In the days of those kings
This phrase refers to the time of the divided kingdoms represented by the feet of iron and clay in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Historically, this is understood to be the period of the Roman Empire, which was characterized by a mixture of strength and fragility. Theologically, it signifies a specific era in human history when God would intervene decisively. The phrase underscores God's sovereignty over human history, orchestrating events according to His divine plan.

the God of heaven
This title emphasizes God's supreme authority and transcendence. In the context of Daniel, it contrasts the God of Israel with the earthly kings and their limited power. The phrase "God of heaven" is a reminder of God's ultimate control over the cosmos and His ability to establish His will on earth. It reflects the biblical theme of God's kingdom being not of this world, yet having profound implications for it.

will set up a kingdom
The establishment of this kingdom is a divine act, not a human endeavor. The Hebrew root for "set up" (קוּם, qum) implies a firm, enduring establishment. This kingdom is not subject to the rise and fall of human empires. It is a prophetic declaration of the coming of God's eternal kingdom, which Christians understand as inaugurated through Jesus Christ and fully realized in His second coming.

that will never be destroyed
This phrase assures the permanence and invincibility of God's kingdom. Unlike earthly kingdoms that are temporary and vulnerable, God's kingdom is eternal. Theologically, this speaks to the hope and assurance believers have in the unshakeable nature of God's reign. It is a kingdom characterized by justice, peace, and righteousness, enduring beyond the temporal struggles of this world.

nor will it be left to another people
This indicates that God's kingdom will not be transferred or conquered by another nation. It is exclusive and sovereign, belonging solely to God and His people. Historically, kingdoms were often succeeded by others through conquest or inheritance, but this divine kingdom is unique in its eternal ownership. It highlights the security and continuity of God's rule.

It will shatter all these kingdoms
The imagery of shattering conveys the decisive and overwhelming power of God's kingdom over earthly powers. The Hebrew word for "shatter" (דָּקַק, daqaq) suggests complete destruction. This prophetic vision assures believers of the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom over all forms of opposition and evil, reinforcing the hope of divine justice and restoration.

and bring them to an end
This phrase emphasizes the finality of God's judgment on earthly kingdoms. It is a promise of the ultimate eradication of all systems and structures opposed to God's will. Theologically, it points to the eschatological hope of a new creation where God's kingdom is fully realized, and all things are made new.

but will itself stand forever
The eternal nature of God's kingdom is affirmed here. The word "stand" (עָמַד, amad) conveys stability and permanence. This is a source of hope and encouragement for believers, assuring them of the unending reign of God. It is a call to align with this eternal kingdom, living in anticipation of its full manifestation and participating in its present reality through faith and obedience.

(44) In the days of these kings.--Yet no kings have been mentioned hitherto. They must therefore correspond to the toes of the image. (Comp. Daniel 7:24.) It appears therefore that while this fourth kingdom still contrives to exist in some modified form, while its component parts are in a state of war and turmoil, the kingdom of God shall come. (Comp. Daniel 7:25-27.)

God of heaven.--(See Daniel 2:18).

Verses 44, 45. - And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never he destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever, Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. The Greek versions differ from the Massoretic text only in the order in which the materials of the statue arc recorded. These are arranged in the reverse order in which they are first mentioned, that is to say, we have first the clay, then the iron, and so on, to the gold. This is the order followed by Jerome. On the other hand, the Peshitta follows the Massoretic order. The reason for the order adopted in the Septuagint. Theodotion, and the Vulgate is evidently a symmetrical one, and therefore more likely to be the result of emendation than the somewhat haphazard order of the received text. It is, however, not impossible that the similarity of sound has led to haspa, "clay," being brought out of its proper place at the beginning of the list and placed in juxtaposition with kaspa, "silver." Ewald thinks that the order of the Greek versions is to be preferred. Professor Bevan is doubtful, and refers to the order of the metals in Daniel 5:4, which begins with "gold" and ends with "stone." In the days of these kings. This must refer to the kings who made up the last dynasty, especially the kings of the sub-dynasties represented by the ten toes. If the traditional interpretation is correct, these days are still future. It is not impossible that all the dynasties of the vision are implied, and that the kingdom of heaven is preparing during the whole period; only the natural meaning is that we have assumed. Shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom. It may be noted that, while in the rest of this chapter the Septuagint renders this title, Κύριος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ or Κὐριος ὁ ὕψιστος, here the rendering is, ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. This is a clear statement of the Messianic hopes of the Jews on one side - a Messianic kingdom and Messianic times. This new kingdom is on a different plane from those that preceded it, which go to make up the mysterious image. It is explained to be from the direct interference of the God of heaven that this new kingdom is intruded upon history. When we look at the material, it is inferior to all that had gone before - inferior even to the fire-baked clay of the potter, which formed the toes of the image. This way of representing the Messianic kingdom would have appeared inadequate to an ordinary Jew. Waiving the fact that he regarded the Messianic empire to be another such as the empires of Assyria and Babylonia, only greater, the Jew would certainly have declared that the Messianic kingdom of heaven was a precious stone, not an ordinary piece of rock that goes to build up the framework of the mountains. It is impossible to deny that it is strange that the symbol should be thus a less precious material than even that of the lowest and weakest kingdom of the worldly system of dynasties. When we look at a metal, how homogeneous it is! With rocks, again, begins individualism. The more precious metals, with their extreme ductility, seem to be further removed from this individualism than the baser, such as copper and iron, and clay is still less removed than iron. But simple rock is furthest removed of all from metallic homogeneousness: the grains that compose it, unlike the chemical atoms of the metal, are visible to the naked eye. The process of degradation, which had proceeded through kingdom after kingdom, had now reached its lowest point. Wherever the setting up of this Messianic kingdom is placed, whenever it is held as occurring, it is certain it fits most naturally the Christian Church. The old civilization, represented by the Assyrian monarchy, had only one free man in the state, and that was the king. The Persians had nobles whose power rendered the king's supremacy less absolute than it had been in the Assyrian days. In the days of Greek and Roman supremacy the freedom of citizenship was, even in the republics, possessed only by a few, the rest were slaves. Still, the freedom was much more widely spread than in the Persian and Assyrian monarchies; only the Church, the kingdom of heaven, made of slaves citizens. It is the very acme of individualism. Looked at from without, the kingdom of heaven was a thing to be despised - a thing for freedmen and slaves, for poor workmen and peasants. In the Assyrian form of government the king was the state; so the royal metal, gold, is used. In the Persian the nobles rule; so we have silver. In Greece it is the free citizens, therefore the artistic but less noble metal, copper, or, perhaps, its composite form as bronze, is used. In Rome, in imperial times, it is the soldiery, and therefore iron is the metal that symbolizes them. Shall we step over the intervening centuries of retrogression, and see in the clay the modern mercantile and manufacturing interests? To the ordinary eye of the world, there is a progressive degeneracy here. The lowest point is reached; not even the rich, not to speak of the noble and learned, but the poor and the ignorant, form the kingdom. Another contrast in the symbol is that these metallic empires remained stationary; they reached a limit, then could go no further - not growth, but stationariness, is represented by their symbol; but this stone cut out of the mountain "grows," and ceases not till it has filled the earth. Further, the kingdoms which went to build up the dream-statue endure only for a time; this rock-built kingdom is an ever-lasting kingdom. It is not limited either in extent or duration. This, again, suits only the Church of Christ; fitted and intended to fill the earth, it also has an unending duration. The world itself may end, but the Church does not. We do not mean to assert that Daniel foresaw this distinctly; the very idea of the prophetic office implied that the speaker often did not know the full import of his own words. It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. The silent, disruptive influence of Christianity is exhibited in regard to slavery, which was the foundation of the ancient state. Without opposing slavery, to appearance, it laid down principles which rendered slavery impossible. The supreme dignity it gives to the individual, as bearing the image of God, affirms the claims of democracy, and so affirms them that the modern state must disappear. Forasmuch as thou sawest the stone teas cut out of the mountain without hands. Nothing could be more silent or unobserved by the men of the world, or more unlikely to form the beginning of a new world-power than Christianity. If Judaism was regarded as "the mountain of the Lord's house," then this new kingdom was cut from it, as Christianity was from Judaism. And that it brake, etc. The reason why Nebuchadnezzar had seen all this - the growth of this kingdom, the way it destroyed all other kingdoms - was now to be made known. The great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; or, as it ought to be rendered, a great god. The word, as observed by Professor Bevan, is not in the status emphaticus; see Ezra 5:8, אלחא רבא (elaha rabba). Daniel thus recognizes the fact that, to his heathen master, all that in the first instance he can convey to him - the only idea he can give him - of the greatness of Jehovah is that he is very great, not that he is the solely Great One in the universe (see Behrmann). Zockler, Ewald, Keil, and Kranichfeld assert that the fact of the words "great god" (elah tab) being in the absolute, not the emphatic state, is due to the elevation of pectic language. In the first place, this is not poetry, and, in the second place, neither of these writers gives any example of such a change of construction taking place. Made known to the king. Why was it to "the king"? One objectsecured by making this revelation known to Nebuchadnezzar himself was that it secured its publicity. Had the vision been made known to Daniel himself, he could not have announced that the empire of Babylon should pass away, without running the risk of being condemned for treason. The king's action had made both dream and interpretation perforce public in a way they could not otherwise have been. What shall come to pass hereafter; literally, which shall be after these things. This does not mean in the immediate future, but after the state of matters at present existing - the domination of the world by great powers after the system of great world-empires has passed away, then will the Lord's kingdom be set up. And the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure; or, literally, to bring out the emphasis, certain - established - it is the dream, and sure - faithful - the interpretation. This is not a mere assertion of the fact that he, Daniel, had given an exact account of what the king had seen in his dream, and a correct interpretation of its import; of the first the king was the best judge. It is rather an argument: "The account of the dream is correct; from this learn that the interpretation is sure."

Parallel Commentaries ...


In the days
וּֽבְיוֹמֵיה֞וֹן (ū·ḇə·yō·w·mê·hō·wn)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3118: A day

of those
אִנּ֗וּן (’in·nūn)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 581: They, those

kings,
מַלְכַיָּ֣א (mal·ḵay·yā)
Noun - masculine plural determinate
Strong's 4430: A king

the God
אֱלָ֨הּ (’ĕ·lāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 426: God

of heaven
שְׁמַיָּ֤א (šə·may·yā)
Noun - mdd
Strong's 8065: The sky

will set up
יְקִים֩ (yə·qîm)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6966: To arise, stand

a kingdom
מַלְכוּ֙ (mal·ḵū)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4437: Royalty, reign, kingdom

that
דִּ֧י (dî)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 1768: Who, which, that, because

will never
לְעָלְמִין֙ (lə·‘ā·lə·mîn)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5957: Remote time, the future, past, forever

be destroyed,
תִתְחַבַּ֔ל (ṯiṯ·ḥab·bal)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 2255: To destroy, hurt

and this kingdom
וּמַ֨לְכוּתָ֔ה (ū·mal·ḵū·ṯāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular determinate
Strong's 4437: Royalty, reign, kingdom

will not
לָ֣א (lā)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3809: Not, no

be left
תִשְׁתְּבִ֑ק (ṯiš·tə·ḇiq)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7662: To quit, allow to remain

to another
אָחֳרָ֖ן (’ā·ḥo·rān)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 321: Another

people.
לְעַ֥ם (lə·‘am)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5972: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

It will shatter
תַּדִּ֤ק (tad·diq)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1855: To be shattered, fall to pieces

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3606: The whole, all, any, every

these
אִלֵּ֣ין (’il·lên)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 459: These

kingdoms
מַלְכְוָתָ֔א (mal·ḵə·wā·ṯā)
Noun - feminine plural determinate
Strong's 4437: Royalty, reign, kingdom

and bring them to an end,
וְתָסֵיף֙ (wə·ṯā·sêp̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5487: To come to an end

but will itself stand
תְּק֥וּם (tə·qūm)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6966: To arise, stand

forever.
לְעָלְמַיָּֽא׃ (lə·‘ā·lə·may·yā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural determinate
Strong's 5957: Remote time, the future, past, forever


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OT Prophets: Daniel 2:44 In the days of those kings shall (Dan. Da Dn)