קִרְבֵ֗ת עַל־חַד֙ מִן־קָ֣אֲמַיָּ֔א וְיַצִּיבָ֥א אֶבְעֵֽא־מִנֵּ֖הּ עַֽל־כָּל־דְּנָ֑ה וַאֲמַר־לִ֕י וּפְשַׁ֥ר מִלַּיָּ֖א יְהוֹדְעִנַּֽנִי׃
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Ezra ben Solomon
Scripture refers to them as a three-year old [ram] for they were the kings of the east, who conquered the other three directions of the world. As we find in Isaiah [46:11]: “I summoned that swooping bird from the east” and “Who has roused a victor from the east?” [Isa. 41:2]141The verses refer to Cyrus. He conquered the three remaining directions of the world, as it states: “I saw a ram butting westward, northward, and southward” [Dan. 8:4]. And it says: “So says Cyrus, the king of Persia: ‘The Lord, God of heaven, has granted me all of the kingdoms of the world’” [II Chron. 36:23]. The turtledove represents the wicked one, the fourth awful and mighty beast viewed by Daniel. He desired to comprehend its true meaning, as it is written: “I approached one of the attendants and asked him the true meaning of all of this” [Daniel 7:16]. It is said concerning this beast: “it will devour the whole earth, tread it down and crush it.” R. Yohanan said: “It is requisite that Rome’s nature spread throughout the entire world.”142b. Avodah Zarah 2b. “Rome” and “Edom” for the medieval Jews refer to Christendom, which they view as a continuation of the Roman empire.