71 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed ; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. 2 Daniel said e , "I was looking in my vision by night , and behold , the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea . 3 "And four great beasts were coming up from the sea , different from one another . 4 "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle . I kept looking until e its wings were plucked , and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man ; a human mind also was given to it. 5 "And behold , another beast , a second one, resembling a bear . And it was raised up on one side , and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth ; and thus they said to it, 'Arise , devour much meat !' 6 "After this I kept looking , and behold , another one, like a leopard , which had on its back four wings of a bird ; the beast also had four heads , and dominion was given to it.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Daniel 7:1-6
Commentary on Daniel 7:1-8
(Read Daniel 7:1-8)
This vision contains the same prophetic representations with Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The great sea agitated by the winds, represented the earth and the dwellers on it troubled by ambitious princes and conquerors. The four beasts signified the same four empires, as the four parts of Nebuchadnezzar's image. Mighty conquerors are but instruments of God's vengeance on a guilty world. The savage beast represents the hateful features of their characters. But the dominion given to each has a limit; their wrath shall be made to praise the Lord, and the remainder of it he will restrain.