Month: November 2025

The Bible – Old Testament

Daniel 

Index

Int. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 

8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Chapter 7

1

¹ In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream as he lay in bed, and was terrified by the visions of his mind. Then he wrote down the dream; the account began:

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² In the vision I saw during the night, suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea,

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from which emerged four immense beasts, each different from the others.

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³ The first was like a lion, but with eagle’s wings. While I watched, the wings were plucked; it was raised from the ground to stand on two feet like a man, and given a human mind.

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⁴ The second was like a bear; it was raised up on one side, and among the teeth in its mouth were three tusks. It was given the order, “Up, devour much flesh.”

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⁵ After this I looked and saw another beast, like a leopard; on its back were four wings like those of a bird, and it had four heads. To this beast dominion was given.

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⁶ After this, in the visions of the night I saw the fourth beast, different from all the others, terrifying, horrible, and of extraordinary strength; it had great iron teeth with which it devoured and crushed, and what was left it trampled with its feet.

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I was considering the ten horns it had, when suddenly another, a little horn, sprang out of their midst, and three of the previous horns were torn away to make room for it. This horn had eyes like a man, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly.

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⁷ As I watched, Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne. His clothing was snow bright, and the hair on his head as white as wool; His throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire.

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A surging stream of fire flowed out from where he sat; Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.

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I watched, then, from the first of the arrogant words which the horn spoke, until the beast was slain and its body thrown into the fire to be burnt up.

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The other beasts, which also lost their dominion, were granted a prolongation of life for a time and a season.

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⁸ As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him,

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He received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.

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I, Daniel, found my spirit anguished within its sheath of flesh, and I was terrified by the visions of my mind.

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I approached one of those present and asked him what all this meant in truth; in answer, he made known to me the meaning of the things:

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“These four great beasts stand for four kingdoms which shall arise on the earth.

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But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingship, to possess it forever and ever.”

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But I wished to make certain about the fourth beast, so very terrible and different from the others, devouring and crushing with its iron teeth and bronze claws, and trampling with its feet what was left;

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about the ten horns on its head, and the other one that sprang up, before which three horns fell; about the horn with the eyes and the mouth that spoke arrogantly, which appeared greater than its fellows.

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For, as I watched, that horn made war against the holy ones and was victorious

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until the Ancient One arrived; judgment was pronounced in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, and the time came when the holy ones possessed the kingdom.

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He answered me thus: “The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, different from all the others; It shall devour the whole earth, beat it down, and crush it.

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The ten horns shall be ten kings rising out of that kingdom; another shall rise up after them, Different from those before him, who shall lay low three kings.

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⁹ He shall speak against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High, thinking to change the feast days and the law. They shall be handed over to him for a year, two years, and a half-year.

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But when the court is convened, and his power is taken away by final and absolute destruction,

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Then the kingship and dominion and majesty of all the kingdoms under the heavens shall be given to the holy people of the Most High, Whose kingdom shall be everlasting: all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

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¹⁰ The report concluded: I, Daniel, was greatly terrified by my thoughts, and my face blanched, but I kept the matter to myself.

1 [1-27] The significance of this vision is the same as that of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2; see note on ⇒ Daniel 2:36-45. To the four succeeding world kingdoms, Babylonian, Median, Persian, and Greek, is opposed the messianic kingdom of the people of God. The imagery of this chapter has been used extensively in the Revelation of St. John, where it is applied to the Roman empire, the persecutor of the Church.

2 [2] The great sea: the primordial ocean beneath the earth, according to primitive cosmology (⇒ Genesis 7:11; ⇒ 49:25). This was thought to contain various monsters (⇒ Isaiah 27:1; ⇒ Job 7:12), and in particular mythological monsters symbolizing the chaos which God had vanquished in ancient times (⇒ Job 9:13; ⇒ 26:13; etc.).

3 [4] The representation of the Babylonian empire as a winged lion, a common motif in Babylonian art, symbolizes the bestial power hostile to God. The two wings that were plucked represent Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. On two feet like a man . . . a human mind: contrasts with what is said in ⇒ Daniel 4:13, ⇒ 30.

4 [5] A bear: represents the Median empire, its three tusks symbolizing its destructive nature; hence, the command: “Up, devour much flesh.”

5 [6] A leopard: used to symbolize the swiftness with which Cyrus the Persian established his kingdom. Four heads: corresponding to the four Persian kings of ⇒ Daniel 11:2.

6 [7-8] Alexander’s empire was different from all the others in that it was Western rather than Oriental in inspiration. The ten horns represent the kings of the Seleucid dynasty, the only part of the Hellenistic empire that concerned the author. The little horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163 B.C.), the worst of the Seleucid kings, who usurped the throne.

7 [9-10] A vision of the heavenly throne of God (the Ancient One), who sits in judgment (symbolized by fire) over the nations. Some of the details of the vision, depicting the divine majesty and omnipotence, are to be found in Ezekial 1.

8 [13-14] One like a son of man: in contrast to the worldly kingdoms opposed to God, which appear as beasts, the glorified people of God that will form his kingdom on earth is represented in human form (⇒ Daniel 7:18). Just as our Lord applied the figure of the stone hewn from the mountain to himself (⇒ Daniel 2:36-45), he also made the title “Son of Man” his most characteristic way of referring to himself, as the One in whom and through whom the salvation of God’s people came to be realized.

9 [25] The reference is to the persecutions of Antiochus IV and his attempt to force the Jews to give up their customs and to adopt Hellenistic ways (⇒ 1 Macc 1:33-34). A year, two years, and a half-year: an indefinite, evil period of time. As seven is the Jewish “perfect” number, half of it signifies great imperfection. Actually, this corresponds fairly accurately to the duration of Antiochus’ persecution.

10 [28] This verse ends the Aramaic part of the Book of Daniel.

The Bible – Old Testament

Daniel 

Index

Int. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 

8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

BIBLE

THE GLOBAL WORD OF THE DAY

OLD TESTAMENT

PSALMS

THE GOSPELS

MATTHEW – MARK 

LUKE – JOHN

NEW TESTAMENT

PRAYERS 

The Bible – Old Testament

Daniel 

Index

Int. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 

8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Chapter 6

1

¹ And Darius the Mede succeeded to the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

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Darius decided to appoint over his entire kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to safeguard his interests;

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these were accountable to three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel.

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Daniel outshone all the supervisors and satraps because an extraordinary spirit was in him, and the king thought of giving him authority over the entire kingdom.

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Therefore the supervisors and satraps tried to find grounds for accusation against Daniel as regards the administration. But they could accuse him of no wrongdoing; because he was trustworthy, no fault of neglect or misconduct was to be found in him.

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Then these men said to themselves, “We shall find no grounds for accusation against this Daniel unless by way of the law of his God.”

7

So these supervisors and satraps went thronging to the king and said to him, “King Darius, live forever!

8

All the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, nobles, and governors are agreed that the following prohibition ought to be put in force by royal decree: no one is to address any petition to god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king; otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions.

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² Now, O king, issue the prohibition over your signature, immutable and irrevocable under Mede and Persian law.”

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So King Darius signed the prohibition and made it law.

11

Even after Daniel heard that this law had been signed, he continued his custom of going home to kneel in prayer and give thanks to his God in the upper chamber three times a day, with the windows open toward Jerusalem.

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So these men rushed in and found Daniel praying and pleading before his God.

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Then they went to remind the king about the prohibition: “Did you not decree, O king, that no one is to address a petition to god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king; otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions?” The king answered them, “The decree is absolute, irrevocable under the Mede and Persian law.”

14

To this they replied, “Daniel, the Jewish exile, has paid no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you issued; three times a day he offers his prayer.”

15

The king was deeply grieved at this news and he made up his mind to save Daniel; he worked till sunset to rescue him.

16

But these men insisted. “Keep in mind, O king,” they said, “that under the Mede and Persian law every royal prohibition or decree is irrevocable.”

17

³ So the king ordered Daniel to be brought and cast into the lions’ den. To Daniel he said, “May your God, whom you serve so constantly, save you.”

18

To forestall any tampering, the king sealed with his own ring and the rings of the lords the stone that had been brought to block the opening of the den.

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Then the king returned to his palace for the night; he refused to eat and he dismissed the entertainers. Since sleep was impossible for him,

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the king rose very early the next morning and hastened to the lions’ den.

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As he drew near, he cried out to Daniel sorrowfully, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has the God whom you serve so constantly been able to save you from the lions?”

22

Daniel answered the king: “O king, live forever!

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My God has sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths so that they have not hurt me. For I have been found innocent before him; neither to you have I done any harm, O king!”

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This gave the king great joy. At his order Daniel was removed from the den, unhurt because he trusted in his God.

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The king then ordered the men who had accused Daniel, along with their children and their wives, to be cast into the lions’ den. Before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

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Then King Darius wrote to the nations and peoples of every language, wherever they dwell on the earth: “All peace to you!

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I decree that throughout my royal domain the God of Daniel is to be reverenced and feared: “For he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be without end.

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He is a deliverer and savior, working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, and he delivered Daniel from the lions’ power.”

29

So Daniel fared well during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

1 [1] Darius the Mede: unknown in profane history. The Median kingdom had already been conquered by Cyrus the Persian, and it was Cyrus who captured Babylon. Evidently the author of Daniel has deliberately adopted an apocalyptic view of history, derived from prophecy (cf ⇒ Isaiah 13:17-19; ⇒ Jeremiah 51:11, ⇒ 28-30), according to which the Medes formed the second of four world kingdoms preceding the messianic times; see note on ⇒ Daniel 2:36-45. The character of Darius the Mede has probably been modeled on that of the Persian King Darius the Great (522-486 B.C.), the second successor of Cyrus.

2 [9] Immutable and irrevocable: the passages in ⇒ Esther 1:19 and ⇒ 8:8 also refer to the immutability of Medo-Persian laws. The historian Diodorus Siculus indicates that such a concept existed in the time of Darius III (335-331 B.C.), the last of the Persian kings. Cf ⇒ Daniel 6:13, ⇒ 16.

3 [17] The lions’ den: a pit too deep to be easily scaled; its opening was blocked with a stone (v 18).

The Bible – Old Testament

Daniel 

Index

Int. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 

8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

BIBLE

THE GLOBAL WORD OF THE DAY

BIBLE – SUNDAY

OLD TESTAMENT

PSALMS

NEW TESTAMENT

PRAYERS 

LITURGICAL SONGS

CATEQUESIS – VIDEOS