Daniel 2:40

40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; just as iron crushes and smashes everything, it shall crush and shatter all these.

Daniel 2:40 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 2:40

And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron
This is not the kingdom of the Lagidae and Seleucidae, the successors of Alexander, as some have thought; for these are designed by the thighs in the third kingdom; and, besides, the kingdom of Christ was to arise in the time of this fourth kingdom, which it did not in that; nor the kingdom of Gog, or the empire of the Turks, as Saadiah, Aben Ezra, and Jarchi; but the Roman empire, which is compared to iron for its strength, firmness, and duration in itself; and for its power over other nations; and also for its cruelty to the Jews above all others, in utterly destroying their city, temple, and nation: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things;
so this kingdom has subdued and conquered all others; not the Jews only, but the Persians, Egyptians, Syrians, Africans, French, Germans, yea, all the world: and as iron that breaketh,
or "even as iron breaketh all these", shall it break in pieces, and bruise;
all nations and kingdoms; hence Rome has been called the mistress of the world, and its empire in Scripture is called the whole world, ( Luke 2:1 ) ( Revelation 17:18 ) .

Daniel 2:40 In-Context

38 into whose hand he has given human beings, wherever they live, the wild animals of the field, and the birds of the air, and whom he has established as ruler over them all—you are the head of gold.

39 After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth.

40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; just as iron crushes and smashes everything, it shall crush and shatter all these.

41 As you saw the feet and toes partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the strength of iron shall be in it, as you saw the iron mixed with the clay.

42 As the toes of the feet were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.

Footnotes

• [a]. Gk Theodotion Syr Vg: Aram adds [and like iron that crushes]