Daniel 2:32

32 The head of the statue was pure gold, the chest and arms were silver, the belly and hips were bronze,

Daniel 2:32 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 2:32

This image's head was of fine gold
The prophet begins with the superior part of this image, and descends to the lower, because of the order and condition of the monarchies it represents: this signifies the Babylonian monarchy, as afterwards explained; called the "head", being the first and chief of the monarchies; and compared to "fine gold", because of the glory, excellency, and duration of it: his breast and his arms of silver;
its two arms, including its hands and its breast, to which they were joined, were of silver, a metal of less value than gold; designing the monarchy of the Medes and Persians, which are the two arms, and which centred in Cyrus, who was by his father a Persian, by his mother a Mede; and upon whom, after his uncle's death, the whole monarchy devolved: his belly and his thighs of brass;
a baser metal still; this points at the Macedonian or Grecian monarchy, set up by Alexander, signified by the "belly", for intemperance and luxury; as the two "thighs" denote his principal successors, the Selucidae and Lagidae, the Syrian and Egyptian kings; and these of brass, because of the sounding fame of them, as Jerom.

Daniel 2:32 In-Context

30 But the interpretation is given through me, not because I'm any smarter than anyone else in the country, but so that you will know what it means, so that you will understand what you dreamed.
31 "What you saw, O king, was a huge statue standing before you, striking in appearance. And terrifying.
32 The head of the statue was pure gold, the chest and arms were silver, the belly and hips were bronze,
33 the legs were iron, and the feet were an iron-ceramic mixture.
34 While you were looking at this statue, a stone cut out of a mountain by an invisible hand hit the statue, smashing its iron-ceramic feet.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.