Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 2:33

"its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay." — Daniel 2:33 (ASV)

His legs of iron - This refers to the portion of the lower limbs from the knees to the ankles. This is undoubtedly the usual meaning of the English word “legs,” and it also clearly appears to be the sense of the original word here. Iron was regarded as inferior to either of the other metals specified, yet it was well suited to represent a kingdom of a particular kind - less noble in some respects, and yet hardy, powerful, and adapted to tread down the world by conquest. For the application of this, see the notes on Daniel 2:40.

His feet part of iron and part of clay - Concerning his feet, they were partly of iron and partly of clay - a mixture representing great strength united with what is fragile and weak. The word rendered “clay” in this place (חסף chăsaph) is found nowhere else except in this chapter and is always rendered “clay” (Daniel 2:33–35, Daniel 2:41 (twice), Daniel 2:42, Daniel 2:43 (twice), Daniel 2:45).

In some instances (Daniel 2:41, Daniel 2:43), the epithet “miry” is applied to it. This would seem to imply that it was not “burnt or baked clay,” or “earthenware,” as Professor Bush supposes, but clay in its natural state.

The idea would seem to be that the framework, so to speak, was iron, with clay worked in or filling up the interstices, so as to present an image of strength combined with weakness.

This mixture would be well suited to represent a kingdom that had many elements of permanence, yet was combined with things that made it weak. It would be a mixture of what was powerful with what was liable to be crushed - capable of exerting great efforts and sustaining great shocks, yet having such elements of feebleness and decay as to make it liable to be overthrown.

For the application of this, see the notes on Daniel 2:41-43.