About Daniel

Daniel demonstrates faithfulness in exile while receiving visions of God's sovereignty over all kingdoms of history.

Author: DanielWritten: c. 535 BCReading time: ~4 minVerses: 28
SovereigntyFaithfulnessProphecyKingdomsPersecutionDeliverance

King James Version

Daniel 7

28 verses with commentary

Daniel's Vision of Four Beasts

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. had: Cald. saw matters: or, words

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KJV Study Commentary

Chapter 7 shifts from historical narrative to apocalyptic vision: '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.' The chronology returns to earlier period (Belshazzar's first year, circa 553 BC), before chapter 5's events. The phrase 'visions of his head upon his bed' indicates divi...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

VII. (1) The date of this and of the following chapter comes in chronological order after the fourth chapter. As St. Jerome has observed, “*In superioribus ordo sequitur historiœ quid sub Nebuchadonosor et Balthasar, et Dario sive Cyro mirabilium signorum acciderit. In kis vero narrantur somnia quœ singulis sint visa ternporibus: quorum solus propheta conscius est, et nullam habent apud barbaras n...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**24. sign--**a typical representative in his own person of what was to befall them (Is 20:3). **when this cometh--**alluding probably to their taunt, as if God's word spoken by His prophets would never come to pass. "Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now" (Jr 17:15). When the prophecy is fulfilled, "ye shall know (to your cost) that I am the Lord," who thereby show My power and fulfil ...
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Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

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KJV Study Commentary

Daniel's vision begins dramatically: "Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea." The "four winds" represent divine judgment and providence from all directions (cf. Jeremiah 49:36; Zechariah 2:6). The "great sea" symbolizes nations in chaos and rebellion (Psalm 65:7; Isaiah 17:12; Revelation 17:15). The violent striving ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **The great sea.—**In general (*e.g.,* Joshua 15:47), these words imply the Mediterranean. Such cannot be the meaning here, so that according to Daniel 7:17 we are justified in explaining the “sea” to mean the nations of the world, which are compared to the sea (Isaiah 27:1; Psalm 46:3). The raging of the winds from the four quarters of the sky points to the various political and social agitat...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

25-26. "The day" referred to in these verses is the day of the overthrow of the temple, when the fugitive "escapes." But "that day," in Eze 24:27, is the day on which the fugitive brings the sad news to Ezekiel, at the Chebar. In the interval the prophet suspended his prophecies as to the Jews, as was foretold. Afterwards his mouth was "opened," and no more "dumb" (Eze 3:26, 27; compare Eze 24:27;...
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And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

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KJV Study Commentary

The vision's beasts emerge: "And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." These beasts represent four successive world empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome). The phrase "diverse one from another" emphasizes distinctive characteristics. Unlike Daniel 2's statue (human form, noble metals), chapter 7 depicts empires as beasts—from God's perspective, human kingdoms are...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **Four great beasts.—**The monstrous forms of the beasts are implied, rather than the hugeness of their size. Other instances of beasts being taken as emblems of kingdoms may be found in Isaiah 27:1; Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 32:2. It must be observed that the beasts do not rise up simultaneously, but in succession to each other. In this way, and in the difference of their character, they form a p...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

25-26. "The day" referred to in these verses is the day of the overthrow of the temple, when the fugitive "escapes." But "that day," in Eze 24:27, is the day on which the fugitive brings the sad news to Ezekiel, at the Chebar. In the interval the prophet suspended his prophecies as to the Jews, as was foretold. Afterwards his mouth was "opened," and no more "dumb" (Eze 3:26, 27; compare Eze 24:27;...
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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. and it: or, wherewith it

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KJV Study Commentary

The first beast "like a lion, and had eagle's wings" combines royal authority (lion, king of beasts) with swift dominance (eagle, king of birds). This represents Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, matching Daniel 2's golden head. The lion symbolized Babylon in ancient Near Eastern iconography, and the eagle's wings emphasize rapid conquest. The transformation—"wings thereof were plucked, and it was lif...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **The first was like a lion.—**The lion and the eagle are chosen as being emblems of strength and swiftness respectively. They characterise the empire of Nebuchadnezzar, and correspond to the golden head of the Colossus (Daniel 2). **The wings . . . plucked.—**The eagle, deprived of its wings, loses its power of swiftness and unrestrained motion. **From the earth.—**The beast was raised from b...
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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. it raised: or, it raised up one dominion

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KJV Study Commentary

The second beast "like a bear" represents Media-Persia, matching Daniel 2's silver chest and arms. The bear, powerful but less majestic than the lion, indicates inferior dignity despite greater extent. The asymmetry—"raised up itself on one side"—reflects Persia's dominance over the Medes in the dual kingdom. The "three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth" symbolizes conquered territories: l...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **And behold another beast.—**We are not told what became of the first beast. (Comp. Daniel 7:12.) The word “behold” implies that this was the next object which arrested the seer’s attention. The second beast corresponds to the silver portion of the Colossus (Daniel 2). **One side.**—In explaining this very difficult phrase, it must be remembered that the *two* sides of the bear are parallel i...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The third beast "like a leopard" with "four wings of a fowl" and "four heads" represents Greece under Alexander the Great. The leopard symbolizes swiftness and agility, while four wings (double the first beast's two) emphasize unprecedented speed of conquest. Alexander conquered the known world from Greece to India in merely twelve years (334-323 BC), fulfilling this imagery of extraordinary rapid...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **A leopard.**—More correctly, *a panther.* On the great vigilance and swiftness of the panther, comp. Jeremiah 5:6; Hosea 13:7; Habakkuk 1:8. The third beast corresponds to the copper belly and thighs of the image (Daniel 2). It should be noticed that as unity characterises the first beast, and duality the second, so quadruplicity marks the third. It has four wings—wings as of a bird, not of ...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The fourth beast is uniquely terrifying: "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." The accumulation of adjectives—"dreadful and terrible, ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **A fourth beast.—**This is so different from the preceding three, and so terrible in appearance, that Daniel can hardly find words to describe it. The distinguishing feature of it is the power which it possesses of breaking and stamping out all that it meets. In this way it corresponds to “iron that breaketh in pieces, and subdueth all things.” (Comp. Daniel 2:40.) The description of the dest...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

After the fourth beast's description (v. 7), Daniel observes the "little horn" emerging among ten horns. This enigmatic figure has generated extensive interpretation. The phrase "before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots" indicates the little horn overthrows three of the ten, suggesting political intrigue and violent consolidation of power. The description "eyes like ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **I considered.**—Literally, *I kept on looking.* Here, for the first time in the course of the vision, there appears a change taking place in the object itself. While the three beasts had passed away unchanged in any material addition, among the ten horns of the fourth beast there was seen to grow up a “little horn.” which destroyed three of the other horns. That a man, and not a kingdom, is ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 25 Eze 25:1-17. Appropriately in the Interval of Silence as to the Jews in the Eight Chapters, (Twenty-fifth through Thirty-second) Ezekiel Denounces Judgments on the Heathen World Kingdoms. If Israel was not spared, much less the heathen utterly corrupt, and having no mixture of truth, such as Israel in its worst state possessed (1Pe 4:17, 18). Their ruin was to be utter: Israel's but t...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The phrase "I beheld till the thrones were cast down" has generated debate—"cast down" can mean "overthrown" or "set in place/established." Context favors the latter: thrones are positioned for divine judgment. "The Ancient of days" literally means "Advanced in Days" or "One of Great Age," emphasizing God's eternality, wisdom, and authority. This rare title (appearing only in Daniel 7:9, 13, 22) d...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **I beheld.**—Literally, *I kept on looking,* and suddenly seats were placed, on which the assessors of the Great Judge were to sit. These have been interpreted from Psalm 89:7 to be the angels, but a truer explanation is to be found in Matthew 19:28. It should be noticed that those who sat on the thrones are distinguished from the countless multitude mentioned in Daniel 7:10. **Ancient of day...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4. men of ... east--**literally, "children of the East," the nomad tribes of Arabia-Deserta, east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea. **palaces--**their nomadic encampments or folds, surrounded with mud walls, are so called in irony. Where thy "palaces" once stood, there shall their very different "palaces" stand. Fulfilled after the ravaging of their region by Nebuchadnezzar, shortly after the de...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Heaven's worship surrounds God's throne: '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.' The 'fiery stream' represents ongoing judgment flowing from God's holiness. The astronomical numbers ('thousand thousands...ten thousand times ten thousand') de...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **The books—***i.e.*, the unerring record of man’s thoughts, words, and deeds, which is written in the unfailing memory of God. (Comp. Exodus 32:32; Psalm 56:8; Psalm 69:28; Isaiah 4:3; Malachi 3:16.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. Rabbah--**meaning "the Great," Ammon's metropolis. Under the Ptolemies it was rebuilt under the name Philadelphia; the ruins are called Amman now, but there is no dwelling inhabited. **Ammonites--**that is, the Ammonite region is to be a "couching place for flocks," namely of the Arabs. The "camels," being the chief beast of burden of the Chaldeans, are put first, as their invasion was to p...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Daniel continues observing "because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake"—the little horn's blasphemies command his attention, emphasizing the offense these words represent to God and heaven. The dramatic conclusion: "I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame" describes sudden, complete judgment. Unlike previous beasts that merel...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **Because of** . . .—The blasphemy uttered by the little horn was the cause of the judgment, and being such, it attracted Daniel’s attention. We might have expected that the crowning scene of this vision would have been the uprooting of the little horn and the complete destruction of it, but it appears that the blaspheming spirit with which it was inspired issued from the fourth monster, whic...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6-7. "Because thou hast clapped thine hands," exulting over the downfall of Jerusalem, "I also will stretch out Mine hand upon thee" (to which Eze 21:17 also may refer, "I will smite Mine hands together"). **hands ... feet ... heart--**with the whole inward feeling, and with every outward indication. Stamping with the foot means dancing for joy.

As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. their lives: Cald. a prolonging in life was given them

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse provides crucial distinction: "As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." Unlike the fourth beast's destruction (v. 11), the first three beasts (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece) lost political power but their cultural influence continued. Babylonian, Persian, and Greek culture persisted even after politic...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **The rest of the beasts—***i.e.,* the three first beasts which Daniel had seen coming out of the sea. He now learns what had befallen them. Their dominions had passed away, and their lives had been prolonged up to that definite point and time which had seemed fit to God, and no further. The period of life allotted to them by God was only a little while. (On “times” and “seasons,” see Note on...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6-7. "Because thou hast clapped thine hands," exulting over the downfall of Jerusalem, "I also will stretch out Mine hand upon thee" (to which Eze 21:17 also may refer, "I will smite Mine hands together"). **hands ... feet ... heart--**with the whole inward feeling, and with every outward indication. Stamping with the foot means dancing for joy.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The phrase "one like the Son of man" literally means "like a son of humanity"—someone with human form. This contrasts sharply with the bestial kingdoms preceding this vision. While "son of man" can simply mean "human being," Jesus' repeated self-identification as "the Son of Man" (used 80+ times in the Gospels) deliberately invokes this Daniel passage, claiming identity as the divine-human Messiah...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **The Son of man.—**Hence our Saviour adopts the title which designates Him as Judge (Matthew 24:27, &c.). The title implies one descended from man; but as this Person is spoken of as being “like” one of human descent, it follows that He was not merely a man. The early Jewish and Christian interpretations that this is the Messiah are confirmed by our Saviour’s solemn appropriation of the titl...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

8. Moab, Seir, and Ammon were contiguous countries, stretching in one line from Gilead on the north to the Red Sea. They therefore naturally acted in concert, and in joint hostility to Judea. **Judah is like ... all ... heathen--**The Jews fare no better than others: it is of no use to them to serve Jehovah, who, they say, is the only true God.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse continues describing the Son of Man's coronation and kingdom. The phrase "there was given him dominion" emphasizes that authority is bestowed by God the Father, not seized through conquest. The Aramaic <em>yahiv</em> (יְהִיב, "given") indicates gracious gift and authorized delegation. The threefold grant—"dominion, and glory, and a kingdom"—encompasses complete sovereign authority: prac...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **Serve him.—**In Biblical Chaldee this word is only used of rendering Divine service or worship. The “Son of man” is therefore here spoken of as God.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9-10. open ... from the cities--**I will open up the side, or border of Moab (metaphor from a man whose side is open to blows), from the (direction of) the cities on his northwest border beyond the Arnon, once assigned to Reuben (Jos 13:15-21), but now in the hands of their original owners; and the "men of the east," the wandering Bedouin hordes, shall enter through these cities into Moab and wa...
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I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. body: Cald. sheath

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KJV Study Commentary

Daniel's response to the vision—"I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me"—reveals the emotional and spiritual impact of prophetic revelation. The Hebrew construction emphasizes internal distress affecting his entire being. Far from casual curiosity, Daniel experiences deep anguish over the revealed future, particularly the persecution of Go...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **Midst.**—See margin. The body was regarded as the *sheath* of the soul.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9-10. open ... from the cities--**I will open up the side, or border of Moab (metaphor from a man whose side is open to blows), from the (direction of) the cities on his northwest border beyond the Arnon, once assigned to Reuben (Jos 13:15-21), but now in the hands of their original owners; and the "men of the east," the wandering Bedouin hordes, shall enter through these cities into Moab and wa...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Daniel's approach—"I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this"—demonstrates proper response to confusing revelation: seeking divinely provided interpretation rather than relying on human speculation. The angelic interpreter "stood by" ready to explain, indicating God provides understanding through authorized channels. Daniel's humility in asking "the truth of a...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **That stood by—***i.e.*, one out of the multitudes mentioned (Daniel 7:10).

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth</strong> (אִלֵּין חֵיוָתָא רַבְרְבָתָא דִּי אִנִּין אַרְבַּע אַרְבְּעָה מַלְכִין יְקוּמוּן מִן־אַרְעָא)—The Aramaic <em>chewata ravrevata</em> (חֵיוָתָא רַבְרְבָתָא, "great beasts") identifies the terrifying creatures from Daniel's vision (7:3-7) as symbolic representations of earthly kingdoms. The inter...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(17) **Four kings.—**Kingdoms are frequently represented by their heads or founders; hence kings and kingdoms are occasionally used synonymously. (Comp. Daniel 8:21.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. taking vengeance--**literally, "revenging with revengement," that is, the most unrelenting vengeance. It was not simple hatred, but deep-brooding, implacable revenge. The grudge of Edom or Esau was originally for Jacob's robbing him of Isaac's blessing (Ge 25:23; 27:27-41). This purpose of revenge yielded to the extraordinary kindness of Jacob, through the blessing of Him with whom Jacob wre...
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But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. most: Cald. high ones, that is, things, or, places

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KJV Study Commentary

The promise 'the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever' reveals the ultimate outcome of history—God's people inheriting eternal dominion. The Aramaic 'saints' (קַדִּישִׁין, qaddishin) means 'holy ones,' those set apart for God, emphasizing identity in relationship to the Holy One rather than inherent goodness. 'Most High' (עֶלְיוֹן...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13. Teman ... they of Dedan--**rather, "I will make it desolate from Teman (in the south) even to Dedan (in the northwest)" [Grotius], (Jr 49:8), that is, the whole country from north to south, stretching from the south of the Dead Sea to the Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea.

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; from: Cald. from all those

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KJV Study Commentary

Daniel requests further clarification specifically about "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." This repetition emphasizes the fourth beast's uniquely terrifying nature. The combination of iron teeth and bronze nails suggests mixed compos...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(19) **Whose teeth.—**The recapitulation in this verse of what was stated in Daniel 7:7 must be noticed. The additional features mentioned here are the brazen claws. (Comp. Daniel 2:37; Daniel 4:20.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**14. by ... my people Israel--**namely, by Judas Maccabeus. The Idumeans were finally, by compulsory circumcision, incorporated with the Jewish state by John Hyrcanus (see Is 34:5; 63:1, &amp;c.; 1 Maccabees 5:3). So complete was the amalgamation in Christ's time, that the Herods of Idumean origin, as Jews, ruled over the two races as one people. Thus the ancient prophecy was fulfilled (Ge 25:23)...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Daniel's continued inquiry focuses on "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." The little horn receives disproportionate attention, indicating its unique significance. The phrase "whose look was more stout" (literally "appe...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15. (1Sa 13:1-14:52; 2Ch 28:18). The "old hatred" refers to their continual enmity to the covenant-people. They lay along Judea on the seacoast at the opposite side from Ammon and Moab. They were overthrown by Uzziah (2Ch 26:6), and by Hezekiah (2Ki 18:8). Nebuchadnezzar overran the cities on the seacoast on his way to Egypt after besieging Tyre (Jr 47:1-7). God will take vengeance on those who ta...
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I beheld , and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

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KJV Study Commentary

Daniel observes the disturbing scene: "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them." This represents the climax of earthly opposition—direct warfare against God's people. The phrase "prevailed against them" indicates apparent victory, suggesting martyrdom and temporary defeat. This echoes Revelation 13:7: "it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **Made war.**—This corresponds to “the mouth speaking great things” (Daniel 7:8; Daniel 7:20). These events occur while the saints are expecting their deliverance.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**16. cut off the Cherethims--**There is a play on similar sounds in the Hebrew, hichratti cherethim, "I will slay the slayers." The name may have been given to a section of the Philistines from their warlike disposition (1Sa 30:14; 31:3). They excelled in archery, whence David enrolled a bodyguard from them (2Sa 8:18; 15:18; 20:7). They sprang from Caphtor, identified by many with Crete, which wa...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The crucial reversal: "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." The word "until" indicates persecution's definite temporal limit—suffering doesn't continue endlessly but reaches divinely appointed conclusion. The "Ancient of days" (God the Father, cf. vv. 9-10) comes in judgment, vindicating His...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17. know ... vengeance--**They shall know Me, not in mercy, but by My vengeance on them (Psa 9:16).

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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KJV Study Commentary

The angel continues explaining the fourth beast: "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." The emphatic "diverse from all kingdoms" stresses this empire's unique character—not merely another powerful nation but qualitatively different in scope and oppression...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(23) **The fourth kingdom.**—The ten are spoken of as existing simultaneously. Of the various attempts to account for them, none have proved satisfactory. (See *Excursus E.*) We must wait in patient humility for the fulfilment of this part of the prophecy, noting that marks by which the little horn may be identified have been graciously revealed to us by God Himself.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The angel interprets: "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." The "ten kings" has generated extensive interpretation—possibly ten historical rulers, symbolic completeness, or future confederacy. The emphasis falls on the eleventh figure who "shall be diverse f...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 26 Eze 26:1-21. The Judgment on Tyre through Nebuchadnezzar (TWENTY-SIXTH THROUGH Twenty-eighth Chapters). **In the twenty-sixth chapter, Ezekiel sets forth:--**(1) Tyre's sin; (2) its doom; (3) the instruments executing it; (4) the effects produced on other nations by her downfall. In the twenty-seventh chapter, a lamentation over the fall of such earthly splendor. In the twenty-eighth c...
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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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KJV Study Commentary

The little horn's blasphemous career continues: '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.' The phrase 'speak great words against the most High' indicates sustained blasphemy. 'Wear out' (Aramaic: belah, exhaust, hara...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(25) **And he shall speak.**—The marks of identification of the little horn are—(1) blasphemy of God; (2) persecution and affliction of the saints; (3) attempts, apparently ineffectual (he will “think to change”), against all institutions, whether of Divine or human authority: in short, a general spirit of lawlessness and unbelief. It appears that the little horn, the Antichrist of the last days, ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. Tyre--**(Jos 19:29; 2Sa 24:7), literally, meaning "the rock-city," Zor; a name applying to the island Tyre, called New Tyre, rather than Old Tyre on the mainland. They were half a mile apart. "New Tyre," a century and a half before the fall of Jerusalem, had successfully resisted Shalmaneser of Assyria, for five years besieging it (Menander, from the Tyrian archives, quoted by Josephus, Antiq...
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But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

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KJV Study Commentary

After describing the little horn's blasphemous activity (v. 25), the angel declares: "But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end." The emphatic "But" introduces divine reversal—despite the little horn's apparent triumph, judgment comes certainly. The phrase "the judgment shall sit" depicts a courtroom scene where divine tribunal con...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(26) **The judgment.—**The language is similar to that in Daniel 7:10. The destruction of the beast recorded in Daniel 7:11 is here omitted. **Unto the end.—**Comp. Daniel 6:26.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3-4. nations ... as the sea ... waves--**In striking contrast to the boasting of Tyre, God threatens to bring against her Babylon's army levied from "many nations," even as the Mediterranean waves that dashed against her rock-founded city on all sides. **scrape her dust ... make her ... top of ... rock--**or, "a bare rock" [Grotius]. The soil which the Tyrians had brought together upon the roc...
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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. dominions: or, rulers

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse reveals the ultimate destiny of God's people: "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." The phrase "people of the saints" refers to God's covenant community—believers who belong to the Holy One. The comprehensive scope "under the whole heaven" indicates total, universal rule replacing...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(27) Comp. Daniel 7:14; Daniel 7:18.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3-4. nations ... as the sea ... waves--**In striking contrast to the boasting of Tyre, God threatens to bring against her Babylon's army levied from "many nations," even as the Mediterranean waves that dashed against her rock-founded city on all sides. **scrape her dust ... make her ... top of ... rock--**or, "a bare rock" [Grotius]. The soil which the Tyrians had brought together upon the roc...
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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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KJV Study Commentary

Daniel concludes: "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." The phrase "end of the matter" marks the vision's conclusion, yet Daniel's response reveals ongoing internal struggle. His "cogitations much troubled" him—the Hebrew emphasizes frightening thoughts, deep distress over reveale...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(28) **The matter**—*i.e.,* the vision and the revelation. **In my heart.**—Daniel suffers as in Daniel 7:15 and Daniel 10:8. However, he comforts himself by keeping in his heart the words of the angel spoken in Daniel 7:17. (Comp. Luke 2:19.) **Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. **Bible Hub

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. in the midst of the sea--**plainly referring to New Tyre (Eze 27:32).

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