1 In the first yeere of Belshazzar King of Babel, Daniel sawe a dreame, and there were visions in his head, vpon his bed: then he wrote the dreame, and declared the summe of the matter. 2 Daniel spake and saide, I sawe in my vision by night, and behold, the foure windes of the heauen stroue vpon the great sea: 3 And foure great beastes came vp from the sea one diuers from another. 4 The first was as a lyon, and had eagles wings: I beheld, til the wings thereof were pluckt of, and it was lifted vp from the earth, and set vpon his feete as a man, and a mans heart was giuen him. 5 And beholde, another beast which was the second, was like a beare and stood vpon the one side: and hee had three ribbes in his mouth betweene his teeth, and they saide thus vnto him, Arise and deuoure much flesh. 6 After this I behelde, and loe, there was an other like a leopard, which had vpon his backe foure wings of a foule: the beast had also foure heads, and dominion was giuen him. 7 After this I saw in the visions by night, and beholde, the fourth beast was fearefull and terrible and very strong. It had great yron teeth: it deuoured and brake in pieces and stamped the residue vnder his feete: and it was vnlike to the beasts that were before it: for it had ten hornes. 8 As I considered the hornes, beholde, there came vp among them another litle horne, before whome there were three of the first hornes pluckt away: and behold, in this horne were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking presumptuous things. 9 I behelde, till the thrones were set vp, and the Ancient of dayes did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the heare of his head like the pure wooll: his throne was like the fierie flame, and his wheeles as burning fire. 10 A fierie streame yssued, and came foorth from before him: thousand thousandes ministred vnto him, and tenne thousand thousands stoode before him: the iudgement was set, and the bookes opened. 11 Then I behelde, because of the voyce of the presumptuous wordes, which the horne spake: I behelde, euen till the beast was slaine, and his body destroyed, and giuen to the burning fire. 12 As concerning the other beastes, they had taken away their dominion: yet their liues were prolonged for a certaine time and season. 13 As I behelde in visions by night, behold, one like the sonne of man came in the cloudes of heauen, and approched vnto the Ancient of dayes, and they brought him before him. 14 And he gaue him dominion, and honour, and a kingdome, that all people, nations and languages should serue him: his dominion is an euerlasting dominion, which shall neuer bee taken away: and his kingdome shall neuer be destroyed. 15 I Daniel was troubled in my spirit, in the middes of my body, and the visions of mine head made me afraide. 16 Therefore I came vnto one of them that stoode by, and asked him the trueth of all this: so he tolde me, and shewed me the interpretation of these things. 17 These great beastes which are foure, are foure Kings, which shall arise out of the earth, 18 And they shall take the kingdome of the Saintes of the most High, and possesse the kingdome for euer, euen for euer and euer. 19 After this, I woulde knowe the trueth of the fourth beast, which was so vnlike to all the others, very fearefull, whose teeth were of yron, and his nailes of brasse: which deuoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue vnder his feete. 20 Also to know of the tenne hornes that were in his head, and of the other which came vp, before whome three fell, and of the horne that had eyes, and of the mouth that spake presumptuous thinges, whose looke was more stoute then his fellowes. 21 I beheld, and the same horne made battel against the Saintes, yea, and preuailed against them, 22 Vntill the Ancient of dayes came, and iudgement was giuen to the Saintes of the most High: and the time approched, that the Saintes possessed the kingdome. 23 Then he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdome in the earth, which shall be vnlike to all the kingdomes, and shall deuoure the whole earth, and shall treade it downe and breake it in pieces. 24 And the ten hornes out of this kingdome are tenne Kings that shall rise: and an other shall rise after them, and he shall be vnlike to the first, and he shall subdue three Kings, 25 And shall speake wordes against the most High, and shall consume the Saintes of the most High, and thinke that he may change times and lawes, and they shalbe giuen into his hand, vntill a time, and times and the deuiding of time. 26 But the iudgement shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it vnto the ende. 27 And the kingdome, and dominion, and the greatnesse of the kingdome vnder the whole heauen shalbe giue to the holy people of the most High, whose kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome and all powers shall serue and obey him. 28 Euen this is the ende of the matter, I Daniel had many cogitations which troubled mee, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in mine heart.
Daniel 7 Geneva Bible (1599)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Original 16th-century spelling.
Cross references (28)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Daniel 5:1; Jeremiah 23:28; Amos 3:7; Daniel 4:5; Daniel 1:17
- 2 Revelation 7:1; Revelation 17:15
- 3 Revelation 13:1; Daniel 7:17; Daniel 2:32–33; Daniel 7:4–8; Ezekiel 19:3–8
- 4 Jeremiah 4:7; Isaiah 14:13–17; Daniel 5:18–23; Ezekiel 17:3; Habakkuk 1:6–8
- 5 Daniel 2:39; Jeremiah 50:21–32; Hosea 13:8; 2 Kings 2:24; Isaiah 13:17–18
- 6 Revelation 13:2; Daniel 11:3–20; Daniel 8:20–22; Daniel 2:39; Hosea 13:7
- 7 Revelation 13:1; Revelation 12:3; Revelation 17:12; Daniel 7:23–24; Daniel 7:19–20
- 8 Revelation 13:5–6; Revelation 13:1; Psalm 12:3; Revelation 13:11–13; Revelation 9:7
- 9 Revelation 1:14; Mark 9:3; Daniel 7:13; Matthew 17:2; Daniel 7:22
- 10 Isaiah 30:27; Deuteronomy 33:2; Revelation 20:11–15; Psalm 50:3; Revelation 5:11
- 11 Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10; Daniel 7:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 18:8
- 12 Daniel 8:7
- 13 Matthew 26:64; Revelation 1:7; Luke 21:27; Revelation 14:14; Matthew 24:30
- 14 Revelation 11:15; Daniel 7:27; Daniel 2:44; John 3:35; 1 Corinthians 15:24–28
- 15 Daniel 7:28; Jeremiah 17:16; Romans 9:2–3; 2 Peter 1:14; Daniel 2:1
- 16 Revelation 7:13–14; Zechariah 2:3; Daniel 7:10; Revelation 5:5; Daniel 12:5–6
- 17 Revelation 13:11; Daniel 7:3–4; Psalm 17:14; John 18:36; Revelation 13:1
- 18 Daniel 7:27; Isaiah 60:12–14; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:4; Revelation 2:26–27
- 19 Daniel 7:7; Daniel 2:40–43
- 20 Daniel 7:8; Daniel 7:23; Daniel 7:11; Daniel 8:9–11; Daniel 11:36–37
- 21 Daniel 12:7; Revelation 17:14; Daniel 8:24; Revelation 13:5–18; Revelation 12:3–4
- 22 Daniel 7:18; Revelation 20:4; Revelation 5:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 14:8–20
- 23 Daniel 7:7; Daniel 2:40; Luke 2:1
- 24 Daniel 7:20; Daniel 11:36; Revelation 13:1; Revelation 17:3; Revelation 17:16–18
- 25 Daniel 12:7; Revelation 12:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:5–11; Revelation 12:6
- 26 Revelation 20:10–11; Revelation 11:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Daniel 7:10–11; Daniel 7:22
- 27 Psalm 72:11; Revelation 11:15; Luke 1:33; Daniel 7:14; Psalm 22:27
- 28 Luke 2:19; Luke 2:51; Daniel 4:19; Daniel 7:15; Daniel 12:9
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For the Scripture saith, "Ten thousand times ten thousand stood around Him, and thousands of thousands ministered unto Him, and cried, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the Lord of Sabaoth; the whole creation is full of His glory." And let us therefore, conscientiously gathering together in harmony, cry to Him earnestly, as with one mouth, that we may be made partakers …
The Lord, strong and mighty." And how also He should come again out of heaven with glory, hear what was spoken in reference to this by the prophet Jeremiah. His words are: "Behold, as the Son of man He cometh in the clouds of heaven, and His angels with Him." Chapter LII — Certain fulfilment of prophecy Since, then, we …
And then, again, since there are many, yea, innumerable angels who surround the Creator, as all the prophets acknowledge,--[saying, for instance,] "Ten thousand times ten thousand stood beside Him, and many thousands of thousands ministered unto Him," --then, according to them, the angels of the Pleroma will have as images the angels of the Creator, and the entire creation remains …
… king, who is recognized as Antichrist, and after this the eternal kingdom of the Son of man, that is to say, of Christ, he says, "My spirit was terrified, I Daniel in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me," etc.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… learned them out of the divine Scriptures used in the Church, and chiefly from the prophecy of Daniel just now read; as Gabriel also the Archangel interpreted it, speaking thus: The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall surpass all kingdoms.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)