Daniel 8.7-The Male Goat with the Conspicuous Horn in a Great Rage Attacks and Defeats the Two-Horned Ram
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday July 30, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 8:7-The Male Goat with the Conspicuous Horn in a Great Rage Attacks and Defeats the Two-Horned Ram
Lesson # 235
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 8:1.
Daniel 8:1 During the third year of Belshazzar’s reign, the king, a vision appeared to me, I, Daniel after the one appearing to me previously. 2 Indeed, I was staring because of this vision. Specifically, I myself was in a trance like state staring as I myself was in Susa, the citadel, which was in the province of Elam. Furthermore, I was staring because of this vision as I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 Then, I lifted up my eyes and then I was staring as behold a ram was standing in front of the canal with it possessing two horns. Furthermore, the two horns were long. However, one was longer than the other with the longer one growing up last. 4 I saw this ram continually butting westward as well as northward and in addition southward as all the beasts could by no means stand in front of it. Furthermore, none could deliver out from its power so that it acted according to its desire. Indeed, it became great. 5 Then, I myself was in a trance like state as behold a male-goat who is ruler over the goats, was traveling from the west over the earth’s surface. In fact, it was not touching the earth’s surface. Also, this male-goat had a conspicuous horn between its eyes. 6 Next, it traveled up to the ram possessing two horns which I saw standing in front of the canal. In fact, it charged against it in a powerful rage. (My translation)
Daniel 8:7 I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. (NASB95)
“I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him” presents the result of the previous statement in verse 6, which records the male-goat charging the ram in a powerful rage.
In the Hebrew, “come beside the ram” says that the male-goat waged an attack against the ram in the sense that he violently struck the ram for the purpose of destroying it.
“And he was enraged at him” is a temporal clause indicating that the male-goat waged an attack against the ram “while” or “as” he was enraged at the ram.
“He was enraged at him” indicates that the male-goat enraged itself or made itself furious against the ram expressing the intensity of anger that the male-goat had toward the ram.
It indicates that this male-goat caused itself to enter into the state of being enraged against the ram standing in front of the Ulai Canal in Daniel’s vision.
“And he struck the ram” is advancing upon and intensifying the previous statement that the male-goat waged an attack opposing the ram while the male-goat caused itself to become enraged against it.
“And shattered his two horns” presents the result of the previous statement which tells the reader that the male-goat repeatedly struck the ram.
“Had no strength” denotes that as a result of the male-goat repeatedly striking the ram, there was no ability in the ram to withstand the male-goat.
“He hurled him to the ground” indicates that the male-goat pierced the ram with the conspicuous horn between its eyes and drove the ram into the ground.
In the Hebrew, this phrase does not mean “to hurl” or “throw” since this would imply that the male-goat had hands which the context does not show to be the case.
Rather the phrase in the Hebrew denotes that the male-goat drove the ram into the ground implying that it pierced the ram with the conspicuous horn between its eyes.
“Trampled” is the verb rā·mǎs (רָמַס) (raw-mas´), which means “to trample” referring to a pressing motion with the foot upon an object implying the object stamped on is conquered or harmed or even killed.
Here the verb denotes that the ram was trampled on by the male-goat in that it repeatedly stamped on the ram with its hooves implying that the ram was conquered and killed by the male-goat.
The imperfect conjugation of the verb is iterative expressing the fact that the male-goat trampled upon the ram “repeatedly.”
“And there was none to rescue the ram from his power” advances upon and intensifies the previous statement that the male-goat drove the ram into the ground and trampled upon the ram.
The advancement and intensification is that Daniel tells the reader that the male-goat killed the ram to telling the reader that he was invincible because no beast could rescue the ram from the power of the male-goat.
Daniel 8:7 Consequently, I saw it wage an attack opposing this ram while causing itself to become enraged against it. Indeed, it repeatedly struck this ram so as to shatter its two horns. Also, there was no ability in the ram to stand in front of it. Then, it drove it to the ground as well as trampled on it repeatedly. Indeed, to the detriment of the ram, there was none who could deliver from its power. (My translation)
In Daniel 8:20, the elect archangel Gabriel identifies this ram as representing the kings/kingdoms of Media and Persia.
Then, in Daniel 8:21, the angel interprets this male-goat as being the kingdom of Greece and the conspicuous horn refers to the first king of the kingdom of Greece, which was Alexander the Great.
Therefore, in Daniel 8:7, we have described for us in symbolic terms the Medo-Persian Empire being defeated militarily by the Greek Empire led by Alexander the Great.
This description makes clear that this was a decisive victory for Alexander the Great and empire.
This prophecy in Daniel 8:7 was fulfilled in May of 334 B.C. when Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in Asia Minor at Granicus.
In November 333 B.C. he defeated Darius III, king of Persia, in a battle at Issus in Phrygia.
In 331 B.C., he again defeated Darius but this time at Gaugamela near Nineveh.
Darius would escape to Ecbatana and then fled to Bactria.
However, his cousin, Bessus murdered him there.
Persia’s reign as a leading world power was finally brought to an end at Gaugamela near Nineveh in October 331 B.C.
This along with Darius’ death marked the end of the Persian Empire’s reign as a world power.
We must remember that when Daniel received this vision, it was in the third year of Belshazzar’s reign in 551 B.C.
Babylon was still the leading super power in the world while Greece on the other hand was simply a coalition of city states who were not unified.
Thus, history confirms that this prophecy in Daniel 8:7 was fulfilled.
Therefore, the fulfillment of this prophecy teaches us a principle that appears in the book of Jeremiah, namely, God is watching over His Word to execute it.
Jeremiah 1:12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.” (NASB95)
The fact that God can bring to pass that which He has predicted would happen with Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece reveals that He is omnipotent and sovereign and omniscient.
Speaking in the context of judging Assyria the prophet Isaiah speaking for the Lord under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said the following:
Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand.” (NASB95)
Babylon and Assyria both learned this statement is true.
Everything that Gabriel told Daniel in this vision in Daniel chapter eight came to pass exactly as Daniel said it would.
This teaches another principle which Balak was taught by Balaam.
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (NASB95)
All these passages along with Daniel chapter eight teach us here in the church age that we should place our trust in God and not man.