The Aramaic zeman (H2166) is related to the Hebrew zaman and means an appointed time, set season, or specific moment. It appears predominantly in Daniel, where it carries enormous theological weight. In Daniel 2:21, 'He changes times and seasons (zemanim)' โ declaring God's absolute sovereignty over history. In Daniel 7:25, the Antichrist figure attempts to 'change the set times and the laws' (zemanim) โ a direct assault on divine order.
The zeman passages in Daniel establish a theological axiom: God is the sovereign Lord of time itself. He sets the times and removes kings (Daniel 2:21). History has a telos โ an appointed end โ that no human or demonic power can ultimately derail. The eschatological significance is profound: when Daniel sees the 'time, times and half a time' in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7, he understands that even the period of tribulation has a divinely appointed limit. God's zeman brackets all human history, from creation to new creation.