Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 2:40

"And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush." — Daniel 2:40 (ASV)

And the fourth kingdom—represented in the image by the legs of iron, and the feet part of iron, and part of clay (Daniel 2:33). The first question that arises here is: what kingdom is referred to by this? Regarding this, there have been two leading opinions. One is that it refers to the Roman empire. The other is that it refers to the kingdoms or dynasties that immediately succeeded the reign of Alexander the Great, embracing the kingdoms of the Seleucidae and Lagidae, Syria, and Egypt. Professor Stuart, who adopts this latter opinion, states in his Commentary on Daniel (p. 173) that “the legs and feet were symbols of that intermingled and confused empire which sprang up under the Grecian chiefs who finally succeeded him” (Alexander the Great).

For the reasoning by which this opinion is supported, see Professor Stuart, pp. 173–193. The common opinion has been that the reference is to the Roman empire. In support of this opinion, the following points may be suggested:

1. The obvious design of the image was to symbolize the succession of great monarchies that would precede the establishment of the Redeemer's kingdom and would have an important role in preparing the world for it. The Roman empire was in itself too important, and performed too significant a role in preparing the world for that kingdom, to be omitted in such an enumeration.

2. The kingdom referred to here was to be in existence at the time symbolized by the cutting of the stone out of the mountain. For, during the continuance of that kingdom, or under it, the God of heaven was to set up a kingdom which should never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). However, the kingdoms of the Seleucidae and the Lagidae—the “intermingled and confused empires that sprang up” after Alexander the Great—had ceased to exist before that time, having been superseded by the Roman.

3. Unless the Roman power is represented, the symmetry of the image is destroyed, for it would make what was, in fact, one kingdom represented by two different metals: brass and iron. We have seen above that the Babylonian empire was appropriately represented by gold, the Medo-Persian by silver, and the Macedonian by brass. We have also seen that, in fact, the empire founded by Alexander and continued through his successors in Syria and Egypt was in fact one kingdom, spoken of as such by the ancients, and was in fact a “Greek” dynasty. If the designation “brass” belonged to that kingdom as a Greek kingdom, there is an obvious inconsistency, and a departure from the method of interpreting the other portions of the image, in applying the term “iron” to any part of that kingdom.

4. By the application of the term “iron,” it is evidently implied that the kingdom thus referred to would be distinguished for “strength”—strength greater than its predecessors—as iron surpasses brass, silver, and gold in that quality. But this was not true of the confused reigns that immediately followed Alexander. They were collectively weaker than the Babylonian and the Medo-Persian empires, and weaker than the empire of Alexander, from which they arose . It was true, however, of the Roman power that it was so much superior to all its predecessors in power that it might well be represented by iron in comparison with brass, silver, and gold.

5. The fourth monarchy represented in Nebuchadnezzar's dream is evidently the same as that represented by the fourth beast in Daniel 7:7-8, 23, 25. But it will appear from the exposition of that chapter that the reference there is to the Roman empire (see the note at these passages). There can be no well-founded objection to this view on the ground that this kingdom was not properly a “succession” of the kingdom of Alexander and did not occupy precisely the same territory. The same was true of each of the other kingdoms: the Medo-Persian and Macedonian.

Yet while they were not, in the usual sense of the term, in the “successions,” they did, in fact, follow one after the other. With such additions as were derived from conquest and from the hereditary dominions of the conquerors, they did occupy the same territory. The design seems to have been to give a representation of a series of great monarchies, which would be, in an important sense, universal monarchies, and which would follow each other before the advent of the Saviour. The Roman Empire, in addition to what it possessed in the West, actually occupied in the East substantially the same territory as the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, and the Macedonian empires. Like them, it had all the claims that any ancient sovereignty had to the title of a universal monarchy. Indeed, no kingdom has ever existed to which this title could with more justice be applied.

Shall be strong as iron—It is scarcely necessary to observe that this description is applicable to the Roman power. In nothing was it more remarkable than its “strength”—that irresistible power before which all other nations were perfectly weak. This characteristic of the Roman power is thus noted by Mr. Gibbon: “The arms of the Republic, sometimes vanquished in battle, always victorious in war, advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine, and the ocean; and the images of gold, or silver, or brass, that might serve to represent the nations and their kings, were successively broken by the “iron” monarchy of Rome” (Decline and Fall, p. 642, London ed., 1830, as quoted by Professor Bush).

Because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things—Iron is the metal that is used, and always has been used, for the purpose suggested here. In the form of hammers, sledges, and cannonballs, and, in general, in reference to accomplishing any purpose by beating or battering, this has been found to be the most valuable of the metals. It is heavy, can be easily worked into desired shapes, is abundant, can be made hard so as not to be bruised itself, and therefore has all the properties that could be desired for purposes like this.

And as iron that breaks all these—That is, all these things—namely, everything. Nothing is able to stand before it; there is nothing that it cannot reduce to powder. There is some repetition here, but it is for the sake of emphasis.

Shall it break in pieces and bruise—Nothing could better characterize the Roman power than this. Everything was crushed before it. The nations that they conquered ceased to be kingdoms and were reduced to provinces; as kingdoms, they were blotted out from the list of nations. This has been well described by Mr. Irving: “The Roman empire did beat down the constitution and establishment of all other kingdoms, abolishing their independence and bringing them into the most entire subjection, humbling the pride, subjecting the will, using the property, and trampling upon the power and dignity of all other states. For by this was the Roman dominion distinguished from all the rest: that it was the work of almost as many centuries as those were of years, the fruit of a thousand battles in which millions of men were slain. It made room for itself, as a battering-ram does, by continual successive blows, and it did not cease to beat and bruise all nations as long as they continued to offer any resistance” (Discourse on Daniel’s Visions, p. 180).