The Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9 - Lesson #208

1. Wenstrom Bible MinistriesMarion, IowaPastor-Teacher Bill Wenstromwww.wenstrom.org

2. Thursday May 9, 2013Daniel: Daniel 7:9-Daniel Describes the Ancient of DaysLesson # 208

3. Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 7:1.

4. Daniel 7:1 During Belshazzar’s, Babylon’s king, first year, Daniel saw a dream specifically visions in his mind on his bed. Then, he wrote down the dream. He declares the beginning of the account. 2 Daniel began to speak and said, “I was in a trance like state, staring because of my vision during the night as behold the heaven’s four winds were blowing violently against the great sea.

5. 3 Then, four great beasts, one different from the other, came up out from the sea. 4 The first beast was like a lion with eagle’s wings attached to it. I was in a trance like state staring when its wings were torn off. Then it was lifted up from the ground for the purpose of it standing on two feet like a human being. A human mind was also given to it.

6. 5 Next, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear with it raised up to one side with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. Then, they issued orders to it, ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ 6 After this, I was staring in a trance like state as behold, another one, was like a leopard with it having four bird’s wings on its back. Also, the beast had four heads. Indeed, governmental dominion was given to it.

7. 7 After this, I was continuing to stare in a trance like state because of these night visions as behold, a fourth beast, intimidating, yes even terrifying as well as extremely powerful, possessing two large rows of iron teeth. It devoured as well as crushed. Specifically, it violently crushed the rest with its feet. Indeed, it was characterized as different from all the beasts which were before it in the sense of possessing ten horns.

8. 8 I was contemplating in a trance like state because of these horns as behold, another little horn emerged out from among them. Then, the first three originating from the horns was torn out by being in the presence of it. In fact, behold, on this horn, were eyes like a human being’s eyes as well as a mouth speaking boastfully.” (My translation)

9. Daniel 7:9 “I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire.” (NASB95)

10. Daniel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of “asyndeton” because He wants the reader to dwell upon this statement which records the appearance of the Ancient of Days on His throne in heaven.

11. So the Holy Spirit employs this figure in order that the reader might understand that God is sovereign over the four great Gentile world-empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, which are represented by the lion, bear, leopard and a non-descript beast.

12. “I kept looking” refers to Daniel looking at the Ancient of Days on His throne with studious attention and with open mouth wonder and amazement.

13. It denotes Daniel’s trance like state when he saw the Ancient of Days appear and sat on His throne in the third heaven.

14. “Until thrones were set up” is composed of the preposition ʿǎḏ (עַד) (ad) which is followed by the particle dî (דִּי) (dee), which together are translated “until” and then we have the feminine plural form of the noun kār·sē(ʾ) (כָּרְסֵא) (kor-say´), “thrones” which is followed by the third person masculine plural peʿil (Hebrew: qal passive) perfect form of the verb remā(h) (רְמָה) (rem-aw´), “set up.”

15. The noun kār·sē(ʾ) is in the plural and means “thrones” referring to a piece of furniture which kings sit on in their royal court when conducting governmental affairs.

16. One of these thrones was for the Ancient of Days who is the Father.

17. This word is the object of the preposition ʿǎḏ which is employed with the particle dî which together mean “while” since they function as a marker of attendant circumstance.

18. This indicates that Daniel continued to stare in a trance like state “when” or “as” thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days took His seat on His throne.

19. “The Ancient of Days” is composed of the masculine singular construct form of the adjective ʿǎt·tîq (עַתִּיק) (at-teek´), “the Ancient of” which is modifying the masculine plural form of the noun yôm (יוֹם) (yome), “Days.”

20. The adjective ʿǎt·tîq means “ancient” in the sense of existing for many years describing someone who has the qualities of age or long existence.

21. The adjective ʿǎt·tîq functions as a substantive meaning “the ancient or advanced one” and is modifying the masculine plural form of the noun yôm, which means “days” referring to an indefinite period of days.

22. This expression literally means “one ancient or advanced in days,” or we could render it simply “the one ancient or advanced in days” or “the Ancient of Days.”

23. Once again, Daniel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of “asyndeton” because the Holy Spirit wants the reader to dwell upon the description of the One Ancient in Days, i.e. the Father since it speaks of His holiness or moral purity.

24. “His vesture was like white snow” is composed of the masculine singular construct form of the noun leḇûš (לְבוּשׁ) (leb-oosh´), “vesture,” which is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ) (הוּא) (who), “His” and then we have the preposition k- (כְּ־) (kee) “like” and its object is the masculine singular noun telǎḡ (תְּלַג) (tel-ag´), “snow” which is followed by the masculine singular adjective ḥiw·wār (חִוָּר) (khiv-vawr´), “white.”

25. The noun leḇûš means “vesture, attire, clothing, garments” referring to a generic term for the clothing the One Ancient in Days was wearing as He sat on His throne in heaven.

26. The adjective ḥiw·wār means “white” and the noun telǎḡ means “snow” and is the object of the preposition k-, which means “like” since it is functioning as a marker of comparison indicating it is comparing the white clothing of the One Ancient in Days to that of the color of snow.

27. “The hair of His head like pure wool” is composed of the masculine singular construct form of the noun śeʿǎr (שְׂעַר) (seh-ar´), “the hair of” and then we have the masculine singular construct form of the noun rē(ʾ)š (רֵאשׁ) (raysh), “head” which is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ) (הוּא) (who), “His” and then we have the preposition k- (כְּ־) (kee) “like” and its object is the masculine singular noun ʿǎmǎr (עֲמַר) (am-ar´), “wool” which is modified by the masculine singular adjective neqē(ʾ) (נְקֵא) (nek-ay´), “pure.”

28. The noun ʿǎmǎr means “wool” referring to the hair of a fleece or sheep or goats and the adjective neqē(ʾ) means “lamb’s” rather than “pure.”

29. The noun ʿǎmǎr is the object of the preposition k-, which again functions as a marker of comparison marking a comparison between the hair of the head of the One Ancient in Days and the wool of lamb.

30. Daniel once again under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of “asyndeton” because the Holy Spirit wants the reader to dwell upon the description of the One Ancient in Days, i.e. the Father since it is symbolic that He is the Judge of every creature.

31. “His throne was ablaze with flames” is composed of the masculine singular form of the noun kār·sē(ʾ) (כָּרְסֵא) (kor-say´), “throne” which is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ) (הוּא) (who), “His” and then we have the masculine plural form of the noun šeḇîḇ (שְׁבִיב) (seb-eeb´), “ablaze” which is followed by the particle dî (דִּי) (dee), “with” and this is followed by the masculine singular noun nûr (נוּר) (noor), “flames.”

32. The noun šeḇîḇ is in the plural and means “flames,” i.e. the part above the coals or base of a fire which flash brightly.

33. The particle dî is a marker to show the genitive relationship between the noun šeḇîḇ, “flames” and the noun nûr, “fire.”

34. It is an attributive genitive which denotes that the throne of the Ancient of Days was “fiery flames.”

35. Again, Daniel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing again the figure of “asyndeton” because the Holy Spirit wants the reader to dwell upon the description of the throne of the Ancient of Days, i.e. the Father since it is symbolic that He is the Judge of every creature.

36. “Its wheels were a burning fire” is composed of the masculine plural construct form of the noun gǎl·gǎl (גַּלְגַּל) (gal-gal´), “wheels” which is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ) (הוּא) (who), “its” and then once again we have the masculine singular noun nûr (נוּר) (noor), “a fire” which is followed by the masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active participle form of the verb delǎq (דְּלַק) (del-ak´), “burning.”

37. The noun gǎl·gǎl means “wheels” referring to a spinning instrument for scattering fire over the earth.

38. Again, we have the noun nûr, “fire” which this time is modified by the attributive participle form of the verb delǎq, which means “burning, blazing.”

39. Daniel 7:9 “I was continuing to stare in a trance like state when thrones were set up. Then, the One Ancient in Days sat. His clothing was white like snow. Also, the hair of His head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was fiery flames. Its wheels were a blazing fire.” (My translation)

40. After describing four great beasts in verses 1-8, which represent the world-empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, the scene shifts in verse 9 where Daniel describes the Father as sitting on His throne in judgment.

41. This indicates that despite the ferocity of these four great world-empires, the Father is sovereign over all of them.

42. This scene in verse 9 reminds the reader that God is still sovereign over the nations of the earth.

43. In fact, He has permitted these four great world-empires to appear in the pages of history.

44. Also, this verse is reminder to the reader that the little horn which speaks of the Antichrist who will rule the final form of the Roman Empire during Daniel’s Seventieth Week is also under the sovereign authority of God.

45. He will be permitted to come to world-power because the Father has sovereignly decided that he will do so.

46. Therefore, we can see that Daniel 7:9 serves as an encouragement to God’s people during the Times of the Gentiles, which will come to an end at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

47. God’s wants His people during the dispensations which take place during the Times of the Gentiles to know for certain that He is in control and that none of these tyrannical empires and their rulers can rule without His say so.

48. As applied to God, the term “sovereignty” indicates His complete power over all of creation, so that He exercises His will absolutely, without any necessary conditioning by a finite will or wills (cf. Daniel 2:19-23; Isaiah 40:15, 17)

49. “The One Ancient in Days” is a reference to the Father and appears only in the book of Daniel (7:9, 12, 22) and is not intended to suggest that God ages.

50. Instead it expresses the qualities of wisdom and venerability which one who is advanced in days would possess.