Daniel 2:34
in Daniel 2As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces.
KJV
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
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This verse in Daniel 2
Commentary
14 notes on this verseThe thing is, I think, a dark saying, a shadow of what should come. For what is the stone that is laid but Christ Himself? for of Him Isaiah says, "And I will lay in the foundations of Sion a costly stone, precious, elect:" and Daniel likewise, "A stone was cut out without hands," that is, Christ was born without a man.
This site's exposition
a stone was cut out
on Daniel 2:34-36
The stone, “cut out, but not by human hands,” strikes the statue on “its feet of iron and clay,” the mixed part of verse 33. The older commentators read the stone as Christ and his kingdom, and the stone “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth”.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 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. […]
After these things, what does Daniel say? "A stone was cut without hands and struck the image." [Daniel 2:34] For in all events after the iron was mixed with clay and spread to the tips of the toes and while they are discordant with one another of the seed of men, what is left which is necessary to await but Christ who comes from the heavens as a stone which is cut from a mountain, so that he removes the kingdoms of this world, but also sets up the heavenly kingdom of the saints which will never be destroyed, and the same mountain also became the city of the saints which fills all the earth.
A stone was cut without hands, and it brake in pieces the clay, the iron, the brass, the silver and the gold, and it filled the whole earth.
he speaks of a stone cut out of the mountains without hands, and, in the vision, of the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, whereby he indicates the Lord Christ on both sides of his descent—from Abraham and from the Virgin without …
7 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers2 voices
We know that the stone cut from the mountain without hands is Christ, who came from the kingdom of the Jews without human father: the stone that shattered all the kingdoms of the earth, all the tyrannies of idols and devils; the stone that grew and became a great mountain and filled the whole world.
A commentator
Hippolytus of RomeHippolytus Exegetical Fragments, Scholia on Daniel · Written before 235.
proposed
"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut." Thou sawest, as it were, a stone cut without hands, and smiting the image upon its feet. For the human kingdom was decisively separated from the divine; with reference to which it is written, "as it were cut." The stroke, however, smites the extremities, and in these it broke all dominion that is upon earth.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands,.... Or, "wast seeing" (e); the king continued looking upon the image that stood before him, as he thought, as long as he could see it, till he saw a "stone": an emblem of the Messiah, as it often is in Scripture, Gen 49:24, because of his strength, firmness, and duration; and so it is interpreted here by many Jewish writers, ancient and modern, as well as by Christians; and also of his kingdom, or of him in his kingly office; see Dan 2:
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.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A stone was cut out - The fifth monarchy; the spiritual kingdom of the Lord Jesus, which is to last for ever, and diffuse itself over the whole earth.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
As the fourth kingdom, or Rome, was represented in a twofold state, first strong, with legs of iron, then weak, with toes part of iron, part of clay; so this fifth kingdom, that of Christ, is seen conversely, first insignificant as a "stone," then as a "mountain" filling the whole earth.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Thou sawest - Chaldee, “Thou wast seeing;” that is, thou didst continue to behold, implying that the vision was of somewhat long continuance. It did not appear and then suddenly vanish, but it remained so long that he had an opportunity of careful observation. Till that a stone was cut out without hands - That is, from a mountain or hill, Dan 2:45. This idea is expressed in the Latin and the Greek version. The vision appears to have been that of a colossal image “standing on a plain” in the vicinity of a mountain, standing firm, until, by some unseen agency, and in an unaccountable manner, a stone became detached from the mountain, and was made to impinge against it. The margin here is, “which was not in his hands.” The more correct rendering of the Chaldee, however, is that in the text, literally, “a stone was cut out which was not by hands” - בידין bı̂ydayı̂n: or perhaps still more accurately, “a stone was cut out which was not in hands,” so that the fact that it was not in or by “hands” refers rather to its not being projected by hands than to the manner of its being detached from the mountain. The essential idea is, that the agency of hands did not appear at all in the case. The stone seemed to be self-moved. It became detached from the mountain, and, as if instinct with life, struck the image and demolished it. The word rendered “stone” ( אבן 'eben) determines nothing as to the “size” of the stone, but the whole statement would seem to imply that it was not of large dimensions. It struck upon “the feet” of the image, and it “became” itself a great mountain Dan 2:35 - all which would seem to imply that it was at first not large. What increased the astonishment of the monarch was, that a stone of such dimensions should have been adequate to overthrow so gigantic a statue, and to grind it to powder. […]
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| חָזֵ֣ה | chazeh | seeing | H2370 → | 31 times |
| הֲוַ֗יְתָ | havayta | you were | H1934 → | 71 times |
| עַ֠ד | ʾad | until | H5705 → | 35 times |
| דִּ֣י | di | that | H1768 → | 345 times |
| הִתְגְּזֶ֤רֶת | hitgezeret | it was cut out | H1505 → | 6 times |
| אֶ֙בֶן֙ | ʾeven | a stone | H69 → | 8 times |
| דִּי־ | di- | which | H1768 → | 345 times |
| לָ֣א | la' | not | H3809 → | 82 times |
| בִידַ֔יִן | vidayin | [was] by hands | H3028 → | 17 times |
| וּמְחָ֤ת | umechat | and it struck | H4223 → | 4 times |
| לְצַלְמָא֙ | letzalma' | <obj.> image the | H6755 → | 17 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5922 → | 104 times |
| רַגְל֔וֹהִי | raglohi | feet its | H7271 → | 7 times |
| דִּ֥י | di | of | H1768 → | 345 times |
| פַרְזְלָ֖א | farzela' | iron the | H6523 → | 20 times |
| וְחַסְפָּ֑א | vechaspa' | and clay the | H2635 → | 9 times |
| וְהַדֵּ֖קֶת | vehadeket | and it shattered | H1855 → | 10 times |
| הִמּֽוֹן׃ | himon | them | H1994 → | 12 times |
חָזֵ֣הseeing
chazehH2370 →31 times
הֲוַ֗יְתָyou were
havaytaH1934 →71 times
עַ֠דuntil
ʾadH5705 →35 times
דִּ֣יthat
diH1768 →345 times
הִתְגְּזֶ֤רֶתit was cut out
hitgezeretH1505 →6 times
אֶ֙בֶן֙a stone
ʾevenH69 →8 times
דִּי־which
di-H1768 →345 times
לָ֣אnot
la'H3809 →82 times
בִידַ֔יִן[was] by hands
vidayinH3028 →17 times
וּמְחָ֤תand it struck
umechatH4223 →4 times
לְצַלְמָא֙<obj.> image the
letzalma'H6755 →17 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5922 →104 times
רַגְל֔וֹהִיfeet its
raglohiH7271 →7 times
דִּ֥יof
diH1768 →345 times
פַרְזְלָ֖אiron the
farzela'H6523 →20 times
וְחַסְפָּ֑אand clay the
vechaspa'H2635 →9 times
וְהַדֵּ֖קֶתand it shattered
vehadeketH1855 →10 times
הִמּֽוֹן׃them
himonH1994 →12 times
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
Zechariah 4:6So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 32:7–8
“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater One with us than with him.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4–5
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
- 1 Corinthians 2:4–5
My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
- Psalms 33:16
No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
- Isaiah 11:2–4
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 32:7–8
Through
Daniel 7:27Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all…
it leads to
- Psalms 72:11
May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.
- Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign…
- Luke 1:33
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”
- Psalms 72:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
On this chapter
About Daniel
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, HOMILIES ON 1 JOHN 1:12; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 5; Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 2; Gregory of Nyssa, ON THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.7; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.11; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.13; Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments, Scholia on Daniel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.