经文研读
Daniel 7:13-14 — The Son of Man and the Everlasting Kingdom
Daniel 7:13-14 depicts a heavenly figure like a son of man approaching the enthroned Ancient of Days and receiving an everlasting, universal kingdom.
经文
- 13.我 在 夜 間 的 異 象 中 觀 看 ， 見 有 一 位 像 人 子 的 ， 駕 著 天 雲 而 來 ， 被 領 到 亙 古 常 在 者 面 前 ，I saw in the night - visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
- 14.得 了 權 柄 、 榮 耀 、 國 度 ， 使 各 方 、 各 國 、 各 族 的 人 都 事 奉 他 。 他 的 權 柄 是 永 遠 的 ， 不 能 廢 去 ； 他 的 國 必 不 敗 壞 。And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
这段经文的意思
The vision shifts from the beasts rising out of the great sea to a throne scene: Daniel sees one 'like unto a son of man' coming 'with the clouds of heaven,' and this figure approaches the 'Ancient of days' who sat on a fiery throne in verse 9. The Hebrew phrase 'son of man' (בְּרַאֱנָ֑שׁ / ben-enosh / bar-nash idiom in Aramaic) literally means 'a human being,' and the comparative 'like' (כְּבַר) keeps the figure distinct from the beasts. Coming with the clouds sets him apart from earthly kings; arriving 'before' the Ancient of Days implies investiture before God's throne.
The clause 'there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom' (v. 14) places the granting in the heavenly court — dominion (שָׁלְטָן), glory (יַקַּרְתָּא), and kingdom (מַלְכוּתָא) are the three gifts the throne bestows. The scope is then defined: 'all peoples, nations, and languages' (v. 14). The repetition of 'everlasting' (עָלַם / עָלְמָא) emphasizes that this kingdom is qualitatively different from the successive beasts of the previous verses.
The Aramaic chapter text contrasts the beasts' kingdoms with the kingdom given to the Son of Man: previous verses use 'was taken away' for the beasts (v. 12), whereas for him it 'shall not pass away' and 'shall not be destroyed.' The wording shifts from past transfer (for beasts) to present granting (for the Son of Man), marking a deliberate theological turn from the temporary to the eternal.
背景
Daniel 7 is recorded as a vision in the first year of Belshazzar. Four beasts emerge — a lion with eagle's wings, a bear, a leopard with four heads, and a terrifying fourth beast with ten horns and a 'little horn' speaking great words. Verses 9-10 set the throne scene with the Ancient of Days, white raiment, and a court of 'thousands of thousands' before which 'the books were opened' and judgment was set. Verses 13-14 then shift from earthly beasts to a heavenly figure receiving an everlasting kingdom, and verses 18, 22, and 27 reinforce that 'the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom' — tying the Son of Man's kingdom to a community of 'saints.'
Immediately after verses 13-14, Daniel asks a bystander for the interpretation (vv. 15-16), and the explanation is given: the four beasts are four kingdoms (v. 17), and the saints of the Most High will possess the kingdom forever (v. 18). The chapter closes by tying the Son of Man's everlasting kingdom to the 'people of the saints of the Most High' (v. 27). The provided curated note also identifies Daniel 7:13-14 as the messianic high point of Daniel and notes its frequent quotation in the New Testament.
常见问题
Why does the figure look 'like a son of man' rather than simply being called the Son of Man?
The comparison 'like unto a son of man' (כְּבַר אֱנָשׁ) uses the comparative particle כְּ, which keeps the figure distinct from an ordinary human. Daniel deliberately contrasts 'one like a son of man' with the beasts (lion, bear, leopard, fourth beast) that represent kingdoms in the vision, marking this figure as belonging to a different order — a heavenly, human-like being who comes with the clouds.
What does 'coming with the clouds of heaven' indicate about the Son of Man?
In Daniel's context, cloud-riding is reserved for God in the Hebrew Scriptures (e.g., Psalm 68:4 / 68:33 and Isaiah 19:1). A human-like figure 'coming with the clouds of heaven' is therefore marked as belonging to the divine realm rather than to the earthly beasts. The text places this figure before the Ancient of Days, reinforcing his heavenly identity and his role as recipient of the kingdom.
How is the kingdom in verse 14 different from the kingdoms of the beasts?
Verses 11-12 describe the beasts as having their dominion 'taken away' and their bodies destroyed. Verse 14, in contrast, uses three gifts — 'dominion, and glory, and a kingdom' — given to the Son of Man, and then qualifies it with two negations: 'which shall not pass away' and 'that which shall not be destroyed.' The everlasting (עָלַם) and indestructible qualities, combined with the scope over 'all peoples, nations, and languages,' set his kingdom qualitatively apart from the successive, finite kingdoms of the beasts in the vision.