Identity of the Fourth Kingdom's Kings in Daniel 7
The Identity of the Fourth Kingdom's Kings in Daniel 7
The book of Daniel describes a vision in which four beasts arise from the sea, representing four kingdoms that will dominate the world before God's kingdom is established (Daniel 7:1-8, 15-27). The fourth beast is particularly significant, as it is described as "dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth" [1]. The angel interpreting the vision for Daniel explains that "these great beasts, which are four, are four kings, who shall arise out of the earth" (Daniel 7:17) [1].
The literary context of Daniel 7 is crucial for understanding the identity of the fourth kingdom's kings. The chapter is part of a larger section (Daniel 2-7) that describes the rise and fall of world empires. The four beasts in Daniel 7 correspond to the four metals in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2, with the fourth kingdom representing the final and most powerful empire before God's kingdom is established [2].
Historically, the four kingdoms have been interpreted as the Babylonian, Median, Persian, and Greek empires, with the fourth kingdom often being associated with the Roman Empire or its successors [2, 4]. The angel's explanation in Daniel 7:17 that the four beasts represent "four kings" is understood by many commentators to refer to four kingdoms or dynasties, rather than individual rulers [2, 5].
The key terms in Daniel 7:17 are "beasts" (ḥayyōṯ) and "kings" (malkîn). The use of "beasts" to describe the kingdoms emphasizes their ferocity and destructive power, while "kings" highlights their monarchic or dynastic nature [1]. The Syriac and Arabic versions translate "kings" as "kingdoms", supporting this interpretation [5].
The major exegetical decision in interpreting Daniel 7:17 is whether the "four kings" refer to individual rulers or kingdoms/dynasties. Commentators such as Jamieson, Fausset & Brown argue that the "kings" represent kingdoms or dynasties, citing Daniel 7:23, where the fourth beast is explicitly called the "fourth kingdom" [2]. John Gill also supports this view, noting that the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions translate "kings" as "kingdoms" [5].
The range of interpretations for the identity of the fourth kingdom's kings is diverse. Some commentators, such as Keil & Delitzsch, view the four world-monarchies as a sequence of empires that will be followed by the kingdom of God [4]. Others, like Adam Clarke, see the fourth kingdom as a symbol of the ultimate opposition to God's kingdom [7]. The fourth kingdom has been associated with various historical empires, including the Roman Empire and its successors [2, 6].
The interpretation of Daniel 7 has had significant implications for Christian theology and tradition. The vision has been seen as a prophecy of the rise and fall of world empires and the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom. The fourth kingdom, in particular, has been associated with the Antichrist and the end-times [3].
The understanding of the fourth kingdom's kings as representing kingdoms or dynasties rather than individual rulers has been influential in shaping Christian eschatology. As John Gill notes, the fourth kingdom will be "diverse from all kingdoms" and will continue until the kingdom of Christ is established [6]. This interpretation highlights the ongoing relevance of Daniel 7 for understanding the nature of world empires and their relationship to God's kingdom.
The historical setting of Daniel 7, likely written during the Babylonian exile or the Persian period, provides context for understanding the vision's original meaning [4]. The vision's focus on the rise and fall of world empires and the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom continues to shape Christian theology and eschatology.
The significance of Daniel 7:17 lies in its contribution to the broader narrative of Daniel 2-7, which describes the succession of world empires and the ultimate establishment of God's kingdom. The interpretation of the "four kings" as kingdoms or dynasties underscores the vision's focus on the rise and fall of empires, rather than individual rulers.
Sources
- Daniel “These great animals, which are four, are four kings, who shall arise out of the earth. -- Daniel 7:17”
- Daniel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Daniel 7:17: kings--that is, kingdoms. Compare Dan 7:23, "fourth kingdom"; Dan 2:38; Dan 8:20-22. Each of the four kings represents a dynasty. Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander, Antiochus, and Antichrist, though individually referred to, are representatives of characteristic tendencies.”
- Daniel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Daniel 7:7: As Daniel lived under the kingdom of the first beast, and therefore needed not to describe it, and as the second and third are described fully in the second part of the book, the chief emphasis falls on the fourth. Also prophecy most dwells on the end, which is the consummation of the preceding series of events. It is in the fourth that the world power manifests fully its God-opposing nature. Whereas the three former kingdoms were designated respectively, as a lion, bear, and leopard, no particular beast is specified as the image of the fourth; for Rome”
- Daniel (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Daniel 7 (introduction): The Vision of the Four World-Kingdoms; the Judgment; and the Kingdom of the Holy God After presenting to view (Daniel 3-6) in concrete delineation, partly in the prophetically significant experiences of Daniel and his friends, and partly in the typical events which befell the world-rulers, the position and conduct of the representatives of the world-power in relation to the worshippers of the living God, there follows in this chapter the record of a vision seen by Daniel in the first year of Belshazzar. In this vision the four world-monarchies which”
- Daniel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Daniel 7:17: These great beasts, which are four, are four kings,.... Or kingdoms, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions; and so Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Saadiah; so the fourth beast is called the fourth kingdom, Dan 7:23 or a succession of kings in four kingdoms or monarchies, comparable to beasts for their strength, cruelty, and tyranny: these are the words of him that stood by, of one of the angels Daniel applied to, to know the meaning of his dream; and might be better rendered, "as to these (c) great beasts, which are four"; for their quality beasts, for their qu”
- Daniel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Daniel 7:23: Thus he said,.... The person that stood by, the angel, of whom Daniel made his inquiries, and who answered him, as follows: the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth; which shows that the angel, by four kings, Dan 7:17, meant four kingdoms, that should successively arise in the earth, and out of it, one after another; and this kingdom is not the kingdom of the Seleucidae, nor the Turkish, but the Roman empire; for this is to continue until the kingdom of Christ takes place; see Dan 7:7, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms; from the kingdoms and mo”
- Daniel (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Daniel 7:17: These great beasts - are four kings - See the preceding verses, where the following explanations are inserted and illustrated.”