The Meaning of Daniel 2:40 Explained

Daniel 2:40

KJV: And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

YLT: And the fourth kingdom is strong as iron, because that iron is breaking small, and making feeble, all things, even as iron that is breaking all these, it beateth small and breaketh.

Darby: And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth everything, and as iron that breaketh all these, so shall it break in pieces and bruise.

ASV: And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush.

Discover Daniel 2:40

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Daniel 2:40?

MEANING: What does Daniel 2:40 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Daniel 2:40 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Daniel 2:40?

What is the context of Daniel 2:40?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all [things]: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

What does Daniel 2:40 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Rome defeated the last vestige of the Greek Empire in31 B.C. and ruled for hundreds of years-until A.D476 in the Western Roman Empire, and until A.D1453in the Eastern Roman Empire. The eastern and western divisions of this empire crushed all opposition with a brutal strength that surpassed any of its predecessors. Certainly iron legs fitly symbolized the Roman Empire. Rome also dominated the map more extensively than any previous kingdom, encompassing almost all of Europe, including Spain and the British Isles, as well as India. Those legs stood astride most of the ancient world.

"The Roman Empire embraced a much wider territory in which the Western division became fully as strong as the Eastern, and this seems to be portrayed by the two legs." ^[1]

However, in terms of absolute authority, Rome was indeed an inferior power. The people and the senate played major roles in setting its policies, and they controlled the emperors more than had been true in the preceding empires in Nebuchadnezzar"s dream. Nebuchadnezzar was an absolute monarch, and those rulers who followed him (the Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman sovereigns) were increasingly less powerful personally.

Context Summary

Daniel 2:36-49 - God's Kingdom Triumphant

Our Lord probably refers to these five empires when He speaks of "the times of the Gentiles." The empire of Babylon was followed by that of Medo-Persia under Cyrus; that by Greece under Alexander the Great; and that in turn by Rome led by the Caesars. Since the dissolution of the Roman Empire, the vast dominions of the East and the West have fallen, generally speaking, into some ten main divisions. There is, therefore, now nothing between us and the final setting up of the kingdom that is not made by human hands and shall never be destroyed. Note the striking anticipation of the outcome of Gentile dominion, in the prostration of supreme human power at the feet of a Jew. Evidently Daniel refused the king's homage, because we are told that Nebuchadnezzar "answered" him. Those who have shared our anxieties and prayers must not be forgotten in our hour of triumph, Daniel 2:49. The heart of man may not be able to recall its forgotten dreams of innocence and truth, but it will recognize them when presented by the servant of God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 2

¹ Nebuchadnezzar, forgetting his dream,
⁵ requires it of the Chaldeans, by promises and threats
¹⁰ They acknowledging their inability are judged to die
¹⁴ Daniel obtaining some respite finds the dream
¹⁹ He blesses God
²⁴ He staying the decree is brought to the king
³¹ The dream
³⁶ The interpretation
⁴⁶ Daniel's advancement

What do the individual words in Daniel 2:40 mean?

And the kingdom fourth fourth shall be as strong as iron all - inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything and like iron that crushes these [that kingdom] will break in pieces and crush

וּמַלְכוּ֙ [רביעיה] (רְבִ֣יעָאָ֔ה) תֶּהֱוֵ֥א תַקִּיפָ֖ה כְּפַרְזְלָ֑א כָּל־ קֳבֵ֗ל דִּ֤י פַרְזְלָא֙ מְהַדֵּ֤ק וְחָשֵׁל֙ כֹּ֔לָּא וּֽכְפַרְזְלָ֛א דִּֽי־ מְרָעַ֥ע אִלֵּ֖ין תַּדִּ֥ק וְתֵרֹֽעַ

וּמַלְכוּ֙	And the kingdom
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular Root: מַלְכוּ Sense: royalty, reign, kingdom.
[רביעיה]	fourth
Parse: Number, ordinal feminine singular
(רְבִ֣יעָאָ֔ה)	fourth
Parse: Number, ordinal feminine singular Root: רְבִיעָי Sense: fourth.
תֶּהֱוֵ֥א	shall be
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular Root: הֲוָה Sense: to come to pass, become, be.
תַקִּיפָ֖ה	as strong
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular Root: תַּקִּיף Sense: might, strong, mighty.
כְּפַרְזְלָ֑א	as iron
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular determinate Root: פַּרְזֶל Sense: iron.
קֳבֵ֗ל	-
Parse: Preposition Root: קֳבֵל Sense: front prep.
דִּ֤י	inasmuch as
Parse: Pronoun, relative Root: דִּי Sense: who, which, that mark of genitive.
פַרְזְלָא֙	iron
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate Root: פַּרְזֶל Sense: iron.
מְהַדֵּ֤ק	breaks in pieces
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular Root: דְּקַק Sense: to break into pieces, fall into pieces, be shattered.
וְחָשֵׁל֙	and shatters
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular Root: חֲשַׁל Sense: (P’al) to subdue, crush, shatter.
כֹּ֔לָּא	everything
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate Root: כֹּל Sense: all, whole, the whole.
וּֽכְפַרְזְלָ֛א	and like iron
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular determinate Root: פַּרְזֶל Sense: iron.
דִּֽי־	that
Parse: Pronoun, relative Root: דִּי Sense: who, which, that mark of genitive.
מְרָעַ֥ע	crushes
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular Root: רְעַע Sense: (P’al) to crush, break, shatter.
אִלֵּ֖ין	these
Parse: Pronoun, common plural Root: אִלֵּין Sense: these, those.
תַּדִּ֥ק	[that kingdom] will break in pieces
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person feminine singular Root: דְּקַק Sense: to break into pieces, fall into pieces, be shattered.
וְתֵרֹֽעַ	and crush
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine singular Root: רְעַע Sense: (P’al) to crush, break, shatter.

What are the major concepts related to Daniel 2:40?

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