The Aramaic chezev is the equivalent of Hebrew chazown and appears exclusively in the Aramaic sections of Daniel (chapters 2-7). Daniel describes Nebuchadnezzar's dream and his own visions using this word: 'The visions (chezev) of my head troubled me' (Daniel 7:15). These are not ordinary dreams but divine revelations of world history and the coming kingdom.
The chezev visions of Daniel 7 are among the most theologically dense in all Scripture. In these head-visions Daniel sees four beasts β empires rising and falling β and then the Ancient of Days enthroning the Son of Man. Jesus applies this imagery to himself (Mark 14:62). The Aramaic form of the word signals that these were given in the language of the empire (Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the ancient Near East), yet they reveal God's sovereignty over all empires. The nations rage in Daniel's visions β but the Ancient of Days is seated.