Daniel 7:2

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Daniel 7:1-8

The date of this chapter places it before Dan. 5:1-31, which was in the last year of Belshazzar, and Dan. 6:1-28, which was in the first of Darius; for Daniel had those visions in the first year of Belshazzar, when the captivity of the Jews in Babylon was drawing near a period. Belshazzar's name here is, in the original, spelt differently from what it used to be; before it was Bel-she-azar?Bel is he that treasures up riches. But this is Bel-eshe-zar?Bel is on fire by the enemy. Bel was the god... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 7:2

Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night ,.... He declared he had had a vision by night, and this was the substance of it: and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea : the east, west, north, and south winds, broke out from each of their quarters, and rushed in upon the great sea; either the Mediterranean, so called in comparison of the sea of Sodom, and the sea of Tiberias in Judea; or upon the waters of the main ocean, and raised up its waves, and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 7:2

The four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea - The idea of strife is taken here from the effects that must be produced, were the east, the west, the north, and the south winds to rise tempestuously, and meet on the surface of the sea. By the great sea, the Mediterranean is meant; and is so called to distinguish it from those lakes called seas by the Hebrews; such as the Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, Sea of Tiberias, etc.; but even that may refer to Asia, the scene of all these... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 7:2

Verse 2 He repeats again, He saw in his vision during the night. Again, I say, Daniel affirms that he brought forward nothing but what God had authoritatively delivered to him. For we know that in the Church all human traditions ought to be treated as worthless, since all men’s wisdom is vanity and lies. As God alone deserves to be listened to by the faithful, so Daniel here asserts that he offers nothing of his own by dreaming: in the ordinary way, but, that the vision is sure, and such as... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 7:1-8

A vision of human violence. Dreams have a foundation in external fact. The mind of man has a creative faculty—a faint reflection of the Divine—and, when released from the domination of visible things, it asserts its original power. Daniel was advanced in years, had seen many changes in the government of Babylon, and probably had been brooding seriously over the fortunes and prospects of the Hebrews. The past and the future were inextricably interlaced. I. NIGHT HAS ITS USES , ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 7:1-12

Godless kingdoms. Daniel's vision brings before us the origin, the character, and the destiny of godless kingdoms. I. ORIGIN . 1 . Earthly. The Divine kingdom comes from above —"with the clouds of heaven" (verse 13). These kingdoms come from below —from the dark depths of the sea. Earthly passions, not the will of God, shape their origin. 2 . Tumultuous. "The four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea;" the kingdoms issued from the throes of the storm. The great... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 7:1-12

Brute rule. "Four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another" ( Daniel 7:3 ). We remark the transition here from history to prophecy; the date , the first year of Belshazzar, that is, before the fall of the first of the world-powers about to be described; the form , a dream,—before this Daniel had interpreted others' dreams, he now dreams himself; the fact that it was at once committed to writing , i.e. not set down after fulfilment; and that the prophecy is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 7:1-28

EXPOSITION THE VISION OF THE FOUR BEASTS . This chapter begins the second section of the book. All before this has been narrative; visions are introduced into the narrative, but they were not given to Daniel himself, but to others; his role was the secondary one of interpreter. These visions and the events connected with them are related more as incidents in the biography of Daniel, than as revelations of the future. With this chapter begins a series of revelations to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 7:2

Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea . The Septuagint omits the introductory clause, and renders, "On my couch I saw in my night-sleep, and, behold, the four winds of heaven fell upon the great sea." Theodotion, like the LXX ; omits the introductory clause, and renders, "I Daniel beheld, and, lo, the four winds of the heaven rushed upon (προσέβαλον) the great sea." The Peshitta seems as if transferred... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Daniel 7:2

Daniel spake and said - That is, he spake and said in the manner intimated in the previous verse. It was by a record made at the time, and thus he might be said to speak to his own generation and to all future times.I saw in my vision by night - I beheld in the vision; that is, he saw represented to him the scene which he proceeds to describe. He seemed to see the sea in a tempest, and these monsters come up from it, and the strange succession of events which followed.And behold, the four winds... read more

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