Daniel 2:40
in Daniel 2Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; for iron shatters and crushes all things, and like iron that crushes all things, it will shatter and crush all the others.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Daniel 2
Commentary
10 notes on this verse"And there shall be a fourth empire like unto iron. Just as iron breaks to pieces and overcomes all else, so it shall break to pieces and shatter all these preceding empires . ..." Now the fourth empire, which clearly refers to the Romans, is the iron empire which breaks in pieces and overcomes all others.
This site's exposition
arise another kingdom, inferior to yours
on Daniel 2:39-43
The traditional reading, as old as Jerome's reply to Porphyry, takes the silver as Medo-Persia, the bronze as Greece, and the fourth as Rome. A critical reading ends the fourth kingdom in the divided Hellenistic states after Alexander. Both read the iron “mixed with clay,” as a divided final state.
This site's exposition
there will be a fourth kingdom
Albert Barnes records two leading views of this fourth kingdom. Jerome and John Wesley held it to be Rome. Others took it as the kingdoms that followed Alexander the Great, and Ephrem the Syrian named Alexander himself as the iron that crushes all things.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
In all events Scripture says, "You, O king, were looking, and behold, one image: Great was that image and its appearance was fearful. The head of the image was of pure gold, its hands and chest and its arms were silver, the stomach and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, the feet were part iron, part clay. You were looking until you saw a stone, which was cut without hands and it struck the image at the iron and clay feet and crushed it completely. Then once for all, the clay, iron, bronze, silver and gold were ground and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floor. And the greatness of the wind carried them away and no place was found for them. And the stone which struck the image became a great mountain and it filled all the earth. This is the dream and we will tell its interpretation before the king. You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given a strong, mighty, and honorable kingdom in every place where the sons of men dwell, and he has given into your hand beasts of the field and birds of heaven and he has ordained you Lord of all. You are the head of gold. And after you another kingdom shall arise, which is lesser than you. And a third kingdom shall arise which is bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And a fourth kingdom will be strong as iron. In the way which iron grinds and subdues all, in this way it will grind and subdue all. And because you saw the feet and the toes, part of which were iron, part of which were clay, the kingdom shall be divided, and in it there shall be from the nature of iron, in which manner, you saw iron mixed with clay. […]
And so since the blessed Daniel described the vision and was not silent about its interpretation, he left behind some questions for those who possess a keen mind, so that again what was spoken by Daniel may be explained by another. Yet it is necessary for the lovers of truth, to not merely read cursorily, but to seek to say the obscure and to understand what was spoken by the prophets. For Daniel sees a great image, and the head of this he likens to be as pure gold. Next, the shoulders and chest he describes as being silver. Then, the stomach and thighs are bronze. Next, the legs are iron. Likewise also the toes of the feet are clay and iron which has been mixed together. Then, a stone, which is cut from a mountain without hands, strikes the image and grinds it. And the same stone became a great mountain and filled all the earth. After saying these things concerning the image, he afterwards divides the image, in accordance with its sections, into kingdoms and he explains each part of the statue, proceeding to each part, saying that the gold is king Nebuchadnezzar himself, describing him to be the golden head of the image. Next, he names a second kingdom, implying that it is inferior, saying that it is silver. Next, a third which is bronze. Then, a fourth strong kingdom, which is iron. Next, the clay and iron, having been mixed together, exhibit the tips of the feet of the image. For I have begun from the head because it displays the gold. Next, the chest and arms and he names them silver. Then, the stomach and thighs, and he indicates them to be bronze. Next, he describes the legs, and he shows them to be iron. […]
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Fourth kingdom - This is the kingdom of the Romans, and was to last not only to Christ's first coming, but under antichrist, to his second coming. This did break in pieces all other kingdoms, being too strong for them, and brought all into subjection to it, 'till the stone fell upon it.
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron,....
But to Nebuchadnezzar, a heathen prince, they were represented by a gay and pompous image of a man, for he was an admirer of the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them. To him the sight was so charming that he was impatient to see it again.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And the fourth kingdom - Represented in the image by the legs of iron, and the feet “part of iron, and part of clay,” Dan 2:33. The first question which arises here is, what kingdom is referred to by this? In regard to this, there have been two leading opinions: one, that it refers to the Roman empire; the other, that it refers to the kingdoms or dynasties that immediately succeeded the reign of Alexander the Great; embracing the kingdoms of the Seleucidae and Lagidae, Syria, and Egypt - in the language of Prof.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
iron--This vision sets forth the character of the Roman power, rather than its territorial extent [TREGELLES]. breaketh in pieces--So, in righteous retribution, itself will at last be broken in pieces (Da 2:44) by the kingdom of God (Re 13:10).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּמַלְכוּ֙ | umalkhu | and a kingdom | H4437 → | 57 times |
| רְבִ֣יעָאָ֔ה | reviayah | fourth | H7244 → | 6 times |
| תֶּהֱוֵ֥א | teheve' | it will be | H1934 → | 71 times |
| תַקִּיפָ֖ה | takifah | strong | H8624 → | 5 times |
| כְּפַרְזְלָ֑א | kefarzela' | like <the> iron | H6523 → | 20 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | as to | ||
| קֳבֵ֗ל | kovel | because | H6903 → | 29 times |
| דִּ֤י | di | that | H1768 → | 345 times |
| פַרְזְלָא֙ | farzela' | iron the | H6523 → | 20 times |
| מְהַדֵּ֤ק | mehadek | [is] shattering | H1855 → | 10 times |
| וְחָשֵׁל֙ | vechashel | and [is] crushing | H2827 → | |
| כֹּ֔לָּא | kola' | <the> everything | H3606 → | 82 times |
| וּֽכְפַרְזְלָ֛א | ukhefarzela' | and like <the> iron | H6523 → | 20 times |
| דִּֽי־ | di- | which | H1768 → | 345 times |
| מְרָעַ֥ע | meraa' | [is] crushing | H7490 → | |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3606 → | 82 times |
| אִלֵּ֖ין | ʾilein | these | H459 → | 5 times |
| תַּדִּ֥ק | tadik | it will shatter | H1855 → | 10 times |
| וְתֵרֹֽעַ׃ | veteroa' | so it may crush | H7490 → |
וּמַלְכוּ֙and a kingdom
umalkhuH4437 →57 times
רְבִ֣יעָאָ֔הfourth
reviayahH7244 →6 times
תֶּהֱוֵ֥אit will be
teheve'H1934 →71 times
תַקִּיפָ֖הstrong
takifahH8624 →5 times
כְּפַרְזְלָ֑אlike <the> iron
kefarzela'H6523 →20 times
כָּל־as to
kol-
קֳבֵ֗לbecause
kovelH6903 →29 times
דִּ֤יthat
diH1768 →345 times
פַרְזְלָא֙iron the
farzela'H6523 →20 times
מְהַדֵּ֤ק[is] shattering
mehadekH1855 →10 times
וְחָשֵׁל֙and [is] crushing
vechashelH2827 →
כֹּ֔לָּא<the> everything
kola'H3606 →82 times
וּֽכְפַרְזְלָ֛אand like <the> iron
ukhefarzela'H6523 →20 times
דִּֽי־which
di-H1768 →345 times
מְרָעַ֥ע[is] crushing
meraa'H7490 →
כָּל־all
kol-H3606 →82 times
אִלֵּ֖יןthese
ʾileinH459 →5 times
תַּדִּ֥קit will shatter
tadikH1855 →10 times
וְתֵרֹֽעַ׃so it may crush
veteroa'H7490 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Daniel 7:7After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot…
it leads to
- Revelation 13:1
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.
- Revelation 12:3
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.
- Revelation 17:12
The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.
- Daniel 7:23–24
This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down,…
- Daniel 7:19–20
Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others—extremely terrifying—devouring and crushing with iron teeth and bronze claws, then trampling underfoot whatever was left.
- Revelation 13:1
Through
Amos 1:3This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 10:32–33
In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory
- Amos 2:6
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Israel, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals.
- 2 Kings 10:32–33
Through
Daniel 8:24His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men along with the holy people.
it leads to
- Daniel 8:12
And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did.
- Daniel 8:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
On this verse
About Daniel

This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Edward Bouverie Pusey, Daniel the Prophet; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:40; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.7; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.11; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER TWO; Jerome, Commentary on Daniel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
