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!’
7:11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching 5 until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into 6 the flaming fire.
7:23 “This is what he told me: 7
‘The fourth beast means that there will be a fourth kingdom on earth
that will differ from all the other kingdoms.
It will devour all the earth
and will trample and crush it.
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.”
5 tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “I was watching” here. It is possible that these words in the MT are a dittography from the first part of the verse.
6 tn Aram “and given over to” (so NRSV).
7 tn Aram “thus he said.”