Daniel 7:24
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. | And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings. | And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel 7:24 is part of the explanation given to Daniel by one who stood by in the vision (7:16). The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom (7:23), and its ten horns are ten kings who come from it. After them another king rises who is different from the others and brings down three kings, as Daniel saw when three horns were plucked up before the little horn (7:8, 7:20). Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:24Daniel 7:8Daniel 7:20
SpeakingOne of those standing by in the vision speaks. Daniel asked him the truth of all this, and he gave the interpretation (7:16, 7:23). Daniel records it in the first person. Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:23Daniel overview
ToThe words are spoken to Daniel. The book is written for God's people in exile and after it, and for later readers looking to the time of the end. Daniel 7:16Daniel overview
Also involvedTen kings from the fourth kingdom, and one later king who brings three of them low. That king goes on to speak against the most High and wear out his saints (7:25), until the judgment sits and his dominion is taken away (7:26). Daniel 7:24Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:26
The verse explains two symbols. The ten horns are ten kings from the fourth kingdom. Another king rises after them; he is unlike the earlier ones and humbles three kings. The chapter itself gives this meaning, just as it says the four beasts are four kings (7:17) and the fourth beast is the fourth kingdom (7:23). Daniel 7:24Daniel 7:7Daniel 7:8Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:23
Daniel had the vision in Babylon, on his bed (7:1). In the vision the beasts came up from the great sea (7:2-3). Daniel 7:1Daniel 7:2Daniel 7:3Daniel overview
The eventsDaniel saw the vision in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon (7:1). The kings it describes were still to come; they "shall arise" (7:24). Daniel 7:1Daniel 7:24
WrittenTraditional: Daniel wrote it in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, under the Greek king Antiochus IV; others keep the 500s BC date, pointing to Jesus' words in Matthew 24:15. Daniel overview
HereThe verse explains the horns so that Daniel can see what follows. This last king makes war with the saints and prevails for "a time and times and the dividing of time," and then the judgment sits and takes his dominion away (7:21-22, 7:25-26). Daniel 7:21Daniel 7:22Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:26
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel shows that the most High rules in the kingdom of men. Even the fiercest kingdom and its proudest king end in judgment. The everlasting kingdom is given to the Son of man and to the saints of the most High (7:14, 7:18, 7:27). Daniel overviewDaniel 7:14Daniel 7:18Daniel 7:27
For readersReaders learn that a ruler may rise who is unlike the others, brings rivals low, and opposes God and his people. His power is limited and will end (7:25-26). Daniel 11:36 likewise describes a king who exalts himself and speaks against the God of gods, yet only "till the indignation be accomplished." Daniel 7:24Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:26Daniel 11:36
Christians read this differently
The chapter says the horns are kings, but neither it nor any cited Scripture names the fourth kingdom or the king who rises after the ten. Many Christians link this king with the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1 and 17:3 and with "that man of sin" of 2 Thessalonians 2:3, and so expect a ruler still to come before God's kingdom. Others read the prophecy as already fulfilled in past history; the cited sources do not name a ruler for that view. Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:24Revelation 13:1Revelation 17:32 Thessalonians 2:3
- hornsקֶ֫רֶן
The word means horn, and it is also used as a symbol in visions. Here the one interpreting the vision says what the symbol stands for: the horns are kings (7:24). So the vision is read through its own interpretation. Strong's H7162Daniel 7:24Daniel 7:16
- diverseשְׁנָא
The word means to change or be altered, and in one form it means "different." The last king differs from the kings before him, as the fourth beast differed from the beasts before it (7:7, 7:23). Strong's H8133Daniel 7:7Daniel 7:23
- subdueשְׁפֵל
The word means to bring low or humble. It matches the picture of three horns "plucked up by the roots" (7:8) and the three that "fell" (7:20). The new king brings three kings low as he rises. Strong's H8214Daniel 7:8Daniel 7:20
Takeaway
Daniel 7:24 says the ten horns are ten kings, followed by a different king who brings down three of them. The chapter's point is that this proud ruler's time is limited. The judgment will take away his dominion, and the kingdom will be given to the people of the saints of the most High forever (7:26-27). Daniel 7:24Daniel 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 horns the | וְקַרְנַיָּ֣א | ve-kar-nai-YA' | H7162 | hornקֶ֫רֶן (qe.ren) 1) horn 1a) as musical instrument 1b) symbolic (in visions) 1c) of an animal |
| ten | עֲשַׂ֔ר | 'a-SAR | H6236 | tenעֲשַׂר (a.sar) ten Aramaic of e.ser (עֶשֶׂר "ten" H6235) |
| from it | מִנַּהּ֙ | mi-NAH | 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) |
| kingdom the | מַלְכוּתָ֔ה | mal-khu-TAH' | H4437 | kingdomמַלְכוּ (mal.khu) 1) royalty, reign, kingdom 1a) royalty, kingship, kingly authority 1b) kingdom 1c) realm (of territory) 1d) reign (of time) |
| ten | עַשְׂרָ֥ה | 'as-RAH | H6236 | tenעֲשַׂר (a.sar) ten Aramaic of e.ser (עֶשֶׂר "ten" H6235) |
| kings | מַלְכִ֖ין | mal-KHIN | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| they will arise | יְקֻמ֑וּן | ye-ku-MUN | H6966G | 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 another | וְאָחֳרָ֞ן | ve-'o-cho-RAN | H0321 | anotherאׇחֳרָן (o.cho.ran) other, another Aramaic of a.cher (אַחֵר "another" H0312) |
| he will arise | יְק֣וּם | ye-KUM | H6966G | 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 |
| after them | אַחֲרֵיה֗וֹן | 'a-cha-rei-HON | H0311 | afterאַחַר (a.char) after Aramaic of a.char (אַחַר "after" H0310A) |
| and he | וְה֤וּא | ve-HU' | H1932 | he/she/itהוּא (hu) 1) he, she, it 1a) (emphasising and resuming subject) 1b)(anticipating subj) 1c) as demons pron 1d) (relative) 1e) (affirming existence) |
| he will be different | יִשְׁנֵא֙ | yish-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) |
| former [kings] the | קַדְמָיֵ֔א | kad-ma-YE' | H6933 | firstקַדְמַי (qad.may) 1) former, first 1a) first 1b) former |
| and three | וּתְלָתָ֥ה | u-te-la-TAH | H8532 | threeתְּלָת (te.lat) 1) three 1a) three (cardinal number) 1b) third (ordinal number) |
| kings | מַלְכִ֖ין | mal-KHIN | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| he will bring low | יְהַשְׁפִּֽל׃ | ye-hash-PIL | H8214 | be lowשְׁפֵל (she.phal) 1) to be or bring low, humble 1a) (Aphel) to bring low, humble |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.