Decoding Daniel: The Case of Dan 7,5 229 which, scholars deem should be identified with the figure who is “like a bear” (51). Nevertheless, in the succession of the beasts the first represents Babylon, as is clear from the many allusions in Daniel 7,4 to the description of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4. Therefore the second must represent Media or Media and Persia. The bear (bd in Hebrew, as in Aramaic) is not linked to any nation at all in biblical tradition, although, as a ferocious beast, it is paired with the lion on several occasions (Lam 3,10; 1 Sam 17,34,36; Prov 28,15; Isa 11,6-7; Amos 5,19; Hos 13,7-8). The Proverbs reference links their aggressive nature with that of “a wicked ruler” indicating that the bear as well as the lion could be understood as a cipher for a political leader. Two of the texts (Lam 3,10; Hos 13,8) posit that God Himself can be to his people as a bear. “Daniel” then had a difficult task ahead of him if he was to identify a particular nation or nations with the bear. It is likely that he began by searching the Biblical passages relating to the fall of Babylon, looking for an indication that the “bear” was involved. It is my contention that the key text used by Daniel is Isa 13,5, which led him to another text which mentions a “bear” of a different kind. They come from a far country (qjrm ≈ram) from the utmost parts of heaven (µymçh hxqm) Yahweh and the weapons of his indignation (wm[z ylkw) to destroy the whole land (Isa 13,5). This verse is related to verse 17 of the same chapter which says, “Behold I will stir up the Medes against them (Babylon)...” (52). The Medes then are one component of the “bear”. The reference in Isa 13,5 to “the utmost part of heaven” led the author of Daniel to Job 38,32-33 which proves illuminating for Dan 7,5 in a number of ways: Can you guide Arcturus (çy[) with her sons? Do you know the ordinances of heaven (µymç)? Can you establish (µyçt) his dominion (wrfçm) in the earth? (Job 38,32-33) God is the one who guides Arcturus, which is either the constellation of the Great Bear (Ursa Maior) or a star in it! Ursa Maior is a far northern constellation and its situation fulfills the description in Isa 13,5 of the conquerers coming from “the utmost part of heaven”. The Joban passage appears in the context of God demonstrating to Job how much greater God’s power is than that of a human being. In Biblical passages relating to the downfall of Babylon through the advent of other nations it is emphasised that God is the prime mover in bringing this about (Isa 13,17; 46,10-11; Jer 51,11). In order to find out more about the “bear” it is necessary to discover the (51) The question must be asked whether the second beast has some intrinsic qualities which link it with the bear rather than the leopard, or alternatively does the third beast have qualities which match the characteristics of a leopard better than those of a bear? (52) Cf. also Jer 51,11 which says that God has “stirred up the spirit of the King of the Medes”. CHARLES, Daniel, 178, refers fleetingly to Isa 13,17 and Jer 51,11 when he comments on the phrase “three ribs were in its mouth” saying, “These words point to the ravenous nature of the beast — an idea suggested by those passages of the prophets in which the Medes are summoned to ravage Babylon (Isa 13,7, Jer 15,11.28)”