Daniel 2:42
New International Version
As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

New Living Translation
But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay.

English Standard Version
And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.

Berean Standard Bible
And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

King James Bible
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

New King James Version
And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.

New American Standard Bible
And just as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong, and part of it will be fragile.

NASB 1995
“As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.

NASB 1977
“And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.

Legacy Standard Bible
And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.

Amplified Bible
As the [ten] toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so some of the kingdom will be strong, and another part of it will be brittle.

Christian Standard Bible
and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle.

American Standard Version
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

English Revised Version
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The toes were partly iron and partly clay. Part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle.

Good News Translation
The toes--partly iron and partly clay--mean that part of the empire will be strong and part of it weak.

International Standard Version
Just as their toes and feet are part iron and part clay, so will the kingdom be both strong and brittle.

Majority Standard Bible
And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

NET Bible
In that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, the latter stages of this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile.

New Heart English Bible
As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

Webster's Bible Translation
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

World English Bible
As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
As for the toes of the feet, part of them iron, and part of them clay: some part of the kingdom is strong, and some part of it is brittle.

Young's Literal Translation
As to the toes of the feet, part of them iron, and part of them clay: some part of the kingdom is strong, and some part of it is brittle.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the toes of the feet, part of iron, and part of burnt clay, from the end of the kingdom shall be strong, and part shall be cut asunder.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, part of the kingdom will be strong and part will be crushed.

New American Bible
and the toes partly iron and partly clay, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.

New Revised Standard Version
As the toes of the feet were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And as for the toes of the feet which you saw, part of iron and part of clay, so some parts of the kingdom shall be strong and some parts weak.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the toes of the feet that you saw, part of which were of iron and part of them earthenware: part of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be broken
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so part of the kingdom shall be strong, and part thereof broken.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And whereas the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of earthenware, part of the kingdom shall be strong, and part of it shall be broken.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Daniel Interprets the Dream
41And just as you saw that the feet and toes were made partly of fired clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom, yet some of the strength of iron will be in it—just as you saw the iron mixed with clay. 42And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so the peoples will mix with one another, but will not hold together any more than iron mixes with clay.…

Cross References
Revelation 17:12-14
The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings along with the beast. / These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast. / They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called and chosen and faithful ones.”

Revelation 13:1-2
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. / The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.

Revelation 19:19-21
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. / But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. / And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Revelation 12:3
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

Revelation 17:9-10
This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. / There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

Revelation 17:3
And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:7
“Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:16-17
And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. / For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

Revelation 13:7
Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.

Revelation 17:18
And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Daniel 7:7
After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.

Daniel 7:23-24
This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. / And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.

Daniel 11:40-45
At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships, invading many countries and sweeping through them like a flood. / He will also invade the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall. But these will be delivered from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the leaders of the Ammonites. / He will extend his power over many countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. ...

Isaiah 10:33-34
Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled. / He will clear the forest thickets with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.

Isaiah 14:4-5
you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended! / The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers.


Treasury of Scripture

And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

broken.

Jump to Previous
Broken Clay Earth Feet Fragile Iron Kingdom Part Partly Pottery Readily Strong Thereof Toes
Jump to Next
Broken Clay Earth Feet Fragile Iron Kingdom Part Partly Pottery Readily Strong Thereof Toes
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.














As the toes of the feet
The imagery of toes here is significant in the context of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which represents successive kingdoms. Toes, being the extremities of the feet, suggest the final phase or division of the kingdom. In the Hebrew context, the number ten often symbolizes completeness or the full extent of something. Thus, the toes may represent a complete but divided kingdom, indicating a period of fragmentation and division.

were partly iron and partly clay
Iron, in biblical symbolism, often represents strength, durability, and military might. Historically, iron was a valuable resource for weaponry and tools, signifying power and resilience. Clay, on the other hand, is fragile and easily broken, symbolizing weakness and instability. The combination of iron and clay in the toes suggests a kingdom that, while possessing elements of strength, is fundamentally unstable and prone to division. This duality reflects the inherent weaknesses in human empires, which, despite their might, are susceptible to internal strife and collapse.

so this kingdom will be partly strong
The phrase "partly strong" indicates that this kingdom will have elements of power and influence. Historically, this could refer to the Roman Empire or a future confederation of nations, which, despite their military and political strength, are not entirely unified. The strength here is reminiscent of the iron, suggesting that certain aspects of the kingdom will be formidable and enduring.

and partly brittle
"Brittle" conveys the idea of fragility and susceptibility to breaking under pressure. This reflects the clay component, highlighting the kingdom's inherent weaknesses. In a spiritual sense, this brittleness can be seen as the moral and ethical decay that often accompanies human governance. Despite outward appearances of strength, the kingdom's foundation is weak, leading to its eventual downfall. This serves as a reminder of the transient nature of earthly powers and the ultimate sovereignty of God over human history.

(42) So the kingdom.--This strength, however, is only apparent. There are certain discordant elements in the fourth empire. These are here represented by the iron and clay, which cannot be made to cohere.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And as the toes
וְאֶצְבְּעָת֙ (wə·’eṣ·bə·‘āṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 677: Something to sieze with, a finger, a toe

of the feet
רַגְלַיָּ֔א (raḡ·lay·yā)
Noun - feminine plural determinate
Strong's 7271: A foot, a step, the pudenda

were partly
מִנְּהֵ֥ין (min·nə·hên)
Preposition | third person feminine plural
Strong's 4481: From, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than

iron
פַּרְזֶ֖ל (par·zel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6523: Iron

and partly
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4481: From, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than

clay,
חֲסַ֑ף (ḥă·sap̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2635: Clay, potsherd

so this kingdom
מַלְכוּתָא֙ (mal·ḵū·ṯā)
Noun - feminine singular determinate
Strong's 4437: Royalty, reign, kingdom

will be
תֶּהֱוֵ֣ה (te·hĕ·wêh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1934: To become, come to pass, be

partly
קְצָ֤ת (qə·ṣāṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7118: A termination, a portion, after

strong
תַקִּיפָ֔ה (ṯaq·qî·p̄āh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8624: Strong, mighty

and partly
וּמִנַּ֖הּ (ū·min·nah)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4481: From, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than

brittle.
תְבִירָֽה׃ (ṯə·ḇî·rāh)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular
Strong's 8406: To be fragile


Links
Daniel 2:42 NIV
Daniel 2:42 NLT
Daniel 2:42 ESV
Daniel 2:42 NASB
Daniel 2:42 KJV

Daniel 2:42 BibleApps.com
Daniel 2:42 Biblia Paralela
Daniel 2:42 Chinese Bible
Daniel 2:42 French Bible
Daniel 2:42 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Daniel 2:42 As the toes of the feet were (Dan. Da Dn)
Daniel 2:41
Top of Page
Top of Page