Daniel 7:1

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, etc.] Daniel having finished the historical part of his book, and committed to writing what was necessary concerning himself and his three companions, and concerning Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius the Mede, proceeds to the prophetic part, and goes back to the first year of Belshazzar’s reign, seventeen years before his death, and the fall of the Babylonish monarchy last mentioned; for so long Belshazzar reigned, according to Josephusf260; and with which agrees the canon of Ptolemy, who ascribes so many years to the reign of Nabonadius, the same, with Belshazzar: he began to reign, according to Bishop Usherf261, Dean Prideauxf262, and…”

“VISION OF THE FOUR BEASTS. (Dan. 7:1-28) Belshazzar--Good Hebrew manuscripts have "Belshazzar"; meaning "Bel is to be burnt with hostile fire" (Jer 50:2; Jer 51:44). In the history he is called by his ordinary name; in the prophecy, which gives his true destiny, he is called a corresponding name, by the change of a letter. visions of his head--not confused "dreams," but distinct images seen while his mind was collected. sum--a "summary." In predictions, generally, details are not given so fully as to leave no scope for free agency, faith, and patient waiting for God manifesting His will in the event. He "wrote" it for the Church in all ages; he "told" it for the comfort of his captive fellow…”

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon - On the character and reign of Belshazzar, see Introduction to Daniel 5:0 Section II. He was the last of the kings of Babylon, and this fact may cast some light on the disclosures made in the dream. Daniel had a dream - Margin, as in Hebrew, saw. He saw a series of events in vision when he was asleep. The dream refers to that representation, and was of such a nature that it was proper to speak of it as if he saw it. Compare the notes at Daniel 2:1. And visions of his head upon his bed - See the notes at Daniel 4:5. Then he wrote the dream - He made a record of it at the time. He did not commit it to tradition, or wait for its fulfillment…”

“In the first year of Belshazzar - This prophecy is written in Chaldee, to be a monument to him, of the reverence his father and grandfather shewed towards God, who had done such mighty works for them. Then he wrote - These visions were recorded for the benefit of the church, to rectify their mistake: for they thought all things would succeed prosperously after they returned out of their captivity. Daniel 7:2”

“7:1–12:13 The second half of the book features visions given to Daniel. These visions showed Daniel and his people, both those in exile and those who had returned to Judea, that the future is securely in God’s hands. All empires will ultimately fall before the Kingdom of Heaven. Daniel’s people will be rescued from all their troubles (12:1-3), and God will resurrect and judge all humankind (see 12:13). Daniel interpreted these visions with help from divine messengers (7:10; 8:15; 9:22; 10:14; 12:7). 7:1-28 This chapter contains a terrifying vision (7:2-14) and its interpretation (7:17-27). The sequence of kingdoms recalls Nebuchadnezzar’s dream some forty-five years earlier (2:1-45). 7:1…”

“Cir, am 3449, bc 555 Belshazzar: Dan 5:1, Dan 5:22, Dan 5:30, Dan 8:1; Jer 27:7 Daniel: Dan 2:1, Dan 2:28, Dan 2:29, Dan 4:5; Num 12:6; Job 33:14-16; Jer 23:28; Joe 2:28; Amo 3:7; Act 2:17, Act 2:18 had: Chal, saw visions: Dan 7:7, Dan 7:13, Dan 7:15; Gen 15:1, Gen 46:2; Job 4:13; Eze 1:1; Co2 12:1 he wrote: Isa 8:1, Isa 30:8; Hab 2:2; Rom 15:4; Rev 1:19, Rev 10:4 matters: or, words Daniel 7:2”

“The time here indicated, "in the first year of Belshazzar," which cannot, as is evident, mean "shortly before the reign of Belshazzar" (Hitz.), but that Daniel received the following revelation in the course of the first year of the reign of this king, stands related to the contest of the revelation. This vision accords not only in many respects with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2), but has the same subject. This subject, however, the representation of the world-power in its principal forms, is differently given in the two chapters. In Daniel 2 it is represented according to its whole character as an image of a man whose different parts consist of different metals, and in Daniel 7…”