Daniel 7:9

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
beheld	הֲוֵ֗ית ha.Veit	H1934	to exist · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
till	עַ֣ד 'ad	H5705	as far (or long · preposition
thrones	כָרְסָוָן֙ kha.re.sa.Van	H3764	a throne · noun, common feminine plural absolute
down	רְמִ֔יו re.Miv	H7412	to throw · verb, perfect, 3rd person masculine plural
Ancient	וְעַתִּ֥יק ve.'a.Tik	H6268	venerable · conjunction + adjective, both genders singular construct
days	יוֹמִ֖ין yo.Min	H3118	a day · noun, common masculine plural absolute
sit	יְתִ֑ב ye.Tiv	H3488	to sit or dwell · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
garment	לְבוּשֵׁ֣הּ le.vu.Sheh	H3831	a garment (literally or figuratively) · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
white	חִוָּ֗ר chi.Var	H2358	white · adjective, both genders singular absolute
snow	כִּתְלַ֣ג kit.Lag	H8517	snow · preposition + noun, common both genders singular absolute
hair	וּשְׂעַ֤ר u.se.'Ar	H8177	hair · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular construct
head	רֵאשֵׁהּ֙ re.Sheh	H7217	the head · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
pure	נְקֵ֔א ne.Ke'	H5343	clean · adjective, both genders singular absolute
wool	כַּעֲמַ֣ר ka.'a.Mar	H6015	wool · preposition + noun, common both genders singular absolute
throne	כָּרְסְיֵהּ֙ ka.re.se.Yeh	H3764	a throne · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
fiery	נ֔וּר Nur	H5135	fire · noun, common both genders singular absolute
flame	שְׁבִיבִ֣ין she.vi.Vin	H7631	flame (as split into tongues) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
wheels	גַּלְגִּלּ֖וֹהִי gal.gi.Lo.hi	H1535	a wheel · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
burning	דָּלִֽק da.Lik	H1815	to flame (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
fire	נ֥וּר nur	H5135	fire · noun, common both genders singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Revelation 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
Mark 9:3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they b…
Matthew 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
Daniel 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingd…
Micah 5:2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be…
Revelation 19:18-20:4 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on…
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Daniel 7:9-14

Whether we understand the fourth beast to signify the Syrian empire, or the Roman, or the former as the figure of the latter, it is plain that these verses are intended for the comfort and support of the people of God in reference to the persecutions they were likely to sustain both from the one and from the other, and from all their proud enemies in every age; for it is written for their learning on whom the ends of the world have come, that they also, through patience and comfort of this scripture, might have hope. Three things are here discovered that are very encouraging: - I. That there is a judgment to come, and God is the Judge. Now men have their day, and every pretender thinks he s…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 7:9

I beheld till--I continued looking till. thrones . . . cast down--rather, "thrones were placed" [Vulgate and LUTHER], namely, for the saints and elect angels to whom "judgment is given" (Dan 7:22), as assessors with the Judge. Compare Dan 7:10, "thousand thousands ministered unto Him" (Mat 19:28; Luk 22:30; Co1 6:2-3; Ti1 5:21; Rev 2:26; Rev 4:4). In English Version the thrones cast down are those of the previously mentioned kings who give place to Messiah. Ancient of days--"The everlasting Father" (Isa 9:6). HE is the Judge here, as THE SON does not judge in His own cause, and it is His cause which is the one at issue with Antichrist. sit--the attitude of a judge about to pass sentenc…

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Adam Clarke on Daniel 7:9

The thrones were cast down - דמיו might be translated erected, so the Vulgate, positi sunt, and so all the versions; but that ours is a proper translation, is sufficiently evident from Dan 3:6, Dan 3:16, Dan 3:20; Dan 6:17, etc.; where the original word can be used in no other sense than that of throwing or casting down. There is a reference here to preparations made for a general assize, or to the convocation of the sanhedrin, where the father of the consistory sat with his assessors on each side in the form of a semicircle, and the people stood before them. The Ancient of days - God Almighty; and this is the only place in the sacred writings where God the Father is represented in a human f…

The Church Fathers

By "things of old" he means things eternal, confined neither beginning nor end; as we read in Daniel: "Thrones were placed, and the Old of Days sat."
— Cassiodorus, EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALM 138:5

Through the throne, wheels and river God's nature is revealed as secure and liable to no reproach; and through the word ancient his eternity, wisdom and clemency is told.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 7:10

This is spoken anthropomorphically. And its spiritual sense is that he is the king of those who are not defiled with sins. For God says, "Your sins shall be as white as snow and shall be as wool." Wool is the emblem of forgiveness of sins, as also of innocence.
— Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 15:19-21

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Angels — By the word “angels” (i.e. “messengers” of God) we ordinarily understand a race of spiritual beings of a nature exalted far above that of man, although infinitely removed from that of God—whose…
Daniel, Book of — Is ranked by the Jews in that division of their Bible called the Hagiographa (Heb. Khethubim). (See BIBLE.) It consists of two distinct parts. The first part, consisting of the first six chapters, is…
Hair — (1.) The Egyptians let the hair of their head and beard grow only when they were in mourning, shaving it off at other times. “So particular were they on this point that to have neglected it was a…
Ancient Of Days · An appellate of Jehovah — An appellate of Jehovah
Dreams · Mentioned in scripture of: Daniel — Mentioned in scripture of: Daniel
Hair, The · White or gray: An emblem of wisdom — White or gray: An emblem of wisdom
Horn · SYMBOLI — SYMBOLI
Judgment · THE GENERAL — THE GENERAL
Nation · Chastised — Chastised

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Daniel 7:9

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Daniel 7:9-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 7:9

Adam Clarke on Daniel 7:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Daniel 7:9

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Daniel 7:9-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 7:9

Adam Clarke on Daniel 7:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Daniel 7:9

John Calvin on Daniel 7:9

Keil & Delitzsch on Daniel 7:9-10

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Daniel 7:9-10

Rashi on Daniel 7:9