Daniel 7:2
New International Version
Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea.

New Living Translation
In my vision that night, I, Daniel, saw a great storm churning the surface of a great sea, with strong winds blowing from every direction.

English Standard Version
Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

Berean Standard Bible
Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.

King James Bible
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

New King James Version
Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.

New American Standard Bible
Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

NASB 1995
Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

NASB 1977
Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

Legacy Standard Bible
Daniel answered and said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

Amplified Bible
Daniel said, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea (the nations).

Christian Standard Bible
Daniel said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Daniel said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea.

American Standard Version
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of heaven brake forth upon the great sea.

English Revised Version
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven brake forth upon the great sea.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In my visions at night I, Daniel, saw the four winds of heaven stirring up the Mediterranean Sea.

Good News Translation
of what I saw that night: Winds were blowing from all directions and lashing the surface of the ocean.

International Standard Version
Daniel said, "I observed the vision during the night. Look! The four winds of the skies were stirring up the Mediterranean Sea.

Majority Standard Bible
Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.

NET Bible
Daniel explained: "I was watching in my vision during the night as the four winds of the sky were stirring up the great sea.

New Heart English Bible
Daniel spoke and said, "I saw in my vision by night, and, look, the four winds of the sky broke forth on the great sea.

Webster's Bible Translation
Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea.

World English Bible
Daniel spoke and said, “I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the sky broke out on the great sea.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Daniel has answered and said, “I was seeing in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens are coming forth to the Great Sea;

Young's Literal Translation
Answered hath Daniel and said, 'I was seeing in my vision by night, and lo, the four winds of the heavens are coming forth to the great sea;

Smith's Literal Translation
Daniel answered and said, I was seeing in my vision by night, and lo, the four winds of the heavens rushing forth to the great sea.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I saw in my vision by night, and behold the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I saw in my vision at night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens fought upon the great sea.

New American Bible
In the vision I saw during the night, suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea,

New Revised Standard Version
I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Daniel answered and said: “I was seeing in a vision of the night, and, behold, the four Spirits of Heaven stirred up the Great Sea
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Daniel spoke and said: I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven broke forth upon the great sea.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I Daniel beheld, and, lo, the four winds of heaven blew violently upon the great sea.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts
1In the first year of the reign of Belshazzar over Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he lay on his bed. He wrote down the dream, and this is the summary of his account. 2Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea. 3Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:…

Cross References
Revelation 13:1
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.

Revelation 17:8
The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be.

Revelation 17:15
Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

Revelation 11:7
When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.

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 12:17
And the dragon was enraged at the woman and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

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 20:8
and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.

Matthew 24:15
So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),

Mark 13:14
So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Luke 21:25
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.

Isaiah 17:12-13
Alas, the tumult of many peoples; they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations; they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters. / The nations rage like the rush of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a gale.

Isaiah 57:20
But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck.

Jeremiah 46:7-8
Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters churn? / Egypt rises like the Nile, and its waters churn like rivers, boasting, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy the cities and their people.’

Jeremiah 51:42
The sea has come up over Babylon; she is covered in turbulent waves.


Treasury of Scripture

Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove on the great sea.

the four.

Revelation 7:1
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

the great.

Revelation 17:15
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

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Daniel 7
1. Daniel's vision of the four beasts,
9. and of God's kingdom.
15. The interpretation thereof.














In my vision in the night
This phrase introduces the supernatural nature of Daniel's experience. The word "vision" in Hebrew is "חָזוֹן" (chazon), which implies a divine revelation, often given to prophets. Night visions are significant in biblical literature, symbolizing a time when God reveals hidden truths. The night, a time of rest and quiet, is when God often communicates profound messages, as seen in the dreams of Joseph and Jacob. This setting underscores the solemnity and divine origin of the revelation.

I looked
The act of looking signifies Daniel's active engagement and attentiveness to the vision. In Hebrew, the verb "looked" is "רָאָה" (ra'ah), meaning to see or perceive. This implies not just physical sight but spiritual insight. Daniel's looking is an invitation for readers to also "see" with spiritual eyes, to discern the deeper meanings behind the imagery presented.

and suddenly
The word "suddenly" indicates the unexpected and immediate nature of the events in the vision. This suddenness is characteristic of divine interventions throughout Scripture, where God acts in surprising and powerful ways. It emphasizes the urgency and importance of the vision, capturing the reader's attention and highlighting the dramatic unfolding of God's plan.

the four winds of heaven
The "four winds" symbolize the universal scope of God's sovereignty and the forces He commands. In Hebrew, "winds" is "רוּחוֹת" (ruchot), which can also mean "spirits." The number four often represents completeness or universality in biblical numerology, suggesting that these winds affect the entire earth. The phrase "of heaven" indicates their divine origin, reinforcing the idea that God is orchestrating the events about to unfold.

were churning up
This phrase describes a state of chaos and upheaval. The Hebrew root "גּוּחַ" (guch) conveys a sense of stirring or agitating. This imagery of churning waters is often used in Scripture to depict turmoil and disorder, as seen in the creation narrative where God's Spirit hovers over the chaotic waters. It suggests that God is about to bring order out of chaos, a theme consistent with His redemptive work throughout history.

the Great Sea
The "Great Sea" is commonly understood to refer to the Mediterranean Sea, a significant geographical and cultural landmark in the ancient Near East. In biblical symbolism, the sea often represents nations and peoples in turmoil, as seen in Isaiah 17:12-13. The churning of the Great Sea in Daniel's vision suggests impending political and social upheaval among the nations, setting the stage for the rise and fall of empires as part of God's sovereign plan. This imagery invites readers to trust in God's ultimate control over the nations and history.

(2) The great sea.--In general (e.g., Joshua 15:47), these words imply the Mediterranean. Such cannot be the meaning here, so that according to Daniel 7:17 we are justified in explaining the "sea" to mean the nations of the world, which are compared to the sea (Isaiah 27:1; Psalm 46:3). The raging of the winds from the four quarters of the sky points to the various political and social agitations which disturb the world's history, and lead to the changes and revolutions which mark its progress as it tends towards the end.

Verse 2. - Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. The Septuagint omits the introductory clause, and renders, "On my couch I saw in my night-sleep, and, behold, the four winds of heaven fell upon the great sea." Theodotion, like the LXX., omits the introductory clause, and renders, "I Daniel beheld, and, lo, the four winds of the heaven rushed upon (προσέβαλον) the great sea." The Peshitta seems as if transferred from the Massoretic text, the resemblance is so close. The variations in the Greek Version may be due to condensation of a fuller narrative. The verb translated "strove" in our Authorized Version is better rendered, as in the Revised, "brake forth upon." Luther's version is, "sturmeten wider einander." This, like the Authorized Version, seems to be the result of the Vulgate pugnabant. The only objection to this is that it ought to be followed by a preposition (Bevan). The translation suggested by Levy, "stirred up," appears still better. The sea referred to is naturally to be taken as the Mediterranean; it is "the great sea" of the prophets (Ezekiel 47:10). Jerusalem is not so far from the sea but that Daniel might have seen it in his boyhood. The symbolic meaning of the sea is the mass of heathen nations (Psalm 65:7). The "four winds of heaven" usually stand for the points of the compass (Jeremiah 49:34). Here, however, the winds are pictured as actual forces dashing down upon the sea, and stirring it up to its depths. It may be objected that this is an impossible picture. It might be replied that Virgil, in the first book of the 'AEneid,' 84-86, and Milton, in 'Paradise Regained,' has the same thing. Daniel has more freedom, for he narrates a vision, and, further, to him the winds (rucheen) were under the guidance of angels. Hitzig denies that the winds can be angelicae potestates, as Jerome maintains; and, when Jerome supports his position by a quotation from the Septuagint Version of Deuteronomy 32:8, gives as answer a mark of exclamation. The passage, "He set the nations according to the number of the angels of God," represents a phase of thought in regard to angelology, which Daniel elsewhere obviously has. The double meaning of the word ruach made the transition easy. We see the same double meaning in Zechariah 6:5. The sea, then, is to be regarded as the great mass of Gentile nations, and the winds are, therefore, the spiritual agencies by which God carries on the history of the world. As there are four winds, there are also four empires. There are angelic princes of at least two of these empires referred to later. May we not argue that these empires had, according to the thought of Daniel, each an angelic head? It may be doubted whether the most advanced critics know more of angelology than Daniel, or can be certain that his view was a mistaken one. Moreover, the Mediterranean Sea was the centre round which the epic of history, as revealed to Daniel, unfolded itself. Nebuchadnezzar marched along the eastern shores of that midland sea; the Persian monarchs essayed to command it by their fleets; across a branch of that sea came Alexander; and from yet further across its blue waters came the Romans. The Mediterranean saw most of the history transacted that took place between the time of Daniel and that of our Lord.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Daniel
דָנִיֵּאל֙ (ḏā·nî·yêl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1841: Daniel -- 'God is my judge', an Israelite leader in Babylon

declared:
עָנֵ֤ה (‘ā·nêh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6032: To answer

“In my vision
בְּחֶזְוִ֖י (bə·ḥez·wî)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2376: Vision, appearance

in
עִם־ (‘im-)
Preposition
Strong's 5974: With, equally with

the night
לֵֽילְיָ֑א (lê·lə·yā)
Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 3916: Night

I
הֲוֵ֛ית (hă·wêṯ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1934: To become, come to pass, be

looked,
חָזֵ֥ה (ḥā·zêh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 2370: To gaze upon, mentally to dream, be usual

and suddenly
וַאֲר֗וּ (wa·’ă·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Interjection
Strong's 718: Lo!

the four
אַרְבַּע֙ (’ar·ba‘)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 703: Four

winds
רוּחֵ֣י (rū·ḥê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 7308: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

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

were churning up
מְגִיחָ֖ן (mə·ḡî·ḥān)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - feminine plural
Strong's 1519: To break forth

the Great
רַבָּֽא׃ (rab·bā)
Adjective - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 7229: Abundant

Sea.
לְיַמָּ֥א (lə·yam·mā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 3221: A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin


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OT Prophets: Daniel 7:2 Daniel spoke and said I saw (Dan. Da Dn)
Daniel 7:1
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