Daniel 8:21

21 "And the hairy he-goat [is] the {kingdom} of Greece, and the great horn that [is] between his eyes--he [is] the first king.

Daniel 8:21 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 8:21

And the rough goat is the king of Grecia
Including all the kings of it, from Alexander to the end of the Grecian monarchy; or rather the kingdom of Greece, which began in him, and continued until it was destroyed by the Romans: this was signified by the rough or hairy goat, especially when Alexander was at the head of it, for his strength and prowess, his swiftness in his marches over rocks and mountains, his majesty and grandeur, and also his lust and uncleanness; (See Gill on Daniel 8:5): and the great host that is between his eyes is the first king;
this is Alexander, who, though he was not the first king of Macedon, his father Philip, and others, were kings before him; yet was the first king of the Grecian monarchy, which took place on the Persian monarchy being destroyed by him.

Daniel 8:21 In-Context

19 And he said, "Look, I am making known to you what will happen in the period of wrath, for [it refers] to [the] appointed time of [the] end.

20 "The ram that you saw {who had two horns} [represents] the kings of Media and Persia.

21 "And the hairy he-goat [is] the {kingdom} of Greece, and the great horn that [is] between his eyes--he [is] the first king.

22 And the [horn] [that] was broken, and [then] there arose four [horns] in place of it--[these are] four kingdoms [that] will arise from [his] nation, but not with his power.

23 And at the end of their kingdom, when the transgressions are completed, a king will arise, fierce in countenance and skilled in riddles.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "king"