Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat
1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first.
As with Daniel 7, this chapter precedes Daniel 5 chronologically; the dream probably occurred in 551 BC when Daniel was about 70 years old. Daniel 7 and 8 correspond to the first and third years of Belshazzar's reign and belong chronologically between Daniel 4 and 5. Daniel 9 took place at approximately the same time as Daniel 6. It gives us more details about the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires, the two world powers that ruled after Babylonia.
2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal.
Susa was one of the capitals of the Persian Empire. Located in what is now Iran, Susa was a well-developed city and rivaled Babylon itself in cultural sophistication. In his vision, Daniel saw himself in this important location. The winter capital of the Persian Empire and a mighty fortress, Susa became home to many spoils of war—including the famous stone slab inscribed with one of the earliest known codes of law, the Code of Hammurabi.
3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, 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.
The two horns were the kings of Media and Persia (8:20). The longer horn represented the growing dominance of Persia in the Medo-Persian Empire.
4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power.
The goat represented Greece, and its large horn, Alexander the Great (8:21). This is an amazing prediction because Greece was not yet considered a world power when this prophecy was given. Alexander the Great conquered the world with great speed and military strategy, indicated by the goat's rapid movement. The shattering of both horns symbolized Alexander breaking both parts of the Medo-Persian Empire.
8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
Alexander the Great died in his thirties at the height of his power. His kingdom was split into four parts under four generals: Ptolemy I over Egypt and Palestine; Seleucus over Mesopotamia and Syria; Lysimachus over Asia Minor; and Antipater over Macedonia and Greece.
9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.
Israel ("the glorious land") was attacked by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (the small horn) in the second century BC. He was the eighth ruler of the Seleucid Empire (Mesopotamia and Syria). He overthrew Israel's high priest, looted the Temple, and replaced worship of God with a Greek form of worship. A further fulfillment of this prophecy of a powerful horn will occur in the future with the coming of the Antichrist (see 8:17, 19, 23; 11:36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.
The "Commander of heaven's army" refers to God, the heavenly authority, rather than an angel (see 1 Kings 22:19).
12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, "For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?" 14 And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state."
The 2,300 "evenings and mornings" refer to the evening and morning sacrifices at the Jerusalem Temple between the time the altar was desecrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes and when it was restored under Judas Maccabeus in 165 BC.
The Interpretation of the Vision
15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
Daniel was trying to understand the vision. God knew this, so he sent Daniel an interpreter. Sometimes in our darkest moments, we don't even have to ask God for help—he knows what we need. He knew Daniel's mind and desire to understand. Let us thank God that he helps us when we don't even ask! He may not send an angel to speak with you, but he will often reveal his divine wisdom and insight to you. The closer the relationship you have with him, the more likely you are to receive these kinds of insights from him.
16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision."
There are two angels named explicitly in the Bible: Gabriel and Michael. Angels are powerful beings, not harmless, childlike figures as some cultural expressions of angels portray them to be. We see in the Bible that when people encounter angels, they often fall before them in fear. God used Gabriel as a heavenly messenger to explain Daniel's visions (9:21). Gabriel also foretold the births of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11, 19) and the Messiah (Luke 1:26).
17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, "Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end."
The "time of the end" in this case refers to the whole period from the end of the Exile until the second coming of Jesus. Many of the events that would happen under Antiochus IV Epiphanes will be repeated on a broader scale just before Jesus' second coming. During these times, God deals with Israel in a radically different way, with divine discipline coming through Gentile nations. This time period is sometimes referred to as the "period of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24).
18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, "Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. 23 And 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.
This fierce king can be understood to represent both Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Antichrist at the end of human history (Revelation 13:1-18).
24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.
This "Prince of princes" is God himself. No human power could defeat the fierce king whom Daniel saw in his vision, but God would bring him down. Antiochus IV Epiphanes reportedly went insane and died in Persia in 164 BC. God's power and justice will prevail, so we should never give up our faith or lose hope, no matter how powerful God's enemies may seem. Many events in our lives seem insurmountable. Evil overwhelms us day by day, and despair threatens to destroy our well-being. We cannot deflect Satan's arrows by our own strength, but God will always have the final victory. Ask God for the power to defeat any evil in your life and for the strength to overcome despair.
26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now."
27 And 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 and did not understand it.