Chest and Arms of Silver: Medo-Persia (539 BC - 332 BC)

Updated: Oct 9, 2020

Historical and Biblical Background

In 539 BC, Darius the Mede (from Media) took Babylon without a fight.
By 538 BC, Mesopotamia and Judah were under Persian rule. Later the Persians gained control of Egypt and Lybia.
King Cyrus and the other kings of the Persian empire developed a policy that allowed all people the freedom to worship their own gods, and live their own ways.
in 538 BC, Cyrus issued a decree ordering a restoration of the Jewish community. Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:2-4).
The Persians paid to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 6:8).
The vessels taken by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon were returned to their rightful place in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:7-11).
In 457 BC, King Artaxerxes of Persia sent Ezra to Judah for religious reform and spiritual guidance (Ezra 7:1-6).
Nehemiah governed Judah from 444-430 BC. While in Judah, Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.

Chest and Arms of the Statue (Daniel 2)

The chest and arms made of silver represented the kingdom of Medo-Persia, which is the second power that would rise after Babylonia.
Silver, which is of lesser value than gold, symbolized the inferior status of Medo-Persia to Babylonia.
Eventually Persia would be conquered by another kingdom.

Vision of Beasts - Bear (Daniel 7)

Daniel's vision of the beasts had shown a beast that looked like a bear.
The bear was raised on one side, which may illustrate the dominance of Persia over Media.
It had three ribs in its mouth, which may have illustrated the three major empires Persia conquered (Babylon, Egypt and Lydia).
The bear was commanded to devour much flesh, which may have been a reference to Persia's military expansion throughout the ancient world.

Timeline

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