Daniel 7:2

7:2 Daniel explained: ¹  “I was watching in my vision during the night as ²  the four winds of the sky ³  were stirring up the great sea. ⁴ 

Daniel 7:13

7:13 I was watching in the night visions,

“And with ⁵  the clouds of the sky ⁶ 

one like a son of man ⁷  was approaching.

He went up to the Ancient of Days

and was escorted ⁸  before him.

Daniel 7:5-7

7:5 “Then ⁹  a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs ¹⁰  in its mouth between its teeth. ¹¹  It was told, ¹²  ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’

7:6 “After these things, ¹³  as I was watching, another beast ¹⁴  like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. ¹⁵  This beast had four heads, ¹⁶  and ruling authority was given to it.

7:7 “After these things, as I was watching in the night visions ¹⁷  a fourth beast appeared – one dreadful, terrible, and very strong. ¹⁸  It had two large rows ¹⁹  of iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and anything that was left it trampled with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns.

[7:2]  ¹ tn Aram “answered and said.”

[7:2]  ² tn Aram “and behold.”

[7:2]  ³ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[7:2]  ⁴ sn The referent of the great sea is unclear. The common view that the expression refers to the Mediterranean Sea is conjectural.

[7:13]  ⁵ tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).

[7:13]  ⁶ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[7:13]  ⁷ sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.

[7:13]  ⁸ tn Aram “they brought him near.”

[7:5]  ⁹ tn Aram “and behold.”

[7:5]  ¹⁰ 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.

[7:5]  ¹¹ tc The LXX lacks the phrase “between its teeth.”

[7:5]  ¹² tn Aram “and thus they were saying to it.”

[7:6]  ¹³ tn Aram “this.” So also in v. 7.

[7:6]  ¹⁴ tn Aram “and behold, another one.”

[7:6]  ¹⁵ tn Or “sides.”

[7:6]  ¹⁶ 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.

[7:7]  ¹⁷ tn The Aramaic text has also “and behold.” So also in vv. 8, 13.

[7:7]  ¹⁸ sn The fourth animal differs from the others in that it is nondescript. Apparently it was so fearsome that Daniel could find nothing with which to compare it. Attempts to identify this animal as an elephant or other known creature are conjectural.

[7:7]  ¹⁹ tn The Aramaic word for “teeth” is dual rather than plural, suggesting two rows of teeth.