Daniel8

In the third year of King Belshazzar, Daniel receives a vision of a ram with two horns, representing Media and Persia, which is swiftly conquered by a he-goat with a notable horn, symbolizing Grecia. The he-goat's great horn is broken, and four horns arise, from one of which a 'little horn' emerges, growing exceedingly great and persecuting the sanctuary. The angel Gabriel explains the vision, revealing that the desolation of the sanctuary will last for 2,300 days before its cleansing.

The Vision at Shushan

1
In 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. ​
2
I 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. ​

The Ram and the Goat

3
Then 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. ​
4
I 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. ​
5
As 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. ​
6
He came to the ram that had the two horns, which I saw standing before the river, and ran on him in the fury of his power.
7
I 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.
8
The 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. ​

The Rise of the Little Horn

9
Out of one of them came out a little horn, which grew exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious land. ​
10
It 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. ​
11
Yes, 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. ​
12
The army was given over to it together with the continual burnt offering through disobedience; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered. ​
13
Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who spoke, How long shall 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?
14
He said to me, To two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. ​

Gabriel Interprets the Vision

15
When I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
16
I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. ​
17
So 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. ​
18
Now 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.
19
He said, Behold, I will make you know what shall be in the latter time of the indignation; for it belongs to the appointed time of the end.

Interpretation: Media-Persia, Greece, and the Little Horn

20
The ram which you saw, that had the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia. ​
21
The rough male goat is the king of Greece: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. ​
22
As for that which was broken, in the place where four stood up, four kingdoms shall 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, shall stand up. ​
24
His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper in what he does; and he shall destroy the mighty ones and the holy people. ​
25
Through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and he shall destroy many in their security. He shall also stand up against the prince of princes; but he shall 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. ​

Daniel's Reaction and Conclusion

27
I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick certain days; then I rose up, and did the king’s business: and I wondered at the vision, but no one understood it. ​

Study Notes for Daniel 8

Verse 1

This vision occurs two years after the vision in chapter 7 (c. 550 B.C.), but while Belshazzar is still king. Chapters 7 and 8 are highly symbolic and focus on the succession of Gentile world powers.

Verse 2

Daniel is placed in Susa (Shushan), which was a major city in the Persian Empire, east of Babylon. This setting anticipates the rise of the next world power, Medo-Persia.

Verse 3

The ram with two horns is explicitly identified later as the combined monarchy of Media and Persia (v. 20). The higher horn coming up last signifies Persia’s eventual dominance over Media.

Verse 4

The ram's pushing westward, northward, and southward symbolizes the historical expansion of the Medo-Persian Empire, conquering territories across Asia Minor, the Levant, and Egypt.

Verse 5

The he-goat represents the kingdom of Grecia, and the notable horn is Alexander the Great (v. 21). The phrase 'touched not the ground' emphasizes the incredible speed of Alexander’s conquest (334–331 B.C.).

Verse 8

Alexander died suddenly in 323 B.C. The breaking of the great horn refers to his death, and the four horns that replace it symbolize the division of his empire among his four leading generals (the Diadochi).

Verse 9

This little horn arises from one of the four Greek successor kingdoms (specifically the Seleucid kingdom). Historically, this figure is identified as Antiochus IV Epiphanes (reigned 175–164 B.C.), a fierce persecutor of the Jews.

Verse 10

The 'host of heaven' and 'stars' are symbolic terms referring to the people of God, particularly the leaders, priests, and faithful within Jerusalem, whom Antiochus violently oppressed and deposed.

Verse 11

The little horn magnified himself against the 'prince of the host' (likely God Himself or the High Priest). This refers to Antiochus’s halting of the daily sacrifice (*tamid*) and the subsequent desecration of the Temple.

Verse 12

The little horn's success was permitted 'by reason of transgression,' suggesting that Israel's own apostasy and unfaithfulness allowed the persecutor to temporarily prevail over the sanctuary and the truth.

Verse 14

The 'two thousand and three hundred days' (literally 'evenings and mornings') refers to the 1,150 days (3.15 years) that the daily sacrifices were suppressed and the Temple was defiled by Antiochus IV, until it was rededicated by the Maccabees in 164 B.C.

Verse 16

Gabriel is an archangel, whose name means 'God is my strength.' This is the first time in Scripture that an angel is identified by name, emphasizing the authority and importance of the interpretation.

Verse 17

Gabriel stresses that the vision relates to the 'time of the end.' In this context, it refers to the final period of God’s 'indignation' upon Israel, culminating in the persecution by the little horn.

Verse 20

This verse begins the explicit, non-symbolic interpretation, confirming the ram represents the Medo-Persian Empire, consistent with the earlier visions in Chapter 7.

Verse 21

The identification of the he-goat as Greece and the great horn as Alexander the Great provides a clear historical anchor for understanding the prophetic timeline.

Verse 23

Gabriel describes the little horn as a king of 'fierce countenance,' characterized by cruelty, and 'understanding dark sentences,' meaning he is skilled in cunning, intrigue, and deceit.

Verse 24

The statement that his power is 'not by his own power' suggests a supernatural or divinely permitted source for his destructive abilities, particularly against 'the holy people' (Israel).

Verse 25

The little horn will act against the 'Prince of princes,' an elevated title referring to God or the Messiah. His end, being 'broken without hand,' signifies that his destruction will come through divine, not human, intervention.

Verse 26

Daniel is commanded to seal the vision because the fulfillment of these events (the persecution under Antiochus) was still centuries away from Daniel’s lifetime.

Verse 27

Daniel's physical faintness and sickness demonstrate the profound psychological and spiritual burden of receiving such intense prophetic revelation concerning the future suffering of his people.

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