The Meaning of Daniel 8:5 Explained

Daniel 8:5

KJV: And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

YLT: And I have been considering, and lo, a young he-goat hath come from the west, over the face of the whole earth, whom none is touching in the earth; as to the young he-goat, a conspicuous horn is between its eyes.

Darby: And as I was considering, behold, a he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

ASV: And as I was considering, behold, a he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And as I was considering,  behold, an he  goat  came  from the west  on the face  of the whole earth,  and touched  not the ground:  and the goat  [had] a notable  horn  between his eyes. 

What does Daniel 8:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The text also identifies the male goat-goats are relatives of sheep-in this vision as representing Greece ( Daniel 8:21). History has confirmed the identification. Alexander the Great is clearly the conspicuous horn. Normally goats have two horns, so this goat was unusual. Under Alexander, the Greek armies advanced quickly from the west against Persia.
"Alexander"s conquest of the entire Near and Middle East within three years stands unique in military history and is appropriately portrayed by the lightning speed of this one-horned goat. Despite the immense numerical superiority of the Persian imperial forces and their possession of military equipment like war elephants, the tactical genius of young Alexander, with his disciplined Macedonian phalanx, proved decisive." [1]

Context Summary

Daniel 8:1-14 - God's Sanctuary Dishonored
Shushan was the lily palace. There, by the river Ulai, the prophet beheld in vision the attack which would subsequently be made on the Medo-Persian kingdom by Alexander. The great horn which was broken is, of course, Alexander, and the four notable ones are his four generals, who after his death divided up his conquests. The little horn is referred by many to Antiochus, whose conflict with the Maccabees was one of the most significant in later Jewish history. Others refer it to Mohammed and his followers, who have reigned over the same regions. In this case the little horn would stand for the Eastern apostasy as distinguished from the Western, which is said to be represented by the little horn of the fourth beast, Daniel 7:8. The Books of the Maccabees, included in the Apocrypha, should be studied to understand more clearly what is intended in Daniel 8:11-12. The explanation of these obscure verses is also given in Daniel 8:24-25. Antiochus was obsessed with hatred against the spiritual worship of the Jews, and their refusal to admit his image into the Temple. He stayed their sacrifices, though they were restored for a season, to be finally suspended during the present age. The day for a year system, Daniel 8:14, may refer to the desolations of the Turkish or Ottoman empire, of which Antiochus was the representative. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 8

1  Daniel's vision of the ram and he goat
13  The two thousand three hundred days of the suspension of the daily sacrifice
15  Gabriel comforts Daniel, and interprets the vision

What do the individual words in Daniel 8:5 mean?

And as I was considering and suddenly a male goat goat came from the west across the surface of all the earth and without touching the ground and the goat [had] a horn notable between his eyes
וַאֲנִ֣י ׀ הָיִ֣יתִי מֵבִ֗ין וְהִנֵּ֤ה צְפִיר־ הָֽעִזִּים֙ בָּ֤א מִן־ הַֽמַּעֲרָב֙ עַל־ פְּנֵ֣י כָל־ הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֵ֥ין נוֹגֵ֖עַ בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְהַ֨צָּפִ֔יר קֶ֥רֶן חָז֖וּת בֵּ֥ין עֵינָֽיו

וַאֲנִ֣י ׀  And  as  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
מֵבִ֗ין  considering 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בִּין  
Sense: to discern, understand, consider.
וְהִנֵּ֤ה  and  suddenly 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
צְפִיר־  a  male  goat 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צָפִיר  
Sense: he-goat.
הָֽעִזִּים֙  goat 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: עֵז  
Sense: female goat, she-goat, goat, kid.
בָּ֤א  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַֽמַּעֲרָב֙  the  west 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַעֲרָב  
Sense: setting place, west, westward.
עַל־  across 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
פְּנֵ֣י  the  surface 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
כָל־  of  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְאֵ֥ין  and  without 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
נוֹגֵ֖עַ  touching 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.
בָּאָ֑רֶץ  the  ground 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְהַ֨צָּפִ֔יר  and  the  goat  [had] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צָפִיר  
Sense: he-goat.
קֶ֥רֶן  a  horn 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: קֶרֶן 
Sense: horn.
חָז֖וּת  notable 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חָזוּת  
Sense: vision, conspicuousness.
בֵּ֥ין  between 
Parse: Preposition
Root: בַּיִן 
Sense: between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between.
עֵינָֽיו  his  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, third person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.

What are the major concepts related to Daniel 8:5?

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