Daniel 8
8
1In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign I, Daniel, saw another vision after the one I had seen previously. 2In my vision I looked around and saw I was in the castle at Susa in the province of Elam. In the vision I was beside the River Ulai. 3I looked around and saw a ram standing beside the river. It had two long horns, one longer than the other, even though the longer one had grown last. 4I watched the ram charging west, north, and south. No animal could stand up to it—nor was there any chance of rescue from its power. It did whatever it wanted#8:4. Compare 11:3, 11:16, 11:36. and grew powerful.
5As I was thinking about what I'd seen, a male goat came in from the west, racing in across the surface of the earth so fast it didn't touch the ground. It had a large, prominent horn between its eyes. 6It approached the ram with the two horns which I had seen standing beside the river, rushing in to attack in a furious rage. 7I watched as the goat charged furiously at the ram, hitting it and breaking off its two horns. The ram did not have the strength to resist the goat's attack. The goat threw the ram to the ground, trampling on it, and there was no possibility of rescuing it from the goat's power.
8The goat grew very powerful, but at the height of its power its large horn was broken off. In its place four large horns came up, pointing to the four winds of heaven.#8:8. “Four winds of heaven”: north, south, east, and west. 9A little horn came up from one of them, and grew extremely powerful to the south and to the east and to the Beautiful Land.#8:9. “The beautiful land”: a reference to the land of Israel. 10It grew in power until it reached the heavenly army, throwing some of them and some of the stars down to the earth and trampled on them. 11It even tried to make itself as great as the Prince of the heavenly army—it removed the continual service,#8:11. “Continual service”: the word here refers to the continuing sanctuary services that were carried out on a daily basis. (The word used here simply says “daily.”) Some translations restrict this to “daily sacrifice” but the daily ministry in the sanctuary involved much more than this. The same term is used in verses 12 and 13, and 11:31. The continual service was initiated in Exodus 29:38. It was expected to be continual (Leviticus 6:13, Numbers 28:1-15). and the place of his sanctuary was destroyed. 12An army of people#8:12. The army referenced here is clearly different from the heavenly army mentioned in verse 10. The word for “army” or “host” can simply mean a large group. and the continual service were handed over to it because of rebellion,#8:12. The Hebrew of the first part of this verse is unclear. and it overthrew truth, and it was successful in everything it did.
13Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one asked the one who was speaking, “How long is this vision for—the removal of the continual service, the rebellion that causes devastation, the handing over of the sanctuary and the army of people to be trampled down?” 14He replied, “For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings, then the sanctuary will be cleansed.”#8:14. “Cleansed”: some have suggested “justified” or “restored,” however the Septuagint and the Vulgate both read “cleansed.”
15As I, Daniel, tried to work out what this vision meant suddenly I saw someone who looked like a man standing in front of me. 16I also heard a human voice calling from the River Ulai, “Gabriel, explain to this man the meaning of the vision.” 17As he approached me, I was terrified and fell facedown before him. “Son of man,” he told me, “You need to understand that this vision refers to the time of the end.”
18As he spoke to me I lost consciousness as I laid facedown on the ground. But he took hold of me and helped me to my feet. 19He told me, “Pay attention! I'm going to explain to you what's going to happen during the time of anger, which refers to the appointed time of the end. 20The ram with two horns that you saw symbolizes the kings of Media and Persia. 21The male goat is the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is its first king. 22The four horns that came up in place of the large horn that was broken represent the four kingdoms that arose from that nation, but not as powerful as the first.
23When those kingdoms come to an end, when their sins have reached their fullest extent, a ferocious and treacherous kingdom#8:23. “Kingdom” literally, “king,” but here expressive of more than a single person. will rise to power. 24It will become very powerful but not by its own power. It will be terribly destructive, and will succeed in everything it does. It will destroy great leaders and God's dedicated people. 25Through its deviousness, its lies will be convincing and successful. It shows its arrogance both in thought and action, destroying those who thought they were perfectly safe. It even fights in opposition against the Prince of princes, but it will be defeated, though not by any human power.
26The vision about the evenings and mornings that has been explained to you is true, but for now seal up this vision because it refers to the distant future.”
27After this, I, Daniel, became exhausted, and I was sick for days. Then I got up and went back to working for the king, but I was devastated at what I'd seen in vision and I couldn't understand it.
Currently Selected:
Daniel 8: FBV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Daniel 8
8
Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat
1In the third year of the reign of #See ch. 5:1 King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, #[ch. 7:1]after that which appeared to me #[ch. 7:1]at the first. 2And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in #See Neh. 1:1 Susa the citadel, which is in the province of #See Isa. 11:11 Elam. And #See Ezek. 1:1 I saw in the vision, #See Ezek. 1:1 and I was at the #ver. 16Ulai canal. 3I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, #[ver. 20]a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4I saw #[Deut. 33:17; Ezek. 34:21] the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No #[ch. 7:17] beast #[ver. 7] could stand before him, #[ch. 3:15] and there was no one who could rescue from his power. #[ch. 11:3, 16, 36] He did as he pleased and #ver. 8became great.
5As I was considering, behold, a #[ver. 21]male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had #[ver. 21]a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6He came to #[ver. 20] the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, #[Job 15:26]and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7I saw him come close to the ram, #ch. 11:11 and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. #[ver. 4] And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he #[Ps. 7:5]cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8Then #[See ver. 5 above] the goat #ver. 4 became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four #[ver. 5]; See ch. 7:2, 3conspicuous horns toward #[ver. 5]; See ch. 7:2, 3the four winds of heaven.
9Out of one of them came #ch. 7:8 a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward #[ch. 11:25] the south, toward the east, and toward #ch. 11:16, 41; [Ps. 48:2; Ezek. 20:6, 15]the glorious land. 10#[ch. 11:28] It grew great, #Isa. 14:13 even to the host of heaven. And some of the host #Isa. 14:13 and some#8:10 Or host, that is, some of #[Rev. 12:4] the stars it threw down to the ground and #ver. 7trampled on them. 11#ver. 25; See ch. 11:36 It became great, even as great as #Josh. 5:14 the Prince of the host. #ch. 11:31; 12:11And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,#8:12 Or in an act of rebellion and it will throw truth to the ground, and #ver. 24; ch. 11:28, 30it will act and prosper. 13Then I heard #See ch. 4:13 a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, #ch. 12:6; [Rev. 6:10]; See ch. 9:21-27 “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, #See ch. 11:31the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14And he said to me,#8:14 Hebrew; Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate to him “For 2,300 #[ver. 26]evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”
The Interpretation of the Vision
15When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I #[1 Pet. 1:10, 11] sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having #ch. 7:13; 10:16, 18; Ezek. 1:26; Rev. 1:13the appearance of a man. 16#See ch. 12:5-7 And I heard a man’s voice #See ch. 12:5-7 between the banks of the #ver. 2 Ulai, and it called, #ch. 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17So he came near where I stood. And when he came, #[Luke 1:12] I was frightened #Ezek. 1:28 and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, #See Ezek. 2:1 O son of man, that the vision is for #[ver. 19; ch. 11:27, 35, 40; 12:4, 9]the time of the end.”
18And when he had spoken to me, #ch. 10:9; [Luke 9:32] I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But #ch. 9:21; 10:10, 18he touched me and made me stand up. 19He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of #ch. 11:36 the indignation, for it refers to #[Ps. 102:13]; See ver. 17the appointed time of the end. 20As for #[ver. 3] the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of #[ch. 6:8]Media and Persia. 21And #[ver. 5] the goat#8:21 Or the shaggy goat is the king of Greece. And #[ver. 5] the great horn between his eyes is #ch. 10:20; 11:3the first king. 22#ver. 8 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his#8:22 Theodotion, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew a nation, #ver. 24but not with his power. 23And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24His power shall be great—#Rev. 17:17 but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction #ver. 12; ch. 11:28, 30 and shall succeed in what he does, #[ch. 7:21]and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25#[ch. 11:23] By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind #ver. 11 he shall become great. #[ch. 11:21, 24] Without warning he shall destroy many. And he #ver. 11 shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but #See ch. 2:34by no human hand. 26The vision of #[ver. 14] the evenings and the mornings that has been told #[ch. 10:1] is true, but #[ch. 12:4, 9] seal up the vision, #ch. 10:14for it refers to many days from now.”
27And #[ch. 7:28] I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision #[ver. 16]and did not understand it.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Sign up to receive news and updates about the ESV: