# What Does Daniel 2:43 Mean? > Daniel 2:43 says the iron and the clay mingle with the seed of men and do not cleave. The chapter calls that a divided kingdom. Rashi reads it as intermarriage, and he does not say Nephilim. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-does-daniel-2-43-mean - Religions: Christianity - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: daniel, prophecy, kingdoms - Updated: 2026-10-13 [Daniel 2:43](/bible/daniel/2/43) [(1)](#ref-1) says the iron mixed with miry clay means they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, and they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. The same chapter calls the feet a divided kingdom, partly strong and partly broken, and then says the God of heaven sets up a kingdom that stands for ever. Rashi, in the English on chabad.org, reads the mingling as intermarriage with other nations. He does not say Nephilim. ## Key Points - [Daniel 2:41–42](/bible/daniel/2) says the kingdom shall be divided, partly strong and partly broken, because the feet were part iron and part clay. - [Daniel 2:43](/bible/daniel/2/43) says they mingle with the seed of men and do not cleave, as iron is not mixed with clay. - The Aramaic words on the verse page are [iron](/bible/hebrew/parzel-h6523), [clay](/bible/hebrew/chasaf-h2635), [miry](/bible/hebrew/tin-h2917), [mingle](/bible/hebrew/arav-h6151), [seed](/bible/hebrew/zera-h2234), and [man](/bible/hebrew/enash-h606). - Rashi says they will intermarry with the other nations, they will not cleave wholeheartedly, and their laws will differ. [(8)](#ref-8) - [Daniel 2:44](/bible/daniel/2/44) says that in the days of these kings the God of heaven sets up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. Rashi places that while the kingdom of Rome is still in existence, and he calls the kingdom the kingdom of the Messiah. - [Genesis 6:4](/bible/genesis/6/4) is a different sentence, about giants. Daniel 2:43 does not use that word. ## What Daniel Chapter 2 Verse 43 Says [Daniel 2:43](/bible/daniel/2/43) [(1)](#ref-1): “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” The sentence is inside the interpretation Daniel gives the king. [Daniel 2:36](/bible/daniel/2) says, “This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.” The verse is not a riddle left without the chapter’s own reading. The Chabad English of the same line is: “And what you saw, iron mixed with clay, [connotes] that they will mingle with the seed of men, but they will not cleave one to the other, as iron does not mix with clay.” [(8)](#ref-8) The bracketed word “connotes” is in that English. The King James sentence does not have it. ## What the Bible Says About Mixing Iron With Clay [Daniel 2:40](/bible/daniel/2/40) [(4)](#ref-4) says the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues. [Daniel 2:41](/bible/daniel/2/41) [(2)](#ref-2): “And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.” [Daniel 2:42](/bible/daniel/2/42) [(3)](#ref-3): “And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” The clay is the weak part of that kingdom. The iron is the strength that remains in it. The mixture is why the kingdom is divided. The chapter does not name a modern state, and it does not name a year. Daniel 2 is Aramaic. The word page for [parzel](/bible/hebrew/parzel-h6523) is the iron of this verse. The Hebrew word [barzel](/bible/hebrew/barzel-h1270) is a different Strong’s number, used in Hebrew passages. [What Is Strong’s Concordance?](/christianity/what-is-strongs-concordance) is why two index numbers can both be glossed “iron.” ## What Rashi Says On “they will mingle with the seed of men,” Rashi says: “They will intermarry with the other nations but they will not be at peace and truly cleave to them wholeheartedly, and their laws will differ from the laws of the other nations.” [(8)](#ref-8) On “as iron does not mix with clay,” he says: “Is it not just as iron does not stick well to clay?” That is a reading of nations and laws. It is not a reading of angels, giants, or a hidden race. [Genesis 6:4](/bible/genesis/6/4) [(7)](#ref-7) says, “There were giants in the earth in those days,” when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men. Daniel 2:43 does not quote that verse, and Rashi’s note on Daniel 2:43 does not cite it. ## What Daniel 2:44 Says [Daniel 2:44](/bible/daniel/2/44) [(5)](#ref-5): “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” [Daniel 2:45](/bible/daniel/2/45) [(6)](#ref-6) says the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and it broke the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter, and the dream is certain. Rashi on “in the days of these kings” says: “in the days of these kings, when the kingdom of Rome is still in existence.” On the kingdom the God of heaven sets up, he says: “The kingdom of the Holy One, blessed be He, which will never be destroyed, is the kingdom of the Messiah.” [(8)](#ref-8) The chapter’s own words are a divided kingdom, then a kingdom God sets up that is not left to another people. Rashi names Rome and the Messiah. [What Does Messiah Mean?](/christianity/what-does-messiah-mean) is that office in the prophets and in the New Testament. The New Testament says Jesus is the Christ, and [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1) says the Word was God. [What Is the Deity of Christ?](/christianity/deity-of-christ) is that claim. Daniel 2:43 itself does not print the name Jesus. [Who Is the Antichrist?](/christianity/who-is-the-antichrist) quotes churches that also speak of Rome. Those texts are not this verse. [What Is Bible Prophecy?](/christianity/what-is-bible-prophecy) says Daniel’s lines do not name the years 2026 or 2033. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What Is Daniel 2:43 Talking About? It is talking about the feet of the statue in the king’s dream. The interpretation in the same chapter says the kingdom is divided, partly strong and partly broken, because iron and clay do not hold together. Verse 43 adds that they mingle with the seed of men and do not cleave. ### Does Daniel 2:43 Speak of the Nephilim? The verse says “the seed of men.” Rashi says intermarriage with other nations, peace that does not hold, and laws that differ. Neither sentence says Nephilim, and neither sentence quotes Genesis 6:4. ### What Does Daniel 2:44 Mean? It says that in the days of these kings the God of heaven sets up a kingdom that is never destroyed and is not left to other people. Rashi reads those kings as the time when Rome still exists, and he calls that kingdom the kingdom of the Messiah. ## Keep Reading - [Daniel 2](/bible/daniel/2) - [Daniel 2:43](/bible/daniel/2/43) - [What Is Bible Prophecy?](/christianity/what-is-bible-prophecy) - [What Does Messiah Mean?](/christianity/what-does-messiah-mean) - [What Is Strong’s Concordance?](/christianity/what-is-strongs-concordance) - [פַּרְזֶל (H6523)](/bible/hebrew/parzel-h6523) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Daniel 2:41–42 King James Version. > [2:41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [2:42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. ### Genesis 6:4 King James Version. > There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. ### Daniel 2:40 King James Version. > And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. ### Daniel 2:45 King James Version. > Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. ### John 1:1 King James Version. > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Book of Daniel, 2:43](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/daniel/2/43). King James Version 2. [Book of Daniel, 2:41](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/daniel/2/41). King James Version 3. [Book of Daniel, 2:42](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/daniel/2/42). King James Version 4. [Book of Daniel, 2:40](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/daniel/2/40). King James Version 5. [Book of Daniel, 2:44](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/daniel/2/44). King James Version 6. [Book of Daniel, 2:45](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/daniel/2/45). King James Version 7. [Book of Genesis, 6:4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/genesis/6/4). King James Version 8. [Rashi on Daniel, 2:43](https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16485/jewish/Chapter-2.htm) (English on chabad.org for Daniel 2, including Rashi on verses 43 and 44. The page does not name the translator.) ## See Also - [Messianic Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/messianic-prophecies-jesus-fulfilled) — The New Testament applies Old Testament lines to Jesus. Edersheim counts 456 passages that ancient rabbis read as messianic. Isaiah 7:14 is not in that rabbinic list. - [What Is Bible Prophecy?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-is-bible-prophecy) — Bible prophecy is God speaking beforehand. Deuteronomy 18:22 says a word that does not come to pass is not from the LORD. Ezekiel, Daniel, Micah, and the Gospels are the texts this page opens. - [What Is the Mark of the Beast?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-is-the-mark-of-the-beast) — Revelation 13 says the mark is on the right hand or the forehead, tied to the beast’s name and the number 666. The Catechism, an Orthodox clergy answer, Westminster, and Dallas Theological Seminary do not describe a chip. - [Who Is the Antichrist?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/who-is-the-antichrist) — First John says many antichrists have come and that the antichrist shall come. The Catechism, Cyril, Westminster, and Dallas Theological Seminary do not name the same figure. This page quotes them and does not decide. - [Is Muhammad the Paraclete or Ahmad?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/is-muhammad-the-paraclete) — Some Muslims hear Muhammad in Jesus' promise of the Comforter, and in the name Ahmad in Qur'an 61:6. John 14–16 says who that person is.