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Daniel 8:7

in Daniel 8

I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him, and the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and no one could deliver the ram from his power.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with anger 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 trampled upon him; and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

KJV

And 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.

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This verse in Daniel 8

Commentary

9 notes on this verse
And I saw him, come close unto the ram - The ram standing on the banks of the Ulai, and in the very heart of the empire. This representation is designed undoubtedly to denote that the Grecian power would attack the Persian in its own dominions. Perhaps the vision was represented at the place which would be the capital of the empire in order to denote this. And he was moved with choler against him - (i. e., the ram).” With wrath or anger. That is, he acted as if he were furiously enraged. This is not an improper representation.

This site's exposition

a goat with a prominent horn

on Daniel 8:5-8

The goat crossing the earth “without touching the ground” pictures the speed of Alexander, and the older commentators take the prominent horn as Alexander himself. His rage against the ram pictures the fall of Persia. The horn broken “at the height of his power” is the sudden death of Alexander.

This site's exposition

shattered his two horns

Ishodad of Merv and Adam Clarke took the ram's two horns as Media and Persia, shattered together. Clarke tied the goat's rage to the attempts of Darius to bribe Alexander's captains to kill him, and recorded the burning of Persepolis. Albert Barnes placed the blow in the heart of Persia.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Aphrahat the Persian Sage

DEMONSTRATIONS 5:5 · Written before 345.

proposed

Again the ram was lifted up and exalted, and it pushed with its horns toward the west, and toward the north and toward the south, and it humbled many beasts. And they could not stand before him, until the he-goat came from the west and struck the ram and broke his horns and humbled the ram completely.

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 4.26.3-4 · Written before 235.

proposed

But the male goat who comes from the south, he says is Alexander the Macedonian king of the Greeks. And so when the goat comes to the ram and savages him and beats him on his face and shatters and hurls him to the earth and tramples him, it signals this, which also happened. For Alexander having engaged war with Darius, overpowered him and prevailed over all his power destroying and trampling his camp.

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Ishodad of Merv

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:7 · Written before 850.

proposed

The words "breaking its two horns," that is, the two powers, which Darius possessed, as the kingdom was subjected to two races, since the Medes and Persians were indicated together. In the same manner Cyrus, who was the first to rule, was a Mede on …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

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,
And I saw him come close unto the ram,....
1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

And brake his two horns - Subdued Persia and Media; sacked and burnt the royal city of Persepolis, the capital of the Persian empire, and, even in its ruins, one of the wonders of the world to the present day. This he did because “he was moved with choler” against Darius, who had endeavored to draw off his captains with bribes, and had labored to induce some of his friends to assassinate him. Alexander, finding this, would listen to no proposals of peace; and was determined never to rest till he had destroyed Darius and his whole empire. In Media, Darius was seized and made prisoner by some of his own treacherous subjects, and afterwards basely murdered. There was no power in the ram to stand before him - Alexander’s victories over the Persians were as easy as they were rapid and decisive. He cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him - Totally destroyed the family, and overturned the whole monarchy.

The words behind it

27 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וּרְאִיתִ֞יוand I saw it

    ureitivH7200 →1300 times

  • מַגִּ֣יעַ׀approaching

    magia'H5060 →150 times

  • אֵ֣צֶלbeside

    ʾetzelH681 →61 times

  • הָאַ֗יִלthe ram

    haayilH352 →187 times

  • וַיִּתְמַרְמַ֤רand it was enraged

    vaiyitmarmarH4843 →

  • אֵלָיו֙against it

    ʾelavH413 →5510 times

  • וַיַּ֣ךְand it struck

    vaiyakhH5221 →

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הָאַ֔יִלthe ram

    haayilH352 →187 times

  • וַיְשַׁבֵּר֙and it broke

    vayshaberH7665 →147 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • שְׁתֵּ֣י[the] two

    sheteiH8147 →768 times

  • קְרָנָ֔יוhorns its

    keranavH7161 →76 times

  • וְלֹא־and not

    velo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • הָ֥יָהit was

    hayahH1961 →3559 times

  • כֹ֛חַstrength

    khoachH3581 →126 times

  • בָּאַ֖יִלin the ram

    baayilH352 →187 times

  • לַעֲמֹ֣דto stand

    laamodH5975 →521 times

  • לְפָנָ֑יו<to> before it

    lefanavH6440 →2123 times

  • וַיַּשְׁלִיכֵ֤הוּand it threw it

    vaiyashlikhehuH7993 →125 times

  • אַ֙רְצָה֙[the] ground towards

    ʾartzahH776 →2504 times

  • וַֽיִּרְמְסֵ֔הוּand it trampled it

    vaiyirmesehuH7429 →

  • וְלֹא־and not

    velo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • הָיָ֥הanyone was

    hayahH1961 →3559 times

  • מַצִּ֛ילdelivering

    matzilH5337 →

  • לָאַ֖יִל<to> the ram

    laayilH352 →187 times

  • מִיָּדֽוֹ׃from hand its

    miyadoH3027 →1618 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

11 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Daniel 8:10It 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.4 worksDaniel 11:11In a rage, the king of the South will march out to fight the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be delivered into the hand of his enemy.4 worksDaniel 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 whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.3 worksDaniel 8:4I saw the ram charging toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no deliverance from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.3 worksDaniel 11:16The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.3 worksJoshua 8:20When the men of Ai turned and looked back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers.2 works
The other 5 cross-references, with their words ▾
Daniel 10:8So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless.2 worksDaniel 11:15Then the king of the North will come, build up a siege ramp, and capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their best troops will not be able to resist.2 worksDaniel 8:27I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was confounded by the vision; it was beyond understanding.2 worksLeviticus 26:37They will stumble over one another as before the sword, though no one is behind them. So you will not be able to stand against your enemies.1 worksDaniel 7:12As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but they were granted an extension of life for a season and a time.1 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 7:7

    After 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,…

    • Daniel 7:19–20

      Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others—extremely terrifying—devouring and crushing with iron teeth and bronze claws, then trampling underfoot whatever was left.

  • Through

    Leviticus 26:37

    They will stumble over one another as before the sword, though no one is behind them. So you will not be able to stand against your enemies.

    it leads to

    • Joshua 7:12–13

      This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be…

  • Through

    Daniel 11:11

    In a rage, the king of the South will march out to fight the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be delivered into the hand of his…

    it leads to

    • Ecclesiastes 9:11–12

      I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor…

    • Daniel 11:5

      The king of the South will grow strong, but one of his commanders will grow even stronger and will rule his own kingdom with great authority.

Where this verse is studied

About Daniel

Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Daniel: the study guide →Read Daniel 8 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Aphrahat the Persian Sage, DEMONSTRATIONS 5:5; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.26.3-4; Ishodad of Merv, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Daniel 8 →