7:5 “Then 1 a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs 2 in its mouth between its teeth. 3 It was told, 4 ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’
1 tn Aram “and behold.”
2 sn The three ribs held securely in the mouth of the bear, perhaps representing Media-Persia, apparently symbolize military conquest, but the exact identity of the “ribs” is not clear. Possibly it is a reference to the Persian conquest of Lydia, Egypt, and Babylonia.
3 tc The LXX lacks the phrase “between its teeth.”
4 tn Aram “and thus they were saying to it.”