Bible Strands
Daniel 2:39
But after you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule the whole earth.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Daniel speaks these words to King Nebuchadnezzar while interpreting the king’s dream of a multi-material statue. The vision outlines a chronological succession of empires that will follow the Babylonian monarchy.
The words — תְּק֛וּם (te.Kum) translates literally as “it will arise,” indicating the divine initiation of each succeeding power. מִנָּ֑/ךְ (mi.Na/kh) means “more than you,” establishing the comparative inferiority of the silver kingdom to the golden head.
The thread — The text identifies the third kingdom as bronze in Daniel 2:32 and follows it with the fourth iron kingdom in Daniel 2:40. Daniel 5:28 applies the same prophetic framework to the immediate fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians.
Why it lands — The text states that a sequence of kingdoms will arise after Babylon, with each subsequent empire ruling the earth but ranking below the last. Readers must accept that political power operates within a fixed divine timeline and remains subordinate to God’s sovereign orchestration of history.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 44:28 who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’”
- Daniel 2:32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze,
- Daniel 5:28 PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
- Daniel 8:3 Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram with two horns standing beside the canal. The horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later.
- Daniel 8:20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.
- Daniel 10:20 “Do you know why I have come to you?” he said. “I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth, behold, the prince of Greece will come.
- Daniel 7:5 Suddenly another beast appeared, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. So it was told, ‘Get up and gorge yourself on flesh!’
- 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, and crush it.
- Daniel 11:2 Now then, I will tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. By the power of his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.
- Zechariah 6:3 the third white horses, and the fourth dappled horses—all of them strong.