Daniel 7:19

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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Daniel speaks in a vision to himself while interpreting the symbols of his night dream. He pauses after receiving the promise that the saints will inherit the kingdom to request clarification on the fourth beast.

The words — The Hebrew צְבִית (tze.Vit) literally means "I desired," paired with לְיַצְבָּא (le.yat.za.va) for "to make certain." This phrasing marks Daniel’s active pursuit of understanding the vision’s details.

The thread — This inquiry connects directly to Daniel 7:7, which introduces the terrifying fourth beast, and echoes Daniel 2:40, where a fourth kingdom is compared to iron. The vision’s sequence moves from the beast’s destruction to the saints’ eternal reign.

Why it lands — The text demands attention to the precise nature of oppressive power before its judgment. It requires the reader to seek clear interpretation rather than accept vague symbols.

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

אֱדַ֗יִן'e.Da.yinthen צְבִית֙tze.VitI desired לְיַצָּבָ֔אle./ya.tza.Va'to/ make certain עַל־'al-concerning חֵֽיוְתָא֙chei.ve.Ta/'beast/ the רְבִיעָ֣יְתָ֔אre.vi.'A.ye.Ta/'<the>/ fourth דִּֽי־di-which הֲוָ֥תha.Vatit was שָֽׁנְיָ֖הsha.ne.Yahdifferent מִן־min-from כָּלְּהֵ֑יןka.le./honall of/ them דְּחִילָ֣הde.chi.Lah[it was] terrible יַתִּ֗ירָהya.Ti.rahexceedingly שִׁנַּ֤הּshi.nai.ya/htooth/ its דִּֽי־di-of פַרְזֶל֙far.Zeliron וְטִפְרַ֣יהּve./tif.Rai/hand/ claws/ its דִּֽי־di-of נְחָ֔שׁne.Chashbronze אָֽכְלָ֣ה'a.khe.Lah[it was] devouring מַדֲּקָ֔הma.da.Kah[it was] shattering וּשְׁאָרָ֖אu./she.'a.Ra/'and/ rest/ the בְּרַגְלַ֥יהּbe./rag.Lai/hwith/ feet/ its רָֽפְסָֽה׃Ra.fe.Sah[it was] trampling

King James Version

Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

Cross-references

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 whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.
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.