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Daniel 2:35

in Daniel 2

Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

KJV

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

This verse in Daniel 2

Commentary

14 notes on this verse

A commentator

Irenaeus

AGAINST HERESIES 5:26.2 · Written before 202.

If therefore the great God showed future things by Daniel, and confirmed them by His Son; and if Christ is the stone which is cut out without hands, who shall destroy temporal kingdoms, and introduce an eternal one, which is the resurrection of the just; as he declares, "The God of heaven shall raise up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed,"-let those thus confuted come to their senses, who reject the Creator (Demiurgum), and do not agree that the prophets were sent beforehand from the same Father from whom also the Lord came, but who assert that prophecies originated from diverse powers.

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”.

This site's exposition

became a great mountain

Augustine read the stone as Christ and the mountain as his church, grown from a small stone until it filled the whole earth. Irenaeus tied the stone to the resurrection of the just. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown stress that the iron, clay, bronze, silver and gold are shattered at once.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers5 voices

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 2.7 · Written before 235.

proposed

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. […]

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 2.11 · Written before 235.

proposed

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. […]

A commentator

Cosmas Indicopleustes

The Christian Topography, Book 2 · Written before 550.

proposed

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 …

A commentator

Cosmas Indicopleustes

The Christian Topography, Book 5 · Written before 550.

proposed

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.

A commentator

Augustine of Hippo

EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 43:4 · Written before 430.

proposed

"His holy hill" is his holy church. It is that mountain which, according to Daniel's vision, grew from a very small stone till it overtook the kingdoms of the earth and grew to such a size that it "filled the face of the earth."
6 more voices on this verse

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Augustine of Hippo

SERMON 147A. 4 · Written before 430.

proposed

It talks of a mountain, and the mountain is veiled to the party of Donatus.… The holy Daniel saw a vision and wrote down what he saw, and he said that he had seen a stone hewn out of a mountain without hands. It is Christ, coming from the nations of the Jews, which was also a mountain, you see, because it has the kingdom.… What is the mountain over which the heretics stumbled? Listen to Daniel again: "And that stone grew and became a great mountain, such that it filled all the face of the earth." How right the psalm is to say to Christ the Lord as he rises again, "Be exalted over the heavens, O God, and let your glory be over the whole earth." What is your glory over the whole earth? Over the whole earth is your church, over the whole earth your bride.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

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

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floor - The word rendered “together” (כצרה kachădâh) our translators would seem to have understood as referring to “time;” to its being done simultaneously. The more literal interpretation, however, is, “as one;” that is, “they were beaten small as one,” referring to identity of condition. They were all reduced to one indiscriminate mass; to such a mass that the original materials could no longer be distinguished, and would all be blown away together.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

The latter is not gradually to wear away the former, but to destroy it at once, and utterly (2Th 1:7-10; However, the Hebrew may be translated, "in one discriminate mass." chaff--image of the ungodly, as they shall be dealt with in the judgment (Ps 1:4, 5;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

The stone - became a great mountain - There is the kingdom אבן eben, of the stone, and the kingdom of the mountain. See at the end at the chapter.

The words behind it

31 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • בֵּאדַ֣יִן<in> then

    bedayinH116 →57 times

  • דָּ֣קוּthey were shattered

    dakuH1855 →10 times

  • כַחֲדָ֡הas one

    khachadahH2298 →14 times

  • פַּרְזְלָא֩iron the

    parzela'H6523 →20 times

  • חַסְפָּ֨אclay the

    chaspa'H2635 →9 times

  • נְחָשָׁ֜אbronze the

    nechasha'H5174 →9 times

  • כַּסְפָּ֣אsilver the

    kaspa'H3702 →13 times

  • וְדַהֲבָ֗אand gold the

    vedahava'H1722 →23 times

  • וַהֲווֹ֙and they were

    vahavoH1934 →71 times

  • כְּע֣וּרlike chaff

    keurH5784 →

  • מִן־from

    min-H4481 →109 times

  • אִדְּרֵי־threshing floors of

    ʾiderei-H147 →

  • קַ֔יִטsummer

    kayitH7007 →

  • וּנְשָׂ֤אand it carried away

    unesa'H5376 →

  • הִמּוֹן֙them

    himonH1994 →12 times

  • רוּחָ֔אwind the

    rucha'H7308 →11 times

  • וְכָל־and any

    vekholH3606 →82 times

  • אֲתַ֖רplace

    ʾatarH870 →8 times

  • לָא־not

    la'-H3809 →82 times

  • הִשְׁתֲּכַ֣חit was found

    hishtakhachH7912 →18 times

  • לְה֑וֹןfor them

    lehon

  • וְאַבְנָ֣א׀and stone the

    veavna'H69 →8 times

  • דִּֽי־which

    di-H1768 →345 times

  • מְחָ֣תit struck

    mechatH4223 →4 times

  • לְצַלְמָ֗א<obj.> image the

    letzalma'H6755 →17 times

  • הֲוָ֛תit became

    havatH1934 →71 times

  • לְט֥וּר<into> a mountain

    leturH2906 →

  • רַ֖בgreat

    ravH7229 →15 times

  • וּמְלָ֥תand it filled

    umelatH4391 →

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3606 →82 times

  • אַרְעָֽא׃earth the

    ʾara'H772 →21 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Isaiah 11:9

    They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.

    it leads to

    • Habakkuk 2:14

      For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

    • Isaiah 52:10

      The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

  • Through

    Revelation 20:11

    Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.

    it leads to

    • Revelation 21:1

      Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

    • 2 Peter 3:7

      And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

    • Matthew 25:31

      When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.

    • Romans 2:5

      But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

    • 2 Peter 3:10–12

      But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid…

  • Through

    Psalms 37:10

    Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

    it leads to

    • Job 24:24

      They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.

Where this verse is studied

About Daniel

Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
This page draws on 13 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, EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 43:4; Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 147A. 4; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 2; Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 5; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.7; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.11; Irenaeus, AGAINST HERESIES 5:26.2; 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.