Daniel 7:17-23

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Daniel 7:15-28

Here we have, I. The deep impressions which these visions made upon the prophet. God in them put honour upon him, and gave him satisfaction, yet not without a great allay of pain and perplexity (Dan. 7:15): I Daniel was grieved in my spirit, in the midst of my body. The word here used for the body properly signifies a sheath or scabbard, for the body is no more to the soul; that is the weapon; it is that which we are principally to take care of. The visions of my head troubled me, an again... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:17

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings ,.... Or kingdoms, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions; and so Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Saadiah; so the fourth beast is called the fourth kingdom, Daniel 7:23 or a succession of kings in four kingdoms or monarchies, comparable to beasts for their strength, cruelty, and tyranny: these are the words of him that stood by, of one of the angels Daniel applied to, to know the meaning of his dream; and might be better rendered,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:18

But the saints of the most High ,.... Or, "of the most high Ones" F4 קדישי עליונין "sanctorum altissimorum", Pagninus, Montanus; "sanctorum excelsorum", Junius & Tremellius. , Father, Son, and Spirit, separated by God the Father in election, and in that sense his servants, or sanctified ones, Judges 1:1 , and redeemed by the Son, and sanctified with his blood, or their sins atoned by it, and to whom he is made sanctification, and so his saints, Hebrews 13:12 and sanctified... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:19

Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast ;.... What it represented, what kingdom or monarchy was meant by it; for, by the above answer of the angel, he understood the four beasts signified four kings or kingdoms; the three first he pretty well understood; at least he was not so solicitous about them as about the fourth; and this he was desirous of having a very particular and exact account of; it threatening, by its appearance, a great deal of trouble to the world, and especially to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:20

And of the ten horns ,.... That is, Daniel desired to know the truth of the ten horns, or the meaning of them what they signified, and who they pointed at, of which in Daniel 7:7 , here it is added, that were in his head ; observing the situation of them; thought the horns of a beast could hardly be thought to be elsewhere: and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell ; particularly he was very desirous to know the meaning of a single horn, which rose up among the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:21

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints ,.... The same little horn before described; not Antiochus Epiphanes, who made war with the Jews, as many think; or the Roman Caesars, that persecuted the church of Christ, as others; nor Titus Vespasian, who fought against Israel, as Saadiah; but antichrist, or the pope of Rome; and this refers to the wars of the popes with the Waldenses, which began in the year 1160, and continued long, and with the two witnesses at the close of their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:22

Until the Ancient of days came ,.... Not locally, by change of place, he being the omnipresent God; but in a providential way, to check and put a stop to the power and prevalency of the little horn over the saints; for this is the terminus or end of that; which puts a period to it; for when the Ancient of days comes in the exertion of his power and providence, he will come and sit as a Judge upon this little horn or antichrist, and judge, and condemn, and punish it; see Daniel 7:9 , and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:23

Thus he said ,.... The person that stood by, the angel, of whom Daniel made his inquiries, and who answered him, as follows: the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth ; which shows that the angel, by four kings, Daniel 7:17 , meant four kingdoms, that should successively arise in the earth, and out of it, one after another; and this kingdom is not the kingdom of the Seleucidae, nor the Turkish, but the Roman empire; for this is to continue until the kingdom of Christ takes... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 7:17

These great beasts - are four kings - See the preceding verses, where the following explanations are inserted and illustrated. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 7:18

But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom - I doubt whether this be the true sense of the original Chaldee, עליונון קדשי מלכותא ויקבלון vikabbelun malcutha kaddishey elyonin , "But the supreme holy ones shall receive the kingdom;" or, "they shall receive the kingdom of the supreme saints." Properly translated by Montanus, Et suscipient regnum sanctorum altissimorum . Whatever we may think of the patriarchs and the Jews in their best times, there has never been so much... read more

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