Bible/Daniel/7

Daniel 7:1

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. had: Cald. saw matters: or, words

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In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head on his bed: then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head on his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

What does Daniel 7:1 mean?

Daniel 7:1 is a verse in the book of Daniel, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include חַד (chad), שְׁנָה (shᵉnâh), בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (Bêlshaʼtstsar). It connects to 16 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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In
the
firstחַדchad/khad/H2298as card. one; as article single; as an ordinal, first; adverbially, at once
yearשְׁנָהshᵉnâh/shen-aw'/H8140{a year (as a revolution of time)}
of
BelshazzarבֵּלְשַׁאצַּרBêlshaʼtstsar/bale-shats-tsar'/H1113{Belshatstsar, a Babylonian king}
kingמֶלֶךְmelek/meh'-lek/H4430a king
of
BabylonבַּבֶלBabel/baw-bel'/H895{Babel (i.e. Babylon), including Babylonia and the Babylonian empire}
DanielדָּנִיֵּאלDânîyêʼl/daw-nee-yale'/H1841Danijel, the Hebrew prophet
hadחֲזָאchăzâʼ/khaz-aw'/H2370to gaze upon; mentally to dream, be usual (i.e. seem)
a
dreamחֵלֶםchêlem/khay'-lem/H2493a dream
and
visionsחֵזֵוchêzêv/khay'-zev/H2376a sight
of
his
headרֵאשׁrêʼsh/raysh/H7217the head; figuratively, the sum
uponעַלʻal/al/H5922{above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications}
his
bed:מִשְׁכַּבmishkab/mish-kab'/H4903a bed
thenאֱדַיִןʼĕdayin/ed-ah'-yin/H116then (of time)
he
wroteכְּתַבkᵉthab/keth-ab'/H3790{to grave, by implication, to write (describe, inscribe, prescribe, subscribe)}
the
dream,חֵלֶםchêlem/khay'-lem/H2493a dream
and
toldאֲמַרʼămar/am-ar'/H560{to say (used with great latitude)}
the
sumרֵאשׁrêʼsh/raysh/H7217the head; figuratively, the sum
of
the
matters.מִלָּהmillâh/mil-law'/H4406a word, command, discourse, or subject
had:
Cald.
saw
matters:
or,
words

Commentary on Daniel 7:1

HENRY_FULL · Daniel 7:1–6
"super">36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. 37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the Lord ; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them: 38 And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the Lord . 39 But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the Lord . This prophecy is dated in the beginning of Zedekiah's reign; it is probable that the other prophecies against the Gentiles, going before, were at the same time. The Elamites were the Persians, descended from Elam the son of Shem ( Gen. x. 22 ); yet some think it was only that part of Persia which lay nearest to the Jews which was called Elymais, and adjoined to Media-Elam, which, say they, had acted against God's Israel, bore the quiver in an expedition against them ( Isa. xxii. 6 ), and therefore must be reckoned with among the rest. It is here foretold, in general, that God will bring evil upon them, even his fierce anger, and that is evil enough, it has all evil in it, v. 37 . In particular, 1. Their forces shall be disabled, and rendered incapable of doing them any service. The Elamites were famous archers, but, Behold, I will break the bow of Elam ( v. 35 ), will ruin their artillery, and then the chief of their might is gone. God often orders it so that that which we most trust to first fails us, and that which was the chief of our might proves the least of our help. 2. Their people shall be dispersed. There shall come enemies against them from all parts of the world, and they shall all carry some of them away captive into their respective countries; while others shall flee, some one way and some another, to shift for themselves, so that there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come, v. 36 . The four winds shall be brought upon them; the storm shall come sometimes from one point and sometimes from another, to toss and hurry them several ways. We know not from what point the wind of trouble may blow; but, if God encompass us with his favour, we are safe, and may be easy, which way soever the storm comes. Fear shall drive them into other countries; they shall be dismayed before their enemies; but, as if that were not enough, I will send the sword after them, v. 37 . Note, God can make his judgments follow those that think by flight to escape them and to get out of the reach of them. Evil pursues sinners. 3. Their princes shall be destroyed and the government quite changed ( v. 38 ): I will set my throne in Elam. The throne of Nebuchadnezzar shall be set there, or the throne of Cyrus, who began his conquests with Elymais. Or it may be meant of the throne on which God sits for judgment; he will make them know that he reigns, that he judges in the earth, that kings and princes are accountable to him, and that high as they are he is above them. The king of Elam was famous of old, Gen. xiv. 1 . Chedorlaomer was king of Elam, and a mighty man he was in his day; the nations about him served him; his successors, we may suppose, made a great figure; but the king of Elam is no more to God than another man. When God sets his throne in Elam he will destroy thence the king and the princes that are, and set up whom he pleases. 4. Yet the destruction of Elam shall not be perpetual ( v. 39 ): In the latter days I will bring again the captivity of Elam. When Cyrus had destroyed Babylon, brought the empire into the hands of the Persians, the Elamites no doubt returned in triumph out of all the countries whither they were scattered, and settled again in their own country. But this promise was to have its full and principal accomplishment in the days of the Messiah, when we find Elamites particularly among those who, when the Holy Ghost was given, heard spoken in their own tongues the wonderful works of God ( Acts ii. 9 , 11 ), and that is the most desirable return of the captivity. If the Son make you free, then you shall be free indeed. In this chapter, and that which follows, we have the judgment of Babylon, which is put last of Jeremiah's prophecies against the Gentiles because it was last accomplished; and when the cup of God's fury went round ( ch.25.17 ) the king of Sheshach, Babylon, drank l

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Deuteronomy 28:25

The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. removed: Heb. for a removing

Deuteronomy 28:64

And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

Isaiah 11:12

And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. corners: Heb. wings

Isaiah 16:3

Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth. Take: Heb. Bring

Isaiah 16:4

Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. extortioner: Heb. wringer the oppressors: Heb. the treaders down

Isaiah 27:13

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

Isaiah 56:8

The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him. beside: Heb. to his gathered

Ezekiel 5:10

Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.

Ezekiel 5:12

A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

Daniel 7:2

Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

Daniel 7:3

And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

Daniel 8:8

Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel 8:22

Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

Daniel 11:4

And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.

Amos 9:9

For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. sift: Heb. cause to move grain: Heb. stone

Revelation 7:1

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

Topics

Dreams

People & places in this verse

People

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Daniel 7:1.

Ezra 5:13

But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.

Daniel 2:26

The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

Daniel 4:19

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.

Daniel 5:12

Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation. interpreting: or, of an interpreter dissolving: or, of a dissolver doubts: Cald. knots

Ezra 6:3

In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;

Daniel 2:14

Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: answered: Cald. returned captain: or, chief marshal: Cald. chief of the executioners, or, slaughtermen

Daniel 2:18

That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. of the God: Cald. from before God that Daniel: or, that they should not destroy Daniel, etc

Daniel 2:24

Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.

Frequently asked questions

What does Daniel 7:1 say?

Daniel 7:1 (King James Version) reads: "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. had: Cald. saw matters: or, words"

Is Daniel 7:1 in the Old or New Testament?

Daniel 7:1 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Daniel.

Reflect

As you read Daniel 7:1, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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