Daniel 7: Winds Stirring Up the Great Sea, and the Lion With Eagles’ Wings
Part 2: Daniel Chapter 7 Analysis, the Four Winds, the Sea, and the Winged Lion
Part 1 is here for review.
Introduction
The research in this series seeks to investigate the Beasts in Daniel’s visions. In the Book of Daniel, Chapters 7 and 8, there are six beasts. This article will focus on Chapter 7 and the first beast.
What were the four winds and the great sea in Chapter 7?
What does the first beast symbolize?
Is there a corresponding sign in Heaven?
Hypothesis: The beasts described by Daniel rise up from the celestial sea. The first beast can be correlated with the “heart of the lion”.
How long was Daniel in Babylon?
Daniel 7:1 notes his vision is in the first year of Belshazzar’s reign. Belshazzar ruled Babylon from approximately 550 to 539 BC. If Daniel was brought into Babylon in 605 BC in his late teens. Then he would have lived there for nearly 55 years until King Belshazzar’s reign. Thus, he was already in his 70’s, long enough to fully understand Babylonian cosmology.
Daniel Chapter 7: The Four Winds
2 Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. Daniel 7:2, ESV
The four winds of Heaven are often indicative of the four points on a compass: north, south, east, and west1 - or the four cardinal points of the Heavens.
In The Signs of the Four Horsemen, there are also the Four Living Creatures in Revelation 4 that usher in the Four Horsemen, in Revelation 6.
There are also four angelic figures pictured on the mosaic found in a Hebrew synagogue in The Signs of the Four Horsemen.
However, what was the worldview of the Babylonians?
Antonio, a historian, writes,
In Mesopotamian astronomy, the winds’ names could also refer to specific constellations: North Wind is Ursa Major [the Bear], South Wind is Piscis Austrinus [the Southern Fish], West Wind is Scorpio and East Wind is Perseus and the Pleiades [in Taurus].2
Babylon is a city in the region of Mesopotamia where there is the possibility that they associated the four winds with constellations. Therefore, in the interpretation of Daniel 7, we could extrapolate this celestial imagery further. Let’s look at the Babylonian worldview of the sea.
Out of the Sea
3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. Daniel 7:3, ESV
In some commentaries the sea represents people or chaos. For example Faith Life Study Bible states, “the great sea… is often used throughout the Hebrew Bible as a symbol of turmoil and chaos.”3 Another Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible states that the “world powers rise out of the agitations of the political sea (Jeremiah 46:7, 8; Luke 21:25; compare Revelation 13:1; 17:15; 21:1)… or the Mediterranean” sea.4
Both commentaries were written in the last few decades and interpret the sea as symbolic to chaos, politics, or literally the Mediterranean sea. Geographically, there were no great seas around Babylon. Mesopotamia has the Euphrates and the Tigris Rivers. Therefore, these interpretations are Earth-bound or symbolic.
What is the celestial sea?
Earth Sky’s Deborah Byrd writes,
Other constellations in the celestial sea (looking west to east) include Capricornus the Sea Goat, Delphinus the Dolphin, Aquarius the Water Bearer, Pisces the Fish, Cetus the Whale and Eridanus the River. And Fomalhaut is located in the constellation Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish: another swimmer in the celestial ocean.
No matter where you are on Earth, you need a very dark sky, a couple of hours after sunset, to see the constellations of the heavenly sea.5
A celestial sea is portrayed by the water and ocean related constellations and the names of the stars. However, there is more than just this portion of sky.
What if the entire Heavens was a celestial ocean?
Ira Spar, published “Mesopotamian Creation Myths” for The Met,
The short tale “Marduk, Creator of the World” is another Babylonian narrative that opens with the existence of the sea before any act of creation. First to be created are the cities, Eridu and Babylon, and the temple Esagil is founded. Then the earth is created by heaping dirt upon a raft in the primeval waters.6
The Babylonians and many ancient cultures believed in a cosmic freshwater ocean7 located above a solid layer, the firmament, that was a barrier between the cosmic ocean and the inner breathable air.8 The cosmic ocean is where the gods lived. This belief was dominant during the time of Daniel in Babylon.
This ancient cosmology may have also carried forward to John and the Book of Revelation. There is a footnote in the English Standard Version of Daniel 7:3, where the beasts “came up out of the sea”. The note references the Book of Revelation Chapter 13, which also refers to the '‘beast rising out of the sea”, Revelation 13:1, ESV9. The Beasts in Daniel are related to the Revelation Beast of the Sea which has been correlated to an abusive multi-national government and also related to the constellation Cetus the sea monster (reference The Signs of Jonah).
Therefore, in the ancient cosmic view, the word sea, (Strong’s Concordance 3221. יָם yâm, Chaldean, yawm; corresponding to 3220:—sea10 ) could very well be the Heavenly Mazzaroth, a celestial sea - a great sea.
Who can bring forth the Mazzaroth?
Only God the Creator can bring forth the constellations (Job 38:32), from the celestial sea. Let’s continue the analysis of Daniel 7 with the first beast.
Lion with Eagle’s Wings
4 The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Daniel 7:4, ESV
Daniel’s vision of a winged lion is not new to the eyes of the citizens of Babylon. Here are two artifacts of winged lions. The first is a Winged Lion found on a Babylon Gate Relief in the Louvre Museum, Paris, France. Its wings are feathered up like they are on display similar to an angry rooster or eagle in flight.
(source: Flickr, mbell197511)
(public domain)
The second is pictured in The Met article, “Panel with striding lion”, Babylonian - ca. 604–562 BC. Its feathered wings are not as obvious, they seem to be resting on the sides of the lion. The Met describes the artifact to give us more context,
The Assyrian Empire fell before the combined onslaughts of Babylonians and Medes in 614 and 612 B.C. In the empire's final days, Nabopolassar (r. 625–605 B.C.), who had been in Assyrian service, established a new dynasty with its capital in Babylon. During the reign of his son, Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 604–562 B.C.), the Neo-Babylonian empire reached its peak. This was largely attributable to Nebuchadnezzar's ability as a statesman and general. He maintained friendly relations with the Medes in the east while vying successfully with Egypt for the control of trade on the eastern Mediterranean coast. He is well known as the biblical conqueror who deported the Jews to Babylon after the capture of Jerusalem.
During this period Babylon became the city of splendor described by Herodotus and the Old Testament Book of Daniel. Because stone is rare in southern Mesopotamia, molded glazed bricks were used for building and Babylon became a city of brilliant color. Relief figures in white, black, blue, red, and yellow decorated the city's gates and buildings.
The most important street in Babylon was the Processional Way, leading from the inner city through the Ishtar Gate to the Bit Akitu, or "House of the New Year's Festival." The Ishtar Gate, built by Nebuchadnezzar II, was a glazed-brick structure12
The lion with wings was used as an image of royalty to honor the king.
Correlating the Winged Lion to the Sign of Leo
In 2007, Gavin White published the Babylonian Star-lore, An Illustrated Guide to the Star-lore and Constellations of Ancient Babylonia. Thanks to his efforts he illustrated the full planisphere of Babylonian constellations and highlighted below is the Lion, Leo, above the Serpent, Hydra, near the crab, Cancer. Notice the drawing of the Lion includes the wings on its side similar to the lion on the Ishtar Gate, with feathered wings on its side.
(Source: Gavin White13, Lion from The MET14)
We can link the four winds, the celestial sea, and the winged lion with the Signs in Heaven.
Also the “eagles wings” phrase can be found in Revelation 12 where the woman was given eagles wings (Revelation 12:14). Aquila the eagle constellation has been associated with the Fourth Living Creature in Revelation 4 and 6 (see The Signs of the Four Horsemen).
Wings Plucked and Stood as a Man
Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind [or heart] of a man was given to it.
Daniel 7:4, ESV15
In reviewing scholarly commentaries, the interpretation of this portion of the story focuses on the ruler in Babylon. Later the interpretation is given to Daniel that,
17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.
Daniel 7:17, ESV16
The Faithlife Study Bible suggests “wings were plucked off” is “perhaps a reference to Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation, punishment, and restoration” in Daniel 4:28–33, 36–37.17
However, this was prior to the reign of Belshazzar who ruled Babylon from approximately 550 to 539 BC. Nebuchadnezzar II reigned from 604 to 562 B.C. So it doesn’t seem like this vision of a winged lion would be associated with something that occurred ~12 years prior. I’m not sure a prophecy would telescope back in time.
This is where the interpretation may vary, for “plucked off” is Strong’s Concordance 4804, which corresponds to 4803 mâraṭ, and can also be translated as “fallen off”. So the wings may have fallen off as the lion was lifted up to stand and think like a man, or have a heart like a man. A lion with a heart like a man - a heart of a lion.
It does not specify in this verse whether it is a good or bad heart. Some allude back to Daniel 4. However, the hypotheses presented earlier will be applied here as referring to a celestial heart.
Where have we seen signs pointing to the heart of the lion? Did Babylonians understand the meaning of Regulus?
The Heart of the Lion
The following Babylonian clay tablet is another gold mine discovery.
In the Babylonian MUL.APIN, Regulus is listed as Lugal, meaning king, with co-descriptor, "star of the Lion's breast".18
MUL.APIN is the oldest known astronomy book in human history. Written in ancient Mesopotamia (around 1000 BC) on two clay tablets, it is effectively a "celestial almanac" that tracked the stars and mapped the night sky. 19
Regulus is the “heart of the Lion” denoting “king” or “prince”. It also has been translated as “treading underfoot” as it is above the lion’s paw that is striking the head of the serpent Hydra.20
Could Daniel’s vision be alluding to a future Heavenly sign in the lion? An end-times sign? A sign of a crowning conjunction or eclipse of Regulus.
I’ll let you explore the solar eclipse sign in the app. Shown below is the “Crowning Lion of Judah Solar Eclipse”, August 21st, 2017, which was just 33 days before the September 23rd, 2017, Revelation 12 Sign in Heaven. Then review the Star of Bethlehem. Given Daniel notes this is at the end, I personally think 2017 is a strong candidate.
In Closing
What were the four winds and the sea in Chapter 7?
Using a Mesopotamian worldview, there is the possibility that they associated the four winds with constellations.
In the ancient cosmic view, the word sea could very well be the Heavenly Mazzaroth. If so, Daniel had a vision of beasts emerging from the Signs in Heaven.
What does the first beast symbolize?
A winged Babylonian lion representing a king
Is there a corresponding sign in Heaven?
The primary Zodiac sign is Leo the Lion and the heart of the Lion, Regulus.
The actual planetary conjunction or solar eclipse which would point to a prophetic event is dependent upon the prophetic horizon. Through prophetic telescoping, it could be related to a sign in Leo near Regulus signifying great political change through a rising leader.
Stay tuned for more beasts…
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Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Da 7:2). Lexham Press.
https://yamayuandadu.tumblr.com/post/751176995104309248/i-am-interested-to-know-about-the-4-winds-and-what
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https://earthsky.org/constellations/the-constellations-of-the-celestial-ocean/
Spar, I. (2009). Mesopotamian Creation Myths. The Met. https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/epic-of-creation-mesopotamia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Near_Eastern_cosmology#CITEREFWalton2011
Walton, John (2011). Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology. Eisenbrauns.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Re 13:1). (2025). Crossway Bibles.
Strong, J. (2009). In A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Vol. 2, p. 50). Logos Bible Software.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbell1975/6294412841
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322586
White, G. (2007). Babylonian Star-lore, An Illustrated Guide to the Star-lore and Constellations of Ancient Babylonia. https://solariapublications.com/2011/10/25/map-2-full-reconstruction-of-the-babylonian-star-map/
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322586
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Da 7:4). (2025). Crossway Bibles.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Da 7:17). (2025). Crossway Bibles.
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Da 7:4–5). Lexham Press.
Rogers, J. H. (February 1998). “Origins of the ancient constellations: I. The Mesopotamian traditions”. Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 108 (1): 9–28. Bibcode:1998JBAA..108....9R.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUL.APIN
https://mazzarothgospel.blogspot.com/