In Belshazzar's third year, Daniel sees a vision at Susa of a two-horned ram (Media-Persia) overcome by a swift goat with a great horn (Greece), which breaks into four kingdoms, from which arises a little horn that desecrates the sanctuary. Gabriel explains the vision concerns the time of the end, when a fierce king understanding riddles will destroy many and oppose the Prince of princes but be broken without human hand.
Read Daniel Chapter 8 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
Daniel
Faithful Jewish exile who served in Babylonian and Persian courts
Nebuchadnezzar
Babylonian king who had troubling dreams and eventually acknowledged God
Shadrach
One of Daniel's three friends who survived the fiery furnace
Meshach
One of Daniel's three friends who survived the fiery furnace
Abednego
One of Daniel's three friends who survived the fiery furnace
Places in This Chapter
Persia
View on MapPersia (modern Iran) was a major empire that conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. King Cyrus issued the decree permitting the temple's reconstruction. The books of Esther and Daniel are set partly in the Persian court. Nehemiah served as cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes before returning to rebuild Jerusalem's walls.
Position in Book
Life in ExileChapters 1-6
Apocalyptic VisionsChapters 7-12
Four beasts, ram and goat, seventy weeks, final conflict and resurrection.
Bible Bites
Written in two languages
The book of Daniel switches languages mid-sentence in chapter 2:4, moving from Hebrew to Aramaic and back to Hebrew in chapter 8. The Aramaic section (2:4-7:28) focuses on Gentile kingdoms, while Hebrew sections address Israel specifically.
Daniel 2:4Half History, Half Prophecy
Daniel's 12 chapters divide into two distinct sections: chapters 1-6 contain historical narratives (including the fiery furnace and lions' den), while chapters 7-12 record apocalyptic visions of future kingdoms. Remarkably, chapters 2-7 were written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.
Daniel