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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Daniel 7:3 Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/daniel/7-3.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/15/27_Dan_07_03.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Daniel 7:3 - Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:" /><script type="application/javascript" 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align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad3.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/daniel/7-2.htm" title="Daniel 7:2">◄</a> Daniel 7:3 <a href="/daniel/7-4.htm" title="Daniel 7:4">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/daniel/7.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/daniel/7.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/daniel/7.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Then four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/daniel/7.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/daniel/7.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/daniel/7.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/daniel/7.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/daniel/7.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/daniel/7.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/daniel/7.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/daniel/7.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/daniel/7.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />And four great beasts, each different from the other, were coming up out of the sea [in succession].<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/daniel/7.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/daniel/7.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.&#8221 <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/daniel/7.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/daniel/7.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />when suddenly four powerful beasts came out of the sea. Each beast was different. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/daniel/7.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/daniel/7.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Four large animals, each one different from the others, came out of the sea.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/daniel/7.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Four huge beasts came up out of the ocean, each one different from the others. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/daniel/7.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Four magnificent animals were rising from the sea, each different from the other. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/daniel/7.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/daniel/7.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Then four large beasts came up from the sea; they were different from one another. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/daniel/7.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Four great animals came up from the sea, different from one another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/daniel/7.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/daniel/7.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Four great animals came up from the sea, different from one another. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/daniel/7.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />and four great beasts are coming up from the sea, diverse from one another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/daniel/7.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> and four great beasts are coming up from the sea, diverse one from another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/daniel/7.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And four great beasts went up from the sea, different this from this.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/daniel/7.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And four great beasts, different one from another, came up out of the sea. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/daniel/7.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And four great beasts, different from one another, ascended from the sea.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/daniel/7.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />from which emerged four immense beasts, each different from the others.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/daniel/7.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/daniel/7.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />And four great beasts came up out of the sea, differing one from another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/daniel/7.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And four great beasts arose from the sea, and were different, each from the other<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/daniel/7.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/daniel/7.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And there came up four great beasts out of the sea, differing from one another.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/daniel/7-3.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/shUZJK-vYxI?start=2468" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/daniel/7.htm">Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">2</span>Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea. <span class="reftext">3</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/703.htm" title="703: wə·’ar·ba‘ (Conj-w:: Number-fs) -- Four. (Aramaic) corresponding to arba'.">Then four</a> <a href="/hebrew/7260.htm" title="7260: raḇ·rə·ḇān (Adj-fp) -- Very great things. (Aramaic) from rab; huge (in size); domineering (in character).">great</a> <a href="/hebrew/2423.htm" title="2423: ḥê·wān (N-fp) -- Beast. (Aramaic) from chaya'; an animal.">beasts</a> <a href="/hebrew/5559.htm" title="5559: sā·lə·qān (V-Qal-Prtcpl-fp) -- To ascend. (Aramaic) a primitive root; to ascend.">came up</a> <a href="/hebrew/4481.htm" title="4481: min- (Prep) -- From, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than. (Aramaic) corresponding to min.">out of</a> <a href="/hebrew/3221.htm" title="3221: yam·mā (N-msd) -- Sea. (Aramaic) corresponding to yam.">the sea,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1668.htm" title="1668: dā (Adj-fs) -- This. (Aramaic) corresponding to zeh; this.">each one</a> <a href="/hebrew/8133.htm" title="8133: šā·nə·yān (V-Qal-Prtcpl-fp) -- To change. (Aramaic) corresponding to shana.">different</a> <a href="/hebrew/4481.htm" title="4481: min- (Prep) -- From, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than. (Aramaic) corresponding to min.">from</a> <a href="/hebrew/1668.htm" title="1668: dā (Adj-fs) -- This. (Aramaic) corresponding to zeh; this.">the others:</a> </span><span class="reftext">4</span>The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and given the mind of a man.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/13-1.htm">Revelation 13:1-2</a></span><br />Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. / The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/17-8.htm">Revelation 17:8-12</a></span><br />The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be. / This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. / There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/2-31.htm">Daniel 2:31-45</a></span><br />As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome. / The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, / its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/12-3.htm">Revelation 12:3</a></span><br />Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/17-3.htm">Revelation 17:3</a></span><br />And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/27-1.htm">Isaiah 27:1</a></span><br />In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/1-5.htm">Ezekiel 1:5-10</a></span><br />and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form, / but each had four faces and four wings. / Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming like polished bronze. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/4-6.htm">Revelation 4:6-7</a></span><br />And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back. / The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/5-6.htm">Revelation 5:6</a></span><br />Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/13-1.htm">Isaiah 13:1-22</a></span><br />This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received: / Raise a banner on a barren hilltop; call aloud to them. Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles. / I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have even summoned My warriors to execute My wrath and exult in My triumph. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/51-34.htm">Jeremiah 51:34</a></span><br />“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies and vomited me out.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/13-7.htm">Hosea 13:7-8</a></span><br />So like a lion I will pounce on them; like a leopard I will lurk by the path. / Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will attack them, and I will tear open their chests. There I will devour them like a lion, like a wild beast tearing them apart.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/11-7.htm">Revelation 11:7</a></span><br />When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/19-19.htm">Revelation 19:19-20</a></span><br />Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. / But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/7-12.htm">Job 7:12</a></span><br />Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that You must keep me under guard?</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.</p><p class="hdg">four.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/daniel/7-17.htm">Daniel 7:17</a></b></br> These great beasts, which are four, <i>are</i> four kings, <i>which</i> shall arise out of the earth.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/daniel/2-32.htm">Daniel 2:32,33,37-40</a></b></br> This image's head <i>was</i> of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/zechariah/6-1.htm">Zechariah 6:1-8</a></b></br> And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains <i>were</i> mountains of brass… </p><p class="hdg">beasts.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/daniel/7-4.htm">Daniel 7:4-8,17</a></b></br> The first <i>was</i> 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… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/76-4.htm">Psalm 76:4</a></b></br> Thou <i>art</i> more glorious <i>and</i> excellent than the mountains of prey.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ezekiel/19-3.htm">Ezekiel 19:3-8</a></b></br> And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/daniel/5-21.htm">Animals</a> <a href="/daniel/4-32.htm">Beasts</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-34.htm">Different</a> <a href="/proverbs/20-23.htm">Diverse</a> <a href="/daniel/7-2.htm">Four</a> <a href="/daniel/7-2.htm">Great</a> <a href="/daniel/2-40.htm">Others</a> <a href="/daniel/7-2.htm">Sea</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/daniel/7-7.htm">Animals</a> <a href="/daniel/7-12.htm">Beasts</a> <a href="/daniel/7-23.htm">Different</a> <a href="/daniel/7-7.htm">Diverse</a> <a href="/daniel/7-6.htm">Four</a> <a href="/daniel/7-7.htm">Great</a> <a href="/daniel/7-19.htm">Others</a> <a href="/daniel/11-45.htm">Sea</a><div class="vheading2">Daniel 7</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/daniel/7-1.htm">Daniel's vision of the four beasts,</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/daniel/7-9.htm">and of God's kingdom.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">15. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/daniel/7-15.htm">The interpretation thereof.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/daniel/7.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/daniel/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/daniel/7.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Then four great beasts</b><br>The "four great beasts" symbolize four successive kingdoms that arise on the earth. This imagery is consistent with the biblical use of beasts to represent empires or nations, as seen in other prophetic books like Revelation. The use of "great" emphasizes their power and influence over the known world. These beasts are often interpreted as the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, aligning with the vision of the statue in <a href="/daniel/2.htm">Daniel 2</a>.<p><b>came up out of the sea</b><br>The "sea" in biblical prophecy often represents chaos, turmoil, and the masses of humanity (<a href="/isaiah/17-12.htm">Isaiah 17:12</a>, <a href="/revelation/17-15.htm">Revelation 17:15</a>). The emergence of these beasts from the sea suggests that these empires arise from a world of disorder and conflict. This imagery reflects the ancient Near Eastern view of the sea as a symbol of chaos and evil, which God alone can control (<a href="/psalms/89-9.htm">Psalm 89:9</a>).<p><b>each one different from the others</b><br>The phrase indicates the distinct characteristics and nature of each kingdom. While they share the commonality of being powerful empires, their differences highlight the unique attributes and historical contexts of each. This diversity can be seen in the varying forms of governance, culture, and impact on Israel and the world. The differences also point to the unfolding of God's sovereign plan through diverse means and rulers, ultimately leading to the establishment of His eternal kingdom.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/d/daniel.htm">Daniel</a></b><br>The prophet who receives the vision. He is a key figure in the Old Testament, known for his faithfulness to God amidst exile in Babylon.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/f/four_great_beasts.htm">Four Great Beasts</a></b><br>Symbolic creatures that emerge from the sea, representing kingdoms or empires. Each beast is distinct, signifying different characteristics and roles in history.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_sea.htm">The Sea</a></b><br>Often symbolizes chaos and the unknown in biblical literature. In this context, it represents the tumultuous nature of human kingdoms and their origins.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/u/understanding_symbolism.htm">Understanding Symbolism</a></b><br>The beasts symbolize earthly kingdoms. Recognizing the symbolic nature of biblical prophecy helps us discern God's message about the rise and fall of human powers.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty.htm">God's Sovereignty</a></b><br>Despite the chaos represented by the sea and the beasts, God remains in control. This encourages believers to trust in God's ultimate authority over world events.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/f/faithfulness_in_exile.htm">Faithfulness in Exile</a></b><br>Like Daniel, believers are called to remain faithful amidst worldly powers that may oppose God's kingdom.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/hope_in_god's_kingdom.htm">Hope in God's Kingdom</a></b><br>The temporary nature of earthly kingdoms contrasts with the eternal kingdom of God, offering hope and assurance to believers.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_daniel_7.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Daniel 7</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_the_beast_in_revelation.htm">What is the beast described in Revelation?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_soul_care.htm">Will there be no more sea?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_revelation_echo_past_apocalypses.htm">Why does the Book of Revelation use imagery and symbols that closely resemble earlier apocalyptic writings rather than unique divine revelation?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_revelation_mirror_roman_politics.htm">Why does the Book of Revelation reflect Roman politics more than actual future events?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/daniel/7.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(3) <span class= "bld">Four great beasts.--</span>The monstrous forms of the beasts are implied, rather than the hugeness of their size. Other instances of beasts being taken as emblems of kingdoms may be found in <a href="/isaiah/27-1.htm" title="In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.">Isaiah 27:1</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/29-3.htm" title="Speak, and say, Thus said the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the middle of his rivers, which has said, My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.">Ezekiel 29:3</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/32-2.htm" title="Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him, You are like a young lion of the nations, and you are as a whale in the seas: and you came forth with your rivers, and troubled the waters with your feet, and fouled their rivers.">Ezekiel 32:2</a>. It must be observed that the beasts do not rise up simultaneously, but in succession to each other. In this way, and in the difference of their character, they form a parallel to the subject-matter of the vision recorded in Daniel 2.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/daniel/7.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 3.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another</span>. The Septuagint rendering omits "great;" otherwise it is a closely accurate representation of the Massoretic text, save that the translator seems to have had, not <span class="hebrew">דא מןאּדּא</span>, but as in the Syriac, <span class="hebrew">חדא מן־חדא</span>, as he renders <span class="greek">ε{ν παρὰ τὸ ἕν</span>. Theodotion has <span class="greek">μεγάλα</span>, but does not so slavishly follow the Aramaic construction at the end. The Peshitta is very close to the Massoretic, save that in the last clause it agrees with the LXX. The number four is, in apocalyptic writings, significant of the world; "the four winds" mean the whole world. Here it is human history that is summed up in the four beasts. So in Zechariah we have "four horns" that symbolize the oppressors of the people of God (<a href="/daniel/1-18.htm">Daniel 1:18</a>; <a href="/daniel/2-1.htm">Daniel 2:1</a>). We have "four" chariots in the sixth chapter of Zechariah, which seem to be symbols of the same thing. <span class="accented">Beasts.</span> Animals of one sort or another are used of nations in the prophets; thus Egypt is symbolized in <a href="/isaiah/27.htm">Isaiah 27</a>, as "leviathan," presumably a crocodile (<a href="/isaiah/51-7.htm">Isaiah 51:7</a>), as "a dragon" in <a href="/ezekiel/29-3.htm">Ezekiel 29:3</a> Babylonia is figured as an eagle (<a href="/ezekiel/17-3.htm">Ezekiel 17:3</a>). Composite beings are used as symbols also, as Tyro is addressed as a '"covering cherub." In the Book of Revelation Rome is figured as a beast with seven heads and ten horns (<a href="/revelation/13-1.htm">Revelation 13:1</a>). In the Book of Enoch (85. - 90.) we find this figurative use of animals carried much further. Assyria and Babylonia and, following them, Persia made great use of composite, monstrous animal forms as symbols, not so much, however, of political as of spiritual powers. This distinction is the less important, that political events were regarded as the production of spiritual activity. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/daniel/7-3.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Then four</span><br /><span class="heb">וְאַרְבַּ֤ע</span> <span class="translit">(wə·’ar·ba‘)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Number - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_703.htm">Strong's 703: </a> </span><span class="str2">Four</span><br /><br /><span class="word">great</span><br /><span class="heb">רַבְרְבָ֔ן</span> <span class="translit">(raḇ·rə·ḇān)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - feminine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7260.htm">Strong's 7260: </a> </span><span class="str2">Very great things </span><br /><br /><span class="word">beasts</span><br /><span class="heb">חֵיוָן֙</span> <span class="translit">(ḥê·wān)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2423.htm">Strong's 2423: </a> </span><span class="str2">An animal</span><br /><br /><span class="word">came up</span><br /><span class="heb">סָלְקָ֖ן</span> <span class="translit">(sā·lə·qān)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5559.htm">Strong's 5559: </a> </span><span class="str2">To ascend</span><br /><br /><span class="word">out of</span><br /><span class="heb">מִן־</span> <span class="translit">(min-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4481.htm">Strong's 4481: </a> </span><span class="str2">From, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the sea,</span><br /><span class="heb">יַמָּ֑א</span> <span class="translit">(yam·mā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular determinate<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3221.htm">Strong's 3221: </a> </span><span class="str2">A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin</span><br /><br /><span class="word">each</span><br /><span class="heb">דָּ֥א</span> <span class="translit">(dā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1668.htm">Strong's 1668: </a> </span><span class="str2">This</span><br /><br /><span class="word">different</span><br /><span class="heb">שָׁנְיָ֖ן</span> <span class="translit">(šā·nə·yān)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8133.htm">Strong's 8133: </a> </span><span class="str2">To change</span><br /><br /><span class="word">from</span><br /><span class="heb">מִן־</span> <span class="translit">(min-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4481.htm">Strong's 4481: </a> </span><span class="str2">From, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the others.</span><br /><span class="heb">דָּֽא׃</span> <span class="translit">(dā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1668.htm">Strong's 1668: </a> </span><span class="str2">This</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/daniel/7-3.htm">Daniel 7:3 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/daniel/7-3.htm">OT Prophets: Daniel 7:3 Four great animals came up (Dan. 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