Discovery BoxDaniel 7:5-6 
Context7:5 “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!’
7:6 “After these things, 5 as I was watching, another beast 6 like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. 7 This beast had four heads, 8 and ruling authority was given to 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 tn Aram “this.” So also in v. 7.
6 tn Aram “and behold, another one.”
7 tn Or “sides.”
8 sn If the third animal is Greece, the most likely identification of these four heads is the four-fold division of the empire of Alexander the Great following his death. See note on Dan 8:8.
