Daniel 2 · Verse 32

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 2:32, King James Version

Daniel 2:32 in other translations

BSBThe head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze,
WEBAs for this image, its head was of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,
ASVAs for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass,
YLTThis image! its head is of good gold, its breasts and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass;
DARBYThis image's head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass,
BBEAs for this image, its head was made of the best gold, its breast and its arms were of silver, its middle and its sides were of brass,
WebsterThe head of this image was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

What does Daniel 2:32 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
32. On ancient coins states are often represented by human figures. The head and higher parts signify the earlier times; the lower, the later times. The metals become successively baser and baser, implying the growing degeneracy from worse to worse. Hesiod, two hundred years before Daniel, had compared the four ages to the four metals in the same order; the idea is sanctioned here by Holy Writ. It was perhaps one of those fragments of revelation among the heathen derived from the tradition as to the fall of man. The metals lessen in specific gravity, as they downwards; silver is not so heavy as gold, brass not so heavy as silver, and iron not so heavy as brass, the weight thus being arranged in the reverse of stability [Tregelles]. Nebuchadnezzar derived his authority from God, not from man, nor as responsible to man. But the Persian king was so far dependent on others that he could not deliver Daniel from the princes (Da 6:14, 15); contrast Da 5:18, 19, as to Nebuchadnezzar's power from God, "whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive" (compare Ezr 7:14; Es 1:13-16). Græco-Macedonia betrays its deterioration in its divisions, not united as Babylon and Persia. Iron is stronger than brass, but inferior in other respects; so Rome hardy and strong to tread down the nations, but less kingly and showing its chief deterioration in its last state. Each successive kingdom incorporates its predecessor (compare Da 5:28). Power that in Nebuchadnezzar's hands was a God-derived (Da 2:37, 38) autocracy, in the Persian king's was a rule resting on his nobility of person and birth, the nobles being his equals in rank, but not in office; in Greece, an aristocracy not of birth, but individual influence, in Rome, lowest of all, dependent entirely on popular choice, the emperor being appointed by popular military election.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 32 Head was of fine gold - The Babylonish empire, the first and greatest. Breast and his arms of silver - The Medo-Persian empire, under Cyrus, etc. His belly and his thighs of brass - The Macedonian empire, under Alexander the Great, and his successors.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Daniel 2:31-45

This image represented the kingdoms of the earth, that should successively rule the nations, and influence the affairs of the Jewish church. 1. The head of gold signified the Chaldean empire, then in being. 2. The breast and arms of silver signified the empire of the Medes and Persians. 3. The belly and thighs of brass signified the Grecian empire, founded by Alexander. 4. The legs and feet of iron signified the…

Read the full comment on Daniel 2:31-45 →

Daniel 2:32 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ה֣וּאhu'itH1932
צַלְמָ֗אtzal.Ma'image theH6755
רֵאשֵׁהּ֙re.Shehhead itsH7217
דִּֽי\־di-ofH1768
דְהַ֣בde.HavgoldH1722
טָ֔בTavgoodH2869
חֲד֥וֹהִיcha.Do.hibreast<s> itsH2306
וּדְרָע֖וֹהִיu.de.ra.'o.hiand arms itsH1872
דִּ֣יdiofH1768
כְסַ֑ףkhe.SafsilverH3702
מְע֥וֹהִיme.'o.hibelli<es> itsH4577
וְיַרְכָתֵ֖הּve.yar.kha.Tehand loins itsH3410
דִּ֥יdiofH1768
נְחָֽשׁ\׃ne.ChashbronzeH5174

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Daniel 2:32

  • Daniel 4:22

    It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

  • Isaiah 14:4

    That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

  • Daniel 11:2-20

    And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those. And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. …

  • Jeremiah 51:7

    Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

  • Daniel 7:4-6

    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. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

  • Daniel 4:30

    The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

  • Revelation 17:4

    And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

  • Daniel 2:37-39

    Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

  • Daniel 8:3-8

    Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
head.
37,38; 4:22,30; 7:4; Isa 14:4; Jer 51:7; Re 17:4
breast.
39; 7:5; 8:3,4; 11:2
belly.
39; 7:6; 8:5-8; 11:3-20
thighs. or, sides.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Daniel 2:31

    Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

  • 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.

Read all of Daniel 2

Daniel 2:32 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		La cabeza de esta imagen era de fino oro; sus pechos y sus brazos, de plata; su vientre y sus muslos, de metal;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		La tête de cette statue était d’or pur; sa poitrine et ses bras, d’argent; son ventre et ses cuisses, d’airain;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Dieses Bild, sein Haupt war von feinem Golde; seine Brust und seine Arme von Silber; sein Bauch und seine Lenden von Erz;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Hujus statuæ caput ex auro optimo erat, pectus autem et brachia de argento, porro venter et femora ex ære,