Daniel 2:42

Daniel 2:42 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
• New International Version (NIV)As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.

Context of Daniel 2:42

40Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; just as iron smashes and crushes everything, so, like iron that crushes, it will smash and crush all these things. 41And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have within it some of the toughness of iron, since you saw the iron mixed with common clay. And just as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong, and part of it will be fragile. 43In that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in their descendants; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not combine with pottery. 44And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

Daniel 2:42 word by word

וְאֶצְבְּעָת֙ רַגְלַיָּ֔א מִנְּהֵ֥ין פַּרְזֶ֖ל וּמִנְּהֵ֣ין חֲסַ֑ף מִן־קְצָ֤ת מַלְכוּתָא֙ תֶּהֱוֵ֣ה תַקִּיפָ֔ה וּמִנַּ֖הּ תֶּהֱוֵ֥ה תְבִירָֽה׃Read the interlinear

• the toesאֶצְבַּע'etsba‛ · digitH677
• of the feetרְגַלregal · footH7271
• partlyמִן־min · fromH4481
• of ironפַּרְזֶלparzel · ironH6523
• of potteryחֲסַףchăsaph · clayH2635
• someקְצָתqetsâth · endH7118
• of the kingdomמַלְכוּmalkû · kingdomH4437
• will be strongתַּקִּיףtaqqîyph · strongH8624
• of it will be fragileתְּבַרtebar · to breakH8406

Commentaries on Daniel 2:42

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 42And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken - Margin, “brittle.” The margin is the more correct rendering of the Chaldee word (תבירה tebı̂yrâh ). It means “frail, fragile” - easily broken, but not necessarily that it was actually broken. That did not occur until the stone cut out of the mountain impinged on it. It has been commonly supposed (comp. Newton “on the Prophecies”)…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 31-45Verses 31-45 This image represented the kingdoms of the earth, that should successively rule the nations, and influence the affairs of the Jewish church. 1. The head of gold signified the Chaldean empire, then in being. 2. The breast and arms of silver signified the empire of the Medes and Persians. 3. The belly and thighs of brass signified the Grecian empire, founded by Alexander. 4. The legs and feet of iron signified the Roman empire. The Roman empire…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 41-42partly brittle: Feet are necessary for stability. The brittle feet show how fragile the entire image is. They represent earthly kingdoms and their power.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 41-4341-43. feet ... toes ... part ... clay ... iron--explained presently, "the kingdom shall be partly strong, partly broken" (rather, "brittle," as earthenware); and Da 2:43, "they shall mingle ... with the seed of men," that is, there will be power (in its deteriorated form, iron) mixed up with that which is wholly of man, and therefore brittle; power in the hands of the people having no internal stability, though something is left of the strength of the…Read the comment

Topics related to Daniel 2:42

• Gold
• Persia

In the dictionaries

• Ask
• Iron
• Terrible
• Abed-Nego
• Aramaic; Aramaic Language
• Bible, the
• Daniel
• Daniel, Book of
• Divination
• Dream; Dreamer

Commentaries on Daniel 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings