Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts
7In the first year of Belshazzar(A) king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions(B) passed through his mind(C) as he was lying in bed.(D) He wrote(E) down the substance of his dream.
2Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven(F) churning up the great sea. 3Four great beasts,(G) each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
4“The first was like a lion,(H) and it had the wings of an eagle.(I) I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.
5“And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’(J)
6“After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.(K) And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.
7“After that, in my vision(L) at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron(M) teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled(N) underfoot whatever was left.(O) It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.(P)
8“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little(Q) one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being(R) and a mouth that spoke boastfully.(S)
9“As I looked,
“thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days(T) took his seat.(U)
His clothing was as white as snow;(V)
the hair of his head was white like wool.(W)
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels(X) were all ablaze.
10A river of fire(Y) was flowing,
coming out from before him.(Z)
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books(AA) were opened.
11“Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking.(AB) I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.(AC) 12(The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a](AD) coming(AE) with the clouds of heaven.(AF) He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14He was given authority,(AG) glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.(AH) His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom(AI) is one that will never be destroyed.(AJ)
The Interpretation of the Dream
15“I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.(AK) 16I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.
“So he told me and gave me the interpretation(AL) of these things: 17‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18But the holy people(AM) of the Most High will receive the kingdom(AN) and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’(AO)
19“Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20I also wanted to know about the ten horns(AP) on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.(AQ) 21As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them,(AR) 22until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.(AS)
23“He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.(AT) 24The ten horns(AU) are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25He will speak against the Most High(AV) and oppress his holy people(AW) and try to change the set times(AX) and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.[b](AY)
26“‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed(AZ) forever. 27Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms(BA) under heaven will be handed over to the holy people(BB) of the Most High.(BC) His kingdom will be an everlasting(BD) kingdom, and all rulers will worship(BE) and obey him.’
28“This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled(BF) by my thoughts,(BG) and my face turned pale,(BH) but I kept the matter to myself.”
FAQs
Written to encourage Jews undergoing persecution at the hands of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Seleucid king of Syria, the visions of chapters 7–12 predict the end of the earthly Seleucid kingdom, its replacement by the eternal kingdom of God, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgement.
What is the key verse in Daniel 7? ›
`The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and ever. '
What countries are in Daniel 7? ›
The consensus among scholars is that the four beasts of chapter 7, like the metals of chapter 2, symbolise Babylon, Media, Persia and the Seleucid Greeks, with Antiochus IV as the "small horn" that uproots three others (Antiochus usurped the rights of several other claimants to become king).
What were Daniel's dreams in the Bible? ›
It was a dream of a great statue with a head of gold, arms and chest of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of mingled iron and clay. A great stone, not cut by human hands, fell on the feet of the statue and destroyed it, and the rock became a mountain that filled the whole world.
What is the most important lesson from the Book of Daniel? ›
Honor God with your life over the long haul (Dan. 1:18-21). This was not a one-time event. Daniel didn't think he had proved his point and so was free to live any old way.
Who is the son of man in Daniel 7? ›
“Daniel 7:13 probably provides more directly relevant background. In his vision, Daniel sees “one like a son of man,” that is, one who is apparently human, yet, this individual was “coming with the clouds of heaven.” He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence (v. 13).
What is the ancient of days in Daniel 7? ›
The Ancient of Days is the manifestation of the Ancient of Ancients within Creation. It refers to the most primary ("ancient") source of creation in the divine will Keter ("Crown").
What is Jesus most frequent self designation? ›
One of the oddest features about the teaching of Jesus is his frequent reference to himself as 'the son of man' (ὁ υἱὸς το ἀνθρώπου).
What is Daniel's fasting verse? ›
The Daniel Fast is derived from the Bible, which states in Daniel 10:3 that "I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." The Daniel Fast limits food choices to vegetables and water as stated in the Book of Daniel.
What tribe does Daniel belong to? ›
The Tribe of Dan: Overview
Early in the Jewish Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament, Jacob, the patriarch of Judaism whose name is later changed to ''Israel,'' has 12 sons by two wives and two concubines. His fifth son, Dan, became the founder of the later Tribe of Dan that was renowned for its judges and laws.
During the captivity of the Jews (see also Jews ) in Babylon (see also Babylon ), in the sixth century b.c. , the prophet Daniel continued to pray to his God against the express command of the king.
Who are chaldeans in daniel? ›
In Daniel, chaldeans are usually astrologers or magicians, as is often immediately clear from the context: 'So the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams' (Dan. 2:2). Only two times, Chaldeans is used in the meaning Babylonians (Dan.
What spiritual gift did Daniel have? ›
God blessed Daniel with the gift of interpreting dreams, and he rose to leadership positions within the Babylonian and Persian governments. In many ways his life was similar to the life of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt. (See Bible Dictionary, “Daniel.”)
What is the lesson of Daniel's story? ›
Daniel is a story of a person being faithful to God. More importantly, the life of Daniel recorded in the Old Testament gives evidence of God's faithfulness. God knew Daniel – He knew Daniel's needs and what Daniel was struggling with – and it's clear that God cared for Daniel.
How did God reveal the dream to Daniel? ›
Daniel knew that God knows and sees everything, even dreams. Daniel asked his friends to pray with him. God showed Daniel the king's dream in a vision and taught Daniel what it meant. Daniel thanked God for answering the prayers of him and his friends and for saving their lives.
What is the Book of Daniel trying to teach us? ›
The book of Daniel contains insights and instruction, inspiring us to live with moral character in an immoral world. One of the most significant themes of the book is how we, as the Body of Christ, can be empowered by God to stand firm in our faith.
What do the four animals represent in the Bible? ›
The most common interpretation, first laid out by Victorinus and adopted by Jerome, St Gregory, and the Book of Kells, is that the man is Matthew, the lion Mark, the ox Luke, and the eagle John. The creatures of the tetramorph, just like the four gospels of the Evangelists, represent four facets of Christ.
What is the moral story of Daniel? ›
Most importantly, the story of Daniel is a story of God's glory and God's providence for His people. God constantly demonstrated His glory through Daniel, making His name known among the people of Babylon. He exalted Himself above the rulers of Babylon, revealing the limits of their power.
What are the key messages from the Book of Daniel? ›
Daniel's prophetic visions offer hope that God will bring all nations under his rule. Daniel's visions are packed with apocalyptic imagery, offering hope to Israelites living in exile under Babylonian rule. Daniel remains faithful to the God of Israel, while maintaining influence in the surrounding culture of Babylon.
