‘And behold another wild beast, a second, like to a bear, and it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in his mouth between his teeth, and they said thus to it. “Arise and devour much flesh.”
The second wild beast was ‘like a bear'. This reminds us that this was a dream. What he saw reminded him of a bear. Next to the fierceness of the lion is the fierceness of the bear. The two are often paralleled (Proverbs 28:15; Lamentations 3:10; Hosea 13:8; Amos 5:19). Thus this second empire is only slightly inferior to the first. Compare the body and arms of silver of chapter 2. It is more ungainly, but still to be feared.
‘And it was raised up on one side (shetar).' The noun is difficult. It possibly comes from a root ‘to write' which develops into ‘officer, overseer, magistrate', and thus ‘rulership'. It occurs in the form found here only this once. Thus we might translate ‘it raised up one rulership'. In view of the clear lack of total unity emphasised in chapter 2 it may suggest combined nations with one ruler overall (combined because one wild beast), which fits well with the Medo-Persian empire. Alternately it might suggest having one side higher than the other, signifying an empire with a greater and lesser part. We can compare Daniel 8:3 where one horn was higher than the other, coming up last. All emphasise the duality yet oneness of the empire. The great lumbering bear was actually a marvellous picture of the coming huge armies of Medo-Persia.
The ‘three' ribs between its teeth, which it is in process of devouring, probably indicates completeness of conquest (it will ‘devour much flesh'), although some have seen them as representing Lydia, Babylon and Egypt. Note the steady growth as we go through the empires, two feet (Daniel 7:4), three ribs here, four wings and four heads (Daniel 7:6), ten horns (twice five - Daniel 7:7). All is of a pattern.
‘And they said thus to it. “Arise and devour much flesh.” The previous beast arose on its feet and became humane. This one arises to its feet, but to eat much flesh. It is fiercer and more brutish, a downward step. Deterioration in empires is a feature of the empires in chapter 2, and here it includes increase in wildness. The next beast will not even stand up. It will remain on four legs. The nations are becoming more beastly.
The command to ‘arise' also suggests that God is now commanding it to arise to carry out its foreordained task to capture Babylon (Belsahazzar is at present on the throne) and the world around it. The ‘they' may well be the watchers (Daniel 4:13-14; Daniel 4:17).