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In Daniel, the fourth beast crushes and tramples what remains after it devours its victims. In 4Q246 from the Dead Sea Scrolls, people trample other peoples, interpreting the beast’s violence as a description of warfare between nations.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Daniel 7:19
Hebrew Bible
19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others. It was very dreadful, with two rows of iron teeth and bronze claws, and it devoured, crushed, and trampled anything that was left with its feet. 20 I also wanted to know the meaning of the 10 horns on its head, and of that other horn that came up and before which three others fell. This was the horn that had eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant things, whose appearance was more formidable than the others. 21 While I was watching, that horn began to wage war against the holy ones and was defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and judgment was rendered in favor of the holy ones of the Most High. Then the time came for the holy ones to take possession of the kingdom.
4Q246 ii 3
An Aramaic Apocalypse
Dead Sea Scrolls, Apocalyptic and Eschatological Texts
1 He will be called the son of God, and they will call him the son of the Most High. Like the shooting stars 2 of the vision, so will their kingdom be. For years they will reign over 3 the earth and trample everything. People will trample people, and province will trample province, 4 until the people of God arises and all have rest from the sword.
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Notes and References
“... If one isolates the correspondences, a closer comparison shows some
notable differences: (a) In line 3, it is the people ((m) who trample, whereas
Daniel 7 ascribes this activity to the fourth beast. [...] author of 4Q246 may have interpreted the beast of Daniel 7 to be the first
“people” in line 3, to be distinguished from “a people of God” (line 4),
through which a time of peace is introduced. ...”
Stuckenbruck, Loren T.
"The Formation and Re-Formation of Daniel in the Dead Sea Scrolls" in Charlesworth, James H. (ed.) The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Volume One: Scripture and the Scrolls
(pp. 118-119) Baylor University Press, 2006
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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