Daniel 7:1
BELSHAZZAR KING OF BABYLON] For the historical difficulty see on Daniel 5:1. Belshazzar is clearly regarded as actual king, since the years of his reign are reckoned by both here and in Daniel 8:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
BELSHAZZAR KING OF BABYLON] For the historical difficulty see on Daniel 5:1. Belshazzar is clearly regarded as actual king, since the years of his reign are reckoned by both here and in Daniel 8:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VISION OF THE FOUR BEASTS In the first year of Belshazzar Daniel sees in a dream four beasts rising out of the sea (Daniel 7:1). The first is like a lion, with eagle's wings (Daniel 7:4), the second like a bear (Daniel 7:5), the third like a leopard (Daniel 7:6), while the fourth is a unique and... [ Continue Reading ]
STROVE] RV 'brake forth.' The great sea] the Mediterranean. 3. The imagery recalls the figures, so often found on Babylonian bas-reliefs, of winged lions and other monsters. The sea symbolises the confused welter of nations before the Babylonian empire arose.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIRST] beast is either the Babylonian empire, or more probably Nebuchadnezzar himself (see on Daniel 2:38), the changing of the beast from the brute to the human condition referring possibly to Nebuchadnezzar's improvement under God's discipline (Daniel 4). THE FEET] RV 'two feet.' 5. The secon... [ Continue Reading ]
A FOURTH BEAST] the conquering Greek empire of Alexander the Great, Ten horns] see on Daniel 7:24.... [ Continue Reading ]
ANOTHER LITTLE HORN] Antiochus Epiphanes, The description of this horn is continued in Daniel 7:24, THREE OF THE FIRST HORNS] see on Daniel 7:24. 9, 10. The judgment scene is presented in the form of a material spectacle, which is first found in Daniel, though it is common in other apocalyptic book... [ Continue Reading ]
THE REST OF THE BEASTS] the former kingdoms, survived as nations, but without power.... [ Continue Reading ]
_ONE_ LIKE THE SON OF MAN] RV 'one like unto a son of man'—a human figure as opposed to the four brute figures, and coming from heaven as opposed to their coming from the sea. This figure denotes, not the Messiah as an individual, but the kingdom of God as the successor of the kingdoms of this world... [ Continue Reading ]
PEOPLE] RV 'peoples.'... [ Continue Reading ]
FOUR KINGS] This statement must be taken loosely. The fourth beast is not strictly a king, but a kingdom with various kings (Daniel 7:23).... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE] RV 'receive.' 19-22. A recapitulation of Daniel 7:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FOURTH KINGDOM] RV 'a fourth kingdom,' the Greek empire of Alexander the Great.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TEN HORNS] are to be sought among Alexander and his successors. The following table of the Greek kings of Syria and Egypt may be useful here: SYRIA. B.C. Egypt. B.C. Seleucus I (Nicator) 312-280 Ptolemy I (Soter) 305-285 Antiochus I (Soter) 280-261 Ptolemy II (Philadelphus) 285-247... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE KINGDOM] RV' of the kingdoms.' People of the SAINTS] Here and in Daniel 7:18 these are spoken of as the rulers of the future kingdom of God. The 'on of man' is not a personal king, but a symbolic figure for God's kingdom in its superiority to the other kingdoms symbolised by the four beasts.... [ Continue Reading ]
HITHERTO] RV 'here.' The table on next Page sums up the general interpretation of Daniel 2:7 adopted in the notes.... [ Continue Reading ]