Daniel 7:5
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | And 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. | Suddenly another beast appeared, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. So it was told, ‘Get up and gorge yourself on flesh!’ | And, behold, another beast, a second, like to a bear; and it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedIn Daniel's night vision, four beasts rise from the sea, and this is the second, a bear raised up on one side with three ribs in its mouth. It is told, "Arise, devour much flesh." One of those standing by explains to Daniel that the four beasts are four kings that shall arise out of the earth, and the fourth beast is called the fourth kingdom. Daniel 7:2Daniel 7:3Daniel 7:5Daniel 7:16Daniel 7:17Daniel 7:23
SpeakingDaniel tells the vision in the first person. Within the vision, unnamed voices ("they said") command the bear to devour. The text does not say who they are. Daniel 7:2Daniel 7:5Daniel overview
ToDaniel wrote the dream down. 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 7:1Daniel overview
Also involvedThe bear stands for the second of four kings that arise out of the earth. The text does not say whose flesh it is told to devour. Daniel 7:5Daniel 7:17
A bear-like beast appears after a lion-like beast. It is raised up on one side and holds three ribs between its teeth. It is commanded to rise and devour much flesh. Like the other beasts, it pictures an earthly king whose dominion is later taken away, while an everlasting kingdom is given to the Son of man. Daniel 7:4Daniel 7:5Daniel 7:12Daniel 7:13Daniel 7:14Daniel 7:17
Daniel lived in Babylon, serving at the royal court. In the vision, the beasts come up out of "the great sea," stirred by the four winds of heaven. Daniel overviewDaniel 7:2Daniel 7:3
The eventsDaniel had this dream in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon. Daniel 7:1
WrittenTraditional: Daniel wrote it in the 500s BC, during the exile. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, while others hold to the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereThe vision shows a run of fierce earthly powers; this one is told to devour much flesh. After the fourth beast is slain, the rest of the beasts have their dominion taken away. Daniel 7:5Daniel 7:11Daniel 7:12
In the whole of ScriptureNebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2 also pictures a series of kingdoms, with another kingdom arising after Babylon (2:39). Both chapters point to a kingdom from God that shall never be destroyed. The book's message is that the most High rules in the kingdom of men. Daniel 2:39Daniel overviewDaniel 7:14Daniel 7:27
For readersEmpires may look strong and hungry, but the passage says their dominion is taken away. The kingdom is given to the saints of the most High forever. Daniel 7:12Daniel 7:18Daniel 7:27
Christians read this differently
Chapter 7 names the bear only as the second king; no cited Scripture says which one. A common Christian reading takes it as the Medes and Persians, since Babylon fell to them, Isaiah foretold that God would stir up the Medes (Isaiah 13:17), and Daniel 11:2 speaks of kings in Persia. The text does not explain the three ribs or the raised side, and readers explain those details in different ways. Daniel 7:5Daniel 7:17Daniel overviewIsaiah 13:17Daniel 11:2Daniel 2:39
- devourאֲכַל
The word means to eat or devour, and the lexicon lists its use of beasts eating. In the same chapter the fourth beast also "devoured" and "shall devour the whole earth" (7:7, 7:23). Strong's H0399Daniel 7:7Daniel 7:23
- ribsעֲלַע
The lexicon gives "rib" and links it to the Hebrew word for "side." The bear holds three of them between its teeth. The text does not say what they stand for. Strong's H5967Daniel 7:5
- sideשְׂטַר
The lexicon gives the meaning "side," citing this verse. It describes the bear raised up on one side. The text gives no explanation of what that posture means. Strong's H7859Daniel 7:5
Takeaway
The bear is the second of four beastly powers in Daniel's vision, fierce and told to devour. Like the other beasts in the chapter, it loses its dominion, and the everlasting kingdom is given to the Son of man and the saints of the most High. Daniel 7:5Daniel 7:12Daniel 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
- 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 lo! | וַאֲר֣וּ | va-'a-RU | H0718 | behold!אֲרוּ (a.ru) behold, lo Aramaic of al.lay (אַלְלַי "woe!" H0480) |
| a beast | חֵיוָה֩ | chei-VAH | H2423 | beastחֵיוָא (che.va) beast, animal Aramaic of chay.yah (חַיָּה "living thing" H2416C) |
| another | אָחֳרִ֨י | 'o-cho-RI | H0317 | anotherאׇחֳרִי (o.cho.ri) other, another Aramaic of a.cher (אַחֵר "another" H0312) |
| a second | תִנְיָנָ֜ה | tin-ya-NAH | H8578 | secondתִּנְיָן (tin.yan) second Aramaic of she.na.yim (שְׁנַ֫יִם "two" H8147) |
| [was] like | דָּמְיָ֣ה | da-me-YAH | H1821 | be likeדְּמָה (de.mah) (P'al) to be like Aramaic of da.mah (דָּמָה "to resemble" H1819) |
| obj. a bear | לְדֹ֗ב | le-DO | H1678 | bearדֹּב (dov) bear Aramaic of dov (דֹּב "bear" H1677) |
| and to a side | וְלִשְׂטַר־ | ve-lis-tar- | H7859 | sideשְׂטַר (she.tar) side (Da 7:5) |
| one | חַד֙ | chad | H2298 | oneחַד (chad) 1) one (number) 1a) one 1b) a (indefinite article) |
| it was raised | הֳקִמַ֔ת | ho-ki-MAT | H6966H | 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 three | וּתְלָ֥ת | u-te-LAT | H8532 | threeתְּלָת (te.lat) 1) three 1a) three (cardinal number) 1b) third (ordinal number) |
| ribs | עִלְעִ֛ין | 'il-'IN | H5967 | ribעֲלַע (a.la) rib Aramaic of tse.la (צֵלָע "side" H6763) |
| [were] in mouth its | בְּפֻמַּ֖הּ | be-fu-MAH | H6433 | mouthפֻּם (pum) mouth Aramaic of peh (פֶּה ": lip" H6310) |
| between | בֵּ֣ין | bein | H0997 | betweenבֵּין (ben) between Aramaic of ben (בַּ֫יִן ": between" H0996) |
| tooth its | שִׁנַּ֑הּ | shi-nai-yah | H8128 | toothשֵׁן (shen) tooth Aramaic of shen (שֵׁן ": tooth" H8127) |
| and as follows | וְכֵן֙ | ve-KHEN | H3652 | thusכֵּן (ken) thus, so, as follows Aramaic of ken (כֵּן "so" H3651C) |
| [they were] saying | אָמְרִ֣ין | 'a-me-RIN | 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) |
| arise | ק֥וּמִֽי | KU-mi | 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 |
| devour! | אֲכֻ֖לִי | 'a-KHU-li | 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) |
| flesh | בְּשַׂ֥ר | be-SAR | H1321 | fleshבְּשַׁר (be.shar) flesh Aramaic of ba.sar (בָּשָׂר "flesh" H1320) |
| much | שַׂגִּֽיא׃ | sa-GI' | H7690 | greatlyשַׂגִּיא (sag.gi) adj 1) great, much 1a) great 1b) much, many adv 2) exceedingly |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.