In Daniel 7:27, modern translations differ over a small but important detail: will the nations “serve and obey him” (the son of man) or “serve and obey them” (the saints)?
Many scholars point out that the Aramaic grammar and the flow of the vision strongly support the sense “obey them” (the saints), not “obey him” (son of man alone), in the final clause. This matters because Daniel 7 as a whole emphasizes that God, the Ancient of Days, gives dominion to the Son of Man and then to the saints, who share in that rule.
Just before the obedience clause, the text shows that the kingdom is given to “the people of the saints of the Most High.” This is a clearly plural group. The natural, straightforward reading is that the following phrase about obedience refers back to that same plural subject. Earlier in the chapter this corporate rule is already promised:
“But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.” (Dan. 7:18)
Daniel 7:27 is the climax of that promise.
The saints receive the kingdom and therefore become the ones to whom the nations render service and obedience. The whole chapter contrasts beastly kingdoms, which devour and oppress, with the final God-given kingdom that is entrusted to the Son of Man and then shared with the saints. Dominion changes hands: from the beasts to the Son of Man, to “the people of the saints of the Most High.” When we finally read that “all dominions shall serve and obey ___,” the obvious question is: to whom has the chapter been building up as the new rulers? The answer is the saints. “Obey them” fits this transition perfectly as a description of corporate rulership under God’s authority.
The Aramaic grammar supports this reading. The verb translated “obey” in Daniel 7:27 is יִשְׁתַּמְּעוּן (yištamməʿûn), a third person plural form (“they will obey”). This naturally points to a plural reference in the context. To read this as “obey him” requires us to take a plural form and funnel it into a singular object, against the grain of the immediate plural subject, unless we appeal to a more unusual grammatical explanation. The simpler, more direct sense is that the nations will obey the saints who now share in kingly authority.
This idea of shared rule does not diminish God’s glory; it reflects His consistent way of working through chosen human agents. In the Hebrew Bible, God often rules through His anointed kings, judges, and especially through David and his descendants. Obedience to the king, when he is faithful, is obedience to God’s appointed representative. Daniel 7 continues this pattern, but now on a larger scale: God establishes the kingdom, gives it to the Son of Man and the saints, and the nations “serve and obey” them as His representatives.
The New Testament echoes Daniel’s vision of shared kingly rule. Revelation 5:10 (OGNT) says of the redeemed:
“You made them a Kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”
Likewise, 2 Timothy 2:12 (OGNT) promises:
“If we endure, we will also reign with him.”
In both passages, the saints are not merely subjects; they are co-regents with the Messiah. Christ is the supreme ruler under God, but the saints participate in his reign. This is exactly what “obey them” in Daniel 7:27 expresses: obedience rendered to God’s people because they are sharing Messiah’s throne.
Translating Daniel 7:27 as “obey him” is theologically possible, since all service and obedience ultimately belong to God Himself. However, it creates several difficulties. It breaks the immediate plural focus on “the people of the saints of the Most High,” weakens the climax of the chapter where the emphatic point is that dominion has changed hands, and underplays the biblical theme of delegated rule, where honoring God’s appointed agents is part of honoring God Himself. Grammatically and contextually, “obey him” is less natural, introducing a sudden singular object where the text has been emphasizing a plural community receiving the kingdom.
Taken together, the plural verb, the immediate context, the structure of Daniel 7, and the wider biblical theme of shared rulership all support the translation “obey them.” This reading matches the plural grammar, aligns with the subject of the sentence, preserves the flow of Daniel’s apocalyptic vision, and harmonizes with the New Testament picture of believers reigning with the Messiah on the earth. Far from detracting from God’s glory, “obey them” celebrates His plan to share His rule with the faithful—those who have endured with Messiah and will reign with him in the coming kingdom “under the whole heaven” (Dan. 7:27).
