Daniel 8:10
in Daniel 8It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Daniel 8
Commentary
11 notes on this verseThe host of heaven - The Jewish hierarchy. The stars, the priests and Levites. The powers or host of heaven are probably intended by our Lord, Mat 24:29, to signify the whole Jewish hierarchy.
This site's exposition
came forth a little horn
on Daniel 8:9-12
Out of one of the four horns comes a little horn that grows toward the south, the east, and the pleasant land, the land of Israel, and the bench identifies him with near unanimity as Antiochus the fourth, called Epiphanes by himself and Epimanes, the madman, by those he ruled. He magnifies himself even to the prince of the host, takes away the daily sacrifice, and casts down the place of the sanctuary, the desecration of the Jerusalem temple that provoked the Maccabean revolt. An host is given him against the sacrifice by reason of transgression, the text naming Israel's own unfaithfulness as the occasion even while the horn's cruelty is condemned in full.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
For after Alexander ruled all the land of Persia and subjected them, later he died, dividing his kingdom to his four Chiefs as is shown above, that is to Seleucus, to Demetrius, to Ptolemy, and to Philip, from whom one horn was exalted and grew great unto the power of heaven. For Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, being from the race of Alexander, was king. And having reigned over Syria and seizing all Egypt under himself, later he came to Jerusalem and he entered into the Most Holy Place and took all the treasures which were in the house of the Lord and the golden lampstand and the table and the altar and he committed great murder in the land and he spoke immoderate words and prevented sacrifice and offering, and he built a sacred grove and built idols in the city, and sacrificed a pig, even a common animal.
He signifies here the priestly order, which he compares with the host of heaven. "It threw down to the earth some of the host and some of the stars and trampled on them." Here he prophesies about the sons of Semona and the allies killed …
Most of the people by transgressing God's law quickly fell away from heavenly things, and they were trampled down by this tyrant to their own destruction. He referred to them as stars on account of the fame and splendor of their piety, hinting also at …
The Medieval Church1 voice
"The host of heaven" and "the stars and princes of the host": he recalls in this way Onias and Eleazar and those of the house of the Maccabees. He calls them "stars" because of the brightness and beauty of the fear of God, by alluding …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The interpretation of this vision by an angel, showing that the ram signified the Persian empire, the he-goat the Grecian, and the little horn a king of the Grecian monarchy, that should set himself against the Jews and religion, which was Antiochus Epiphanes,
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The host of heaven - The church of God militant, who worship the God of heaven, who are citizens of heaven, whose names are written in heaven; and among these the priests, and champions, who were as stars shining above the rest; these he profaned and slew cruelly.
And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
See 1 Maccabees 1:25, &c.; TREGELLES refers "stars" to those Jews whose portion from God is heavenly glory (Da 12:3), being believers in Him who is above at God's right hand: not the blinded Jews. cast . . . stars to the ground--So Babel, as type of Antichrist, is described (Isa 14:13, 14), "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." Compare Re 12:4;
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And it waxed great - It became very powerful. This was eminently true of Antiochus, after having subdued Egypt, etc. Even to the host of heaven - Margin, against. The Hebrew word (עד ‛ad) means “to” or “unto,” and the natural idea would seem to be that he wished to place himself among the stars, or to exalt himself above all that was earthly. Compare the notes at Isa 14:13: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.” Lengerke supposes that the meaning here is, that he not only carried his conquests to Egypt and to the East, and to the holy land in general, but that he made war on the holy army of God - the priests and worshippers of Jehovah, here spoken of as the host of heaven. So Maurer understands it. In 2 Macc. 9:10, Antiochus is described in this language: “And the man that thought a little afore he could reach the stars of heaven, etc.” The connection, would seem to demand the interpretation proposed by Lengerke and Maurer, for it is immediately said that he cast down some of the host and the stars to the ground. And such an interpretation accords with the language elsewhere used, of the priests and rulers of the Hebrew people. Thus, in Isa 24:21, they are called “the host of the high ones that are on high.” See the note at that passage. This language is by no means uncommon in the Scriptures. It is usual to compare princes and rulers, and especially ecclesiastical rulers, with the sun, moon, and stars. Undoubtedly it is the design here to describe the pride and ambition of Antiochus, and to show that he did not think anything too exalted for his aspiration. […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
until the host of heaven They are Israel, who were compared to the stars.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And until the Prince of the host That is the Temple, which is the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, the Prince of the host. He blasphemed the Holy One, blessed be He.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתִּגְדַּ֖ל | vatigdal | and it became great | H1431 → | 117 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| צְבָ֣א | tzeva' | [the] host of | H6635 → | 485 times |
| הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וַתַּפֵּ֥ל | vatapel | and it made fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| אַ֛רְצָה | ʾartzah | [the] ground towards | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִן־ | min- | some of | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הַצָּבָ֥א | hatzava' | the host | H6635 → | 485 times |
| וּמִן־ | umin- | and some of | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הַכּוֹכָבִ֖ים | hakokhavim | the stars | H3556 → | |
| וַֽתִּרְמְסֵֽם׃ | vatirmesem | and it trampled them | H7429 → |
וַתִּגְדַּ֖לand it became great
vatigdalH1431 →117 times
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
צְבָ֣א[the] host of
tzeva'H6635 →485 times
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וַתַּפֵּ֥לand it made fall
vatapelH5307 →435 times
אַ֛רְצָה[the] ground towards
ʾartzahH776 →2504 times
מִן־some of
min-H4480 →1188 times
הַצָּבָ֥אthe host
hatzava'H6635 →485 times
וּמִן־and some of
umin-H4480 →1188 times
הַכּוֹכָבִ֖יםthe stars
hakokhavimH3556 →
וַֽתִּרְמְסֵֽם׃and it trampled them
vatirmesemH7429 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Daniel 7:7After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot…
it leads to
- Revelation 13:1
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.
- Revelation 12:3
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.
- Revelation 17:12
The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.
- Daniel 7:23–24
This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down,…
- Revelation 13:1
Through
Revelation 12:4His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child…
it leads to
- Daniel 8:9–12
From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land.
- Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
- Daniel 8:9–12
Through
Isaiah 14:13You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of…
it leads to
- Daniel 8:10–12
It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them.
- Ezekiel 28:2
“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of…
- Daniel 8:10–12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies7
About Daniel
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Daniel; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:10; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.26.6-7; Ishodad of Merv, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:10-11; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:10.