Daniel 8.8-The Male Goat Becomes Very Great But at the Height of Its Power, Its Conspicuous Horn is Broken Off and Four Conspicuous Horns Emerge
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday July 31, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 8:8-The Male Goat Becomes Very Great But At the Height of Its Power, Its Conspicuous Horn is Broken Off and Four Conspicuous Horns Emerge
Lesson # 236
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. 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)
Daniel 8:8 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. (NASB95)
“Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly” presents the result of the events recorded in verse 7, which tells the reader that the male-goat with a conspicuous horn between its eyes attacked the ram, striking it repeatedly so as to shatter the ram’s two horns.
The male-goat drove the ram into the ground and repeatedly trampled on it and none could deliver the ram from the power of the male-goat.
In the Hebrew, the expression translated “the male goat” indicates that this male-goat was “ruler over” the goats.
“Magnified himself exceedingly” indicates that as a result of conquering the ram, the male-goat became great in the sense that it became preeminent over the other beasts because none could deliver from its power so that it acted according to its desire.
It indicates that the male-goat became extremely or very great in comparison to the rest of the beasts of the earth and emphasizes the degree to which the male-goat was superior to the beasts of the field.
“But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken” stands in contrast with the previous statement expressing a contrast between the male-goat at the height of its power and losing the horn between its eyes which was the means for gaining this power.
“The large horn” is composed of the noun qě·rěn (קֶרֶן) (keh´-ren), “the horn” which is modified by the adjective gā·ḏôl (גָּדוֹל) (gaw-dole´), “large.”
The singular form of the noun qě·rěn means “horn” referring to the conspicuous horn of the male-goat which is mentioned in verse 5.
This word is modified by the articular form of the adjective gā·ḏôl.
In verse 5, it was modified by the noun ḥā·zûṯ, which means “conspicuous, prominent” referring to a feature of an object that distinguishes it.
The adjective gā·ḏôl primarily means “great, large” or “big.”
Here it the word describes the distinctiveness of this horn which was between the eyes of the male-goat and was broken off at the height of the animal’s power.
Here in verse 8, the adjective pertains to causing surprise and astonishment, in view of being unusual (cf. Exodus 3:3).
It describes the horn between the eyes of the male-goat as “unusual” rather than “great” (ESV, LEB, NRSV) or “large” (NIV, NET, NASB95) since this horn was not on top of the head of the animal but located between its eyes.
Rams and goats do not have horns between its eyes but rather on their head.
Thus, gā·ḏôl is not describing the size of this horn but rather that it was unusual.
The articular construction of this adjective marks this horn as being distinct or in other words marking the male-goat as distinct from all the other animals such as the ram whose horns are on its head rather than between its eyes.
“And in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven” presents the next event that took place after the conspicuous, unusual horn between the eyes of the male-goat was broken.
In the Hebrew, “four conspicuous horns” means “four conspicuous ones” since it refers to four horns rising up toward the four heavens, which replaced the one conspicuous horn of the male-goat which was broken once the animal became powerful and preeminent over all the beats.
Daniel 8:8 So the male-goat who is the ruler over the goats was very great. However, as soon as it became powerful, the unusual horn was broken. Then, in its place, four conspicuous ones arose towards the heaven’s four winds. (My translation)
Daniel informs the reader that as a result of conquering the ram and no other beast being able to rescue the ram from its power, the male-goat was very great in the sense that he was preeminent over all the beasts but at this point the conspicuous horn between the eyes of the male-goat was broken off.
This is a reference to the death of Alexander the Great since in Daniel 8:21 Gabriel interprets this male-goat as being the kingdom of Greece and the conspicuous horn refers to the first king of the kingdom of Greece.
The conspicuous horn of this male-goat which appears in Daniel 8:5 is a symbolic reference to Alexander the Great since he was the first ruler of the Greek Empire and not his father, Philip.
Though his father Philip II of Macedonia had united all the Greek city-states except Sparta, Alexander is considered Greece’s first king.
Alexander the Great began to rule in 336 B.C.
He defeated the Persians and conquered many nations while at the same time spreading Greek culture and language throughout these territories.
He attempted to follow the Babylonian example, but this led to gross immorality and early death in 323 B.C. at the age of thirty-three.
In Daniel 8:8, Daniel informs the reader that in place of this conspicuous horn, four other conspicuous horns arose towards the heaven’s four winds.
These four conspicuous horns represented Alexander’s four generals who divided his empire after he died.
The four horns correspond to the four heads on the third beast in Daniel’s vision in chapter seven.
So Daniel describes these four conspicuous horns as arising toward the heaven’s four winds, which describes in symbolic terms the parting and separation of Alexander’s empire toward the four corners of the globe.
To Ptolemy was given Egypt and parts of Asia Minor while Casander was given the territory of Macedonia and Greece.
Lysimachus was given Thrace and parts of Asia Minor (western Bithynia, Phrygia, Mycia and Lydia) while Seleucus was given the remainder of Alexander’s empire which included Syria, Israel and Mesopotamia.
So again, Daniel chapter 8 and history make clear that God’s Word is omnipotent in that He can bring to pass that which He says He will do.
This should compel us to trust God’s Word to govern our lives rather human viewpoint which is propagated through the media today.
Daniel 8:8 also reveals that God is sovereign over the nations in that He raises up men to power and deposes them from power like Alexander the Great.
This too should teach us to trust in God’s Word in not in rulers or politicians since they have received their power to rule from God Himself.
Daniel 8:7 along with the rest of Daniel chapter eight and the book of Daniel should cause us to exercise faith in God’s Word rather than in the word of men, or human viewpoint which is expressed in psychology, philosophy and politics today.