Daniel 7:5

5 And lo! another beast, like a bear in part, stood, and three orders were in the mouth thereof, and three princes in the teeth thereof (And lo! another beast, like a bear in part, stood up, and it had three ribs in its teeth). And thus they said to it, Rise thou, eat thou full many fleshes.

Daniel 7:5 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 7:5

And, behold, another beast, a second, like to a bear
Another monarchy, and which succeeded the former, and rose up upon the ruins of it, the Medo-Persian monarchy; and so the Syriac version prefixes to this verse, by way of explanation,

``the kingdom of the Medes''

like to a bear, less generous and strong than the lion; more rough and uncivil, but equally cruel and voracious; which describes the Medes and Persians as a fierce and cruel people, and less polished, and more uncivilized, than the Chaldeans; and answers to the silver breasts and arms in Nebuchadnezzar's dream; see ( Isaiah 13:17 Isaiah 13:18 ) ( Jeremiah 51:27 Jeremiah 51:28 ) : and it raised up itself on one side;
either of the lion, the first beast it destroyed; or rather on one side of itself, on the side of Persia; from whence Cyrus came, who was the principal instrument of raising this empire to the pitch it was brought unto. Some render it, "and it raised up one government" ^F4; one empire out of many nations and kingdoms it subdued: and it had three ribs in the mouth of it, between the teeth of it;
that is, three ribs covered with flesh, which, it was devouring; the bear being very voracious, and a great flesh eater: these, according to some, signify three kings that followed Darius the Mede; Cyrus, Ahasuerus, and Darius; so Jarchi and Jacchiades; and, according to Jerom, three kingdoms, the Babylonian, Median, and Persian: but neither of these kings nor kingdoms can be said to be in its mouth, and between its teeth, as ground and devoured by it, unless the Babylonian; wherefore it is better interpreted by others, as Theodoret, the three parts of the world it conquered, westward, northward, and southward, ( Daniel 8:4 ) , though it is best of all, with Sir Isaac Newton and Bishop Chandler, to understand by them Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt; which countries were ground and oppressed by the Medes and Persians, as the ribs of any creature are ground in the mouth of a bear: and they said thus unto it, arise, devour much flesh;
which Jerom refers to Haman's orders to destroy the Jews in the times of Ahasuerus; but it is much better applied by others to Cyaxares or Darius sending for Cyrus to take upon him the command of his army; and to the Hyrcanians, Gobryas, and others, inviting him to avenge them on the Babylonians, promising to join and assist him, as Xenophon ^F5 relates: or rather this is to be interpreted of the divine will, and of the conduct of Providence by means of angels stirring up the spirit of Cyrus, and of the Medes and Persians, to attack and subdue many nations, and particularly the Babylonians, and fill themselves with their wealth and substance; hence they are styled the Lord's sanctified, whom he ordered and called to such service; see ( Isaiah 13:3 ) ( 21:2 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 (tmyqh rx rjvlw) "quae dominatum unum erexit", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; "et dominatum quendana erexit", Piscator.
F5 Cyropaedia l. 1. c. 22. l. 4. c. 4, 24.

Daniel 7:5 In-Context

3 And four great beasts, diverse betwixt themselves, went up from the sea.

4 The first beast was as a lioness, and had wings of an eagle. I beheld till the wings thereof were pulled away, and it was taken away from [the] earth, and it stood as a man on the feet, and the heart thereof was given to it. (The first beast was like a lioness, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were pulled off, and it was lifted up from the ground, and it stood upon its feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.)

5 And lo! another beast, like a bear in part, stood, and three orders were in the mouth thereof, and three princes in the teeth thereof (And lo! another beast, like a bear in part, stood up, and it had three ribs in its teeth). And thus they said to it, Rise thou, eat thou full many fleshes.

6 After these things I beheld, and lo! another beast as a leopard, and it had on itself four wings of a bird; and four heads were in the beast (and four heads were on that beast), and power was given to it.

7 After these things I beheld in the vision of (the) night, and lo! the fourth beast, fearedful, and wonderful, and full strong. It had great iron teeth, and it ate, and made less, and defouled with his feet other things; forsooth it was unlike (the) other beasts, which I had seen before it, and it had ten horns. (After these things I saw in the vision of the night, and lo! the fourth beast, fearful, and wonderful, and very strong. It had great iron teeth, and it ate, and devoured, and it defiled, or trampled upon, everything with its feet; and it was unlike the other beasts, which I had seen before it, for it had ten horns.)