Daniel 7:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

NIV: While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

NASB: While I was thinking about the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the previous horns were plucked out before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like human eyes, and a mouth uttering great boasts.

CSB: "While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And suddenly in this horn there were eyes like the eyes of a human and a mouth that was speaking arrogantly.

NLT: As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small horn appeared among them. Three of the first horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.

What Daniel sees in this dream (Daniel 7:1) is highly poetic. The images he experiences are not recordings of literal events; these are prophecies about nations that will arise in the Mediterranean region (Daniel 7:2–3, 17). The first three images are animal-like and represent the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. The fourth is a bizarre, terrifying creature with iron teeth, ten horns (Daniel 7:7) and bronze claws (Daniel 7:19). The first ten horns symbolize ten kings (Daniel 7:24), but they are followed by another, smaller horn.

Daniel sees this "little horn" emerge from the other ten. It has human eyes and a mouth; the mouth delivers strong words. The literal word used can mean "boastings" or possibly "big talk." Later, the little horn's speech will be depicted as blasphemy and bluster (Daniel 7:20, 25). As it arises, three of the existing horns are torn out. Uprooting three other horns implies that the little horn usurped their power. Human eyes imply human intelligence.

Other passages give interpreters more context to suggest the identity of these various horns (Daniel 7:24; Revelation 17:3, 7, 12, 16). The ten horns are generally interpreted as ten kingdoms which will exist in the end times. These ten will place themselves under the rule of a single leader. Some commentators refer to this as the "Revived Roman Empire" (Revelation 17:8); the suggestion is that an even more ferocious Rome-like government will rule during the end times.

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.

Daniel experiences a troubling vision in the form of a dream. He sees animal-like beasts representing successive kingdoms. The last of these is uniquely powerful and led by a mysterious figure. This person, depicted as a "little horn," will be known for usurping power, blasphemy against God, and intense persecution of the saints. Yet his time will be short and it will end in God's successful judgment.

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.