Daniel 7:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.

NIV: As I looked, 'thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.

NASB: 'I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire.

CSB: "As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire.

NLT: I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire,

KJV: 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.

NKJV: “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;

During Daniel's prophetic dream (Daniel 7:1), he has seen four animal-like creatures which represent nations from the Mediterranean region (Daniel 7:17). These are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (Daniel 7:2–7). From the last beast, Daniel sees the emergence of a unique horn. This "horn" exhibits intelligence and speech (Daniel 7:8). Here, Daniel's attention shifts from imagery on earth to imagery in heaven. What he sees implies that God is judging these kingdoms. This is especially appropriate, as the dreamer's Hebrew name, Daniye'l, literally means "God is my judge."

The focus of this new vision is "the Ancient of Days." This is a reference to the Lord God, the Creator (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 90:2). This title is appropriate because God is eternal. Ezekiel also portrays God seated upon His throne in dazzling splendor (Ezekiel 1:26–28). Revelation chapter 4 also describes the Lord on His throne. Revelation 1:14 describes the glorified Son of God as having hair as white, like white wool.

In Daniel's dream, God's throne is made of flame with wheels of fire. It's hard to know exactly what it was Daniel was seeing—these words are his best effort to describe something that was likely impossible to capture in words. Fire is often used in Scripture to indicate judgment. Ezekiel's vision also associated fire with God on His throne (Ezekiel 1:26–27), and Revelation 4:5 says, "From the throne came flashes of lightning…and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire."

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.