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Daniel 7:20

in Daniel 7

I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn whose appearance was more imposing than the others, with eyes and with a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three fell, even that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake great things, whose look was more stout than its fellows.

KJV

And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

This verse in Daniel 7

Commentary

9 notes on this verse
And of the ten horns ... - See the notes at Dan 7:7-8. Whose look was more stout than his fellows - literally, “whose aspect was greater than that of its companions.” This does not mean that its look or aspect was more fierce or severe than that of the others, but that the appearance of the horn was greater - רב rab. In Dan 7:8, this is described as a “little horn;” and to understand this, and reconcile the two, we must suppose that the seer watched this as it grew until it became the largest of the number.

This site's exposition

different from all the others

on Daniel 7:19-22

Daniel asks again about the fourth beast, and the retelling adds that its horn “was waging war against the saints and prevailing against them”. That lasts “until the Ancient of Days arrived and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints”, so the saints endure the conflict.

This site's exposition

more imposing than the others

The horn was called little in verse 8 and is now more imposing. Albert Barnes rendered the phrase literally as an aspect greater than its companions, and read the horn as growing after it first appeared. Theodoret of Cyrus also saw no conflict between the two descriptions.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers4 voices

A commentator

Theodoret of Cyrus

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 7:20 · Written before 458.

proposed

It is not surprising that he said previously that the horn was little, but here he says that its appearance "was greater than the rest." But one does need to pay close attention to the things that are being said. For when he saw the …

A commentator

Justin Martyr

Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter XXXI · Written before 165.

proposed

But if so great a power is shown to have followed and to be still following the dispensation of His suffering, how great shall that be which shall follow His glorious advent! For He shall come on the clouds as the Son of man, so Daniel foretold, and His angels shall come with Him. These are the words: [quotes Daniel 7:9-28]
1. In speaking of a "lioness from the sea," he meant the rising of the kingdom of Babylon, and that this was the "golden head of the image." And in speaking of its "eagle wings," be meant that king Nebuchadnezzar was exalted and that his glory was lifted up against God. Then he says "its wings were plucked off," i.e., that his glory was destroyed; for he was driven out of his kingdom. And the words, "A man's heart was given it, and it was made stand upon the feet of a man," mean that he came to himself again, and recognised that he was but a man, and gave the glory to God. Then after the lioness he sees a second beast, "like a bear," which signified the Persians. For after the Babylonians the Persians obtained the power. And in saying that "it had three ribs in its mouth," he pointed to the three nations, Persians, Medes, and Babylonians, which were expressed in the image by the silver after the gold. Then comes the third beast, "a leopard," which means the Greeks; for after the Persians, Alexander of Macedon had the power, when Darius was overthrown, which was also indicated by the brass in the image. And in saying that the beast "had four wings of a fowl, and four heads," he showed most clearly how the kingdom of Alexander was parted into four divisions. For in speaking of four heads, he meant the four kings that arose out of it. For Alexander, when dying, divided his kingdom into four parts. Then he says, "The fourth beast (was) dreadful and terrible: it had iron teeth, and claws of brass." Who, then, are meant by this but the Romans, whose kingdom, the kingdom that still stands, is expressed by the iron? "for," says he, "its legs are of iron." 2. After this, then, what remains, beloved, but the toes of the feet of the image, in which "part shall be of iron and part of clay mixed together? […]

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 4.12.3-7 · Written before 235.

proposed

For it is needful to observe what the prophet says, "And I precisely sought concerning the fourth beast, because he was different than every other beast, and was exceedingly fearful. His iron teeth and his bronze claws were eating and grinding and he tramples the remainder with his feet and concerning his ten horns which were on his head and concerning the other which arose and rooted out three former horns, the eyes and the mouth of whom were speaking great things and his appearance was greater than the rest.

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

And of the ten horns,....
1 more voice on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Belshazzar's name here is, in the original, spelt differently from what it used to be; before it was Bel-she-azar--Bel is he that treasures up riches.

The words behind it

23 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.

  • וְעַל־and concerning

    veal-H5922 →104 times

  • קַרְנַיָּ֤אhorns the

    karnaiya'H7162 →14 times

  • עֲשַׂר֙ten

    ʾasarH6236 →6 times

  • דִּ֣יwhich

    diH1768 →345 times

  • בְרֵאשַׁ֔הּ[were] on head its

    vereshahH7217 →14 times

  • וְאָחֳרִי֙and another [horn]

    veochoriH317 →6 times

  • דִּ֣יwhich

    diH1768 →345 times

  • סִלְקַ֔תit came up

    silkatH5559 →7 times

  • וּנְפַ֥לָהand they fell

    unefaluH5308 →11 times

  • מִן־from

    min-H4481 →109 times

  • קֳדָמַ֖הּbefore it

    kodamaiyahH6925 →42 times

  • תְּלָ֑תthree [horns]

    telatH8532 →11 times

  • וְקַרְנָ֨אand horn the

    vekarna'H7162 →14 times

  • דִכֵּ֜ןthis

    dikenH1797 →3 times

  • וְעַיְנִ֣יןand eyes

    veayninH5870 →5 times

  • לַ֗הּ[were] to it

    lah

  • וְפֻם֙and a mouth

    vefumH6433 →6 times

  • מְמַלִּ֣ל[was] speaking

    memalilH4449 →5 times

  • רַבְרְבָ֔ןgreat [things]

    ravrevanH7260 →8 times

  • וְחֶזְוַ֖הּand appearance its

    vechezvahH2376 →12 times

  • רַ֥ב[was] great

    ravH7229 →15 times

  • מִן־more than

    min-H4481 →109 times

  • חַבְרָתַֽהּ׃companion its

    chavratahH2273 →

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

    Daniel 7:11

    Then I kept watching because of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued to watch, the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.

    it leads to

    • Revelation 19:20

      But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and…

    • Revelation 20:10

      And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day…

    • 2 Thessalonians 2:8

      And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.

    • Daniel 7:8

      While I was contemplating the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like those of a…

  • Through

    Daniel 7:8

    While I was contemplating the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like those of a…

    it leads to

    • Revelation 13:5–6

      The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months.

    • 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.

  • Through

    Daniel 7:23

    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,…

    it leads to

    • Daniel 2:40

      Finally, 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.

    • Daniel 7:7

      After 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…

Where this verse is studied

About Daniel

Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Daniel; Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments - Of the visions of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.12.3-7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter XXXI; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 7:20.