Wenstrom Bible Ministries Marion, Iowa Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom wenstrom

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

2. Wednesday May 29, 2013Daniel: Daniel 7:17-The Four Great Beasts Represent Four Kings Arising From the Earth’s InhabitantsLesson # 216

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.

9. 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.

10. 10 A river composed of fire was flowing, yes issuing forth from His presence. A thousand times a thousand were continually rendering worshipful service to Him. In fact, ten thousand times ten thousand were continually standing in His presence. The court convened resulting in scrolls being opened.

11. 11 I was continuing to stare in a trance like state at that time because of the sound coming from the boastful words which the horn was making a habit of speaking. I was continuing to stare in a trance like state when the beast was killed. In fact, its body was destroyed. Specifically, it was given over to the consuming fire.

12. 12 On the other hand, the rest of the beasts, their governmental dominion was taken away, though for their benefit an extension of life was granted for a period of time, yes an appointed period of time. 13 I was continuing to stare in a trance like state because of these visions as behold One like a Son of Man was coming upon the clouds of heaven. Specifically, He went up to the One Ancient in Days in the sense that He approached His presence.

13. 14 Then, governmental dominion was given to Him as well as honor and in addition sovereignty in order that each and every person belonging to the nations, ethnicities as well as language groups would serve Him. His governmental dominion is an eternal governmental dominion which can never be taken away so that His kingdom is one which can never be destroyed.

14. 15 As for me, Daniel, my soul was distressed in the midst of my body. Specifically, the visions in my mind caused me to be terrified. 16 I went up to one from those standing nearby in order to request from him the truth regarding all this. Consequently, he spoke to me in order to make known to me the interpretation of these events.” (Author’s translation)

15. Daniel 7:17 “‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.’” (NASB95)

16. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Daniel is employing the figure of “asyndeton” in order to mark a transition from Daniel’s request for an interpretation from the unidentified individual in the vision to this individual providing Daniel the vision’s interpretation.

17. “These great beasts” is composed of the plural form of the demonstrative pronoun ʾil∙lên (אִלֵּין) (il-lane´), “these” which is modifying the feminine plural form of the noun ḥê∙wā(h) (חֵיוָה) (khay-vaw´), “beasts” which is modified by the masculine singular adjective rǎḇ (רַב) (rab), “great.”

18. The noun ḥê∙wā(h) is in the plural and means “beasts, wild animals” in contrast to domesticated animals.

19. This noun is modified by the adjective rǎḇ, which means “great” in size and describes the immense size of the four beasts coming up out of the great sea in Daniel’s vision.

20. It denotes that these four beasts made a great impression on Daniel as evidenced by his desire to understand the meaning of these four beasts and in particular the last one.

21. This adjective describes the immense size of the four beasts as having the power to incite awe in Daniel.

22. The noun ḥê∙wā(h) is also modified by the demonstrative pronoun ʾil∙lên, which means “these” and is anaphoric pointing back to the four beasts described in the vision in Daniel 7:2-14.

23. “Which are four in number” is composed of the plural form of the particle dî (דִּי) (dee), “which” and then we have the third person feminine plural form of the pronoun ʾin·nûn (אִנּוּן) (in-noon´), which is not translated and followed by the masculine singular number ʾǎr∙bǎʿ (אַרְבַּע) (ar-bah´), “four.”

24. The particle dî means “which” since it functions as a relative pronoun referring to the four beasts in the vision.

25. The third person feminine plural form of the pronoun ʾin·nûn means “are” since it functions as a copula and is an informal marker joining the particle dî and the cardinal number ʾǎr∙bǎʿ, “four.”

26. The cardinal number ʾǎr∙bǎʿ, “four” functions as the predicate meaning that it is making the assertion that the great beasts in the vision were four in number.

27. “Four kings who will arise from the earth” is composed of the masculine singular number ʾǎr∙bǎʿ (אַרְבַּע) (ar-bah´), “four” which is modifying the masculine plural form of the noun mě∙lěḵ (מֶלֶךְ) (meh´-lek), “kings” and then we have the third person masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active imperfect form of the verb qûm (קוּם) (koom), “will arise” and then we have the preposition min (מִן) (min), “from” and its object is the feminine singular noun ʾǎrǎʿ (אֲרַע) (ar-ah´), “the earth.”

28. The plural form of the noun mě∙lěḵ means “kings” and is modified by the cardinal number ʾǎr∙bǎʿ, “four.”

29. Together, they refer to the four great beasts which appear in Daniel’s vision as recorded in Daniel 7:2-14.

30. The verb qûm means “to arise” in the sense of these four kings arising from the earth in the sense of emerging out from the human race or appearing in history.

31. The noun ʾǎrǎʿ means “ground, dirt, soil” but we have the figure of metonymy were the earth is put for the inhabitants of the earth.

32. These kingdoms do not arise out of the earth itself of course but from the inhabitants of the earth.

33. The noun ʾǎrǎʿ is the object of the preposition min, which is a marker of source indicating that these four kingdoms will arise “from” the inhabitants of the earth “as a source.”

34. Daniel 7:17 “These great beasts which are four in number are four kings who will arise from the earth’s inhabitants.” (My translation)

35. We must remember that the ancient Orientals regarded kings and kingdoms synonymously, which is made clear to the reader in Daniel 7:23 which records the angel telling Daniel that the fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth.

36. He does this after telling him here in Daniel 7:17 that the four great beasts represent four kings.

37. Thus, a comparison of these two verses supports the idea that in the mind of Daniel, kings and kingdoms were synonymous.

38. The interpreter’s statements in Daniel 7:17-18 serve as a summary interpretation of the vision, or in other words, they summarize the interpretation for Daniel.

39. Then, in Daniel 7:19-27, in response to Daniel’s request, Gabriel gives more details regarding the fourth beast and the significance of the ten horns and the identity of the little horn.

40. In Scripture, heathen nations are often depicted by wild beasts in order to express the animal like character of these nations which are unregenerate and deceived by sin and Satan.

41. Here in Daniel chapter seven the Holy Spirit is depicting the unregenerate heathen nations as wild animals in order to convey to the reader God’s viewpoint of these nations.

42. Some critics of the Scriptures argue that the statement in Daniel 7:17 that these four beasts represents four kings contradicts the statement in Daniel 7:2 that these beasts come up out from the great sea.

43. The “great sea” in Daniel 7:2 has a figurative sense referring to the heathen nations of the earth whereas here in Daniel 7:17, the interpreter mentions these four great beasts will arise from the earth, which as we noted contains the figure of metonymy where the earth is put for its inhabitants.

44. Therefore, there is no contradiction since “will arise from the earth” in Daniel 7:17 and “came up out from the sea” in Daniel 7:2 are both describing these four kingdoms, symbolized by the four beasts, as arising out from the inhabitants of the earth formed into different national entities.

45. What is symbolic in Daniel 7:2 is literal in Daniel 7:17.

46. This means that the great sea in Daniel 7:2 is symbolic of the inhabitants of the earth grouped into their various national entities whereas the kingdoms arising from the earth in Daniel 7:17 are referring to four kingdoms which will arise out from the earth’s inhabitants.