The Meaning of Daniel 7:17 Explained

Daniel 7:17

KJV: These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

YLT: These great beasts, that are four, are four kings, they rise up from the earth;

Darby: These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth.

ASV: These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

These  great  beasts,  which  are four,  [are] four  kings,  [which] shall arise  out of  the earth. 

What does Daniel 7:17 Mean?

Study Notes

beasts
The monarch vision of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2) covers the same historic order as the beast vision of Daniel, but with this difference: Nebuchadnezzar saw the imposing outward power and splendour of the "times of the Gentiles" Luke 21:24 ; Revelation 16:19 while Daniel saw the true character of Gentile world-government as rapacious and warlike, established and maintained by force. It is remarkable that the heraldic insignia of the Gentile nations are all beasts or birds of prey.

Verse Meaning

The interpreter gave Daniel a general answer to his question. He stressed that each of the four beasts represented a king (or kingdom, cf. Daniel 7:23). They arose from the earth"s population, which is what the sea symbolized ( Daniel 7:2; cf. Isaiah 17:12-13; Isaiah 57:20-21; Jeremiah 46:7-8).
"The "four kings" obviously refer to four kingdoms, as the beasts represent both a king and a kingdom." [1]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 7

1  Daniel's vision of the four beasts,
9  and of God's kingdom
15  The interpretation thereof

What do the individual words in Daniel 7:17 mean?

These beasts great which are four four [are] kings [which] arise out of earth the
אִלֵּין֙ חֵיוָתָ֣א רַבְרְבָתָ֔א דִּ֥י אִנִּ֖ין אַרְבַּ֑ע אַרְבְּעָ֥ה מַלְכִ֖ין יְקוּמ֥וּן מִן־ אַרְעָֽא

אִלֵּין֙  These 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אִלֵּין  
Sense: these, those.
חֵיוָתָ֣א  beasts 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural determinate
Root: חֵיוָה  
Sense: beast, animal.
רַבְרְבָתָ֔א  great 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural determinate
Root: רַב  
Sense: great.
אַרְבַּ֑ע  four 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
אַרְבְּעָ֥ה  four 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
מַלְכִ֖ין  [are]  kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king.
יְקוּמ֥וּן  [which]  arise 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קוּם  
Sense: to arise, stand.
מִן־  out 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִן  
Sense: from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than.
אַרְעָֽא  of  earth  the 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular determinate
Root: אֲרַע  
Sense: earth, world, ground.