Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:1-8
1. The four beasts 7:1-8 read more
Daniel 7
Thomas Constable
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:2
Daniel referred to himself in the third person in the first six chapters, but in the last six he used the first person. He may have made this change to make his visions more impressive and persuasive to the reader.Daniel saw "the Great Sea," probably the Mediterranean (cf. Numbers 34:6-7; Joshua 1:4; Joshua 9:1; Ezekiel 47:10; et al.), stirred up by the four winds (or spirits) of heaven (Daniel 7:2; cf. Jeremiah 23:19; Jeremiah 49:36; Zechariah 6:1-6; Revelation 7:1-3; et al.). The "sea" in... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:3
The four beasts arising out of the sea represent four kings (Daniel 7:17). They personify the nations over which they rule, as becomes clear in the following revelation. They are anomalies, as are the other characters presented, and their abnormalities have significance."The monarchy vision of Nebuchadnezzar (ch. 2) covers the same order of fulfillment as Daniel’s beast vision, but with this difference: Nebuchadnezzar saw the imposing outward power and splendor of ’the times of the Gentiles’... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:4
The first beast looked like a lion, but it also had wings like an eagle. Other biblical writers had compared Nebuchadnezzar to a lion and an eagle (cf. Jeremiah 4:7; Jeremiah 49:19; Jeremiah 50:17; Jeremiah 50:44; Jeremiah 49:22; Lamentations 4:19; Ezekiel 17:3; Ezekiel 17:12; Habakkuk 1:8). As Daniel watched, something plucked this beast’s wings off, made it stand on two feet like a man, and gave it a human mind or nature. Many nations have used the lion as a symbol of royal power because it... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:5
The second beast resembled a bear. The Old Testament writers spoke of the bear as the most formidable beast of prey in Palestine after the lion (cf. 1 Samuel 17:34; Amos 5:19; cf. 2 Kings 2:24; Hosea 13:8). [Note: See Driver, p. 82.] The bear that Daniel saw appeared stronger on one side than the other. This probably reflects the superior strength of the Persian part of the Medo-Persian Empire (cf. Daniel 8:3; Daniel 8:20).The three ribs in the bear’s teeth probably stand for three nations or... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:6
Most conservative Bible students have identified the third kingdom with Greece, because Greece overthrew Medo-Persia ("dominion was given to it"), and it bore the characteristics of the animal described here. Leopards (or panthers [Note: Young, p. 145-46.] ) are less majestic and ponderous than lions and bears. Their outstanding characteristics are their speed, strength, and cunning (cf. Jeremiah 5:6; Hosea 13:7; Habakkuk 1:8). The four wings on this leopard’s back made it even faster."With the... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:7
Most conservative scholars believe that the fourth beast represents the Roman Empire, but critical scholars interpret it as referring to Greece. Walvoord called the identification of the fourth beast in chapter 7 "the crucial issue in the interpretation of the entire book of Daniel." [Note: Ibid., p. 159.] In contrast to Greece, the rise and fall of the Roman Empire was slow. It began in 241 B.C. with the occupation of Sicily. Gradually it expanded throughout the whole Mediterranean world:... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:8
Daniel noticed an eleventh horn arising among the 10, which displaced three of the 10 horns. This horn had human eyes, probably symbolic of intelligence, and a mouth that spoke boastfully (cf. Daniel 7:11; Daniel 7:20; Daniel 7:25). This is evidently Antichrist (cf. Isaiah 27:1; Matthew 24:5; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; 1 John 2:18; 1 John 4:3; Revelation 13; Revelation 17; Revelation 19). Daniel saw another "little horn" in another vision that he reported having (Daniel 8:9-11).... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:9
In some English versions, this verse and some that follow (Daniel 7:10; Daniel 7:13-14) are in poetic form. This indicates a difference in the original language (Aramaic), which sets these verses off as distinct and more elevated in literary style, in the opinion of the translators. From what Daniel recorded, it seems clear that now he saw something happening in the courts of heaven. He saw thrones set up. The AV translation "thrones were cast down" is inaccurate. The Apostle John later saw... read more
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 7:1
We have already read of two dreams that Nebuchadnezzar had (Daniel 2:1; Daniel 4:5). Now God gave one to Daniel. It too was a vision from God that came to Daniel as he slept."In referring to the experience as ’a dream’ (sing.) Daniel was emphasizing the unity of the revelation and in referring to it as ’visions’ (pl.) he emphasized the successive stages in which the revelation was given. . . . The dream refers to his being asleep, and the visions refer to what he saw while dreaming." [Note:... read more