7:5 another beast . . . like a bear. The Medo-Persian kingdom is symbolized as a “beast” with a voracious appetite. The raised side may represent the superior status of Persia, and the “three ribs” likely represent Persia’s conquests over Lydia, (546 b.c.), Babylon (539 b.c.), and Egypt (525 b.c.). See note 8:3.