I beheld till thrones were set, and the Ancient of days did sit his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was flames of fire, [and] its wheels burning fire.
Commentary for this Verse
Daniel's night vision shifts without warning. The beasts rising out of a churning sea give way to a courtroom, where One takes His seat in snow-white clothing on a throne of fire.
Thrones Set Up, Not Thrown Down
Older English Bibles read "the thrones were cast down," which suggests destruction. Commentators differ on the wording. One says the true reading is "set up," which the ESV's "thrones were placed" carries. Another says both words come to the same thing. Either way, this is not God steering events from behind the scenes. It is a court sitting down.
William Kelly"I saw until the thrones were set up." That is how it ought to read, instead of "cast down." This is not just my opinion. It is the way the best ancient and modern translations of Scripture all understand it... There you have a clear picture of the divine glory in judgment. It is not just God working through providence on the earth, but the process of judgment that God Himself will set up.
The wording comes from a courtroom custom, and the court has records to open.
W. W. Fereday"Cast down," or "placed," as in the Revised Version, both really mean the same thing. The reference is to the Eastern custom of throwing down cushions for the judges to sit on... This judgment is set, and the books are opened. The court looks into how the Gentile Empires used the power God granted them. The great Judge of all examines the doings of the little horn in particular.
What Triggers the Session
The court does not assemble at random. It answers something said out loud.
J. N. DarbyAfterwards the thrones are set, and the Ancient of days sits. It is a session of judgment, the throne of Jehovah's judgment; it is not said where, but its effect is on earth. The words of the little horn are what set the judgment in motion. It falls on the beast, which is destroyed, and its body given to the flames. The other beasts lost their dominion, but their lives went on. The fourth loses its life along with its dominion.
Who the Ancient of Days Is
The title points to the eternal God — and the same chapter shows who holds it. This session is also not the last judgment.
Edward DennettThat the Ancient of days is the Eternal God is beyond question. It is just as clear, from verse 22 and from Revelation 1, that the Son of man is the Ancient of days, the Eternal God. God has committed all judgment to Him because He is the Son of man. Scripture plainly declares the scene before us to be a session of judgment — not the session of judgment of the Great White Throne in Revelation 20, but a session for the judgment of the living... in preparation for the setting up of His kingdom.
Daniel and John see the same Person. Each shows a different half of the picture.
William KellyIn the Revelation the two glories are both united in the Person of Christ. Revelation 1 shows us one like the Son of man. But when we come to the description of Him, some of the features are exactly the same as the ones given here to the Ancient of days. His garment is said to be as white as snow, the hair of His head like pure wool, and so on. The Jewish prophet sees Christ simply as man. The Christian prophet sees Him as man, but as God as well.
Fire Around the Throne
Fire marks the throne, its wheels, and the stream flowing out. Scripture uses that image with a settled meaning.
Edward DennettThe throne was like a fiery flame, its wheels as burning fire, and a fiery stream came out from before Him. Fire is always a symbol in Scripture of the holiness of God applied in judgment.
Thrones in the Plural
Daniel counts more than one throne, yet names only one occupant. John's vision fills in the rest.
William KellyWhen Daniel beheld the thrones, not "cast down" but "set up," he speaks of no one sitting but One, the Ancient of days. When John saw thrones, others were sitting on them, and judgment was given to them.
Another writer says who those other thrones are for.
W. W. FeredayNot one throne, but many; for the glorified saints are to have part in this judgment.
Summary
- Provocation — The boasting of the little horn brings the court into session. Defiance of God has a limit.
- Session — The thrones are set up, not cast down. A court sits, the books open, and the Gentile empires answer for how they used their power.
- Person — The Ancient of days is the eternal God. Verse 22 and Revelation 1 show the Son of man with the same snow-white features.
- Fire — The flaming throne is holiness applied in judgment. This court judges the living, not the session of the Great White Throne in Revelation 20.
- Result — The fourth beast alone loses its life along with its dominion, and the way opens for the Son of man's kingdom.