Daniel 8:1-2 (TS2009) In the third year of the reign of Belshatstsar the sovereign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that appeared to me the first time. And I looked in the vision, and it came to be while I was looking, that I was in the citadel of Shushan, which is in the province of Eylam. And I looked in the vision, and I was by the River Ulai.

In this vision Daniel was taken to Susa, an important Persian city and the capital of Elam (Esther 1:2), shortly before the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The location borders between the Assyrian and Babylonian empires and Media and Persia or the Medo-Persian Empire. Belshazzar was the son and crown prince of Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. In the year 539 BC it would be conquered by Cyrus the Great of the Medo-Persian Empire.

Daniel 8:3-4 (TS2009) And I lifted my eyes and looked and saw a ram standing beside the river, and it had two horns, and the two horns were high. And the one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward, so that no beast could stand before him, and there was no one to deliver from his hand, while he did as he pleased and became great.

Daniel 8:20 (TS2009) The ram which you saw, having two horns, are the sovereigns of Media and Persia.

The ram from the east represents the Achaemenid or Medo-Persian Empire which lasted roughly from 550 BC to 330 BC. Its most powerful king was Cyrus the Great. One horn was higher than the other which signifies that the king of Persia was more powerful than the king of Media. The Median Empire was followed by the more powerful Persian Empire. A horn represents a king or a lineage of kings within the kingdom or empire.

Daniel 8:5-8 (TS2009) And I was observing and saw a male goat came from the west, over the surface of all the earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him in the rage of his power. And I saw him come close to the ram, and he became embittered against him, and struck the ram, and broke his two horns. And there was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he threw him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one to deliver the ram from his hand. And the male goat became very great. But when he was strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four conspicuous ones came up toward the four winds of the heavens.

Daniel 8:21-22 (TS2009) And the male goat is the sovereign of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first sovereign. And that it was broken and four stood up in its place: are four rulerships arising out of that nation, but not in its power.

The goat from the west represents the Greek Empire which began in 336 BC and its first and foremost ruler was Alexander the Great who conquered the Medo-Persian Empire. He came from the west over the surface of all the earth. Here we see that the phrase all the earth means all the earth under control of the Medo-Persian Empire at that time, and specifically all the earth inhabited by God's people, not necessarily the whole world. The prophecy says that it came from the west without touching the ground which signifies the speed with which Alexander conquered large parts of the world. The four rulers after Alexander's death were his generals Ptolemy, Seleucus, Cassander, and Lysimachus. They were not Alexander's descendants by blood, but they were his generals. The Ptolemaic Kingdom was based in Egypt, south of Israel. The Seleucid Empire was based in West Asia, north of Israel. Both these empires influenced Israel and they are called the Kings of the North and South which fought many wars against each other.

Daniel 8:9-12 (TS2009) And from one of them came a little horn which became exceedingly great toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the Splendid Land. And it became great, up to the host of the heavens. And it caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and trampled them down. It even exalted itself as high as the Prince of the host. And it took that which is continual away from Him, and threw down the foundation of His set-apart place. And because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose that which is continual. And it threw the truth down to the ground, and it acted and prospered.

Daniel 8:23-25 (TS2009) And in the latter time of their rule, when the transgressors have filled up their measure, a sovereign, fierce of face and skilled at intrigues, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power, and he shall destroy incredibly, and shall prosper and thrive, and destroy mighty men, and the set-apart people. And through his skill he shall make deceit prosper in his hand, and hold himself to be great in his heart, and destroy many who are at ease, and even stand against the Prince of princes — yet without hand he shall be broken.

The period of the Israelites under the Greek Empire saw a growing influence of pagan Greek religion and a struggle between traditional Judaism and Hellenistic Judaism. The Greek empire that became great toward the south, east and Israel, was the Seleucid Empire. The Seleucids, like the Ptolemies before them, held a suzerainty over Judea, where they respected Jewish culture and protected Jewish institutions. That changed with one of their kings. The Seleucid king who became exceedingly powerful is Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He was Seleucid king from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. His name stands for "God Manifest" and he is known for the bloody persecution and killing of Jews which led to the Maccabean Revolt. According to the Books of the Maccabees he outlawed Jewish religious rites and traditions and ordered the worship of the Greek pagan god Zeus. Judas Maccabeus was from a family of priests and led the revolt.

The phrase but not by his own power indicates that God gave power to Antiochus to punish the Israelites for turning their backs on God over and over again.
The phrase in the latter time of their rule can be explained by the given that the Roman Republic had already become the leading power in the region. This is evidenced by the fact that Roman embassador Gaius Popillius Laenas ordered Antiochus to withdraw from Egypt in 168 BC, which he did. This clearly shows that the Greek Empire was already in decline. See also Kings of the North and South.
That he stood against the Prince of princes may be explained by the fact that he did not allow the Jewish high priest in the temple and replaced him with a pagan Hellenistic priest.
Without hand he shall be broken could indicate that he died because of a disease or by the divine will of God, not by human hand. Historians are not sure how he died.

Daniel 8:13 (TS2009) Then I heard a certain set-apart one speaking. And another set-apart one said to that certain one who was speaking, “Till when is the vision, concerning that which is continual, and the transgression that lays waste, to make both the set-apart place and the host to be trampled under foot?”

Verse 12 reads: And because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose that which is continual. So the transgression that lays waste is about the transgression of God's law by the Israelites, followed by God's punishment by giving the little horn an army to persecute the transgressors.


That which is continual refers to the Old Testament burnt offering or sacrifice which foreshadows the Messiah who gave His life for the sins of the world (Ephesians 5:2). Interestingly, the Medo-Persian Empire is symbolized by a ram and the Greek Empire by a goat. Concerning the burnt offering, the ram offering symbolized submission to God's will. This is also made clear with God's ultimate test of Abraham to offer his son Isaac, where God provides a ram to be offered instead of Isaac. The male goat is sacrificed as a sin offering.

Daniel 8:14 (TS2009) And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred nights [Lit. evening-morning.], then that which is set-apart shall be made right.

Note that TS2009 uses the word nights, but it added a footnote stating: Lit. evening-morning. The more accurate translation is evenings [and] morning as in the Hebrew Interlinear. Note that the Hebrew Interlinear puts "and" between brackets, meaning that this word was added by the translators. The burnt offerings were given twice a day, one in the evening and one in the morning (Exodus 29:39, Numbers 28:4, 2 Chronicles 13:11). Verse 26 also confirms this. The question is whether the period of 2,300 evenings-mornings is supposed to mean 2,300 days or 2,300 burnt offerings. 2,300 burnt offerings equals 1,150 days which equals a period little over 3 years.

In 167 BC the temple was desecrated by Antiochus. Judas Maccabeus led the Maccabean Revolt from 167 BC to 160 BC. By 164 BC the Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem and rededicated the temple. The festival of Hanukkah was instituted to celebrate this event. So the historical period that the temple was desecrated lasted 3 years.

Daniel 8:15-19 (TS2009) And it came to be, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought understanding, and see, before me stood one having the appearance of a mighty man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” He then came near where I stood. And when he came I feared and I fell on my face, but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, for the vision is for the time of the end.” And, as he was speaking with me, I fell stunned upon my face to the ground, but he touched me, and made me stand up straight, and said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall take place in the latter time of the wrath, for at the appointed time shall be the end.

The messenger of God uses the terminology the time of the end. From the perspective of the Old Testament people it usually refers to the time before the first coming of the Messiah or His second coming in the great day of the wrath of God. But I believe that in this content it is clear that it is about the timing of the end of the desecration of the temple. Until the Messiah the temple was physical and the Mosaic law was to be upheld. The desecration of the temple from 167 BC to 164 BC is a major event in the history of God's people.