Daniel 8:14-24

14 And he said to him, Till to the eventide and morrowtide, two thousand days and three hundred; and the saintuary shall be cleansed. (And he said to him, Until the evening and the morning, two thousand and three hundred days; and then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.)

15 Forsooth it was done, when I, Daniel, saw the vision, and asked the understanding, lo! as the likeness of a man stood in my sight. (And it was done, when I, Daniel, saw the vision, and tried to understand it, lo! someone with the appearance of a man stood before me.)

16 And I heard the voice of a man betwixt (the banks of the) Ulai, and he cried (out), and said, Gabriel, make thou Daniel to understand this vision.

17 And he came, and stood beside where I stood; and when he was come, I dreaded, and fell on my face. And he said to me, Thou, son of man, understand, for the vision shall be [ful]filled in the time of end. (And he came, and stood beside where I stood; and when he came, I was afraid, and fell on my face. And he said to me, O, son of man, understand, for the vision shall be fulfilled at the time of the end.)

18 And when he spake to me, I slid down groveling, either flat to the earth. And he touched me, and setted me in my degree (And he touched me, and set me upright).

19 And he said to me, I shall show to thee what things shall come in the last of cursing, for the time hath his end. (And he said to me, I shall tell thee what things shall come at the end of the cursing, for the time hath its end.)

20 The ram, whom thou sawest have horns, is the king of Medes and of Persians. (The ram, which thou sawest to have two horns, signifieth the kings of Media and of Persia.)

21 Forsooth the buck of goats is the king of Greeks (And the goat buck is the king of Greece); and the great horn that was betwixt his eyes, he is the first king.

22 Forsooth that when that horn was broken, four horns rised for it, four kings shall rise of the folk of him, but not in the strength of him. (And when that horn was broken, and four horns rose up for it, four kings shall rise up out of his nation, but they shall not have power equal to his.)

23 And after the realm of them (And after their kingdoms, or their reign), when wickednesses have increased, a king shall rise (up) unshamefast in face, and understanding propositions, either reasons set forth;

24 and his strength shall be made stalworthy, but not in his [own] strengths. And more than it may be believed, he shall waste all things, and he shall have prosperity, and shall do. And he shall slay strong men, and the people of saints, (and his strength shall be made stalwart, but not by his own power. And more than it can be believed, he shall destroy everything, and he shall prosper, or be successful, in all that he shall do. And he shall kill the strong, and the people of the saints,)

Daniel 8:14-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 8

This chapter contains the vision of a ram and he goat, and the interpretation of it. It begins with observing the time and place of the vision, Da 8:1,2, then describes the ram seen; by the place of his situation; by his two horns; and by his pushing several ways with so much force and fury, that none could stand before him, or deliver: out of his hands, Da 8:3,4 next the he goat appears, and is described by the part from whence he came; the swiftness of his motion; the notable horn between his eyes; and his running to ram in great fury, smiting him between his horns, casting him to the ground, and trampling upon him, and none to deliver, Da 8:5-7 but, after waxing great and powerful, its horn was broken, and four more rose up in its stead, and out of one of them a little horn, Da 8:8,9 which little horn is described by its power and prevalence to the south and to the east, towards the pleasant land, the host of heaven, and the Prince of the host; and by it the stars were cast down and trampled upon, the daily sacrifice made to cease; the place of the sanctuary cast down, and truth itself, Da 8:9-12, and upon inquiry it appeared that these sacred things were to continue in this desolate condition unto 2300 days, Da 8:13,14. Daniel being desirous of knowing the meaning of this vision, the Angel Gabriel is ordered by Christ to give him an understanding of it; who drew near to him, and awaked him out of his sleep, and gave him the interpretation of it; Da 8:15-19, which is as follows; the ram; with two horns, signifies the kings of Media and Persia; the rough goat, the king of Greece; and the great horn the first king, Alexander the great; and the four horns, four kingdoms which rose up out of the Grecian empire upon his death, Da 8:20-22, and the little horn a king of fierce countenance, Antiochus Epiphanes; who is, described by his craft, and cunning, by his power and might, and by the destruction he should make; Da 8:23-25, this vision the angel assures the prophet was true, and bids him shut it up, since it was for many days, Da 8:26, upon which Daniel fainted, and was sick for a time; but afterwards recovered, so as to be able to do the king's business; but astonished at the vision himself, and which was not understood by others, Da 8:27.