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Chapter 7 marks the beginning of the prophetic section of the book. In chapters 1-6 we have mostly history with some prophecy, and in chapters 7-12 we have mostly prophecy with some history. It is also the last chapter written in Aramaic.
Chapter 7 also describes the first of three personal visions Daniel receives (the other two are Dan 8 and 10). This first vision further elaborates the dream that was given to Neb in chapter 2. There are similarities and differences between the two. Both agree there will be four Gentile world kingdoms that will succeed one another, and that history will be culminated by the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. However, there are slight differences between the two when describing the progression of the stages of the fourth kingdom.
Also note the prophetic events in chapter 2 were revealed to Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan king, while the vision of chapter 7 is revealed to Daniel, a righteous prophet. The interpreter of the dream of chapter 2 was Daniel, while the interpreter of chapter 7 was an angel. In this sense, the prophetic events of chapter 2 are seen from a human perspective as embodied by the majestic dream image of Neb. From his perspective these kingdoms are glorious, strong, and magnificent, while the perspective of chapter 7 is from God who sees these kingdoms as beastly and terrible.
One might ask why did Daniel receive this vision? The answer lies in the times in which the nation found itself. So, let me give you some things to ponder.
In Exodus 19:5 the Israelites received a commission, Now, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
Sadly, the nation repeatedly disobeyed God and failed to keep this mandate. Moses foresaw this failure and prophesied regarding their discipline and punishment in Deut 28:49, The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. 51 They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, or olive oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. 52 They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving you. This prophecy was fulfilled by Neb’s invading army and culminated with the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 586 BC. Three deportations of prisoners have been taken to Babylon.
Now another thought. In Gen 49:10 Jacob blesses Judah with the following promise, The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[cuntil he to whom it belongs[d] shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. In other words, God promises one day a King will come from Judah’s line whom all the nations will honor. This theme is reiterated to David in 2 Sam 7:14 and 1 Chron 17:11, When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14 I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever. Note God refers to Solomon but then transitions and
refers to Christ who will be set over my house and my kingdom forever.
From Gen 49 to I Chron 17, The nation of Israel expected God to establish a Kingdom within their midst with a God appointed King as its ruler. But how could this happen with the nation in captivity? And the nation they knew, now did not exist. As Jeremiah said in Jer 33:24, Have you (in reference to God) cast them off?
Interestingly God gives some comfort to his captive people by first revealing his plans to a pagan King, Neb himself, in Dan 2. For Neb’s dream concludes with the promise of God’s Kingdom.
Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly, and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
Daniel interprets this as follows, In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold to pieces.
So, the message to Israel in Dan 2 is be comforted. God will establish His kingdom. And you, his people, will realize the fulness of the promises God has given. And in chapter 7, God gives further comfort to his people by revealing to Daniel more details regarding the coming of this Kingdom and its King. For he says in Dan 7:13, In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. It is not just a rock that is coming, rather it is God’s kingdom that is coming with Christ on its throne, the king promised to you in Gen 49, 2 Sam 7, 1 Chron 17, and multiple other places. Dan 7 then outlines for us the sequence of events as to how this will all happen, the character of that kingdom, and a description of its king.
Outline
The chapter can be divided into three sections:
- The Dream Visions, vs 1-14
- The Interpretation, vs 15-27
- The Conclusion, vs 28
The Dream Visions, vs 1-14
From vs 1, we note Daniel both had a dream and saw visions. This indicates the revelation given in the chapter came in various parts or sections. We may view them in the following way:
- Introduction, vs 1.
- First Vision, vs 2-6.
- Second Vision, vs 7-12
- Third Vision, vs 13-14.
Introduction
Vs 1, Earlier, during the first year of King Belshazzar’s reign in Babylon,[a] Daniel had a dream and saw visions as he lay in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and this is what he saw.
We note from verse 1, the events of chapter 7 occurred during the first year of Belshazzar’s reign. This would have been in 553 BC, nine years after Neb’s death, and fourteen years before the fall of Babylon. Three kings had succeeded Neb before Nabonidus seized the throne and three years later appointed Bel as his co-regent. Daniel is now probably 61 yrs old.
The verse notes Daniel had both a dream and visions. Dreams occur when you are asleep while visions occur while you are awake. Obviously, it was a fitful night for Daniel as both while sleeping and lying awake, God was revealing things to him. The phrase, wrote down the dream, has the idea of writing things while still fresh in his mind.
First Vision, vs 2-6.
This section can be better analyzed if we break it down into four parts. They are as follows:
- The Great Sea, vs 2-3.
- The First Beast, vs 4.
- The Second Beast, vs 5.
- The Third Beast, vs 6.
The Great Sea, vs 2-3.
Vs 2-3. In my vision that night, I, Daniel, saw a great storm churning the surface of a great sea, with strong winds blowing from every direction. 3 Then four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others.
Daniel’s vision opens with a great storm raging on the surface of a great sea. The phrase great storm indicates the sea is extremely turbulent. It is a tempest.
The word great sea in scripture usually refers to the Mediterranean (see Josh 1:4, 9:1, 15:12, Ez 48:28) but the word sea can also be used symbolically and refers to the Gentile world (see Is 17:12, Mt 13:47, Rev 13:1, 17:1, 15). In accordance with this symbolic meaning, the great sea in Daniel 7 means the Gentile world.
We see the storm is caused by winds blowing from every direction. The KJV better translates the strong winds as the four winds of heaven. Usually, a storm has a wind from a primary direction, for example in the Northeast US there are “northeasters” as the wind blows in from the northeast. In Daniel 7 the storm is caused by winds from each direction of the compass. Also note, in the KJV the winds are from heaven. This indicates God is directing the storm. It is evidence of His sovereignty and providence. God is directing the affairs and empires of men.
Verse 3 notes four huge beasts arising from the sea each different than the others. The word beast in Aramaic means wild animal, but in verse 17 we see the meaning is a king. So, in summary, four great kings or empires will arise out of the Gentile world within the Mediterranean area, each different than the other.
The First Beast, vs 4.
Vs 4, The first beast was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two hind feet on the ground, like a human being. And it was given a human mind.
In chapter 2:32a, the first Gentile kingdom is symbolized by a head of gold which emphasizes its splendor and magnificence. Now in Chapter 7 it is described as like a lion with eagles’ wings. In the animal kingdom the lion is the king of beasts, while the eagle is considered the king of birds as both are apex predators. In scripture the lion is a symbol of Babylon (see Jer 4:7, 49:19, 50:17) as is the eagle (see Jer 48:40, 49:22). This first beast is a description of Babylon.
Daniel then observed four things:
- Its wings were pulled off.
- It was left standing.
- It had two feet on the ground.
- It was given a human mind.
This description references what happened to Neb in chapter 4:28-33. Its wings were pulled off refers to Neb’s humiliation. Neb took credit for the majesty and splendor of his kingdom and God humbled him.
It was left standing is phrased in the KJV as it was lifted from the earth. This is a reference to God restoring Neb’s sanity. He was literally eating grass like an animal and was prostate on the ground. God lifted him up.
It had two feet on the ground is also translated in the KJV as made to stand upon the feet as a man. In other words, God had humbled Neb for seven years , then God lifted him up, and made him stand on the ground again as a man. He transformed him from an animal to a man again (Dan 4:34,36).
It was given a human mind notes the restoration of Neb’s sanity. Once he was sane, his kingdom was restored.
In summary the first beast is Babylon, and the description of the four actions upon the beast is a reference to Neb’s humiliation and restoration.
The Second Beast, vs 5.
Vs 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!’
The second beast is described as a bear. The parallel to Neb’s dream in chapter 2:32b is the silver chest with 2 arms. The bear represents the Medo-Persian empire. Note a bear is not as majestic as a lion, nor is it as fast. This was true of the Medo-Persian empire. Though its empire was larger, it had a more plodding and less nimble army. It won by numbers and not by speed or maneuver. Note the verse says the bear is lopsided as it is raised up on one of its sides. We are not told if it is sitting, standing, or lying. This indicates one side has prominence and indeed the Persians came to prominence over the Medes.
It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth is a reference to the three great powers Medo-Persia conquered: Lydia (Turkey) in 546 BC, Babylon in 539 BC, and Egypt in 525 BC. Note it was told, “Get up and eat more flesh.” In other words, the Medo-Persian empire was granted authority to conquer more territory (although it tried to extend westward, it was thwarted by Greece).
The Third Beast, vs 6.
Vs 6, After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. 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.
The third beast is described as looking like a leopard. The leopard corresponds to Neb’s dream of the bronze belly and thighs of chapter 2. The leopard is also used in scripture to refer to nations (see Jer 5:6, Hos 13:7), and here in verse 6 it is a reference to the Hellenistic empire. A leopard is not as majestic as a lion, nor as grand as a bear, but it is faster than both. This emphasis on speed is highlighted by the description of it having four wings on its back. The speed of conquest characterized Alexander the Great. Within 6 years he had conquered the whole of the Medo-Persian empire, Egypt, the Lavant, and had extended his rule into Afghanistan and what is now Pakistan.
Note the beast had four heads. This is a reference to Alexander’s successors. After his death in 323 BC, his kingdom was divided among four of his generals; Lysimachus (Asia minor) , Cassander (Greece and Macedonia), Ptolemy (Egypt), and Seleucus (Syria, Babylon, and lands eastward).
The final part of the verse states it was given authority to rule. This meant it was granted dominion of the known world.
Summary
Daniel 2 and Dan 7 are parallel passages. The various parts of the image described in Neb’s dream in chapter 2 corresponds to the beasts in 7:2-6. The head is the lion with wings and is the Babylonian Empire. The bear is the chest and arms of silver and is the Medo-Persian empire. The belly and thighs of bronze is the leopard and is the Hellenistic empire.
