Daniel 7

Chapter 7 contains Daniel’s first recorded revelation.

While the focus in the previous chapter was on kings and dreams, this text presents Daniel’s own dream
and his need for an interpreter.

The text combines several literacy genres, such as poetry and dialogue, which appear in other parts of
the book as well.

The key concept in Daniel 7 is God’s judgment, which in the Bible can have both positive and negative
connotations.

According to Daniel 4, God’s judgment on Nebuchadnezzar turned out to be a redemptive experience

because of his repentance.

In Daniel 5, Belshazzar, on the other hand, refused to humble himself, and the outcome of divine
judgment in his case was death and destruction.

In the very year this chapter was written, King Cyrus defeated Astyages, the Median ruler, and thus laid
foundation for the world’s next empire.

Nadonidus conferred on his eldest son, the crown prince Belshazzar, important prerogatives, such as
supreme command of the military forces as well as the kingship. These details are important because in
chapter 5, Belshazzar is consistently referred to as “king”.

The primary purpose of the dream was to show a future transfer of power in heaven that would have
some profound effects on earth.

“The literacy setting of Daniel 7 is, therefore, the beginning of the end of Babylonian Empire. . . .More is
at stake [here] than the demise of Babylon.”

Parallel Symbols in Dan 2 and 7

1. Head of gold winged lion

2. Chest and arms of silver…
5. Feet - horns
6. Stone from the mountain - Ancient of Days and humanlike person.

The following four-part structure may be proposed for this chapter:

1. Four beasts and a horn (7:1-8, prose)

2. God’s Judgment (7:9-14, poetry) –central part
3. Daniel’s reaction (7:15-22, prose)
4. Interpretation (7:23-28, poetry)

Notes
7:1 “First year of Belshazzar.” As stated in the introduction to this chapter, it is best to consider this date
as 550/549 B.C., or ten years before Babylon’s fall. He was between forty and fifty years old when he
was granted this position. Official Babylonian sources did not date events to the reign of Belshazzar but
to that of Nabonidus.

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“King of Babylon”
Earlier in the book, this same ruler is called malka ‘ kasdaya’, “king of the Chaldeans” or “ the Chaldean
king” (5:30). In Daniel 1:1, Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over the whole kingdom of Neo-Babylon, is
described as melek babel, “king of Babylon.” Since Belshazzar is introduced in the same way in this
verse, his title implies that he was ruler over the entire empire and not just its capital city (Dan. 5:31).

“Four winds of heaven.”

The four cardinal points of a compass; in other words, it means “all directions”

“The great sea” Especially when it is preceded by the definite article, the Hebrew equivalent of the term
yamma rabba, “the great sea”, is used in the Old Testament to refer to the Mediterranean Sea (Ezek
47:10,15,19,20).

Some scholars, however, have argued that the reference here is to the primeval ocean at the time of
creation, called in the Bible “the great deep” (Gen 7:11; Isa 51:10; Amos 7:4). In that case, the great sea
would represent the power of chaos and disorder, “a cosmic force opposed to God and to God’s order.”
It is possible that the sea in this text refers to Mediterranean but not in an exclusive way.

In the bible, large bodies of water, whether rivers or seas, have negative connotations because they
symbolize the power of the nations that were often to hostile toward Israel. The origin in this imagery
may be traced back to the stories of the exodus and the exile (Exod 15:8; Ps 46:1-6; 93:2-4; Isa 19:5;
43:2; Rev 17:15). In the Old testament, God’s struggle and victory over evil is recounted as a fight
against sea and monsters. God blasts the sea with his rebuke (Ps 18:15); he sets guard over the sea (Job
17:12; Jer 5:22); he causes the sea to dry up (Nah 1:4); he treads on the sea (Hab 3:15) and he fights the
sea monsters (Isa 27:1).

Since v. 17 Says that the four beast are kings and kingdoms that will rise up from the earth, then the
waters here pictured stand for the whole turbulent earth (Isa 57:20), “the wicked here are like the
tossing sea.”

Four beast (v. 3) refers to a number of completeness (Gen 2:10).

Four winds stands for all directions.

Great beasts – the walls of the Ishtar gate in Babylon were decorated with representations of lions
(Ishtar), bulls (Adad), and dragons (Marduk), to represent their protection respectively.

Moreover, 120 lion statues lined both sides of procession street.

Figuratively, the beast stands for uncontrolled power that is power that is often portrayed as a negative
type of force (Deut 8:15). Here, their coming out of the sea “reveals their nature as opponents of God.

In ancient times, lion was a proverbial symbol of majesty and strength (Prov 30:30; Judg 14:18). In Bible
times lion is used in both positive and negative symbol of strength (Rev 5:5; 1 Pet 5:8; Jer 51:38; 50:17).

Babylon is compared with a lion and eagle (Jer 49:19-22; Lam 4:19; Hos 8:1; Hab 1:8; Ezek 17:3)

stood like two feet as human- the upright position is symbolic of power and dominion (Jer 27:6,7; Dan
5:18).

Three ribs- literally refers to conquered nations Lydia, Egypt and Babylon but may also associated with
either total victory or total destruction (1 chro 21:10-12; Ezek 5:2,12; Zech 13:8; Rev 8:7-12; 9:18; 12:4;
16:19).

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Leopard- nemar (leopard or panther). But the Hebrew cognate this word is openly translated as leopard.
, Leopard is one of the most dangerous beasts of prey, both to animals and to humans. Its lurking, its
noiseless movements, and its unexpected attack instill terror (Hos 13:7).

Four heads- the authority to rule the whole world or meaning looking for all directions for prey.

Ten horns- A horn is a symbol of a person’s honor on the one hand (1 Sam 2:1; Ps 112:9) or of sinful
pride (Ps 75:5; 95:10,11) on the other. In biblical passages, the number ten is often used as a
representative number for the corporate whole. In this verse, the number ten is found in the context of
the division of a unit.

A little one- The original Aramaic word zera, small, is a feminine adjective that qualifies the basic
difference between this and the other ten horns. Thus, it has been correctly observed that the adjective
“little is slighting”.

Eyes of a Human-In the Bible, eyes symbolize intelligence (2Chron. 16:9; Ps. 119:18; Matt.6:22; Rev.5:6).
Zech 4:10 says that God’s eyes range throughout the earth. The eyes of a man in the context should be
related to pride because of the parallel expression that follows. The Bible associates the concept of pride
and haughtiness with the eyes. The Lord hates haughty eyes,/ a lying tongue. The qualification of a
human points to this power’s human personality, a counterfeit of the one like a human being who is
introduced in verse 13 below.

Spoke great things- The original text says, rabreban, great things, used here in a negative sense and
indicating pride and arrogance. The Hebrew word equivalent expression is used in Ps 12:3 to describe
proud words coming from a flattering tonque.

Exposition (7:1-8)-The central part of the vision (vv.9-14) is closely related to the important event that
took place in the year 549 B.C. In the vision of Daniel 7, the ancient of days takes the dominion away
from the powers of this world because they used it only to oppress, exploit, and destroy. The authority
to rule is then transferred to a humanlike being who will be worshiped by all people, nations, and tribes
and whose kingship will last forever.

7:2- This great sea may refer to the Mediterranean, yet because the literary form in this chapter is
apocalyptic, this symbol should not be restricted to its literal sense. Verse 17 explains the symbol of the
great sea as the earth from which the kingdoms emerge. The great sea in this passage is symbolic of the
entire earth and of all the peoples who inhabit it. The uncontrolled force of rushing water, whether in
great rivers, lakes or seas, is often symbolic of enemies who threaten to flood the land and invade it.
Such as Leviathan, that threaten to come out and destroy the earth and its inhabitants (Isa.27:1).
The great sea is interpreted universally, the nations of the world. All directions, communicates the idea
of universality.

The fact that the four winds originate from heaven leads to the conclusion that the events on earth are
not outside of control of the creator God. (Ex. 15:8, 10). Jonah1:4 says the Lord sent a great wind on the
sea, resulting in a violent sea storm.

Four great Beasts that come out of the sea. The first three beasts resemble known species from the
animal world of Daniel’s time. He uses the comparative preposition like to show that he is using the
language of analogy.

The fourth beasts in Daniel is without a parallel from nature, while Hosea speaks of a lionlike “ wild
animal” without further specification. Four expresses the idea of completeness. This is clear from the
previously used expression on the four winds of heaven. Thus, while the four beasts represent four

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specific empires that rise to power and control the earth, they portray the totality of the world’s
empires from the beginning to the end of history.

On the subject of oppression, for example Prov 28:15 says, “Like a roaring lion or a charging bear/ is a
wicked man ruling over a helpless people.” The dominant theme of Daniel 7, however, is God’s
judgment. In Amos, the divine judgment is portrayed through attacks by a lion, a bear, and a snake
( Amis 5:19).
“ So I will come upon them like a lion, like a leopard, I will lurk by the path.
Like a bear robbed of her cubs,
I will attack them and rip them open.
Like a lion I will devour them;
a wild animal will tear them apart” (Hosea 13: 8)

The plucking of this animal’s wings symbolizes the eventual loss of speed in conquering the world.
Furthermore, the verse states that the beast was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet and
was given a human mind. The Bible contains stories of animals acting human Balaam’s donkey in (Num.
22:28) the succession of weak-hearted rulers on the throne of Babylon following Nebuchadnezzar’s
reign. The passive verb forms suggests that the power of the beasts was not their original prerogative
but something that ultimately belongs to God.

The three ribs seen between its teeth portray graphically the destructive behavior of this beast that has
just devoured another creature and in whose mouth are still found some bones of the victim. Although
the number three can be used in a positive sense in some biblical passages, elsewhere, three and a third
are associated with destruction. The Revelation 12:4, for example, with his tail swept a third of the stars
out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The Talmud connects the Persian Empire with the symbol of
a bear because its people eat and drink like a bear, are fleshly as a bear, over grown with hair like a bear,
and are restless as a bear.

Leopard with 4 wings:

it took the Assyrians 3 years (725-722 BC) to conquer Samaria and the Babylonian 3 years (589-586) to
conquer Jerusalem. But Alexander conquered the whole of the Ancient Near East , from Egypt to Indus
Valley of India for 3 years.

its four heads symbolize its dominion stretching to all 4 directions of the compass. The beast was given
the authority to rule over the whole earth. The 4 heads should not be viewed as representing division in
this power that results in weakness. The four heads are four kingdoms (Dan 8:22) that divided up
Alexander’s Hellenistic Greek Empire after his death: Cassander (Macedon and Greece); Lysimachus
(Thrace and much of Asia Minor); Ptolemy (Egypt, Cyrenaica, and Palestine); while Seleucus ruled the
rest of Asia.

A number of negative terms are used to portray the fourth beast’s destructive activities: terror, iron
teeth, trampling underfoot, etc.

while the first 3 beasts are described in passive forms of verbs such as “lifted,” “given,” “raised,” and
“told,” active forms of verbs such as crushed, devoured and trampled express the destructive activities
of the fourth beast

just as the vision of chapter 2, here the fourth symbol is characterized by the division of power- a
weakness that eventually results in internal tensions and conflicts. Since in the Bible the number ten is
sometimes associated with the concept of divisions of a complete unit (Lev 27:30; Deut 4:13,14; Mat
25:1; Luke 19:13, 17; Rev 17:12), the ten horns symbolize this kingdom’s division into many smaller
entities rather than standing for a centralized concentration of power.

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Since the four beasts represent 4 world kingdoms, the 4 th one stands for the last world empire. The te
horns represented the tribes that originated of the Western Europe of today: Visigoths, Ostrogoths,
Vandals, Burgundians, Lombards, Anglo-Saxons, Franks, Alemmani, Herul and the Sueve.

The 4 beasts powers of chapter 7 all appear to be concerned with territorial expansion, while the little
horn is clearly a religious power and is interested in distinctly religious issues.

The uprooted:

AD 476- Rome fell into the hands of the Heruli.

AD 534- Justinian, the reigning Roman emperor in Constantinople, was happy to support the head of the
religion of Rome both for the political gain and religious gain. He sent his army and the Navy against the
Vandals.
Ostrogoths in A.D. 538
Some Adventist historian favored Heruli to be the 3 rd uprooted kingdom. It conquered Rome in AD 476,
which was later defeated by the Ostrogoths and then by the Roman general Belisarius.
But the evidence seems to be in favor of the Visigoths as the 3 rd horn. For a time the tribe lived in
Southern France. There the Visigoths were eventually defeated by Clovis, king of the Franks around 508
AD. Although their power was largely destroyed at this time, the survivors were pushed into Spain
where they were subjugated by a Moslem invasion in the 8 th ca. AD. Because the Visigoths were not
totally eradicated by the Franks, some Bible historians have felt they should not be identified as the
third horn uprooted before a little horn in Daniel’s vision. It is not clear, however, that the prophecy
requires total eradication to fulfill the symbol uprooted.
All these three (Vandals, Ostrogoths, Visigoths/Heruli had been a theological opposition to Rome over
the nature of Christ Divinity.

8 identifying marks of the little horn:

a. It rose out of the 4th beast (vv. 8, 24)
b. It appeared after 10 other horns (v. 24)
c. It was little when it was first seen, but in time it became greater than its fellows (vv. 8,20)
d. Put down 3 kings (vv. 8, 24)
e. It had eye like the eyes of a human and a mouth that spoke great things, and it spoke out against the
Most High (vv. 8,25).
f. it was to wear down the saints of the Most high (v. 25)
g. It was to intend to change the set times regulated by the law (v. 25)
h. It was allotted special powers for a time, times, and half a time (v. 25).

The expression eyes of a human may also be related to the persecuting activity of his power-activity that
is further described in the interpretation of the vision (v. 25).

Its worth noticing that although the little horn has the eyes and mouth of a human, it contrasts strongly
with the one like a human being (v. 13) seen in the same vision.

Dan 7:25- summarizes the activities of the little horn than does any part of this chapter.
A. He will speak out against the Most High.
B. and will wear down the saints of the MH.
B1. The saints will be given into his hand for a time…
A1. And will intend to change the set times (blasphemy)

His attempt of change the times and laws is only until think because the time cannot be changed
including the Sabbath day.

Time, times and half a time (iddan) “season” is often interpreted prophetically as full year (compare Dan

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4:16,23,25,32) Then it is equivalent to 3and half years, or 42 months and 1260 years (compare Rev 11:2;
12:6)

2 Tim 3:12- “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Yet the chapter
shows that the persecuting power will be judged.

The 1260 years is applied to the period between A. D. 538, the date of crushing the Ostrogoths, and
1798 when the French Gen. Berthier arrested Pope pious VI. It is the transition from the Imperial to
Medieval Rome (6th ca.). Feb 15,1798 and exile to Valence, France and Pious VI died in July the next
year. 1801, Napoleon sign a concordat for Pius VII.

Sadly, religious persecution has been the worst type of oppression in the world history.

1252 AD – Pope Innocent IV sanctioned the infliction of torture by the civil authorities upon heretics,
and torture came to have recognized place in the procedure of the inquisitorial courts.

Spanish Inquisition- 31, 000 persons burn and 290,000 condemned to punishment less severe than
death.

The message of this chapter in a nutshell is its portrayal of God’s transfer of power from the oppressive
beasts to the humanlike person.

Transition – abrupt

Daniel’s attention suddenly shifts from the little horn to a scene taking place in God’s court in heaven.
The text says that the throne is movable and has wheels- a picture that combines the concept of throne
with that of a chariot.

Why movable chariot? God’s movable throne communicates “the dynamic nature of divine presence”
(Ezek 1 and 10) Ps 68:17

Ancient of Days- points to God’s eternal nature (Ps 74:12) and infinite wisdom. The white color of hair
and clothing symbolizes purity and justice (Ps 51:7). His throne looked like fire- a standard metaphor for
God’s holy presence throughout the Bible.

The court proceedings begin when the attendants take seats and the books are opened. In the ancient
kingdoms, records were kept so that when there was a need, a crisis, the documents could be consulted
(Ezra 4:15; 6:1; Est 2:23; 6:1). Similarly several places in the Bible records of deeds of human beings (Jer
17:1; Mal 3:16; Matt 12:36,37; Rev 20:12). Ps 56:8, “record my lament; list my tears on your scroll- are
they not in your record.”

Here the judgment on the beasts results in their destruction. Later, this chapter says that through this
same judgment, God’s people are vindicated.

The judgment was executed first on the fourth (4 th) beast, which is slain and its body destroyed in fire.

The extension of life granted to the first three beasts is another sign of God’s control over the situation.
All three are given a period of time (iddan) to live, yet God has already decreed the fixed time, (zeman)
of their end.

Like a son of man (kebar)- a human like figure is brought before the divine throne. The meaning of this
expression is therefore one like a human being, a description that stands in contrasts to the appearance
of the beastlike creatures that have preceded it (like a man).

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The clouds of the sky- symbolizes the visible signs of his divine nature. The standard metaphor of God’s
abiding and guiding presence throughout israel’s journey in the wilderness (Exod 13:21; Ps 105:39;
104:3b).

In the setting of chapter 7, the one who looked like a human being is “an individual,” eschatological,
celestial being with messianic traits. In the Gospels, “Son of Man” was Jesus favorite title for Himself
and one that he often associated with the concept of judgment (Mat 16:27). In Dan 7, the Son of Man
was not martyred but glorified instead (compare Phil 2:10). In front of the Sanhedrin, Jesus applied Dan
7:13,14, “in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and
coming in the clouds of heaven (cf. Mat 26:64).

2 levels of the vision:

1. The beast appear, act and are destroyed on earth.

2. The court is a heavenly one, and it is there that the one like a son of man is exalted.

Dan 7:18- The saints of the Most High interpreted by two views:

1. angels
2. The group of people that constitute God’s faithful children on earth (Deut 7:6; 14:2,21).

Since v. 27 designates them as “people” they are primarily human in the context of this chapter. In Dan
8:24, the object of the little horn’s attack are the mighty people and the saints.

v. 23 answers the question posed in v. 19 while v. 21,22 answer the question posed in v. 20.

in favor of – “le” a preposition “to’ or “for” but the translation “in favor of” (dative of advantage) is best
in this context. It expresses an idea of deliverance from oppression and vindication. Thus the saints are
not the object but rather the beneficiaries of this judgment. Ps 76:8,9 (must be read).

Little Horn Activities- object of the attack are the saints.

The horn overpowers them but totally defeated by the judgment by which the Ancient of Days presides.
The keyword- dominion, occurred 7 times (7:6, 12, 14,26,27).

Excerpts from available literature drafted for presentation

/ al jay mejos