After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
While the leopard's speed and dominion are highlighted, the surprising detail is its four wings of a bird. This isn't just about swift conquest, but suggests a dominion that, despite its ferocity, operates with a different kind of movement than the earlier beasts, hinting at a more divinely appointed, albeit still terrifying, scope.
After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Daniel is in the midst of a vision where he sees four great beasts rising from the sea, symbolizing successive world empires. After the lion-like beast (Babylon) and the bear-like beast (Medo-Persia), he now sees a third beast that resembles a leopard with four wings and four heads, signifying its swift conquests and subsequent division. This vision, like Nebuchadnezzar's dream, reveals God's sovereign hand over earthly kingdoms, showing how He raises them up and brings them down according to His will.
Why compare this powerful empire to a leopard, and what do its four wings symbolize?
The third beast in Daniel's vision is like a leopard, a creature known for its incredible speed and ferocity. In the ancient world, the leopard (or panther) was seen as a formidable predator, capable of swift, powerful attacks.
Symbolism of Speed
The four wings on its back amplify this image of speed. While other beasts might signify power through sheer size or brute force, this one is defined by its rapid movement across the earth. This points to conquests that are not slow and methodical, but remarkably quick and far-reaching, overwhelming opposition before it can fully mobilize.
A Fierce Predator
The leopard's nature also speaks to the empire's character – a hunter, preying on other nations. It's a potent symbol of an empire that moves with deadly precision and efficiency to dominate.
This beast isn't just one entity; it has multiple heads. What does this signify for its rule?
The most striking feature after the leopard-like appearance is the presence of four heads. This isn't a sign of weakness, but a complex representation of how dominion is exercised and eventually divided.
Division of Power
When Alexander the Great, the conqueror associated with this leopard-like kingdom, died, his vast empire was not passed to a single heir. Instead, it was split among his four top generals: Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. These four 'heads' represent the fragmentation of a single, massive dominion into distinct ruling territories.
Ask a follow-up
A Unified Origin
Even though divided, these four kingdoms originated from one source—Alexander's conquest. The vision shows one beast with multiple heads, symbolizing a single empire that, while powerful and unified in its initial conquest, would eventually fracture into four separate powers, each wielding significant authority.
Understand the original words
cheyvah · Aramaic Noun
A term used in prophetic literature to describe earthly kingdoms or empires that act in opposition to God and His people, often characterized by brutality and bestial nature.
sholtan · Aramaic Noun
The authority, power, or sovereignty to rule and exercise control over a territory or people; in Scripture, all true dominion ultimately belongs to God.
605 BC
Alexander the Great Born
The birth of Alexander III of Macedon, who would become one of history's most successful military commanders.
334-323 BC— this verse
Conquests of Alexander the Great
Alexander leads his army on a whirlwind campaign, conquering the Persian Empire and extending his reach to India. His rapid conquests are legendary.
323 BC
Death of Alexander the Great
Alexander dies young in Babylon, leaving his vast empire without a clear successor. This event triggers a period of intense conflict among his generals.
301 BC
Battle of Ipsus
A pivotal battle where Alexander's former generals, the Diadochi, decisively defeat and kill Antigonus I Monophthalmus, a major contender for control of the empire.
c. 300 BC
Division of the Empire
Following years of warfare, Alexander's empire is firmly divided into four Hellenistic kingdoms, ruled by his generals: Cassander (Macedonia and Greece), Lysimachus (Thrace and Asia Minor), Seleucus (Syria and the East), and Ptolemy (Egypt).
This passage describes the third kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar's dream as inferior to the second, but still a significant power that 'shall bear rule over all the earth,' paralleling the 'dominion was given to it' in Daniel 7:6.
Daniel 8:5-8This describes a powerful goat with one large horn, which is then broken and replaced by four horns, directly foreshadowing the four heads and dominion of the leopard-like beast in Daniel 7:6.
Daniel 8:21-22This passage explicitly identifies the goat as the king of Greece and the four horns as four kingdoms that will arise from its nation after its first king's fall, directly explaining the four heads seen in Daniel 7:6.
Jeremiah 5:6This verse uses the leopard as a symbol of swiftness and danger in predatory action, reflecting the characteristics of the beast in Daniel 7:6 and its rapid conquests.
Habakkuk 1:8This prophet describes swift, predatory horses likened to leopards, emphasizing the speed and ferocity associated with the leopard imagery used in Daniel 7:6.
ellicottDaniel 7:6: "After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it."
(6) A leopard. —More correctly, a panther. On the great vigilance and swiftness of the panther, comp. Jeremiah 5:6 ; Hosea 13:7 ; Habakkuk 1:8 . The third beast corresponds to the copper belly and thighs of the image (Daniel 2). It should be noticed that as unity characterises the first beast, and duality the second,…
clarkeDaniel 7:6: "After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it."
Another like a leopard - four wings - four heads - This was the Macedonian or Greek empire; and Alexander the Great its king. Alexander and his subjects are fitly compared to a leopard. 1. The leopard is remarkable for its swiftness. Alexander and the Macedonians were very rapid in their conquests. 2. The leopard is a…
While the leopard's speed and dominion are highlighted, the surprising detail is its four wings of a bird. This isn't just about swift conquest, but suggests a dominion that, despite its ferocity, operates with a different kind of movement than the earlier beasts, hinting at a more divinely appointed, albeit still terrifying, scope.
Daniel is in the midst of a vision where he sees four great beasts rising from the sea, symbolizing successive world empires. After the lion-like beast (Babylon) and the bear-like beast (Medo-Persia), he now sees a third beast that resembles a leopard with four wings and four heads, signifying its swift conquests and subsequent division. This vision, like Nebuchadnezzar's dream, reveals God's sovereign hand over earthly kingdoms, showing how He raises them up and brings them down according to His will.
Daniel is in the midst of a vision where he sees four great beasts rising from the sea, symbolizing successive world empires. After the lion-like beast (Babylon) and the bear-like beast (Medo-Persia), he now sees a third beast that resembles a leopard with four wings and four heads, signifying its swift conquests and subsequent division. This vision, like Nebuchadnezzar's dream, reveals God's sovereign hand over earthly kingdoms, showing how He raises them up and brings them down according to His will.
"After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it." — While the leopard's speed and dominion are highlighted, the surprising detail is its four wings of a bird. This isn't just about swift conquest, but suggests a dominion that, despite its ferocity,…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026