Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 7:12

"And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time." — Daniel 7:12 (ASV)

Regarding the rest of the beasts - They had been superseded, but not destroyed. It would seem that they were still represented in vision to Daniel, as retaining their existence, though their power was taken away and their fierceness subdued, or that they still seemed to remain alive for a time, or while the vision was passing. They were not cut down, destroyed, and consumed as the fourth beast was.

They had their dominion taken away - They were superseded, or they no longer exercised power. They no longer appeared exerting control over the nations. They still existed, but they were subdued and quiet. It was possible to discern them, but they no longer acted the conspicuous part that they had played in the days of their greatness and grandeur. Their power had passed away.

This cannot be difficult to interpret. We should naturally look for the fulfillment of this in the fact that the nations referred to by these first three beasts were still in existence and could be recognized as nations by their boundaries, customs, or languages, but that the power they had wielded had passed into other hands.

Yet their lives were prolonged - The margin, as in Chaldee, reads, “a prolonging in life was given them.” That is, they were not utterly destroyed and consumed as the power of the fourth beast was after the solemn judgment. The meaning is that in these kingdoms there would be energy for a time. They still had life; and the difference between them and the kingdom represented by the fourth beast was what would exist between wild animals subdued but still living, and a wild animal killed and burned.

We should look for the fulfillment of this in a state of affairs where the kingdoms referred to by the three beasts were subdued and succeeded by others, even though they still retained some of their national character. In contrast, the other kingdom would have no successor of a civil kind. Its power would wholly cease, and dominion would pass entirely into other hands, so that it could be said that this kingdom, as such, had wholly ceased to exist.

For a season and time - Compare the notes on Daniel 7:25. The time mentioned here is not definite. The phrase used (ועדן עד־זמן ‛ad - zeman ve‛ı̂ddân) refers to a definite period, as both words in the original refer to a designated or appointed time, though neither of them indicates anything about the length of the time, any more than our word 'time' does.

Luther renders this, “For there was a time and an hour appointed to them how long each one should continue.” Grotius explains this as meaning, “Beyond the time fixed by God they could not continue.” The true meaning of the Chaldee is probably this: “For a time, even a definite time.”

The prophet's mind is at first fixed on the fact that they continue to live, then on the fact, somehow apparent, that it is for a definite period. Perhaps in the vision he saw them one after another die or disappear.

In the words used here, however, there is nothing by which we can determine how long they were to continue. The time that the power represented by the little horn is to continue is explained in Daniel 7:25, but there is no clue by which we can ascertain how long the existence of the power represented by the first three beasts was to continue. All that is clear is that it was to be lengthened out for some period, but that this was a definite and fixed period.