Daniel 2:35

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:35 (KJV)

Context

This verse is part of Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, which involved a massive image with various materials representing different kingdoms. The dream’s climax comes when a stone, cut out without hands, strikes the image at its feet of iron and clay, breaking the whole image to pieces together.

Meaning

The materials of the image—gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay—symbolize successive world empires: the Babylonian Empire (head of gold), the Medo-Persian Empire (chest and arms of silver), the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great (belly and thighs of brass), the Roman Empire (legs of iron), and a divided kingdom in the end times (feet partly of iron and partly of clay). The verse describes the breaking to pieces of the image’s various materials together, signifying the end of worldly kingdoms and their dominion. The image’s disintegration is likened to chaff, the husks of grain separated from wheat during threshing; the wind carries away the broken pieces, indicating their complete removal and disappearance. The feet, being the basis of the image, are broken first, causing the whole body to fall and break under its own weight, symbolizing the utter dissolution of the image.

Biblical connections

In contrast to the crumbling kingdoms, the stone that smote the image represents the kingdom of God, or the reign of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The stone strikes the image, causing its destruction; it is not a human-made kingdom but is divinely established. The stone grows into a great mountain and fills the whole earth, signifying the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom, which will surpass and supersede all previous human empires. This represents the reign of Jesus Christ, and His kingdom will eventually encompass the entire world.

Application

Daniel 2:35 portrays a prophetic vision of the rise and fall of various earthly kingdoms, symbolized by the image’s different materials. Ultimately, these kingdoms will be destroyed, and God’s kingdom, represented by the stone, will prevail and become a great mountain that fills the whole earth. This passage points to the ultimate sovereignty and dominion of God’s kingdom over all earthly powers. The chaff imagery highlights the temporary and insubstantial nature of earthly empires compared to God’s enduring reign, and the mountain filling the earth signifies the universal and all-encompassing nature of God’s kingdom.

Reflection

This verse is the turning point in the dream’s interpretation, showing that human history culminates in divine intervention and the establishment of God’s sovereign rule. It emphasizes the totality of God’s judgment on human power and the certainty of His unshakable kingdom.