Daniel 7:20
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. | I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn whose appearance was more imposing than the others, with eyes and with a mouth that spoke words of arrogance. | and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three fell, even that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake great things, whose look was more stout than its fellows. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel has seen a terrible fourth beast with ten horns, and a new horn that rose among them while three fell before it. Here he asks the heavenly helper what the horns mean, especially this proud horn with eyes and a boasting mouth. The answer follows: the horns are kings, and this last king will fight the saints until God judges him. Daniel 7:7Daniel 7:8Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:19Daniel 7:24Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:26
SpeakingDaniel speaks in the first person, telling what he asked about his vision. Daniel 7:15Daniel 7:16Daniel overview
ToDaniel puts his question to one of those standing by in the vision, who then explains it. The book itself is written for God's people in exile and after it. Daniel 7:16Daniel overview
Also involvedThe horn is a king who will speak great words against the most High and wear out the saints of the most High. Daniel 7:24Daniel 7:25
Daniel wants to know the truth about the ten horns on the fourth beast's head, and about the other horn that came up and caused three to fall. The angel explains that the fourth beast is a fourth kingdom, the ten horns are ten kings, and the other horn is a later king who subdues three kings. The chapter does not name which kingdom or which king this is. Daniel 7:19Daniel 7:20Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:24
Daniel saw the vision on his bed while living in Babylon, where he served under Babylonian kings. Daniel 7:1Daniel overview
The eventsDaniel had this dream in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon. The vision itself looks ahead to kings who had not yet risen. Daniel 7:1Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:24
WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote it in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, under Antiochus IV, while others keep the traditional date. Daniel overview
HereDaniel asks because the vision troubled him, and the answer shows that even the boldest king will be judged. His dominion is taken away, and the kingdom is given to the saints of the most High. Daniel 7:15Daniel 7:26Daniel 7:27
In the whole of ScriptureThe book shows that the most High rules in the kingdom of men and will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. While the proud horn spoke its great words, Daniel watched until the beast was slain and given to the burning flame. Daniel overviewDaniel 7:11Daniel 7:14Daniel 7:27
For readersReaders learn that a ruler may boast and even prevail against God's people for a time. But that time is limited, and judgment and the everlasting kingdom belong to God and his saints. Daniel 7:21Daniel 7:22Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:26
- fellowsחַבְרָה
The word means associate, fellow, or companion. The fellows are the other horns, so this horn's look is bolder than the kings around it. Strong's H2273Daniel 7:24
- lookחֱזוּ
The word means vision or appearance. It describes how the horn looked in the vision, greater than the other horns, even though Daniel 7:8 first calls it a little horn. Strong's H2376Strong's H7229Daniel 7:8
- very great thingsרַבְרַב
The word means great, also used of power. The angel explains these great words as words spoken against the most High. Strong's H7260Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:11
Takeaway
The verse describes a proud king who boasts and grows bolder than the rulers around him. The chapter makes clear that his rule is limited and judged, and that the lasting kingdom goes to the saints of the most High. Daniel 7:20Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:26Daniel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and concerning | וְעַל־ | ve-'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) |
| horns the | קַרְנַיָּ֤א | kar-nai-YA' | H7162 | hornקֶ֫רֶן (qe.ren) 1) horn 1a) as musical instrument 1b) symbolic (in visions) 1c) of an animal |
| ten | עֲשַׂר֙ | 'a-SAR | H6236 | tenעֲשַׂר (a.sar) ten Aramaic of e.ser (עֶשֶׂר "ten" H6235) |
| which | דִּ֣י | di | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| [were] on head its | בְרֵאשַׁ֔הּ | ve-re-SHAH | H7217 | headרֵאשׁ (resh) 1) chief, head 1a) head (of man) 1b) head (as seat of visions) 1c) chief 1d) sum (essential content) |
| and another [horn] | וְאָחֳרִי֙ | ve-'o-cho-RI | H0317 | anotherאׇחֳרִי (o.cho.ri) other, another Aramaic of a.cher (אַחֵר "another" H0312) |
| which | דִּ֣י | di | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| it came up | סִלְקַ֔ת | sil-KAT | H5559 | to ascendסְלֵק (se.liq) 1) to ascend, come up 1a) (P'al) to come up 1b) (P'il) to come up |
| and they fell | וּנְפַ֥לָה | u-ne-fa-lu | H5308 | to fallנְפַל (ne.phal) 1) to fall 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to fall 1a2) to fall down |
| from | 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) |
| before it | קֳדָמַ֖הּ | ko-da-mai-yah | H6925 | beforeקֳדָם (qo.dam) 1) before, in front of 1a) before 1b) from before |
| three [horns] | תְּלָ֑ת | te-LAT | H8532 | threeתְּלָת (te.lat) 1) three 1a) three (cardinal number) 1b) third (ordinal number) |
| and horn the | וְקַרְנָ֨א | ve-kar-NA' | H7162 | hornקֶ֫רֶן (qe.ren) 1) horn 1a) as musical instrument 1b) symbolic (in visions) 1c) of an animal |
| this | דִכֵּ֜ן | di-KEN | H1797 | thisדִּכֵּן (dik.ken) this, that Aramaic of zeh (זֶה "this" H2088) |
| and eyes | וְעַיְנִ֣ין | ve-'ay-NIN | H5870 | eyeעַ֫יִן (a.yin) eye Aramaic of a.yin (עַ֫יִן ": eye" H5869A) |
| and a mouth | וְפֻם֙ | ve-FUM | H6433 | mouthפֻּם (pum) mouth Aramaic of peh (פֶּה ": lip" H6310) |
| [was] speaking | מְמַלִּ֣ל | me-ma-LIL | H4449 | to speakמְלַל (me.lal) (Pael) to speak, say Aramaic of ma.lal (מָלַל "to speak" H4448A) |
| great [things] | רַבְרְבָ֔ן | rav-re-VAN | H7260 | greatרַבְרַב (rav.rav) adj 1) great 1a) great 1b) great (fig. of power) n 2) captain, chief |
| and appearance its | וְחֶזְוַ֖הּ | ve-chez-VAH | H2376 | visionחֱזוּ (che.zev) 1) vision, appearance 1a) vision 1b) appearance |
| [was] great | רַ֥ב | rav | H7229 | greatרַב (rav) adj 1) great 1a) great 1b) great (fig of power) n 2) captain, chief |
| more than | 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) |
| companion its | חַבְרָתַֽהּ׃ | chav-ra-TAH | H2273 | associateחַבְרָה (chav.rah) associate, fellow, companion Aramaic of cha.ver (חָבֵר "companion" H2270) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.