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 three parts of one nation that Medo-Persia had devoured, was devouring, or would devour. When Daniel saw this vision, Medo-Persia had not yet overthrown Babylonia, so perhaps these were nations of less prominence that it had conquered. Some scholars believe the ribs refer to the Babylonian, Lydian, and Egyptian Empires, all of which Medo-Persia conquered eventually. [Note: Young, p. 145; Archer, "Daniel," p. 86; Whitcomb, p. 95; Wiersbe, p. 282.] Others suggest that they may refer to Media, Persia, and Babylon, the three major components of the Medo-Persian Empire. [Note: E.g., Walvoord, Daniel . . ., p. 156.]

Daniel heard voices (angelic?) encouraging the bear to devour much meat. This probably indicates that it would yet subdue many nations. Medo-Persia ruled for 208 years before Alexander the Great toppled it in 331 B.C., and its geographic extent was far-reaching. Leadership in the ancient Near East passed from Assyria to Babylon in 612 B.C., from Babylon to Medo-Persia in 539 B.C., and from Medo-Persia to Greece in 331 B.C.