Daniel 8
Names of God Bible
Daniel’s Vision about the Ram and the Goat
8 In Belshazzar’s third year as king, I, Daniel, saw a vision. This vision came after the one I saw earlier. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the fortress of Susa in the province of Elam. In my vision I saw myself at Ulai Gate. 3 I looked up and saw a single ram standing beside the gate. The ram had two long horns, one longer than the other, though the longer one had grown up later. 4 I saw the ram charging west, north, and south. No other animal could stand in front of it, and no one could escape from its power. It did anything it pleased and continued to grow.
5 As I was watching closely, I saw a male goat coming from the west. It crossed the whole earth without touching it. This goat had a prominent horn between its eyes. 6 The goat was coming toward the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the gate. It furiously ran at the ram. 7 I saw it come closer to the ram. The goat was extremely angry with the ram, so it attacked the ram. It broke both of the ram’s horns. The ram didn’t have the strength to stand up against the goat. So the ram was thrown down on the ground and trampled. No one could rescue the ram from the goat’s power.
8 The male goat became very important. But when the goat became powerful, his large horn broke off. In its place grew four horns. They corresponded to the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of the horns came a small horn. It gained power over the south, the east, and the beautiful land. 10 It continued to gain power until it reached the army of heaven. It threw some of the army of heaven, the stars, down on the ground and trampled them. 11 Then it attacked the commander of the army so that it took the daily burnt offering from him and wrecked his holy place. 12 In its rebelliousness it was given an army to put a stop to the daily burnt offering. It threw truth on the ground. The horn was successful in everything it did.[a]
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking. Another holy one said to the one who was speaking, “How long will the things in this vision—the daily burnt offering, the destructive rebellion, the surrender of the holy place, and the trampling of the army—take place?”
14 He told me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the holy place will be made acceptable to God.”
15 Now as I, Daniel, watched the vision and tried to understand it, I saw someone who looked like a man standing in front of me. 16 I heard a man in Ulai Gate call loudly, “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
17 Gabriel came up beside me, and when he came, I was terrified and immediately knelt down.
He said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision is about the end times.” 18 As he spoke to me, I fainted facedown on the ground, but he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “I will tell you what will happen in the last days, the time of God’s anger, because the end time has been determined.
20 “The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kingdoms of Media and Persia. 21 The hairy male goat is the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is its first king. 22 The horn broke off, and four horns replaced it. Four kingdoms will come out of that nation, but they won’t be as strong as the first king was.
23 “In the last days of those kingdoms, when rebellions are finished, a stern-looking king who understands mysterious things will rise to power. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own strength. He will cause astounding destruction and will be successful in everything he does. He will destroy those who are powerful along with some holy people. 25 He will cleverly use his power to deceive others successfully. He will consider himself to be great and destroy many people when they don’t expect it. He will oppose the Commander of Commanders, but he will be defeated, though not by any human power. 26 The vision about the 2,300 evenings and mornings that was explained to you is true. Seal the vision, because it is about things that will happen in the distant future.”
27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and worked for the king. The vision horrified me because I couldn’t understand it.
Footnotes
- Daniel 8:12 Hebrew meaning of this verse uncertain.
Daniel 8
New English Translation
Daniel Has a Vision of a Goat and a Ram
8 [a] In the third year[b] of King Belshazzar’s reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me previously.[c] 2 In this[d] vision I saw myself in Susa[e] the citadel,[f] which is located in the province of Elam. In the vision I saw myself at the Ulai Canal.[g] 3 I looked up[h] and saw[i] a[j] ram with two horns standing at the canal. Its two horns were both long,[k] but one was longer than the other. The longer one was coming up after the shorter one. 4 I saw that the ram was butting westward, northward, and southward. No animal[l] was able to stand before it, and there was none who could deliver from its power.[m] It did as it pleased and acted arrogantly.[n]
5 While I was contemplating all this,[o] a male goat[p] was coming from the west over the surface of all the land[q] without touching the ground. This goat had a conspicuous horn[r] between its eyes. 6 It came to the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed against it with raging strength.[s] 7 I saw it approaching the ram. It went into a fit of rage against the ram[t] and struck it[u] and broke off its two horns. The ram had no ability to resist it.[v] The goat hurled the ram[w] to the ground and trampled it. No one could deliver the ram from its power.[x] 8 The male goat acted even more arrogantly. But no sooner had the large horn become strong than it was broken, and there arose four conspicuous horns[y] in its place,[z] extending toward the four winds of the sky.[aa]
9 From one of them came a small horn,[ab] but it grew to be very great toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land.[ac] 10 It grew so great it reached the army[ad] of heaven, and it brought about the fall of some of the army and some of the stars[ae] to the ground, where it trampled them. 11 It also acted arrogantly against the Prince of the army,[af] from whom[ag] the daily sacrifice was removed and whose sanctuary[ah] was thrown down. 12 The army was given over,[ai] along with the daily sacrifice, in the course of his sinful rebellion.[aj] It hurled[ak] truth[al] to the ground and enjoyed success.[am]
13 Then I heard a holy one[an] speaking. Another holy one said to the one who was speaking, “To what period of time does the vision pertain—this vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the destructive act of rebellion and the giving over of both the sanctuary and army to be trampled?” 14 He said to me, “To 2,300 evenings and mornings;[ao] then the sanctuary will be put right again.”[ap]
An Angel Interprets Daniel’s Vision
15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision, I sought to understand it. Now one who appeared to be a man was standing before me. 16 Then I heard a human voice coming from between the banks of the Ulai. It called out, “Gabriel,[aq] enable this person to understand the vision.” 17 So he approached the place where I was standing. As he came, I felt terrified and fell flat on the ground.[ar] Then he said to me, “Understand, son of man,[as] that the vision pertains to the time of the end.” 18 As he spoke with me, I fell into a trance with my face to the ground. But he touched me and stood me upright.[at]
19 Then he said, “I am going to inform you about what will happen in the latter time of wrath, for the vision[au] pertains to the appointed time of the end. 20 The ram that you saw with the two horns stands for the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The male goat[av] is the king of Greece,[aw] and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. 22 The horn that was broken[ax] and in whose place there arose four others stands for four kingdoms that will arise from his nation, though they will not have his strength. 23 Toward the end of their rule, when rebellious acts[ay] are complete, a rash[az] and deceitful[ba] king will arise.[bb] 24 His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will cause terrible destruction.[bc] He will be successful in what he undertakes.[bd] He will destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones.[be] 25 By his treachery[bf] he will succeed through deceit.[bg] He will have an arrogant attitude,[bh] and he will destroy many who are unaware of his schemes.[bi] He will rise up against the Prince of princes, yet he will be broken apart—but not by human agency.[bj] 26 The vision of the evenings and mornings that was told to you is correct.[bk] But you should seal up the vision, for it refers to a time many days from now.”
27 I, Daniel, was exhausted[bl] and sick for days. Then I got up and again carried out the king’s business. But I was astonished at the vision, and there was no one to explain it.
Footnotes
- Daniel 8:1 sn Dan 8:1 marks the switch from Aramaic (= 2:4b-7:28) back to Hebrew as the language in which the book is written in its present form. The remainder of the book from this point on (8:1-12:13) is in Hebrew. The bilingual nature of the book has been variously explained, but it most likely has to do with the book’s transmission history; see the note at 2:4.
- Daniel 8:1 sn The third year of King Belshazzar’s reign would have been ca. 551 b.c. Daniel would have been approximately 69 years old at the time of this vision.
- Daniel 8:1 tn Heb “in the beginning.” This refers to the vision described in chapter seven.
- Daniel 8:2 tn Heb “the.”
- Daniel 8:2 sn Susa (Heb. שׁוּשַׁן, shushan), located some 230 miles (380 km) east of Babylon, was a winter residence for Persian kings during the Achaemenid period. The language of v. 2 seems to suggest that Daniel may not have been physically present at Susa, but only saw himself there in the vision. However, the Hebrew is difficult, and some have concluded that the first four words of v. 2 in the MT are a later addition (cf. Theodotion).
- Daniel 8:2 tn The Hebrew word בִּירָה (birah, “castle, palace”) usually refers to a fortified structure within a city, but here it is in apposition to the city name Susa and therefore has a broader reference to the entire city (against this view, however, see BDB 108 s.v. 2). Cf. NAB “the fortress of Susa”; TEV “the walled city of Susa.”
- Daniel 8:2 tn The term אוּבַל (ʾuval = “stream, river”) is a relatively rare word in biblical Hebrew, found only here and in vv. 3 and 6. The Ulai was apparently a sizable artificial canal in Susa (cf. NASB, NIV, NCV) and not a river in the ordinary sense of that word.
- Daniel 8:3 tn Heb “lifted my eyes.”
- Daniel 8:3 tn Heb “saw and behold.”
- Daniel 8:3 tn Heb “one.” The Hebrew numerical adjective occasionally functions like an English indefinite article. See GKC 401 §125.b.
- Daniel 8:3 tn Heb “high” (also “higher” later in this verse).
- Daniel 8:4 tn Or “beast” (NAB).
- Daniel 8:4 tn Heb “hand,” as also in v. 7.
- Daniel 8:4 tn In the Hiphil the Hebrew verb גָּדַל (gadal, “to make great; to magnify”) can have either a positive or a negative sense. For the former, used especially of God, see Ps 126:2, 3 and Joel 2:21. In this chapter (8:4, 8, 11, 25) the word has a pejorative sense, describing the self-glorification of this king. The sense seems to be that of vainly assuming one’s own superiority through deliberate hubris.
- Daniel 8:5 tn The words “all this” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
- Daniel 8:5 tn Heb “and behold, a he-goat of the goats.”
- Daniel 8:5 tn Or “of the whole earth” (NAB, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
- Daniel 8:5 tn Heb “a horn of vision” [or “conspicuousness”], i.e., “a conspicuous horn,” one easily seen.
- Daniel 8:6 tn Heb “the wrath of its strength.”
- Daniel 8:7 tn Heb “him.”
- Daniel 8:7 tn Heb “the ram.”
- Daniel 8:7 tn Heb “stand before him.”
- Daniel 8:7 tn Heb “he hurled him.” The referents of both pronouns (the male goat and the ram) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Daniel 8:7 sn The goat of Daniel’s vision represents Greece; the large horn represents Alexander the Great. The ram stands for Media-Persia. Alexander’s rapid conquest of the Persians involved three battles of major significance that he won against overwhelming odds: Granicus (334 b.c.), Isus (333 b.c.), and Gaugemela (331 b.c.).
- Daniel 8:8 tn The word “horns” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
- Daniel 8:8 sn The four conspicuous horns refer to Alexander’s successors. After his death, Alexander’s empire was divided up among four of his generals: Cassander, who took Macedonia and Greece; Lysimachus, who took Thrace and parts of Asia Minor; Seleucus, who took Syria and territory to its east; and Ptolemy, who took control of Egypt.
- Daniel 8:8 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
- Daniel 8:9 sn This small horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who controlled the Seleucid kingdom from ca. 175-164 b.c. Antiochus was extremely hostile toward the Jews and persecuted them mercilessly.
- Daniel 8:9 sn The expression the beautiful land (Heb. הַצֶּבִי [hatsevi] = “the beauty”) is a cryptic reference to the land of Israel. Cf. 11:16, 41, where it is preceded by the word אֶרֶץ (ʾerets, “land”).
- Daniel 8:10 tn Traditionally, “host.” The term refers to God’s heavenly angelic assembly, which he sometimes leads into battle as an army.
- Daniel 8:10 sn In prescientific Israelite thinking the stars were associated with the angelic members of God’s heavenly assembly. See Judg 5:20; Job 38:7; Isa 40:26. In west Semitic mythology the stars were members of the high god’s divine assembly (see Isa 14:13).
- Daniel 8:11 sn The prince of the army may refer to God (cf. “whose sanctuary” later in the verse) or to the angel Michael (cf. 12:1).
- Daniel 8:11 tn Or perhaps “and by him,” referring to Antiochus rather than to God.
- Daniel 8:11 sn Here the sanctuary is a reference to the temple of God in Jerusalem.
- Daniel 8:12 tc The present translation reads וּצְבָאָהּ נִתַּן (utsevaʾah nittan, “and its army was given”) for the MT וְצָבָא תִּנָּתֵן (vetsavaʾ tinnaten, “and an army was being given/will be given”). The context suggests a perfect rather than an imperfect verb.
- Daniel 8:12 tn Heb “in (the course of) rebellion.” The meaning of the phrase is difficult to determine. It could mean “due to rebellion,” referring to the failures of the Jews, but this is not likely since it is not a point made elsewhere in the book. The phrase more probably refers to the rebellion against God and the atrocities against the Jews epitomized by Antiochus.
- Daniel 8:12 tc Two medieval Hebrew mss and the LXX have a passive verb here: “truth was hurled to the ground” (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV).
- Daniel 8:12 sn Truth here probably refers to the Torah. According to 1 Macc 1:56, Antiochus initiated destruction of the sacred books of the Jews.
- Daniel 8:12 tn Heb “it acted and prospered.”
- Daniel 8:13 sn The holy one referred to here is presumably an angel (cf. 4:13 [10AT], 23 [20AT]).
- Daniel 8:14 sn The language of evenings and mornings is reminiscent of the creation account in Genesis 1. Since “evening and morning” is the equivalent of a day, the reference here would be to 2,300 days. However, some interpreters understand the reference to be to the evening sacrifice and the morning sacrifice, in which case the reference would be to only 1,150 days. Either way, the event that marked the commencement of this period is unclear. The event that marked the conclusion of the period was the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem following the atrocious and sacrilegious acts that Antiochus implemented. This took place on December 25, 165 b.c. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah each year commemorates this victory.
- Daniel 8:14 tn Heb “will be vindicated” or “will be justified.” This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Niphal in the OT. English versions interpret it as “cleansed” (KJV, ASV), “restored” (NASB, TEV, NLT), or “reconsecrated” (NIV).
- Daniel 8:16 sn The only angels whose names are given in the OT are Gabriel (Dan 8:16; 9:21; cf. Luke 1:19, 26) and Michael (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; cf. Jude 9; Rev 12:7). The name Gabriel means in Hebrew “man of God,” and Michael means “who is like God?”
- Daniel 8:17 tn Heb “on my face.”
- Daniel 8:17 tn Or “human one.”
- Daniel 8:18 tn Heb “on my standing.”
- Daniel 8:19 tn The Hebrew text does not actually state the referent (the vision Daniel saw in vv. 8-12; cf. also v. 13), which has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some Greek witnesses add “the vision” here.
- Daniel 8:21 tn Heb “the he-goat, the buck.” The expression is odd, and the second word may be an explanatory gloss.
- Daniel 8:21 tn Heb “Javan.”
- Daniel 8:22 tn Heb “the broken one.” The word “horn” has been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.
- Daniel 8:23 tc The present translation reads הַפְּשָׁעִים (happeshaʿim, “the rebellious acts”) for the MT הַפֹּשְׁעִים (happosheʿim, “the rebels”). While the MT is understandable (cf. NIV, “when rebels have become completely wicked”), the filling up of transgressions is a familiar OT expression (cf. Gen 15:16) and fits this context well. Cf. the LXX, Theodotion, the Vulgate, and the Syriac.
- Daniel 8:23 tn Heb “strong of face.”
- Daniel 8:23 tn Heb “understanding riddles.” Possible meanings include “double-dealing” (BDB 295 s.v. חִידָה; cf. TEV, CEV) and “with a good knowledge of intrigue” (HALOT 309 s.v. חִידָה; cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
- Daniel 8:23 tn Heb “stand” or “stand up.”
- Daniel 8:24 tn Heb “extraordinarily he will destroy.”
- Daniel 8:24 tn Heb “he will succeed and act.”
- Daniel 8:24 tn See the corresponding Aramaic expression in 7:27. If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. One could translate, “people belonging to (i.e., protected by) the holy ones.” If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” One could translate simply “holy people.” For examples of a plural appositional genitive after “people,” see 11:15, 32. Because either interpretation is possible, the translation has deliberately preserved the ambiguity of the Hebrew grammar here.
- Daniel 8:25 tn The Hebrew term has a primary meaning of “skill, insight,” but here it has the connotation “cunning, treachery.” See BDB 968 s.v. שֵׂכֶל, שֶׂכֶל.
- Daniel 8:25 tn Heb “he will cause deceit to succeed by his hand.”
- Daniel 8:25 tn Heb “in his heart he will act arrogantly.”
- Daniel 8:25 tn Heb “in peace.” The Hebrew word used here is difficult. It may refer to the security felt by those who did not realize the danger of imminent attack, or it may refer to the condition of being unaware of the impending danger. The latter idea is reflected in the present translation. See further, BDB 1017 s.v. שַׁלְוָה.
- Daniel 8:25 tn Heb “with nothingness of hand.”
- Daniel 8:26 tn Heb “truth.”
- Daniel 8:27 tn The Hebrew word here is נִהְיֵיתִי (nihyetiy). Its meaning is not entirely clear. Hebrew הָיָה (hayah) normally has meanings such as “to be” or “become.” Here, however, it describes Daniel’s emotional and physical response to the enigmatic vision that he has seen. It is parallel to the following verb, which refers to illness, and seems to refer to a state of utter exhaustion due to the amazing things that Daniel has just seen. The LXX lacks the word. On the meaning of the word see further, BDB 227-28 s.v. הָיָה Niph.2, and DCH 2:540 s.v. היה I Ni.3.
Daniel 8
King James Version
8 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.
2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.
3 Then I lifted up mine 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; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down.
12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of 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 afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.
27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
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