The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's striking here is the shift from powerful, swift conquest to a humbled, human-like state. It's not just that the empire is weakened; it's as if its wild, predatory nature is replaced by something more akin to human reason and vulnerability, even mirroring Nebuchadnezzar's own humbling experience.
The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Daniel is recounting a vision he had in the first year of Belshazzar's reign, which begins by describing a powerful, majestic creature resembling a lion with eagle's wings. This vision unfolds to show the creature being stripped of its wings, then made to stand on two feet like a human with human intelligence, indicating a significant change from its former state of power and swift conquest. This transformation reflects the eventual decline and humbling of the first great empire Daniel has been shown.
Why a lion with eagle's wings? This powerful combination speaks volumes about the first great empire in Daniel's vision.
Daniel sees the first beast as a lion with eagle's wings. The lion is the king of beasts, symbolizing supreme power, strength, and dominion. The eagle's wings speak to incredible speed and the ability to cover vast distances rapidly. Together, they paint a picture of an empire that is not only powerful but also achieves its conquests with astonishing swiftness and reach. This imagery directly corresponds to the Babylonian Empire, particularly under Nebuchadnezzar, known for its military might and rapid expansion across the ancient Near East.
What happens when the unstoppable force is suddenly grounded? This vision shows a dramatic shift.
The vision doesn't stop with the lion's powerful image. Daniel sees its wings 'plucked off,' signifying a loss of its rapid offensive capability and territorial expansion. Then, it's 'lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.' This is a profound transformation. The beast is no longer dominating from a low, predatory stance but is upright, like a human. More importantly, its 'mind' or 'heart' changes from that of a wild beast to that of a human. This represents a humbling, a loss of its fierce, tyrannical nature, and a move towards a more rational, perhaps less destructive, mode of existence. This change reflects the historical trajectory of the Babylonian Empire, moving from aggressive expansion to a more settled, though still powerful, kingdom, and even mirroring Nebuchadnezzar's personal humbling and recovery.
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Understand the original words
aryeh · Aramaic Noun
The king of beasts, symbolizing power, majesty, and strength; in biblical prophecy, it often denotes a dominating or regal earthly power.
neshar · Aramaic Noun
A majestic bird often used in Scripture to represent swiftness, divine judgment, or the far-reaching extent of an empire's power.
This vision directly addresses the Babylonian Empire, highlighting its initial fierce strength and rapid conquests under Nebuchadnezzar, followed by its subsequent decline and eventual fall, marked by a loss of its aggressive 'wings' and a return to a more human, less terrifying, or even weakened state before its final demise.
c. 605 BC
Nebuchadnezzar ascends throne
Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, marking the beginning of its greatest expansion and power, symbolized by the lion with eagle's wings.
c. 605-562 BC
Nebuchadnezzar's rapid conquests
Nebuchadnezzar leads swift and extensive military campaigns, conquering vast territories across the Near East, mirroring the image of the eagle's wings enabling rapid flight.
c. 562 BC
Nebuchadnezzar's madness and recovery
Nebuchadnezzar experiences a period of madness, during which he behaves like an animal, before his reason is restored and he acknowledges God's sovereignty. This event is sometimes linked to the 'mind of a man' being given back.
c. 562-539 BC— this verse
Decline of Babylonian power
Following Nebuchadnezzar's death, the Babylonian Empire experiences a period of internal weakness and reduced military expansion, symbolized by the plucking of the eagle's wings.
539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Persia
The Neo-Babylonian Empire is conquered by the Medes and Persians under Cyrus the Great, signifying the end of this empire as a dominant world power.
This passage describes a great image with a head of gold, corresponding to the lion with eagle's wings, symbolizing the Babylonian empire's initial glory and power.
Jeremiah 4:7This verse refers to a lion coming up from its thicket, which connects with the 'lion' imagery for the Babylonian kingdom, signifying its fierce and conquering nature.
Ezekiel 17:3-7Ezekiel compares a great eagle with great wings and many feathers to a king who comes to Babylon, providing a parallel for the 'eagle's wings' symbolizing swift conquests and imperial reach.
Daniel 4:30-37This passage recounts Nebuchadnezzar's madness and subsequent restoration, echoing the 'mind of a man' and standing on two feet, suggesting a parallel between the empire's symbolic humbling and the king's personal experience.
ellicottDaniel 7:4: "The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it."
(4) The first was like a lion.— The lion and the eagle are chosen as being emblems of strength and swiftness respectively. They characterise the empire of Nebuchadnezzar, and correspond to the golden head of the Colossus (Daniel 2). The wings . . . plucked.—The eagle, deprived…
bensonDaniel 7:4: "The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it."
Daniel 7:4 . The first was like a lion — The Chaldean or Babylonian empire: compared to the head of gold, the chief of metals, in the image represented to Nebuchadnezzar in his dream, Daniel 2:32 ; Daniel 2:37-38 , is here represented as a lion, the king of beasts. Instead of a…
What's striking here is the shift from powerful, swift conquest to a humbled, human-like state. It's not just that the empire is weakened; it's as if its wild, predatory nature is replaced by something more akin to human reason and vulnerability, even mirroring Nebuchadnezzar's own humbling experience.
Daniel is recounting a vision he had in the first year of Belshazzar's reign, which begins by describing a powerful, majestic creature resembling a lion with eagle's wings. This vision unfolds to show the creature being stripped of its wings, then made to stand on two feet like a human with human intelligence, indicating a significant change from its former state of power and swift conquest. This transformation reflects the eventual decline and humbling of the first great empire Daniel has been shown.
Daniel is recounting a vision he had in the first year of Belshazzar's reign, which begins by describing a powerful, majestic creature resembling a lion with eagle's wings. This vision unfolds to show the creature being stripped of its wings, then made to stand on two feet like a human with human intelligence, indicating a significant change from its former state of power and swift conquest. This transformation reflects the eventual decline and humbling of the first great empire Daniel has been shown.
"The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it." — What's striking here is the shift from powerful, swift conquest to a humbled, human-like state. It's not just that the empire is weakened; it's as if its wild, predatory nature is replaced by somethi…
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Last reviewed October 2026