Daniel 2:35
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Threshing floors were elevated open spaces where grain was separated from chaff using wind. Chaff blown away left no trace—a perfect metaphor for kingdoms' ultimate insignificance. Mountains in biblical imagery represent kingdoms and governmental authority (cf. Isaiah 2:2; Jeremiah 51:25). A mountain filling the earth depicts universal dominion. This vision was given during Babylonian dominance but predicted its replacement by successive empires and ultimately Christ's eternal kingdom.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the complete obliteration of human kingdoms as 'chaff' challenge our tendency to see earthly political structures as permanent or ultimate?
- What does the stone 'cut without hands' becoming a mountain teach about God's kingdom established by divine power rather than human effort?
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Analysis & Commentary
The stone 'smote the image upon his feet' and caused total disintegration—'became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors.' The Aramaic detail that 'the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them' emphasizes complete obliteration. Human kingdoms don't merely fall; they vanish without trace, leaving no lasting legacy. In contrast, 'the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.' This stone, 'cut out without hands' (v. 34), represents God's kingdom established through divine action rather than human effort. The mountain filling the earth depicts God's kingdom's universal, eternal scope replacing all human authority.