The Prophets · Old Testament

Daniel 8

Daniel 8: the ram, the he goat and Gabriel's explanation

General context

In the third year of Belshazzar, Daniel sees a vision in which he is at Shushan in the palace in the province of Elam, by the river Ulai. A ram with two high horns, the higher come up last, pushes west, north and south and does as it will. A he goat with a notable horn between its eyes comes from the west without touching the ground, breaks the ram's horns and tramples it. The goat grows great; its great horn breaks and four notable horns rise toward the four winds. Out of one comes a little horn that grows toward the south, the east and the pleasant land, casts down some of the host of heaven and the stars, magnifies itself to the prince of the host, takes away the daily sacrifice and casts down the sanctuary. Daniel hears one saint ask another how long the vision will last and is told two thousand three hundred days, then the sanctuary will be cleansed. A man's voice between the banks of Ulai tells Gabriel to make Daniel understand. Gabriel says the vision is for the time of the end, and that the ram's two horns are the kings of Media and Persia, the rough goat is the king of Grecia, its great horn the first king, the four horns four kingdoms out of that nation, and in their latter time a king of fierce countenance will stand up, destroy the mighty and holy people, stand against the Prince of princes and be broken without hand. Gabriel tells Daniel the vision is true and to shut it up for many days. Daniel faints, is sick for days, then rises and does the king's business, astonished, with none understanding.

Cited passages: Daniel 8:1, Daniel 8:2, Daniel 8:3, Daniel 8:4, Daniel 8:5, Daniel 8:7, Daniel 8:8, Daniel 8:9, Daniel 8:10, Daniel 8:11, Daniel 8:13, Daniel 8:14, Daniel 8:16, Daniel 8:17, Daniel 8:20, Daniel 8:21, Daniel 8:22, Daniel 8:23, Daniel 8:25, Daniel 8:26, Daniel 8:27

Daniel 8 (KJV)

¹In 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.

²And 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.

³Then 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.

⁴I 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.

⁵And 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.

⁶And 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.

⁷And 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.

⁸Therefore 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.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰And 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.

¹¹Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

¹²And 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.

¹³Then 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?

¹⁴And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

¹⁵And 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.

¹⁶And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.

¹⁷So 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.

¹⁸Now 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.

¹⁹And 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.

²⁰The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

²¹And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

²²Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

²³And 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.

²⁴And 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.

²⁵And 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.

²⁶And 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.

²⁷And 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.

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Historical context

This is the second dated vision under Belshazzar, and Daniel says it comes after the first. Daniel says he is at Shushan in the province of Elam by the river Ulai in the vision; the text does not say whether he is there in body. The interpreter is named, Gabriel, the first named heavenly figure in the book, and he is summoned by a man's voice that is itself unidentified. Gabriel's explanation is the only naming the text supplies: the ram's horns are the kings of Media and Persia, the goat is the king of Grecia and its great horn the first king. The four later horns are called four kingdoms out of the nation, and the final king is described by character, fierce countenance and craft, not by name. The pleasant land, the host of heaven, the prince of the host and the Prince of princes are not further explained. The number two thousand three hundred is given as days in this translation, and the vision is later called the vision of the evening and the morning. Daniel is told to shut the vision up, and reports that he still does the king's business; the text does not say which king's business or what his office is at this point.

Cited passages: Daniel 8:1, Daniel 8:2, Daniel 8:16, Daniel 8:20, Daniel 8:21, Daniel 8:22, Daniel 8:23, Daniel 8:11, Daniel 8:14, Daniel 8:26, Daniel 8:27

Literary context

The vision runs as a single sequence of growth and breaking: the ram becomes great, the goat breaks it and becomes very great, the great horn breaks, and the little horn waxes exceeding great until it reaches the host of heaven. The verb for greatness recurs at each stage, and each power that does according to its will is followed by one that breaks it. The phrase that none could deliver out of his hand is used first of the ram's power over others and then of the goat's power over the ram. A dialogue between two saints supplies the question of duration before Daniel asks anything, and the answer is given to Daniel directly. Gabriel's interpretation moves in the same order as the vision, ram, goat, horn, four horns, final king, and ends where the vision ended, with a breaking, this time without hand, which recalls the stone cut without hands in chapter 2. Daniel's collapse and recovery, from falling on his face to being set upright to fainting for days, frames the explanation with his body's response. The chapter's last words, none understood it, sit against Gabriel's command to understand.

Cited passages: Daniel 8:4, Daniel 8:8, Daniel 8:9, Daniel 8:10, Daniel 8:7, Daniel 8:13, Daniel 8:25, Daniel 8:18, Daniel 8:27, Daniel 2:34

Key moments

A ram by the river Ulai (Daniel 8:3). Daniel sees a two-horned ram pushing in three directions.
The he goat breaks the ram (Daniel 8:7). A goat from the west shatters the ram's horns and tramples it.
Four horns for one (Daniel 8:8). The goat's great horn breaks and four rise toward the four winds.
The daily sacrifice taken away (Daniel 8:11). A little horn magnifies itself to the prince of the host and casts down the sanctuary.
Two thousand three hundred days (Daniel 8:14). A saint answers how long until the sanctuary is cleansed.
Gabriel names Media, Persia and Grecia (Daniel 8:20). Gabriel says the ram's horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
Daniel faints and returns to work (Daniel 8:27). Sick for days, Daniel rises to do the king's business with none understanding.

For reflection

After a vision that leaves him sick for days, Daniel rises and does the king's business. What does it look like to carry something unresolved and still return to ordinary work?