Daniel 7:2
ESV
Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
NIV
Daniel said: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea.
NASB
Daniel said, 'I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
CSB
Daniel said, "In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea.
NLT
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.
KJV
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
NKJV
Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.
What does Daniel 7:2 mean?
This begins the description of a dream Daniel had during the early rule of Belshazzar (Daniel 7:1). This verse switches from the third person point of view to Daniel writing as if he was speaking directly—the "first person" perspective. That change coincides with this book's change from concrete stories to the imagery and symbolism of prophecy.The first thing Daniel saw in his dream was the sea being thrashed from the four cardinal directions, by winds controlled by heaven. As this is a dream, the description is not meant to imply anything about the nature of weather or wind in the real world. Scripture often pictures God revealing His presence or judgment in the wind (1 Kings 19:11; Psalm 18:10; 50:3; Amos 1:14). The mention of "the great sea" points to the Mediterranean, not the smaller Red Sea or the Sea of Galilee.
The scene where Daniel's dream takes place portrays the Mediterranean region; from there four tumultuous kingdoms emerged. These four kingdoms (Daniel 7:17) are described in subsequent verses as animal-like creatures. From God's standpoint each kingdom is bestial, brutal, immoral, savage, and ignorant of God. Just as Daniel saw heaven's winds influencing the sea, Scripture portrays God's ultimate control over the empires that emerged in human history.
Daniel 7:1–12 looks back to a time before the story contained in chapter 6. This passage describes a dream Daniel had during the rule of Belshazzar (Daniel 5:1, 30). His visions contained information about various kingdoms leading up to a dreadful, strong kingdom in the end times. The images also pictured God, "the Ancient of Days," who judges the final Gentile kingdom. An angel's explanation of the dream and visions follows in the next passage.
Daniel experiences a troubling vision in the form of a dream. He sees animal-like beasts representing successive kingdoms. The last of these is uniquely powerful and led by a mysterious figure. This person, depicted as a "little horn," will be known for usurping power, blasphemy against God, and intense persecution of the saints. Yet his time will be short and it will end in God's successful judgment.
