Daniel 7:1-8
1599 Geneva Bible
7 3 A vision of four beasts is showed unto Daniel. 8 The ten horns of the fourth beast. 27 Of the everlasting kingdom of Christ.
1 In the first year of Belshazzar King of Babel, Daniel saw a dream, and there were visions in his head, upon his bed: [a]then he wrote the dream, and declared the sum of the matter.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon [b]the great sea:
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea one divers from another.
4 The first was as a [c]lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth, and set upon his feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given him.
5 And behold, another beast which was the second, was like a [d]bear, and stood upon the [e]one side: and he had three ribs in his [f]mouth between his teeth, [g]and they said thus unto him, Arise, and devour much flesh.
6 After this, I beheld, and lo, there was another like a [h]leopard, which had upon his back [i]four wings of a fowl: the beast had also four heads, and [j]dominion was given him.
7 After this, I saw in the visions by night, and behold, the [k]fourth beast was fearful and terrible and very strong. It had great [l]iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped [m]the residue under his feet: and it was unlike to the beasts that were before it: for it had [n]ten horns.
8 As I considered the horns, behold, there came up among them another little [o]horn, before whom there were [p]three of the first horns plucked away: and behold, in this horn were [q]eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking presumptuous things.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Daniel 7:1 Whereas the people of Israel looked for a continual quietness, after their seventy years, as Jeremiah had declared, he showeth that this rest shall not be a deliverance from all troubles, but a beginning, and therefore encourageth them to look for a continual affliction, till the Messiah be uttered and revealed, by whom they should have a spiritual deliverance, and all the promises be fulfilled: whereof they should have a certain token in the destruction of the Babylonian kingdom.
- Daniel 7:2 Which signified that there should be horrible troubles and afflictions in the world in all corners of the world, and at sundry times.
- Daniel 7:4 Meaning, the Assyrian and Chaldean empire, which was most strong and fierce in power, and most soon come to their authority, as though they had wings to fly: yet their wings were pulled by the Persians, and they went on their feet, and were made like other men, which is here meant by man’s heart.
- Daniel 7:5 Meaning, the Persians which were barbarous and cruel.
- Daniel 7:5 They were small in the beginning and were shut up in the mountains and had no bruit.
- Daniel 7:5 That is, destroyed many kingdoms, and was insatiable.
- Daniel 7:5 To wit, the Angels by God’s commandment, who by this means punished the ingratitude of the world.
- Daniel 7:6 Meaning, Alexander the king of Macedonia.
- Daniel 7:6 That is, his four chief captains, which had the empire among them after his death. Seleucus had Asia the great, Antigonus the less, Cassander and after him Antipater was king of Macedonia, and Ptolemy had Egypt.
- Daniel 7:6 It was not of himself nor of his own power that he got all these countries: for his army contained but thirty thousand men, and he overcame in one battle Darius, which had ten hundred thousand, when he was so heavy with sleep, that his eyes were scarce open, as the stories report: therefore this power was given him of God.
- Daniel 7:7 That is, the Roman Empire which was a monster, and could not be compared to any beasts, because the nature of none was able to express it.
- Daniel 7:7 Signifying, the tyranny and greediness of the Romans.
- Daniel 7:7 That which the Romans could not quietly enjoy in other countries, they would give it to other Kings and rulers, that at all times when they would, they might take it again: which liberality is here called the stamping of the rest under the feet.
- Daniel 7:7 That is, sundry and divers provinces which were governed by the deputies and proconsuls, whereof everyone might be compared to a King.
- Daniel 7:8 Which is meant of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, etc., who were as kings in effect, but because they could not rule, but by the consent of the Senate, their power is compared to a little horn. For Muhammad came not of the Roman Empire, and the Pope hath no vocation of government: therefore this cannot be applied unto them, and also in this prophecy the Prophet’s purpose is chiefly to comfort the Jews unto the revelation of Christ. Some take it for the whole body of Antichrist.
- Daniel 7:8 Meaning, a certain portion of the ten horns: that is, a part from the whole estate was taken away. For Augustus took from the Senate the liberty of choosing the deputies to send into the provinces, and took the government of certain countries to himself.
- Daniel 7:8 These Roman Emperors at the first used a certain humanity and gentleness, and were content that others, as the Consuls, and Senate, should bear the names of dignity, so that they might have the profit, and therefore in election and counsels would behave themselves according as did other Senators: yet against their enemies and those that would resist them, they were fierce and cruel, which is here meant by the proud mouth.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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