Daniel 8.21-The Shaggy Goat Represents the Kingdom of Greece and the Unusual Horn Between Its Eyes Represents This Kingdom's First King
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday August 28, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 8:21-The Shaggy Goat Represents the Kingdom of Greece and the Unusual Horn Between Its Eyes Represents This Kingdom’s First King
Lesson # 248
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. 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. 9 Next, from one of them, a small horn in comparison emerged which grew excessively large toward the south as well as the east and in addition the beautiful land. 10 Specifically, it grew larger than the heaven’s host. Indeed, it caused some of this host, yes some of these stars to fall to the earth. Also, it trampled on them. 11 It even presented itself as great as the host’s Commander while taking away the daily sacrifice from Him so that His holy place was abandoned. 12 Consequently the host along with the daily sacrifice were delivered over to it through transgression. Also, it caused the truth to be thrown to the ground. Indeed, it executed, yes it succeeded. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking and a holy one said to this particular one who was speaking, “How long is the vision, the daily sacrifice, specifically the transgression making desolate so as to deliver over both the sanctuary as well as the host to be trampled?” 14 Consequently he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings, and mornings. Then, the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.” 15 Now, I was in a trance like state staring at this vision, which I, Daniel desired to understand as behold one like a man in appearance was standing directly in front of me. 16 Then, I heard a human being’s voice between the banks of the Ulai. Indeed, it ordered and said “Gabriel, enable this one to understand the vision.” 17 Therefore, he approached my location. Indeed, when he approached, I was terrified so that I fell upon my face. Then, he said to me, “Please, understand descendant of Adam that the vision extends to the end time.” 18 Now while he was speaking with me for my benefit, I was caused to enter the state of being in a deep sleep with my face to the ground. However, he touched me so that he caused me to stand upon my feet. 19 Then, he said, “Behold, I am about to cause you to know what will take place during the righteous indignation related to the end because the vision extends to an appointed period of time related to the end. 20 This ram which you saw possessing the two horns represents the kings ruling over Media as well as Persia. 21 Also, the male-goat, the shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece. In addition, the unusual horn which was between its eyes represents the first king.” (My translation)
Daniel 8:21 “The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. (NASB95)
“The shaggy goat” is composed of the noun ṣā·p̄îr (צָפִיר) (tsaw-feer´), “the goat” and then we have the adjective śā·ʿîr (שָׂעִיר) (saw-eer´), “shaggy.”
The noun ṣā·p̄îr means “male goat, he-goat” and the adjective śā·ʿîr means “hairy, shaggy” since it pertains to having more hair than is normal for a particular kind.
The word refers to a male-goat and is a synonym for the noun ʿēz, which means “goat” and appears in Daniel 8:8 with the noun ṣā·p̄îr.
“The kingdom” is the noun mě∙lěḵ which means “kingdom” and the construct state of the word means that the kingdom is identified as being Greece.
The proper name name yā·wān (יָוָן) (yaw-vawn´) means “Greece” referring to those individuals who are descendants of the Javans who were descendants of Noah’s son, Japheth according to the table of nations (cf. Genesis 10:2, 4; 1 Chronicles 1:5, 7).
The word “Javan” means “one in a state of bubbling heat.”
The proper name yā·wān refers specifically to the Asiatic Ionians of the coast of Caria and Lydia whose cities were important commercial emporiums two centuries before those of the Peloponnesus.
This name came to designate ethnic Greeks on both sides of the Aegean Sea.
In fact, by the time of Daniel in the sixth century B.C., the term was used to designate the kingdom coming after the Persians, namely that of Alexander the Great.
“The large horn” is composed of the noun qě·rěn (קֶרֶן) (keh´-ren), “the horn” and 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, which was the case in verse 8.
As was the case in verse 8, the adjective gā·ḏôl here in verse 21 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.
Daniel 8:21 “Also, the male-goat, the shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece. In addition, the unusual horn which was between its eyes represents the first king.” (My translation)
The elect angel Gabriel interprets the male-goat with the conspicuous, unusual horn between its eyes as representing the kingdom of Greece.
Therefore, this shaggy male goat corresponds to the third beast in Daniel’s vision in chapter seven, which also corresponds to the bronze belly and thighs of Nebuchadnezzar’s image in Daniel chapter two.
As we noted in our study of the third beast in chapter seven, the leopard perfectly characterized the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great since this animal was noted for its speed and cunning in attacking its prey, which characterized Alexander the Great’s conquests that were without precedent in the ancient world.
In Daniel 2:39, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that after his kingdom there will arise another kingdom which will be inferior to his kingdom.
Since Daniel told the king at the end of Daniel 2:38 that he was the head of gold of the statue in his dream, this second kingdom is represented by the silver arms and chest of the statue.
History records that this part of the statue represented the Medo-Persian Empire.
In the second statement that appears in Daniel 2:39, Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that after the second empire, there will be a third kingdom of bronze, which will rule the earth.
This description makes clear that the second empire is represented by the silver arms and chest of the statue and that the third empire is represented by the bronze belly and thighs of the statue.
The bronze belly and thighs of the statue represent Alexander the Great’s Greek Empire since history records that this empire conquered Medo-Persia between 334 and 330 B.C. and absorbed it into its empire.
This is portrayed in Daniel chapter 8.
Since the metals of the statue in Daniel chapter two decreased in value but increased in strength, the bronze belly and thighs of the statue indicate that the character of authority in rulership of Alexander’s Greece was inferior to Media-Persia and Babylon and yet superior to Rome, which is the fourth kingdom.
However, its power or strength was superior to Media-Persia and Babylon and inferior only to Rome.
In Daniel 8:21, Gabriel also informs Daniel that the unusual, conspicuous horn between the eyes of the shaggy male goat refers to the first king of the kingdom of Greece.
The Hebrew expresses the distinctiveness and uniqueness of this first king of Greece.
The unusual, conspicuous horn of this male-goat 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.
When Daniel received this vision of the male-goat with the conspicuous horn between its eyes, he was living in the sixth century B.C.
God was prophesying through the vision that the Greek Empire would become a super power overthrowing the Medo-Persian Empire.
In the sixth century B.C., Greece was an insignificant nation or small group of tribes loosely connected to each other.
Therefore, this teaches us that God is sovereign and omnipotent in the sense that He can bring to pass anything He desires.
This teaches that God’s Word is powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and is watching over His Word to perform it according to Jeremiah 1:12.
The application for us here in the church age is that if God’s Word is powerful enough to raise up an insignificant nation and make it a superpower and world-wide empire as was the case with Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece, His Word is certainly able to handle all of our problems and adversities in life.
Therefore, a comparison Daniel 8:5-6 with Daniel 8:21 reveals that in the sixth century B.C. in symbolic language God was informing Daniel through Gabriel that the Greek Empire, which at the time was an insignificant nation, would rise to superpower status and become a world-wide empire, defeating the Persians.
God was also symbolically predicting centuries before he came to world prominence, that Alexander the Great would conquer the Persian Empire and subjugate the world to himself at a very young age.
Again, the application for us here in the church age in the twenty first century is that God is not only sovereign over the nations raising up insignificant nations and tribes to superpower status and world-wide empires but he also judges world-wide empires handing them over to other nations (cf. Daniel 2:21; Isaiah 40:15, 17).
Daniel 8:5-6 and 21 also teaches us that God’s Word is omnipotent in the sense that He can bring to pass whatever He says, which should encourage us and compel us to exercise faith in God’s Word and obey His Word in order to solve our problems in life and deal with our adversities.
It teaches us that God controls history and circumstances since He is responsible for nations rising and falling and since this is the case, we should be content with our circumstances since God put us in our circumstances in order to glorify Him and fulfill His purpose.
It also instructs us with regards to another very important eternal spiritual principle, namely that nothing that happens in history or what happens today or will happen in the future is an accident but has been ordained by God from eternity past.
Life is not a haphazard set of circumstances governed by fate as the heathen believe, but life is totally controlled by God to eventually bring glory to Him and blessing to His people.
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.
History records the fulfillment of these prophecies of concerning Greece and Alexander the Great.
This 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)
All these passages along with Daniel chapter eight teach us here in the church age that we should place our trust in God and in particular His Word and never man and his viewpoint.