Daniel 7:3

And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

And four {H703} great {H7260} beasts {H2423} came up {H5559} from {H4481} the sea {H3221}, diverse {H8133} one {H1668} from {H4481} another {H1668}.

and four huge animals came up out of the sea, each different from the others.

Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:

And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

Daniel 7:3 introduces a pivotal prophetic vision given to the prophet Daniel, setting the stage for one of the Bible's most significant apocalyptic passages. This verse describes the emergence of "four great beasts" from "the sea," each distinct from the others.

Context of Daniel 7:3

This verse is the very beginning of Daniel's night vision, which he received during the first year of Belshazzar's reign in Babylon, likely around 553 BC. This vision runs parallel to and expands upon King Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great statue in Daniel 2, both outlining the succession of world empires. While Daniel 2 presented these kingdoms as a magnificent, albeit declining, human-made image, Daniel 7 portrays them as wild, predatory beasts, emphasizing their destructive and oppressive nature from God's perspective.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Prophetic Revelation: Daniel 7:3 immediately signals that God is revealing future events concerning world history and His ultimate plan. This vision underscores God's sovereignty over earthly kingdoms.
  • The Origin from "The Sea": The "sea" (Hebrew: yam) in prophetic literature often symbolizes the tumultuous masses of humanity, the nations, or chaos. Their emergence from the sea suggests that these empires arise from the restless and often chaotic affairs of human society, not from divine order. This imagery is echoed in Revelation 17:15, where "waters" are explained as peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
  • Four Great Beasts: These beasts represent four successive global empires that would dominate the world stage. Their "great" stature indicates their immense power and influence. The subsequent verses in Daniel 7 describe each beast in detail, typically identified by commentators as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
  • Diverse One from Another: The phrase "diverse one from another" highlights that while all are powerful and predatory, each empire would possess unique characteristics, methods of rule, and spheres of influence, distinguishing them from their predecessors. This diversity is elaborated upon in the specific descriptions of the lion, bear, leopard, and the dreadful fourth beast.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "beasts" (ḥēyvān) refers to wild, untamed animals, distinct from domesticated ones. This choice of word emphasizes the brutal, aggressive, and often inhuman nature of these worldly powers. The term for "sea" (yam) is a common biblical metaphor for the restless, ungodly nations or the deep, chaotic abyss, contrasting with the stability of God's heavenly realm.

Practical Application and Reflection

Daniel 7:3 reminds us that human history, despite its apparent chaos and the rise and fall of powerful empires, is unfolding according to God's sovereign plan. Even the most formidable earthly powers are temporary and ultimately accountable to God. For believers, this verse offers comfort and hope, knowing that while earthly kingdoms are characterized by beastly attributes and will eventually pass away, God's eternal kingdom will ultimately prevail, as seen later in Daniel 7:14 where the Son of Man receives an everlasting dominion. It encourages us to place our ultimate trust not in human governments or powers, but in the unchanging kingdom of God.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, 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. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 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.

  • Daniel 7:17

    These great beasts, which are four, [are] four kings, [which] shall arise out of the earth.

  • Daniel 2:32

    This image's head [was] of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

  • Daniel 2:33

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

  • Daniel 7:4

    The first [was] like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

  • Daniel 7:8

    I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

  • Psalms 76:4

    Thou [art] more glorious [and] excellent than the mountains of prey.
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