Daniel 7:2

2 I Daniel beheld, and, lo, the four winds of heaven blew violently upon the great sea.

Daniel 7:2 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 7:2

Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night
He declared he had had a vision by night, and this was the substance of it: and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea:
the east, west, north, and south winds, broke out from each of their quarters, and rushed in upon the great sea; either the Mediterranean, so called in comparison of the sea of Sodom, and the sea of Tiberias in Judea; or upon the waters of the main ocean, and raised up its waves, and seemed as it were to be striving and fighting with them, and put them into a strange agitation; by which may be meant the whole world, and the kingdoms and nations of it, because of its largeness, inconstancy, instability, and disquietude; see ( Revelation 17:15 ) ( Isaiah 57:20 ) , and by the "four winds" some understand the angels, either good or bad, concerned in the affairs of Providence on earth, either by divine order or permission; or rather the kings of the earth raising commotions in it, striving and fighting with one another, either to defend or enlarge their dominions; and which have been the means in Providence of the rising up of some great state or monarchy, as after appears.

Daniel 7:2 In-Context

1 In the first year of Baltasar, king of the Chaldeans Daniel had a dream, and visions of his head upon his bed: and he wrote his dream.
2 I Daniel beheld, and, lo, the four winds of heaven blew violently upon the great sea.
3 And there came up four great beasts out of the sea, differing from one another.
4 The first as a lioness, and her wings as an eagle's; I beheld until her wings were plucked, ands she was lifted off from the earth, and she stood on human feet, and a man's heart was given to her.
5 And, behold, a second beast like a bear, and it supported itself on one side, and there were three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth: and thus they said to it, Arise, devour much flesh.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.