Daniel 7:16-18 · Bible study
Daniel 7:16-18 Commentary: Angelic Mediation and the Saints' Kingdom
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Daniel asks an angel to interpret the vision of four beasts.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The angel interprets the four beasts as four kingdoms that will arise, but the saints of the Most High will receive an eternal kingdom.
- Key words: “saints” (qaddish, holy ones), “Most High” (elyonin, plural of majesty), “receive” (kabbel, to receive as a gift), “possess” (chasan, to take possession).
- Main debate: The identity of the four kingdoms, especially the fourth (Rome vs. Greece vs. future Antichrist), and whether the saints are exclusively Israel or include the Church.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty over history; the vindication of the persecuted faithful; the certainty of God’s kingdom.
- Best use: A text of hope for believers facing oppression or doubt about God’s plan in a world of rising and falling powers.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
16I approached one of those who were standing there, and I asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me the interpretation of these things:
17‘These four great beasts are four kings who will arise from the earth.
18But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever.’
WEB World English Bible 2000
16I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this. “So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
17‘These great animals, which are four, are four kings, who will arise out of the earth.
18But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
KJV King James Version 1769
16I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
17These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
18But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
16I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
17These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth.
18But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
16I have drawn near unto one of those standing, and the certainty I seek from him of all this; and he hath said to me, yea, the interpretation of the things he hath caused me to know:
17`These great beasts, that are four, are four kings, they rise up from the earth;
18and receive the kingdom do the saints of the Most High, and they strengthen the kingdom unto the age, even unto the age of the ages.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
16I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the certainty of all this. And he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things:
17These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, [that] shall arise out of the earth.
18But the saints of the most high [places] shall receive the kingdom, and they shall possess the kingdom for ever, even to the ages of ages.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
16I went near to one of them that stood by, and asked the truth of him concerning all these things, and he told me the interpretation of the words, and instructed me:
17These four great beasts, are four kingdoms, which shall arise out of the earth.
18But the saints of the most high God shall take the kingdom: and they shall possess the kingdom for ever and ever.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Daniel 7:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this passage is the interpretive hinge of Daniel’s vision. The angel’s answer is direct: the four great beasts represent four kings, or kingdoms (Barnes, Calvin, Cambridge), that will arise from the earth. This is understood as shorthand for four successive world empires. The angel then pivots to the central promise: “the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom” (v.18). Clarke identifies these saints as “the genuine disciples of Christ”; Jamieson-Fausset-Brown notes that the Son of man (v.13) and the saints are one in suffering and glory. The kingdom granted to them is everlasting, directly contrasting the temporary dominion of the beasts. Angels as interpreters are characteristic of apocalyptic literature, marking a shift from earlier prophets who heard God’s voice directly (Cambridge). The core agreement is strong: God’s sovereignty ensures his people’s final victory, mediated through heavenly revelation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Traditional four-kingdom view (Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome): Rooted in the historical succession of empires Daniel addresses; supported by the identification in Daniel 2 and 7:23, and by early Jewish and Christian tradition.
- Futurist view (fourth beast as end-times Antichrist): Points to the little horn’s unprecedented blasphemy (v.8,20-25) and the final judgment scene, arguing for a future fulfillment not exhausted by historical Rome.
- Maccabean/Seleucid view (fourth beast as Greece under Antiochus IV): Focuses on the persecution described in v.21,25 and the timing of Daniel’s composition during the Maccabean crisis; the fourth kingdom is the Greek empire that oppressed Israel.
What is clear: The four beasts represent four successive earthly kingdoms, and God’s holy people will ultimately receive an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the four beasts | They represent four successive kingdoms or empires that rise on earth. | Christians differ on the specific identification: the traditional view is Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome; others see the fourth as the Seleucid Empire of Antiochus IV; still others hold a futurist view of an end-times Antichrist kingdom. |
| The saints of the Most High | They are God’s faithful, holy people, the community that belongs to the Most High. | Some interpreters limit the saints to faithful Israel (especially in the Maccabean period); others include the Church as the inheritor of the kingdom. A minority view includes angels among the ‘holy ones.’ |
| The kingdom’s nature and timing | The kingdom is everlasting, given by God and possessed forever. | Catholic and Orthodox teaching sees the kingdom as fully realized in the Church and consummated in heaven; many Protestant traditions emphasize a future millennial reign; all agree the saints will reign with Christ eternally. |
| Angelic mediation of revelation | In apocalyptic literature, angels commonly interpret visions for the prophet. | The reason for this shift from direct prophetic speech is discussed: some suggest it highlights God’s transcendence; others that it reflects a later development in Jewish theology of divine intermediaries. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Daniel 7 stands in the apocalyptic section of the book (chapters 7, 12), a literary form that flourished in the post-exilic period. Unlike the classical prophets who received direct divine speech, Daniel is shown symbolic visions that require a heavenly interpreter. Here, Daniel approaches “one of those who stood by”, an angel who belongs to the divine court (cf. 7:10). The Cambridge Bible notes that this angelic mediation is characteristic of later prophecy, referencing Zechariah 1, 6 and the apocryphal Apocalypses of Enoch and 2 Esdras. In earlier visions (Amos 7, Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1, 3), the Lord himself explained the meaning. The shift signals a growing sense of God’s transcendence; revelation is now mediated through angelic beings.
The four beasts represent four kingdoms, a schema common in ancient Near Eastern historiography. Jewish and Christian tradition consistently identified them as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, though some interpreters today see the fourth as the Seleucid Empire. The phrase “out of the earth” (Aramaic min ar‘a) likely means “on the earth” (Lange, Luther), stressing their earthly origin. In contrast, the saints are “of the Most High” (elyonin, a plural of majesty used only in Daniel for God). The Aramaic term qaddish means “holy ones,” referring to either angels or God’s faithful people. In context, the saints are attacked by the little horn and vindicated (v.21-22), they are the covenant community, both heavenly and human (Cambridge: “an extension of the use of the word ‘holy’ to denote Israel”).
The angelic message reverses the fate of the beasts: their dominion is taken away (v.12), but God’s people receive a kingdom “forever and ever.” The repetition of ‘olam (perpetuity) reinforces permanence. This passage has sustained persecuted communities from the Maccabean period through the early church, grounding hope in the certainty of God’s reign.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants in Daniel 7:16-18. The Aramaic text is consistent across medieval Hebrew manuscripts. The ancient versions (Septuagint, Vulgate) render the passage without material differences, though they sometimes translate “kings” as “kingdoms”, a paraphrase that agrees with the interpretation of the commentators.
Reception History
From the early centuries, Christians have read this passage as a promise of God’s kingdom for his people. Irenaeus and Jerome used the four-beast schema to interpret world history, identifying the fourth kingdom as Rome and the saints as the Church. During the Reformation, Protestant interpreters such as Calvin and Luther applied the prophecy to the struggle between the gospel and papal power, finding the fourth beast in Rome’s imperial legacy. Catholic tradition has consistently read the passage as a prophecy of Christ’s eternal reign, with the saints receiving the kingdom in its fullness. Throughout history, this text has comforted persecuted believers, from the early martyrs to modern-day Christians under hostile regimes, assuring them that earthly powers are temporary and that God’s people will ultimately reign.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The need for revelation: Daniel, troubled, asks an angel for the truth. He does not pretend to understand; he seeks help. God provides an interpreter to make his purpose plain.
- The content of revelation: Human kingdoms are great but temporary. The four beasts represent successive empires that rise from the earth. They do not last.
- The assurance of revelation: The saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom. God’s people do not seize power; they receive it as a gift and possess it forever.
Five-point outline
- Troubled prophet seeks understanding, Daniel approaches the angel (v.16).
- Angelic interpreter speaks, The angel makes known the interpretation (v.16).
- Four beasts, four kingdoms, They arise from the earth, representing human power (v.17).
- The saints inherit, God’s holy ones receive the kingdom (v.18).
- An everlasting dominion, The kingdom is possessed forever, without end (v.18).
Illustration hooks
- Think of the rise and fall of empires: Rome, the British Empire, the Soviet Union. Each was powerful in its day, but none lasted. This passage promises a kingdom that will never end.
- A child who asks a parent to explain a confusing story: Daniel doesn’t pretend to understand; he asks an angel. We too can ask God for understanding through Scripture and the Spirit.
- The scene of a courtroom: the beasts are judged, and the saints receive the verdict, the kingdom is given to them. The outcome of history is not in doubt.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why doesn’t God speak directly to Daniel like he did to earlier prophets? Does he still speak through angelic messengers today?
- What does it mean that the saints will “receive the kingdom”, is this only after death, or does it begin now?
- How can I be certain God will win in the end when the news shows powerful kingdoms seeming to have their own way?
Leading a Discussion
In this passage, Daniel models a key posture for believers: when we do not understand God’s purposes, we can ask. The angel’s answer provides both a diagnosis (four kingdoms) and a promise (the saints inherit forever). The group should notice how the vision turns from terrifying beasts to a secure kingdom.
Discussion questions
- What prompts Daniel to approach one of the angels standing by? (v.16) What does this tell us about his state of mind?
- Why do you think the angel describes the beasts “arising out of the earth” rather than the sea (as in v.2-3)? What might be the difference?
- The beasts represent four kings (or kingdoms). What do the images of wild animals suggest about how these empires operate?
- Verse 18: “the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom.” Who are these “saints”, can you find clues in the surrounding verses (v.21-22, 25-27)?
- What does the word “forever” add to the promise? How does this contrast with the fate of the beasts (v.11-12)?
- How would this message have encouraged Jewish readers living under oppressive empires, for example, during the Maccabean revolt?
- How can we “possess the kingdom” now, even while we wait for its full arrival? What does that look like in daily life?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Daniel 7:10 | A fiery stream issued and came out from before him. Thousands of thousands ministered to him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The judgment was set. The books were opened. |
| Daniel 8:13 | Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who spoke, “How long will the vision about the continual burnt offering, and the disobedience that makes desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the army to be trodden under foot be?” |
| Daniel 8:16 | I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” |
| Daniel 9:22 | He instructed me and talked with me, and said, “Daniel, I have now come to give you wisdom and understanding. |
| Daniel 10:5 | I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man clothed in linen, whose waist was adorned with pure gold of Uphaz. |
| Daniel 10:6 | His body also was like beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches. His arms and his feet were like burnished bronze. The voice of his words was like the voice of a multitude. |
| Daniel 10:11 | He said to me, “Daniel, you greatly beloved man, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have been sent to you, now.” When he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling. |
| Daniel 10:12 | Then he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. I have come for your words’ sake. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies the "supreme holy ones" as the genuine disciples of Christ, not the patriarchs or ancient Jews. He argues that Christianity alone provides complete redemption, making believers the chief saints. To them God gives the kingdom, the Gospel dispensation, which will endure through all time and into eternity.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that the four beasts represent four earthly empires, not individual kings, and contrasts their earthly origin with the heavenly origin of the coming kingdom. He sees the saints taking the kingdom as a future state of prevalent righteousness on earth that will last until the close of the present age.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the angel calls the four kingdoms "perpetual" not because they would literally last forever, but because their long duration felt unbearable to the faithful waiting for God's deliverance. The prophecy uses this exaggeration to comfort believers, who otherwise would have grown impatient and despaired.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary points out that the angel interpreting Daniel's vision does not pause to explain the symbolism of the four beasts. Instead he quickly moves to describe the nature of the kingdom that will succeed them. The "saints of the Most High" here take the place of the "one like a son of man" in receiving eternal dominion.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the four beasts represent earthly kingdoms built by force, while the saints receive the kingdom as a free gift from God, not by violence. He argues for an eternal reign of the saints, contrasting the transient, worldly power of the four monarchies.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB sees the four kings not merely as individuals but as representatives of entire dynasties and characteristic tendencies—Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander, Antiochus, and Antichrist. He stresses that the kingdom passes from Israel to the Gentile world powers, then to Messiah and the saints together, since Christ and His people are one in suffering and in glory.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley specifies that "unto one" refers specifically to an angel who was ministering. He then clarifies that the vision's true meaning centers on the saints: because Jesus Christ is their king, they will reign alongside him and possess the kingdom forever.