Daniel 8, A Ram and a Goat

Chapters 2 through 7 have been in Aramaic, the language of the great empires of Assyria and Babylon.  Chapter 8 is back to Hebrew, possibly aimed at Jewish readers. (The Jews in Jesus’ day spoke Aramaic.)

This vision also occurs during the reign of Belshazzar, before the events of chapter 5.

Daniel 8:1-8, A ram and a goat and horns

In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 

I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 

As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. He came toward the twohorned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and none could rescue the ram from his power. 

The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel has a vision in which he sees himself in Susa, along the Ulai Canal. A ram with two horns, one bigger than the other, charges west, north and south (but apparently not east.) Just when the ram seems to be at the height of his power, a goat comes rapidly from the west, shattering the two horns of the ram. Just when this ram is at the height of his power, his large horn is broken off and replaced by four horns growing towards the four winds,

This vision occurs along a canal in Susa. Susa was a major Persian city, capital of the First Persian Empire and a place to escape in the brutal summer heat near the Persian Gulf. It is the setting for the book of Esher. It is mentioned briefly in Ezra 4:9 as the city of the Elamites and Nehemiah 1:1 as the city in which Nehemiah lived as cupbearer to the king. It is likely that Daniel lived there for at least the last portion of his life as later Susa will claim the tomb of Daniel. When Muslims invaded Susa a thousand years later, the alleged locations of Daniel's remains had apparently been given a magical, cult-like reverence. 

Daniel 8:9-12,... and the little horn

Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. Because of rebellion, the host [of the saints] and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.

The four horns are replaced by a little horn which grows in power, reaching out towards Israel. It attacks, in some way, the sanctuary and take over sacrificial system and the temple. This horn, in its power, "throws truth to the ground."

Daniel 8:13-14, 2300 days

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled – the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?"

He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."

The overtaking of the sacrificial system and the surrender of the sanctuary is to take 2300 days, about six years and four months (if this is literal.)

Daniel 8:15-19, Gabriel

While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. And I heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, "Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision."

As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end." While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. He said: "I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. 

Gabriel speaks to Daniel. Gabriel promises to explain the vision. (Daniel is the only Old Testament book to name angels.  Gabriel & Michael are named; they are also named in the New Testament.)

Daniel 8:20-26, Interpretation

The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. 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. "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 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 the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit 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. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

"The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future."

The players here are fairly carefully described, especially for apocalyptic literature. There are future kings of Media and Persia and a future king of Greece. The large horn is the first king (of Greece?) who will conquer the region; four kingdoms will emerge from his one kingdom. Some information is sealed and apparently Daniel is not to reveal that part of the vision.

Old Testament scholars disagree in their interpretation of Daniel and this vision. Those who do not believe in supernatural revelations argue that this material was written much later, after the predicted events. Others argue that Daniel did supernaturally foresee, far ahead of time, actual events. Both sides tend to identify the Greek king as Alexander the Great, who created a vast empire which broke into four pieces shortly after his death.

Daniel 8:27, Daniel's reaction

I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

Daniel is exhausted for a time but eventually returns to administrative work. Here we note that although the new king Belshazzar was in power, Daniel did have a role in his administration.