But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and take possession of the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’
Parallel translations
- WEB But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.
- KJV But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
- BSB But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever.’
- NKJV But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
- NLT But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In contrast to the fleeting beast-kingdoms, the saints of the Most High will receive and possess an everlasting kingdom. God's people share in His eternal reign.
Overview
This is the hinge of the chapter: earthly empires pass away, but the kingdom is finally given to God's holy people forever. This anticipates the reign of Christ, the Son of Man (7:13-14), in which His people share. It offers enduring comfort that the last word belongs not to tyrants but to the redeemed who belong to the Most High.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Dan 7:27The kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole sky, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
- Isa 60:12–14For that nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
- Rev 5:10and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on the earth.”
- Rev 20:4I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as didn’t worship the beast nor his image, and didn’t receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
- Rev 2:26–27He who overcomes, and he who keeps my works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.
- 2 Tim 2:11–12This saying is trustworthy: “For if we died with him, we will also live with him.
- Dan 7:22until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
- Ps 149:5–9Let the saints rejoice in honor. Let them sing for joy on their beds.
- Ps 45:16Your sons will take the place of your fathers. You shall make them princes in all the earth.
- Eph 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;
- Rev 3:21He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne.
- Eph 6:12For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Daniel sees the stone cut without hands that shatters the kingdoms, and 'one like a son of man' given everlasting dominion — titles and visions Jesus claims as his own.
How Daniel 7:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.