Daniel 8 (ESV)
Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat
8:1 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some1 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. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,2 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,3 “ For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”
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. 16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “ Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 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.”
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 goat4 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 his5 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. 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. 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.
Footnotes
Daniel 8 Commentary
In Daniel 8, in the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, Daniel had a vision in Susa by the Ulai Canal (Daniel 8:1-2). He sees a ram with two horns, one longer than the other, charging in multiple directions, becoming great and unstoppable (Daniel 8:3-4). A male goat with a prominent horn then appears, attacking the ram and overpowering it, leading to the ram’s defeat (Daniel 8:5-7).
The goat grows arrogant but eventually loses its large horn, which is replaced by four smaller horns (Daniel 8:8). From one of these horns, a little horn emerges, growing powerful and trampling the heavenly army, revoking sacrifices, and overthrowing the sanctuary (Daniel 8:9-11). A holy one questions how long this will last, and the response indicates 2,300 evenings and mornings before restoration occurs (Daniel 8:13-14).
Gabriel is sent to explain the vision, revealing that the ram symbolizes the kings of Media and Persia, while the goat represents Greece (Daniel 8:15-21). The little horn signifies a ruthless king who will cause destruction and oppose the holy people but will ultimately be broken (Daniel 8:23-25). Daniel is left disturbed and unable to comprehend the vision, feeling sick for days afterward (Daniel 8:26-27).
Context & Posture
Daniel 8 is one of the most debated and mysterious chapters in all of Scripture. And yet, despite the layers of complexity and symbolism, it still offers deep truths we can hold onto. One of the most striking details is that even Daniel himself was troubled by what he saw. After receiving the vision and its interpretation, he wrote that he was physically ill and exhausted for days, and he admitted that he still didn’t fully understand it. That alone should give us pause. If a prophet of God struggled to grasp the weight of this vision, we should approach it with humility, patience, and prayer.
There is wisdom in lingering with these verses. Sometimes it takes reading the same passage many times before fresh insight breaks through. The Holy Spirit delights in meeting those who seek God diligently, not just for information, but for transformation. Daniel 8 may not reveal all its secrets at once, but those who slow down, pray deeply, and return again and again to God’s Word will find the presence of the God who reveals mysteries in His perfect timing.
The Ram
In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign (around 550 BC), Daniel received another vision, this time set in the Persian city of Susa by the Ulai Canal. This was during a key moment in history, as Cyrus was rising to power, already stepping into God’s plan without realizing it. In this vision, Daniel saw a powerful ram with two horns, unstoppable in its strength.
The ram represents the Medo-Persian Empire. The unequal horns could have represented the fact that the Persians were larger and stronger within the union. They emerged after the Medes and grew up larger. They also made no major conquests to the east. (I watched the ram butting with his horns to the west, the north, and the south.)
The Male Goat
But then, a swift male goat with one prominent horn (symbolizing Greece and its first great king, Alexander the Great) came from the west and violently struck the ram, breaking its power. This goat quickly rose to prominence, but at the height of its strength, its large horn broke, and four smaller horns grew in its place (pointing to the division of Alexander’s empire after his death).
“As God guided history, He used Alexander’s passion to spread Greek culture to prepare the world for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of Alexander’s influence koine (common) Greek became the common language of the civilized world – and the language of the New Testament.”
David Guzik
The Little Horn
Out of one of those four horns came a “little horn,” seemingly insignificant at first, but it grew exceedingly powerful. This horn didn’t just dominate earthly kingdoms; it dared to challenge heaven itself, trampling God’s people, halting worship in the temple, and even defying God. It was a sobering image of prideful power pushing against divine order. Daniel overheard heavenly beings asking how long this desecration would continue. The response: 2,300 evenings and mornings, after which the sanctuary would be restored.
The “little horn” that emerges from one of the four horns of the goat is widely understood by most scholars (both secular historians and biblical commentators) to represent Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Greek ruler from the Seleucid Empire who reigned from 175–164 BC. He aggressively persecuted the Jews, outlawed religious practices, desecrated the temple in Jerusalem, and erected an altar to Zeus.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes also stopped daily sacrifices and committed what many call the “abomination of desolation” (Daniel 8:11-13). His oppressive reign sparked the Maccabean Revolt, which eventually led to the rededication of the temple (a historical event commemorated by Hanukkah).
2300 Evenings & Mornings
The phrase “2,300 evenings and mornings” has been understood in two main ways:
- Literal days (2,300 days = ~6.3 years).
- Sacrificial days (2,300 evenings and mornings = 1,150 days), since temple sacrifices were offered twice a day.
Both interpretations can align historically with the period of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (around 171-165 BC), especially his desecration of the temple and its restoration under Judas Maccabeus in 165 BC (the origin of Hanukkah).
The Interpretation
Most commentators agree that the near view of this prophecy is speaking to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The long view of the prophecy would represent the Antichrist. There are striking similarities.
- They both would have brutal features.
- They both would understand sinister schemes.
- They both would channel power not of their own.
- They both would experience immense success.
- They both would annihilate the people of God.
- They both would be deceitful and magnify themselves.
- They both would not be defeated by a man, but by an act of God.
- In sealing up the vision, Daniel is preparing it for the future. Note the wording used is similar to the seals in Revelation.
Application
We have been given a clear picture of what deception and rebellion look like. Scripture outlines the patterns, the strategies, and the signs of how the enemy works. While we may not fully understand every detail of prophetic visions, the major themes are unmistakable. Corruption, pride, persecution, counterfeit authority, and the distortion of truth are all part of the enemy’s plan. These warnings were not given to confuse us. They were given in grace so we could live with wisdom and readiness.
But this is what many people miss. We already have the battle plan.
Jesus said that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He promised to be with us until the very end. And He gave us a mission that has never changed: to go and make disciples of all nations and teach them to obey everything He commanded. That is the calling. That is the assignment.
The challenge is that many people get stuck trying to decode timelines or dissect prophecy with precision while neglecting the simple call to love God and love others. Prophetic study should stir us to urgency and deeper trust in God, not distract us from the clear mission. The goal is not to crack every code. The goal is to live faithfully with the time we have.
Jesus gave us the plan. Now it is time to live it out.
I love this, it helped me. Since Jesus lay out the plan for me, I pray to live faithfully in any way 🙏. God above all.