Daniel 7

Daniel · Chapter 7

Daniel 7:3

1In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.2Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.3And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.4The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.5And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.6After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.7After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.8I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.9I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.10A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.11I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.12As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.13I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.14And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.15I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.16I 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.17These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.18But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.19Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;20And 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.21I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;22Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.23Thus 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.24And 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.25And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.26But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.27And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.28Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
3And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

In Daniel's night vision, the four winds of heaven stir up the great sea, and four great beasts rise out of it, each unlike the others. An angel later explains that these beasts are four kings who will arise on the earth, and that the fourth beast is a fourth kingdom. The vision ends with God's judgment and an everlasting kingdom given to the Son of man and the saints. Daniel 7:2Daniel 7:3Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:13Daniel 7:14Daniel 7:18

SpeakingDaniel tells his own dream in the first person ("I Daniel"). Daniel 7:1Daniel 7:2Daniel 7:15Daniel overview

ToThe book was written for God's people in exile and after it, including later readers looking to the time of the end. Daniel overview

Also involvedThe beasts stand for four kings, and the fourth for a fourth kingdom. The vision also concerns the saints of the most High, who suffer under the last power but receive the kingdom. Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:21Daniel 7:22Daniel 7:27

Four great beasts come up out of the sea, each different from the others: a lion with eagle's wings, a bear, a four-headed leopard, and a dreadful fourth beast with iron teeth and ten horns. The angel says plainly that they are four kings, and that the fourth beast is a fourth kingdom unlike all the rest. Chapter 7 does not give the names of these kingdoms. Daniel 7:3Daniel 7:4Daniel 7:5Daniel 7:6Daniel 7:7Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:23

Daniel was in Babylon, where he served under Babylonian kings. In the vision itself, the beasts rise from "the great sea" stirred by the four winds of heaven. Daniel overviewDaniel 7:1Daniel 7:2

BABYLONIAMEDIABabylon 1SusaUlai

The eventsDaniel had this dream in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon. Daniel 7:1

WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote it in the 500s BC, and 7:1 says he wrote the dream down. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, under the Greek king Antiochus IV. Daniel 7:1Daniel overview

HereThe verse brings the earthly powers onto the stage so the vision can show their rise, their judgment, and their replacement by God's everlasting kingdom. Daniel 7:11Daniel 7:12Daniel 7:14Daniel 7:26Daniel 7:27

In the whole of ScriptureA main theme of Daniel is that the most High rules over the kingdoms of men and sets up and removes kings. God's kingdom will outlast every earthly empire, as 2:44, 7:14 and 7:27 all say. Daniel overviewDaniel 7:14Daniel 7:27

For readersHowever fierce the world's empires look, they rise only to be judged. Their dominion is taken away, and the kingdom is given to the saints for ever. Daniel 7:12Daniel 7:26Daniel 7:18Daniel 7:27

  • diverseשְׁנָא
    Aramaic · she.na · H8133

    The word means to change or be altered, and here it means "different." The same idea marks the fourth beast as diverse from all the others and the last king as diverse from the first. Each power is distinct, and the last ones stand out most. Strong's H8133Daniel 7:7Daniel 7:19Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:24

  • came upסְלֵק
    Aramaic · se.liq · H5559

    The word means to ascend or come up. The same picture is used when the little horn "came up" among the ten horns. These powers rise in turn, and later the beast is slain and the others lose their dominion. Strong's H5559Daniel 7:8Daniel 7:20Daniel 7:11Daniel 7:12

  • greatרַבְרַב
    Aramaic · rav.rav · H7260

    The word means great, and it can describe power. The beasts are mighty, but the angel's explanation shows their rule does not last. The "greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven" is finally given to the saints. Strong's H7260Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:26Daniel 7:27

Takeaway

The four beasts are four earthly kings and kingdoms, as the angel explains. They are frightening and different from one another, but none of them lasts. Only the kingdom God gives to the Son of man and his saints is everlasting. Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:23Daniel 7:14Daniel 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
  1. 612 BC
    WarNineveh 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)

  2. 605 BC
    WarBattle 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)

  3. 597 BC
    WarJerusalem 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)

  4. 586 BC
    WarJerusalem 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

  5. c. 575 BC
    BuildingBabylon 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

  6. 562 BC
    RulersNebuchadnezzar dies

    His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34

  7. c. 553-543 BC
    RulersNabonidus 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

  8. 550 BC
    WarCyrus 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

  9. October 539 BC
    WarBabylon 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

  10. 538 BC
    God'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

  11. c. 536 BC
    God'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

  12. 334-331 BC
    WarAlexander 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

  13. 323-301 BC
    WarAlexander'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

  14. 167 BC
    WarAntiochus 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.

EnglishAramaicSay itStrong'sMeaning
and fourוְאַרְבַּ֤עve-'ar-BA'H0703
four

אַרְבַּע (ar.ba) four Aramaic of ar.ba (אַרְבַּע "four" H0702)

beastsחֵיוָן֙chei-VANH2423
beast

חֵיוָא (che.va) beast, animal Aramaic of chay.yah (חַיָּה "living thing" H2416C)

greatרַבְרְבָ֔ןrav-re-VANH7260
great

רַבְרַב (rav.rav) adj 1) great 1a) great 1b) great (fig. of power) n 2) captain, chief

[were] coming upסָלְקָ֖ןsal-KANH5559
to ascend

סְלֵק (se.liq) 1) to ascend, come up 1a) (P'al) to come up 1b) (P'il) to come up

fromמִן־min-H4481
from

מִן־ (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)

sea theיַמָּ֑אya-MA'H3221
sea

יַם (yam) sea Aramaic of yam (יָם ": sea" H3220G)

[they were] differentשָׁנְיָ֖ןsha-ne-YANH8133
to change

שְׁנָא (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

this [one]דָּ֥אda'H1668
this

דָּא (da) this, one ... to ... another Aramaic of geh (גֵּה "this" H1454)

fromמִן־min-H4481
from

מִן־ (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)

this [one]דָּֽא׃Da'H1668
this

דָּא (da) this, one ... to ... another Aramaic of geh (גֵּה "this" H1454)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.