Daniel 7:16
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 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. | I approached one of those who were standing there, and I asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me the interpretation of these things: | I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedTroubled by the vision of four beasts, the Ancient of days, and one like the Son of man, Daniel goes to one of those standing by and asks what it all truly means. That figure explains it, and the explanation follows in verses 17-27: the four beasts are four kings, and the saints of the most High will possess the kingdom for ever. Daniel 7:15Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:18Daniel 7:27
SpeakingDaniel tells this in the first person, as he does through chapters 7-12. Daniel 7:15Daniel overview
ToThe book is written for God's people in exile and after it, and for later readers looking to the time of the end. Daniel overview
Also involvedThe one Daniel asks is "one of them that stood by." The text does not name him or say who those standing by are. Other visions show a similar pattern of a heavenly figure explaining things to the seer, such as the angel that talked with Zechariah and the elder who explained to John. Daniel 7:16Zechariah 2:3Revelation 7:13Revelation 7:14
Daniel approaches a figure in the vision and asks for the truth of everything he has seen. The figure tells him and makes known the interpretation. Daniel then presses further for the truth about the fourth beast, and the explanation continues. Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:19Daniel 7:23
Daniel was in Babylon when he saw the vision. Within the vision, the scene is before the Ancient of days, where thousands ministered to him, multitudes stood before him, and "the judgment was set." Daniel 7:1Daniel 7:9Daniel 7:10Daniel overview
The eventsThe vision came in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, by night, as Daniel lay on his bed. Daniel 7:1Daniel 7:2
WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote the book in the 500s BC, and 7:1 says he wrote the dream down. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date the final form to about 167-164 BC, under Antiochus IV, while others hold to the 500s BC date. Daniel 7:1Daniel overview
HereThe verse moves the chapter from vision to meaning. Daniel is grieved and troubled by what he saw, and he receives an explanation instead of being left to guess. Daniel 7:15Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:28
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel shows that God reveals secrets to those who seek him. Here the revelation confirms that earthly kingdoms rise and fall, but God's kingdom will be given to his saints and will never be destroyed. Daniel overviewDaniel 7:14Daniel 7:18Daniel 7:27
For readersThe meaning of the beasts is not left open: the one who stood by names them as kings and kingdoms when Daniel asks. Readers should let verses 17-27 explain the beasts and horns of verses 2-14, as Daniel himself was shown. Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:24Daniel 7:16
- truthיַצִּיב
The word means the truth, or something sure, reliable and certain. Daniel asks for what is certain, and he makes the same request again for the fourth beast in 7:19. Strong's H3330Daniel 7:19
- interpretationפְּשַׁר
The word means the interpretation of a dream. It marks what follows in verses 17-27 as the meaning given in the vision itself, not Daniel's own guess. Strong's H6591Daniel 7:17
- stood byקוּם
The verb means to arise or stand. Here it describes the one Daniel asks as one of those standing in the vision; the verse says no more about who they are. Strong's H6966IDaniel 7:16
Takeaway
Daniel did not leave a frightening vision unexplained. He asked, and the meaning was given. The chapter's own interpretation shows that God's people will receive a kingdom that lasts for ever. Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:18Daniel 7:27
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
The world around the text
About 605-536 BC. King of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Where Daniel lived and served for about seventy years. The capital of the Babylonian empire, on the Euphrates south of modern Baghdad, in the land the Bible calls Shinar and Chaldea.
Who ruled
- King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar605-562 BC
The king who besieged Jerusalem, carried Daniel and the temple vessels to Babylon, and later destroyed the city and temple. His own building inscriptions boast of the Babylon he built. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 24:12 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 25:1Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- Last king of Babylon, and his son who ruled in his placeNabonidus and Belshazzar556-539 BC
Nabonidus spent about ten years at the oasis of Tema in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar to rule in Babylon. That is why Belshazzar could only offer Daniel the place of "third ruler in the kingdom": he was himself second. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:29Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Verse Account of Nabonidus
- Received the kingdom after Babylon fellDarius the MedianFrom 539 BC
Daniel says he "took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" and set 120 princes over it. Records outside the Bible do not name him; he has been identified with Gubaru, the governor Cyrus set over Babylon, or with Cyrus himself. Daniel 5:31Daniel 6:1Daniel 9:1Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)
- King of PersiaCyrus559-530 BC
He united the Medes and Persians, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the exiles go home to rebuild the temple, as Isaiah had named him beforehand. Daniel 1:21Daniel 6:28Daniel 10:1Ezra 1:1-4Isaiah 44:28-45:1Cyrus Cylinder
- King of JudahJehoiakim609-598 BC
Judah's king when Daniel was taken. Jeremiah warned him and his people that the land would serve Babylon seventy years. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 23:36-24:6Jeremiah 25:1-11
What was happening, 612 BC to 167 BC
- 612 BCWarNineveh falls
Babylon and the Medes destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, as Nahum and Zephaniah had foretold. Babylon became the great power of the region. Nahum 3:7Zephaniah 2:13Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)
- 605 BCWarBattle of Carchemish
Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Carchemish on the Euphrates, in Jehoiakim's fourth year. The same year he came against Jerusalem and took the first captives, Daniel among them. Jeremiah 46:2Daniel 1:1-4Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 597 BCWarJerusalem surrenders
Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his nobles and craftsmen to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel went into exile with them. 2 Kings 24:10-17Ezekiel 1:2Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 586 BCWarJerusalem and the temple destroyed
Babylon's army burned the temple and the city and broke down its walls. Daniel later prays over "the desolations of Jerusalem" and asks God to shine on his "sanctuary that is desolate." 2 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 52:12-14Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:17
- c. 575 BCBuildingBabylon rebuilt in splendor
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon with great walls, palaces and the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate, and his inscriptions praise his own work. Compare his boast: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" Daniel 4:30Nebuchadnezzar's East India House InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 1.178-183
- 562 BCRulersNebuchadnezzar dies
His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34
- c. 553-543 BCRulersNabonidus leaves Babylon to Belshazzar
King Nabonidus stayed at Tema in Arabia for about ten years, and the yearly New Year festival in Babylon was not held. Belshazzar governed in Babylon. Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Daniel 5:1Daniel 7:1
- 550 BCWarCyrus unites the Medes and Persians
Cyrus of Persia defeated Astyages king of the Medes, joining the two peoples in one kingdom. Daniel's vision names the ram's two horns as "the kings of Media and Persia," the higher coming up last. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:20Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.127-130
- October 539 BCWarBabylon falls to Cyrus
Cyrus's army entered Babylon without a long siege. Herodotus says the people were feasting when the city was taken. Daniel records that "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.191Cyrus Cylinder
- 538 BCGod's peopleCyrus lets the exiles return
In his first year over Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed that the Jews could go back and build the LORD's house in Jerusalem. Daniel "continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Daniel 1:21Cyrus Cylinder
- c. 536 BCGod's peopleThe temple's foundation is laid
The returned exiles rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple. In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel was still in the east, mourning and praying. Ezra 3:1-11Daniel 10:1-3
- 334-331 BCWarAlexander the Great conquers Persia
Alexander of Macedon crossed into Asia and overthrew the Persian empire within four years. Daniel 8:21 names the rough goat as "the king of Grecia" and its great horn as "the first king." Daniel 8:5-8Daniel 8:21Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 1-3
- 323-301 BCWarAlexander's empire is divided
Alexander died young, and after twenty years of war his generals divided his empire, chiefly into four kingdoms. Daniel 8:22 says "four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Diodorus Siculus, Library 18-20Plutarch, Demetrius 28-30
- 167 BCWarAntiochus IV defiles the temple
The Greek king Antiochus IV banned Jewish worship and set up a pagan altar on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Maccabees calls it "the abomination of desolation." Two centuries later Jesus spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as still to come. 1 Maccabees 1:54-59Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4Matthew 24:15
The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records of these years (the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Diodorus, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.
Original Aramaic words
This passage was written in Aramaic, the common language of the Babylonian and Persian empires, which the Jews of the exile also spoke. It uses the same alphabet as Hebrew.
| English | Aramaic | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I approached | קִרְבֵ֗ת | kir-VET | H7127 | to approachקְרֵב (qe.rev) 1) to approach, come near 1a) (P'al) to approach 1b) (Pael) to offer, draw near 1c) (Aphel) to be summoned |
| to | עַל־ | 'al- | H5922 | sinceעַל (al) 1) upon, over, on account of, above, to, against 1a) upon, over, on account of, regarding, concerning, on behalf of 1b) over (with verbs of ruling) 1c) above, beyond (in comparison) 1d) to, against (of direction) |
| one | חַד֙ | chad | H2298 | oneחַד (chad) 1) one (number) 1a) one 1b) a (indefinite article) |
| of | מִן־ | min- | H4481 | fromמִן־ (min) 1) from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than 1a) from, out of (of place) 1b) from, by, as a result of, by reason of, at, according to, (of source) 1c) from (of time) 1d) beyond, more than (in comparisons) |
| [ones] standing the | קָ֣אֲמַיָּ֔א | ka-'a-mai-YA' | H6966I | to stand: riseקוּם (qum) : rise/get_going 1) to arise, stand 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to arise from 1a2) to come on the scene (fig) 1a3) to arise (out of inaction) 1a4) to stand 1a5) to endure 1b) (Pael) to set up, establish 1c) (Aphel) 1c1) to set up 1c2) to lift up 1c3) to establish 1c4) to appoint 1d) (Hophal) to be made to stand |
| and truth the | וְיַצִּיבָ֥א | ve-ya-tzi-VA' | H3330 | certainיַצִּיב (yats.tsiv) n 1) the truth adv 2) surely, reliably, truly adj 3) reliable, true, certain, sure |
| I was asking | אֶבְעֵֽא־ | 'ev-'e'- | H1156 | to askבְּעָא (be.a) 1) to ask, seek, request, desire, pray, make petition 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to ask, request 1a2) to seek (for favour) |
| from him | מִנֵּ֖הּ | mi-NEH | H4481 | fromמִן־ (min) 1) from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than 1a) from, out of (of place) 1b) from, by, as a result of, by reason of, at, according to, (of source) 1c) from (of time) 1d) beyond, more than (in comparisons) |
| concerning | עַֽל־ | 'al- | H5922 | sinceעַל (al) 1) upon, over, on account of, above, to, against 1a) upon, over, on account of, regarding, concerning, on behalf of 1b) over (with verbs of ruling) 1c) above, beyond (in comparison) 1d) to, against (of direction) |
| all | כָּל־ | kol- | H3606 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, whole, the whole 1a) the whole of, all 1b) every, any, none |
| this | דְּנָ֑ה | de-NAH | H1836 | thisדְּנָה (de.nah) demons pron 1) this, on account of this adv 2) therefore |
| and he said | וַאֲמַר־ | va-'a-mar- | H0560 | to sayאֲמַר (a.mar) (P'al) to say, to speak, to command, to tell, to relate Aramaic of a.mar (אָמַר "to say" H0559) |
| and [the] interpretation of | וּפְשַׁ֥ר | u-fe-SHAR | H6591 | interpretationפְּשַׁר (pe.shar) interpretation (of dream) Aramaic of pit.ron (פִּתְרוֹן "interpretation" H6623) |
| matters the | מִלַּיָּ֖א | mi-lai-YA' | H4406 | wordמִלָּה (mil.lah) 1) word, thing 1a) word, utterance, command 1b) thing, affair, matter |
| he made known to me | יְהוֹדְעִנַּֽנִי׃ | ye-hod-'i-NA-ni | H3046 | to knowיְדַע (ye.da) 1) to know 1a) (P'al) to know 1b) (Aphel) to let someone know, communicate, inform, cause to know |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.