Daniel 7:23
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. | This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. | Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel saw four beasts rise from the sea, and the fourth was the most terrible (7:3, 7:7). Here the heavenly interpreter explains that this fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will crush the whole earth. The next verses show its last ruler judged and the kingdom given to God's saints forever (7:26-27). Daniel 7:3Daniel 7:7Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:26Daniel 7:27
Speaking"He" is one of those standing by in the vision, whom Daniel asked for the truth of all this. He made Daniel know the interpretation (7:16). Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:23
ToDaniel, who wanted to know the truth about the fourth beast (7:19). Daniel then wrote down the dream (7:1). Daniel 7:19Daniel 7:1
Also involvedThe whole earth, which this kingdom devours. Also the saints of the most High, whom its last horn makes war against and wears out (7:21, 7:25). Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:21Daniel 7:25
The interpreter explains the fourth beast as a fourth kingdom, different from all others, that devours, treads down and breaks the earth in pieces. This matches the beast Daniel saw with iron teeth that devoured, broke in pieces and stamped the rest (7:7, 7:19), and the fourth kingdom of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which breaks in pieces and bruises (2:40). The chapter calls it a fourth kingdom but does not give it a name. Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:7Daniel 7:19Daniel 2:40Daniel 7:17
Daniel was in Babylon, where he served under Babylonian and Persian kings. In the vision the beasts came up from the great sea, stirred by the four winds of heaven (7:2-3). Daniel overviewDaniel 7:2Daniel 7:3
The eventsDaniel had this vision in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon (7:1). The kingdom it describes was still to come: the four kings "shall arise" (7:17). Daniel 7:1Daniel 7:17
WrittenTraditional: written by Daniel in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the final form to about 167-164 BC under the Greek king Antiochus IV, while others hold the traditional date. Daniel overview
HereThe interpretation tells Daniel what the frightening beast means, so the vision is not left a mystery (7:16, 7:19). It sets up the account of the ten horns, the little horn, and their judgment (7:24-26). Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:19Daniel 7:24Daniel 7:26
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel shows that the most High rules over the kingdoms of men and will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed (2:44, 7:14). Even the strongest empire is judged, and the everlasting kingdom goes to the saints (7:26-27). Daniel overviewDaniel 7:14Daniel 7:27
For readersReaders living under harsh powers are told that no empire, however crushing, has the last word. God's people may suffer for a set time, but judgment will sit and the kingdom will be theirs (7:25-27). Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:26Daniel 7:27Daniel overview
- kingdomמַלְכוּ
The word means royalty, kingly authority, kingdom, realm or reign. The beast stands for a ruling power, just as 7:17 says the beasts are kings. Strong's H4437Daniel 7:17
- diverseשְׁנָא
The word means to change or be altered, here "it will be different." The interpreter confirms what Daniel saw: this beast was unlike all the beasts before it (7:7, 7:19). Strong's H8133Daniel 7:7Daniel 7:19
- break in piecesדְּקַק
The word means to break into pieces or shatter. It ties this kingdom to the iron kingdom that breaks in pieces in 2:40. Strong's H1855Daniel 2:40
- wholeכֹּל
The word means all or the whole. The reach of this kingdom is pictured as the whole earth, not one region. Strong's H3606Daniel 7:23
Takeaway
The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that crushes the whole earth. Yet the chapter does not end with it: the judgment sits, its dominion is taken away, and an everlasting kingdom is given to the saints of the most High (7:26-27). Daniel 7:23Daniel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| as follows | כֵּן֮ | ken | H3652 | thusכֵּן (ken) thus, so, as follows Aramaic of ken (כֵּן "so" H3651C) |
| he said | אֲמַר֒ | '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) |
| beast the | חֵֽיוְתָא֙ | chei-ve-TA' | H2423 | beastחֵיוָא (che.va) beast, animal Aramaic of chay.yah (חַיָּה "living thing" H2416C) |
| the fourth | רְבִיעָ֣יְתָ֔א | re-vi-'A-ye-TA' | H7244 | fourthרְבִיעִי (re.vi.ay) fourth Aramaic of re.vi.i (רְבִיעִי "fourth" H7243) |
| a kingdom | מַלְכ֤וּ | mal-KHU | H4437 | kingdomמַלְכוּ (mal.khu) 1) royalty, reign, kingdom 1a) royalty, kingship, kingly authority 1b) kingdom 1c) realm (of territory) 1d) reign (of time) |
| fourth the | רְבִיעָאָה֙ | re-vi-'a-ya' | H7244 | fourthרְבִיעִי (re.vi.ay) fourth Aramaic of re.vi.i (רְבִיעִי "fourth" H7243) |
| it will be | תֶּהֱוֵ֣א | te-he-VE' | H1934 | to beהֲוָא (ha.va) 1) to come to pass, become, be 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to come to pass 1a2) to come into being, arise, become, come to be 1a2a) to let become known (with participle of knowing) 1a3) to be |
| on earth the | בְאַרְעָ֔א | ve-'ar-'A' | H0772I | earth: soilאֲרַע (a.ra) : soil earth, world, ground Aramaic of e.rets (אֶ֫רֶץ ": soil" H0776H) |
| which | דִּ֥י | 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 will be different | תִשְׁנֵ֖א | tish-NE' | H8133 | to changeשְׁנָא (she.na) 1) to change, be altered, be changed 1a) (P'al) to change, be changed 1b) (Pael) to change, transform, frustrate 1b1) different (participle) 1c) (Ithpael) to be changed 1d) (Aphel) to change, alter |
| 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) |
| all | כָּל־ | kol- | H3606 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, whole, the whole 1a) the whole of, all 1b) every, any, none |
| kingdoms the | מַלְכְוָתָ֑א | mal-khe-va-TA' | H4437 | kingdomמַלְכוּ (mal.khu) 1) royalty, reign, kingdom 1a) royalty, kingship, kingly authority 1b) kingdom 1c) realm (of territory) 1d) reign (of time) |
| so it may devour | וְתֵאכֻל֙ | ve-te-KHUL | H0399 | to devourאֲכַל (a.khal) 1) to eat, devour 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to eat (of beasts) 1a2) to devour 1a3) eat their pieces (in a phrase, that is, slander them) |
| all | כָּל־ | kol- | H3606 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, whole, the whole 1a) the whole of, all 1b) every, any, none |
| earth the | אַרְעָ֔א | 'ar-'A' | H0772I | earth: soilאֲרַע (a.ra) : soil earth, world, ground Aramaic of e.rets (אֶ֫רֶץ ": soil" H0776H) |
| and it will tread down it | וּתְדוּשִׁנַּ֖הּ | u-te-du-shi-NAH | H1759 | to treadדּוּשׁ (dush) (P'al) to tread down Aramaic of dush (דּוּשׁ "to tread" H1758) |
| and it will shatter it | וְתַדְּקִנַּֽהּ׃ | ve-tad-de-ki-NAH | H1855 | to break upדְּקַק (de.qaq) 1) to break into pieces, fall into pieces, be shattered 1a) (P'al) to be shattered 1b) (Aphel) to break into pieces |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.