John Calvin Commentary Daniel 2:39

"And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth." — Daniel 2:39 (ASV)

In this verse, Daniel addresses the Second and Third Monarchies. He says the second would be inferior to the Chaldean in neither power nor wealth, for the Chaldean empire, although it spread so far and wide, was added to that of the Medes and Persians. Cyrus subdued the Medes first; and although he made his father-in-law, Cyaxares, his ally in the sovereignty, he had expelled his maternal grandfather and thus obtained peaceable possession of the kingdom throughout all Media.

He then conquered the Chaldeans and Assyrians, as well as the Lydians and the rest of the nations of Asia Minor. We see then that his kingdom is not called inferior because it had less splendor or opulence in human estimation, but because the general condition of the world was worse under the second monarchy, as men’s vices and corruptions increased more and more.

Cyrus was, it is true, a prudent prince, but also sanguinary. Ambition and avarice carried him fiercely onward, and he wandered in every direction like a wild beast, forgetful of all humanity. And if we examine his disposition accurately, we will discover it to be, as Isaiah says, very greedy of human blood (Isaiah 13:18).

And here we may remark that he does not address only the persons of kings, but also their counselors and the whole people. Hence, Daniel deservedly pronounces the second state of the kingdom inferior to the first, not because Nebuchadnezzar excelled in dignity, wealth, or power, but because the world had not degenerated as much as it did afterwards.

For the more these monarchies extend themselves, the more licentiousness increases in the world, according to the teaching of experience. Thus, the folly and madness of those who desire to have very powerful kings is apparent, just as if anyone desired a river to be very rapid, as Isaiah says when combating this folly (Isaiah 8:7).

For the swifter, the deeper, and the wider a river flows, the greater the destruction from its overflow to the whole neighborhood. Hence the insanity of those who desire the greatest monarchies, because some things will, by positive necessity, occur outside of lawful order when one man occupies so broad a space; and this did occur under the sway of the Medes and Persians.

The description of the Third Monarchy now follows. It is called brazen, not so much from its hardness as from its being worse than the second. The Prophet teaches that the difference between the second and third monarchies is similar to that between silver and brass. The rabbis confuse the two monarchies in their desire to include under the second what they call the kingdom of the Greeks, but they display the grossest ignorance and dishonesty.

For they do not err through simple ignorance, but they purposely desire to overthrow what Scripture here states clearly concerning the advent of Christ. Hence, they are not ashamed to mingle and confuse history and to pronounce carelessly on subjects unknown to them—unknown, I say, not because these subjects escape people moderately versed in history, but because the rabbis themselves are brutal and discern nothing.

For instead of Alexander the son of Philip, they substitute Alexander the son of Mammea, who possessed the Roman Empire when half its provinces had already been separated from it. He was a spiritless boy and was slain in his tent with the greatest ignominy by his own soldiers. Besides that, he never really governed but lived as a minor under the sway of his mother.

And yet the Jews are not ashamed to distort and twist what relates to the king of Macedon to this Alexander the son of Mammea. But their wickedness and ignorance is easily refuted by the context, as we will see later.

Here Daniel states briefly that there will be a third monarchy; he does not describe its character nor explain it fully, but we will see in another place the meaning of his prophecy.

He now interprets the dream of the king of Babylon, as the vision of the four empires had been presented to him. But the angel afterwards confirms this to him by a vision, and very clearly too, as will be seen in its own place.

Without doubt, this narrative of the brazen image relates to the Macedonian kingdom. How, then, is all doubt removed? By the description of the fourth empire, which is much fuller and clearly indicates, as we will soon see, that the Roman Empire was like the feet, partly of clay and partly of iron. He says, therefore, —