Daniel 7:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

NIV: "After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

NASB: After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

CSB: "After this, while I was watching in the night visions, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.

NLT: Then in my vision that night, I saw a fourth beast — terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled their remains beneath its feet. It was different from any of the other beasts, and it had ten horns.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

Daniel's visions (Daniel 7:1) included four animal-like creatures, representing kings and nations (Daniel 7:17) from the Mediterranean region (Daniel 7:2–3). Babylon was represented by a lion with wings (Daniel 7:4). Medo-Persia was symbolized by a bear (Daniel 7:5). Macedonian Greece was depicted as a leopard (Daniel 7:6). These correspond to the nations seen in Nebuchadnezzar's earlier dream (Daniel 2:31–33, 37–39).

The fourth nation, described here, doesn't correspond to any animal which Daniel knows. This beast has ten horns, iron teeth, and bronze claws (Daniel 7:19). It's an intimidating sight, as it destroys and crushes whatever it does not consume. This represents the Roman Empire, also represented by iron in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:32–33, 40). In Daniel's prophetic dream, this fourth beast has ten horns, which will be explained to represent ten kings (Daniel 7:24). These will be followed by another "horn," representing a key figure of the end times (Daniel 7:8).

The New Testament and other records attest to Rome's merciless persecution of Christians. Peter's reference to the fiery trial that lay ahead for Christians likely refers to Emperor Nero's cruel burning of Christians at the stake (1 Peter 4:12). Whatever Rome could not absorb under its rule, it annihilated. The empire was known for its merciless conquest and assimilation. Rome conquered the whole breadth and length of the Mediterranean world and all the territories ruled by the former empires.

Daniel 7:1–12 looks back to a time before the story contained in chapter 6. This passage describes a dream Daniel had during the rule of Belshazzar (Daniel 5:1, 30). His visions contained information about various kingdoms leading up to a dreadful, strong kingdom in the end times. The images also pictured God, "the Ancient of Days," who judges the final Gentile kingdom. An angel's explanation of the dream and visions follows in the next passage.

This chapter is the intersection of two different divisions in the book of Daniel. This is the last passage written in Aramaic, the common language of the world at that time. It is also the first segment focusing on prophecy, shifting from a record of events in the past to show a glimpse of the future. This passage connects to other descriptions of the end times, such as those found in Revelation chapters 13, 19, and 20.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.