Daniel 2:41

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

And whereas thou sawest {H2370} the feet {H7271} and toes {H677}, part {H4481} of potters {H6353}' clay {H2635}, and part {H4481} of iron {H6523}, the kingdom {H4437} shall be {H1934} divided {H6386}; but {H4481} there shall be {H1934} in it of {H4481} the strength {H5326} of the iron {H6523}, forasmuch as {H3606}{H6903} thou sawest {H2370} the iron {H6523} mixed {H6151} with miry {H2917} clay {H2635}.

Finally, you saw the feet and toes made partly of pottery clay and partly of iron; this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the firmness of iron, since you saw the iron mixed with clay from the ground.

And just as you saw that the feet and toes were made partly of fired clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom, yet some of the strength of iron will be in it—just as you saw the iron mixed with clay.

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

Commentary

Context

Daniel 2:41 is a crucial part of the prophet Daniel's interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream. The dream, detailed in Daniel 2:31-33, featured a magnificent statue made of various materials: a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet and toes of iron and clay. Each part symbolized a successive world empire. This particular verse focuses on the final stage of the fourth kingdom, which is represented by the iron legs and extends into the feet and toes composed of a mixture.

Key Themes

  • The Divided Kingdom: This verse explicitly states that the kingdom symbolized by the feet and toes "shall be divided." Unlike the previous unified empires, this final manifestation of power will be fragmented, lacking cohesion.
  • Mixture of Strength and Weakness: The combination of "iron" and "potters' clay" is central. Iron represents strength, durability, and perhaps military power, as seen in the description of the iron kingdom in Daniel 2:40. However, clay is brittle and weak. The imagery powerfully conveys that these two materials do not naturally fuse; they cannot truly integrate, leading to inherent instability.
  • Inherent Instability: Despite the presence of iron's strength, the mixture with clay ensures that the kingdom will not hold together cohesively. This foreshadows a state that is powerful in some respects but fundamentally fragile and prone to internal discord.

Linguistic Insights

The KJV phrase "miry clay" emphasizes the common, unstable nature of the clay. In the original Aramaic, the term for "clay" (חֲסַף - chasaph) denotes baked clay or pottery. The phrase "mixed with miry clay" (מְעָרַב בְּטִין חֲסַף - m'arav b'tin chasaph) highlights the incompatibility. Iron and clay cannot truly bond on a molecular level; they can be combined but not integrated into a unified, strong structure. This inability to cleave together is further elaborated in Daniel 2:43.

Prophetic Significance

The feet and toes of iron and clay are widely interpreted as representing the final form of gentile world power before the establishment of God's eternal kingdom. This divided nature suggests a period characterized by both strong, authoritative elements and weak, brittle components, which will not effectively unite. The ultimate fate of this kingdom is its destruction by a "stone cut out without hands," symbolizing God's divine intervention and the establishment of His everlasting dominion, as prophesied in Daniel 2:44.

Practical Application

Daniel 2:41 reminds us of God's sovereign control over human history and empires. Even the most powerful earthly kingdoms, no matter how strong they appear, contain inherent weaknesses and are ultimately temporary. This prophecy offers comfort and hope, assuring believers that despite the rise and fall of human governments and the instability of worldly powers, God's plan is unfolding, leading to the establishment of His perfect and eternal kingdom. It encourages a focus on the enduring spiritual realities rather than the transient nature of earthly authority.

Note: Commentary was generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please remember that only the commentary section is AI-generated. The main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are sourced from trusted and verified materials.
Daniel: A Man of Uncompromising Integrity Daniel in the Court of Nebuchadnezzar An Introduction to Daniel: God's Sovereignty Over History Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of the Great Statue Lessons in Integrity from the Life of Daniel

Cross-References

  • Revelation 17:12

    And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

  • Daniel 7:24

    And the ten horns out of this kingdom [are] ten kings [that] shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

  • Revelation 12:3

    And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

  • Daniel 2:33

    His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

  • Daniel 2:35

    Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

  • Daniel 7:7

    After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had ten horns.

  • Revelation 13:1

    ¶ And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
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