The Meaning of Daniel 7:6 Explained

Daniel 7:6

KJV: After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

YLT: 'After this I was seeing, and lo, another like a leopard, and it hath four wings of a fowl on its back, and four heads hath the beast, and dominion is given to it.

Darby: After this I saw, and behold, another, like a leopard, and it had four wings of a bird upon its back; and the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it.

ASV: After this I beheld, and, lo, another, like a leopard, which had upon its back four wings of a bird; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

After  this  I beheld,  and lo  another,  like a leopard,  which had upon  the back  of it four  wings  of a fowl;  the beast  had also four  heads;  and dominion  was given  to it. 

What does Daniel 7:6 Mean?

Study Notes

leopard
Swiftness of Alexander's conquests.

Verse Meaning

Most conservative Bible students have identified the third kingdom with Greece, because Greece overthrew Medo-Persia ("dominion was given to it"), and it bore the characteristics of the animal described here. Leopards (or panthers [1] ) are less majestic and ponderous than lions and bears. Their outstanding characteristics are their speed, strength, and cunning (cf. Jeremiah 5:6; Hosea 13:7; Habakkuk 1:8). The four wings on this leopard"s back made it even faster.
"With the swiftness of a leopard, Alexander the Great conquered most of the civilized world all the way from Macedonia to Africa and eastward to India 334-331 B.C.]. The lightning character of his conquests is without precedent in the ancient world, and this is fully in keeping with the image of speed embodied in the leopard itself and the four wings on its back." [2]
Apparently each wing had some connection with each of this animal"s four heads. Heads suggest intelligent direction. Greece had four governmental divisions with one person heading each division. Following Greece"s defeat at Ipsus, in Phrygia, in301 B.C, the Grecian Empire irretrievably divided into four parts under Alexander"s four generals.
There is some question about who these four men were. Jerome and Calvin believed they were Ptolemy, Seleucus, Philippians , and Antigonus. [3] Most modern commentators think they were Lysimachus (who ruled Thrace and Bithynia), Cassander (Macedonia and Greece), Seleucus (Syria, Babylonia, and the eastern territories), and Ptolemy (Egypt, Palestine, and Arabia Petrea). [4] Each of these successors ruled one of the geographical segments of Alexander"s empire: Greece, Western Asia, Egypt, and Persia. The exact identification of the rulers is debatable because it took about20 years for the kingdom to be successfully divided. Still there is no question that Greece split into four major parts after Alexander died (cf. Daniel 8:8; Daniel 8:22).
A third conservative view, which I do not think is as strong, is that the four wings and heads represent the four corners of the earth. [5] Archer wrote the following in response to the critical claim that the third beast represents Persia.
". . . there is no way in which a quadripartite character can be made out for the Persian Empire either under Cyrus or under any of his successors." [6]

Context Summary

Daniel 7:1-14 - God's Everlasting Dominion
This chapter enumerates the succession of world-empires and rulers which bridge the gulf of centuries from the Captivity to the Second Advent. The lion represents Babylon, whose cruel and mighty kingdom was animated by marvelous intelligence; the bear, Persia; the leopard, Greece under Alexander the Great; and the fourth beast, with great iron teeth, Rome. The ten horns are ten kings, and these probably represent great European kingdoms which have succeeded, or may yet succeed, to the heritage of the Roman empire. The Ancient of Days is sitting today upon His throne, His snow-white raiment betokening His purity, the fire of His throne bespeaking His antagonism to all things that offend and work iniquity. The government of the world is on shoulders which are well able to carry it, and He will cause all things to work out His purpose, which is to promote and assure the glory of Christ. [source]

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 7:6 mean?

After this looked I and there was another like a leopard and which had wings four of a bird on - its back and four heads had beast the and dominion was given to it
בָּאתַ֨ר דְּנָ֜ה חָזֵ֣ה הֲוֵ֗ית וַאֲר֤וּ אָֽחֳרִי֙ כִּנְמַ֔ר וְלַ֨הּ גַּפִּ֥ין אַרְבַּ֛ע דִּי־ ע֖וֹף עַל־ [גביה] (גַּבַּ֑הּ) וְאַרְבְּעָ֤ה רֵאשִׁין֙ לְחֵ֣יוְתָ֔א וְשָׁלְטָ֖ן יְהִ֥יב לַֽהּ

בָּאתַ֨ר  After 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֲתַר 
Sense: track, place.
דְּנָ֜ה  this 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: דְּנָה  
Sense: this, on account of this adv.
חָזֵ֣ה  looked 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: חֲזָה  
Sense: to see, behold.
וַאֲר֤וּ  and  there  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: אֲרוּ  
Sense: behold, lo.
אָֽחֳרִי֙  another 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: אָחֳרִי  
Sense: other, another.
כִּנְמַ֔ר  like  a  leopard 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְמַר  
Sense: leopard.
וְלַ֨הּ  and  which  had 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition, third person feminine singular
גַּפִּ֥ין  wings 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: גַּף  
Sense: wing (of bird).
אַרְבַּ֛ע  four 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
ע֖וֹף  a  bird 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹוף  
Sense: fowl.
[גביה]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
(גַּבַּ֑הּ)  its  back 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: גַּב  
Sense: back or side.
וְאַרְבְּעָ֤ה  and  four 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, masculine singular
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
רֵאשִׁין֙  heads 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: רֵאשׁ  
Sense: chief, head.
לְחֵ֣יוְתָ֔א  had  beast  the 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular determinate
Root: חֵיוָה  
Sense: beast, animal.
וְשָׁלְטָ֖ן  and  dominion 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלְטָן  
Sense: dominion, sovereignty.
יְהִ֥יב  was  given 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יְהַב  
Sense: to give, provide.
לַֽהּ  to  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular