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Daniel 7:17
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Daniel’s Visions Interpreted

15 “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit1 within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.  
16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:
17 ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four1 kings which arise out of the earth.  
18 But athe saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’  
19 “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet;
20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke1 pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.  
21 “I was watching; aand the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,  
22 until the Ancient of Days came, aand a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.  
Commentaries:
Barnes' Notes
<< Daniel 7:16   Daniel 7:18 >>


Daniel 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 ͂ basileiai ; Luther, Reiche ; Lengerke, Konigreiche . This interpretation is confirmed, also, by Daniel 7:23, where it is expressly said that "the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth." See also Daniel 7:24.

Which shall arise out of the earth - In Daniel 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.




Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Daniel 7:17:

Deuteronomy 33:3
Isaiah 23:15
Isaiah 23:15
Daniel 7:4
Daniel 7:6
Joel 2:2

 

<< Daniel 7:16   Daniel 7:18 >>

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