Daniel Chapter 8

Annotated Commentary with Links

In Chapter 8, Daniel has the second of his four visions. This vision concerns the conflict between a ram and a goat. In this vision, Daniel is told the identity of the animals: the ram is the Medo-Persian Empire and the goat is the Greek kingdoms of Alexander the Great and his four successors. We also hear more of the little horn, which in this vision grows out of the four horns of the successors of Alexander the Great. Scholars agree the little horn represents Antiochus IV, a descendant of the Seleucid dynasty, but many scholars also argue for a partial fulfillment, where the text describes the Antichrist who will arise after Antiochus IV.

¹In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, even to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first.	If we use 553 BC as the first year of Belshazzar, the third year of his reign would be 551 BC.
²I saw in the vision; now it was so, that when I saw, I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision, and I was by the river Ulai.
³Then I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.	The consensus among scholars is the ram represents the Medo-Persian Empire.
⁴I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; and no animals could stand before him, neither was there any who could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and magnified himself.
⁵As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west over the surface of the whole earth, and didn’t touch the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.	If the ram is the Persian Empire, then the goat is the Greek kingdom of Alexander the Great.
⁶He came to the ram that had two horns, which I saw standing before the river, and ran on him in the fury of his power.
⁷I saw him come close to the ram, and he was moved with anger against him, and struck the ram, and broke his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him; but he cast him down to the ground, and trampled on him; and there was no one who could deliver the ram out of his hand.
⁸The male goat magnified himself exceedingly: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and instead of it there came up four notable horns toward the four winds of the sky.	If Alexander the great is the great horn, then the four notable horns would be the four generals who ultimately divided up Alexander’s empire after his death.
⁹Out of one of them came out a little horn, which grew exceedingly great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious land.	At least initially, the next few verses seem to talk about Antiochus IV, also known of Antiochus Epiphanes, one of the descendants of the four generals who inherited Alexander’s kingdom. He ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 to 164 BC.
¹⁰It grew great, even to the army of the sky; and some of the army and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled on them.
¹¹Yes, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the army; and it took away from him the continual burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.	The place of his sanctuary seems to be a reference to the Temple in Jerusalem. Interestingly, if you take the early date for the writing of Daniel, then there was no temple at the time of this vision.
¹²The army was given over to it together with the continual burnet off through disobedience; and it case down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered.
¹³Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another hold one said to that certain one who spoke, “How long will be the vision about the continual burnt offering, and the disobedience that makes desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the army to be trodden under foot?”
¹⁴He said to me, “To two thousand and three hundred evening and morning. Then the sanctuary will be cleansed.”
¹⁵When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
¹⁶I head a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.”
¹⁷So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was frightened, and fell on my face; but he said to me, “understand, son of man; for the vision belongs to the time of the end.”
¹⁸Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me, and set me upright.
¹⁹He said, “Behold, I will make you know what will be in the latter time of the indignation; for it belongs to the appointed time for the end.
²⁰The ram which you saw, that had two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia.	Here, Gabriel confirms the two horns of the ram are the kings of Media and Persia. That would mean the ram is Medo-Persian kingdom. While we can not be completely certain, this passage does seem to also link the silver of Daniel chapter 2 and the bear of Daniel chapter 7 to the Medo-Persian Empire.
²¹The round male goat is the king of Greece: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.	Following the same logic for the previous verse, this would links the bronze level of the statue from chapter 2 and the leopard of chapter 7. This connection would make the great horn, the first king of the empire, Alexander the Great.
²²As for that which was broken, in the place where four stood up, four kingdoms will stand up out of the nation, but not with his power.
²³“In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have come to the full, a king of fierce face, and understanding dark sentences, will stand up.
²⁴His power will be mighty, but not by his own power; and he will destroy awesomely, and will prosper in what he does. He will destroy the mighty ones and the holy people.
²⁵Through his policy he will cause craft to prosper in his hand. He will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many in their security. He will also stand up against the prince of princes; but he will be broken without hand.
²⁶“The vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; but seal up the vision, for it belongs to many days to come.”
²⁷I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick certain day; then I rose up, and did the king’s business. I wondered at the vision, but no one understood it.