Daniel 7 · Verse 17

Daniel 7:17

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Daniel 7:17, King James Version

Daniel 7:17 in other translations

BSB‘These four great beasts are four kings who will arise from the earth.
WEB‘These great animals, which are four, are four kings, who will arise out of the earth.
ASVThese great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth.
YLT‘These great beasts, that are four, are four kings, they rise up from the earth;
DARBYThese great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth.
BBEThese great beasts are four kings who will be cut off from the earth.
WebsterThese great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

What does Daniel 7:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. kings--that is, kingdoms. Compare Da 7:23, "fourth kingdom"; Da 2:38; 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.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 These great beasts - are four kings - See the preceding verses, where the following explanations are inserted and illustrated.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Daniel 7:15-28

It is desirable to obtain the right and full sense of what we see and hear from God; and those that would know, must ask by faithful and fervent prayer. The angel told Daniel plainly. He especially desired to know respecting the little horn, which made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. Here is foretold the rage of papal Rome against true Christians. St. John, in his visions and prophecies, which point…

Read the full comment on Daniel 7:15-28 →

Daniel 7:17 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.

אִלֵּין֙'i.LeintheseH459
חֵיוָתָ֣אchei.va.Ta'beasts theH2423
רַבְרְבָתָ֔אrav.re.va.Ta'<the> greatH7260
דִּ֥יdiwhichH1768
אִנִּ֖ין'i.NintheyH581
אַרְבַּ֑ע'ar.Ba'[are] fourH703
אַרְבְּעָ֥ה'ar.be.'AhfourH703
מַלְכִ֖יןmal.KhinkingsH4430
יְקוּמ֥וּןye.ku.Munthey will ariseH6966
מִן\־min-fromH4481
אַרְעָֽא\׃'ar.'A'earth theH772

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

Cross references for Daniel 7:17

  • Revelation 13:11

    And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

  • Daniel 7:3-4

    And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 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.

  • Psalms 17:14

    From men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

  • John 18:36

    Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

  • Revelation 13:1

    And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

  • Daniel 2:37-40

    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. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

  • Daniel 8:19-22

    And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
great.
3,4; 2:37-40; 8:19-22
out.
3; Ps 17:14; Joh 18:36; Re 13:1,11

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

Context

  • Daniel 7:16

    I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

  • Daniel 7:17

    These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

  • Daniel 7:18

    But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Read all of Daniel 7

Daniel 7:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Estas grandes bestias, las cuales son cuatro, cuatro reyes son, que se levantarán en la tierra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ces grandes bêtes, qui sont quatre, sont quatre rois qui surgiront de la terre;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Diese großen Tiere, deren vier waren, sind vier Könige, die von der Erde aufstehen werden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Hæ quatuor bestiæ magnæ, quatuor sunt regna, quæ consurgent de terra.