Daniel 7:5-6

7:5 “Then ¹  a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs ²  in its mouth between its teeth. ³  It was told, ⁴  ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’

7:6 “After these things, ⁵  as I was watching, another beast ⁶  like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. ⁷  This beast had four heads, ⁸  and ruling authority was given to it.

Daniel 11:3-4

11:3 Then a powerful king ⁹  will arise, exercising great authority and doing as he pleases. 11:4 Shortly after his rise to power, ¹⁰  his kingdom will be broken up and distributed toward the four winds of the sky ¹¹  – but not to his posterity or with the authority he exercised, for his kingdom will be uprooted and distributed to others besides these.

¹ tn Aram “and behold.”

² sn The three ribs held securely in the mouth of the bear, perhaps representing Media-Persia, apparently symbolize military conquest, but the exact identity of the “ribs” is not clear. Possibly it is a reference to the Persian conquest of Lydia, Egypt, and Babylonia.

³ tc The LXX lacks the phrase “between its teeth.”

⁴ tn Aram “and thus they were saying to it.”

⁵ tn Aram “this.” So also in v. 7.

⁶ tn Aram “and behold, another one.”

⁷ tn Or “sides.”

⁸ sn If the third animal is Greece, the most likely identification of these four heads is the four-fold division of the empire of Alexander the Great following his death. See note on Dan 8:8.

⁹ sn The powerful king mentioned here is Alexander the Great (ca. 336-323 B.C.).

¹⁰ tn Heb “and when he stands.”

¹¹ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.