Daniel 2:44
But in the days of those kingdoms the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, and his kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people, and it shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these kingdoms, and itself shall stand for ever.
In the palace
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- In diebus autem regnorum illorum suscitabit Deus cæli regnum, quod in æternum non dissipabitur, et regnum ejus alteri populo non tradetur : comminuet autem, et consumet universa regna hæc, et ipsum stabit in æternum.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν βασιλέων ἐκείνων ἀναστήσει ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ βασιλείαν, ἥτις εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας οὐ διαφθαρήσεται, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ λαῷ ἑτέρῳ οὐχ ὑπολειφθήσεται· λεπτυνεῖ καὶ λικμήσει πάσας τὰς βασιλείας, καὶ αὐτὴ ἀναστήσεται εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας·
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וּֽבְיוֹמֵיה֞וֹן דִּ֧י מַלְכַיָּ֣א אִנּ֗וּן יְקִים֩ אֱלָ֨הּ שְׁמַיָּ֤א מַלְכוּ֙ דִּ֤י לְעָלְמִין֙ לָ֣א תִתְחַבַּ֔ל וּמַ֨לְכוּתָ֔ה לְעַ֥ם אָחֳרָ֖ן לָ֣א תִשְׁתְּבִ֑ק תַּדִּ֤ק וְתָסֵיף֙ כָּל אִלֵּ֣ין מַלְכְוָתָ֔א וְהִ֖יא תְּק֥וּם לְעָלְמַיָּֽא
Haydock's commentary
Kingdom of Christ, in the Catholic Church, which cannot be destroyed. (Challoner)
This alone cannot be destroyed. (Worthington)
All other empires change. The Catholic Church has stood for seventeen centuries in the midst of persecutions, which gives us an assurance that she will continue for ever. (Calmet)
"Then," says Munster, "was the kingdom of Christ set up, not by arms,...but by the divine power." This interpretation arises from the improper version, without hands; whereas the sequel shews that the empire here spoken of, is attended with the like violence as the four others, which it destroys. The Roman empire was in no degree connected with others by marriage. In the following verse, Munster improperly turns to the second coming of our Saviour. Grotius here asserts that the stone alludes to the Roman armies, prefiguring the Son of man, whose gospel is indicated by the progress of the Roman empire, as both sprung from small beginnings. But who informed him that there were such figures in that empire as in the Old Testament? All empires begin in that manner, and types should have some greater resemblance with the reality. The Church meddles not with the temporal powers. It is therefore plain that the prophet speaks of empires which shall succeed each other. (Houbigant. perf. Prop. 340.)
Kingdoms. That of Rome comprised all the former. The persecuting emperors are forced to yield, and the colossal power of infidelity and vice falls before the gospel. Christ's dominion is spiritual, exercised against wickedness; (Calmet) is heavenly and eternal. (Haydock)
Read on
The blood of martyrs was more efficacious in the establishing of Christianity, than fire and sword had been in forming other empires. (Menochius)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Ignatius of Antioch Epistle to the Magnesians: Shorter and, Chapter VI. Preserve harmony
Since therefore I have, in the persons before mentioned, beheld the whole multitude of you in faith and love, I exhort you to study to do all things with a divine harmony, while your bishop presides in the place of God, and your presbyters in the place of the assembly of the apostles, along with your deacons, who are most dear to me, and are entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ. He, being begotten by the Father before the beginning of time, was God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and remains the same for ever; for “of His kingdom there shall be no end,” says Daniel the prophet. Let us all therefore love one another in harmony, and let no one look upon his neighbour according to the flesh, but in Christ Jesus. Let nothing exist among you which may divide you; but be ye united with your bishop, being through him subject to God in Christ.
St Irenaeus Against Heresies: Book V, Chapter XXVI. John and Daniel have
1. In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord’s disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who shall then arise, among whom the empire which now rules [the earth] shall be partitioned. He teaches us what the ten horns shall be which were seen by Daniel, telling us that thus it had been said to him: “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but shall receive power as if kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and give their strength and power to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, because He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.” It is manifest, therefore, that of these [potentates], he who is to come shall slay three, and subject the remainder to his power, and that he shall be himself the eighth among them. …
St Cyril of Jerusalem On the words Incarnate, and Made Man
18. But again thou askest yet another testimony of the time. The Lord said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee : and a few words further on, Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron . I have said before that the kingdom of the Romans is clearly called a rod of iron; but what is wanting concerning this let us further call to mind out of Daniel. For in relating and interpreting to Nebuchadnezzar the image of the statue, he tells also his whole vision concerning it: and that a stone cut out of a mountain without hands, that is, not set up by human contrivance, should overpower the whole world: and he speaks most clearly thus; And in the days of those kingdoms the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, and His kingdom shall not be left to another people .
Aphrahat Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations, Of Wars
14. And he showed that in the days of those kings, who shall arise in the kingdom, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall not be destroyed and shall not pass away for ever . This is the Kingdom of King Messiah, which is that which shall cause the fourth kingdom to pass away. And above he said: Thou sawest a stone which was cut out, but not by hands; and it smote the image upon its feet of iron and potter’s clay and broke them to pieces . Now he did not say that it smote upon the head of the image, nor on its breast and arms, nor yet on its belly and thighs, but on its feet; because that, of the whole image, that stone when it comes will find the feet alone. And in the next verse he said: The iron and the brass and the silver and the gold were broken to pieces together . …