Daniel 8

The Vision of a Ram and a Goat

1In the third year of King Belshazzar’s # 8:1 Dn 5:1 reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me earlier. # 8:1 Dn 7:1 2I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the fortress city of Susa, # 8:2 Ezr 4:9; Neh 1:1; Est 1:2; 2:8 in the province of Elam. # 8:2 Gn 10:22; 14:1; Is 11:11; Jr 25:25; Ezk 33:24 I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3I looked up, # 8:3 Lit I lifted my eyes and looked and there was a ram # 8:3 Dn 8:20 standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one came up last. 4I saw the ram charging to the west, the north, and the south. # 8:4 Dt 33:17; 1Kg 22:11; Ezk 34:21 No animal could stand against him, and there was no rescue from his power. He did whatever he wanted # 8:4 Dn 11:3 and became great.

5As I was observing, a male goat appeared, coming from the west across the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn # 8:5 Lit a horn of a vision between his eyes. # 8:5 Dn 8:21 6He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with savage fury. 7I saw him approaching the ram and, infuriated with him, he struck the ram, breaking his two horns, and the ram was not strong enough to stand against him. The goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and there was no one to rescue the ram from his power. 8Then the male goat acted even more arrogantly, # 8:8 2Ch 26:16; Dn 5:20 but when he became powerful, the large horn was broken. # 8:8 Dn 8:22 Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven. # 8:8 Dn 7:2; Rv 7:1

The Little Horn

9From one of them a little horn # 8:9 Dn 7:8; 8:23 emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. # 8:9 = Israel,# 8:9 Ps 48:2; Dn 11:16,41 10It grew as high as the heavenly army, made some of the army and some of the stars # 8:10 Or some of the army, that is, some of the stars fall to the earth, # 8:10 Is 14:13; Jr 48:26; Rv 12:4 and trampled them. # 8:10 Dn 7:7 11It acted arrogantly # 8:11 2Kg 19:22–23; 2Ch 32:15–17; Is 37:23; Dn 11:36–37 even against the Prince of the heavenly army; # 8:11 Jos 5:13–15 it revoked his regular sacrifice # 8:11 Ezk 46:14; Dn 11:31; 12:11 and overthrew the place of his sanctuary. 12In the rebellion, the army was given up, together with the regular sacrifice. The horn threw truth to the ground and was successful # 8:12 Is 59:14; Dn 11:36 in what it did.

13Then I heard a holy one speaking, # 8:13 Dn 4:13,23; 1Pt 1:12 and another holy one said to the speaker, “How long will the events of this vision last # 8:13 Ps 74:10; 79:5; Is 6:11; Dn 12:6,8; Rv 6:10 — the regular sacrifice, the rebellion that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and of the army to be trampled? ” # 8:13 Is 63:18; Jr 12:10; Lk 21:24; Heb 10:29; Rv 11:2

14He said to me, # 8:14 LXX, Theod, Syr, Vg read him “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be restored.”

Interpretation of the Vision

15While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man. # 8:15 Dn 7:13; 10:16,18 16I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: “Gabriel, # 8:16 Dn 9:21; Lk 1:19,26 explain the vision to this man.”

17So he approached where I was standing; when he came near, I was terrified and fell facedown. # 8:17 Ezk 1:28; 44:4; Dn 2:46; Rv 1:17 “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision refers to the time of the end.” # 8:17 Dn 11:35,40 18While he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep, # 8:18 Dn 10:9; Lk 9:32 with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, made me stand up, # 8:18 Ezk 2:2; Dn 10:10,16,18 19and said, “I am here to tell you what will happen at the conclusion of the time of wrath, because it refers to the appointed time of the end. # 8:19 Mt 13:7 20The two-horned ram # 8:20 Dn 8:3 that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king. # 8:21 = Alexander the Great 22The four horns that took the place of the broken horn represent four kingdoms. They will rise from that nation, but without its power.

23Near the end of their kingdoms,

when the rebels have reached

the full measure of their sin, # 8:23 Lit have become complete,# 8:23 Gn 15:16

a ruthless # 8:23 Lit strong of face king, skilled in intrigue, # 8:23 Lit king, and understanding riddles

will come to the throne.

24His power will be great,

but it will not be his own.

He will cause outrageous destruction # 8:24 Dn 11:36; 12:7

and succeed in whatever he does.

He will destroy the powerful

along with the holy people. # 8:24 Dn 7:27

25He will cause deceit to prosper

through his cunning and by his influence,

and in his own mind he will exalt himself.

He will destroy many in a time of peace;

he will even stand against the Prince of princes.

Yet he will be broken — not by human hands. # 8:25 Jb 34:20; Dn 2:34,45

26The vision of the evenings and the mornings

that has been told is true.

Now you are to seal up the vision # 8:26 Ezk 12:27; Dn 12:4,9; Rv 10:4; 22:10

because it refers to many days in the future.”

27I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for days. # 8:27 Dn 7:28; 8:17; Hab 3:16 Then I got up and went about the king’s business. # 8:27 Dn 2:48 I was greatly disturbed by the vision and could not understand it.

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Daniel 8

1In the shnat shalosh (third year) of the reign of Belshatzar HaMelech, a chazon (vision) appeared unto me, Daniel, after that which appeared unto me in the beginning. 2And I beheld in a chazon; and it came to pass, while I was seeing, that I was in Shushan (Susa) the fortress, which is in the province of Eilam; and I saw in a chazon, and I was by the stream Ulai. 3Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, hinei, there stood before the stream a ram which had two karnayim (horns), and the two karnayim were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher was coming up last. 4I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no chayyot (beasts) might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and made a great display of strength.

5And as I was considering, hinei, a he-goat was coming from the west on the face of kol ha'aretz, and it was not touching the earth; and as to the goat it had a conspicuous keren (horn) between its eyes. 6And he came to the ram that had two karnayim, which I had seen standing before the stream, and he ran against him with the wrath of his koach (strength). 7And I saw him approaching the ram, and he was enraged against him, and he smote the ram, broke his two karnayim, and there was no koach in the ram to stand before him, and he cast him down to the ground, and trampled him; there was none to deliver the ram from him. 8Therefore the he-goat was acting very presumptuously; and when he was powerful, the keren hagedolah (great horn),#8:8 i.e., Alexanderʼs Empire was broken; and in the place of it came up conspicuously four, toward the arbah ruchot HaShomayim (the four winds of Heaven).

9And out of one of them came forth a little horn,#8:9 Antiochus Epiphanes which became exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the [eretz] hatzevi (the glorious [land]).#8:9 i.e., Eretz Israel 10And it became great, even unto the tzva HaShomayim; and it caused to fall down to the earth some of the host and some of the kokhavim it trampled. 11Yea, he magnified himself even unto the Sar HaTzava, and the daily sacrifice was taken away from Him, and the place of His Mikdash was cast down. 12And a tzva (army) was given over to oppose the daily sacrifice on account of peysha (transgression, rebellion), and it cast down emes to the ground; and it acted, and prospered. 13Then I heard one kadosh (angel) speaking, and another kadosh said unto that certain kadosh which spoke, How long shall be the chazon concerning the daily sacrifice, and the desolating peysha (transgression), to give both the Kodesh (Sanctuary) and the tzva (host) to be trodden under foot? 14And he said unto me, Unto erev-boker two thousand and three hundred; then shall the Kodesh (Sanctuary) be vindicated.

15And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, was beholding the chazon, that I sought the meaning; then, hinei, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 16And I heard a kol adam (manʼs voice) amidst the Ulai, and he called, and said, Gavriel, cause this one to understand the vision.#8:16 See Dan 9:21 17So he came near where I stood; and as he came, I was filled with fear, and I fell down upon my face, but he said unto me, Understand, O ben adam, the chazon (vision) points to the time of the ketz (end).

18Now while he was speaking with me, I swooned upon my face toward the ground, but he touched me, and made me stand upright. 19And he said, Hineni, I will cause thee to know that which shall take place in the latter part of HaZa'am (the Wrath period), since at a mo'ed (an appointed time) the Ketz (End) shall be. 20The ram which thou sawest having two karnayim are the melachim of Media and Paras (Persia). 21And the shaggy he-goat is melech Yavan (the king of Greece), and the keren hagedolah (great horn) that is between his eyes is the melech harishon (the first king).#8:21 i.e., Alexander 22Now one being broken and four stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in its koach (strength). 23And in the latter time of their kingdom, when haposhe'im (the transgressors, the ones rebelling) are come to the full, a melech of unyielding countenance, and mastering intrigues, shall stand up. 24And his koach shall be mighty, but not by his own koach; and he shall cause astounding destruction, and shall prosper, and accomplish, and shall destroy the mighty and Am Kedoshim (the Holy People). 25And by his cunning also he shall cause mirmah (deceit) to prosper through his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his lev, and by peace shall destroy rabbim (many); he shall also stand up against the Sar Sarim (Prince of Princes); but he shall be broken without [human] hand. 26And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is emes; and thou! Shut up the chazon; for it shall be for many yamim.#8:26 i.e., distant times

27And I Daniel was faint, and lay ill several yamim; afterward I rose up, and did the kingʼs business; and I was astonished at the vision, but without understanding it.

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