Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 7:21
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
21. made war with the saints ] Alluding to the violent efforts made by Antiochus Epiphanes to denationalize the Jews and to suppress their religion: cf. Dan 7:25, Dan 8:10-14; Dan 8:24-25.
and prevailed against them ] The war was a desperate one; and the ‘little horn’ would have conquered, had it not been for the intervention of the Most High ( Dan 7:22).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
21 22. A recapitulation of the substance of Dan 7:9-12, and of Dan 7:13-14, the latter in the phraseology of Dan 7:18, with a mention of the fact not noticed before, that a war with the ‘little horn’ had preceded the triumph of the saints.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints – I continued to look on this until I saw war made by this horn with the people of God. This circumstance, also, is not referred to in the first description, and the order of time in the description would seem to imply that the war with the saints would be at a considerable period after the first appearance of the horn, or would be only when it had grown to its great size and power. This war might refer to open hostilities, carried on in the usual manner of war; or to persecution, or to any invasion of the rights and privileges of others. As it is a war with the saints, it would be most natural to refer it to persecution.
And prevailed against them – That is, he overcame and subdued them, he was stronger than they were, and they were not able to resist him. The same events are evidently referred to and in almost similar language – borrowed probably from Daniel – in Rev 13:5-7 : And there was given him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 21. The same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.] Those who make Antiochus the little horn, make the saints the Jewish people. Those who understand the popedom by it, see this as referring to the cruel persecutions of the popes of Rome against the Waldenses and Albigenses, and the Protestant Church in general.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
21. made war with thesaintspersecuted the Church (Rev 11:7;Rev 13:7).
prevailedbut notultimately. The limit is marked by “until” (Da7:22). The little horn continues, without intermission, topersecute up to Christ’s second advent (Rev 17:12;Rev 17:14; Rev 19:19;Rev 19:20).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints,…. The same little horn before described; not Antiochus Epiphanes, who made war with the Jews, as many think; or the Roman Caesars, that persecuted the church of Christ, as others; nor Titus Vespasian, who fought against Israel, as Saadiah; but antichrist, or the pope of Rome; and this refers to the wars of the popes with the Waldenses, which began in the year 1160, and continued long, and with the two witnesses at the close of their testimony, Re 11:7, this Daniel had a view of in vision; not while he was inquiring of the angel, but before, though not mentioned till now; and was a reason he was so very inquisitive about this little horn, because of its war with the saints, and its success, as follows:
and prevailed against them: as the popes and their abettors did against the Waldenses and Albigenses, whom they slew in great numbers, and got the victory over; as the beast also, the same with this little horn, will overcome the witnesses, and slay them, Re 11:7.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet now adds what he had omitted. The angel does not yet answer him, but as he had not sufficiently expressed how the little horn waged war with the sons of God, he now supplies the omission. He says, therefore, he saw — this ought to be received by way of correction; I saw, says he, meaning it was shewn me in a vision, how the little horn made war with the saints so as to prevail against them. Clearly enough other tyrants assailed the elect people of God with tier greater injury. Hence many refer this to Antiochus Epiphanes, who was hostile to the Jews beyond all others, and was utterly determined to blot out the name of the God of Israel. And we know how often he raised powerful armaments to extinguish both the people and the worship of God. As, therefore, the cruelty of Antiochus was so severe against the Israelites, many think his image to have been exhibited to the Prophet as the little horn, and what we shall afterwards see about “the time,” and “times’ and “half-a-time,” they explain of the three years and a half during which the Temple was in ruins, and the people thereby prevented from offering sacrifices. As, therefore, their religion was then interrupted, they think that tyranny was denoted, by which the people were prohibited from testifying their piety. But although this opinion is plausible, and at first sight bears upon the face of it the appearance of truth, yet if we weigh all things in order, we may easily judge how unsuitable it is to Antiochus. Why, therefore, does the Prophet say — the little horn waged war with the saint? Antiochus certainly made war against the Church, and so did many others; the Egyptians, we know, often broke in and spoiled the Temple and the Romans too, before the monarchy of the Caesars. I reply, this is spoken comparatively, because no war was ever carried on so continuously and professedly against the Church, as those which occurred after the Caesars arose, and after Christ was made manifest to the world; for the devil was then more enraged, and God also relaxed the reins to prove the patience of his people. Lastly, it was natural for the bitterest conflicts to occur when the redemption of the world was carried out; and the event clearly showed this. We know first of all, by horrid examples, how Judea was laid waste, for never was such cruelty practiced against any other people. Nor was the calamity of short duration; we are well acquainted with their extreme obstinacy, which compelled their enemies to forget clemency altogether. For the Romans desired to spare them as far as possible, but so great was their obstinacy and the madness of their rage, that they provoked their enemies as if devoting themselves to destruction, until that dreadful slaughter happened, of which history has sufficiently informed us. When Titus, under the auspices of his father Vespasian, tools: and destroyed the city, the Jews were stabbed and slaughtered like cattle throughout the whole extent of Asia. Thus far, then, it concerns the Jews.
When God had inserted the body of the Gentiles into his Church, the cruelty of the Caesars embraced all Christians; thus the little horn waged war with the saints in a manner different from that of the former beasts, because the occasion was different, and the wrath of Satan was excited against all God’s children on account of the manifestation of Christ. This, then, is the best explanation of the little horn, waging war against the saints. Thus he says, It must prevail. For the Caesars and all who governed the provinces of the empire raged with such extreme violence against the Church, that it almost disappeared from the face of the earth. And thus it happened, that the little horn prevailed in appearance and in general opinion, as, for a short time, the safety of the Church was almost despaired of.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(21) Made war.This corresponds to the mouth speaking great things (Dan. 7:8; Dan. 7:20). These events occur while the saints are expecting their deliverance.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Daniel Sees A Further Vision, A Vision Of The End Days ( Dan 7:21-22 ).
‘I beheld and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them, until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.’
This continuation of the dream moves on to new subjects. This is not recapitulation, it is advancement. This is the first suggestion of an empire persecuting God’s people, and the persecuting is clearly particularly severe. It is depicted again in Revelation 19. ‘He prevailed against them.’ They were being destroyed wholesale, and it seemed that nothing could save them from his activities.
But then the ancient of days comes and deals with this latest evil as He has previously dealt with the other empires and the prior part of the fourth beast. Now He gives judgment (a rightful and fair verdict resulting in corrective action) finally on behalf of His people and the time comes for the saints to possess the kingdom. This is advancement on what has gone before, as it was described in Dan 7:2-14. This is describing the final stages of the fourth empire, and the final action of the heavenly court. Then the heavenly court can close down. It will be required no more.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Ver. 21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints. ] With the Waldenses, against whom the Pope turned his croisados, those armies of the Cross which had been first appointed against the Saracens. a This war began in the year 1160, and yet continueth, and must till the end of the reign of Antichrist. Dan 7:9-10 ; Dan 7:26
And prevailed against them.
a Thuan.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the same horn. Compare Dan 7:8.
made war. This connects “the little horn” with Rev 13:7, and shows it to be still future.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Dan 7:21
Dan 7:21 I beheld,H1934 H2370 and the sameH1797 hornH7162 madeH5648 warH7129 withH5974 the saints,H6922 and prevailedH3202 against them;
Dan 7:21
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
This is the eleventh horn. As stated earlier, the emperor Domitian best fits the identity of the eleventh horn. Excluding Galba, Otho and Vitellius, who were the three horns plucked up before the eleventh came to power, and starting with Augustus who was the first constitutionally elected emperor of the Imperial Roman Empire, we are left with Domitian. The historical evidence in support of Domitian as the eleventh horn of the fourth beast is as follows:
1) History records that the majority of the persecution fell on the Christians of Asia Minor after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Domitian did not appear to be opposed to Christianity on the onset. Domitian had issues with the Roman senate over his legitimacy as emperor. As a result, Domitian instated certain policies directed at establishing his legitimacy. These policies created an additional role for the imperial cult, known as the Concilia. Domitian’s policies included forced emperor worship and the Concilia was charged with enforcing it throughout the empire. Images or statues of Domitian were erected all over the empire and the population was required to worship these images on pain of punishment. The penalties for refusing to worship Domitian as a God ranged from banishment and confiscation of property to enslavement or death.
Faithful Christians are required to go to their deaths before engaging in such activities and found themselves in the unfortunate position of being at odds with the policies Domitian tried to enforce in order to legitimize his seat as the emperor. To make matters worse, the Jews hated the Christians and were chiefly responsible for bringing their refusal to worship Domitian to the attention of the Roman authorities. There was no shortage of Jews throughout Asia Minor in that when Jerusalem was destroyed, they were deported to other places to live being scattered throughout the empire.
Because of the conflict with Roman law under Domitian and with the Jews turning them in to the authorities, the persecution of Christians under Domitian reached its height. Domitian was responsible for bathing the Roman Empire in the blood of Christians.
2) The book of Revelation makes it clear that the persecution was a result of the demand that everyone worship the beast as god. No other emperor before Domitian demanded and enforced emperor worship.
3) Under the reign of Nerva (96 to 98 AD) the acts of Domitian, including the requirement that the emperor be worshipped as a god, were rescinded by the Senate. The statues of Domitian erected by the imperial cult were removed, melted down and put to better use.
No other emperor fits the description of the eleventh horn of the fourth beast nor the personification of the sea beast in Revelation than Domitian. This man fits the bill both scripturally and historically.
“with the saints”
Some commentators have mistakenly confused “the saints” with the Jewish people; but, in this connection it must be remembered that during the times of the fourth beast with the ten horns and the little horn that made war against God’s people, the Jews are most definitely not in view here. Israel was at that time in total rebellion against God and had utterly rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Therefore, the mention of “saints” here is a reference to Christians, servants of Jesus Christ. Any notion that secular Israel, or racial Jews ever “possessed the kingdom” (V22), of Christ, is totally refuted by the New Testament.
Daniel sees that the horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them. The parallelism with Revelation here is note worthy. In recording his vision of the beast, John writes these words concerning his “two witnesses”, saints, in Rev 11:7-8, “…the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city…” And again in Rev 13:7, “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations”. It is vital to the correct understanding of these passages that we keep in mind that it is God’s people who are being oppressed here. The historical context of the little horn on the fourth beast is undeniably after the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ therefore it is regarding Christians and nobody else.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Dan 8:12, Dan 8:24, Dan 11:31, Dan 12:7, Rev 11:7-9, Rev 12:3, Rev 12:4, Rev 13:5-7, Rev 13:8-18, Rev 17:6, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:19
Reciprocal: Psa 75:4 – Lift Zec 14:5 – the Lord Rev 9:21 – their murders Rev 13:7 – to make Rev 18:24 – in her
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Dan 7:21. It is not an unusual thing for a prophecy in the Bible to have a twofold application, or for it to have its original application extended so as to include other things farther in the future, and that was done in this prediction. But to get the background that leads up to this extended application I must take the reader back to a word in the beginning of verse 19 which is the word truth. We know Daniel was not in any doubt as to whether anything the one standing by said would be true, hence we must look for a special meaning of the word. It is derived from yatsab which Strong defines, “A primitive root; to place (any thing so as to stay); reflexively to station, offer, continue. The last word in the definition is the one for our use here. It signifies that Daniel wanted to know the application of the prophecy so that it ‘continued until it included the horn (the papacy). Continuing his inquiry of the man, he saw some additional symbols, and they are the things of the present verse and others to follow. The war this horn made against the saints was the persecution of Christians by the church of Rome, that received such strong support from the empire of Rome (the fourth beast) before that beast was overthrown.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
7:21 I beheld, and the same {l} horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
(l) Meaning the Roman emperors, who were most cruel against the Church of God, both of the Jews and of the Gentiles.