Daniel 7:3-4

7:3 Then four large beasts came up from the sea; they were different from one another.

7:4 “The first one was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off and it was lifted up from the ground. It was made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind ¹  was given to it. ² 

Daniel 2:37-40

Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2:37 “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 2:38 Wherever human beings, ³  wild animals, ⁴  and birds of the sky live – he has given them into your power. ⁵  He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold. 2:39 Now after you another kingdom ⁶  will arise, one inferior to yours. Then a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth. 2:40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces ⁷  all of these metals, ⁸  so it will break in pieces and crush the others. ⁹ 

Daniel 8:19-22

8:19 Then he said, “I am going to inform you about what will happen in the latter time of wrath, for the vision ¹⁰  pertains to the appointed time of the end. 8:20 The ram that you saw with the two horns stands for the kings of Media and Persia. 8:21 The male goat ¹¹  is the king of Greece, ¹²  and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. 8:22 The horn that was broken ¹³  and in whose place there arose four others stands for four kingdoms that will arise from his nation, though they will not have his strength.

[7:4]  ¹ tn Aram “heart of a man.”

[7:4]  ² sn The identity of the first animal, derived from v. 17 and the parallels in chap. 2, is Babylon. The reference to the plucking of its wings is probably a reference to the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity (cf. chap. 4). The latter part of v. 4 then describes the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar. The other animals have traditionally been understood to represent respectively Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, although most of modern scholarship identifies them as Media, Persia, and Greece. For a biblical parallel to the mention of lion, bear, and leopard together, see Hos 13:7-8.

[2:38]  ³ tn Aram “the sons of man.”

[2:38]  ⁴ tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

[2:38]  ⁵ tn Aram “hand.”

[2:39]  ⁶ sn The identity of the first kingdom is clearly Babylon. The identification of the following three kingdoms is disputed. The common view is that they represent Media, Persia, and Greece. Most conservative scholars identify them as Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

[2:40]  ⁷ tc Theodotion and the Vulgate lack the phrase “and as iron breaks in pieces.”

[2:40]  ⁸ tn The Aramaic text does not have this word, but it has been added in the translation for clarity.

[2:40]  ⁹ tn The words “the others” are supplied from the context.

[8:19]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew text does not actually state the referent (the vision Daniel saw in vv. 8-12; cf. also v. 13), which has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some Greek witnesses add “the vision” here.

[8:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the he-goat, the buck.” The expression is odd, and the second word may be an explanatory gloss.

[8:21]  ¹² tn Heb “Javan.”

[8:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “the broken one.” The word “horn” has been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.