he had before (Dan 7:26, cf. 22) spoken of the blasphemies of the horn against God, and of its war against the saints of the Most High. But the delivering of the kingdom to the people of God does not, according to the prophetic mode of contemplation, exclude the Messiah as its king, but much rather includes Him, inasmuch as Daniel, like the other prophets, knows nothing of a kingdom without a head, a Messianic kingdom without the King Messiah. But when Hofmann further remarks, that "somewhere it must be seen that by that appearance in the form of a man is meant not the holy congregation of Israel, but an individual, a fifth king, the Messiah," Auberlen and Kranichfeld have, with reference to this, shown that, according to Dan 7:21, the saints appear in their multiplicity engaged in war when the person who comes in the clouds becomes visible, and thus that the difference between the saints and that person is distinctly manifest. Hence it appears that the "coming with the clouds of heaven" can only be applied to the congregation of Israel, if we agree with Hofmann in the opinion that he who appeared was not carried by the clouds of heaven down to the earth, but from the earth up to heaven, in order that he might there receive the kingdom and the dominion. But this opinion is contradicted by all that the Scriptures teach regarding this matter. In this very chapter before us there is no expression or any intimation whatever that the judgment is held in heaven. No place is named. It is only said that judgment was held over the power of the fourth beast, which came to a head in the horn speaking blasphemies, and that the beast was slain and his body burned. If he who appears as a son of man with the clouds of heaven comes before the Ancient of days executing the judgment on the earth, it is manifest that he could only come from heaven to earth. If the reverse is to be understood, then it ought to have been so expressed, since the coming with the clouds of heaven in opposition to the rising up of the beasts out of the sea very distinctly indicates a coming down from heaven. The clouds are the veil or the "chariot" on which God comes from heaven to execute judgment against His enemies; cf. Ps 18:10., Ps 97:2-4; Ps 104:3, Is 19:1; Nahum 1:3. This passage forms the foundation for the declaration of Christ regarding His future coming, which is described after Dan 7:13 as a coming of the Son of man with, in, on the clouds of heaven; Mt 24:30; Mt 26:64; Mark 18:26; Rev_ 1:7; Rev_ 14:14. Against this, Hofmann, in behalf of his explanation, can only adduce Th1 4:17, in total disregard of the preceding context, Dan 7:16.
(Note: The force of these considerations is also recognised by Hitzig. Since the people of the saints cannot come from heaven, he resorts to the expedient that the Son of man is a "figure for the concrete whole, the kingdom, the saints - this kingdom comes down from heaven." The difficulties of such an idea are very obvious. Fries appears to be of opinion, with Hofmann, that there is an ascension to heaven of the people of the saints; for to him "clear evidence" that the "Son of man" is the people of Israel lies especially in the words, "and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before Him," which necessitates the adoption of the opposite terminus a quo from Mt 24:30; Mk 14:62; Rev_ 1:7; and hence makes the direct parallelism of Dan 7:13 with the passages named impossible (?).)
With all other interpreters, we must accordingly firmly maintain that he who appears with the clouds of heaven comes from heaven to earth and is a personal existence, and is brought before God, who judges the world, that he may receive dominion, majesty, and a kingdom. But in the words "as a man" it is not meant that he was only a man. He that comes with the clouds of heaven may, as Kranichfeld rightly observes, "be regarded, according to current representations, as the God of Israel coming on the clouds, while yet he who appears takes the outward from of a man." The comparison (כ, as a man) proves accordingly much more, that this heavenly or divine being was in human form. This "Son of man" came near to the Ancient of days, as God appears in the vision of the judgment, Dan 7:9, and was placed before Him. The subject to הקרבוּהי is undefined; Kran. thinks that it is the clouds just mentioned, others think it is the ministering angels. Analogous passages may be adduced in support of both views: for the first, the νεφέλη ὑπέλαβεν αὐτόν in Acts 1:9; but the parallel passages with intransitive verbs speak more in favour of the impersonal translation, "they brought him" = he was brought. The words, "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom were given to him," remind us of the expression used of Nebuchadnezzar, Dan 2:37., but they are elevated by the description following to the conception of the everlasting dominion of God. God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, the founder and first bearer of the world-power, a kingdom, and might, and majesty, and dominion over all the inhabitants of the earth, men, and beasts, and birds, that he might govern all nations, and tribes, and tongues (Dan 5:18-19), but not indeed in such a manner as that all nations and tribes should render him religious homage, nor was his dominion one of everlasting duration. These two things belong only to the kingdom of God. פּלח is used in biblical Chaldee only of the service and homage due to God; cf. Dan 7:27; Dan 3:12-13, Dan 3:17., Ezra 7:19, Ezra 7:24. Thus it indicates here also the religious service, the reverence which belong to God, though in the Targg. it corresponds with the Heb. עבד in all its meanings, colere Deum, terram, laborare. Regarding the expression "nations, tribes, and tongues," see under Dan 7:3, Dan 7:4. The eternity of the duration of the dominion is in this book the constant predicate of the kingdom of God and His Anointed, the Messiah; cf. Daniel 3:33; Dan 4:31; Dan 2:44. For further remarks regarding the Son of man, see at the close of this chapter.
Geneva 1599
7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, (a) [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and (b) came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
(a) Which is meant of Christ, who had not yet taken upon him man's nature, neither was he yet the son of David according to the flesh, as he was afterward: but he appeared then in a figure, and that in the clouds, that is, being separated from the common sort of men by manifest signs of his divinity.
(b) That is, when he ascended into the heavens, and his divine majesty appeared, and all power was given to him, in respect that he was our mediator.
John Gill
7:13 I saw in the night visions,.... Very probably the same night in which he had the dream and vision of the four beasts; but this that follows, being a new object presented, is introduced and prefaced after this manner; as well as, being something wonderful and worthy of attention, has a "behold" prefixed to it:
and, behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven; not Judas Maccabaeus, as Porphyry; nor the Roman people, as Grotius; nor the people of Israel, as Aben Ezra; nor the people of the saints of the most High, as Cocceius; but the Messiah, as most Christian interpreters, and even the Jews themselves, both ancient and modern, allow. In the ancient book of Zohar (u) it is said,
"in the times of the Messiah, Israel shall be one people, to the Lord, and he shall make them one nation in the earth, and they shall rule above and below; as it is written, "behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven"; this is the King Messiah of whom it is written, "and in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven, set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed", &c. Dan 2:44''
So in the Talmud (w) this prophecy is thus reconciled with another, concerning the Messiah, in Zech 9:9, to what R. Alexander said, R. Joshua ben Levi objects what is written,
and, behold, one like to the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven; and it is written, "poor, and riding upon an ass": which is thus adjusted,
"if they (the Israelites) are worthy, he (the Messiah) comes with the clouds of heaven; but if they are not worthy, he comes poor, and riding on an ass;''
and so it is interpreted in their ancient Midrashes (x), or expositions, as well us in more modern ones: Jarchi on the text says,
"he is the Messiah;''
and so R. Saadiah Gaon and Jacchiades, this is Messiah our righteousness; and Aben Ezra observes, that this is the sense R. Jeshua gives, "that one like to the Son of man" is the Messiah; and he adds, it is right, only along with him must be joined the holy people, who are the Israelites: and, with the Jews, Anani, which signifies "clouds", is the name of the Messiah, founded upon this text, in the Targum of 1Chron 3:24, where mention is made of the name of a person, Anani, it is added,
"who is the Messiah that is to be revealed;''
so in an ancient book called Tanchuma (y), speaking of Zerubbabel, it is asked, from whence did he spring? it is answered from David, as it is said, 1Chron 3:10 "and Solomon's son was Rehoboam", &c.; and so all in the line are mentioned unto Anani, Dan 7:24 and then it is asked, who is this Anani? this is the Messiah, as it is said, Dan 7:13,
and I saw in the visions of the night, and, behold, one like to the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven. He is said to be "as", or "like the Son of man", in agreement with the style of these visions, Dan 7:4, or because as yet he was not really incarnate, only appeared in a human form; or this as is not a note of similitude, but of truth and reality, as in Jn 1:14 or because he was more than a man: and his coming with the clouds of heaven denotes the majesty, visibility, and swiftness, with which he came to take open possession of his kingdom and glory. Saadiah interprets them of the angels of heaven, with which he will be attended:
and came to the Ancient of days; his divine Father, from whom, as man and Mediator, he receives his mediatorial kingdom, is invested with it, and insisted it, to it; see Rev_ 5:7 this is not to be understood of his first coming in the flesh, which was from his Father, and not to him; nor of his ascension to heaven, exaltation and session at the right hand of God, when he indeed received the kingdom from the Father, and was made and declared Lord and Christ; but this seems to respect what shall be upon the destruction of the fourth beast, when Christ shall receive and take to himself his great power, and reign, and more visibly appear by his Father's designation and appointment, and his open glory, to be King and Lord over all:
and they brought him near before him; not Elijah the prophet, as Jacchindes; rather the angels, as others; or the saints by their prayers, who hasten to, and hasten thereby, the coming and kingdom of Christ in a more spiritual and glorious manner; or it may be rendered impersonally,
"he was brought near before him,''
as by the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions.
(u) In Gen. fol. 85. 4. Ed. Sultzbac. (w) T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 1. (x) Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 13. fol. 209. 4. Midrash Tillium apud Galatin. de Arcan. Cathol. ver. l. 10. c. 1. (y) Apud Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 85. 2.
John Wesley
7:13 A son of man - That is, the Messiah, he came with the clouds of heaven, gloriously, swiftly and terribly. And came - This relates to his ascension, at which time, he received his royal investiture, for the protection of his church, and curbing of their enemies.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:13 Son of man--(See on Ezek 2:1). Not merely Son of David, and King of Israel, but Head of restored humanity (corresponding to the world-wide horizon of Daniel's prophecy); the seed of the woman, crushing Antichrist, the seed of the serpent, according to the Prot-evangel in Paradise (Gen 3:15). The Representative Man shall then realize the original destiny of man as Head of the creation (Gen 1:26, Gen 1:28); the center of unity to Israel and the Gentiles. The beast, which taken conjointly represents the four beasts, ascends from the sea (Dan 7:2; Rev_ 13:1); the Son of man descends from "heaven." Satan, as the serpent, is the representative head of all that bestial; man, by following the serpent, has become bestial. God must, therefore, become man, so that man may cease to be beast-like. Whoever rejects the incarnate God will be judged by the Son of man just because He is the Son of man (Jn 5:27). This title is always associated with His coming again, because the kingdom that then awaits Him in that ch belongs to Him as the Saviour of man, the Restorer of the lost inheritance. "Son of man" expresses His VISIBLE state formerly in his humiliation hereafter in His exaltation. He "comes to the Ancient of days" to be invested with the kingdom. Compare Ps 110:2 : "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength (Messiah) out of Zion." This investiture was at His ascension "with the clouds of heaven" (Acts 1:9; Acts 2:33-34; Ps 2:6-9; Mt 28:18), which is a pledge of His return "in like manner" in the clouds" (Acts 1:11; Mt 26:64), and "with clouds" (Rev_ 1:7). The kingdom then was given to Him in title and invisible exercise; at His second coming it shall be in visible administration. He will vindicate it from the misrule of those who received it to hold for and under God, but who ignored His supremacy. The Father will assert His right by the Son, the heir, who will hold it for Him (Ezek 1:27; Heb 1:2; Rev_ 19:13-16). TREGELLES thinks the investiture here immediately precedes Christ's coming forth; because He sits at God's right hand until His enemies are made His footstool, then the kingdom is given to the Son in actual investiture, and He comes to crush His so prepared footstool under His feet. But the words, "with the clouds," and the universal power actually, though invisibly, given Him then (Eph 1:20-22), agree best with His investiture at the ascension, which, in the prophetic view that overleaps the interval of ages, is the precursor of His coming visibly to reign; no event of equal moment taking place in the interval.
7:147:14: Եւ նմա տուաւ իշխանութիւն եւ պատիւ եւ արքայութիւն. եւ ամենայն ազգք եւ ազինք եւ լեզուք նմա՛ ծառայեսցեն. եւ իշխանութիւն նորա իշխանութիւն յաւիտենական որ ո՛չ անցանէ, եւ թագաւորութիւն նորա ո՛չ եղծանիցի[12188]։ [12188] Յօրինակին պակասէր. Եւ թագաւորութիւն նորա ոչ եղծանիցի։
14 Նրան իշխանութիւն, պատիւ եւ արքայութիւն տրուեց. բոլոր ազգերը, ժողովուրդներն ու լեզուները պիտի ծառայեն նրան. նրա իշխանութիւնը յաւիտենական իշխանութիւն է, որ չի անցնի, եւ նրա թագաւորութիւնը չի կործանուի:
14 Անոր իշխանութիւն, պատիւ ու թագաւորութիւն տրուեցաւ, որպէս զի բոլոր ժողովուրդները, ազգերն ու լեզուները անոր ծառայութիւն ընեն։ Անոր իշխանութիւնը յաւիտենական իշխանութիւն է, որ պիտի չանցնի ու թագաւորութիւնը պիտի չաւրուի։
Եւ նմա տուաւ իշխանութիւն եւ պատիւ եւ արքայութիւն. եւ ամենայն ազգք եւ ազինք եւ լեզուք նմա ծառայեսցեն, եւ իշխանութիւն նորա իշխանութիւն յաւիտենական որ ոչ անցանէ, եւ թագաւորութիւն նորա ոչ եղծանիցի:

7:14: Եւ նմա տուաւ իշխանութիւն եւ պատիւ եւ արքայութիւն. եւ ամենայն ազգք եւ ազինք եւ լեզուք նմա՛ ծառայեսցեն. եւ իշխանութիւն նորա իշխանութիւն յաւիտենական որ ո՛չ անցանէ, եւ թագաւորութիւն նորա ո՛չ եղծանիցի[12188]։
[12188] Յօրինակին պակասէր. Եւ թագաւորութիւն նորա ոչ եղծանիցի։
14 Նրան իշխանութիւն, պատիւ եւ արքայութիւն տրուեց. բոլոր ազգերը, ժողովուրդներն ու լեզուները պիտի ծառայեն նրան. նրա իշխանութիւնը յաւիտենական իշխանութիւն է, որ չի անցնի, եւ նրա թագաւորութիւնը չի կործանուի:
14 Անոր իշխանութիւն, պատիւ ու թագաւորութիւն տրուեցաւ, որպէս զի բոլոր ժողովուրդները, ազգերն ու լեզուները անոր ծառայութիւն ընեն։ Անոր իշխանութիւնը յաւիտենական իշխանութիւն է, որ պիտի չանցնի ու թագաւորութիւնը պիտի չաւրուի։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:147:14 И Ему дана власть, слава и царство, чтобы все народы, племена и языки служили Ему; владычество Его владычество вечное, которое не прейдет, и царство Его не разрушится.
7:14 καὶ και and; even ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit αὐτῷ αυτος he; him ἐξουσία εξουσια authority; influence καὶ και and; even πάντα πας all; every τὰ ο the ἔθνη εθνος nation; caste τῆς ο the γῆς γη earth; land κατὰ κατα down; by γένη γενος family; class καὶ και and; even πᾶσα πας all; every δόξα δοξα glory αὐτῷ αυτος he; him λατρεύουσα λατρευω employed by καὶ και and; even ἡ ο the ἐξουσία εξουσια authority; influence αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him ἐξουσία εξουσια authority; influence αἰώνιος αιωνιος eternal; of ages ἥτις οστις who; that οὐ ου not μὴ μη not ἀρθῇ αιρω lift; remove καὶ και and; even ἡ ο the βασιλεία βασιλεια realm; kingdom αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him ἥτις οστις who; that οὐ ου not μὴ μη not φθαρῇ φθειρω corrupt
7:14 וְ wᵊ וְ and לֵ֨הּ lˌēh לְ to יְהִ֤יב yᵊhˈîv יהב give שָׁלְטָן֙ šolṭˌān שָׁלְטָן official וִ wi וְ and יקָ֣ר yqˈār יְקָר dignity וּ û וְ and מַלְכ֔וּ malᵊḵˈû מַלְכוּ kingdom וְ wᵊ וְ and כֹ֣ל ḵˈōl כֹּל whole עַֽמְמַיָּ֗א ʕˈammayyˈā עַם people אֻמַיָּ֛א ʔumayyˈā אֻמָּה nation וְ wᵊ וְ and לִשָּׁנַיָּ֖א liššānayyˌā לִשָּׁן tongue לֵ֣הּ lˈēh לְ to יִפְלְח֑וּן yiflᵊḥˈûn פלח serve שָׁלְטָנֵ֞הּ šolṭānˈēh שָׁלְטָן official שָׁלְטָ֤ן šolṭˈān שָׁלְטָן official עָלַם֙ ʕālˌam עָלַם eternity דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative] לָ֣א lˈā לָא not יֶעְדֵּ֔ה yeʕdˈē עדה go וּ û וְ and מַלְכוּתֵ֖הּ malᵊḵûṯˌēh מַלְכוּ kingdom דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative] לָ֥א lˌā לָא not תִתְחַבַּֽל׃ פ ṯiṯḥabbˈal . f חבל be harmful
7:14. et dedit ei potestatem et honorem et regnum et omnes populi tribus ac linguae ipsi servient potestas eius potestas aeterna quae non auferetur et regnum eius quod non corrumpeturAnd he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him: his power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed.
14. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
7:14. And he gave him power, and honor, and the kingdom, and all peoples, tribes, and languages will serve him. His power is an eternal power, which will not be taken away, and his kingdom, one which will not be corrupted.
7:14. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed:

7:14 И Ему дана власть, слава и царство, чтобы все народы, племена и языки служили Ему; владычество Его владычество вечное, которое не прейдет, и царство Его не разрушится.
7:14
καὶ και and; even
ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit
αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
ἐξουσία εξουσια authority; influence
καὶ και and; even
πάντα πας all; every
τὰ ο the
ἔθνη εθνος nation; caste
τῆς ο the
γῆς γη earth; land
κατὰ κατα down; by
γένη γενος family; class
καὶ και and; even
πᾶσα πας all; every
δόξα δοξα glory
αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
λατρεύουσα λατρευω employed by
καὶ και and; even
ο the
ἐξουσία εξουσια authority; influence
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
ἐξουσία εξουσια authority; influence
αἰώνιος αιωνιος eternal; of ages
ἥτις οστις who; that
οὐ ου not
μὴ μη not
ἀρθῇ αιρω lift; remove
καὶ και and; even
ο the
βασιλεία βασιλεια realm; kingdom
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
ἥτις οστις who; that
οὐ ου not
μὴ μη not
φθαρῇ φθειρω corrupt
7:14
וְ wᵊ וְ and
לֵ֨הּ lˌēh לְ to
יְהִ֤יב yᵊhˈîv יהב give
שָׁלְטָן֙ šolṭˌān שָׁלְטָן official
וִ wi וְ and
יקָ֣ר yqˈār יְקָר dignity
וּ û וְ and
מַלְכ֔וּ malᵊḵˈû מַלְכוּ kingdom
וְ wᵊ וְ and
כֹ֣ל ḵˈōl כֹּל whole
עַֽמְמַיָּ֗א ʕˈammayyˈā עַם people
אֻמַיָּ֛א ʔumayyˈā אֻמָּה nation
וְ wᵊ וְ and
לִשָּׁנַיָּ֖א liššānayyˌā לִשָּׁן tongue
לֵ֣הּ lˈēh לְ to
יִפְלְח֑וּן yiflᵊḥˈûn פלח serve
שָׁלְטָנֵ֞הּ šolṭānˈēh שָׁלְטָן official
שָׁלְטָ֤ן šolṭˈān שָׁלְטָן official
עָלַם֙ ʕālˌam עָלַם eternity
דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative]
לָ֣א lˈā לָא not
יֶעְדֵּ֔ה yeʕdˈē עדה go
וּ û וְ and
מַלְכוּתֵ֖הּ malᵊḵûṯˌēh מַלְכוּ kingdom
דִּי־ dî- דִּי [relative]
לָ֥א lˌā לָא not
תִתְחַבַּֽל׃ פ ṯiṯḥabbˈal . f חבל be harmful
7:14. et dedit ei potestatem et honorem et regnum et omnes populi tribus ac linguae ipsi servient potestas eius potestas aeterna quae non auferetur et regnum eius quod non corrumpetur
And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him: his power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed.
7:14. And he gave him power, and honor, and the kingdom, and all peoples, tribes, and languages will serve him. His power is an eternal power, which will not be taken away, and his kingdom, one which will not be corrupted.
7:14. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ all ▾
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:14: And there was given him dominion - This also is applied to our Lord Jesus by himself, after his resurrection, Mat 28:18.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion - Christianity shall increase, and prevail to the end of the world. See the parallel passages in the margin.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:14: And there was given him dominion - That is, by him who is represented as the "Ancient of days." The fair interpretation of this is, that he received the dominion from him. This is the uniform representation in the New Testament. Compare Mat 28:18; Joh 3:35; Co1 15:27. The word dominion here means rule or auhority - such as a prince exercises. He was set over a kingdom as a prince or ruler.
And glory - That is the glory or honor appropriate to one at the head of such an empire.
And a kingdom - That is, he would reign. He would have sovereignty. The nature and the extent of this kingdom is immediately designated as one that would be universal and perpetual. What is properly implied in this language as to the question whether it will be literal and visible, will be appropriately considered at the close of the verse. All that is necessary to be noticed here is, that it is everywhere promised in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be a king, and have a kingdom. Compare Psa 2:1-12; Isa 9:6-7.
That all people, nations, and languages should serve him - It would be universal; would embrace all nations. The language here is such as would emphatically denote universality. See the notes at Dan 3:4; Dan 4:1. It implies that that kingdom would extend over all the nations of the earth, and we are to look for the fulfillment of this only in such a universal reign of the Messiah.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion ... - The others, represented by the four beasts, would all pass away, but this would be permanent and eternal. Nothing would destroy it. It would not have, as most kingdoms of the earth have had, any such internal weakness or source of discord as would be the cause of its destruction, nor would there be any external power that would invade or overthrow it. This declaration affirms nothing as to the form in which the kingdom would exist, but merely asserts the fact that it would do so. Respecting the kingdom of the Messiah, to which this undoubtedly alludes, the same thing is repeatedly and uniformly affirmed in the New Testament. Compare Mat 16:18; Heb 12:28; Rev 11:15. The form and manner in which this will occur is more fully developed in the New Testament; in the vision seen by Daniel the fact only is stated.
The question now arises, What would be a fulfillment of this prediction respecting the kingdom that will be given to the saints? What, from the language used in the vision, should we be legitimately authorized to expect to take place on the earth? In regard to these questions, there are but two views which can be taken, and the interpretation of the passage must sustain the one or the other.
(a) One is what supposes that this will be literally fulfilled in the sense that the Son of God, the Messiah, will reign personally on earth. According to this, he will come to set up a visible and glorious kingdom, making Jerusalem his capital, and swaying his scepter over the world. All nations and people will be subject to him; all authority will be wielded by his people under him.
(b) According to the other view, there will be a spiritual reign of the Son of God over the earth; that is, the principles of his religion will everywhere pRev_ail, and the righteous will rule, and the laws of the Redeemer will be obeyed everywhere. There will be such a pRev_alence of his gospel on the hearts of all - rulers and people; the gospel will so modify all laws, and control all customs, and remove all abuses, and all the forms of evil; men will be so generally under the influence of that gospel, that it may be said that He reigns on the earth, or that the government actually administered is his.
In regard to these different views, and to the true interpretation of the passage, it may be remarked,
(1) That we are not to look for the literal fulfillment of this; we are not to expect that what is here described will literally occur. The whole is evidently a symbolic representation, and the fulfillment is to be found in something that the symbol would properly denote. No one can pretend that there is to be an actual sitting on the throne, by one in the form of an old man - "the Ancient of days" - or that there is to be a literal coming to him by one "like the Son of man," to receive a kingdom. But if one part of the representation is not to be literally interpreted, why should the other be? It may be added, that it is nowhere said that this would literally occur.
(2) All that is fairly implied here is found in the latter interpretation. Such a pRev_alence of the principles of the gospel would meet the force of the language, and every part of the vision would find a real fulfillment in that.
(a) The fact that it proceeds from God - represented as "the Ancient of days."
(b) The fact that it is given by him, or that the kingdom is made over by him to the Messiah.
(c) The fact that the Messiah would have such a kingdom; that is, that he would reign on the earth, in the hearts and lives of men.
(d) The fact that that kingdom would be universal - extending over all people.
(e) And the fact that it would be perpetual; that is, that it would extend down to the end of time, or the consummation of all things here, and that it would be then eternal in the heavens.
For a very full and ample illustration of this passage - so full and ample as to supersede the necessity of any additional illustration here, see the notes at Dan 2:44-45.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:14: given: Dan 7:27; Psa 2:6-8, Psa 8:6, Psa 110:1, Psa 110:2; Mat 11:27, Mat 28:18; Luk 10:22, Luk 19:11, Luk 19:12; Joh 3:35, Joh 5:22-27; Co1 15:27; Eph 1:20-22; Phi 2:9-11; Pe1 3:22; Rev 3:21
that all: Dan 3:4; Psa 72:17; Isa 60:12; Rev 11:15, Rev 17:14
an everlasting: Dan 7:18, Dan 7:27, Dan 2:35, Dan 2:44, Dan 4:3, Dan 6:26; Psa 45:6, Psa 145:13, Psa 146:10; Isa 9:7; Oba 1:21; Mic 4:7; Luk 1:33; Joh 12:34; Co1 15:24-28; Heb 12:28
Geneva 1599
7:14 And there was given him (c) dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.
(c) This is meant of the beginning of Christ's kingdom, when God the Father gave unto him all dominion, as the the Mediator, with the intent that he would continually govern his Church which is here on earth, until the time that he brought them to eternal life.
John Gill
7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,.... That is, a large, powerful, and glorious kingdom; not but that he had a kingdom before, but now it will be more extensive, and appear in greater glory: this will be fulfilled when the kingdoms of this world shall become his, and all nations shall serve and worship him, Rev_ 11:15, as follows:
that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him; embrace his Gospel, submit to his ordinances serve and worship him in every religious duty; every people, of all nations, and of every language under heaven; which will be the case when the everlasting Gospel will be preached to them all with success, Rev_ 14:6,
his dominion is an everlasting dominion; it shall never have an end, as the rest of the monarchies, signified by the four beasts, have had, or will have; see Ps 14:6,
which shall not pass away; or be removed from one to another, like the above monarchies:
and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed; or "corrupted" (z) abolished and brought to nothing, as the said monarchies were one by another; and, at last, all of them by the stone cut out of the mountain; see Dan 2:44.
(z) "corrumpetur", Pagninus, Montanus; "corrumpitur", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Coccceus.
7:157:15: Սոսկացա՛ւ մարմին իմ յանձին իմում. Ես Դանիէլ՝ եւ տեսիլ գլխոյ իմոյ խռովեցո՛յց զիս։
15 Իմ հոգին սոսկաց իմ մարմնում, իմ՝ Դանիէլիս մէջ, եւ իմ գլխի տեսիլքը խռովեց ինձ:
15 «Ես՝ Դանիէլս՝ հոգիով իմ ներսիդիս վշտացայ եւ իմ տեսիլքներս զիս խռովեցուցին։
Սոսկացաւ մարմին իմ յանձին իմում. ես Դանիէլ. եւ տեսիլ գլխոյ իմոյ խռովեցոյց զիս:

7:15: Սոսկացա՛ւ մարմին իմ յանձին իմում. Ես Դանիէլ՝ եւ տեսիլ գլխոյ իմոյ խռովեցո՛յց զիս։
15 Իմ հոգին սոսկաց իմ մարմնում, իմ՝ Դանիէլիս մէջ, եւ իմ գլխի տեսիլքը խռովեց ինձ:
15 «Ես՝ Դանիէլս՝ հոգիով իմ ներսիդիս վշտացայ եւ իմ տեսիլքներս զիս խռովեցուցին։
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7:157:15 Вострепетал дух мой во мне, Данииле, в теле моем, и видения головы моей смутили меня.
7:15 καὶ και and; even ἀκηδιάσας ακηδιαω I Δανιηλ δανιηλ Daniēl; Thanil ἐν εν in τούτοις ουτος this; he ἐν εν in τῷ ο the ὁράματι οραμα vision τῆς ο the νυκτὸς νυξ night
7:15 אֶתְכְּרִיַּ֥ת ʔeṯkᵊriyyˌaṯ כרה be sick רוּחִ֛י rûḥˈî רוּחַ wind אֲנָ֥ה ʔᵃnˌā אֲנָה I דָנִיֵּ֖אל ḏāniyyˌēl דָּנִיֵּאל Daniel בְּ bᵊ בְּ in גֹ֣וא ḡˈô גֹּוא interior נִדְנֶ֑ה niḏnˈeh נִדְנֶה sheath וְ wᵊ וְ and חֶזְוֵ֥י ḥezwˌê חֱזוּ vision רֵאשִׁ֖י rēšˌî רֵאשׁ head יְבַהֲלֻנַּֽנִי׃ yᵊvahᵃlunnˈanî בהל disturb
7:15. horruit spiritus meus ego Danihel territus sum in his et visiones capitis mei conturbaverunt meMy spirit trembled; I, Daniel, was affrighted at these things, and the visions of my head troubled me.
15. As for me Daniel, my spirit was grieved in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
7:15. My spirit was terrified. I, Daniel, was fearful at these things, and the visions of my head disturbed me.
7:15. I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me:

7:15 Вострепетал дух мой во мне, Данииле, в теле моем, и видения головы моей смутили меня.
7:15
καὶ και and; even
ἀκηδιάσας ακηδιαω I
Δανιηλ δανιηλ Daniēl; Thanil
ἐν εν in
τούτοις ουτος this; he
ἐν εν in
τῷ ο the
ὁράματι οραμα vision
τῆς ο the
νυκτὸς νυξ night
7:15
אֶתְכְּרִיַּ֥ת ʔeṯkᵊriyyˌaṯ כרה be sick
רוּחִ֛י rûḥˈî רוּחַ wind
אֲנָ֥ה ʔᵃnˌā אֲנָה I
דָנִיֵּ֖אל ḏāniyyˌēl דָּנִיֵּאל Daniel
בְּ bᵊ בְּ in
גֹ֣וא ḡˈô גֹּוא interior
נִדְנֶ֑ה niḏnˈeh נִדְנֶה sheath
וְ wᵊ וְ and
חֶזְוֵ֥י ḥezwˌê חֱזוּ vision
רֵאשִׁ֖י rēšˌî רֵאשׁ head
יְבַהֲלֻנַּֽנִי׃ yᵊvahᵃlunnˈanî בהל disturb
7:15. horruit spiritus meus ego Danihel territus sum in his et visiones capitis mei conturbaverunt me
My spirit trembled; I, Daniel, was affrighted at these things, and the visions of my head troubled me.
15. As for me Daniel, my spirit was grieved in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
7:15. My spirit was terrified. I, Daniel, was fearful at these things, and the visions of my head disturbed me.
7:15. I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jg▾ gnv▾ kad▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ mh▾ all ▾
Matthew Henry: Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible - 1706
15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. 17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. 19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. 21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. 26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
Here we have, I. The deep impressions which these visions made upon the prophet. God in them put honour upon him, and gave him satisfaction, yet not without a great allay of pain and perplexity (v. 15): I Daniel was grieved in my spirit, in the midst of my body. The word here used for the body properly signifies a sheath or scabbard, for the body is no more to the soul; that is the weapon; it is that which we are principally to take care of. The visions of my head troubled me, an again (v. 28), my cogitations much troubled me. The manner in which these things were discovered to him quite overwhelmed him, and put his thoughts so much to the stretch that his spirits failed him, and the trance he was in tired him and made him faint. The things themselves that were discovered amazed and astonished him, and put him into a confusion, till by degrees he recollected and conquered himself, and set the comforts of the vision over against the terrors of it.
II. His earnest desire to understand the meaning of them (v. 16): I came near to one of those that stood by, to one of the angels that appeared attending the Son of man in his glory, and asked him the truth (the true intent and meaning) of all this. Note, It is a very desirable thing to take the right and full sense of what we see and hear from God; and those that would know must ask by faithful and fervent prayer and by accomplishing a diligent search.
III. The key that was given him, to let him into the understanding of this vision. The angel told him, and told him so plainly that he made him know the interpretation of the thing, and so made him somewhat more easy.
1. The great beasts are great kings and their kingdoms, great monarchs and their monarchies, which shall arise out of the earth, as those beasts did out of the sea, v. 17. They are but terræfilii--from beneath; they savour of the earth, and their foundation is in the dust; they are of the earth earthy, and they are written in the dust, and to the dust they shall return.
2. Daniel pretty well understands the first three beasts, but concerning the fourth he desires to be better informed, because it differed so much from the rest, and was exceedingly dreadful, and not only so, but very mischievous, or it devoured and broke in pieces, v. 19. Perhaps it was this that put Daniel into such a fright, and this part of the visions of his head troubled him more than any of the rest. But especially he desired to know what the little horn was, that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke very great things, and whose countenance was more fearless and formidable than that of any of his fellows, v. 20. And this he was most inquisitive about because it was this horn that made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, v. 21. While no more is intimated than that the children of men make war with one another, and prevail against one another, the prophet does not show himself so much concerned (let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth, and be dashed in pieces one against another); but when they make war with the saints, when the precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, are broken as earthen pitchers, it is time to ask, "What is the meaning of this? Will the Lord cast off his people? Will he suffer their enemies to trample upon them and triumph over them? What is this same horn that shall prevail so far against the saints?" To this his interpreter answers (v. 23-25) that this fourth beast is a fourth kingdom, that shall devour the whole earth, or (as it may be read) the whole land. That the ten horns are ten kings, and the little horn is another king that shall subdue three kings, and shall be very abusive to God and his people, shall act, (1.) Very impiously towards God. He shall speak great words against the Most High, setting him, and his authority and justice, at defiance. (2.) Very imperiously towards the people of God. He shall wear out the saints of the Most High; he will not cut them off at once, but wear them out by long oppressions and a constant course of hardships put upon them, ruining their estates and weakening their families. The design of Satan has been to wear out the saints of the Most High, that they may be no more in remembrance; but the attempt is vain, for while the world stands God will have a church in it. He shall think to change times and laws, to abolish all the ordinances and institutions of religion, and to bring every body to say and do just as he would have them. He shall trample upon laws and customs, human and divine. Diruit, ædificut, mutat quadrata rotundis--He pulls down, he builds, he changes square into round, as if he meant to alter even the ordinances of heaven themselves. And in these daring attempts he shall for a time prosper and have success; they shall be given into his hand until time, times, and half a time (that is, for three years and a half), that famous prophetical measure of time which we meet with in the Revelation, which is sometimes called forty-two months, sometimes 1260 days, which come all to one. But at the end of that time the judgment shall sit and take away his dominion (v. 26), which he expounds (v. 11) of the beast being slain and his body destroyed. And (as Mr. Mede reads v. 12) as to the rest of the beast, the ten horns, especially the little ruffling horn (as he calls it), they had their dominion taken away. Now the question is, Who is this enemy, whose rise, reign, and ruin, are foretold? Interpreters are not agreed. Some will have the fourth kingdom to be that of the Seleucidæ, and the little horn to be Antiochus, and show the accomplishment of all this in the history of the Maccabees; so Junius, Piscator, Polanus, Broughton, and many others: but others will have the fourth kingdom to be that of the Romans, and the little horn to be Julius Cæsar, and the succeeding emperors (says Calvin), the antichrist, the papal kingdom (says Mr. Joseph Mede), that wicked one, which, as this little horn, is to be consumed by the brightness of Christ's second coming. The pope assumes a power to change times and laws, potestas autokratorike--an absolute and despotic power, as he calls it. Others make the little horn to be the Turkish empire; so Luther, Vatablus, and others. Now I cannot prove either side to be wrong; and therefore, since prophecies sometimes have many fulfillings, and we ought to give scripture its full latitude (in this as in many other controversies), I am willing to allow that they are both in the right, and that this prophecy has primary reference to the Syrian empire, and was intended for the encouragement of the Jews who suffered under Antiochus, that they might see even these melancholy times foretold, but might foresee a glorious issue of them at last, and the final overthrow of their proud oppressors; and, which is best of all, might foresee, not long after, the setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah in the world, with the hopes of which it was usual with the former prophets to comfort the people of God in their distresses. But yet it has a further reference, and foretels the like persecuting power and rage in Rome heathen, and no less in Rome papal, against the Christian religion, that was in Antiochus against the pious Jews and their religion. And St. John, in his visions and prophecies, which point primarily at Rome, has plain reference, in many particulars, to these visions of Daniel.
3. He has a joyful prospect given him of the prevalency of God's kingdom among men, and its victory over all opposition at last. And it is very observable that in the midst of the predictions of the force and fury of the enemies this is brought in abruptly (v. 18 and again v. 22), before it comes, in the course of the vision, to be interpreted, v. 26, 27. And this also refers, (1.) To the prosperous days of the Jewish church, after it had weathered the storm under Antiochus, and the power which the Maccabees obtained over their enemies. (2.) To the setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah in the world by the preaching of his gospel. For judgment Christ comes into this world, to rule by his Spirit, and to make all his saints kings and priests to their God. (3.) To the second coming of Jesus Christ, when the saints shall judge the world, shall sit down with him on his throne and triumph in the complete downfall of the devil's kingdom. Let us see what is here foretold. [1.] The Ancient of days shall come, v. 22. God shall judge the world by his Son, to whom he has committed all judgment, and, as an earnest of that, he comes for the deliverance of his oppressed people, comes for the setting up of his kingdom in the world. [2.] The judgment shall sit, v. 26. God will make it appear that he judges in the earth, and will, both in wisdom and in equity, plead his people's righteous cause. At the great day he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained. [3.] The dominion of the enemy shall be taken away, v. 26. All Christ's enemies shall be made his footstool, and shall be consumed and destroyed to the end: these were the apostle uses concerning the man of sin, 2 Thess. ii. 8. He shall be consumed with the spirit of Christ's mouth and destroyed with the brightness of his coming. [4.] Judgment is given to the saints of the Most High. The apostles are entrusted with the preaching of a gospel by which the world shall be judged. All the saints by their faith and obedience condemn an unbelieving disobedient world; in Christ their head they shall judge the world, shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel, Matt. xix. 28. See what reason we have to honour those that fear the Lord; how mean and despicable soever the saints now appear in the eye of the world, and how much contempt soever is poured upon them; they are the saints of the Most High; they are near and dear to God, and he owns them for his, and judgment is given to them. [5.] That which is most insisted upon is that the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, v. 18. And again (v. 22), The time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. And again (v. 27), The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. Far be it from us to infer hence that dominion is founded on grace, or that this will warrant any, under pretence of saintship, to usurp kingship. No; Christ's kingdom is not of this world; but this intimates the spiritual dominion of the saints over their own lusts and corruptions, their victories over Satan and his temptations, and the triumphs of the martyrs over death and its terrors. It likewise promises that the gospel kingdom shall be set up, a kingdom of grace, the privileges and comforts of which now, under the heavens, shall be the earnest and first-fruits of the kingdom of glory in the heavens. When the empire became Christian, and princes used their power for the defence and advancement of Christianity, then the saints possessed the kingdom. The saints rule by the Spirit's ruling in them (and this is the victory overcoming the world, even their faith) and by making the kingdoms of this world to become Christ's kingdom. But the full accomplishment of this will be in the everlasting happiness of the saints, the kingdom that cannot be moved, which we, according to his promise, look for (that is the greatness of the kingdom), the crown of glory that fades not away--that is the everlasting kingdom. See what an emphasis is laid upon this (v. 18): The saints shall possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever; and the reason is because he whose saints they are is the Most High and his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, v. 27. He is so, and therefore theirs shall be so. Because I live, you shall live also, John xiv. 19. His kingdom is theirs; they reckon themselves exalted in his exaltation, and desire no greater honour and satisfaction to themselves than that all dominions should serve and obey him, as they shall do, v. 27. They shall either be brought into subjection to his golden sceptre or brought to destruction by his iron rod.
Daniel, in the close, when he ends that matter, tells us what impressions this vision made upon him; it overwhelmed his spirits to such a degree that his countenance was changed, and it made him look pale; but he kept the matter in his heart. Note, The heart must be the treasury and store-house of divine things; there we must hide God's word, as the Virgin Mary kept the sayings of Christ, Luke ii. 51. Daniel kept the matter in his heart, with a design, not to keep it from the church, but to keep it for the church, that what he had received from the Lord he might fully and faithfully deliver to the people. Note, It concerns God's prophets and ministers to treasure up the things of God in their minds, and there to digest them well. If we would have God's word ready in our mouths when we have occasion for it, we must keep it in our hearts at all times.
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:15: I Daniel was grieved, etc. - The words in the original are uncommonly emphatic. My spirit was grieved, or sickened, בגו נדנה bego nidneh, within its sheath or scabbard. Which I think proves,
1. That the human spirit is different from the body.
2. That it has a proper subsistence independently of the body, which is only its sheath for a certain time.
3. That the spirit may exist independently of its body, as the sword does independently of its sheath.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:15: I Daniel was grieved in my spirit - That is, I was troubled; or my heart was made heavy and sad. This was probably in part because he did not fully understand the meaning of the vision, and partly on account of the fearful and momentous nature of what was indicated by it. So the apostle John Rev 5:4 says, "And I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book."
In the midst of my body - Margin, as in the Chaldee, sheath. The body is undoubtedly referred to, and is so called as the envelope of the mind - or as that in which the soul is inserted, as the sword is in the sheath, and from which it is drawn out by death. The same metaphor is employed by Pliny: Donec cremato co inimici remeanti animae velut vaginam ademerint. So, too, a certain philosopher, who was slighted by Alexander the Great on account of his ugly face, is said to have replied, Corpus hominis nil est nisi vagina gladii in qua anima reconditur. - Gesenius. Compare Lengerke, in loc. See also Job 27:8, "When God taketh away his soul;" or rather draws out his soul, as a sword is drawn out of the sheath. Compare the note at that place. See also Buxtorf's Lexicon Tal. p. 1307. The meaning here is plain - that Daniel felt sad and troubled in mind, and that this produced a sensible effect on his body.
And the visions of my head troubled me - The head is here regarded as the seat of the intellect, and he speaks of these visions as if they were seen by the head. That is, they seemed to pass before his eyes.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:15: was grieved: Dan 7:28, Dan 8:27; Jer 15:17, Jer 15:18, Jer 17:16; Hab 3:16; Luk 19:41-44; Rom 9:2, Rom 9:3; Rev 10:9-11
body: Chal, sheath, Pe2 1:14
the visions: Dan 2:1, Dan 2:3, Dan 4:5; Gen 40:7, Gen 40:8, Gen 41:8
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch
7:15
The interpretation of the vision. - Dan 7:14 concludes the account of the contents of the vision, but not the vision itself. That continues to the end of the chapter. Dan 7:15. The things which Daniel saw made a deep impression on his mind. His spirit was troubled within him; the sight filled him with terror. It was not the mystery of the images, nor the fact that all was not clear before his sight, that troubled and disquieted him; for Dan 7:28 shows that the disquietude did not subside when an angel explained the images he had seen. It was the things themselves as they passed in vision before him - the momentous events, the calamities which the people of God would have to endure till the time of the completion of the everlasting kingdom of God - which filled him with anxiety and terror. רוּחי stands for the Hebr. נפשׁי, and דּניּאל אנה is in apposition to the suffix in רוּחי, for the suffix is repeated with emphasis by the pronoun, Dan 8:1, Dan 8:15; Ezra 7:21, and more frequently also in the Hebr.; cf. Winer, Chald. Gram. 40, 4; Ges. Hebr. Gram. 121, 3. The emphatic bringing forward of the person of the prophet corresponds to the significance of the vision, which made so deep an impression on him; cf. also Dan 10:1, Dan 10:7; Dan 12:1-13 :15. In this there is no trace of anxiety on the part of the speaker to make known that he is Daniel, as Hitzig supposes. The figure here used, "in the sheath" (E. V. "in the midst of my body"), by which the body is likened to a sheath for the soul, which as a sword in its sheath is concealed by it, is found also in Job 27:8, and in the writings of the rabbis (cf. Buxt. Lex. talm. s.v.). It is used also by Pliny, vii. 52. On "visions of my head," cf. Dan 7:1.
Dan 7:16
Daniel turned himself towards an angel who stood by, with a request for an explanation of these things. One of them that stood by refers to those mentioned in Dan 7:10, who stood around the throne of God; whence it is obvious that the vision is still continued. אבעא is not the preterite, I asked him, but the subjunctive, that (ו) I might ask. So also יהודענּני is to be taken with the וgoing before: he spake to me, that he informed me, namely by his speaking.
Dan 7:17-19
In Dan 7:17-27 the angel gives the wished-for explanation. In Dan 7:17 and Dan 7:18 he gives first a general interpretation of the vision. The words, these great beasts, of which there were four, form an absolute nominal clause: "as for the beasts;" as concerning their meaning, it is this: "they represent four kings." The kings are named as founders and representatives of world-kingdoms. Four kingdoms are meant, as Dan 7:23 shows, where the fourth beast is explained as מלכוּ, "dominion," "kingdom." Compare also Dan 8:20 and Dan 8:21, where in like manner kings are named and kingdoms are meant. From the future יקוּמוּן (shall arise) Hitzig concludes that the first kingdom was yet future, and therefore, that since Daniel had the vision under Belshazzar, the first king could only be Belshazzar, but could not represent the Chaldean monarchy. But if from the words shall arise it follows that the vision is only of kings who arise in the future, then, since Daniel saw the vision in the first year of Belshazzar, it cannot of course be Belshazzar who is represented by the first beast; and if Belshazzar was, as Hitzig thinks, the last king of Chaldea, than the entire Chaldean monarchy is excluded from the number of the four great beasts. Kranichfeld therefore understands this word as modal, and interprets it should arise. This was the divine decree by which also the duration of their kingdoms was determined (Dan 7:12, Dan 7:25). But the modal interpretation does not agree with Dan 7:16, according to which the angel wishes to make known the meaning of the matter to Daniel, not to show what was determined in the divine counsel, but what God had revealed to him by the beasts rising up out of the sea. The future, shall arise, is rather (Ros., v. Leng., Maur., Klief., etc.) for the purpose of declaring that the vision represents the development of the world-power as a whole, as it would unfold itself in four successive phases; whereupon the angel so summarily interprets the vision to the prophet, that, dating from the time of their origin, he points out the first world-kingdom as arising along with the rest, notwithstanding that it had already come into existence, and only its last stages were then future. The thought of this summary interpretation is manifestly nothing else than this: "Four kingdoms shall arise on the earth, and shall again disappear; but the saints of God shall receive the kingdom which shall have an everlasting duration." יקבּלוּן, receive; not found and establish by their own might, but receive through the Son of man, to whom God (Dan 7:14) has given it. עליונין (cf. Dan 7:22, Dan 7:25, Dan 7:27) is the name of God, the Most High, analogous to the plur. forms אלהים, קדשׁים. "The saints of the Most High," or briefly "the saints" (Dan 7:21, Dan 7:22), are neither the Jews, who are accustomed to call themselves "saints," in contrast with the heathen (v. Leng., Maur., Hitzig, etc.), nor the converted Israel of the millennium (Hofmann and other chiliasts), but, as we argue from Ex 19:6; Deut 7:6, the true members of the covenant nation, the New Testament Israel of God, i.e., the congregation of the New Covenant, consisting of Israel and the faithful of all nations; for the kingdom which God gives to the Son of man will, according to Dan 7:14, comprehend those that are redeemed from among all the nations of the earth. The idea of the everlasting duration of their kingdom is, by the words עלמיּא עלם (for ever and ever), raised to the superlative degree.
The angel does not here give further explanations regarding the first three kingdoms. Since the second chapter treats of them, and the eighth also gives further description of the second and third, it is enough here to state that the first three beasts represent those kingdoms that are mentioned in Daniel 2. The form of the fourth beast, however, comprehends much more regarding the fourth world-kingdom that the dream-image of Nebuchadnezzar did. Therefore Daniel asks the angel further for certain information (certainty) regarding the dreadful form of this beast, and consequently the principal outlines of the representation before given of it are repeated by him in Dan 7:19-21, and are completed by certain circumstances there omitted. Thus Dan 7:19 presents the addition, that the beast had, along with iron teeth, also claws of brass, with which it stamped to pieces what it could not devour; and Dan 7:20, that the little horn became greater than its fellows, made war against the people of God and overcame them, till the judgment brought its dominion to an end. צבית ליצּבא, I wished or sure knowledge, i.e., to experience certainty regarding it.
Dan 7:20
In Dan 7:20, from וּנפלוּ (fell down) the relative connection of the passage is broken, and the direct description is continued. דּכּן וקרנא (and that horn) is an absolute idea, which is then explained by the Vav epexegetic. חזוהּ, the appearance which is presented, i.e., its aspect. חברתהּ מן (above his fellows), for חזוּ חברתהּ מן (above the aspect of his fellows), see under Dan 1:10.
Dan 7:21
קדּישיּן (without the article), although used in a definite sense of the saints already mentioned, appertains to the elevated solemn style of speech, in which also in the Hebr. The article is frequently wanting in definite names; cf. Ewald's Lehrb. 277.
Dan 7:22
As compared with Dan 7:13 and Dan 7:14, this verse says nothing new regarding the judgment. For יהיב דּינא is not to be rendered, as Hengstenberg thinks (Beitr. i. p. 274), by a reference to 1Cor 6:2 : "to the saints of the Most High the judgment is given," i.e., the function of the judge. This interpretation is opposed to the context, according to which it is God Himself who executes judgment, and by that judgment justice is done to the people of God, i.e., they are delivered from the unrighteous oppression of the beast, and receive the kingdom. דּינא is justice procured by the judgment, corresponding to the Hebrew word משׁפּט, Deut 10:18.
Dan 7:23-24
Daniel receives the following explanation regarding the fourth beast. It signifies a fourth kingdom, which would be different from all the preceding, and would eat up and destroy the whole earth. "The whole earth is the οἰκουμένη," the expression, without any hyperbole, for the "whole circle of the historical nations" (Kliefoth). The ten horns which the beast had signify ten kings who shall arise out of that kingdom. מלכוּתהּ מנּהּ, from it, the kingdom, i.e., from this very kingdom. Since the ten horns all exist at the same time together on the head of the beast, the ten kings that arise out of the fourth kingdom are to be regarded as contemporary. In this manner the division or dismemberment of this kingdom into ten principalities or kingdoms is symbolized. For the ten contemporaneous kings imply the existence at the same time of ten kingdoms. Hitzig's objections against this view are of no weight. That מלכוּ and מלך are in this verse used as distinct from each other proves nothing, because in the whole vision king and kingdom are congruent ideas. But that the horn, Dan 7:8, unmistakeably denotes a person, is only so far right, as things are said of the horn which are in abstracto not suitable to a kingdom, but they can only be applicable to the bearer of royal power. But Dan 8:20 and Dan 8:21, to which Hitzig further refers, furnishes no foundation for his view, but on the contrary confutes it. For although in Dan 8:21 the great horn of the goat is interpreted as the first king of Javan, yet the four horns springing up immediately (Dan 8:22) in the place of this one which was broken, are interpreted as four kingdoms (not kings), in distinct proof not only that in Daniel's vision king and kingdom are not "separate from each other," but also that the further assertion, that "horn" is less fitted than "head" to represent a kingdom, is untenable.
After those ten kingdoms another shall arise which shall be different from the previous ten, and shall overthrow three of them. יהשׁפּל, in contrast with אקים (cf. Dan 2:21), signifies to overthrow, to deprive of the sovereignty. But the king coming after them can only overthrow three of the ten kingdoms when he himself has established and possesses a kingdom or empire of his own. According to this, the king arising after the ten is not an isolated ruler, but the monarch of a kingdom which has destroyed three of the kingdoms already in existence.
Dan 7:25
Dan 7:25 refers to the same king, and says that he shall speak against the Most High. לצד means, properly, against or at the side of, and is more expressive than על. It denotes that he would use language by which he would set God aside, regard and give himself out as God; cf. Th2 2:4. Making himself like God, he will destroy the saints of God. בּלא, Pa., not "make unfortunate" (Hitzig), but consume, afflict, like the Hebr. בּלּה, 1Chron 17:9, and Targ. Jes. Dan 3:15. These passages show that the assertion that בּלּה, in the sense of to destroy, never takes after it the accusative of the person (Hitz.), is false. Finally, "he thinks to change times and laws." "To change times" belongs to the all-perfect power of God (cf. Dan 2:21), the creator and ordainer of times (Gen 1:14). There is no ground for supposing that זמנין is to be specially understood of "festival or sacred times," since the word, like the corresponding Hebr. מועדים, does not throughout signify merely "festival times;" cf. Gen 1:14; Gen 17:21; Gen 18:14, etc. The annexed ודּת does not point to arrangements of divine worship, but denotes "law" or "ordinance" in general, human as well as divine law; cf. Dan 2:13, Dan 2:15 with Dan 6:6, Dan 6:9. "Times and laws" are the foundations and main conditions, emanating from God, of the life and actions of men in the world. The sin of the king in placing himself with God, therefore, as Kliefoth rightly remarks, "consists in this, that in these ordinances he does not regard the fundamental conditions given by God, but so changes the laws of human life that he puts his own pleasure in the place of the divine arrangements." Thus shall he do with the ordinances of life, not only of God's people, but of all men. "But it is to be confessed that the people of God are most affected thereby, because they hold their ordinances of life most according to the divine plan; and therefore the otherwise general passage stands between two expressions affecting the conduct of the horn in its relation to the people of God."
This tyranny God's people will suffer "till, i.e., during, a time, (two) times, and half a time." By these specifications of time the duration of the last phase of the world-power is more definitely declared, as a period in its whole course measured by God; Dan 7:12 and Dan 7:22. The plural word עדּנין (times) standing between time and half a time can only designate the simple plural, i.e., two times used in the dual sense, since in the Chaldee the plural is often used to denote a pair where the dual is used in Hebrew; cf. Winer, Chald. Gr. 55, 3. Three and a half times are the half of seven times (Dan 4:13). The greater number of the older as well as of the more recent interpreters take imte (עדּן) as representing the space of a year, thus three and a half times as three and a half years; and they base this view partly on Dan 4:13, where seven times must mean seven years, partly on Dan 12:7, where the corresponding expression is found in Hebrew, partly on Rev_ 13:5 and Rev_ 11:2-3, where forty-two months and 1260 days are used interchangeably. But none of these passages supplies a proof that will stand the test. The supposition that in Dan 4:13 the seven times represent seven years, neither is nor can be proved. As regards the time and times in Dan 12:7, and the periods named in the passages of the Rev. referred to, it is very questionable whether the weeks and the days represent the ordinary weeks of the year and days of the week, and whether these periods of time are to be taken chronologically. Still less can any explanation as to this designation of time be derived from the 2300 days (evening-mornings) in Dan 8:14, since the periods do not agree, nor do both passages treat of the same event. The choice of the chronologically indefinite expression עדּן, time, shows that a chronological determination of the period is not in view, but that the designation of time is to be understood symbolically. We have thus to inquire after the symbolical meaning of the statement. This is not to be sought, with Hofmann (Weiss. i. 289), in the supposition that as three and a half years are the half of a Sabbath-period, it is thus announced that Israel would be oppressed during half a Sabbath-period by Antichrist. For, apart from the unwarrantable identification of time with year, one does not perceive what Sabbath-periods and the oppression of the people of God have in common. This much is beyond doubt, that three and a half times are the half of seven times. The meaning of this half, however, is not to be derived, with Kranichfeld, from Dan 4:13, where "seven times" is an expression used for a long continuance of divinely-ordained suffering. It is not hence to be supposed that the dividing of this period into two designates only a proportionally short time of severest oppression endured by the people of God at the hands of the heathen. For the humbling of the haughty ruler Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4:13) does not stand in any inner connection with the elevation of the world-power over the people of God, in such a way that we could explain the three and a half times of this passage after the seven times of Dan 4:13. In general, the question may be asked, Whether the meaning of the three and a half times is to be derived merely from the symbolical signification of the number seven, or whether, with Lmmert, we must not much rather go back, in order to ascertain the import of this measure of time, to the divine judgments under Elias, when the heavens were shut for three years and six months; Lk 4:25 and Jas 5:17. "As Ahab did more to provoke God to anger than all the kings who were before him, so this king, Dan 7:24, in a way altogether different from those who went before him, spake words against the Most High and persecuted His saints, etc." But should this reference also not be established, and the three and a half times be regarded as only the half of seven times, yet the seven does not here come into view as the time of God's works, so that it could be said the oppression of the people of God by the little horn will last (Kliefoth) only half as long as a work of God; but according to the symbolical interpretation of the seven times, the three and a half, as the period of the duration of the circumstances into which the people of God are brought by the world-power through the divine permission, indicate "a testing period, a period of judgment which will (Mt 24:22; Prov 10:27), for the elect's sake, be interrupted and shortened (septenarius truncus)." Leyrer in Herz.'s Real. Enc. xviii. 369. Besides, it is to be considered how this space of time is described, not as three and a half, but a time, two times, and half a time. Ebrard (Offenb. p. 49) well remarks regarding this, that "it appears as if his tyranny would extend itself always the longer and longer: first a time, then the doubled time, then the fourfold - this would be a seven times; but it does not go that length; suddenly it comes to an end in the midst of the seven times, so that instead of the fourfold time there is only half a time." "The proper analysis of the three and a half times," Kliefoth further remarks, "in that the periods first mount up by doubling them, and then suddenly decline, shows that the power of the horn and its oppression of the people of God would first quickly manifest itself, in order then to come to a sudden end by the interposition of the divine judgment (Dan 7:26)." For, a thing which is not here to be overlooked, the three and a half times present not the whole duration of the existence of the little horn, but, as the half of a week, only the latter half of its time, in which dominion over the saints of God is given to it (Dan 7:21), and at the expiry of which it falls before the judgment. See under Dan 12:7.
Dan 7:26-27
In Dan 7:26 and Dan 7:27 this judgment is described (cf. Dan 7:10), but only as to its consequences for the world-power. The dominion of the horn in which the power of the fourth beast culminates is taken away and altogether annihilated. The destruction of the beast is here passed by, inasmuch as it is already mentioned in Dan 7:11; while, on the other hand, that which is said (Dan 7:12) about the taking away of its power and its dominion is strengthened by the inf. להשׁמדה (to destroy), וּלהובדה (and to consume), being added to יהעדּוּן (they shall take away), to which שׁלטנהּ (his dominion) is to be repeated as the object. סופא עד, to the end, i.e., not absolutely, but, as in Dan 6:27, to the end of the days, i.e., for ever.
Dan 7:27
After the destruction of the beast, the kingdom and the dominion, which hitherto comprehended the kingdom under the whole heaven, are given to the people of God, i.e., under the reign of the Son of man, as is to be supplied from Dan 7:14. As in Dan 7:26 nothing is further said of the fate of the horn, because all that was necessary regarding it had been already said (Dan 7:11), so also all that was to be said of the Son of man was already mentioned in Dan 7:13 and Dan 7:14; and according to the representation of the Scripture, the kingdom of the people of the saints without the Son of man as king is not a conceivable idea. מלכות דּי (of the kingdom) is a subjective genitive, which is required by the idea of the intransitive רבוּתא (the greatness) preceding it. The meaning is thus not "power over all kingdoms," but "the power which the kingdoms under the whole heaven had." With regard to Dan 7:27, cf. Dan 7:14 and Dan 7:18.
Dan 7:28
In Dan 7:28 the end of the vision is stated, and the impression which it left on Daniel. Hitherto, to this point, was the end of the history; i.e., thus far the history, or, with this the matter is at an end. מלּתא, the matter, is not merely the interpretation of the angel, but the whole revelation, the vision together with its interpretation. Daniel was greatly moved by the event (cf. Dan 5:9), and kept it in his heart.
Geneva 1599
7:15 I Daniel was (d) grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
(d) Because of the strangeness of the vision.
John Gill
7:15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body,.... Or "sheath" (a); the soul being in the body as a sword in its scabbard; where it was "cut" (b) and pierced, as the word signifies; and was wounded, distressed, and grieved at the vision seen; not at the sight of the Son of man, and the glorious and everlasting kingdom given to him; but of the four beasts, and especially the last, and more particularly the little horn, and the look, and words, and actions of that, as well as the awful scene of judgment presented to his view:
and the visions of my head troubled me; the things he saw, which appeared to his fancy as real things, gave him a great deal of uneasiness, and chiefly because he did not understand the meaning of them; it was not so much the things themselves, as ignorance of them, that cut him to the heart, and grieved and troubled him; for what is more so to an inquisitive mind, that has got a hint of something great and useful to be known, but cannot as yet come to the knowledge of it?
(a) "in medio vaginae", Montanus; "intra vaginam", Munster, Vatablus. (b) "transfixus est", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; "succisus, vel excisus est", Munster.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:15 body--literally, "sheath": the body being the "sheath" of the soul.
7:167:16: Եւ մատեայ առ մի ոմն որ կային անդ, եւ զճշմարտութիւն խնդրէի ուսանել՝ վասն ամենայնի այնորիկ. եւ ասաց ինձ զճշմարտութիւնն, եւ զմեկնութիւն բանիցն եցո՛յց ինձ[12189]։ [12189] Օրինակ մի. Ամենայնի այսոցիկ։
16 Մօտեցայ այնտեղ գտնուողներից մէկին եւ խնդրում էի ճշմարտութիւնն իմանալ այդ բոլորի մասին: Նա ասաց ինձ ճշմարտութիւնը եւ յայտնեց ինձ այդ խօսքերի մեկնութիւնը:
16 Հոն կայնողներէն մէկուն մօտեցայ ու բոլոր բաներուն իմաստը անոր հարցուցի եւ անիկա ինծի խօսեցաւ ու այս բաներուն մեկնութիւնը ինծի իմացուց.
Եւ մատեայ առ մի ոմն յորոց կային անդ, եւ զճշմարտութիւն խնդրէի ուսանել վասն ամենայնի այնորիկ. եւ ասաց ինձ զճշմարտութիւնն, եւ զմեկնութիւն բանիցն եցոյց ինձ:

7:16: Եւ մատեայ առ մի ոմն որ կային անդ, եւ զճշմարտութիւն խնդրէի ուսանել՝ վասն ամենայնի այնորիկ. եւ ասաց ինձ զճշմարտութիւնն, եւ զմեկնութիւն բանիցն եցո՛յց ինձ[12189]։
[12189] Օրինակ մի. Ամենայնի այսոցիկ։
16 Մօտեցայ այնտեղ գտնուողներից մէկին եւ խնդրում էի ճշմարտութիւնն իմանալ այդ բոլորի մասին: Նա ասաց ինձ ճշմարտութիւնը եւ յայտնեց ինձ այդ խօսքերի մեկնութիւնը:
16 Հոն կայնողներէն մէկուն մօտեցայ ու բոլոր բաներուն իմաստը անոր հարցուցի եւ անիկա ինծի խօսեցաւ ու այս բաներուն մեկնութիւնը ինծի իմացուց.
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:167:16 Я подошел к одному из предстоящих и спросил у него об истинном значении всего этого, и он стал говорить со мною, и объяснил мне смысл сказанного:
7:16 προσῆλθον προσερχομαι approach; go ahead πρὸς προς to; toward ἕνα εις.1 one; unit τῶν ο the ἑστώτων ιστημι stand; establish καὶ και and; even τὴν ο the ἀκρίβειαν ακριβεια accuracy ἐζήτουν ζητεω seek; desire παρ᾿ παρα from; by αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him ὑπὲρ υπερ over; for πάντων πας all; every τούτων ουτος this; he ἀποκριθεὶς αποκρινομαι respond δὲ δε though; while λέγει λεγω tell; declare μοι μοι me καὶ και and; even τὴν ο the κρίσιν κρισις decision; judgment τῶν ο the λόγων λογος word; log ἐδήλωσέ δηλοω make clear μοι μοι me
7:16 קִרְבֵ֗ת qirᵊvˈēṯ קרב approach עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon חַד֙ ḥˌaḏ חַד one מִן־ min- מִן from קָ֣אֲמַיָּ֔א qˈāʔᵃmayyˈā קום stand וְ wᵊ וְ and יַצִּיבָ֥א yaṣṣîvˌā יַצִּיב reliable אֶבְעֵֽא־ ʔevʕˈē- בעה seek מִנֵּ֖הּ minnˌēh מִן from עַֽל־ ʕˈal- עַל upon כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole דְּנָ֑ה dᵊnˈā דְּנָה this וַ wa וְ and אֲמַר־ ʔᵃmar- אמר say לִ֕י lˈî לְ to וּ û וְ and פְשַׁ֥ר fᵊšˌar פְּשַׁר interpretation מִלַּיָּ֖א millayyˌā מִלָּה word יְהֹודְעִנַּֽנִי׃ yᵊhôḏᵊʕinnˈanî ידע know
7:16. accessi ad unum de adsistentibus et veritatem quaerebam ab eo de omnibus his qui dixit mihi interpretationem sermonum et edocuit meI went near to one of them that stood by, and asked the truth of him concerning all these things, and he told me the interpretation of the words, and instructed me:
16. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
7:16. I approached one of the attendants and asked the truth from him about all these things. He told me the interpretation of the words, and he instructed me:
7:16. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things:

7:16 Я подошел к одному из предстоящих и спросил у него об истинном значении всего этого, и он стал говорить со мною, и объяснил мне смысл сказанного:
7:16
προσῆλθον προσερχομαι approach; go ahead
πρὸς προς to; toward
ἕνα εις.1 one; unit
τῶν ο the
ἑστώτων ιστημι stand; establish
καὶ και and; even
τὴν ο the
ἀκρίβειαν ακριβεια accuracy
ἐζήτουν ζητεω seek; desire
παρ᾿ παρα from; by
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
ὑπὲρ υπερ over; for
πάντων πας all; every
τούτων ουτος this; he
ἀποκριθεὶς αποκρινομαι respond
δὲ δε though; while
λέγει λεγω tell; declare
μοι μοι me
καὶ και and; even
τὴν ο the
κρίσιν κρισις decision; judgment
τῶν ο the
λόγων λογος word; log
ἐδήλωσέ δηλοω make clear
μοι μοι me
7:16
קִרְבֵ֗ת qirᵊvˈēṯ קרב approach
עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon
חַד֙ ḥˌaḏ חַד one
מִן־ min- מִן from
קָ֣אֲמַיָּ֔א qˈāʔᵃmayyˈā קום stand
וְ wᵊ וְ and
יַצִּיבָ֥א yaṣṣîvˌā יַצִּיב reliable
אֶבְעֵֽא־ ʔevʕˈē- בעה seek
מִנֵּ֖הּ minnˌēh מִן from
עַֽל־ ʕˈal- עַל upon
כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole
דְּנָ֑ה dᵊnˈā דְּנָה this
וַ wa וְ and
אֲמַר־ ʔᵃmar- אמר say
לִ֕י lˈî לְ to
וּ û וְ and
פְשַׁ֥ר fᵊšˌar פְּשַׁר interpretation
מִלַּיָּ֖א millayyˌā מִלָּה word
יְהֹודְעִנַּֽנִי׃ yᵊhôḏᵊʕinnˈanî ידע know
7:16. accessi ad unum de adsistentibus et veritatem quaerebam ab eo de omnibus his qui dixit mihi interpretationem sermonum et edocuit me
I went near to one of them that stood by, and asked the truth of him concerning all these things, and he told me the interpretation of the words, and instructed me:
7:16. I approached one of the attendants and asked the truth from him about all these things. He told me the interpretation of the words, and he instructed me:
7:16. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
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Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:16: I came near unto one of them that stood by - That is, to one of the angels who appeared to stand near the throne. Dan 7:10. Compare Dan 8:13; Zac 4:4-5; Rev 7:13. It was natural for Daniel to suppose that the angels who were seen encircling the throne would be able to give him information on the subject, and the answers which Daniel received show that he was not mistaken in his expectation. God has often employed angels to communicate important truths to men, or has made them the medium of communicating his will. Compare Rev 1:1; Act 7:53; Heb 2:2.
So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things - He explained the meaning of the symbols, so that Daniel understood them. It would seem probable that Daniel has not recorded all that the angel communicated respecting the vision, but he has preserved so much that we may understand its general signification.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:16: one: Dan 7:10, Dan 8:13-16, Dan 10:5, Dan 10:6, Dan 10:11, Dan 10:12, Dan 12:5, Dan 12:6; Zac 1:8-11, Zac 2:3, Zac 3:7; Rev 5:5; Rev 7:13, Rev 7:14
Geneva 1599
7:16 I came near unto (e) one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
(e) Meaning one of the angels, as in See Dan 7:10
John Gill
7:16 I came near unto one of them that stood by,.... To one of the angels that attended, either the throne of judgment, or, the Son of man in his approach to his divine Father:
and asked him the truth of all this; the substance of these visions; what these images, presented to his view, were shadows and representations of; so type and truth, shadow and substance, are opposed to each other. The real meaning of all this was what he asked; nor need any be ashamed to ask of whomsoever they can hope to get knowledge of truth, and especially of superiors, of the angels of the churches, or pastors of them:
so he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things; he interpreted everything in the vision to him, and gave him the true meaning and real design of the whole, as follows: this was asked and told, not when Daniel was awake, and was considering of what he had dreamed; but in his dream, in his vision by night; this was all transacted in a visionary way, both the things and the interpretation of them.
John Wesley
7:16 Unto one - That is, to an angel, that ministered. The truth - The true meaning of this vision.
7:177:17: Այդ գազանք մեծամեծք՝ չորք թագաւորութիւնք յարիցեն ՚ի վերայ երկրի[12190]. [12190] Օրինակ մի. Չորք թագաւորք յարիցեն... (18) բարձցեն եւ առցեն զթագաւորութիւնն սուրբ Բարձ՛՛։
17 Այդ չորս մեծամեծ գազանները նշանակում են, որ չորս թագաւորութիւններ պիտի բարձրանան երկրի վրայ:
17 ‘Այս չորս գազանները չորս թագաւորներ են, որոնք երկրէն պիտի ելլեն։
Այդ գազանք [121]մեծամեծք` չորք թագաւորութիւնք յարիցեն ի վերայ երկրի, բարձցին:

7:17: Այդ գազանք մեծամեծք՝ չորք թագաւորութիւնք յարիցեն ՚ի վերայ երկրի[12190].
[12190] Օրինակ մի. Չորք թագաւորք յարիցեն... (18) բարձցեն եւ առցեն զթագաւորութիւնն սուրբ Բարձ՛՛։
17 Այդ չորս մեծամեծ գազանները նշանակում են, որ չորս թագաւորութիւններ պիտի բարձրանան երկրի վրայ:
17 ‘Այս չորս գազանները չորս թագաւորներ են, որոնք երկրէն պիտի ելլեն։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:177:17
7:17 ταῦτα ουτος this; he τὰ ο the θηρία θηριον beast τὰ ο the μεγάλα μεγας great; loud εἰσὶ ειμι be τέσσαρες τεσσαρες four βασιλεῖαι βασιλεια realm; kingdom αἳ ος who; what ἀπολοῦνται απολλυμι destroy; lose ἀπὸ απο from; away τῆς ο the γῆς γη earth; land
7:17 אִלֵּין֙ ʔillên אִלֵּין these חֵיוָתָ֣א ḥêwāṯˈā חֵיוָה animal רַבְרְבָתָ֔א ravrᵊvāṯˈā רַב great דִּ֥י dˌî דִּי [relative] אִנִּ֖ין ʔinnˌîn אִנִּין they אַרְבַּ֑ע ʔarbˈaʕ אַרְבַּע four אַרְבְּעָ֥ה ʔarbᵊʕˌā אַרְבַּע four מַלְכִ֖ין malᵊḵˌîn מֶלֶךְ king יְקוּמ֥וּן yᵊqûmˌûn קום stand מִן־ min- מִן from אַרְעָֽא׃ ʔarʕˈā אֲרַע earth
7:17. hae bestiae magnae quattuor quattuor regna consurgent de terraThese four great beasts, are four kingdoms, which shall arise out of the earth.
17. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
7:17. “These four great beasts are four kingdoms, which will rise from the earth.
7:17. These great beasts, which are four, [are] four kings, [which] shall arise out of the earth.
These great beasts, which are four, [are] four kings, [which] shall arise out of the earth:

7:17 <<эти большие звери, которых четыре, {означают}, что четыре царя восстанут от земли.
7:17
ταῦτα ουτος this; he
τὰ ο the
θηρία θηριον beast
τὰ ο the
μεγάλα μεγας great; loud
εἰσὶ ειμι be
τέσσαρες τεσσαρες four
βασιλεῖαι βασιλεια realm; kingdom
αἳ ος who; what
ἀπολοῦνται απολλυμι destroy; lose
ἀπὸ απο from; away
τῆς ο the
γῆς γη earth; land
7:17
אִלֵּין֙ ʔillên אִלֵּין these
חֵיוָתָ֣א ḥêwāṯˈā חֵיוָה animal
רַבְרְבָתָ֔א ravrᵊvāṯˈā רַב great
דִּ֥י dˌî דִּי [relative]
אִנִּ֖ין ʔinnˌîn אִנִּין they
אַרְבַּ֑ע ʔarbˈaʕ אַרְבַּע four
אַרְבְּעָ֥ה ʔarbᵊʕˌā אַרְבַּע four
מַלְכִ֖ין malᵊḵˌîn מֶלֶךְ king
יְקוּמ֥וּן yᵊqûmˌûn קום stand
מִן־ min- מִן from
אַרְעָֽא׃ ʔarʕˈā אֲרַע earth
7:17. hae bestiae magnae quattuor quattuor regna consurgent de terra
These four great beasts, are four kingdoms, which shall arise out of the earth.
7:17. “These four great beasts are four kingdoms, which will rise from the earth.
7:17. These great beasts, which are four, [are] four kings, [which] shall arise out of the earth.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jg▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ all ▾
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:17: These great beasts - are four kings - See the preceding verses, where the following explanations are inserted and illustrated.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:17: These great beasts, which are four, are four kings - Four kings or four dynasties. There is no reason for supposing that they refer to individual kings, but the obvious meaning is, that they refer to four dominions or empires that would succeed one another on the earth. So the whole representation leads us to suppose, and so the passage has been always interpreted. The Latin Vulgate renders it regna; the Septuagint βασιλεῖαι basileiai; Luther, Reiche; Lengerke, Konigreiche. This interpretation is confirmed, also, by Dan 7:23, where it is expressly said that "the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth." See also Dan 7:24.
Which shall arise out of the earth - In Dan 7:2 the beasts are represented as coming up from the sea - the emblem of agitated nations. Here the same idea is presented more literally - that they would seem to spring up out of the earth, thus thrown into wild commotion. These dynasties were to be upon the earth, and they were in all things to indicate their earthly origin. Perhaps, also, it is designed by these words to denote a marked contrast between these four dynasties and the one that would follow - which would be of heavenly origin. This was the general intimation which was given to the meaning of the vision, and he was satisfied at once as to the explanation, so far as the first three were concerned; but the fourth seemed to indicate more mysterious and important events, and respecting this he was induced to ask a more particular explanation.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:17: great: Dan 7:3, Dan 7:4, Dan 2:37-40, Dan 8:19-22
out: Dan 7:3; Psa 17:14; Joh 18:36; Rev 13:1, Rev 13:11
John Gill
7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings,.... Or kingdoms, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions; and so Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Saadiah; so the fourth beast is called the fourth kingdom, Dan 7:23 or a succession of kings in four kingdoms or monarchies, comparable to beasts for their strength, cruelty, and tyranny: these are the words of him that stood by, of one of the angels Daniel applied to, to know the meaning of his dream; and might be better rendered, "as to these (c) great beasts, which are four"; for their quality beasts, for their quantity great, and for number four. The meaning is,
four kings shall arise out of the earth; or kingdoms; which have an earthly original and foundation; are supported by earthly and worldly means, and with earthly and worldly views; and are different from the kingdom of Christ and his saints, which is not of the world, though it may be in it: this explains what is meant by the great sea, from whence these beasts are said to come up, Dan 7:3, nor is it any material objection that the first of these kingdoms, the Babylonian, was risen already, and almost at an end; since the denomination is taken from the larger number; three of them were to arise, and the first was of the same original with them; thus it is said, Dan 11:2, that three kings of Persia should stand up, and yet Cyrus, who was one of them, reigned already.
(c) "Quod attinet", Michaelis.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:17 kings--that is, kingdoms. Compare Dan 7:23, "fourth kingdom"; Dan 2:38; Dan 8:20-22. Each of the four kings represents a dynasty. Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander, Antiochus, and Antichrist, though individually referred to, are representatives of characteristic tendencies.
7:187:18: բարձցին. եւ առցեն զթագաւորութիւնն սուրբք Բարձրելոյն, եւ կալցին զնա մինչեւ յաւիտեանս յաւիտենից։
18 Ապա բարձրեալ Աստծու սրբերը պիտի ելնեն եւ առնեն թագաւորութիւնը եւ պահեն այն յաւիտեանս յաւիտենից:
18 Եւ Բարձրեալին սուրբերը պիտի առնեն թագաւորութիւնը ու անոնք պիտի ժառանգեն թագաւորութիւնը յաւիտեան եւ յաւիտեանս յաւիտենից’։
եւ`` առցեն զթագաւորութիւնն սուրբք Բարձրելոյն, եւ կալցին [122]զնա մինչեւ յաւիտեանս յաւիտենից:

7:18: բարձցին. եւ առցեն զթագաւորութիւնն սուրբք Բարձրելոյն, եւ կալցին զնա մինչեւ յաւիտեանս յաւիտենից։
18 Ապա բարձրեալ Աստծու սրբերը պիտի ելնեն եւ առնեն թագաւորութիւնը եւ պահեն այն յաւիտեանս յաւիտենից:
18 Եւ Բարձրեալին սուրբերը պիտի առնեն թագաւորութիւնը ու անոնք պիտի ժառանգեն թագաւորութիւնը յաւիտեան եւ յաւիտեանս յաւիտենից’։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:187:18 Потом примут царство святые Всевышнего и будут владеть царством вовек и во веки веков>>.
7:18 καὶ και and; even παραλήψονται παραλαμβανω take along; receive τὴν ο the βασιλείαν βασιλεια realm; kingdom ἅγιοι αγιος holy ὑψίστου υψιστος highest; most high καὶ και and; even καθέξουσι κατεχω retain; detain τὴν ο the βασιλείαν βασιλεια realm; kingdom ἕως εως till; until τοῦ ο the αἰῶνος αιων age; -ever καὶ και and; even ἕως εως till; until τοῦ ο the αἰῶνος αιων age; -ever τῶν ο the αἰώνων αιων age; -ever
7:18 וִֽ wˈi וְ and יקַבְּלוּן֙ yqabbᵊlûn קבל receive מַלְכוּתָ֔א malᵊḵûṯˈā מַלְכוּ kingdom קַדִּישֵׁ֖י qaddîšˌê קַדִּישׁ holy עֶלְיֹונִ֑ין ʕelyônˈîn עֶלְיֹון most high וְ wᵊ וְ and יַחְסְנ֤וּן yaḥsᵊnˈûn חסן possess מַלְכוּתָא֙ malᵊḵûṯˌā מַלְכוּ kingdom עַֽד־ ʕˈaḏ- עַד until עָ֣לְמָ֔א ʕˈālᵊmˈā עָלַם eternity וְ wᵊ וְ and עַ֖ד ʕˌaḏ עַד until עָלַ֥ם ʕālˌam עָלַם eternity עָלְמַיָּֽא׃ ʕolmayyˈā עָלַם eternity
7:18. suscipient autem regnum sancti Dei altissimi et obtinebunt regnum usque in saeculum et saeculum saeculorumBut the saints of the most high God shall take the kingdom: and they shall possess the kingdom for ever and ever.
18. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
7:18. Yet it is the saints of the Most High God who will receive the kingdom, and they will hold the kingdom from this generation, and forever and ever.”
7:18. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever:

7:18 Потом примут царство святые Всевышнего и будут владеть царством вовек и во веки веков>>.
7:18
καὶ και and; even
παραλήψονται παραλαμβανω take along; receive
τὴν ο the
βασιλείαν βασιλεια realm; kingdom
ἅγιοι αγιος holy
ὑψίστου υψιστος highest; most high
καὶ και and; even
καθέξουσι κατεχω retain; detain
τὴν ο the
βασιλείαν βασιλεια realm; kingdom
ἕως εως till; until
τοῦ ο the
αἰῶνος αιων age; -ever
καὶ και and; even
ἕως εως till; until
τοῦ ο the
αἰῶνος αιων age; -ever
τῶν ο the
αἰώνων αιων age; -ever
7:18
וִֽ wˈi וְ and
יקַבְּלוּן֙ yqabbᵊlûn קבל receive
מַלְכוּתָ֔א malᵊḵûṯˈā מַלְכוּ kingdom
קַדִּישֵׁ֖י qaddîšˌê קַדִּישׁ holy
עֶלְיֹונִ֑ין ʕelyônˈîn עֶלְיֹון most high
וְ wᵊ וְ and
יַחְסְנ֤וּן yaḥsᵊnˈûn חסן possess
מַלְכוּתָא֙ malᵊḵûṯˌā מַלְכוּ kingdom
עַֽד־ ʕˈaḏ- עַד until
עָ֣לְמָ֔א ʕˈālᵊmˈā עָלַם eternity
וְ wᵊ וְ and
עַ֖ד ʕˌaḏ עַד until
עָלַ֥ם ʕālˌam עָלַם eternity
עָלְמַיָּֽא׃ ʕolmayyˈā עָלַם eternity
7:18. suscipient autem regnum sancti Dei altissimi et obtinebunt regnum usque in saeculum et saeculum saeculorum
But the saints of the most high God shall take the kingdom: and they shall possess the kingdom for ever and ever.
7:18. Yet it is the saints of the Most High God who will receive the kingdom, and they will hold the kingdom from this generation, and forever and ever.”
7:18. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ all ▾
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:18: But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom - I doubt whether this be the true sense of the original Chaldee, ויקבלון מלכותא קדשי עליונון vikabbelun malcutha kaddishey elyonin, "But the supreme holy ones shall receive the kingdom;" or, "they shall receive the kingdom of the supreme saints." Properly translated by Montanus, Et suscipient regnum sanctorum altissimorum. Whatever we may think of the patriarchs and the Jews in their best times, there has never been so much holiness of heart possessed, and so much righteousness practiced, as by the genuine disciples of Christ. Christianity alone has provided a full redemption for man. They are the chief saints, and to them God gives the kingdom: and this Gospel dispensation, called often the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of heaven, shall last for ever, during the whole lapse of time; and for ever and ever - throughout eternity, shall they and its blessings endure.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:18: But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom - That is, they shall ultimately take possession of the rule over all the world, and shall control it from that time onward to the end. This is the grand thing which the vision is designed to disclose, and on this it was evidently the intention to fix the mind. Everything before was preparatory and subordinate to this, and to this all things tended. The phrase rendered the Most High - in the margin "high ones, i. e., things or places" - עליונין ‛ eleyô nı̂ yn - is in the plural number, and means literally high ones; but there can be no doubt that it refers here to God, and is given to Him as the word אלהים 'ĕ lohı̂ ym is (Gen 1:1, et saepe), to denote majesty or honor - pluralis excellentice. The word rendered saints means the holy, and the reference is undoubtedly to the people of God on the earth, meaning here that they would take possession of the kingdom, or that they would rule. When true religion shall everywhere pRev_ail, and when all offices shall be in the hands of good men - of men that fear God and that keep his commandments - instead of being in the hands of bad men, as they generally have been, then this prediction will be accomplished in respect to all that is fairly implied in it.
And possess the kingdom for ever, even foRev_er and ever - This is a strong and emphatic declaration, affirming that this dominion will be perpetual. It will not pass away, like the other kingdoms, to be succeeded by another one. What is here affirmed, as above remarked, will be true if such a reign should continue on earth to the winding up of all things, and should then be succeeded by an eternal reign of holiness in the heavens. It is not necessary to interpret this as meaning that there would be literally an eternal kingdom on this earth, for it is everywhere taught in the Scriptures that the present order of things will come to a close. But it does seem necessary to understand this as teaching that there will be a state of pRev_alent righteousness on the earth hereafter, and that when that is introduced it will continue to the end of time.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:18: the saints: Dan 7:22, Dan 7:27; Psa 45:16, Psa 149:5-9; Isa 60:12-14; Ti2 2:11, Ti2 2:12; Rev 2:26, Rev 2:27; Rev 3:21, Rev 5:10, Rev 20:4
most High: Chal, high ones, that is, things, or places, Eph 1:3, Eph 6:12
Geneva 1599
7:18 But the saints of the (f) most High shall take the (g) kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
(f) That is, of the most high things, because God has chosen them out of this world, that they should look up to the heavens, upon which all their hope depends.
(g) Because Abraham was appointed heir of all the world, (Rom 4:13), and in him all the faithful, therefore the kingdom of him is theirs by right, which these four beasts or tyrants would invade, and usurp until the world were restored by Christ. And this was to strengthen and encourage those that were in troubles, that their afflictions would eventually have an end.
John Gill
7:18 But the saints of the most High,.... Or, "of the most high Ones" (d), Father, Son, and Spirit, separated by God the Father in election, and in that sense his servants, or sanctified ones, Jude 1:1, and redeemed by the Son, and sanctified with his blood, or their sins atoned by it, and to whom he is made sanctification, and so his saints, Heb 13:12 and sanctified by the Spirit, who in conversion implants principles of grace and holiness in them, 1Cor 6:11, or, "the saints of high" (e), places or things; who are born from above, and are called with a high and heavenly calling, towards which they are pressing, reckoning themselves strangers here below:
these shall take the kingdom; or "receive" (f) it, as a free gift from God; and not by force, and rapine, and violence, as the beasts did:
and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever; after the four monarchies are destroyed, a fifth kingdom shall be set up; and this will be given to, and put into the possession of, the saints; they shall have the rule and government in the world, even in the whole world, as well as reign with Christ spiritually; which manner of rule shall last long; and then after the first resurrection they shall reign with him a thousand years on earth, and afterwards in heaven to all eternity. There is another rendering and sense of the words given, "and they (the beasts) shall receive the kingdom of the saints of the most High" (g), &c.; and so Saadiah interprets them,
"and these kingdoms shall receive the kingdom of Israel, who are the saints of the most High, until the world to come, until the Messiah reigns;''
and this way go many others, who understand the words of those several monarchies possessing the land of Judea, and ruling over it; and of the continuance of it in the hands of Papists or Turks for a long, time, even until the glorious kingdom of Christ takes place; but this does not agree with the accentuation of the words, their form of construction, their connection, and strong manner of expression, "for ever and ever"; and especially if compared with Dan 7:22.
(d) "sanctorum altissimorum", Pagninus, Montanus; "sanctorum excelsorum", Junius & Tremellius. (e) "Sancti exceisoram, sel locorum", Piscator. (f) "accipient", Munster, Piscator, Tigurine version. (g) "Suscipient regnum sanctorum", Pagninus, Montanus; "sortientur, vel obtienebunt regnum", Calvin; so Polanus, Sanctius.
John Wesley
7:18 But the saints - Jesus Christ being their king, they shall reign with him, and possess the kingdom for ever.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:18 the Most High--the emphatic title of God in this prophecy, who delegates His power first to Israel; then to the Gentiles (Dan 2:37-38) when Israel fails to realize the idea of the theocracy; lastly, to Messiah, who shall rule truly for God, taking it from the Gentile world powers, whose history is one of continual degeneracy culminating in the last of the kings, Antichrist. Here, in the interpretation, "the saints," but in the vision (Dan 7:13-14), "the Son of man," takes the kingdom; for Christ and His people are one in suffering, and one in glory. TREGELLES translates, "most high places" (Eph 1:3; Eph 2:6). Though oppressed by the beast and little horn, they belong not to the earth from which the four beasts arise, but to the most high places.
7:197:19: Եւ քննէի ճշմարտիւ վասն գազանին չորրորդի. զի առաւե՛լ այլակերպ էր քան զամենայն գազանսն՝ որ յառաջ քան զնա, եւ ահագի՛ն յոյժ. եւ ժանիք նորա երկաթիք, եւ մագիլք նորա պղնձիք. ուտէր եւ մանրէր՝ եւ զմնացորդսն առ ո՛տն կոտորէր[12191]. [12191] ՚Ի բազումս պակասի. Զամենայն գազանսն՝ որ յառաջ քան զնա։
19 Քննում էի ճշմարտութիւնը չորրորդ գազանի մասին, որովհետեւ նա առաւել այլակերպ էր, քան բոլոր գազաններն ու յոյժ ահազդու. նրա ժանիքները երկաթեայ էին, եւ նրա մագիլները պղնձեայ, նա ուտում էր ու մանրում եւ մնացորդները կոտրատում ոտքերի տակ:
19 «Ետքը չորրորդ գազանին մասին ճշմարտութիւնը գիտնալ ուզեցի, որ բոլոր միւսներէն տարբեր էր ու խիստ ահեղ էր. անոր ակռաները երկաթէ եւ եղունգները պղնձէ էին, անիկա կ’ուտէր, կը փշրէր ու մնացածը ոտքերովը կը կոխկռտէր։
Եւ քննէի ճշմարտիւ վասն գազանին չորրորդի, զի առաւել այլակերպ էր քան զամենայն գազանսն եւ ահագին յոյժ, եւ ժանիք նորա երկաթիք, եւ մագիլք նորա պղնձիք. ուտէր եւ մանրէր եւ զմնացորդսն առ ոտն կոտորէր:

7:19: Եւ քննէի ճշմարտիւ վասն գազանին չորրորդի. զի առաւե՛լ այլակերպ էր քան զամենայն գազանսն՝ որ յառաջ քան զնա, եւ ահագի՛ն յոյժ. եւ ժանիք նորա երկաթիք, եւ մագիլք նորա պղնձիք. ուտէր եւ մանրէր՝ եւ զմնացորդսն առ ո՛տն կոտորէր[12191].
[12191] ՚Ի բազումս պակասի. Զամենայն գազանսն՝ որ յառաջ քան զնա։
19 Քննում էի ճշմարտութիւնը չորրորդ գազանի մասին, որովհետեւ նա առաւել այլակերպ էր, քան բոլոր գազաններն ու յոյժ ահազդու. նրա ժանիքները երկաթեայ էին, եւ նրա մագիլները պղնձեայ, նա ուտում էր ու մանրում եւ մնացորդները կոտրատում ոտքերի տակ:
19 «Ետքը չորրորդ գազանին մասին ճշմարտութիւնը գիտնալ ուզեցի, որ բոլոր միւսներէն տարբեր էր ու խիստ ահեղ էր. անոր ակռաները երկաթէ եւ եղունգները պղնձէ էին, անիկա կ’ուտէր, կը փշրէր ու մնացածը ոտքերովը կը կոխկռտէր։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:197:19 Тогда пожелал я точного объяснения о четвертом звере, который был отличен от всех и очень страшен, с зубами железными и когтями медными, пожирал и сокрушал, а остатки попирал ногами,
7:19 τότε τοτε at that ἤθελον θελω determine; will ἐξακριβάσασθαι εξακριβαζω about; around τοῦ ο the θηρίου θηριον beast τοῦ ο the τετάρτου τεταρτος fourth τοῦ ο the διαφθείροντος διαφθειρω deteriorate; ruin πάντα πας all; every καὶ και and; even ὑπερφόβου υπερφοβος and; even ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am οἱ ο the ὀδόντες οδους tooth αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him σιδηροῖ σιδηρεος of iron καὶ και and; even οἱ ο the ὄνυχες ονυξ he; him χαλκοῖ χαλκεος of brass κατεσθίοντες κατεσθιω consume; eat up πάντας πας all; every κυκλόθεν κυκλοθεν circling; from all around καὶ και and; even καταπατοῦντες καταπατεω trample τοῖς ο the ποσί πους foot; pace
7:19 אֱדַ֗יִן ʔᵉḏˈayin אֱדַיִן then צְבִית֙ ṣᵊvîṯ צבה desire לְ lᵊ לְ to יַצָּבָ֔א yaṣṣāvˈā יצב stand עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon חֵֽיוְתָא֙ ḥˈêwᵊṯā חֵיוָה animal רְבִיעָ֣יְתָ֔א rᵊvîʕˈāyᵊṯˈā רְבִיעָי fourth דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative] הֲוָ֥ת hᵃwˌāṯ הוה be שָֽׁנְיָ֖ה šˈānᵊyˌā שׁנה be different מִן־ min- מִן from כָּלְּהֵ֑יןכלהון *kollᵊhˈên כֹּל whole דְּחִילָ֣ה dᵊḥîlˈā דחל fear יַתִּ֗ירָה yattˈîrā יַתִּיר excessive שִׁנַּ֤הּשׁניה *šinnˈah שֵׁן tooth דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative] פַרְזֶל֙ farzˌel פַּרְזֶל iron וְ wᵊ וְ and טִפְרַ֣יהּ ṭifrˈayh טְפַר nail דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative] נְחָ֔שׁ nᵊḥˈāš נְחָשׁ copper אָֽכְלָ֣ה ʔˈāḵᵊlˈā אכל eat מַדֲּקָ֔ה maddᵃqˈā דקק crush וּ û וְ and שְׁאָרָ֖א šᵊʔārˌā שְׁאָר rest בְּ bᵊ בְּ in רַגְלַ֥יהּ raḡlˌayh רְגַל foot רָֽפְסָֽה׃ rˈāfᵊsˈā רפס trample upon
7:19. post hoc volui diligenter discere de bestia quarta quia erat dissimilis valde ab omnibus et terribilis nimis dentes et ungues eius ferrei comedebat et comminuebat et reliquias pedibus suis conculcabatAfter this I would diligently learn concerning the fourth beast, which was very different from all, and exceeding terrible: his teeth and claws were of iron: he devoured and broke in pieces, and the rest he stamped upon with his feet:
19. Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was diverse from all of them, exceeding terrible, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
7:19. After this, I wanted to learn diligently about the fourth beast, which was very different from all, and exceedingly terrible; his teeth and claws were of iron; he devoured and crushed, and the remainder he trampled with his feet;
7:19. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth [were of] iron, and his nails [of] brass; [which] devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth [were of] iron, and his nails [of] brass; [which] devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet:

7:19 Тогда пожелал я точного объяснения о четвертом звере, который был отличен от всех и очень страшен, с зубами железными и когтями медными, пожирал и сокрушал, а остатки попирал ногами,
7:19
τότε τοτε at that
ἤθελον θελω determine; will
ἐξακριβάσασθαι εξακριβαζω about; around
τοῦ ο the
θηρίου θηριον beast
τοῦ ο the
τετάρτου τεταρτος fourth
τοῦ ο the
διαφθείροντος διαφθειρω deteriorate; ruin
πάντα πας all; every
καὶ και and; even
ὑπερφόβου υπερφοβος and; even
ἰδοὺ ιδου see!; here I am
οἱ ο the
ὀδόντες οδους tooth
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
σιδηροῖ σιδηρεος of iron
καὶ και and; even
οἱ ο the
ὄνυχες ονυξ he; him
χαλκοῖ χαλκεος of brass
κατεσθίοντες κατεσθιω consume; eat up
πάντας πας all; every
κυκλόθεν κυκλοθεν circling; from all around
καὶ και and; even
καταπατοῦντες καταπατεω trample
τοῖς ο the
ποσί πους foot; pace
7:19
אֱדַ֗יִן ʔᵉḏˈayin אֱדַיִן then
צְבִית֙ ṣᵊvîṯ צבה desire
לְ lᵊ לְ to
יַצָּבָ֔א yaṣṣāvˈā יצב stand
עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon
חֵֽיוְתָא֙ ḥˈêwᵊṯā חֵיוָה animal
רְבִיעָ֣יְתָ֔א rᵊvîʕˈāyᵊṯˈā רְבִיעָי fourth
דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative]
הֲוָ֥ת hᵃwˌāṯ הוה be
שָֽׁנְיָ֖ה šˈānᵊyˌā שׁנה be different
מִן־ min- מִן from
כָּלְּהֵ֑יןכלהון
*kollᵊhˈên כֹּל whole
דְּחִילָ֣ה dᵊḥîlˈā דחל fear
יַתִּ֗ירָה yattˈîrā יַתִּיר excessive
שִׁנַּ֤הּשׁניה
*šinnˈah שֵׁן tooth
דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative]
פַרְזֶל֙ farzˌel פַּרְזֶל iron
וְ wᵊ וְ and
טִפְרַ֣יהּ ṭifrˈayh טְפַר nail
דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative]
נְחָ֔שׁ nᵊḥˈāš נְחָשׁ copper
אָֽכְלָ֣ה ʔˈāḵᵊlˈā אכל eat
מַדֲּקָ֔ה maddᵃqˈā דקק crush
וּ û וְ and
שְׁאָרָ֖א šᵊʔārˌā שְׁאָר rest
בְּ bᵊ בְּ in
רַגְלַ֥יהּ raḡlˌayh רְגַל foot
רָֽפְסָֽה׃ rˈāfᵊsˈā רפס trample upon
7:19. post hoc volui diligenter discere de bestia quarta quia erat dissimilis valde ab omnibus et terribilis nimis dentes et ungues eius ferrei comedebat et comminuebat et reliquias pedibus suis conculcabat
After this I would diligently learn concerning the fourth beast, which was very different from all, and exceeding terrible: his teeth and claws were of iron: he devoured and broke in pieces, and the rest he stamped upon with his feet:
7:19. After this, I wanted to learn diligently about the fourth beast, which was very different from all, and exceedingly terrible; his teeth and claws were of iron; he devoured and crushed, and the remainder he trampled with his feet;
7:19. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth [were of] iron, and his nails [of] brass; [which] devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ all ▾
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:19: His nails of brass - This is not mentioned in the seventh verse, where the description of the beast is given. It might be added, for the first time, by the person who is now explaining the fourth beast. Houbigant thinks it has been lost out of the text: but such loss is not intimated by any MS.; nor does any of the ancient Versions acknowledge this addition in the seventh verse.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:19: Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast - I desired to know particularly what was symbolized by that. He appears to have been satisfied with the most general intimations in regard to the first three beasts, for the kingdoms represented by them seemed to have nothing very remarkable. But it was different in regard to the fourth. The beast itself was so remarkable - so fierce and terrific; the number of the horns was so great; the springing up of the little horn was so surprising; the character of that horn was so unusual; the judgment passed on it was so solemn; and the vision of one like the Son of man coming to take possession of the kingdom - all these things were of so fearful and so uncommon a character, that the mind of Daniel was peculiarly affected in view of them, and he sought earnestly for a further explanation. In the description that Daniel here gives of the beast and the horns, he refers in the main to the same cirumstances which he had before described; but he adds a few which he had before omitted, all tending to impress the mind more deeply with the fearful character and the momentous import of the vision; as, for instance, the fact that it had nails of brass, and made war with the saints.
Which was diverse from all the others - Different in its form and character; - so different as to attract particular attention, and to leave the impression that something very peculiar and remarkable was denoted by it. Notes, Dan 7:7.
Exceeding dreadful - Notes, Dan 7:7.
And his nails of brass - This circumstance is not mentioned in the first statement, Dan 7:7. It accords well with the other part of the description, that his teeth were of iron, and is designed to denote the fearful and terrific character of tho kingdom, symbolized by the beast.
Which devoured ... - See the notes at Dan 7:7.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:19: the fourth: Dan 7:7, Dan 2:40-43
the others: Chal, those
Geneva 1599
7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was (h) diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth [were of] iron, and his nails [of] brass; [which] devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the (i) residue with his feet;
(h) For the other three monarchies were governed by a king, and the Roman empire by consuls: the Romans changed their governors yearly, and the other monarchies retained them for term of life: also the Romans were the strongest of all the others, and were never at peace among themselves.
(i) Read (Dan 7:7).
John Gill
7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast;.... What it represented, what kingdom or monarchy was meant by it; for, by the above answer of the angel, he understood the four beasts signified four kings or kingdoms; the three first he pretty well understood; at least he was not so solicitous about them as about the fourth; and this he was desirous of having a very particular and exact account of; it threatening, by its appearance, a great deal of trouble to the world, and especially to the church of God:
which was diverse from all the others; or, "from all them", or "those" (h), the other three beasts:
exceeding dreadful; to other kingdoms and nations:
whose teeth were of iron; of these parts of its description, see on Dan 7:7,
and his nails of brass; this is a new circumstance, not before mentioned, and here added with great propriety: "nails" belonging to a beast of prey, and these said to be of "brass", to denote its strength, cruelty, and voraciousness in tearing its prey, to pieces; and, moreover, to show that this kingdom has somewhat of the nature of the third or Grecian monarchy, said to be of brass in Nebuchadnezzar's dream; some out of that kingdom being taken into the Roman militia, as, Theodoret observes; and soldiers are to a king what nails are to a beast:
which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; some kingdoms and provinces were destroyed by it, and the rest were made subject to it; see Dan 7:7.
(h) "a cunctis ipse", Pagninus, Montanus; "ab omnibus illis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:19 Balaam, an Aramean, dwelling on the Euphrates, at the beginning of Israel's independent history, and Daniel at the close of it, prophetically exhibit to the hostile world powers Israel as triumphant over them at last, though the world powers of the East (Asshur) and the West (Chittim) carry all before them and afflict Eber (Israel) for a time (Num 23:8-10, Num 23:28; Num 24:2, Num 24:7-9, Num 24:22-24). To Balaam's "Asshur" correspond Daniel's two eastern kingdoms, Babylon and Medo-Persia; to "Chittim," the two western kingdoms, Greece and Rome (compare Gen 10:4, Gen 10:11, Gen 10:22). In Babel, Nimrod the hunter (revolter) founds the first kingdom of the world (Gen 10:8-13). The Babylonian world power takes up the thread interrupted at the building of Babel, and the kingdom of Nimrod. As at Babel, so in Babylon the world is united against God; Babylon, the first world power, thus becomes the type of the God-opposed world. The fourth monarchy consummates the evil; it is "diverse" from the others only in its more unlimited universality. The three first were not in the full sense universal monarchies. The fourth is; so in it the God-opposed principle finds its full development. All history moves within the Romanic, Germanic, and Slavonic nations; it shall continue so to Christ's second advent. The fourth monarchy represents universalism externally; Christianity, internally. Rome is Babylon fully developed. It is the world power corresponding in contrast to Christianity, and therefore contemporary with it (Mt 13:38; Mk 1:15; Lk 2:1; Gal 4:4).
7:207:20: եւ վասն եղջերացն տասանց որ էր ՚ի գլուխ նորա. եւ վասն միւսոյն որ ելանէր՝ եւ զերիսն ՚ի բաց թափէր. որոյ ա՛չք էին՝ եւ բերան որ խօսէր զմեծամեծս. եւ տեսիլ նորա առաւե՛լ էր քան զայլոցն[12192]։ [12192] Բազումք. Որ ՚ի գլուխ նորա։ Ոմանք. ՚Ի բաց թօթափէր... եւ բերան նորա. կամ՝ եւ բերանն խօսէր։
20 Նաեւ քննում էի ճշմարտութիւնը նրա գլխի տասը եղջիւրների մասին եւ այն միւսի մասին, որ ելնում եւ թափում էր երեք եղջիւրները, որ աչքեր ունէր եւ բերան, որ մեծ-մեծ բաներ էր խօսում, եւ նրա տեսքը առաւել մեծ էր, քան միւսներինը:
20 Նոյնպէս հարցուցի անոր գլխուն վրայի տասը եղջիւրներուն մասին ու միւսին մասին, որուն առջեւէն երեքը ինկան, այսինքն այն եղջիւրին մասին, որ աչքեր ու մեծ բաներ խօսող բերան ունէր ու միւսներէն աւելի մեծ կ’երեւէր։
եւ վասն եղջերացն տասանց որ ի գլուխ նորա, եւ վասն միւսոյն որ ելանէր եւ [123]զերիսն ի բաց թափէր, որոյ`` աչք էին եւ բերան որ խօսէր զմեծամեծս, եւ տեսիլ նորա առաւել էր քան զայլոցն:

7:20: եւ վասն եղջերացն տասանց որ էր ՚ի գլուխ նորա. եւ վասն միւսոյն որ ելանէր՝ եւ զերիսն ՚ի բաց թափէր. որոյ ա՛չք էին՝ եւ բերան որ խօսէր զմեծամեծս. եւ տեսիլ նորա առաւե՛լ էր քան զայլոցն[12192]։
[12192] Բազումք. Որ ՚ի գլուխ նորա։ Ոմանք. ՚Ի բաց թօթափէր... եւ բերան նորա. կամ՝ եւ բերանն խօսէր։
20 Նաեւ քննում էի ճշմարտութիւնը նրա գլխի տասը եղջիւրների մասին եւ այն միւսի մասին, որ ելնում եւ թափում էր երեք եղջիւրները, որ աչքեր ունէր եւ բերան, որ մեծ-մեծ բաներ էր խօսում, եւ նրա տեսքը առաւել մեծ էր, քան միւսներինը:
20 Նոյնպէս հարցուցի անոր գլխուն վրայի տասը եղջիւրներուն մասին ու միւսին մասին, որուն առջեւէն երեքը ինկան, այսինքն այն եղջիւրին մասին, որ աչքեր ու մեծ բաներ խօսող բերան ունէր ու միւսներէն աւելի մեծ կ’երեւէր։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:207:20 и о десяти рогах, которые были на голове у него, и о другом, вновь вышедшем, перед которым выпали три, о том самом роге, у которого были глаза и уста, говорящие высокомерно, и который по виду стал больше прочих.
7:20 καὶ και and; even περὶ περι about; around τῶν ο the δέκα δεκα ten κεράτων κερας horn αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him τῶν ο the ἐπὶ επι in; on τῆς ο the κεφαλῆς κεφαλη head; top καὶ και and; even τοῦ ο the ἑνὸς εις.1 one; unit τοῦ ο the ἄλλου αλλος another; else τοῦ ο the προσφυέντος προσφυω and; even ἐξέπεσαν εκπιπτω fall out; fall off δι᾿ δια through; because of αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him τρία τρεις three καὶ και and; even τὸ ο the κέρας κερας horn ἐκεῖνο εκεινος that εἶχεν εχω have; hold ὀφθαλμοὺς οφθαλμος eye; sight καὶ και and; even στόμα στομα mouth; edge λαλοῦν λαλεω talk; speak μεγάλα μεγας great; loud καὶ και and; even ἡ ο the πρόσοψις προσοψις he; him ὑπερέφερε υπερφερω the ἄλλα αλλος another; else
7:20 וְ wᵊ וְ and עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon קַרְנַיָּ֤א qarnayyˈā קֶרֶן horn עֲשַׂר֙ ʕᵃśˌar עֲשַׂר ten דִּ֣י dˈî דִּי [relative] בְ vᵊ בְּ in רֵאשַׁ֔הּ rēšˈah רֵאשׁ head וְ wᵊ וְ and אָחֳרִי֙ ʔoḥᵒrˌî אָחֳרִי another דִּ֣י dˈî דִּי [relative] סִלְקַ֔ת silqˈaṯ סלק go up וּו *û וְ and נְפַ֥לָהנפלו *nᵊfˌalā נפל fall מִן־ min- מִן from קֳדָמַ֖הּקדמיה *qᵒḏāmˌah קֳדָם before תְּלָ֑ת tᵊlˈāṯ תְּלָת three וְ wᵊ וְ and קַרְנָ֨א qarnˌā קֶרֶן horn דִכֵּ֜ן ḏikkˈēn דִּכֵּן that וְ wᵊ וְ and עַיְנִ֣ין ʕaynˈîn עַיִן eye לַ֗הּ lˈah לְ to וְ wᵊ וְ and פֻם֙ fˌum פֻּם mouth מְמַלִּ֣ל mᵊmallˈil מלל speak רַבְרְבָ֔ן ravrᵊvˈān רַב great וְ wᵊ וְ and חֶזְוַ֖הּ ḥezwˌah חֱזוּ vision רַ֥ב rˌav רַב great מִן־ min- מִן from חַבְרָתַֽהּ׃ ḥavrāṯˈah חַבְרָה colleague
7:20. et de cornibus decem quae habebat in capite et de alio quod ortum fuerat ante quod ceciderant tria cornua de cornu illo quod habebat oculos et os loquens grandia et maius erat ceterisAnd concerning the ten horns that he had on his head: and concerning the other that came up, before which three horns fell: and of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and was greater than the rest.
20. and concerning the ten horns that were on his head, and the other which came up, and before which three fell; even that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
7:20. and about the ten horns, which he had on his head, and about the other, which had sprung up, before which three horns fell, and about that horn which had eyes and a mouth speaking great things, and which was more powerful than the rest.
7:20. And of the ten horns that [were] in his head, and [of] the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even [of] that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look [was] more stout than his fellows.
And of the ten horns that [were] in his head, and [of] the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even [of] that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look [was] more stout than his fellows:

7:20 и о десяти рогах, которые были на голове у него, и о другом, вновь вышедшем, перед которым выпали три, о том самом роге, у которого были глаза и уста, говорящие высокомерно, и который по виду стал больше прочих.
7:20
καὶ και and; even
περὶ περι about; around
τῶν ο the
δέκα δεκα ten
κεράτων κερας horn
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
τῶν ο the
ἐπὶ επι in; on
τῆς ο the
κεφαλῆς κεφαλη head; top
καὶ και and; even
τοῦ ο the
ἑνὸς εις.1 one; unit
τοῦ ο the
ἄλλου αλλος another; else
τοῦ ο the
προσφυέντος προσφυω and; even
ἐξέπεσαν εκπιπτω fall out; fall off
δι᾿ δια through; because of
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
τρία τρεις three
καὶ και and; even
τὸ ο the
κέρας κερας horn
ἐκεῖνο εκεινος that
εἶχεν εχω have; hold
ὀφθαλμοὺς οφθαλμος eye; sight
καὶ και and; even
στόμα στομα mouth; edge
λαλοῦν λαλεω talk; speak
μεγάλα μεγας great; loud
καὶ και and; even
ο the
πρόσοψις προσοψις he; him
ὑπερέφερε υπερφερω the
ἄλλα αλλος another; else
7:20
וְ wᵊ וְ and
עַל־ ʕal- עַל upon
קַרְנַיָּ֤א qarnayyˈā קֶרֶן horn
עֲשַׂר֙ ʕᵃśˌar עֲשַׂר ten
דִּ֣י dˈî דִּי [relative]
בְ vᵊ בְּ in
רֵאשַׁ֔הּ rēšˈah רֵאשׁ head
וְ wᵊ וְ and
אָחֳרִי֙ ʔoḥᵒrˌî אָחֳרִי another
דִּ֣י dˈî דִּי [relative]
סִלְקַ֔ת silqˈaṯ סלק go up
וּו
וְ and
נְפַ֥לָהנפלו
*nᵊfˌalā נפל fall
מִן־ min- מִן from
קֳדָמַ֖הּקדמיה
*qᵒḏāmˌah קֳדָם before
תְּלָ֑ת tᵊlˈāṯ תְּלָת three
וְ wᵊ וְ and
קַרְנָ֨א qarnˌā קֶרֶן horn
דִכֵּ֜ן ḏikkˈēn דִּכֵּן that
וְ wᵊ וְ and
עַיְנִ֣ין ʕaynˈîn עַיִן eye
לַ֗הּ lˈah לְ to
וְ wᵊ וְ and
פֻם֙ fˌum פֻּם mouth
מְמַלִּ֣ל mᵊmallˈil מלל speak
רַבְרְבָ֔ן ravrᵊvˈān רַב great
וְ wᵊ וְ and
חֶזְוַ֖הּ ḥezwˌah חֱזוּ vision
רַ֥ב rˌav רַב great
מִן־ min- מִן from
חַבְרָתַֽהּ׃ ḥavrāṯˈah חַבְרָה colleague
7:20. et de cornibus decem quae habebat in capite et de alio quod ortum fuerat ante quod ceciderant tria cornua de cornu illo quod habebat oculos et os loquens grandia et maius erat ceteris
And concerning the ten horns that he had on his head: and concerning the other that came up, before which three horns fell: and of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and was greater than the rest.
7:20. and about the ten horns, which he had on his head, and about the other, which had sprung up, before which three horns fell, and about that horn which had eyes and a mouth speaking great things, and which was more powerful than the rest.
7:20. And of the ten horns that [were] in his head, and [of] the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even [of] that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look [was] more stout than his fellows.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ all ▾
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:20: And of the ten horns ... - See the notes at Dan 7:7-8.
Whose look was more stout than his fellows - literally, "whose aspect was greater than that of its companions." This does not mean that its look or aspect was more fierce or severe than that of the others, but that the appearance of the horn was greater - רב rab. In Dan 7:8, this is described as a "little horn;" and to understand this, and reconcile the two, we must suppose that the seer watched this as it grew until it became the largest of the number. Three fell before it, and it outgrew in size all the others until it became the most prominent. This would clearly denote that the kingdom or the authority referred to by this eleventh horn would be more distinct and prominent than either of the others - would become so conspicuous and important as in fact to concentrate and embody all the power of the beast.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:20: the ten horns: The ten kingdoms into which the western Roman empire was divided; which were primarily, according to Machiavel and Bp. Lloyd:
Western Roman Empire Division Ten Kingdoms Date ad 1. The Huns in Hungary 356 2. The Ostrogoths in Moesia 377 3. The Visigoths in Pannonia 378 4. The Sueves and Alans in Gascoigne and Spain 407 5. The Vandals in Africa 407 6. The Franks in France 407 7. The Burgundians in Burgundy 407 8. The Heruli and Turingi in Italy 476 9. The Saxons and Angles in Britain 476 10. The Lombards, first upon the Danube, and afterwards in Italy 526 Though the ten kingdoms differed from these in later periods, and were sometimes more or less, yet they were still known by that name. Dan 7:8, Dan 7:11, Dan 7:23, Dan 8:9-11
whose look: Dan 11:36, Dan 11:37
Geneva 1599
7:20 And of the ten horns that [were] in his head, and [of] the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even [of] that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose (k) look [was] more stout than his fellows.
(k) This is meant of the fourth beast, which was more terrible than the others.
John Gill
7:20 And of the ten horns,.... That is, Daniel desired to know the truth of the ten horns, or the meaning of them what they signified, and who they pointed at, of which in Dan 7:7, here it is added,
that were in his head; observing the situation of them; thought the horns of a beast could hardly be thought to be elsewhere:
and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; particularly he was very desirous to know the meaning of a single horn, which rose up among the rest, and before which three of the other horns fell, being plucked up by the roots:
even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things: See Gill on Dan 7:8,
whose look was more stout than his fellows; than the other beasts, or rather than the other horns; either than his fellow bishops, claiming an authority over them, as being universal bishop; or than the kings and princes of the earth, setting up himself above all that is called god, emperors and kings; taking to himself all power in heaven and in earth; a power to depose kings, and absolve their subjects from allegiance to them, and even over the consciences of men; so that his look is more bold and impudent than others, as well as more fierce and terrible, threatening kings and kingdoms with his bulls, anathemas, and interdicts: or, "whose appearance is greater than his fellows" (i); in pomp and splendour, making a greater show and figure than the kings of the earth, and claiming a superiority over them.
(i) "cujus aspectus", Munster; "et aspectus ejus major sociis suis", Pagninus.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:20 look . . . more stout than . . . fellows--namely, than that of the other horns.
7:217:21: Տեսանէի՝ եւ եղջեւրն այն տայր պատերազմ ընդ սուրբս. եւ զօրանայր ՚ի վերայ նոցա[12193]. [12193] Ոմանք. Տեսանէի որ եղջիւրն այն։ Ուր Ոսկան. զի եղջիւրն։
21 Տեսնում էի, որ այդ եղջիւրը պատերազմում էր սրբերի դէմ եւ յաղթում էր նրանց,
21 Երբ կը դիտէի՝ այդ եղջիւրը միւսներէն մեծ կ’երեւէր եւ կը տեսնէի, որ այդ եղջիւրը սուրբերուն հետ պատերազմ ըրաւ ու անոնց յաղթեց,
Տեսանէի, եւ եղջեւրն այն տայր պատերազմ ընդ սուրբս, եւ զօրանայր ի վերայ նոցա:

7:21: Տեսանէի՝ եւ եղջեւրն այն տայր պատերազմ ընդ սուրբս. եւ զօրանայր ՚ի վերայ նոցա[12193].
[12193] Ոմանք. Տեսանէի որ եղջիւրն այն։ Ուր Ոսկան. զի եղջիւրն։
21 Տեսնում էի, որ այդ եղջիւրը պատերազմում էր սրբերի դէմ եւ յաղթում էր նրանց,
21 Երբ կը դիտէի՝ այդ եղջիւրը միւսներէն մեծ կ’երեւէր եւ կը տեսնէի, որ այդ եղջիւրը սուրբերուն հետ պատերազմ ըրաւ ու անոնց յաղթեց,
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:217:21 Я видел, как этот рог вел брань со святыми и превозмогал их,
7:21 καὶ και and; even κατενόουν κατανοεω take note of τὸ ο the κέρας κερας horn ἐκεῖνο εκεινος that πόλεμον πολεμος battle συνιστάμενον συνιστημι introduce; establish πρὸς προς to; toward τοὺς ο the ἁγίους αγιος holy καὶ και and; even τροπούμενον τροποω he; him
7:21 חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see הֲוֵ֔ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be וְ wᵊ וְ and קַרְנָ֣א qarnˈā קֶרֶן horn דִכֵּ֔ן ḏikkˈēn דִּכֵּן that עָבְדָ֥ה ʕāvᵊḏˌā עבד do קְרָ֖ב qᵊrˌāv קְרָב war עִם־ ʕim- עִם with קַדִּישִׁ֑ין qaddîšˈîn קַדִּישׁ holy וְ wᵊ וְ and יָכְלָ֖ה yoḵlˌā יכל be able לְהֹֽון׃ lᵊhˈôn לְ to
7:21. aspiciebam et ecce cornu illud faciebat bellum adversus sanctos et praevalebat eisI beheld, and lo, that horn made war against the saints, and prevailed over them,
21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
7:21. I watched, and behold, that horn made war against the holy ones and prevailed over them,
7:21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them:

7:21 Я видел, как этот рог вел брань со святыми и превозмогал их,
7:21
καὶ και and; even
κατενόουν κατανοεω take note of
τὸ ο the
κέρας κερας horn
ἐκεῖνο εκεινος that
πόλεμον πολεμος battle
συνιστάμενον συνιστημι introduce; establish
πρὸς προς to; toward
τοὺς ο the
ἁγίους αγιος holy
καὶ και and; even
τροπούμενον τροποω he; him
7:21
חָזֵ֣ה ḥāzˈē חזה see
הֲוֵ֔ית hᵃwˈêṯ הוה be
וְ wᵊ וְ and
קַרְנָ֣א qarnˈā קֶרֶן horn
דִכֵּ֔ן ḏikkˈēn דִּכֵּן that
עָבְדָ֥ה ʕāvᵊḏˌā עבד do
קְרָ֖ב qᵊrˌāv קְרָב war
עִם־ ʕim- עִם with
קַדִּישִׁ֑ין qaddîšˈîn קַדִּישׁ holy
וְ wᵊ וְ and
יָכְלָ֖ה yoḵlˌā יכל be able
לְהֹֽון׃ lᵊhˈôn לְ to
7:21. aspiciebam et ecce cornu illud faciebat bellum adversus sanctos et praevalebat eis
I beheld, and lo, that horn made war against the saints, and prevailed over them,
7:21. I watched, and behold, that horn made war against the holy ones and prevailed over them,
7:21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ all ▾
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:21: The same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them - Those who make Antiochus the little horn, make the saints the Jewish people. Those who understand the popedom by it, see this as referring to the cruel persecutions of the popes of Rome against the Waldenses and Albigenses, and the Protestant Church in general.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:21: I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints - I continued to look on this until I saw war made by this horn with the people of God. This circumstance, also, is not referred to in the first description, and the order of time in the description would seem to imply that the war with the saints would be at a considerable period after the first appearance of the horn, or would be only when it had grown to its great size and power. This "war" might refer to open hostilities, carried on in the usual manner of war; or to persecution, or to any invasion of the rights and privileges of others. As it is a "war with the saints," it would be most natural to refer it to persecution.
And pRev_ailed against them - That is, he overcame and subdued them, he was stronger than they were, and they were not able to resist him. The same events are evidently referred to and in almost similar language - borrowed probably from Daniel - in Rev 13:5-7 : "And there was given him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:21: Dan 8:12, Dan 8:24, Dan 11:31, Dan 12:7; Rev 11:7-9, Rev 12:3, Rev 12:4, Rev 13:5-7, Rev 13:8-18, Rev 17:6, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:19
Geneva 1599
7:21 I beheld, and the same (l) horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
(l) Meaning the Roman emperors, who were most cruel against the Church of God, both of the Jews and of the Gentiles.
John Gill
7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints,.... The same little horn before described; not Antiochus Epiphanes, who made war with the Jews, as many think; or the Roman Caesars, that persecuted the church of Christ, as others; nor Titus Vespasian, who fought against Israel, as Saadiah; but antichrist, or the pope of Rome; and this refers to the wars of the popes with the Waldenses, which began in the year 1160, and continued long, and with the two witnesses at the close of their testimony, Rev_ 11:7, this Daniel had a view of in vision; not while he was inquiring of the angel, but before, though not mentioned till now; and was a reason he was so very inquisitive about this little horn, because of its war with the saints, and its success, as follows:
and prevailed against them: as the popes and their abettors did against the Waldenses and Albigenses, whom they slew in great numbers, and got the victory over; as the beast also, the same with this little horn, will overcome the witnesses, and slay them, Rev_ 11:7.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:21 made war with the saints--persecuted the Church (Rev_ 11:7; Rev_ 13:7).
prevailed--but not ultimately. The limit is marked by "until" (Dan 7:22). The little horn continues, without intermission, to persecute up to Christ's second advent (Rev_ 17:12, Rev_ 17:14; Rev_ 19:19-20).
7:227:22: մինչեւ եկն Հինաւուրցն՝ եւ ետ իրաւունս սրբոց Բարձրելոյն. ժամանա՛կ եհաս, եւ զարքայութիւնն սուրբք ըմբռնեցին[12194]։ [12194] Ոմանք. Եւ եդ իրաւունս։
22 մինչեւ որ եկաւ Ծերունին եւ իրաւունք տուեց Բարձրեալի սրբերին. ժամանակը հասաւ, եւ սրբերը տիրեցին թագաւորութեանը:
22 Մինչեւ որ յաւիտեան կենդանին եկաւ եւ Բարձրեալին սուրբերուն իրաւունք տրուեցաւ ու ժամանակը հասաւ, որ սուրբերը թագաւորութիւնը առնեն։
մինչեւ եկն Հինաւուրցն, եւ [124]ետ իրաւունս`` սրբոց Բարձրելոյն. ժամանակ եհաս, եւ զարքայութիւնն սուրբք ըմբռնեցին:

7:22: մինչեւ եկն Հինաւուրցն՝ եւ ետ իրաւունս սրբոց Բարձրելոյն. ժամանա՛կ եհաս, եւ զարքայութիւնն սուրբք ըմբռնեցին[12194]։
[12194] Ոմանք. Եւ եդ իրաւունս։
22 մինչեւ որ եկաւ Ծերունին եւ իրաւունք տուեց Բարձրեալի սրբերին. ժամանակը հասաւ, եւ սրբերը տիրեցին թագաւորութեանը:
22 Մինչեւ որ յաւիտեան կենդանին եկաւ եւ Բարձրեալին սուրբերուն իրաւունք տրուեցաւ ու ժամանակը հասաւ, որ սուրբերը թագաւորութիւնը առնեն։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:227:22 доколе не пришел Ветхий днями, и суд дан был святым Всевышнего, и наступило время, чтобы царством овладели святые.
7:22 ἕως εως till; until τοῦ ο the ἐλθεῖν ερχομαι come; go τὸν ο the παλαιὸν παλαιος old ἡμερῶν ημερα day καὶ και and; even τὴν ο the κρίσιν κρισις decision; judgment ἔδωκε διδωμι give; deposit τοῖς ο the ἁγίοις αγιος holy τοῦ ο the ὑψίστου υψιστος highest; most high καὶ και and; even ὁ ο the καιρὸς καιρος season; opportunity ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit καὶ και and; even τὸ ο the βασίλειον βασιλειον royal κατέσχον κατεχω retain; detain οἱ ο the ἅγιοι αγιος holy
7:22 עַ֣ד ʕˈaḏ עַד until דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative] אֲתָ֗ה ʔᵃṯˈā אתה come עַתִּיק֙ ʕattîq עַתִּיק old יֹֽומַיָּ֔א yˈômayyˈā יֹום day וְ wᵊ וְ and דִינָ֣א ḏînˈā דִּין judgement יְהִ֔ב yᵊhˈiv יהב give לְ lᵊ לְ to קַדִּישֵׁ֖י qaddîšˌê קַדִּישׁ holy עֶלְיֹונִ֑ין ʕelyônˈîn עֶלְיֹון most high וְ wᵊ וְ and זִמְנָ֣א zimnˈā זְמָן time מְטָ֔ה mᵊṭˈā מטא come וּ û וְ and מַלְכוּתָ֖א malᵊḵûṯˌā מַלְכוּ kingdom הֶחֱסִ֥נוּ heḥᵉsˌinû חסן possess קַדִּישִֽׁין׃ qaddîšˈîn קַדִּישׁ holy
7:22. donec venit antiquus dierum et iudicium dedit sanctis Excelsi et tempus advenit et regnum obtinuerunt sanctiTill the ancient of days came and gave judgment to the saints of the most High, and the time came, and the saints obtained the kingdom.
22. until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
7:22. until the Ancient of days came and gave judgment to the holy ones of the Supreme One, and the time arrived, and the holy ones obtained the kingdom.
7:22. Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom:

7:22 доколе не пришел Ветхий днями, и суд дан был святым Всевышнего, и наступило время, чтобы царством овладели святые.
7:22
ἕως εως till; until
τοῦ ο the
ἐλθεῖν ερχομαι come; go
τὸν ο the
παλαιὸν παλαιος old
ἡμερῶν ημερα day
καὶ και and; even
τὴν ο the
κρίσιν κρισις decision; judgment
ἔδωκε διδωμι give; deposit
τοῖς ο the
ἁγίοις αγιος holy
τοῦ ο the
ὑψίστου υψιστος highest; most high
καὶ και and; even
ο the
καιρὸς καιρος season; opportunity
ἐδόθη διδωμι give; deposit
καὶ και and; even
τὸ ο the
βασίλειον βασιλειον royal
κατέσχον κατεχω retain; detain
οἱ ο the
ἅγιοι αγιος holy
7:22
עַ֣ד ʕˈaḏ עַד until
דִּֽי־ dˈî- דִּי [relative]
אֲתָ֗ה ʔᵃṯˈā אתה come
עַתִּיק֙ ʕattîq עַתִּיק old
יֹֽומַיָּ֔א yˈômayyˈā יֹום day
וְ wᵊ וְ and
דִינָ֣א ḏînˈā דִּין judgement
יְהִ֔ב yᵊhˈiv יהב give
לְ lᵊ לְ to
קַדִּישֵׁ֖י qaddîšˌê קַדִּישׁ holy
עֶלְיֹונִ֑ין ʕelyônˈîn עֶלְיֹון most high
וְ wᵊ וְ and
זִמְנָ֣א zimnˈā זְמָן time
מְטָ֔ה mᵊṭˈā מטא come
וּ û וְ and
מַלְכוּתָ֖א malᵊḵûṯˌā מַלְכוּ kingdom
הֶחֱסִ֥נוּ heḥᵉsˌinû חסן possess
קַדִּישִֽׁין׃ qaddîšˈîn קַדִּישׁ holy
7:22. donec venit antiquus dierum et iudicium dedit sanctis Excelsi et tempus advenit et regnum obtinuerunt sancti
Till the ancient of days came and gave judgment to the saints of the most High, and the time came, and the saints obtained the kingdom.
7:22. until the Ancient of days came and gave judgment to the holy ones of the Supreme One, and the time arrived, and the holy ones obtained the kingdom.
7:22. Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ab▾ ac▾ all ▾
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:22: Saints of the Most High - To the supereminent saints; see the note on Dan 7:18 (note).
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:22: Until the Ancient of days came - Notes, Dan 7:9. That is, this was to occur after the horn grew to its full size, and after the war was made with the saints, and they had been overcome. It does not affirm that this would occur immediately, but that at some subsequent period the Ancient of days would come, and would set up a kingdom on the earth, or would make over the kingdom to the saints. There would be as real a transfer and as actual a setting up of a peculiar kingdom, as if God himself should appear on the earth, and should publicly make over the dominion to them.
And judgment was given to the saints of the Most High - That is, there was a solemn act of judgement in the case by which the kingdom was given to their hands. It was as real a transfer as if there had been a judgment pronounced on the beast, and he had been condemned and overthrown, and as if the dominion which he once had should be made over to the servants of the Most High.
And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom - That they ruled on the earth; that good men made and administered the laws; that the principles of religion pRev_ailed, influencing the hearts of all men, and causing righteousness and justice to be done. The universal pRev_alence of true religion, in controlling the hearts and lives of men, and disposing them to do what in all circumstances ought to be done, would be a complete fulfillment of all that is here said. Thus far the description of what Daniel saw, of which he was so desirous to obtain an explanation. The explanation follows, and embraces the remainder of the chapter.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:22: the Ancient: Dan 7:9-11; Th2 2:8; Rev 11:11-18, Rev 14:8-20, Rev 19:11-21, Rev 20:9-15
judgment: Dan 7:18; Isa 63:4; Mat 19:28; Luk 22:29, Luk 22:30; Co1 6:2, Co1 6:3; Rev 1:6, Rev 3:21, Rev 5:10; Rev 20:4
Geneva 1599
7:22 Until (m) the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
(m) Until God showed his power in the person of Christ, and by the preaching of the Gospel gave unto his own some rest, and so obtained a famous name in the world, and were called the Church of God, or the kingdom of God.
John Gill
7:22 Until the Ancient of days came,.... Not locally, by change of place, he being the omnipresent God; but in a providential way, to check and put a stop to the power and prevalency of the little horn over the saints; for this is the terminus or end of that; which puts a period to it; for when the Ancient of days comes in the exertion of his power and providence, he will come and sit as a Judge upon this little horn or antichrist, and judge, and condemn, and punish it; see Dan 7:9,
and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; their characters vindicated from all calumny and false aspersions; their adversaries condemned and punished; and power, dominion, and authority, given to them with Christ; see Dan 7:27,
and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom; See Gill on Dan 7:18; till which time the little horn or antichrist will reign and rage, and prevail over the saints, but no longer.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:22 Ancient of days came--The title applied to the Father in Dan 7:13 is here applied to the Son; who is called "the everlasting Father" (Is 9:6). The Father is never said to "come"; it is the Son who comes.
judgment was given to . . . saints--Judgment includes rule; "kingdom" in the end of this verse (1Cor 6:2; Rev_ 1:6; Rev_ 5:10; Rev_ 20:4). Christ first receives "judgment" and the "kingdom," then the saints with Him (Dan 7:13-14).
7:237:23: Եւ ասէ. Գազանն չորրորդ՝ թագաւորութիւն չորրո՛րդ կացցէ յերկրի, որ առաւե՛լ իցէ քան զամենայն թագաւորութիւնս. եւ կերիցէ զամենայն երկիր, եւ կոխիցէ եւ հարցէ զնա։
23 Նա ասաց. “Չորրորդ գազանը նշանակում է, որ չորրորդ թագաւորութիւն պիտի լինի երկրում, որ այն աւելի մեծ պիտի լինի, քան բոլոր թագաւորութիւնները, կուլ պիտի տայ ամբողջ երկիրը, պիտի կոխոտի եւ հարուածի այն:
23 Անիկա այսպէս ըսաւ. ‘Չորրորդ գազանը երկրի վրայ չորրորդ թագաւորութիւնը պիտի ըլլայ, որ բոլոր թագաւորութիւններէն տարբեր պիտի ըլլայ ու բոլոր երկիրը պիտի ուտէ ու զանիկա պիտի կոխկռտէ ու փշրէ։
Եւ ասէ. Գազանն չորրորդ` թագաւորութիւն չորրորդ կացցէ յերկրի, որ [125]առաւել իցէ քան զամենայն թագաւորութիւնս, եւ կերիցէ զամենայն երկիր, եւ կոխիցէ եւ հարցէ զնա:

7:23: Եւ ասէ. Գազանն չորրորդ՝ թագաւորութիւն չորրո՛րդ կացցէ յերկրի, որ առաւե՛լ իցէ քան զամենայն թագաւորութիւնս. եւ կերիցէ զամենայն երկիր, եւ կոխիցէ եւ հարցէ զնա։
23 Նա ասաց. “Չորրորդ գազանը նշանակում է, որ չորրորդ թագաւորութիւն պիտի լինի երկրում, որ այն աւելի մեծ պիտի լինի, քան բոլոր թագաւորութիւնները, կուլ պիտի տայ ամբողջ երկիրը, պիտի կոխոտի եւ հարուածի այն:
23 Անիկա այսպէս ըսաւ. ‘Չորրորդ գազանը երկրի վրայ չորրորդ թագաւորութիւնը պիտի ըլլայ, որ բոլոր թագաւորութիւններէն տարբեր պիտի ըլլայ ու բոլոր երկիրը պիտի ուտէ ու զանիկա պիտի կոխկռտէ ու փշրէ։
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7:237:23 Об этом он сказал: зверь четвертый четвертое царство будет на земле, отличное от всех царств, которое будет пожирать всю землю, попирать и сокрушать ее.
7:23 καὶ και and; even ἐρρέθη ερεω.1 state; mentioned μοι μοι me περὶ περι about; around τοῦ ο the θηρίου θηριον beast τοῦ ο the τετάρτου τεταρτος fourth ὅτι οτι since; that βασιλεία βασιλεια realm; kingdom τετάρτη τεταρτος fourth ἔσται ειμι be ἐπὶ επι in; on τῆς ο the γῆς γη earth; land ἥτις οστις who; that διοίσει διαφερω transcend; transport παρὰ παρα from; by πᾶσαν πας all; every τὴν ο the γῆν γη earth; land καὶ και and; even ἀναστατώσει αναστατοω unsettle αὐτὴν αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even καταλεανεῖ καταλεαινω he; him
7:23 כֵּן֮ kēn כֵּן thus אֲמַר֒ ʔᵃmˌar אמר say חֵֽיוְתָא֙ ḥˈêwᵊṯā חֵיוָה animal רְבִיעָ֣יְתָ֔א rᵊvîʕˈāyᵊṯˈā רְבִיעָי fourth מַלְכ֤וּ malᵊḵˈû מַלְכוּ kingdom רְבִיעָאָה֙רביעיא *rᵊvîʕāʔˌā רְבִיעָי fourth תֶּהֱוֵ֣א tehᵉwˈē הוה be בְ vᵊ בְּ in אַרְעָ֔א ʔarʕˈā אֲרַע earth דִּ֥י dˌî דִּי [relative] תִשְׁנֵ֖א ṯišnˌē שׁנה be different מִן־ min- מִן from כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole מַלְכְוָתָ֑א malᵊḵᵊwāṯˈā מַלְכוּ kingdom וְ wᵊ וְ and תֵאכֻל֙ ṯēḵˌul אכל eat כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole אַרְעָ֔א ʔarʕˈā אֲרַע earth וּ û וְ and תְדוּשִׁנַּ֖הּ ṯᵊḏûšinnˌah דושׁ trample upon וְ wᵊ וְ and תַדְּקִנַּֽהּ׃ ṯaddᵊqinnˈah דקק crush
7:23. et sic ait bestia quarta regnum quartum erit in terra quod maius erit omnibus regnis et devorabit universam terram et conculcabit et comminuet eamAnd thus he said: The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be greater than all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
23. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
7:23. And thus he said, “The fourth beast will be the fourth kingdom on earth, which will be greater than all the kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, and will trample and crush it.
7:23. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces:

7:23 Об этом он сказал: зверь четвертый четвертое царство будет на земле, отличное от всех царств, которое будет пожирать всю землю, попирать и сокрушать ее.
7:23
καὶ και and; even
ἐρρέθη ερεω.1 state; mentioned
μοι μοι me
περὶ περι about; around
τοῦ ο the
θηρίου θηριον beast
τοῦ ο the
τετάρτου τεταρτος fourth
ὅτι οτι since; that
βασιλεία βασιλεια realm; kingdom
τετάρτη τεταρτος fourth
ἔσται ειμι be
ἐπὶ επι in; on
τῆς ο the
γῆς γη earth; land
ἥτις οστις who; that
διοίσει διαφερω transcend; transport
παρὰ παρα from; by
πᾶσαν πας all; every
τὴν ο the
γῆν γη earth; land
καὶ και and; even
ἀναστατώσει αναστατοω unsettle
αὐτὴν αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
καταλεανεῖ καταλεαινω he; him
7:23
כֵּן֮ kēn כֵּן thus
אֲמַר֒ ʔᵃmˌar אמר say
חֵֽיוְתָא֙ ḥˈêwᵊṯā חֵיוָה animal
רְבִיעָ֣יְתָ֔א rᵊvîʕˈāyᵊṯˈā רְבִיעָי fourth
מַלְכ֤וּ malᵊḵˈû מַלְכוּ kingdom
רְבִיעָאָה֙רביעיא
*rᵊvîʕāʔˌā רְבִיעָי fourth
תֶּהֱוֵ֣א tehᵉwˈē הוה be
בְ vᵊ בְּ in
אַרְעָ֔א ʔarʕˈā אֲרַע earth
דִּ֥י dˌî דִּי [relative]
תִשְׁנֵ֖א ṯišnˌē שׁנה be different
מִן־ min- מִן from
כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole
מַלְכְוָתָ֑א malᵊḵᵊwāṯˈā מַלְכוּ kingdom
וְ wᵊ וְ and
תֵאכֻל֙ ṯēḵˌul אכל eat
כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole
אַרְעָ֔א ʔarʕˈā אֲרַע earth
וּ û וְ and
תְדוּשִׁנַּ֖הּ ṯᵊḏûšinnˌah דושׁ trample upon
וְ wᵊ וְ and
תַדְּקִנַּֽהּ׃ ṯaddᵊqinnˈah דקק crush
7:23. et sic ait bestia quarta regnum quartum erit in terra quod maius erit omnibus regnis et devorabit universam terram et conculcabit et comminuet eam
And thus he said: The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be greater than all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
7:23. And thus he said, “The fourth beast will be the fourth kingdom on earth, which will be greater than all the kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, and will trample and crush it.
7:23. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
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Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:23: Thus he said ... - That is, in explanation of the fourth symbol which appeared - the fourth beast, and of the events connected with his appearing. This explanation embraces the remainder of the chapter; and as the whole subject appeared difficult and momentous to Daniel before the explanation, so it may be said to be in many respects difficult, and in all respects momentous still. It is a question on which expositors of the Scriptures are by no means agreed, to what it refers, and whether it has been already accomplished, or whether it extends still into the future; and it is of importance, therefore, to determine, if possible, what is its true meaning. The two points of inquiry which are properly before us are, first, What do the words of explanation as used by the angel fairly imply - that is, what, according to the fair interpretation of these words, would be the course of events referred to, or what should we naturally expect to find as actually occurring on the earth in the fulfillment of this? and, secondly, To what events the prophecy is actually to be applied - whether to what has already occurred, or what is yet to occur; whether we can find anything in what is now past which would be an accomplishment of this, or whether it is to be applied to events a part of which are yet future? This will lead us into a statement of the points which it is affirmed would occur in regard to this kingdom: and then into an inquiry respecting the application.
What is fairly implied in the explanation of the angel? This would embrace the following points:
(1) There was to be a fourth kingdom on the earth: "the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth," Dan 7:23. This was to succeed the other three, symbolized by the lion, the bear, and the leopard. No further reference is made to them, but the characteristics of this are fully stated. Those characteristics, which have been explained in the notes at Dan 7:7, are, as here repeated,
(a) that it would be in important respects different from the others;
(b) that it would devour, or subdue the whole earth;
(c) that it would tread it down and break it in pieces; that is, it would be a universal dynasty, of a fierce and warlike character, that would keep the whole world subdued and subject by power.
(2) out of this sovereignty or dominion, ten powers would arise Dan 7:24 : "and the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise." Compare the notes at Dan 7:7. That is, they would spring out of this one dominion, or it would be broken up into these minor sovereignties, yet all manifestly springing from the one kingdom, and wielding the same power. We should not naturally look for the fulfillment of this in a succession of kings, for that would have been symbolized by the beast itself representing the entire dominion or dynasty, but rather to a number of contemporaneous powers that had somehow sprung out of the one power, or that now possessed and wielded the power of that one dominion. If the kingdom here referred to should be broken up into such a number of powers, or if in any way these powers became possessed of this authority, and wielded it, such a fact would express what we are to expect to find in this kingdom.
(3) From the midst of these sovereignties or kingdoms there was to spring up another one of peculiar characteristics, Dan 7:24-25. These characteristics are the following:
(a) That it would spring out of the others, or be, as it were, one form of the administration of the same power - as the eleventh horn sprang from the same source as the ten, and we are, therefore, to look for the exercise of this power somehow in connection with the same kingdom or dynasty.
(b) This would not spring up contemporaneously with the ten, but would arise "after them" - and we are to look for the power as in some sense succeeding them.
(c) It would be small at first - as was the horn Dan 7:8, and we are to look for the fulfillment in some power that would be feeble at first.
(d) It would grow to be a mighty power for the little horn became so powerful as to pluck up three of the others Dan 7:8, and it is said in the explanation Dan 7:24, that he would subdue three of the kings.
(e) It would subdue "three kings;" that is, three of the ten, and we are to look for the fulfillment in some manifestation of that power by which, either literally three of them were overthrown, or by which about one-third of their power was taken away. The mention of the exact number of "three," however, would rather seem to imply that we are to expect some such exact fulfillment, or some prostration of three sovereignties by the new power that would arise.
(f) It would be proud, and ambitious, and particularly arrogant against God: "and he shall speak great words against the Most High," Dan 7:25. The Chaldee here rendered against - לצד letsad - means, literally, at, or against the part of it, and then against. Vulgate contra; Greek πρὸς pros. This would be fulfilled in one who would blaspheme God directly; or who would be rebellious against his government and authority; or who would complain of his administration and laws; or who would give utterance to harsh and reproachful words against his real claims. It would find a fulfillment obviously in an open opposer of the claims and the authority of the true God; or in one the whole spirit and bearing of whose pretensions might be fairly construed as in fact an utterance of great words against him.
(g) This would be a persecuting power: "and shall wear out the saints of the Most High," Dan 7:25. That is, it would be characterized by a persecution of the real saints - of those who were truly the friends of God, and who served him.
(h) It would claim legislative power, the power of changing established customs and laws: "and think to change times and laws," Dan 7:25. The word rendered "think" (סבר sebar) means, more properly, to hope; and the idea here is, that he hopes and trusts to be able to change times and laws. Vulgate, Putabit quod possit mutare tempora, etc. The state of mind here referred to would be that of one who would desire to produce changes in regard to the times and laws referred to, and who would hope that he would be able to effect it. If there was a strong wish to do this, and if there was a belief that in any way he could bring it about, it would meet what is implied in the use of the word here. There would be the exercise of some kind of authority in regard to existing times for festivals, or other occasions, and to existing laws, and there would be a purpose so to change them as to accomplish his own ends.
The word "times" - זמנין zı̂ mnı̂ yn - would seem to refer properly to some stated or designated times - as times appointed for festivals, etc. Gesenius, "time, specially an appointed time, season:" Ecc 3:1; Neh 2:6; Est 9:27, Est 9:31. Lengerke renders the word Fest-Zeiten - "festival times," and explains it as meaning the holy times, festival days, Lev 23:2, Lev 23:4, Lev 23:37, Lev 23:44. The allusion is, undoubtedly, to such periods set apart as festivals or fasts - seasons consecrated to the services of religion and the kind of jurisdiction which the power here referred to would hope and desire to set up would be to have control of these periods, and so to change and alter them as to accomplish his own purposes - either by abolishing those in existence, or by substituting others in their place. At all times these seasons have had a direct connection with the state and progress of religion; and he who has power over them, either to abolish existing festivals, or to substitute others in their places, or to appoint new festivals, has an important control over the whole subject of religion, and over a nation.
The word rendered "laws" here - דת dâ th - while it might refer to any law, would more properly designate laws pertaining to religion. See Dan 6:5, Dan 6:7, Dan 6:12 (Dan 6:6, Dan 6:9, Dan 6:13); Ezr 7:12, Ezr 7:21. So Lengerke explains it as referring to the laws of religion, or to religion. The kind of jurisdiction, therefore, referred to in this place would be what would pertain to the laws and institutions of religion; it would be a purpose to obtain the control of these; it would be a claim of right to abolish such as existed, and to institute new ones; it would be a determination to exert this power in such a way as to promote its own ends.
(i) It would continue for a definite period: "and they shall be given into his hands until a time and times and the dividing of time," Dan 7:25. They; that is, either those laws, or the people, the powers referred to. Maurer refers this to the "saints of the Most High," as meaning that they would be delivered into his hands. Though this is not designated expressly, yet perhaps it is the most natural construction, as meaning that he would have jurisdiction over the saints during this period; and if so, then the meaning is, that he would have absolute control over them, or set up a dominion over them, for the time specified the time, and times, etc. In regard to this expression "a time and times, etc., it is unnecessary to say that there has been great diversity of opinion among expositors, and that many of the controversies in respect to future events turn on the sense attached to this and to the similar expressions which occur in the book of Rev_elation. The first and main inquiry pertains, of course, to its literal and proper signification. The word used here rendered "time, times, time" - עדן עדנין ‛ı̂ dâ nı̂ yn ‛ı̂ dâ n - is a word which in itself would no more designate any definite and fixed period than our word time does.
See Dan 2:8-9, Dan 2:21; Dan 3:5, Dan 3:15; Dan 4:16, Dan 4:23, Dan 4:25, Dan 4:32; Dan 7:12. In some of these instances, the period actually referred to was a year Dan 4:16, Dan 4:23, but this is not necessarily implied in the word used, but the limitation is demanded by the circumstances of the case. So far as the word is concerned, it would denote a day, a week, a month, a year, or a larger or smaller division of time, and the period actually intended to be designated must be determined from the connection. The Latin Vulgate is indefinite - ad tempus; so the Greek - ἕως καιροῦ heō s kairou; so the Syriac, and so Luther - eine Zeit; and so Lengerke - eine Zeit. The phrase "for a time" expresses accurately the meaning of the original word. The word rendered "times" is the same word in the plural, though evidently with a dual signification. - Gesenius, Lexicon; Lengerke, in loc. The obvious meaning is two such times as is designated by the former "time."
The phrase "and the dividing of a time" means clearly half of such a period. Thus, if the period denoted by a "time," here be a year, the whole period would be three years and a half. Designations of time like this, or of this same period, occur several times in the prophecies (Daniel and Rev_elation), and on their meaning much depends in regard to the interpretation of the prophecies pertaining to the future. This period of three years and a half equals forty-two months, or twelve hundred and sixty days - the periods mentioned in Rev 11:2; Rev 12:6, and on which so much depends in the interpretation of that book. The only question of importance in regard to the period of time here designated is, whether this is to be taken literally to denote three years and a half, or whether a symbolic method is to be adopted, by making each one of the days represent a year, thus making the time referred to, in fact, twelve hundred and sixty years. On this question expositors are divided, and probably will continue to be, and according as one or the other view is adopted, they refer the events here to Antiochus Epiphanes, or to the Papal power; or perhaps it should be said more accurately, according as they are disposed to refer the events here to Antiochus or to the Papacy, do they embrace one or the other method of interpretation in regard to the meaning of the days. At this point in the examination of the passage, the only object is to look at it exegetically; to examine it as language apart from the application, or unbiassed by any purpose of application; and though absolute certainty cannot perhaps be obtained, yet the following may be regarded as exegetically probable:
(1) The word time may be viewed as denoting a year: I mean a year rather than a week, a month, or any other period - because a year is a more marked and important portion of time, and because a day, a week, a month, is so short that it cannot be reasonably supposed that it is intended. As there is no larger natural period than a year - no cycle in nature that is so marked and obvious as to be properly suggested by the word time, it cannot be supposed that any such cycle is intended. And as there is so much particularity in the language used here, "a time, and times, and half a time," it is to be presumed that some definite and marked period is intended, and that it is not time in general. It may be presumed, therefore, that in some sense of the term the period of a year is referred to.
(2) The language does not forbid the application to a literal year, and then the actual time designated would be three years and a half. No laws of exegesis, nothing in the language itself, could be regarded as violated, if such an interpretation were given to the language, and so far as this point is concerned, there would be no room for debate.
(3) The same remark may be made as to the symbolic application of the language - taking it for a much longer period than literally three years and a half; that is, regarding each day as standing for a year, and thus considering it as denoting twelve hundred and sixty years. This could not be shown to be a violation of prophetic usage, or to be forbidden by the nature of prophetic language, because nothing is more common than symbols, and because there are actual instances in which such an interpretation must be understood. Thus in Eze 4:6, where the prophet was commanded to lie upon his right side forty days, it is expressly said that it was symbolic or emblematic: "I have appointed thee each day for a year." No one can doubt that it would be strictly consistent with prophetic usage to suppose that the time here might be symbolic, and that a longer time might be referred to than the literal interpretation would require.
(4) It may be added, that there are some circumstances, even considering the passage with reference only to the interpretation of the language, and with no view to the question of its application, which would make this appear probable. Among these circumstances are the following:
(a) the fact that, in the prophecies, it is unusual to designate the time literally. Very few instances can be referred to in which this is done. It is commonly by some symbol; some mark; some peculiarity of the time or age referred to, that the designation is made, or by some symbol that may be understood when the event has occurred.
(b) This designation of time occurs in the midst of symbols - where all is symbol - the beasts, the horns, the little horn, etc.; and it would seem to be much more probable that such method would be adopted as designating the time referred to than a literal method.
(c) It is quite apparent on the mere perusal of the passage here that the events do actually extend far into the future - far beyond what would be denoted by the brief period of three and a half years. This will be considered more fully in another place in the inquiry as to the meaning of these prophecies. (See also Editor's Preface to volume on Rev_elation.)
(4) a fourth point in the explanation given by the interpreter to Daniel is, that there would be a solemn judgment in regard to this power, and that the dominion conceded to it over the saints for a time would be utterly taken away, and the power itself destroyed: "but the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume, and to destroy it unto the end," Dan 7:26. That is, it shall be taken away; it shall come entirely to an end. The interpreter does not say by whom this would be done, but he asserts the fact, and that the destruction of the dominion would be final. That is, it would entirely and foRev_er cease. This would be done by an act of Divine judgment, or as if a solemn judgment should be held, and a sentence pronounced. It would be as manifestly an act of God as if he should sit as a judge, and pronounce sentence. See the notes at Dan 7:9-11.
(5) And, a fifth point in the explanation of the interpreter is, that the dominion under the whole heaven would be given to the saints of the Most High, and that all nations should serve him; that is, that there would be a universal pRev_alence of righteousness on the earth, and that God would reign in the hearts and lives of men, Dan 7:27. See the notes at Dan 7:13-14.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:23: the fourth: Dan 7:7, Dan 2:40; Luk 2:1
John Gill
7:23 Thus he said,.... The person that stood by, the angel, of whom Daniel made his inquiries, and who answered him, as follows:
the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth; which shows that the angel, by four kings, Dan 7:17, meant four kingdoms, that should successively arise in the earth, and out of it, one after another; and this kingdom is not the kingdom of the Seleucidae, nor the Turkish, but the Roman empire; for this is to continue until the kingdom of Christ takes place; see Dan 7:7,
which shall be diverse from all kingdoms; from the kingdoms and monarchies that were before it; particularly as a kingdom, in its form of government, both when Pagan and when Papal; see Dan 7:7,
and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces: not the whole land of Judea only, as some read and interpret it; but the whole world, which the Romans became masters of; and the phrases used denote the destruction and desolation they made, wherever they carried their arms, and the cruelty and tyranny they exercised, and the vast profusion of blood made by them, both among the Heathens they subdued, and the Christians they persecuted.
7:247:24: Եւ տասն եղջեւրք նորա՝ տա՛սն թագաւորք յարիցեն. եւ զկնի նոցա յարիցէ այլ, որ առաւել իցէ չարեօք քան զամենայն առաջինսն. եւ երիս թագաւորս խոնարհեցուսցէ[12195]. [12195] Ոմանք. Եւ զկնի նորա յարիցէ... առաւել է չարեօք։
24 Իսկ նրա տասը եղջիւրները նշանակում են, որ տասը թագաւորներ պիտի բարձրանան, եւ նրանցից յետոյ պիտի բարձրանայ մէկ ուրիշը, որ աւելի չար պիտի լինի, քան բոլոր նախորդները, պիտի հպատակեցնի երեք թագաւորներին,
24 Այն տասը եղջիւրները տասը թագաւորներ են, որ այն թագաւորութենէն պիտի ելլեն։ Անոնցմէ ետքը ուրիշ մը պիտի ելլէ, որ անիկա առաջուաններէն տարբեր պիտի ըլլայ։ Անիկա երեք թագաւոր պիտի կործանէ,
Եւ տասն [126]եղջեւրք նորա`` տասն թագաւորք յարիցեն. եւ զկնի նոցա յարիցէ այլ, որ [127]առաւել իցէ չարեօք քան զամենայն առաջինսն``, եւ երիս թագաւորս խոնարհեցուսցէ:

7:24: Եւ տասն եղջեւրք նորա՝ տա՛սն թագաւորք յարիցեն. եւ զկնի նոցա յարիցէ այլ, որ առաւել իցէ չարեօք քան զամենայն առաջինսն. եւ երիս թագաւորս խոնարհեցուսցէ[12195].
[12195] Ոմանք. Եւ զկնի նորա յարիցէ... առաւել է չարեօք։
24 Իսկ նրա տասը եղջիւրները նշանակում են, որ տասը թագաւորներ պիտի բարձրանան, եւ նրանցից յետոյ պիտի բարձրանայ մէկ ուրիշը, որ աւելի չար պիտի լինի, քան բոլոր նախորդները, պիտի հպատակեցնի երեք թագաւորներին,
24 Այն տասը եղջիւրները տասը թագաւորներ են, որ այն թագաւորութենէն պիտի ելլեն։ Անոնցմէ ետքը ուրիշ մը պիտի ելլէ, որ անիկա առաջուաններէն տարբեր պիտի ըլլայ։ Անիկա երեք թագաւոր պիտի կործանէ,
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:247:24 А десять рогов значат, что из этого царства восстанут десять царей, и после них восстанет иной, отличный от прежних, и уничижит трех царей,
7:24 καὶ και and; even τὰ ο the δέκα δεκα ten κέρατα κερας horn τῆς ο the βασιλείας βασιλεια realm; kingdom δέκα δεκα ten βασιλεῖς βασιλευς monarch; king στήσονται ιστημι stand; establish καὶ και and; even ὁ ο the ἄλλος αλλος another; else βασιλεὺς βασιλευς monarch; king μετὰ μετα with; amid τούτους ουτος this; he στήσεται ιστημι stand; establish καὶ και and; even αὐτὸς αυτος he; him διοίσει διαφερω transcend; transport κακοῖς κακος bad; ugly ὑπὲρ υπερ over; for τοὺς ο the πρώτους πρωτος first; foremost καὶ και and; even τρεῖς τρεις three βασιλεῖς βασιλευς monarch; king ταπεινώσει ταπεινοω humble; bring low
7:24 וְ wᵊ וְ and קַרְנַיָּ֣א qarnayyˈā קֶרֶן horn עֲשַׂ֔ר ʕᵃśˈar עֲשַׂר ten מִנַּהּ֙ minnˌah מִן from מַלְכוּתָ֔ה malᵊḵûṯˈā מַלְכוּ kingdom עַשְׂרָ֥ה ʕaśrˌā עֲשַׂר ten מַלְכִ֖ין malᵊḵˌîn מֶלֶךְ king יְקֻמ֑וּן yᵊqumˈûn קום stand וְ wᵊ וְ and אָחֳרָ֞ן ʔoḥᵒrˈān אָחֳרָן another יְק֣וּם yᵊqˈûm קום stand אַחֲרֵיהֹ֗ון ʔaḥᵃrêhˈôn אַחַר after וְ wᵊ וְ and ה֤וּא hˈû הוּא he יִשְׁנֵא֙ yišnˌē שׁנה be different מִן־ min- מִן from קַדְמָיֵ֔א qaḏmāyˈē קַדְמָי first וּ û וְ and תְלָתָ֥ה ṯᵊlāṯˌā תְּלָת three מַלְכִ֖ין malᵊḵˌîn מֶלֶךְ king יְהַשְׁפִּֽל׃ yᵊhašpˈil שׁפל be low
7:24. porro cornua decem ipsius regni decem reges erunt et alius consurget post eos et ipse potentior erit prioribus et tres reges humiliabitAnd the ten horns of the same kingdom, shall be ten kings: and another shall rise up after them, and he shall be mightier than the former, and he shall bring down three kings.
24. And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings.
7:24. Moreover, the ten horns of the same kingdom will be ten kings, and another will rise up after them, and he will be mightier than the ones before him, and he will bring down three kings.
7:24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom [are] ten kings [that] shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
And the ten horns out of this kingdom [are] ten kings [that] shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings:

7:24 А десять рогов значат, что из этого царства восстанут десять царей, и после них восстанет иной, отличный от прежних, и уничижит трех царей,
7:24
καὶ και and; even
τὰ ο the
δέκα δεκα ten
κέρατα κερας horn
τῆς ο the
βασιλείας βασιλεια realm; kingdom
δέκα δεκα ten
βασιλεῖς βασιλευς monarch; king
στήσονται ιστημι stand; establish
καὶ και and; even
ο the
ἄλλος αλλος another; else
βασιλεὺς βασιλευς monarch; king
μετὰ μετα with; amid
τούτους ουτος this; he
στήσεται ιστημι stand; establish
καὶ και and; even
αὐτὸς αυτος he; him
διοίσει διαφερω transcend; transport
κακοῖς κακος bad; ugly
ὑπὲρ υπερ over; for
τοὺς ο the
πρώτους πρωτος first; foremost
καὶ και and; even
τρεῖς τρεις three
βασιλεῖς βασιλευς monarch; king
ταπεινώσει ταπεινοω humble; bring low
7:24
וְ wᵊ וְ and
קַרְנַיָּ֣א qarnayyˈā קֶרֶן horn
עֲשַׂ֔ר ʕᵃśˈar עֲשַׂר ten
מִנַּהּ֙ minnˌah מִן from
מַלְכוּתָ֔ה malᵊḵûṯˈā מַלְכוּ kingdom
עַשְׂרָ֥ה ʕaśrˌā עֲשַׂר ten
מַלְכִ֖ין malᵊḵˌîn מֶלֶךְ king
יְקֻמ֑וּן yᵊqumˈûn קום stand
וְ wᵊ וְ and
אָחֳרָ֞ן ʔoḥᵒrˈān אָחֳרָן another
יְק֣וּם yᵊqˈûm קום stand
אַחֲרֵיהֹ֗ון ʔaḥᵃrêhˈôn אַחַר after
וְ wᵊ וְ and
ה֤וּא hˈû הוּא he
יִשְׁנֵא֙ yišnˌē שׁנה be different
מִן־ min- מִן from
קַדְמָיֵ֔א qaḏmāyˈē קַדְמָי first
וּ û וְ and
תְלָתָ֥ה ṯᵊlāṯˌā תְּלָת three
מַלְכִ֖ין malᵊḵˌîn מֶלֶךְ king
יְהַשְׁפִּֽל׃ yᵊhašpˈil שׁפל be low
7:24. porro cornua decem ipsius regni decem reges erunt et alius consurget post eos et ipse potentior erit prioribus et tres reges humiliabit
And the ten horns of the same kingdom, shall be ten kings: and another shall rise up after them, and he shall be mightier than the former, and he shall bring down three kings.
7:24. Moreover, the ten horns of the same kingdom will be ten kings, and another will rise up after them, and he will be mightier than the ones before him, and he will bring down three kings.
7:24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom [are] ten kings [that] shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ all ▾
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:24: the ten: Dan 7:20; Rev 12:3, Rev 13:1, Rev 17:3, Rev 17:12, Rev 17:13, Rev 17:16-18
another: This evidently points out the papal supremacy, in every respect diverse from the former, which from small beginnings thrust itself up among the ten kingdoms, till at length it successively eradicated three of them, the kingdom of Heruli, of the Ostrogoths, and of the Lombards. Dan 7:8, Dan 7:20, Dan 8:9-12, Dan 11:36; Th2 2:3-10; Ti1 4:1-3
Geneva 1599
7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom [are] ten kings [that] shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue (n) three kings.
(n) See Dan 7:8
John Gill
7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise,..... Or ten kingdoms which sprung out of the Roman empire, or into which it was broken and divided upon the dissolution of it, about A.D. 476; which, according to Mr. Mede (k), were thus divided, A.D. 456,
1. Britons; 2. Saxons; 3. Franks; 4. Burgundians; 5 Visigoths; 6. Suevians and Alanes; 7. Vandals; 8. Almanes; 9. Ostrogoths; 10. Greeks.
The list Bishop Lloyd (l) has given of them is,
1. Hunns, who erected their kingdom in that part of Pannonia and Dacia, which was from them called Hungary, about A.D. 356. 2. Ostrogoths, who settled themselves in the countries that reach from Rhetia to Maesia, even to Thrace, about 377; and afterwards came into Italy under Alaricus, in 410. 3. Visigoths, who settled in the south parts of France, and in Catalonia, about 378. 4. Franks, who seized upon part of Germany and Gaul, A.D. 410. 5. Vandals, who settled in Spain; afterwards set up their kingdom in Africa, A.D. 407; their king Gensericus sacked Rome, 455. 6. Suevians and Alans, who seized the western parts of Spain, A.D. 407; and invaded Italy, 457. 7. Burgundians, who came out of Germany, into that part of Gaul called from them Burgundy, 407. 8. Herules, Rugians, and Thoringians, who settled in Italy under Odoacer, about A.D. 476. 9. Saxons, who made themselves masters of Great Britain about the same time, 476. 10. Longobards, called likewise Gopidae, who settled in Germany, about Magdeburg, A.D. 383; and afterwards succeeded the Heruli and Thuringi in Hungary, about the year 826.
Sir Isaac Newton (m) reckons the ten kingdoms in the following order:
1. the kingdom of the Vandals and Alans in Spain and Africa; 2. of the Suevians in Spain; 3. of the Visigoths; 4. of the Alans in Gallia; 5. of the Burgundians; 6. of the Franks; 7. of the Britons; 8. of the Hunns; 9. of the Lombards; 10. of Ravenna;
who gives an account of the various kings of these kingdoms; and these, as the same learned writer says (n), whatever was their number afterwards, they are still called the ten kings from their first number; and though they have not always been in the same form and order, yet they have been generally about, if not exactly, the same number; as they are now near the same; and may be thus reckoned, as the kingdoms of France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Great Britain, Sardinia, Denmark, the two Sicilies, Swedeland, Prussia, and Poland; of which see more See Gill on Rev_ 17:12.
And another shall rise after thee: not Titus Vespeasian, as Jarchi and Saadiah; nor the nation of Gog and Magog, as Jacchiades: but the pope of Rome, or antichrist; who came to his power as universal bishop, and as a horn or temporal prince, after the above kingdoms arose; not after they were at an end, but after they were constituted and established, as it was proper they should first be; since they were to give their strength, power, and kingdom, to the antichristian beast, by which it became a horn or temporal prince, Rev_ 17:13. The Septuagint render it, "behind them"; which Mr. Mede (o) interprets of his springing up unawares, imperceptibly, unnoticed, and unobserved by them, till he overtopped them.
And he shall be diverse from the first; from the first ten horns, kings or kingdoms; having, besides a secular power and temporal authority, an ecclesiastical and spiritual one; a power not only over the bodies and estates of men, but over their souls and consciences; and even over the other horns and kingdoms, which they had not over one another; and so was different from them all:
and he shall subdue three kings; designed by the three horns plucked up by the roots, and which fell before him; of which See Gill on Dan 7:8.
(k) Works, B. 3. c. 14. p. 661. (l) Apud Lowth in loc. (m) Observations on Daniel, c. 6. p. 47. (n) Ibid. p. 73. (o) Works, B. 4. ep. 24. p. 778.
John Wesley
7:24 And another - This seems to mean the Romish antichrist.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:24 ten horns--answering to the ten "toes" (Dan 2:41).
out of this kingdom--It is out of the fourth kingdom that ten others arise, whatever exterior territory any of them possess (Rev_ 13:1; Rev_ 17:12).
rise after them--yet contemporaneous with them; the ten are contemporaries. Antichrist rises after their rise, at first "little" (Dan 7:8); but after destroying three of the ten, he becomes greater than them all (Dan 7:20-21). The three being gone, he is the eighth (compare Rev_ 17:11); a distinct head, and yet "of the seven." As the previous world kingdoms had their representative heads (Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar; Persia, Cyrus; Greece, Alexander), so the fourth kingdom and its Antichrists shall have their evil concentrated in the one final Antichrist. As Antiochus Epiphanes, the Antichrist of the third kingdom in Dan 8:23-25, was the personal enemy of God, so the final Antichrist of the fourth kingdom, his antitype. The Church has endured a pagan and a papal persecution; there remains for her an infidel persecution, general, purifying, and cementing [CECIL]. He will not merely, as Popery, substitute himself for Christ in Christ's name, but "deny the Father and the Son" (1Jn 2:22). The persecution is to continue up to Christ's second coming (Dan 7:21-22); the horn of blasphemy cannot therefore be past; for now there is almost a general cessation of persecution.
7:257:25: եւ բանս առ Բարձրեալն խօսիցի. եւ զսուրբս Բարձրելոյն մոլորեցուսցէ. եւ կարծեսցէ զժամանակս եւ զօրէնս փոփոխել. եւ տացի ՚ի ձեռս նորա մինչեւ ՚ի ժամանակ, եւ ՚ի ժամանակս, եւ ՚ի կէս ժամանակաց։
25 Բարձրեալի դէմ խօսքեր պիտի բարբառի, պիտի մոլորեցնի Բարձրեալի սրբերին, պիտի կարծի փոփոխել ժամանակներն ու օրէնքները, եւ դա պիտի յաջողուի նրան մինչեւ որոշ ժամանակ, ինչ-որ ժամանակներ եւ ժամանակների կէսը:
25 Բարձրեալին դէմ խօսքեր պիտի ըսէ ու Բարձրեալին սուրբերը պիտի սպառէ եւ պիտի մտածէ ժամանակներ ու օրէնքներ փոխել։ Անոնք մինչեւ ժամանակ մը, ժամանակներ ու կէս ժամանակ անոր ձեռքը պիտի տրուին։
եւ բանս [128]առ Բարձրեալն`` խօսիցի, եւ զսուրբս Բարձրելոյն [129]մոլորեցուսցէ, եւ կարծեսցէ զժամանակս եւ զօրէնս փոփոխել. եւ տացի ի ձեռս նորա մինչեւ ի ժամանակ, եւ ի ժամանակս, եւ ի կէս ժամանակաց:

7:25: եւ բանս առ Բարձրեալն խօսիցի. եւ զսուրբս Բարձրելոյն մոլորեցուսցէ. եւ կարծեսցէ զժամանակս եւ զօրէնս փոփոխել. եւ տացի ՚ի ձեռս նորա մինչեւ ՚ի ժամանակ, եւ ՚ի ժամանակս, եւ ՚ի կէս ժամանակաց։
25 Բարձրեալի դէմ խօսքեր պիտի բարբառի, պիտի մոլորեցնի Բարձրեալի սրբերին, պիտի կարծի փոփոխել ժամանակներն ու օրէնքները, եւ դա պիտի յաջողուի նրան մինչեւ որոշ ժամանակ, ինչ-որ ժամանակներ եւ ժամանակների կէսը:
25 Բարձրեալին դէմ խօսքեր պիտի ըսէ ու Բարձրեալին սուրբերը պիտի սպառէ եւ պիտի մտածէ ժամանակներ ու օրէնքներ փոխել։ Անոնք մինչեւ ժամանակ մը, ժամանակներ ու կէս ժամանակ անոր ձեռքը պիտի տրուին։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:257:25 и против Всевышнего будет произносить слова и угнетать святых Всевышнего; даже возмечтает отменить у них {праздничные} времена и закон, и они преданы будут в руку его до времени и времен и полувремени.
7:25 καὶ και and; even ῥήματα ρημα statement; phrase εἰς εις into; for τὸν ο the ὕψιστον υψιστος highest; most high λαλήσει λαλεω talk; speak καὶ και and; even τοὺς ο the ἁγίους αγιος holy τοῦ ο the ὑψίστου υψιστος highest; most high κατατρίψει κατατριβω and; even προσδέξεται προσδεχομαι welcome; wait for ἀλλοιῶσαι αλλοιοω season; opportunity καὶ και and; even νόμον νομος.1 law καὶ και and; even παραδοθήσεται παραδιδωμι betray; give over πάντα πας all; every εἰς εις into; for τὰς ο the χεῖρας χειρ hand αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him ἕως εως till; until καιροῦ καιρος season; opportunity καὶ και and; even καιρῶν καιρος season; opportunity καὶ και and; even ἕως εως till; until ἡμίσους ημισυς half καιροῦ καιρος season; opportunity
7:25 וּ û וְ and מִלִּ֗ין millˈîn מִלָּה word לְ lᵊ לְ to צַ֤ד ṣˈaḏ צַד side עִלָּאָה֙עליא *ʕillāʔˌā עִלָּי highest יְמַלִּ֔ל yᵊmallˈil מלל speak וּ û וְ and לְ lᵊ לְ to קַדִּישֵׁ֥י qaddîšˌê קַדִּישׁ holy עֶלְיֹונִ֖ין ʕelyônˌîn עֶלְיֹון most high יְבַלֵּ֑א yᵊvallˈē בלה wear out וְ wᵊ וְ and יִסְבַּ֗ר yisbˈar סבר intend לְ lᵊ לְ to הַשְׁנָיָה֙ hašnāyˌā שׁנה be different זִמְנִ֣ין zimnˈîn זְמָן time וְ wᵊ וְ and דָ֔ת ḏˈāṯ דָּת law וְ wᵊ וְ and יִתְיַהֲב֣וּן yiṯyahᵃvˈûn יהב give בִּ bi בְּ in ידֵ֔הּ yḏˈēh יַד hand עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until עִדָּ֥ן ʕiddˌān עִדָּן time וְ wᵊ וְ and עִדָּנִ֖ין ʕiddānˌîn עִדָּן time וּ û וְ and פְלַ֥ג fᵊlˌaḡ פְּלַג half עִדָּֽן׃ ʕiddˈān עִדָּן time
7:25. et sermones contra Excelsum loquetur et sanctos Altissimi conteret et putabit quod possit mutare tempora et leges et tradentur in manu eius usque ad tempus et tempora et dimidium temporisAnd he shall speak words against the High One, and shall crush the saints of the most High: and he shall think himself able to change times and laws, and they shall be delivered into his hand until a time, and times, and half a time.
25. And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High: and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.
7:25. And he will speak words against the Supreme One, and will exhaust the holy ones of the Most High, and he will think about what it would take to change the times and the laws, and they will be given into his hand until a time, and times, and half a time.
7:25. And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time:

7:25 и против Всевышнего будет произносить слова и угнетать святых Всевышнего; даже возмечтает отменить у них {праздничные} времена и закон, и они преданы будут в руку его до времени и времен и полувремени.
7:25
καὶ και and; even
ῥήματα ρημα statement; phrase
εἰς εις into; for
τὸν ο the
ὕψιστον υψιστος highest; most high
λαλήσει λαλεω talk; speak
καὶ και and; even
τοὺς ο the
ἁγίους αγιος holy
τοῦ ο the
ὑψίστου υψιστος highest; most high
κατατρίψει κατατριβω and; even
προσδέξεται προσδεχομαι welcome; wait for
ἀλλοιῶσαι αλλοιοω season; opportunity
καὶ και and; even
νόμον νομος.1 law
καὶ και and; even
παραδοθήσεται παραδιδωμι betray; give over
πάντα πας all; every
εἰς εις into; for
τὰς ο the
χεῖρας χειρ hand
αὐτοῦ αυτος he; him
ἕως εως till; until
καιροῦ καιρος season; opportunity
καὶ και and; even
καιρῶν καιρος season; opportunity
καὶ και and; even
ἕως εως till; until
ἡμίσους ημισυς half
καιροῦ καιρος season; opportunity
7:25
וּ û וְ and
מִלִּ֗ין millˈîn מִלָּה word
לְ lᵊ לְ to
צַ֤ד ṣˈaḏ צַד side
עִלָּאָה֙עליא
*ʕillāʔˌā עִלָּי highest
יְמַלִּ֔ל yᵊmallˈil מלל speak
וּ û וְ and
לְ lᵊ לְ to
קַדִּישֵׁ֥י qaddîšˌê קַדִּישׁ holy
עֶלְיֹונִ֖ין ʕelyônˌîn עֶלְיֹון most high
יְבַלֵּ֑א yᵊvallˈē בלה wear out
וְ wᵊ וְ and
יִסְבַּ֗ר yisbˈar סבר intend
לְ lᵊ לְ to
הַשְׁנָיָה֙ hašnāyˌā שׁנה be different
זִמְנִ֣ין zimnˈîn זְמָן time
וְ wᵊ וְ and
דָ֔ת ḏˈāṯ דָּת law
וְ wᵊ וְ and
יִתְיַהֲב֣וּן yiṯyahᵃvˈûn יהב give
בִּ bi בְּ in
ידֵ֔הּ yḏˈēh יַד hand
עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until
עִדָּ֥ן ʕiddˌān עִדָּן time
וְ wᵊ וְ and
עִדָּנִ֖ין ʕiddānˌîn עִדָּן time
וּ û וְ and
פְלַ֥ג fᵊlˌaḡ פְּלַג half
עִדָּֽן׃ ʕiddˈān עִדָּן time
7:25. et sermones contra Excelsum loquetur et sanctos Altissimi conteret et putabit quod possit mutare tempora et leges et tradentur in manu eius usque ad tempus et tempora et dimidium temporis
And he shall speak words against the High One, and shall crush the saints of the most High: and he shall think himself able to change times and laws, and they shall be delivered into his hand until a time, and times, and half a time.
7:25. And he will speak words against the Supreme One, and will exhaust the holy ones of the Most High, and he will think about what it would take to change the times and the laws, and they will be given into his hand until a time, and times, and half a time.
7:25. And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
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jfb▾ jw▾ jg▾ gnv▾ tr▾ ac▾ all ▾
Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:25: He shall speak great words against the Most High - Sermones quasi Deus loquetur; "He shall speak as if he were God." So St. Jerome quotes from Symmachus. To none can this apply so well or so fully as to the popes of Rome. They have assumed infallibility, which belongs only to God. They profess to forgive sins, which belongs only to God. They profess to open and shut heaven, which belongs only to God. They profess to be higher than all the kings of the earth, which belongs only to God. And they go beyond God in pretending to loose whole nations from their oath of allegiance to their kings, when such kings do not please them! And they go against God when they give indulgences for sin. This is the worst of all blasphemies!
And shall wear out the saints - By wars, crusades, massacres, inquisitions, and persecutions of all kinds. What in this way have they not done against all those who have protested against their innovations, and refused to submit to their idolatrous worship? Witness the exterminating crusades published against the Waldenses and Albinenses. Witness John Huss, and Jerome of Prague. Witness the Smithfield fires in England! Witness God and man against this bloody, persecuting, ruthless, and impure Church!
And think to change times and laws - Appointing fasts and feasts; canonizing persons whom he chooses to call saints; granting pardons and indulgences for sins; instituting new modes of worship utterly unknown to the Christian Church; new articles of faith; new rules of practice; and reversing, with pleasure, the laws both of God and man. - Dodd.
Until a time and times and the dividing of time - In prophetic language a time signifies a year; and a prophetic year has a year for each day. Three years and a half (a day standing for a year, as in Joh 9:24) will amount to one thousand two hundred and sixty years, if we reckon thirty days to each month, as the Jews do.
If we knew precisely when the papal power began to exert itself in the antichristian way, then we could at once fix the time of its destruction. The end is probably not very distant; it has already been grievously shaken by the French. In 1798 the French republican army under General Berthier took possession of the city of Rome, and entirely superseded the whole papal power. This was a deadly wound, though at present it appears to be healed; but it is but skinned over, and a dreadful cicatrice remains. The Jesuits, not Jesus, are now the Church's doctors.
If the papal power, as a horn or temporal power, be intended here, which is most likely, (and we know that that power was given in 755 to Pope Stephen II. by Pepin, king of France), counting one thousand two hundred and sixty years from that, we are brought to a.d. 2015, about one hundred and ninety years from the present [a.d. 1825]. But I neither lay stress upon nor draw conclusions from these dates. If the Church of Rome will reform itself, it will then be the true Christian Church, and will never be destroyed. Let it throw aside all that is ritually Jewish, all that is heathen; all that which pretends to be of God, and which is only of man, all doctrines that are not in the Bible; and all rites and ceremonies which are not of the appointment of Christ and his apostles; and then, all hail the once Roman, but now, after such a change, the Holy, Catholic Church! Every true Protestant would wish rather the reform than the extinction of this Church.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:25: he shall speak: In assuming infallibility, professing to forgive sins, and to open and shut heaven, thundering out bulls and anathemas, excommunicating princes, absolving subjects from their allegiance, and exacting obedience to his decrees in open violation of reason and Scripture. Dan 7:8, Dan 7:20, Dan 8:24, Dan 8:25, Dan 11:28, Dan 11:30, Dan 11:31, Dan 11:36, Dan 11:37; Isa 37:23; Th2 2:4; Rev 13:5, Rev 13:6, Rev 13:11
shall wear out: By wars, crusades, massacres, etc. Rev 6:9, Rev 6:10, Rev 11:7-10, Rev 13:7-10, Rev 14:12, Rev 16:6, Rev 17:6, Rev 18:24
and think: Appointing feasts and fasts, canonizing saints, etc. Dan 2:21, Dan 11:31, Dan 11:36-38, Dan 12:11; Th2 2:4; Ti1 4:1-3; Rev 13:15-17
a time: That is, three years and a half, or, reckoning thirty days to a month, 1, 260 days, equal to the same number of years in prophetic language; which, dated from the decree of Phocas constituting him the supreme head of the church, ad 606, terminated in 1866. Dan 4:25, Dan 4:32, Dan 12:7, Dan 12:11, Dan 12:12; Rev 11:2, Rev 11:3, Rev 12:6, Rev 12:14, Rev 13:5, Rev 13:7
Geneva 1599
7:25 And he shall speak [great] words against (o) the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to (p) change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a (q) time and times and the dividing of time.
(o) That is, will make wicked decrees and proclamations against God's word, and send throughout all their dominion, to destroy all that did profess it.
(p) These emperors will not consider that they have their power from God, but think it is in their own power to change God's laws and man's, and as it were the order of nature, as appears by Octavius, Tiberius, Calligula, Nero, Domitianus, etc.
(q) God will allow them to rage in this way against his saints for a long time, the time and times, but at length he will soften these troubles, and shorten the time for his elect's sake, (Mt 24:22), which is here meant by the dividing of time.
John Gill
7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High,.... Or, "at the side of the most High" (p); setting himself up as a rival, and upon an equality with him; taking the names and characters of holiness, infallibility, yea, of deity itself, unto him; claiming a power to forgive sin, which is peculiar to God; and preferring his own laws, doctrines, and traditions, to the word of God:
and shall wear out the saints of the most High; by his wars with them, and murders and massacres of them; by taking away their lives and their substance; so lessening their numbers, and weakening their strength and power, wear them out, as a garment is wore out, as the word (q) signifies; utterly consume and destroy them, at least in his own apprehensions; which will be the case when the witnesses will be slain, Rev_ 11:8, and especially will wear out their patience, or however thoroughly exercise it. The word (r), in the Arabic language, signifies "to afflict and handle roughly"; and such usage the saints have met with, more or less, in all ages, from the man of sin.
And think to change times and laws: to alter the forms and constitutions of kingdoms, and the customs and usages of them; yea, to set up and pull down kings at pleasure; see Dan 2:21, or to change the use of times and seasons, by setting apart days as holy for canonized saints; and appointing such days in a week, and such a season in the year, for abstinence from meats; and even to change the laws of God and man, by dispensing with both, and making new ones of his own:
and they shall be given into his hand; either the saints he makes war with, and wears out, who shall be overcome by him; or the times and laws, which he shall not only have it in his mind and purpose to change, but shall have it in his power to do it, and shall do it:
until a time, and times, and the dividing of time; by "a time" is meant a year, the longest part of time; by "times", two years; and "the dividing of time", half a year; in all three years and a half, which is the same with 1260 days, or forty two months, the time of the witnesses prophesying in sackcloth, and of the reign of antichrist; so long shall he continue, exercising his power and authority, his wrath and rage, and blasphemy, and no longer; see Rev_ 11:2.
(p) "ad regionem, sive latus Altissimi", Calvin; "juxta Altissimum". Cocceius; "ex parte Altissimi", Munster. (q) Sept.; "deteret", Junius & Trmellius, Piscator; "abolebit", Montanus; "absumet" Munster; "consumet", Vatablus. (r) "ingrato et duriore modo tractavit, affixit", Giggeius apud Golium, col. 325. Erpenius apud Castel. col. 363. So Michaelis on the place observes.
John Wesley
7:25 Until a time and times - The numbers of Daniel and John seem to agree. Daniel was certainly prophetical in these things, and his prophecy reacheth to the end of times, even of antichrist's reign.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:25 Three attributes of Antichrist are specified: (1) The highest worldly wisdom and civilization. (2) The uniting of the whole civilized world under his dominion. (3) Atheism, antitheism, and autotheism in its fullest development (1Jn 2:22). Therefore, not only is power taken from the fourth beast, as in the case of the other three, but God destroys it and the world power in general by a final judgment. The present external Christianity is to give place to an almost universal apostasy.
think--literally, "carry within him as it were the burden of the thought."
change times--the prerogative of God alone (Dan 2:21); blasphemously assumed by Antichrist. The "times and laws" here meant are those of religious ordinance; stated times of feasts [MAURER]. Perhaps there are included the times assigned by God to the duration of kingdoms. He shall set Himself above all that is called God (Th2 2:4), putting his own "will" above God's times and laws (Dan 11:36-37). But the "times" of His wilfulness are limited for the elect's sake (Mt 24:22).
they--the saints.
given into his hand--to be persecuted.
time . . . times and . . . dividing of time--one year, two years, and half a year: 1260 days (Rev_ 12:6, Rev_ 12:14); forty-two months (Rev_ 11:2-3). That literally three and a half years are to be the term of Antichrist's persecution is favored by Dan 4:16, Dan 4:23, where the year-day theory would be impossible. If the Church, moreover, had been informed that 1260 years must elapse before the second advent, the attitude of expectancy which is inculcated (Lk 12:38; 1Cor 1:7; Th1 1:9-10; 2Pet 3:12) on the ground of the uncertainty of the time, would be out of place. The original word for "time" denotes a stated period or set feast; or the interval from one set feast to its recurrence, that is, a year [TREGELLES]; Lev 23:4, "seasons"; Lev 23:44, "feasts." The passages in favor of the year-day theory are Ezek 4:6, where each day of the forty during which Ezekiel lay on his right side is defined by God as meaning a year. Compare Num 14:34, where a year of wandering in the wilderness was appointed for each day of the forty during which the spies searched Canaan; but the days were, in these two cases, merely the type or reason for the years, which were announced as they were to be fulfilled. In the prophetic part of Num 14:34 "years" are literal. If the year-day system was applied to them, they would be 14,400 years! In Ezek 4:4-6, if day meant year, Ezekiel would have lain on his right side forty years! The context here in Dan 7:24-25, is not symbolical. Antichrist is no longer called a horn, but a king subduing three out of ten kings (no longer horns, Dan 7:7-8). So in Dan 12:7, where "time, times, and half a time," again occurs, nothing symbolic occurs in the context. So that there is no reason why the three and a half years should be so. For the first four centuries the "days" were interpreted literally; a mystical meaning of the 1260 days then began. WALTER BRUTE first suggested the year-day theory in the end of the fourteenth century. The seventy years of the Babylonian captivity foretold by Jeremiah (Jer 25:12; Jer 29:10) were understood by Daniel (Dan 9:2) as literal years, not symbolical, which would have been 25,200 years! [TREGELLES]. It is possible that the year-day and day-day theories are both true. The seven (symbolical) times of the Gentile monarchies (Lev 26:24) during Israel's casting off will end in the seven years of Antichrist. The 1260 years of papal misrule in the name of Christ may be represented by three and a half years of open Antichristianity and persecution before the millennium. Witnessing churches may be succeeded by witnessing individuals, the former occupying the longer, the latter the shorter period (Rev_ 11:3). The beginning of the 1260 years is by ELLIOTT set at A.D. 529 or 533, when Justinian's edict acknowledged Pope John II to be head of the Church; by LUTHER, at 606, when Phocas confirmed Justinian's grant. But 752 is the most likely date, when the temporal dominion of the popes began by Pepin's grant to Stephen II (for Zachary, his predecessor's recognition of his title to France), confirmed by Charlemagne. For it was then first that the little horn plucked up three horns, and so became the prolongation of the fourth secular kingdom [NEWTON]. This would bring us down to about A.D. 2000, or the seventh thousand millenary from creation. But CLINTON makes about 1862 the seventh millenary, which may favor the dating from A.D. 529.
7:267:26: Ատեա՛ն նստցի. զիշխանութիւն նորա փոխեսցեն, յապականել եւ ՚ի կորուսանել մինչեւ ՚ի սպառ[12196]։ [12196] Օրինակ մի. Ատեանն նստցի, եւ զիշխա՛՛։
26 Ատեան պիտի հաւաքուի, պիտի փոխեն նրա իշխանութիւնը, պիտի ոչնչացնեն այն եւ իսպառ կորստի մատնեն:
26 Թէեւ ատեանը պիտի բազմի, բայց անոր իշխանութիւնը պիտի վերցնեն, վերջապէս զանիկա բնաջինջ պիտի ընեն ու կորսնցնեն։
Ատեան նստցի. զիշխանութիւն նորա փոխեսցեն յապականել եւ ի կորուսանել մինչեւ ի սպառ:

7:26: Ատեա՛ն նստցի. զիշխանութիւն նորա փոխեսցեն, յապականել եւ ՚ի կորուսանել մինչեւ ՚ի սպառ[12196]։
[12196] Օրինակ մի. Ատեանն նստցի, եւ զիշխա՛՛։
26 Ատեան պիտի հաւաքուի, պիտի փոխեն նրա իշխանութիւնը, պիտի ոչնչացնեն այն եւ իսպառ կորստի մատնեն:
26 Թէեւ ատեանը պիտի բազմի, բայց անոր իշխանութիւնը պիտի վերցնեն, վերջապէս զանիկա բնաջինջ պիտի ընեն ու կորսնցնեն։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:267:26 Затем воссядут судьи и отнимут у него власть губить и истреблять до конца.
7:26 καὶ και and; even ἡ ο the κρίσις κρισις decision; judgment καθίσεται καθιζω sit down; seat καὶ και and; even τὴν ο the ἐξουσίαν εξουσια authority; influence ἀπολοῦσι απολλυμι destroy; lose καὶ και and; even βουλεύσονται βουλευω intend; deliberate μιᾶναι μιαινω taint; defile καὶ και and; even ἀπολέσαι απολλυμι destroy; lose ἕως εως till; until τέλους τελος completion; sales tax
7:26 וְ wᵊ וְ and דִינָ֖א ḏînˌā דִּין judgement יִתִּ֑ב yittˈiv יתב sit וְ wᵊ וְ and שָׁלְטָנֵ֣הּ šolṭānˈēh שָׁלְטָן official יְהַעְדֹּ֔ון yᵊhaʕdˈôn עדה go לְ lᵊ לְ to הַשְׁמָדָ֥ה hašmāḏˌā שׁמד exterminate וּ û וְ and לְ lᵊ לְ to הֹובָדָ֖ה hôvāḏˌā אבד perish עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until סֹופָֽא׃ sôfˈā סֹוף end
7:26. et iudicium sedebit ut auferatur potentia et conteratur et dispereat usque in finemAnd a judgment shall sit, that his power may be taken away, and be broken in pieces, and perish even to the end.
26. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
7:26. And a trial will begin, so that his power may be taken away, and be crushed, and be undone all the way to the end.
7:26. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy [it] unto the end.
But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy [it] unto the end:

7:26 Затем воссядут судьи и отнимут у него власть губить и истреблять до конца.
7:26
καὶ και and; even
ο the
κρίσις κρισις decision; judgment
καθίσεται καθιζω sit down; seat
καὶ και and; even
τὴν ο the
ἐξουσίαν εξουσια authority; influence
ἀπολοῦσι απολλυμι destroy; lose
καὶ και and; even
βουλεύσονται βουλευω intend; deliberate
μιᾶναι μιαινω taint; defile
καὶ και and; even
ἀπολέσαι απολλυμι destroy; lose
ἕως εως till; until
τέλους τελος completion; sales tax
7:26
וְ wᵊ וְ and
דִינָ֖א ḏînˌā דִּין judgement
יִתִּ֑ב yittˈiv יתב sit
וְ wᵊ וְ and
שָׁלְטָנֵ֣הּ šolṭānˈēh שָׁלְטָן official
יְהַעְדֹּ֔ון yᵊhaʕdˈôn עדה go
לְ lᵊ לְ to
הַשְׁמָדָ֥ה hašmāḏˌā שׁמד exterminate
וּ û וְ and
לְ lᵊ לְ to
הֹובָדָ֖ה hôvāḏˌā אבד perish
עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until
סֹופָֽא׃ sôfˈā סֹוף end
7:26. et iudicium sedebit ut auferatur potentia et conteratur et dispereat usque in finem
And a judgment shall sit, that his power may be taken away, and be broken in pieces, and perish even to the end.
7:26. And a trial will begin, so that his power may be taken away, and be crushed, and be undone all the way to the end.
7:26. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy [it] unto the end.
ru▾ LXX-gloss▾ bhs-gloss▾ vulgate▾ erva_1895▾ catholic_pdv▾ kjv_1900▾
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R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:26: Dan 7:10, Dan 7:11, Dan 7:22; Th2 2:8; Rev 11:13, Rev 20:10, Rev 20:11
Geneva 1599
7:26 But the (r) judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy [it] unto the end.
(r) God by his power will restore things that were out of order, and destroy this little horn in such a way that it will never rise up again.
John Gill
7:26 But the judgment shall sit,.... As in Dan 7:10, the court shall sit, the Judge shall take the bench, and all things be prepared for the arraignment, trial, condemnation, and punishment, of the little horn or antichrist, when the above time is up; God the Father, the Ancient of days, and Christ, said to be like the Son of man, brought near to him, shall sit as Judges, attended by the holy angels:
and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end; either the angels, or rather the saints of the most High; particularly the Christian princes, into whose hearts God will put it to hate the whore, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire; so that there shall be an utter end of antichrist; he shall be stripped of all his power and authority; his destruction will be inevitable and irrecoverable; he shall never come out of it; it shall continue to the end of the world, to the end of time.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:26 consume . . . destroy--a twofold operation. Antichrist is to be gradually "consumed," as the Papacy has been consuming for four hundred years past, and especially of late years. He is also to be "destroyed" suddenly by Christ at His coming; the fully developed man of sin (Th2 2:3) or false prophet making a last desperate effort in confederacy with the "beast" (Rev_ 16:13-14, Rev_ 16:16) or secular power of the Roman empire (some conjecture Louis Napoleon): destroyed at Armageddon in Palestine.
7:277:27: Եւ թագաւորութիւն եւ մեծութիւն թագաւորաց որ ՚ի ներքոյ երկնից՝ տուաւ սրբոց Բարձրելոյն. եւ արքայութիւն նորա արքայութիւն յաւիտենական, եւ ամենայն իշխանութիւնք նմա՛ ծառայեսցեն, եւ հնազանդեսցին[12197]։ [12197] Օրինակ մի յաւելու. Եւ թագաւորութիւն եւ իշխանութիւն եւ մեծութիւն։ Ոմանք յաւելուն. Որ ՚ի ներքոյ ամենայն երկնից։
27 Եւ երկնքի տակ գտնուող թագաւորութիւնն ու թագաւորների մեծութիւնը տրուեց Բարձրեալի սրբերին. Նրա արքայութիւնը յաւիտենական արքայութիւն է, եւ բոլոր իշխանութիւնները պիտի ծառայեն եւ հնազանդուեն նրան:
27 Թագաւորութիւնն ու իշխանութիւնը ու բոլոր երկնքին տակ եղող թագաւորութիւններուն մեծութիւնը Բարձրեալին սուրբերուն ժողովուրդին պիտի տրուի։ Անոր թագաւորութիւնը յաւիտենական թագաւորութիւն պիտի ըլլայ ու բոլոր իշխանները անոր պիտի ծառայեն ու պիտի հնազանդին’։
Եւ թագաւորութիւն եւ իշխանութիւն եւ մեծութիւն [130]թագաւորաց որ ի ներքոյ ամենայն երկնից` տուաւ`` սրբոց Բարձրելոյն. եւ արքայութիւն նորա արքայութիւն յաւիտենական, եւ ամենայն իշխանութիւնք նմա ծառայեսցեն, եւ հնազանդեսցին:

7:27: Եւ թագաւորութիւն եւ մեծութիւն թագաւորաց որ ՚ի ներքոյ երկնից՝ տուաւ սրբոց Բարձրելոյն. եւ արքայութիւն նորա արքայութիւն յաւիտենական, եւ ամենայն իշխանութիւնք նմա՛ ծառայեսցեն, եւ հնազանդեսցին[12197]։
[12197] Օրինակ մի յաւելու. Եւ թագաւորութիւն եւ իշխանութիւն եւ մեծութիւն։ Ոմանք յաւելուն. Որ ՚ի ներքոյ ամենայն երկնից։
27 Եւ երկնքի տակ գտնուող թագաւորութիւնն ու թագաւորների մեծութիւնը տրուեց Բարձրեալի սրբերին. Նրա արքայութիւնը յաւիտենական արքայութիւն է, եւ բոլոր իշխանութիւնները պիտի ծառայեն եւ հնազանդուեն նրան:
27 Թագաւորութիւնն ու իշխանութիւնը ու բոլոր երկնքին տակ եղող թագաւորութիւններուն մեծութիւնը Բարձրեալին սուրբերուն ժողովուրդին պիտի տրուի։ Անոր թագաւորութիւնը յաւիտենական թագաւորութիւն պիտի ըլլայ ու բոլոր իշխանները անոր պիտի ծառայեն ու պիտի հնազանդին’։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:277:27 Царство же и власть и величие царственное во всей поднебесной дано будет народу святых Всевышнего, Которого царство царство вечное, и все властители будут служить и повиноваться Ему.
7:27 καὶ και and; even τὴν ο the βασιλείαν βασιλεια realm; kingdom καὶ και and; even τὴν ο the ἐξουσίαν εξουσια authority; influence καὶ και and; even τὴν ο the μεγαλειότητα μεγαλειοτης greatness αὐτῶν αυτος he; him καὶ και and; even τὴν ο the ἀρχὴν αρχη origin; beginning πασῶν πας all; every τῶν ο the ὑπὸ υπο under; by τὸν ο the οὐρανὸν ουρανος sky; heaven βασιλειῶν βασιλεια realm; kingdom ἔδωκε διδωμι give; deposit λαῷ λαος populace; population ἁγίῳ αγιος holy ὑψίστου υψιστος highest; most high βασιλεῦσαι βασιλευω reign βασιλείαν βασιλεια realm; kingdom αἰώνιον αιωνιος eternal; of ages καὶ και and; even πᾶσαι πας all; every αἱ ο the ἐξουσίαι εξουσια authority; influence αὐτῷ αυτος he; him ὑποταγήσονται υποτασσω subordinate; subject καὶ και and; even πειθαρχήσουσιν πειθαρχεω obey αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
7:27 וּ û וְ and מַלְכוּתָ֨ה malᵊḵûṯˌā מַלְכוּ kingdom וְ wᵊ וְ and שָׁלְטָנָ֜א šolṭānˈā שָׁלְטָן official וּ û וְ and רְבוּתָ֗א rᵊvûṯˈā רְבוּ greatness דִּ֚י ˈdî דִּי [relative] מַלְכְוָת֙ malᵊḵᵊwˌāṯ מַלְכוּ kingdom תְּחֹ֣ות tᵊḥˈôṯ תְּחֹות underneath כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole שְׁמַיָּ֔א šᵊmayyˈā שְׁמַיִן heaven יְהִיבַ֕ת yᵊhîvˈaṯ יהב give לְ lᵊ לְ to עַ֖ם ʕˌam עַם people קַדִּישֵׁ֣י qaddîšˈê קַדִּישׁ holy עֶלְיֹונִ֑ין ʕelyônˈîn עֶלְיֹון most high מַלְכוּתֵהּ֙ malᵊḵûṯˌēh מַלְכוּ kingdom מַלְכ֣וּת malᵊḵˈûṯ מַלְכוּ kingdom עָלַ֔ם ʕālˈam עָלַם eternity וְ wᵊ וְ and כֹל֙ ḵˌōl כֹּל whole שָׁלְטָ֣נַיָּ֔א šolṭˈānayyˈā שָׁלְטָן official לֵ֥הּ lˌēh לְ to יִפְלְח֖וּן yiflᵊḥˌûn פלח serve וְ wᵊ וְ and יִֽשְׁתַּמְּעֽוּן׃ yˈištammᵊʕˈûn שׁמע hear
7:27. regnum autem et potestas et magnitudo regni quae est subter omne caelum detur populo sanctorum Altissimi cuius regnum regnum sempiternum est et omnes reges servient ei et oboedientAnd that the kingdom, and power, and the greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, may be given to the people of the saints of the most High: whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve him, and shall obey him.
27. And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
7:27. Yet the kingdom, and the power, and the greatness of that kingdom, which is under all of heaven, shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings will serve and obey him.”
7:27. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him:

7:27 Царство же и власть и величие царственное во всей поднебесной дано будет народу святых Всевышнего, Которого царство царство вечное, и все властители будут служить и повиноваться Ему.
7:27
καὶ και and; even
τὴν ο the
βασιλείαν βασιλεια realm; kingdom
καὶ και and; even
τὴν ο the
ἐξουσίαν εξουσια authority; influence
καὶ και and; even
τὴν ο the
μεγαλειότητα μεγαλειοτης greatness
αὐτῶν αυτος he; him
καὶ και and; even
τὴν ο the
ἀρχὴν αρχη origin; beginning
πασῶν πας all; every
τῶν ο the
ὑπὸ υπο under; by
τὸν ο the
οὐρανὸν ουρανος sky; heaven
βασιλειῶν βασιλεια realm; kingdom
ἔδωκε διδωμι give; deposit
λαῷ λαος populace; population
ἁγίῳ αγιος holy
ὑψίστου υψιστος highest; most high
βασιλεῦσαι βασιλευω reign
βασιλείαν βασιλεια realm; kingdom
αἰώνιον αιωνιος eternal; of ages
καὶ και and; even
πᾶσαι πας all; every
αἱ ο the
ἐξουσίαι εξουσια authority; influence
αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
ὑποταγήσονται υποτασσω subordinate; subject
καὶ και and; even
πειθαρχήσουσιν πειθαρχεω obey
αὐτῷ αυτος he; him
7:27
וּ û וְ and
מַלְכוּתָ֨ה malᵊḵûṯˌā מַלְכוּ kingdom
וְ wᵊ וְ and
שָׁלְטָנָ֜א šolṭānˈā שָׁלְטָן official
וּ û וְ and
רְבוּתָ֗א rᵊvûṯˈā רְבוּ greatness
דִּ֚י ˈdî דִּי [relative]
מַלְכְוָת֙ malᵊḵᵊwˌāṯ מַלְכוּ kingdom
תְּחֹ֣ות tᵊḥˈôṯ תְּחֹות underneath
כָּל־ kol- כֹּל whole
שְׁמַיָּ֔א šᵊmayyˈā שְׁמַיִן heaven
יְהִיבַ֕ת yᵊhîvˈaṯ יהב give
לְ lᵊ לְ to
עַ֖ם ʕˌam עַם people
קַדִּישֵׁ֣י qaddîšˈê קַדִּישׁ holy
עֶלְיֹונִ֑ין ʕelyônˈîn עֶלְיֹון most high
מַלְכוּתֵהּ֙ malᵊḵûṯˌēh מַלְכוּ kingdom
מַלְכ֣וּת malᵊḵˈûṯ מַלְכוּ kingdom
עָלַ֔ם ʕālˈam עָלַם eternity
וְ wᵊ וְ and
כֹל֙ ḵˌōl כֹּל whole
שָׁלְטָ֣נַיָּ֔א šolṭˈānayyˈā שָׁלְטָן official
לֵ֥הּ lˌēh לְ to
יִפְלְח֖וּן yiflᵊḥˌûn פלח serve
וְ wᵊ וְ and
יִֽשְׁתַּמְּעֽוּן׃ yˈištammᵊʕˈûn שׁמע hear
7:27. regnum autem et potestas et magnitudo regni quae est subter omne caelum detur populo sanctorum Altissimi cuius regnum regnum sempiternum est et omnes reges servient ei et oboedient
And that the kingdom, and power, and the greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, may be given to the people of the saints of the most High: whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve him, and shall obey him.
7:27. Yet the kingdom, and the power, and the greatness of that kingdom, which is under all of heaven, shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings will serve and obey him.”
7:27. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
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Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:27: The kingdom and dominion - The people of the saints of the Most High, or the people who are the supereminent saints, shall have the kingdom. Whatever name they may be distinguished by among men, these are the people, and theirs is the Church, that no lapse of time shall injure, and no power be able to destroy; but shall last as long as time shall endure.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:27: the kingdom and: Dan 7:14, Dan 7:18, Dan 7:22; Psa 149:5-9; Isa 49:23-26, Isa 54:3, Isa 60:11-16; Zep 3:19, Zep 3:20; Zac 14:9; Rev 20:4
whose kingdom: Dan 2:44, Dan 4:34; Psa 145:13; Isa 9:7; Luk 1:33; Joh 12:34
and all: Psa 2:6-12, Psa 22:27, Psa 72:11, Psa 86:9; Isa 60:12; Oba 1:21; Rev 11:15
dominions: or, rulers, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:16
Geneva 1599
7:27 And the (s) kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all (t) dominions shall serve and obey him.
(s) He shows why the beast would be destroyed, that is, so that his Church might have rest and quietness, which though they do not fully enjoy here, yet they have it in hope, and by the preaching of the Gospel enjoy the beginning of it, which is meant by these words, "under the whole heaven". And therefore he speaks here of the beginning of Christ's kingdom in this world, which kingdom the faithful have by the participation that they have with Christ their head.
(t) That is, some of every type that rule.
John Gill
7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High,.... Not only the dominion that shall be taken away from the little horn or antichrist, and from all the antichristian states, but the dominion of all others throughout all the earth, and under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of God, and the true professors of faith in Christ. The kingdoms of this world will become Christ's, and Christian princes will be kings of them everywhere; and not only the royal power and authority will be vested with them, but all the grandeur and state belonging to them will be theirs; as well as all the saints in general shall reign in a spiritual manner with Christ, enjoying all ordinances, and all religious liberties, as well as civil, and be free from all persecutions.
Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him; the people of the saints of the most High, all shall be subject to them, all dominions, and the governors of them; or Christ the head of them, under and with whom they reign. So Saadiah (s) paraphrases it,
"the kingdom of the King Messiah is an everlasting kingdom, and his government is to generation and generation, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.''
This spiritual reign of Christ, which will take place in a more glorious manner at the destruction of antichrist, will continue until the Millennium, or the personal reign of Christ, begins; and after that will be the ultimate glory, in which Christ and his people will reign to all eternity.
(s) And R. Isaac in Chizzuk Emunah, par. 1. p. 44. applies it to the Messiah.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:27 greatness of the kingdom under . . . whole heaven--The power, which those several kingdoms had possessed, shall all be conferred on Messiah's kingdom. "Under . . . heaven" shows it is a kingdom on earth, not in heaven.
people of . . . saints of . . . Most High--"the people of the saints," or "holy ones" (Dan 8:24, Margin): the Jews, the people to whom the saints stand in a peculiar relation. The saints are gathered out of Jews and Gentiles, but the stock of the Church is Jewish (Rom 9:24; Rom 11:24); God's faithfulness to this election Church is thus virtually faithfulness to Israel, and a pledge of their future national blessing. Christ confirms this fact, while withholding the date (Acts 1:6-7).
everlasting kingdom--If everlasting, how can the kingdom here refer to the millennial one? Answer: Daniel saw the whole time of future blessedness as one period. The clearer light of the New Testament distinguishes, in the whole period, the millennium and the time of the new heaven and new earth (compare Rev_ 20:4 with Rev_ 21:1 and Rev_ 22:5). Christ's kingdom is "everlasting." Not even the last judgment shall end it, but only give it a more glorious appearance, the new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, with the throne of God and the Lamb in it (compare Rev_ 5:9-10; Rev_ 11:15).
7:287:28: Մինչեւ ցա՛յս վա՛յր է վախճան բանիս։ Ե՛ս Դանիէլ՝ եւ խորհուրդք իմ յո՛յժ խռովեցուցանէին զիս. եւ գոյն երեսաց իմոց շրջեցաւ. եւ զբանն ՚ի սրտի՛ իմում պահէի[12198]։[12198] Օրինակ մի. Վախճան բանին... եւ զբանսն ՚ի սրտի իմում։ Ոմանք. Եւ գոյն իմ շրջեցաւ։
28 Մինչեւ այստեղ է խօսքի վախճանը: Ինձ՝ Դանիէլիս, շատ էին խռովեցնում իմ մտքերը, փոխուեց իմ երեսի գոյնը, եւ ես այս բանը պահում էի իմ սրտի մէջ»:
28 «Խօսքին վերջը մինչեւ հոս է։ Իմ խորհուրդներս զիս՝ Դանիէլս՝ խիստ խռովեցուցին ու երեսիս գոյնը փոխուեցաւ եւ այս խօսքը սրտիս մէջ պահեցի»։
Մինչեւ ցայս վայր է վախճան բանիս: Ես Դանիէլ, եւ խորհուրդք իմ յոյժ խռովեցուցանէին զիս, եւ գոյն երեսաց իմոց շրջեցաւ, եւ զբանն ի սրտի իմում պահէի:

7:28: Մինչեւ ցա՛յս վա՛յր է վախճան բանիս։ Ե՛ս Դանիէլ՝ եւ խորհուրդք իմ յո՛յժ խռովեցուցանէին զիս. եւ գոյն երեսաց իմոց շրջեցաւ. եւ զբանն ՚ի սրտի՛ իմում պահէի[12198]։
[12198] Օրինակ մի. Վախճան բանին... եւ զբանսն ՚ի սրտի իմում։ Ոմանք. Եւ գոյն իմ շրջեցաւ։
28 Մինչեւ այստեղ է խօսքի վախճանը: Ինձ՝ Դանիէլիս, շատ էին խռովեցնում իմ մտքերը, փոխուեց իմ երեսի գոյնը, եւ ես այս բանը պահում էի իմ սրտի մէջ»:
28 «Խօսքին վերջը մինչեւ հոս է։ Իմ խորհուրդներս զիս՝ Դանիէլս՝ խիստ խռովեցուցին ու երեսիս գոյնը փոխուեցաւ եւ այս խօսքը սրտիս մէջ պահեցի»։
zohrab-1805▾ eastern-1994▾ western am▾
7:287:28 Здесь конец слова. Меня, Даниила, сильно смущали размышления мои, и лице мое изменилось на мне; но слово я сохранил в сердце моем.
7:28 ἕως εως till; until καταστροφῆς καταστροφη catastrophe τοῦ ο the λόγου λογος word; log ἐγὼ εγω I Δανιηλ δανιηλ Daniēl; Thanil σφόδρα σφοδρα vehemently; tremendously ἐκστάσει εκστασις ecstasy; trance περιειχόμην περιεχω constrain; contain καὶ και and; even ἡ ο the ἕξις εξις habit μου μου of me; mine διήνεγκεν διαφερω transcend; transport ἐμοί εμοι me καὶ και and; even τὸ ο the ῥῆμα ρημα statement; phrase ἐν εν in καρδίᾳ καρδια heart μου μου of me; mine ἐστήριξα στηριζω steady; steadfast
7:28 עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until כָּ֖ה kˌā כָּה here סֹופָ֣א sôfˈā סֹוף end דִֽי־ ḏˈî- דִּי [relative] מִלְּתָ֑א millᵊṯˈā מִלָּה word אֲנָ֨ה ʔᵃnˌā אֲנָה I דָֽנִיֵּ֜אל ḏˈāniyyˈēl דָּנִיֵּאל Daniel שַׂגִּ֣יא׀ śaggˈî שַׂגִּיא much רַעְיֹונַ֣י raʕyônˈay רַעְיֹון thought יְבַהֲלֻנַּ֗נִי yᵊvahᵃlunnˈanî בהל disturb וְ wᵊ וְ and זִיוַי֙ zîwˌay זִיו brightness יִשְׁתַּנֹּ֣ון yištannˈôn שׁנה be different עֲלַ֔י ʕᵃlˈay עַל upon וּ û וְ and מִלְּתָ֖א millᵊṯˌā מִלָּה word בְּ bᵊ בְּ in לִבִּ֥י libbˌî לֵב heart נִטְרֵֽת׃ פ niṭrˈēṯ . f נטר guard
7:28. hucusque finis verbi ego Danihel multum cogitationibus meis conturbabar et facies mea mutata est in me verbum autem in corde meo conservaviHitherto is the end of the word. I, Daniel, was much troubled with my thoughts, and my countenance was changed in me: but I kept the word in my heart.
28. Here is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my thoughts much troubled me, and my countenance was changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
7:28. And here is the end of the message. I, Daniel, was greatly disturbed by my thoughts, and my mood was changed in me, but I preserved the message in my heart.
7:28. Hitherto [is] the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
Hitherto [is] the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart:

7:28 Здесь конец слова. Меня, Даниила, сильно смущали размышления мои, и лице мое изменилось на мне; но слово я сохранил в сердце моем.
7:28
ἕως εως till; until
καταστροφῆς καταστροφη catastrophe
τοῦ ο the
λόγου λογος word; log
ἐγὼ εγω I
Δανιηλ δανιηλ Daniēl; Thanil
σφόδρα σφοδρα vehemently; tremendously
ἐκστάσει εκστασις ecstasy; trance
περιειχόμην περιεχω constrain; contain
καὶ και and; even
ο the
ἕξις εξις habit
μου μου of me; mine
διήνεγκεν διαφερω transcend; transport
ἐμοί εμοι me
καὶ και and; even
τὸ ο the
ῥῆμα ρημα statement; phrase
ἐν εν in
καρδίᾳ καρδια heart
μου μου of me; mine
ἐστήριξα στηριζω steady; steadfast
7:28
עַד־ ʕaḏ- עַד until
כָּ֖ה kˌā כָּה here
סֹופָ֣א sôfˈā סֹוף end
דִֽי־ ḏˈî- דִּי [relative]
מִלְּתָ֑א millᵊṯˈā מִלָּה word
אֲנָ֨ה ʔᵃnˌā אֲנָה I
דָֽנִיֵּ֜אל ḏˈāniyyˈēl דָּנִיֵּאל Daniel
שַׂגִּ֣יא׀ śaggˈî שַׂגִּיא much
רַעְיֹונַ֣י raʕyônˈay רַעְיֹון thought
יְבַהֲלֻנַּ֗נִי yᵊvahᵃlunnˈanî בהל disturb
וְ wᵊ וְ and
זִיוַי֙ zîwˌay זִיו brightness
יִשְׁתַּנֹּ֣ון yištannˈôn שׁנה be different
עֲלַ֔י ʕᵃlˈay עַל upon
וּ û וְ and
מִלְּתָ֖א millᵊṯˌā מִלָּה word
בְּ bᵊ בְּ in
לִבִּ֥י libbˌî לֵב heart
נִטְרֵֽת׃ פ niṭrˈēṯ . f נטר guard
7:28. hucusque finis verbi ego Danihel multum cogitationibus meis conturbabar et facies mea mutata est in me verbum autem in corde meo conservavi
Hitherto is the end of the word. I, Daniel, was much troubled with my thoughts, and my countenance was changed in me: but I kept the word in my heart.
7:28. And here is the end of the message. I, Daniel, was greatly disturbed by my thoughts, and my mood was changed in me, but I preserved the message in my heart.
7:28. Hitherto [is] the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
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Adam Clarke: Commentary on the Bible - 1831
7:28: The end of the matter - So said the expounding angel; and he said so because the purpose of God had determined it. In considering these things, and looking at the evils that shall come upon the world before those auspicious times can take place, I may say with Daniel, My cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I keep the matter of my conjectures and consequent feelings in my own heart.
Albert Barnes: Notes on the Bible - 1834
7:28: Hitherto is the end of the matter - That is, the end of what I saw and heard. This is the sum of what was disclosed to the prophet, but he still says that he meditated on it with profound interest, and that he had much solicitude in regard to these great events. The words rendered hitherto, mean, so far, or thus far. The phrase "end of the matter," means "the close of the saying a thing;" that is, this was all the Rev_elation which was made to him, and he was left to his own meditations respecting it.
As for me Daniel - So far as I was concerned; or so far as this had any effect on me. It was not unnatural, at the close of this remarkable vision, to state the effect that it had on himself.
My cogitations much troubled me - My thoughts in regard to it. It was a subject which he could not avoid reflecting on, and which could not but produce deep solicitude in regard to the events which were to occur. Who could look into the future without anxious and agitating thought? These events were such as to engage the profoundest attention; such as to fix the mind in solemn thought. Compare the notes at Rev 5:4.
And my countenance changed in me - The effect of these Rev_elations depicted themselves on my countenance. The prophet does not say in what way - whether by making him pale, or careworn, or anxious, but merely that it produced a change in his appearance. The Chaldee is "brightness" - זיו zı̂ yv - and the meaning would seem to be, that his bright and cheerful countenance was changed; that is, that his bright looks were changed; either by becoming pale (Gesenius, Lengerke), or by becoming serious and thoughtful.
But I kept the matter in my heart - I communicated to no one the cause of my deep and anxious thoughts. He hid the whole subject in his own mind, until he thought proper to make this record of what he had seen and heard. Perhaps there was no one to whom he could communicate the matter who would credit it; perhaps there was no one at court who would sympathize with him; perhaps he thought that it might savor of vanity if it were known; perhaps he felt that as no one could throw any new light on the subject, there would be no use in making it a subject of conversation; perhaps he felt so overpowered that he could not readily converse on it.
We are prepared now, having gone through with an exposition of this chapter, as to the meaning of the symbols, the words, and the phrases, to endeavor to ascertain what events are referred to in this remarkable prophecy, and to ask what events it was designed should be pourtrayed. And in reference to this there are but two opinions, or two classes of interpretations, that require notice: what refers it primarily and exclusively to Antiochus Epiphanes, and what refers it to the rise and character of the Papal power; what regards the fourth beast as referring to the empire of Alexander, and the little horn to Antiochus, and what regards the fourth beast as referring to the Roman empire, and the little horn to the Papal dominion. In inquiring which of these is the true interpretation, it will be proper, first, to consider whether it is applicable to Antiochus Epiphanes; secondly, whether it in fact finds a fulfillment in the Roman empire and the Papacy; and, thirdly, if such is the proper application, what are we to look for in the future in what remains unfulfilled in regard to the prophecy.
I. The question whether it is applicable to the case of Antiochus Epiphanes. A large class of interpreters, of the most respectable character, among whom are Lengerke, Maurer, Prof. Stuart (Hints on the Interpretation of Prophecy, p. 86, following; also Com. on Daniel, pp. 205-211), Eichhorn, Bertholdt, Bleek, and many others, suppose that the allusion to Antiochus is clear, and that the primary, if not the exclusive, reference to the prophecy is to him. Professor Stuart (Hints, p. 86) says, "The passage in Dan 7:25 is so clear as to leave no reasonable room for doubt." "In Dan 7:8, Dan 7:20, Dan 7:24, the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes is described; for the fourth beast is, beyond all reasonable doubt, the divided Grecian dominion which succeeded the reign of Alexander the Great. From this dynasty springs Antiochus, Dan 7:8, Dan 7:20, who is most graphically described in Dan 7:25 'as one who shall speak great words against the most High,' etc."
The facts in regard to Antiochus, so far as they are necessary to be known in the inquiry, are briefly these: Antiochus Epiphanes (the Illustrios, a name taken on himself, Prideaux, iii. 213), was the son of Antiochus the Great, but succeeded his brother, Seleucus Philopator, who died 176 b. c. Antiochus reigned over Syria, the capital of which was Antioch, on the Oronres, from 176 b. c. to 164 b. c. His character, as that of a cruel tyrant, and a most bloodthirsty and bitter enemy of the Jews, is fully detailed in the first and second book of Maccabees. Compare also Prideaux, Con. vol. iii. 213-234. The facts in the case of Antiochus, so far as they are supposed to bear on the application of the prophecy before us, are thus stated by Prof. Stuart (Hints on the Interpretation of Prophecy, pp. 89, 90): "In the year 168 before Christ, in the month of May, Antiochus Epiphanes was on his way to attack Egypt, and he detached Apollonius, one of his military confidants, with 22, 000 soldiers, in order to subdue and plunder Jerusalem. The mission was executed with entire success. A horrible slaughter was made of the men at Jerusalem, and a large portion of the women and children, being made captives, were sold and treated as slaves. The services of the temple were interrupted, and its joyful feasts were turned into mourning, 1 Macc. 1:37-39. Soon after this the Jews in general were compelled to eat swine's flesh, and to sacrifice to idols. In December of that same year, the temple was profaned by introducing the statue of Jupiter Olympius; and on the 25th of that month sacrifices were offered to that idol on the altar of Jehovah. Just three years after this last event, namely, December 25, 165 b. c., the temple was expurgated by Judas Maccabeus, and the worship of Jehovah restored.
Thus, three years and a half, or almost exactly this period, passed away, while Antiochus had complete possession and control of everything in and around Jerusalem and the temple. It may be noted, also, that just three years passed, from the time when the profanation of the temple was carried to its greatest height - namely, by sacrificing to the statue of Jupiter Olympius on the altar of Jehovah, down to the time when Judas renewed the regular worship. I mention this last circumstance in order to account for the three years of Antiochus' profanations, which are named as the period of them in Joseptus, Ant. xii. 7, Section 6. This period tallies exactly with the time during which the profanation as consummated was carried on, if we reckon down to the period when the temple worship was restored by Judas Maceabeus. But in Prooem. ad Bell. Jud. Section 7, and Bell. Jud. 1. 1, Section 1, Josephus reckons three years and a half as the period during which Antiochus ravaged Jerusalem and Judea."
In regard to this statement, while the general facts are correct, there are some additional statements which should be made, to determine as to its real bearing on the case. The act of detaching Apollonius to attack Jerusalem was not, as is stated in this extract, when Antiochus was on his way to Egypt, but was on his return from Egypt, and was just two years after Jerusalem had been taken by Antiochus. - Prideaux, iii. 239. The occasion of his detaching Apollonius, was that Antiochus was enraged because he had been defeated in Egypt by the Romans, and resolved to vent all his wrath upon the Jews, who at that time had given him no particular offence. When, two years before, Antiochus had himself taken Jerusalem, he killed forty thousand persons; he took as many captives, and sold them for slaves; he forced himself into the temple, and entered the most holy place; he caused a great sow to be offered on the altar of burnt-offering, to show his contempt for the temple and the Jewish religion; he sprinkled the broth over every part of the temple for the purpose of polluting it; he plundered the temple of the altar of incense, the showbread table, and the golden candlestick, and then returned to Antioch, having appointed Philip, a Phrygian, a man of a cruel and barbarous temper, to be governor of the Jews. - Prideaux, iii. 231.
When Apollonius again attacked the city, two years afterward, he waited quietly until the Sabbath, and then made his assault. He filled the city with blood, set it on fire, demolished the houses, pulled down the walls, built a strong fortress over against the temple, from which the garrison could fall on all who should attempt to go to worship. From this time, "the temple became deserted, and the daily sacrifices were omitted," until the service was restored by Judas Maccabeus, three years and a half after. The time during which this continued was, in fact, just three years and a half, until Judas MaccaUcus succeeded in expelling the pagan from the temple and from Jerusalem, when the temple was purified, and was solemnly reconsecrated to the worship of God. See Prideaux, Con. iii. 240, 241, and the authorities there cited.
Now, in reference to this interpretation, supposing that the prophecy relates to Antiochus, it must be admitted that there are coincidences which are remarkable, and it is on the ground of these coincidences that the prophecy has been applied to him. These circumstances are such as the following:
(a) The general character of the authority that would exist as denoted by the "little horn," as that of severity and cruelty. None could be better fitted to represent that than the character of Antiochus Epiptianes. Compare Prideaux, Con. iii. 213, 214.
(b) His arrogance and blasphemy - "speaking great words against the Most High." Nothing is easier than to find what would be a fulfillment of this in the character of Antiochus - in his sacrilegious entrance into the most holy places; in his setting up the statue of Jupiter; in his offering a sow as a sacrifice on the great altar; in His sprinkling the broth of swine on the temple in contempt of the Hebrews and their worship, and in his causing the daily sacrifice at the temple to cease.
(c) His making war with the "saints," and "wearing out the saints of the Most High" - all this could be found accomplished in the wars which Antiochus waged against the Jews in the slaughter of so many thousands, and in sending so many into hopeless slavery.
(d) His attempt to "change times and laws" - this could be found to have been fulfilled in the case of Antiochus - in his arbitrary character, and in his interference with the laws of the Hebrews.
(e) The time, as above stated, is the most remarkable coincidence. If this is not to be regarded as referring exclusively to Antiochus, it must be explained on one of two suppositions - either that it is one of those coincidences which will be found to happen in history, as coincidences happen in dreams; or as having a double reference, intended to refer primarily to Antiochus, but in a secondary and more important sense referring also to other events having a strong resemblance to this; or, in other words, that the language was designedly so couched as to relate to two similar classes of events. It is not to be regarded as very remarkable, however, that it is possible to find a fulfillment of these predictions in Antiochus, though it be supposed that the design was to describe the Papacy, for some of the expressions are of so general a character that they could be applied to many events which have occurred, and, from the nature of the case, there were strong points of resemblance between Antiochus and the Papal power. It is not absolutely necessary, therefore, to suppose that this had reference to Antiochus Epiphanes; and there are so many objections to this view as to make it, it seems to me, morally impossible that it should have had such a reference. Among these objections are the following:
(1) This interpretation makes it necessary to divide the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, and to consider them two kingdoms, as Eichhorn, Jahn, Dereser, DeWette, and Bleek do. In order to this interpretation, the following are the kingdoms denoted by the four beasts - by the first, the Chaldee; by the second, the Medish; by the third, the Persian; and by the fourth, the Macedonian, or the Macedonian-Asiatic kingdom under Alexander the Great. But to say nothing now of any other difficulties, it is an insuperable objection to this, that so far as the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians are mentioned in Scripture, and so far as they play any part in the fulfillment of prophecy, they are always mentioned as one. They appear as one; they act as one; they are regarded as one. The kingdom of the Medes does not appear until it is united with that of the Persians, and this remark is of special importance when they are spoken of as succeeding the kingdom of Babylon. The kingdom of the Medes was contemporaneous with that of Babylon; it was the Mede-Persian kingdom that was in any proper sense the successor of that of Babylon, as described in these symbols. The kingdom of the Medes, as Hengstenberg well remarks, could in no sense be said to have succeeded that of Babylon any longer than during the reign of Cyaxares II, after the taking of Babylon: and even during that short period of two years, the government was in fact in the hands of Cyrus. - Die Authentic des Daniel, p. 200. Schlosser (p. 243) says, "the kingdom of the Medes and Persians is to be regarded as in fact one and the same kingdom, only that in the change of the dynasty another branch obtained the authority." See particularly, Rosenmuller, Alterthumskunde, i. 290, 291. These two kingdoms are in fact always blended - their laws, their customs, their religion, and they are mentioned as one. Compare Est 1:3, Est 1:18-19; Est 10:2; Dan 5:28; Dan 6:8, Dan 6:12, Dan 6:15.
(2) In order to this interpretation, it is necessary to divide the empire founded by Alexander, and instead of regarding it as one, to consider what existed when he reigned as one; and that of Antiochus, one of the successors of Alexander, as another. This opinion is maintained by Bertholdt, who supposes that the first beast represented the Babylonian kingdom; the second, the kingdom of the Medes and Persians; the third, that of Alexander; and the fourth the kingdoms that sprang out of that. In order to this, it is necessary to suppose that the four heads and wings, and the ten horns, equally represent that kingdom, or sprang from it - the four heads, the kingdom when divided at the death of Alexander, and the ten horns, powers that ultimately sprang up from the same dominion. But this is contrary to the whole representation in regard to the Asiatic-Macedonian empire. In Dan 8:8-9, where there is an undoubted reference to that empire, it is said "the he-goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, etc." Here is an undoubted allusion to Alexander, and to his followers, and particularly to Antiochus, but no mention of any such division as is necessary to be supposed if the fourth beast represents the power that succeeded Alexander in the East. In no place is the kingdom of the successors of Alexander divided from his in the same sense in which the kingdom of the Medes and Persians is from that of Babylon, or the kingdom of Alexander from that of the Persians. Compare Hengstenberg, as above, pp. 203-205.
(3) The supposition that the fourth beast represents either the kingdom of Alexander, or, according to Bertholdt and others, the successors of Alexander, by no means agrees with the character of that beast as compared with the others. That beast was far more formidable, and more to be dreaded than either of the others. It had iron teeth and brazen claws; it stamped down all before it, and broke all to pieces, and manifestly represented a far more fearful dominion than either of the others. The same is true in regard to the parallel representation in Dan 2:33, Dan 2:40, of the fourth kingdom represented by the legs and feet of iron, as more terrific than either of those denoted by the gold, the silver, or the brass. But this representation by no means agrees with the character of the kingdom of either Alexander or his successors, and in fact would not be true of them. It would agree well, as we shall see, with the Roman power, even as contrasted with that of Babylon, Persia, or Macedon; but it is not the representation which would, with propriety, be given of the empire of Alexander, or his successors, as contrasted with those which preceded them. Compare Hengstenberg, as above, pp. 205-207. Moreover, this does not agree with what is expressly said of this power that should succeed that of Alexander, in a passage undoubtedly referring to it, in Dan 8:22, where it is said, "Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power."
(4) On this supposition it is impossible to determine who are meant by the "ten horns" of the fourth beast Dan 7:7, and the "ten kings" Dan 7:24 that are represented by these. All the statements in Daniel that refer to the Macedonian kingdom Dan 7:6; Dan 8:8, Dan 8:22 imply that the Macedonian empire in the East, when the founder died, would be divided into four great powers or monarchies - in accordance with what is well known to have been the fact. But who are the ten kings or sovereignties that were to exist under this general Macedonian power, on the supposition that the fourth beast represents this? Bertholdt supposes that the ten horns are "ten Syrian kings," and that the eleventh little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes. The names of these kings, according to Bertholdt (pp. 432, 433), are Seleucus Nicator, Antiochus Sorer, Antiochus Theos, Seleucus Callinicus, Seleucus Ceraunus, Antiochus the Great, Seleucus Philopator, Heliodorus, Ptolemy Philometor, and Demetrius. So also Prof. Stuart, Com. on Dan. p. 208. But it is impossible to make out this exact number of Syrian kings from history, to say nothing now of the improbability of supposing that their power was represented by the fourth beast. These kings were not of the same dynasty, of Syria, of Macedonia, or of Egypt, but the list is made up of different kingdoms. Grotius (in loc.) forms the catalogue of ten kings out of the lists of the kings of Syria and Egypt - five out of one, and five out of the other; but this is manifestly contrary to the intention of the prophecy, which is to represent them as springing out of one and the same power. It is a further objection to this view, that these are lists of successive kings - rising up one after the other; whereas the representation of the ten horns would lead us to suppose that they existed simultaneously; or that somehow there were ten powers that sprang out of the one great power represented by the fourth beast.
(5) equally difficult is it, on this supposition, to know who are intended by the "three horns" that were plucked up by the little horn that sprang up among the ten, Dan 7:8. Grotius, who regards the "little horn" as representing Antiochus Epiphanes, supposes that the three horns were his elder brothers, Seleucus, Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, and Ptolemy Philopator, king of Egypt. But it is an insuperable objection to this that the three kings mentioned by Grotius are not all in his list of ten kings, neither Ptolemy Philometor (if Philometor he meant), nor Demetrius being of the number. - Newton on the Proph. p. 211. Neither were they plucked up by the roots by Antiochus, or by his order. Seieueus was poisoned by his treasurer, Helioderus, whose aim it was to usurp the crown for himself, before Antiochus came from Rome, where he had been detained as a hostage for several years. Demetrius lived to dethrone and murder the son of Antiochus, and succeeded him in the kingdom of Syria. Ptolemy Philopater died king of Egypt almost thirty years before Antiochus came to the throne of Syria; or if Ptolemy Philometer, as is most probable, was meant by Grotius, though he suffered much in the wars with Antiochus, yet he survived him about eighteen years, and died in possession of the crown of Egypt. - Newton, ut supra. Bertlholdt supposes that the three kings were Heliodorus, who poisoned Seleucus Philopater, and sought, by the help of a party, to obtain the throne; Ptolemy Philometor, king of Egypt, who, as sister's son to the king, laid claim to the throne; and Demetrius, who, as son of the former king, was legitimate heir to the throne. But there are two objections to this view;
(a) that the representation by the prophet is of actual kings - which these were not; and
(b) that Antiochus ascended the throne peaceably; Demetrius, who would have been regarded as the king of Syria, not being able to make his title good, was detained as a hostage at Rome. Hengstenberg, pp. 207, 208. Prof Stuart, Com. on Dan., pp. 208, 209, supposes that the three kings referred to were Heliodorus, Ptolemy Philometer, and Demetrius I; but in regard to these it should be observed, that they were mere pretenders to the throne, whereas the text in Daniel supposes that they would be actual kings. Compare Hengstenberg, p. 208.
(6) The time mentioned here, on the supposition that literally three years and a half Dan 7:25 are intended, does not agree with the actual dominion of Antiochus. In an undoubted reference to him in Dan 8:13-14, it is said that "the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation," would be "unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed;" that is, one thousand and forty days, or some two years and ten months more than the time mentioned here. I am aware of the difficulty of explaining this (see Prof. Stuart, Hints on the Interpretation of Prophecy, p. 98, following), and the exact menning of the passage in Dan 8:13-14, will come up for consideration hereafter; but it is an objection of some force to the application of the "time, and times, and dividing of a time" Dan 7:25 to Antiochus, that it is not the same time which is applied to him elsewhere.
(7) And, one more objection to this application is, that, in the prophecy, it is said that he who was represented by the "little horn" would continue until "the Ancient of days should sit," and evidently until the kingdom should be taken by the one in the likeness of the Son of man, Dan 7:9-10, Dan 7:13-14, Dan 7:21-22, Dan 7:26. But if this refers to Antiochus, then these events must refer to the coming of the Messiah, and to the setting up of his kingdom in the world. Yet, as a matter of fact; Antiochus died about 164 years before the Saviour came, and there is no way of showing that he continued until the Messiah came in the flesh.
These objections to the opinion that this refers to Antiochus Epiphanes seem to me to be insuperable.
II. The question whether it refers to the Roman empire and the Papal power. The fair inquiry is, whether the things referred to in the vision actually find such a correspondence in the Roman empire and the Papacy, that they would fairly represent them if the symbols had been made use of after the events occurred. Are they such as we might properly use now as describing the portions of those events that are past, on the supposition that the reference was to those events? To determine this, it will be proper to refer to the things in the symbol, and to inquire whether events corresponding to them have actually occurred in the Roman empire and the Papacy. Recalling the exposition which has been above given of the explanation furnished by the angel to Daniel, the things there referred to will find an ample and a striking fulfillment in the Roman empire and the Papal power.
(1) The fourth kingdom, symbolized by the fourth beast, is accurately represented by the Roman power. This is true in regard to the place which that power would occupy in the history of the world, on the supposition that the first three referred to the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, and the Macedonian. On this supposition there is no need of regarding the Medo-Persian empire as divided into two, represented by two symbols; or the kingdom founded by Alexander - the Asiatic-Macedonian - as distinct from that of his successors. As the Medo-Persian was in fact one dominion, so was the Macedonian under Alexander, and in the form of the four dynasties into which it was divided on his death, and down to the time when the whole was subverted by the Roman conquests. On this supposition, also, everything in the symbol is fulfilled. The fourth beast - so mighty, so terrific, so powerful, so unlike all the others, armed with iron teeth, and with claws of brass, trampling down and stamping on all the earth - well represents the Roman dominion.
The symbol is such a one as we should now use appropriately to represent that power, and in every respect that empire was well represented by the symbol. It may be added, also, that this supposition corresponds with the obvious interpretation of the parallel place in Dan 2:33, Dan 2:40, where the same empire is referred to in the image by the legs and feet of iron. See the note at that passage. It should be added, that this fourth kingdom is to be considered as prolonged through the entire continuance of the Roman power, in the various forms in which that power has been kept up on the earth - alike under the empire, and when broken up into separate sovereignties, and when again concentrated and embodied under the Papacy. That fourth power or dominion was to be continued, according to the prediction here, until the establishment of the kingdom of the saints. Either, then, that kingdom of the saints has come, or has been set up, or the fourth kingdom, in some form, still remains.
The truth is, that in prophecy the entire Roman dominion seems to be contemplated as one - one mighty and formidable power trampling down the liberties of the world; oppressing and persecuting the people of God - the true church; and maintaining an absolute and arbitrary dominion over the souls of men - as a mighty domination standing in the way of the progress of truth, and keeping back the reign of the saints on the earth. In these respects the Papal dominion is, and has been, but a prolongation, in another form, of the influence of pagan Rome, and the entire domination may be represented as one, and might be symbolized by the fourth beast in the vision of Daniel. When that power shall cease, we may, according to the prophecy, look for the time when the "kingdom shall be given to the saints," or when the true kingdom of God shall be set up all over the world.
(2) Out of this one sovereignty, represented by the fourth beast, ten powers or sovereignties, represented by the ten horns, were to arise. It was shown in the exposition, that these would all spring out of that one dominion, and would wield the power that was wielded by that; that is, that the one great power would be broken up and distributed into the number represented by ten. As the horns all appeared at the same time on the beast, and did not spring up after one another, so these powers would be simultaneous, and would not be a mere succession; and as the horns all sprang from the beast, so these powers would all have the same origin, and be a portion of the same one power now divided into many. The question then is, whether the Roman power was in fact distributed into so many sovereignties at any period such as would be represented by the springing up of the little horn - if that refers to the Papacy. Now, one has only to look into any historical work, to see how in fact the Roman power became distributed and broken up in this way into a large number of kingdoms, or comparatively petty sovereignties, occupying the portions of the world once governed by Rome. In the decline of the empire, and as the new power represented by the "little horn" arose, there was a complete breaking up of the one power that was formerly wielded, and a large number of states and kingdoms sprang out of it.
To see that there is no difficulty in making out the number ten, or that some such distribution and breaking up of the one power is naturally suggested, I cast my eye on the historical chart of Lyman, and found the following kingdoms or sovereignties specified as occupying the same territory which was possessed by the Roman empire, and springing from that - namely, the Vandals, Alans, Suevi, Heruli, Franks, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Burgundians, Lombards, Britons. The Roman empire as such had ceased, and the power was distributed into a large number of comparatively petty sovereignties - well represented at this period by the ten horns on the head of the beast. Even the Romanists themselves admit that the Roman empire was, by means of the incursions of the northern nations, dismembered into ten kingdoms (Calmet on Rev 13:1; and he refers likewise to Berengaud, Bossuet, and Dupin. See Newton, p. 209); and Machiaveli (Hist. of Flor. 1. i.), with no design of furnishing an illustration of this prophecy, and probably with no recollection of it, has mentioned these names:
1, the Ostrogoths in Moesia;
2, the Visigoths in Pannonia;
3, the Sueves and Alans in Gascoign and Spain;
4, the Vandals in Africa;
5, the Franks in France;
6, the Burgundians in Burgundy;
7, the Heruli and Turingi in Italy;
8, the Saxons and Angles in Britain;
9, the Huns in Hungary;
10, the Lombards at first upon the Danube, afterward in Italy.
The arrangement proposed by Sir Isaac Newton is the following:
1, The kingdom of the Vandals and Alans in Spain and Africa;
2, the kingdom of the Suevians in Spain;
3, the kingdom of the Visigoths;
4, the kingdom of the Alans in Gallia;
5, the kingdom of the Burgundians;
6, the kingdom of the Franks;
7, the kingdom of the Britons;
8. the kingdom of the Huns;
9, the kingdom of the Lombards;
10, the kingdom of Ravenna.
Compare also Duffield on the Prophecies, pp. 279, 280. For other arrangements constituting the number ten, as embracing the ancient power of the Roman empire, see Newton on the Prophecies, pp. 209, 210. There is some slight variation in the arrangements proposed by Mr. Mede, Bishop Lloyd, and Sir Isaac Newton; but still it is remarkable that it is easy to make out that number with so good a degree of certainty, and particularly so, that it should have been suggested by a Romanist himself. Even if it is not practicable to make out the number with strict exactness, or if all writers do not agree in regard to the dynasties constituting the number ten, we should bear in remembrance the fact that these powers arose in the midst of great confusion; that one kingdom arose and another fell in rapid succession; and that there was not that entire certainty of location and boundary which there is in old and established states. One thing is certain, that there never has been a case in which an empire of vast power has been broken up into small sovereignties, to which this description would so well apply as to the rise of the numerous dynasties in the breaking up of the vast Roman power; and another thing is equally certain, that if we were now to seek an appropriate symbol of the mighty Roman power - of its conquests, and of the extent of its dominion, and of the condition of that empire, about the time that the Papacy arose, we could not find a more striking or appropriate symbol than that of the terrible fourth beast with iron teeth and brazen claws - stamping the earth beneath his feet, and with ten horns springing out of his head.
(3) in the midst of these there sprang up a little horn that had remarkable characteristics. The inquiry now is, if this does not represent Antiochus, whether it finds a proper fulfillment in the Papacy. Now, in regard to this inquiry, the slightest acquaintance with the history and claims of the Papal power will show that there was a striking appropriateness in the symbol - such an appropriateness, that if we desired now to find a symbol that would represent this, we could find no one better adapted to it than that employed by Daniel.
(a) The little horn would spring up among the others, and stand among them - as dividing the power with them, or sharing or wielding that power. That is, on the supposition that it refers to the Papacy, the Papal power would spring out of the Roman empire; would be one of the sovereignties among which that vast power would be divided, and share with the other ten in wielding authority. It would be an eleventh power added to the ten. And who can be ignorant that the Papal power at the beginning, when it first asserted civil authority, sustained just such a relation to the crumbled and divided Roman empire as this? It was just one of the powers into which that vast sovereignty passed.
(b) It would not spring up contemporaneously with them, but would arise in their midst, when they already existed. They are seen in vision as actually existing together, and this new power starts up among them. What could be more strikingly descriptive of the Papacy - as a power arising when the great Roman authority was broken to fragments, and distributed into a large number of sovereignties?. Then this new power was seen to rise - small at first, but gradually gaining strength, until it surpassed any one of them in strength, and assumed a position in the world which no one of them had. The representation is exact. It is not a foreign power that invaded them; it starts up in the midst of them - springing out of the head of the same beast, and constituting a part of the same mighty domination that ruled the world.
(c) It would be small at first, but would soon become so powerful as to pluck up and displace three of the others. And could any symbol have been better chosen to describe the Papal power than this? Could we find any now that would better describe it? Any one needs to have but the slightest acquaintance with the history of the Papal power to know that it was small at its beginnings, and that its ascendency over the world was the consequence of slow but steady growth. Indeed, so feeble was it at its commencement, so undefined were its first appearance and form, that one of the most difficult things in history is to know exactly when it did begin, or to determine the exact date of its origin as a distinct power. Different schemes in the interpretation of prophecy turn wholly on this. We see, indeed, that power subsequently strongly marked in its character, and exerting a mighty influence in the world - having subjugated nations to its control; we see causes for a long time at work tending to this, and can trace their gradual operation in producing it, but the exact period when its dominion began, what was the first characteristic act of the Papacy as such, what constituted its precise beginning as a peculiar power blending and combining a peculiar civil and ecclesiastical authority, no one is able with absolute certainty to determine. Who can fix the exact date? Who can tell precisely when it was? It is true that there were several distinct acts, or the exercise of civil authority, in the early history of the Papacy, but what was the precise beginning of that power no one has been able to determine with so much certainty as to leave no room for doubt. Any one can see with what propriety the commencement of such a power would be designated by a little horn springing up among others.
(d) It would grow to be mighty, for the "little horn" thus grew to be so powerful as to pluck up three of the horns of the beast. Of the growth of the power of the Papacy no one can be ignorant who has any acquaintance with history. It held nations in subjection, and claimed and exercised the right of displacing and distributing crowns as it pleased.
(e) It would subdue "three kings;" that is, three of the ten represented by the ten horns. The prophet saw this at some point in its progress when three fell before it, or were overthrown by it. There might have been also other points in its history when it might have been seen as having overthrown more of them - perhaps the whole ten, but the attention was arrested by the fact that, soon after its rise, three of the ten were seen to fall before it. Now, in regard to the application of this, it may be remarked,
(1) That it does not apply, as already shown, to Antiochus Epiphanes - there being no sense in which he overthrew three of the princes that occupied the throne in the succession from Alexander, to say nothing of the fact that these were contemporaneous kings or kingdoms.
(2) there is no other period in history, and there are no other events to which it could be applied except either to Antiochus or the Papacy.
(3) in the confusion that existed on the breaking up of the Roman empire, and the imperfect accounts of the transactions which occurred in the rise of the Papal power, it would not be wonderful if it should be difficult to find events distinctly recorded that would be in all respects an accurate and absolute fulfillment of the vision.
(4) yet it is possible to make out the fulfillment of this with a good degree of certainty in the history of the Papacy. If applicable to the Papal power, what seems to be demanded is, that three of these ten kingdoms, or sovereignties should be rooted up by that power; that they should cease to exist as separate sovereignties; that they should be added to the sovereignty that should spring up; and that, as distinct kingdoms, they should cease to play a part in the history of the world. The three sovereignties thus transplanted, or rooted up, are supposed by Mr. Mede to have been the Greeks, the Longobards, and the Franks. Sir Isaac Newton supposes they were the Exarchate of Ravenna, the Lombards, and the senate and dukedom of Rome. The objections which may be made to these suppositions may be seen in Newton on the Prophecies, pp. 216, 217. The kingdoms which he supposes are to be referred to were the following:
First. The Exarchate of Ravenna. This of right belonged to the Greek emperors. This was the capital of their dominions in Italy. It Rev_olted at the instigation of the Pope, and was seized by Astolphus, king of the Lombards, who thought to make himself master of Italy. The Pope in his exigency applied for aid to Pepin, king of France, who marched into Italy, besieged the Lombards in Pavia, and forced them to surrender the Exarchate and other territories in Italy. These were not restored to the Greek emperor, as they in justice should have been, but, at the solicitation of the Pope, were given to Peter and his successors for perpetual possession. "And so," says Platina, "the name of the Exarchate, which had continued from the time of Narses to the taking of Ravenna, one hundred and seventy years, was extinguished." - Lives of the Popes. This, according to Sigonius, was effected in the year 755. See Gibbon, Dec. and Fall, vol. ii. 224; iii. 332, 334, 338. From this period, says Bp. Newton, the Popes being now become temporal princes, no longer date their epistles and bulls by the years of the emperor's reign, but by the years of their own advancement to the Papal chair.
Secondly. The kingdom of the Lombards. This kingdom was troublesome to the Popes. The dominions of the Pope were invaded by Desiderius, in the time of Pope Adrian I. Application was again made to the king of France, and Charles the Great, the son and successor of Pepin, invaded the Lombards; and desirous of enlarging his own dominions, conquered the Lombards, put an end to their kingdom, and gave a great part of their territory to the Pope. This was the end of the kingdom of the Lombards, in the 206th year after their obtaining possessions in Italy, and in the year of our Lord 774. See Gibbon, Dec. and Fall, vol. iii. 335.
Thirdly. The Roman States subjected to the Popes in a civil sense. Though subjected to the Pope spiritually, yet for a long time the Roman people were governed by a senate, and retained many of their old privileges, and elected both the Western Emperors and the Popes. This power, however, as is well known, passed into the hands of the Popes, and has been retained by them to the present time, the Pope having continued to be the civil as well as the ecclesiastical head. See Bp. Newton, pp. 319, 320. All semblance of the freedom of ancient Rome passed away, and this Roman dominion, as such, ceased to be, being completely absorbed in the Papacy. The Saxons, the Franks, etc., continued their independence as civil powers; these states passed entirely into the dominion of the Pope, and as independent kingdoms or sovereignties ceased to be. This is the solution in regard to the "three horns" that were to be plucked up, as given by Bp. Newton. Absolute certainly in a case of this kind is not to be expected in the confusion and indefiniteness of that portion of history, nor can it be reasonably demanded.
If there were three of these powers planted in regions that became subject to the Papal power, and that disappeared or were absorbed in that one dominion constituting the peculiarity of the Papal dominion, or which entered into the Roman Papal state, considered as a sovereignty by itself among the nations of the earth, this is all that is required. Mr. Faber supposes the three to have been these; the Herulo-Turingic, the Ostrogothic, and the Lombardie, and says of them, that they "were necessarily eradicated in the immediate presence of the Papacy, before which they were geographically standing - and that the temporal principality which bears the name of Peter's patrimony, was carved out of the mass of their subjugated dominions." - Sacred Calendar, vol. ii. p. 102. Prof. Gaussen (Discourse on Popery: Geneva, 1844) supposes that the three kings or kingdoms here referred to were the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the Lombards. According to Bower (Lives of the Popes, vol. ii. 108, Dr. Cox's edition, note), the temporal dominions granted by Pepin to the Pope, or of which the Pope became possessed in consequence of the intervention of the kings of France, were the following:
(1) The Exarchate of Ravenna, which comprised, according to Sigonius, the following cities: Ravenna, Bologna, Imola, Fienza, Forlimpoli, Forli, Cesena, Bobbio, Ferrara, Commachio. Adria, Servia, and Secchia
(2) The Pentapolis, comprehending Rimini, Pesaro, Coneha, Fano, Sinigalia, Ancono, Osimo, Umono, Jesi, Fossombrone, Monteferetro, Urbino, Cagli, Lucoli, and Eugubio.
(3) the city and dukedom of Rome, containing several cities of note, which had withdrawn themselves from all subjection to the emperor, had submitted to Peter ever since the time of Pope Gregory II. See also Bower, ii. 134, where he says, "The Pope had, by Charlemagne, been put in possession of the Exarchate, the Pentapolis, and the dukedom of Spoleti" (embracing the city and dukedom of Rome). And again, on the same page (note): "The Pope possessed the Exarchate, the Pentapolis, and the dukedom of Spoleti, with the city and dukedom of Rome." It should be remembered that these statements are made by historians with no reference to any supposed fulfillment of this prophecy, and no allusion to it, but as matters of simple historical fact, occurring in the regular course of history. The material fact to be made out in order to show that this description of the "little horn" is applicable to the Papacy is, that at the - commencement of what was properly the Papacy - that is, as I suppose, the union of the spiritual and temporal power, or the assumption, of temporal authority by him who was Bishop of Rome, and who had been before regarded as a mere spiritual or ecclesiastical ruler, there was a triple jurisdiction assumed or conceded, a threefold domination; or a union under himself of what had been three sovereignties, that now disappeared as independent administrations, and whose distinct governments were now merged in the one single sovereignty of the Pope. Now, that there was, just at this time, or at the beginning of the Papacy, or when it had so increased that it could be recognized as having a place among the temporal sovereignties of the earth, such a united domination, or such a union of three separate powers under one, will be apparent from an extract from Mr. Gibbon. He is speaking of the rewards conferred on the Pope by the Carlovingian race of kings, on account of the favor shown to them in his conferring the crown of France on Pepin, the mayor of the palace - directing in his favor over Childeric, the descendant of Clovis. Of this transaction, Mr. Gibbon observes, in general (iii. 336), that "the mutual obligations of the Popes and the Carlovingian family form the important link of ancient and modern, of civil and ecclesiastical history." He then proceeds
(1) to specify the gifts or favors which the Popes conferred on the Carlovingian race; and
(2) those which, in return, Pepin and Charlemagne bestowed on the Popes. In reference to the latter, he makes the following statement (iii. 338): "The gratitude of the Carlovingians was adequate to these obligations, and their names are consecrated as the saviours and benefactors of the Roman church. Her ancient patrimony of farms and houses was transformed by their bounty into the temporal dominion of cities and provinces, and the donation of the Exarchate was the first-fruits of the conquests of Pepin. Astolphus (king of the Lombards) with a sigh relinquished his prey; the keys and the hostages of the principal cities were delivered to the French ambassador; and in his master's name he presented them before the tomb of Peter. The ample measure of the Exarchate might comprise all the provinces of Italy which had obeyed the emperor or his vicegerent; but its strict and proper limits were included in the territories of Ravenna, Bologna, and Ferrara; its inseparable dependency was the Pentapolis, which stretched along the Adriatic from Rimini to Ancona, and advanced into the midland country as far as the ridge of the Apennines. In this transaction, the ambition and avarice of the Popes have been severely condemned.
Perhaps the humility of a Christian priest should have rejected an earthly kingdom, which it was not easy for him to govern without renouncing the virtues of his profession. Perhaps a faithful subject, or even a generous enemy, would have been less impatient to divide the spoils of the barbarian; and if the emperor had entrusted Stephen to solicit in his name the restitution of the Exarchate, I will not absolve the Pope from the reproach of treachery and falsehood. But, in the rigid interpretation of the laws, every one may accept, without inquiry, whatever his benefactor may bestow without injustice. The Greek emperor had abdicated or forfeited his right to the Exarctiate; and the sword of Astolphus was broken by the stronger sword of the Carlovingian. It was not in the cause of the Iconoclast that Pepin had exposed his person and army in a double expedition beyond the Alps; he possessed, and he might lawfully alienate his conquests: and to the importunities of the Greeks he piously replied, that no human consideration should tempt him to resume the gift which he had conferred on the Roman pontiff for the remission of his sins and the salvation of his soul.
The splendid donation was granted in supreme and absolute dominion, and the world beheld for the first time a Cristian bishop invested with the prerogatives of a temporal prince, the choice of magistrates, the exercise of justice, the imposition of taxes, and the wealth of the palace of Ravenna. In the dissolution of the Lombard kingdom, the inhabitants of the duchy of Spoleti sought a refuge from the storm, shaved their heads after the Ravenna fashion, declared themselves the servants and subjects of Peter, and completed, by this voluntary surrender, the present circle of the Ecclesiastical State." The following things are apparent from this extract:
(a) That here, according to Mr. Gibbon, was the beginning of the temporal power of the Pope.
(b) That this was properly, in the view above taken, the commencement of the Papacy as a distinct and peculiar dominion.
(c) That in this there was a threefold government, or three temporal sovereignties united under him, and constituting at that time, in the language of Mr. Gibbon, "the present circle of the ecclesiastical state." There was, first, the Exarchate of Ravenna; secondly, the Pentapolis, "which," he says, was its inseparable dependency; and, thirdly, the "duchy of Spoleti," which, he says, "completed the present circle of the ecclesiastical state." This was afterward, Mr. Gibbon goes on to say, greatly "enlarged;" but this was the form in which the Papal power first made its appearance among the temporal sovereignties of Europe. I do not find, indeed, that the kingdom of the Lombards was, as is commonly stated, among the number of the temporal sovereignties that became subject to the authority of the Popes, but I do find that there were three distinct temporal sovereignties that lost their independent existence, and that were united under that one temporal authority - constituting by the union of the spiritual and temporal power that one peculiar kingdom. In Lombardy the power remained in the possession of the kings of the Lombards themselves, until that kingdom was subdued by the arms of Pepin and Charlemagne, and then it became subject to the crown of France, though for a time under the nominal reign of its own kings. See Gibbon, iii. 334, 335, 338. If it should be said, that in the interpretation of this passage respecting the "three horns" that were plucked up, or the three kingdoms that were thus destroyed, it would be proper to look for them among the ten, into which the one great kingdom was divided, and that the three above referred to - the Exarchate of Ravenna, the Pentapolis, and the dukedom of Spoleti and Rome - were not properly of that number, according to the list above given, it is necessary, in reply to this, to advert only to the two main facts in the case:
(1) that the great Roman power was actually divided into a large number of sovereignties that sprang up on its ruins - usually, but not in fact exactly, represented by ten; and
(2) that the Papacy began its career with a conceded dominion over the three territories above referred to - a part, in fact, of the one great dominion constituting the Roman power, and in the same territory. It is a remarkable fact that the popes to this day wear a triple crown - a fact that exists in regard to no other monarchs - as if they had absorbed under themselves three separate and distinct sovereignties; or as if they represented three separate forms of dominion. The sum of what is said in the exposition of these verses may be thus expressed:
(1) That there was originally one great sovereignty represented here by the "fourth beast" - the Roman empire.
(2) that, in fact, as is abundantly confirmed by history, this one great and united power was broken up into a large number of separate and independent sovereignties - most naturally and obviously described by ten, or such as would appear in a prophetic vision to be ten, and such as is actually so represented by historians having no interest in the fulfillment of the prophecy, and no designed reference to what may be symbolized by the "ten horns."
(3) that there was another peculiar and distinct power that sprang out of them, and that grew to be mighty - a power unlike the others, and unlike anything that had before appeared in the world - combining qualities to be found in no other sovereignty - having a peculiar relation at the same time to the one original sovereignty, and to the ten into which that was divided - the prolongation, in an important sense, of the power of the one, and springing up in a peculiar manner among the others - that peculiar ecclesiastical and civil power - the Papacy - well represented by the "little horn."
(4) that, in fact, this one power absorbed into itself three of these sovereignties - annihilating them as independent powers, and combining them into one most peculiar dominion - properly represented by "plucking them up."
(5) that as a proper symbol, or emblem of some such domination, a crown or diadem is still worn, most naturally and obviously suggesting such a threefold absorption of dominion.
(6) that all this is actually prefigured by the symbols employed by the prophet, or that the symbols are such as would be naturally employed on the supposition that these events were designed to be referred to.
(7) and that there have been no other historical events to which these remarkable symbols could be naturally and obviously applied. And if these things are so, how are they to be explained except on the supposition that Daniel was inspired? Has man any natural sagacity by which such symbols representing the future could be suggested?
(d) It would be arrogant and proud, "speaking great words against the Most High." No Protestant will doubt that this is true of the Papacy; no one acquainted with history will presume to call it in question. The arrogant pretensions of the Papacy have been manifested in all the history of that power, and no one can doubt that its assumptions have been, in fact, by fair construction, "a speaking of great words against God." The Pope has claimed, or allowed to be conferred on him, names and prerogatives which can belong only to God. See this fully shown in the notes at Th2 2:4. The facts there referred to are all that is necessary to illustrate this passage, on the supposition that it refers to the Papacy. Compare also the Literalist, vol. i. pp. 24-27.
(e) This would be a persecuting power - "making war with the saints," and "wearing out the saints of the Most High." Can anyone doubt that this is true of the Papacy? The Inquisition; the "persecutions of the Waldenses;" the ravages of the Duke of Alva; the fires of Smithfield; the tortures at Goa - indeed, the whole history of the Papacy may be appealed to in proof that this is applicable to that power. If anything could have "worn out the saints of the Most High" - could have cut them off from the earth so that evangelical religion would have become extinct, it would have been the persecutions of the Papal power. In the year 1208, a crusade was proclaimed by Pope Innocent III against the Waldenses and Albigenses, in which a million of men perished. From the beginning of the order of the Jesuits, in the year 1540 to 1580, nine hundred thousand were destroyed. One hundred and fifty thousand perished by the Inquisition in thirty years. In the Low Countries fifty thousand persons were hanged, beheaded, burned, or buried alive, for the crime of heresy, within the space of thirty-eight years from the edict of Charles V, against the Protestants, to the peace of Chateau Cambresis in 1559. Eighteen thousand suffered by the hands of the executioner, in the space of five years and a half, during the administration of the Duke of Alva. Indeed, the slightest acquaintance with the history of the Papacy, will convince anyone that what is here said of "making war with the saints" Dan 7:21, and "wearing out the saints of the Most High" Dan 7:25, is strictly applicable to that power, and will accurately describe its history. There have been, indeed, other persecuting powers, but none to which this language would be so applicable, and none which it would so naturally suggest. In proof of this, it is only necessary to refer to the history of the Papacy, and to what it has done to extirpate those who have professed a different faith. Let anyone recall:
(1) the persecution of the Waldenses;
(2) the acts of the Duke of Alva in the Low Countries;
(3) the persecution in England under Mary;
(4) the Inquisition;
(5) the attempts, too successful, to extinguish all the efforts at reformation in Italy and Spain in the time of Luther and Calvin (see McCrie), and
(6) the attempts to put down the Reformation in Germany and Switzerland - all which were either directly originated or sanctioned by the Papacy, and all for the same end, and he will see no reason to doubt that the language here is strictly applicable to that power, and that there has been no government on earth which would be so naturally suggested by it. - Cunninghame, in the Literalist, i. 27, 28. Indeed, who can number up all that have perished in the Inquisition alone?
(h) It would claim legislative power - "thinking to change times and laws." The original Chaldee here may be rendered, as is done by Gesenius and DeWette, set times, stated times, or festival seasons. The word here, says Gesenius (Lexicon), is "spoken of sacred seasons, festivals," and there can be no doubt that in this place it refers to religious institutions. The meaning is, that he would claim control over such institutions or festivals, and that he would appoint or change them at his pleasure. He would abolish or modify existing institutions of that kind, or he would institute new ones, as should seem good to him. This would be applicable, then, to some power that should claim authority to prescribe religious institutions, and to change the laws of God. No one, also, can fail to see a fulfillment of this in the claims of the Papacy, in setting up a jurisdiction over seasons of festival and fast; and in demanding that the laws of kingdoms should be so modelled as to sustain its claims, and modifying the laws of God as Rev_ealed in the Bible. The right of deposing and setting up kings; of fixing the boundaries of nations; of giving away crowns and scepters; and of exercising dominion over the sacred seasons, the customs, the amusements of nations - all these, as illustrated under the Papacy, will leave no doubt that all this would find an ample fulfillment in the history of that power. The Pope has claimed to be the head of the church, and has asserted and exercised the right of appointing sacred seasons; of abolishing ancient institutions; of introducing numberless new festival occasions, practically abrogating the laws of God on a great variety of subjects. We need only refer, in illustration of this,
(a) to the claim of infallibility, by which an absolute jurisdiction is asserted that covers the whole ground;
(b) to all the laws pertaining to image-worship, so directly in the face of the laws of God;
(c) to the celibacy of the clergy, rendering void one of the laws of heaven in relation to marriage;
(d) to the whole doctrine respecting purgatory;
(e) to the doctrine of transubstantiation;
(f) to the practical abolition of the Christian Sabbath by appointing numerous saints' days to be observed as equally sacred;
(g) to the law withholding the cup from the laity - contrary to the commandment of the Saviour; and
(h) in general to the absolute control claimed by the Papacy over the whole subject of religion.
Indeed, nothing would better characterize this power than to say that it asserted the right to "change times and laws." And to all this should be added another characteristic Dan 7:8, that "it would have the eyes of a man;" that is, would be distinguished for a far-seeing sagacity. Could this be so appropriately applied to anything else as to the deep, the artful, and the far-reaching diplomacy of the court of Rome; to the sagacity of the Jesuit; to the skillful policy which subdued the world to itself?
These illustrations will leave no doubt, it seems to me, that all that is here said will find an ample fulfillment in the Papacy, and that it is to be regarded as having a reference to that power. If so, it only remains,
III. To inquire what, according to his interpretation, we are to expect will yet occur, or what light this passage throws on events that are yet future. The origin, the growth, the general character and influence of this power up to a distant period are illustrated by this interpretation. What remains is the inquiry, from the passage before us, how long this is to continue, and what we are to anticipate in regard to its fall. The following points, then, would seem to be clear, on the supposition that this refers to the Papal power:
It is to continue a definite period from its establishment, Dan 7:25. This duration is mentioned as "a time, and times, and the dividing of a time" - three years and a half - twelve hundred and sixty days - twelve hundred and sixty years. See the note at that verse. The only difficulty in regard to this, if that interpretation is correct, is to determine the time when the Papacy actually began - the terminus a quo - and this has given rise to all the diversity of explanation among Protestants. Assuming any one time as the period when the Papal power arose, as a date from which to calculate, it is easy to compute from that date, and to fix some period - terminus ad quem - to which this refers, and which may be looked to as the time of the overthrow of that power. But there is nothing more difficult in history than the determination of the exact time when the Papacy properly began: that is, when the peculiar domination which is fairly understood by that system commenced in the world; or what were its first distinguishing acts. History has not so marked that period that there is no room for doubt. It has not affixed definite dates to it; and to this day it is not easy to make out the time when that power commenced, or to designate any one event at a certain period that will surely mark it. It seems to have been a gradual growth, and its commencement has not been so definitely characterized as to enable us to demonstrate with absolute certainty the time to which the twelve hundred and sixty years will extend.
Different writers have assigned different periods for the rise of the Papacy, and different acts as the first act of that power; and all the prophecies as to its termination depend on the period which is fixed on as the time of its rise. It is this which has led to so much that is conjectural, and which has been the occasion of so much disappointment, and which throws so much obscurity now over all calculations as to the termination of that power. In nothing is the Scripture more clear than that that power shall be destroyed; and if we could ascertain with exactness the date of its origin, there would be little danger of erring in regard to its close. The different periods which have been fixed on as the date of its rise have been principally the following:
(1) An edict published by Justinian (533 a. d.), and a letter addressed by him at the same time to the Pope, in which he acknowledged him to be the head of the churches, thus conferring on him a title belonging only to the Saviour, and putting himself and empire under the dominion of the bishop of Rome. - Duffield on the Prophecies, p. 281.
(2) The decree of the emperor Phocas (606 a. d.), confirming what had been done by Justinian, and giving his sanction to the code of laws promulgated by him; a code of laws based on the acknowledged supremacy of the Pope, and which became the basis of European legislation for centuries; and conferring on him the title of "Universal Bishop."
(3) The act of Pope Stephen, by which, when appealed to by the claimant to the crown of France, he confirmed Pepin in the kingdom, and set aside Childeric III, and, in return, received from Pepin the Exarchate of Ravenna and the Pentapolis. See Ranke's Hist. of the Papacy, vol. i. 23. This occurred about 752 a. d.
(4) The opinion of Mr. Gibbon (4:363), that Gregory VII was the true founder of the Papal power. "Gregory VII.," says he, "who may be adored or detested as the founder of the Papal monarchy, was driven from Rome, and died in exile at Salerno." Gregory became Pope 1073 a. d. These different dates, if assumed as the foundation of the Papal power, would, by the addition to each of the period of 1260 years, lead respectively to the years 1793, 1866, 2012, and 2333, as the period of the termination of the Papal dominion. As this is a point of great importance in the explanation of the prophecies, it may be proper to examine these opinions a little more in detail. But in order to this, it is necessary to have a clear conception of what the Papacy as a distinct domination is, or what constitutes its peculiarity, as seen by the sacred writers, and as it has in fact existed, and does exist in the world; and in regard to this there can be little difference of opinion.
It is not a mere ecclesiastical power - not a mere spiritual domination - not the control of a bishop as such over a church or a diocese - nor is it a mere temporal dominion, but it is manifestly the union of the two: that peculiar domination which the bishop of Rome has claimed, as growing out of his primacy as the head of the church, and of a temporal power also, asserted at first over a limited jurisdiction, but ultimately, and as a natural consequence, over all other sovereignties, and claiming universal dominion. We shall not find the Papacy, or the Papal dominion as such, clearly, in the mere spiritual rule of the first bishop of Rome, nor in that mere spiritual dominion, however enlarged, but in that junction of the two, when, in virtue of a pretended Divine right, a temporal dominion grew up that ultimately extended itself over Europe, claiming the authority to dispose of crowns; to lay kingdoms under interdict, and to absolve subjects from their allegiance. If we can find the beginning of this claim - the germ of this peculiar kind of domination - we shall doubtless have found the commencement of the Papacy - the terminus a quo - as it was seen by the prophets - the point from which we are to reckon in determining the question of its duration.
With this view, then, of the nature of the Papacy, it is proper to inquire when it commenced, or which of the periods referred to, if either, can be properly regarded as the commencement.
I. The edict of Justinian, and the letter to the bishop of Rome, in which he acknowledged him to be the head of the church, 533 a. d. This occurred under John II, reckoned as the fifty-fifth bishop of Rome. The nature of this application of Justinian to the Pope, and the honor conferred on him, was this: On all occasion of a controversy in the church, on the question whether "one person of the Trinity suffered in the flesh," the monks of Constantinople, fearful of being condemned under an edict of Justinian for heresy in denying this, applied to the Pope to decide the point. Justinian, who took great delight in inquiries of that nature, and who maintained the opposite opinion on that subject, also made his appeal to the Pope. Having, therefore, drawn up a long creed, containing the disputed article among the rest, he despatched two bishops with it to Rome, and laid the whole matter before the Pope. At the same time he wrote a letter to the Pope, congratulating him on his election, assuring him that the faith contained in the confession which he sent him was the faith of the whole Eastern church, and entreating him to declare in his answer that he received to his communion all who professed that faith, and none who did not. To add weight to the letter he accompanied it with a present to Peter, consisting of several chalices and other vessels of gold, enriched with precious stones. From this deference to the Pope, on the part of the emperor, and this submitting to him, as the head of the whole church, of an important question to be determined, it has been argued that this was properly the beginning of the Papacy, and that the twelve hundred and sixty years are to be reckoned from that. But against this opinion the objections are insuperable, for
(a) there was here nothing of what properly constitutes the Papacy - the peculiar union of the temporal and spiritual power; or the peculiar domination which that power has exerted over the world. All that occurred was the mere deference which an emperor showed to one who claimed to be the spiritual head of the church, and who had long before claimed that. There was no change - no beginning, properly so called - no commencement of a new form of domination over mankind, such as the Papacy has been.
(b) But, as a matter of fact, there was, after all, little real deference to the Pope in this case. "Little or no account," says Bower, "ought to be made of that extraordinary deference (the deference shown by carrying this question before the Pope). Justinian paid great deference to the Pope, as well as to all other bishops, when they agreed with him; but none at all when they did not - thinking himself at least as well qualified as the best of them - and so he certainly was - to decide controversies concerning the faith; and we shall soon see him entering the lists with his holiness himself" - Lives of the Popes, i. 336.
II. The second date which has been assigned to the origin of the Papacy is the decree made by the emperor Phocas (606 a. d.), by which, it is said, he continued the grant made by Justinian. This act was the following: Boniface III, when he had been made bishop of Rome, relying on the favor and partiality which Phocas had shown him, pRev_ailed on him to Rev_oke the decree settling the title of "Universal Bishop" on the bishop of Constantinople, and obtained another settling that title on himself and his successors. The decree of Phocas, conferring this title, has not indeed come down to us; but it has been the common testimony of historians that such title was conferred. See Mosheim, i. 513; Bower, i. 426. The fact asserted here has been doubted, and Mosheim supposes that it rests on the authority of Baronius. "Still," says he, "it is certain that something of this kind occurred." But there are serious objections to our regarding this as properly the commencement of the Papacy as such. For
(a) this was not the beginning of that peculiar domination, or form of power, which the Pope has asserted and maintained. If this title were conferred, it imparted no new power; it did not change the nature of this domination; it did not, in fact, make the Roman bishop different from what he was before. He was still, in all respects, subject to the civil power of the emperors, and had no control beyond what he exercised in the church.
(b) And even this little was withdrawn by the same authority which granted it - the authority of the emperor of Constantinople - though it has always since been claimed and asserted by the Pope himself. See Bower, i. 427. It is true that, as a consequence of the fact that this title was conferred on the Popes, they began to grasp at power, and aspire to temporal dominion; but still there was no formal grasp of such power growing out of the assumption of this title, nor was any such temporal dominion set up as the immediate result of such a title. The act, therefore, was not sufficiently marked, distinct, and decisive, to constitute an epoch, or the beginning of an era, in the history of the world, and the rise of the Papacy cannot with any propriety be dated from that. This was undoubtedly one of the steps by which that peculiar power rose to its greatness, or which contributed to lay the foundation of its subsequent claims, its arrogance, and its pride; but it is doubtful whether it was so important an event characterizing the Papacy as to be regarded as the origin, or the terminus a quo in ascertaining the time of its continuance.
It was, however, in view of this, and with this considered as properly the origin of the Papacy, that the Rev_. Robert Fleming, in his work on the Rise and Fall of the Papacy, first published in 1701, uttered the following remarkable language, as based on his calculations respecting the continuance of that power: "If we may suppose that Antichrist began his reign in the year 606, the additional one thousand two hundred and sixty years of his duration, were they Julian or ordinary years, would lead down to the year 1866, as the last period of the seven-headed monster. But seeing they are prophetic years only (of 360 days), we must cast away eighteen years in order to bring them to the exact measure of time that the Spirit of God designs in this book. And thus the final period of the Papal usurpati (supposing that he did indeed rise in the year 606) must conclude with the year 1848 - (Cobbin's Edition, p. 32.) Whether this be considered as merely a happy conjecture - the one successful one among thousands that have failed, or as the result of a proper calculation respecting the future, no one in comparing it with the events of the year 1848, when the Pope was driven from Rome, and when a popular government was established in the very seat of the Papal power, can fail to see that it is remarkable considered as having been uttered a century and a half ago. Whether it is the correct calculation, and that temporary downfall of the Papal government is to be regarded as the first in a series of events that will ultimately end in its destruction, time must determine. The reasons mentioned above, however, and those which will be suggested in favor of a different beginning of that power, make it, at present, more probable that a different period is to be assigned as its close.
III. The third date which has been assigned as the beginning of the Papacy is the grant of Pepin above referred to, 752 a. d. This grant conferred by Pepin was confirmed also by Charlemagne and his successors, and it was undoubtedly at this period that the Papacy began to assume its place among the sovereignties of Europe. In favor of this opinion - that this was properly the rise of the Papacy - the terminus a quo of prophecy, the following considerations may be urged:
(a) We have here a definite act - an act which is palpable and apparent, as characterizing the progress of this domination over men.
(b) We have here properly the beginning of the temporal dominion, or the first acknowledged exercise of that power in acts of temporal sovereignty - in giving laws, asserting dominion, swaying a temporal scepter, and wearing a temporal crown. All the acts before had been of a spiritual character, and all the deference to the Bishop of Rome had been of a spiritual nature. Henceforward, however, he was acknowledged as a temporal prince, and took his place as such among the crowned heads of Europe.
(c) This is properly the beginning of that mighty domination which the Pope wielded over Europe - a beginning, which, however small at first, ultimately became so powerful and so arrogant as to claim jurisdiction over all the kingdoms of the earth, and the right to absolve subjects from their allegiance, to lay kingdoms under interdict, to dispose of crowns, to order the succession of princes, to tax all people, and to dispose of all newly-discovered countries.
(d) This accords better with the prophecies than any other one event which has occurred in the world - especially with the prophecy of Daniel, of the springing up of the little horn, and the fact that that little horn plucked up three others of the ten into which the fourth kingdom was divided.
(e) And it should be added that this agrees with the idea all along held up in the prophecies, that this would be properly the fourth empire prolonged. The fifth empire or kingdom is to be the reign of the saints, or the reign of righteousness on the earth; the fourth extends down in its influences and power to that. As a matter of fact, this Roman power was thus concentrated in the Papacy. The form was changed, but it was the Roman power that was in the eye of the prophets, and this was contemplated under its various phases, as pagan and nominally Christian, until the reign of the saints should commence, or the kingdom of God should be set up. But it was only in the time of Stephen, and by the act of Pepin and Charlemagne, that this change occurred, or that this dominion of a temporal character was settled in the Papacy - and that the Pope was acknowledged as having this temporal power. This was consummated indeed in Hildebrand, or Gregory VII (Gibbon, iii. 353, iv. 363), but this mighty power properly had its origin in the time of Pepin.
IV. The fourth date assigned for the origin of the Papacy is the time of Hildebrand, or Gregory VII. This is the period assigned by Mr. Gibbon. Respecting this, he remarks (vol. iv. p. 363), "Gregory the Seventh, who may be adored or detested as the founder of the Papal monarchy, was driven from Rome, and died in exile at Salerno." And again (vol. iii. p. 353), he says of Gregory, "After a long series of scandal, the apostolic see was reformed and exalted, by the austerity and zeal of Gregory VII. That ambitious monk devoted his life to the execution of two projects:
I. To fix in the college of Cardinals the freedom and independence of election, and foRev_er to abolish the right or usurpation of the emperors and the Roman people.
II. To bestow and resume the Western Empire as a fief or benefice of the church, and to extend his temporal dominion over the kings and kingdoms of the earth.
After a contest of fifty years, the first of these designs was accomplished by the firm support of the ecclesiastical order, whose liberty was connected with that of the chief. But the second attempt, though it was crowned with some apparent and partial success, has been vigorously resisted by the secular power, and finally extinguished by the improvement of human reason."
If the views above suggested, however, are correct; or if we look at the Papacy as it was in the time of Hildebrand, it must be apparent that this was not the rise or origin of that peculiar domination, but was only the carrying out and completing of the plan laid long before to set up a temporal dominion over mankind.
It should be added, whatever of the three first periods referred to be regarded as the time of the rise of the Papacy, if we add to them the prophetic period of 1260 years, we are now in the midst of scenes on which the prophetic eye rested, and we cannot, as fair interpreters of prophecy, but regard this mighty domination as hastening to its fall. It would seem probable, then, that according to the most obvious explanation of the subject, we are at present not far from the termination and fall of that great power, and that events may be expected to occur at about this period of the world, which will be connected with its fall.
Its power is to be taken away as by a solemn judgment - if the throne was set, and God was to come forth to pronounce judgment on this power to overthrow it, Dan 7:10-11, Dan 7:26. This destruction of the power referred to is to be absolute and entire - as if the "beast were slain, and the body given to the burning flame" - "and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end." This would denote the absolute destruction of this peculiar power - its entire cessation in the world; that is, the absolute destruction of what had constituted its peculiarity - the prolonged power of the beast of the fourth kingdom - concentrated and embodied in that represented by the little horn. If applied to the Roman power, or the fourth kingdom, it means that that power which would have been prolonged under the dominion of that represented by the little horn, would wholly cease - as if the body of the beast had been burned.
If applied to the power represented by the "little horn" - the Papacy - it means that that power which sprang up amidst the others, and which became so mighty - embodying so much of the power of the beast, would wholly pass away as an ecclesiastico-civil power. It would cease its dominion, and as one of the ruling powers of the earth would disappear. This would be accomplished by some remarkable Divine manifestation - as if God should come in majesty and power to judgment and should pronounce a sentence; that is, the overthrow would be decisive, and as manifestly the result of the Divine interposition as if God should do it by a formal act of judgment. In the overthrow of that power, whenever it occurs, it would be natural, from this prophecy, to anticipate that there would be some scenes of commotion and Rev_olution bearing directly on it, as if God were pronouncing sentence on it; some important changes in the nations that had acknowledged its authority, as if the great Judge of nations were coming forth to assert his own power and his own right to rule, and to dispose of the kingdoms of the earth as he pleased.
(C) It is to be anticipated that the power referred to will be destroyed on account of its pride and arrogance. See the notes at Dan 7:11. That is, whatever power there is upon the earth at the time referred to that shall be properly that of the fourth beast or kingdom, will be taken away on account of the claims set up and maintained by the "little horn:" "I beheld because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld until the beast was slain, etc.," Dan 7:11. On the supposition that this refers to the Papacy, what is to be expected would be, that the pride and arrogance of that power as such - that is, as an ecclesiastical power claiming dominion over civil things, and wielding civil authority, would be such that the Roman power - the lingering power of the fourth kingdom - would be taken away, and its dominion over the world would cease. That vast Roman domination that once trod down the earth, and that crushed and oppressed the nations, would still linger, like the prolonged life of the beast, until, on account of the arrogance and pride of the Papacy, it would be wholly taken away. If one were to judge of the meaning of this prophecy without attempting to apply it to particular passing events, he would say that it would be fulfilled by some such events as these: if the people over whom the prolonged Roman civil power would be extended, and over whom the ecclesiastical or papal scepter would be swayed, should, on account of the pride and arrogance of the Papacy, rise in their might, and demand liberty - that would be in fact an end of the prolonged power of the fourth beast; and it would be on account of the "great words which the horn spake," and would be in all respects a fulfillment of the language of this prophecy. Whether such an end of this power is to occur, time is to determine.
(D) Simultaneously with this event, as the result of this, we are to anticipate such a spread of truth and righteousness, and such a reign of the saints on the earth, as would be properly symbolized by the coming of the Son of man to the ancient of days to receive the kingdom, Dan 7:13-14. As shown in the interpretation of those verses, this does not necessarily imply that there would be any visible appearing of the Son of man, or any personal reign (see the note at these verses), but there would be such a making over of the kingdom to the Son of man and to the saints as would be properly symbolized by such a representation. That is, there would be great changes; there would be a rapid progress of the truth; there would be a spread of the gospel; there would be a change in the governments of the world, so that the power would pass into the hands of the righteous, and they would in fact rule. From that time the "saints" would receive the kingdom, and the affairs of the world would be put on a new footing. From that period it might be said that the reign of the saints would commence; that is, there would be such changes in this respect that that would constitute an epoch in the history of the world - the proper beginning of the reign of the saints on the earth - the setting up of the new and final dominion in the world. If there should be such changes - such marked progress - such facilities for the spread of truth - such new methods of propagating it - and such certain success attending it, all opposition giving way, and persecution ceasing, as would properly constitute an epoch or era in the world's history, which would be connected with the conversion of the world to God, this would fairly meet the interpretation of this prophecy; this occurring, all would have taken place which could be fairly shown to be implied in the vision.
(E) We are to expect a reign of righteousness on the earth. On the character of what we are fairly to expect from the words of the prophecy, see the notes at Dan 7:14. The prophecy authorizes us to anticipate a time when there shall be a general pRev_alence of true religion; when the power in the world shall be in the hands of good men - of men fearing God; when the Divine laws shall be obeyed - being acknowledged as the laws that are to control men; when the civil institutions of the world shall be pervaded by religion, and moulded by it; when there shall be no hinderance to the free exercise of religion, and when in fact the reigning power on the earth shall be the kingdom which the Messiah shall set up. There is nothing more certain in the future than such a period, and to that all things are tending. Such a period would fulfill all that is fairly implied in this wonderful prophecy, and to that faith and hope should calmly and confidently look forward. For that they who love their God and their race should labor and pray; and by the certain assurance that such a period will come, we should be cheered amidst all the moral darkness that exists in the world, and in all that now discourages us in our endeavors to do good.
R. A. Torrey - Treasury: Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge - 1880
7:28: the end: Dan 8:17, Dan 8:19, Dan 11:27, Dan 12:9, Dan 12:13
my cogitations: Dan 7:15, Dan 8:27, Dan 10:8
but: Gen 37:10; Mar 9:15; Luk 2:19, Luk 2:51, Luk 9:44
Geneva 1599
7:28 Hitherto [is] the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my (u) cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
(u) Even though he had many motions in his heart which moved him to and fro to seek out this matter curiously, yet he was content with that which God revealed, and kept it in memory, and wrote it for the use of the Church.
John Gill
7:28 Hitherto is the end of the matter,.... Of the angel's words, and of the interpretation of those things Daniel was desirous of being informed about, and of the whole dream and vision Daniel had; and indeed this is the end and issue of all events in Providence, the kingdom and glory of Christ with his people:
as for me Daniel: with respect to his frame of mind, and the state of his body, when he awaked from this dream, and reflected upon it, and especially upon that part of it which affected the people of God:
my cogitations much troubled me; when he thought of these powerful monarchies, their strength and cruelty, and what the people of God would suffer under them, and especially under the fourth beast or monarchy, and ignore particularly under the little horn or antichrist:
and my countenance changed in me: turned pale: he looked sorrowful and dejected, because of the afflictions of God's people; though the issue of them, one would have thought, would have inspired him with joy and pleasure:
but I kept the matter in my heart; laid it up in his memory; pondered it in his mind; meditated upon it; and well weighed the several things observed to him; that he might be thoroughly master of them, and make them known to others, and leave them in writing for the benefit of the church of God in future ages.
John Wesley
7:28 Of the matter - Of the vision, and the angel's interpretation.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
7:28 cogitations . . . troubled me--showing that the Holy Spirit intended much more to be understood by Daniel's words than Daniel himself understood. We are not to limit the significance of prophecies to what the prophets themselves understood (1Pet 1:11-12).
With this chapter the Hebrew part of the book begins and continues to be the language of the remainder; the visions relating wholly to the Jews and Jerusalem. The scene here narrows from world-wide prophecies to those affecting the one covenant-people in the five centuries between the exile and the advent. Antichrist, like Christ, has a more immediate future, as well as one more remote. The vision, the eighth chapter, begins, and that, the tenth through twelfth chapters, concludes, the account of the Antichrist of the third kingdom. Between the two visions the ninth chapter is inserted, as to Messiah and the covenant-people at the end of the half millennium (seventy weeks of years).