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Daniel 8:15-27
New American Standard Bible
Daniel 8:15-27
New American Standard Bible
Interpretation of the Vision
15 When (A)I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought [a]to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one [b]who looked like a (B)man. 16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “(C)Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.” 17 So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and (D)fell on my face; and he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the (E)time of the end.”
18 Now while he was talking with me, I was (F)dazed with my face to the ground; but he (G)touched me and made me stand at my place. 19 And he said, “Behold, I am going to (H)inform you of what will occur at the final period of the indignation, because it pertains to the appointed time of the end.
The Ram’s Identity
20 The (I)ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.
The Goat
21 The shaggy [c]goat represents the [d]kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 The (J)broken horn and the four horns that came up in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.
23 And in the latter period of their [e]dominion,
When the wrongdoers have [f]run their course,
A king will arise,
[g]Insolent and skilled in [h]intrigue.
24 And his power will be mighty, but not by his own power,
And he will [i](K)destroy to an extraordinary degree
And be successful and do as he pleases;
He will [j]destroy mighty men and [k]the holy people.
25 And through his shrewdness
He will make deceit a success by his [l]influence;
And he will make himself great in his [m]own mind,
And he will [n]destroy many while they are [o]at ease.
He will even [p](L)oppose the Prince of princes,
But he will be broken (M)without [q]human agency.
26 And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which has been told is (N)true;
But as for you, (O)keep the vision secret,
Because it pertains to many (P)days in the future.”
27 Then I, Daniel, was [r](Q)exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and (R)carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was no one to explain it.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Daniel 8:15 Lit understanding
- Daniel 8:15 Lit like the appearance of a man
- Daniel 8:21 Lit buck
- Daniel 8:21 Lit king
- Daniel 8:23 Or kingdom
- Daniel 8:23 Lit finished
- Daniel 8:23 Lit Strong of face
- Daniel 8:23 Or ambiguous speech
- Daniel 8:24 Or ruin extraordinary things
- Daniel 8:24 Or ruin
- Daniel 8:24 Lit people of the saints
- Daniel 8:25 Lit hand
- Daniel 8:25 Lit heart
- Daniel 8:25 Or ruin
- Daniel 8:25 Or secure
- Daniel 8:25 Lit stand against
- Daniel 8:25 Lit hand
- Daniel 8:27 Or done in
Daniel 8:15-27
Lexham English Bible
Daniel 8:15-27
Lexham English Bible
Gabriel Gives Angelic Help and Interprets the Vision
15 And then[a] when I, Daniel, saw the vision, and I was seeking understanding, there was one standing before me with the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard the voice of a human at the Ulai, and he called and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 And he came beside where I was standing,[b] and when he came[c] I became terrified and I fell prostrate on my face. And he said to me, “Understand, son of man,[d] that the vision is for the time of the end.”
18 And when he spoke[e] with me I fell into a trance with my face to the ground, and he touched me and made me stand on by feet. 19 And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what will happen in the period of wrath,[f] for it refers to the appointed time of the end.
20 “The ram that you saw who had two horns[g] represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 “And the hairy he-goat is the kingdom[h] of Greece, and the great horn that is between his eyes—he is the first king. 22 And the horn that was broken, and then there arose four horns in place of it—these are four kingdoms that will arise from his nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the end of their kingdom, when the transgressions are completed, a king will arise, fierce in countenance and skilled in riddles. 24 And his power will grow, but not by his own power, and he will cause fearful destruction, and he will succeed and he will act,[i] and he will destroy the mighty and the people of the holy ones.[j] 25 And by his planning[k] he will make a success of deceit by[l] his hand, and in his mind[m] he will boast,[n] and in their ease he will destroy many, and even against the prince of princes he will rise up, and he will be broken, but not by human hands. 26 And the vision of the evening and the morning that has been described,[o] it is true; and you, seal up the vision, for it refers to many days to come.”[p]
27 And I, Daniel, was overcome, and I became ill for some days, and I performed[q] the business of the king, and I was dismayed over the vision and I did not understand it.[r]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Daniel 8:15 Literally “And it happened”
- Daniel 8:17 Literally “my standing”
- Daniel 8:17 Literally “at his coming”
- Daniel 8:17 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Daniel 8:18 Literally “at his speaking”
- Daniel 8:19 Or “the wrath”
- Daniel 8:20 Literally “the owner of the two horns”
- Daniel 8:21 Literally “king”
- Daniel 8:24 Literally “he will do”
- Daniel 8:24 Or “saints”
- Daniel 8:25 Or “cunning”
- Daniel 8:25 Hebrew “in”
- Daniel 8:25 Literally “heart”
- Daniel 8:25 Literally “magnify himself”
- Daniel 8:26 Literally “told”
- Daniel 8:26 Literally “for to days many”
- Daniel 8:27 Literally “did”
- Daniel 8:27 Literally “there was not understanding”
Daniel 8:15-27
New International Version
Daniel 8:15-27
New International Version
The Interpretation of the Vision
15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision(A) and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man.(B) 16 And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai(C) calling, “Gabriel,(D) tell this man the meaning of the vision.”(E)
17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate.(F) “Son of man,”[a] he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”(G)
18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.(H) Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.(I)
19 He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath,(J) because the vision concerns the appointed time(K) of the end.[b](L) 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.(M) 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece,(N) and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.(O) 22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.
23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people.(P) 25 He will cause deceit(Q) to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes.(R) Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.(S)
26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true,(T) but seal(U) up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”(V)
27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted(W) for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business.(X) I was appalled(Y) by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
Footnotes
- Daniel 8:17 The Hebrew phrase ben adam means human being. The phrase son of man is retained as a form of address here because of its possible association with “Son of Man” in the New Testament.
- Daniel 8:19 Or because the end will be at the appointed time
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.