Daniel 8:10
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. | It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them. | And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedIn Daniel's vision, a little horn grows out of one of the four horns of the he goat and becomes great, reaching even to the host of heaven. It throws some of that host and of the stars to the ground and tramples them. Gabriel's explanation then speaks of a fierce king, rising in the latter time of those four kingdoms, who 'shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.' Daniel 8:9Daniel 8:10Daniel 8:22Daniel 8:23Daniel 8:24
SpeakingDaniel tells the vision in the first person. The angel Gabriel is then sent to explain it to him. Daniel 8:1Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:16Daniel overview
ToThe book is written for God's people in exile and after it. Daniel is told to shut up the vision, 'for it shall be for many days.' Daniel overviewDaniel 8:26
Also involvedThe 'host' and 'stars' are cast down and trampled. Gabriel's explanation says this king will 'destroy the mighty and the holy people,' and one saint asks how long 'the sanctuary and the host' will be 'trodden under foot.' Daniel 8:10Daniel 8:13Daniel 8:24
The horn's growth goes beyond its conquests toward the south, the east and the pleasant land, up to the host of heaven. It then attacks the host. In the next verse it magnifies itself 'even to the prince of the host,' takes away the daily sacrifice and casts down the sanctuary. The stamping repeats what the goat did to the ram, and what the fourth beast did in Daniel 7. Daniel 8:9Daniel 8:10Daniel 8:11Daniel 8:12Daniel 8:7Daniel 7:7
In the vision Daniel was at Shushan in the province of Elam, by the river Ulai. The little horn grows toward the south, the east and 'the pleasant land.' Daniel 8:2Daniel 8:9
The eventsDaniel saw the vision in the third year of King Belshazzar. The events it shows come 'in the latter time' of the four kingdoms that rise after the first king of Grecia is broken. Daniel 8:1Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:22Daniel 8:23
WrittenTraditional: written by Daniel in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, under the Greek king Antiochus IV, while others hold to the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereThe verse shows how far the horn's pride and violence would reach: up to the host of heaven, and in the next verse against the sanctuary. Yet the vision sets limits: it casts down only 'some' of the host, its time is fixed at 2300 days, and the king 'shall be broken without hand.' Daniel 8:10Daniel 8:11Daniel 8:14Daniel 8:25Strong's H4480A
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel shows that the most High rules in the kingdom of men. A ruler who exalts himself toward heaven is brought down: this king is 'broken without hand.' The same proud boast appears in Isaiah 14:13 ('I will exalt my throne above the stars of God') and in the king of Daniel 11:36 who magnifies himself above every god yet prospers only 'till the indignation be accomplished.' Daniel overviewDaniel 8:25Isaiah 14:13Daniel 11:36
For readersGod's people are warned that some of them will fall under such a ruler. Daniel 11:33 says the same: 'they shall fall by the sword.' But the attack has an appointed end: 'at the time appointed the end shall be.' Daniel 11:33Daniel 8:19Daniel 8:24
Christians read this differently
Gabriel says the horn is a king who rises in the latter time of the four kingdoms that follow Grecia's first king, but the text does not name him. Some Christians read him as one historical ruler from those Greek kingdoms. Others, pointing to 'the time of the end' in 8:17 and 8:19 and to the self-exalting king of 11:36, see the vision reaching to a final end-time ruler, and many hold that the historical king foreshadows that later one. Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:19Daniel 8:22Daniel 8:23Daniel 11:36
- hostצָבָא
The word means an army or host. It is used of an organised army, of angels, and of the sun, moon and stars. In this chapter the host that is trodden down is paired with the sanctuary, and Gabriel's explanation speaks of 'the holy people.' Strong's H6635ADaniel 8:13Daniel 8:24
- cast downנָפַל
Here it means 'it made fall': to cause to fall, throw down or overthrow. The same action runs through the passage: the sanctuary is 'cast down' (8:11) and the truth is cast 'to the ground' (8:12). Strong's H5307GDaniel 8:11Daniel 8:12
- stamped uponרָמַס
The word means to trample. It links the horn to the goat that stamped on the ram (8:7). It also matches the host being 'trodden under foot' in 8:13. Strong's H7429Daniel 8:7Daniel 8:13
- some ofמִן־
Here the word is used partitively, meaning 'some of.' The horn throws down part of the host and stars, not all of them. Strong's H4480ADaniel 8:10
Takeaway
Even a ruler who seems to reach up to heaven and tramples the host has a limit God has set. The vision ends with him 'broken without hand.' Daniel 8:10Daniel 8:14Daniel 8:25
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
The world around the text
About 605-536 BC. King of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Where Daniel lived and served for about seventy years. The capital of the Babylonian empire, on the Euphrates south of modern Baghdad, in the land the Bible calls Shinar and Chaldea.
Who ruled
- King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar605-562 BC
The king who besieged Jerusalem, carried Daniel and the temple vessels to Babylon, and later destroyed the city and temple. His own building inscriptions boast of the Babylon he built. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 24:12 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 25:1Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- Last king of Babylon, and his son who ruled in his placeNabonidus and Belshazzar556-539 BC
Nabonidus spent about ten years at the oasis of Tema in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar to rule in Babylon. That is why Belshazzar could only offer Daniel the place of "third ruler in the kingdom": he was himself second. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:29Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Verse Account of Nabonidus
- Received the kingdom after Babylon fellDarius the MedianFrom 539 BC
Daniel says he "took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" and set 120 princes over it. Records outside the Bible do not name him; he has been identified with Gubaru, the governor Cyrus set over Babylon, or with Cyrus himself. Daniel 5:31Daniel 6:1Daniel 9:1Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)
- King of PersiaCyrus559-530 BC
He united the Medes and Persians, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the exiles go home to rebuild the temple, as Isaiah had named him beforehand. Daniel 1:21Daniel 6:28Daniel 10:1Ezra 1:1-4Isaiah 44:28-45:1Cyrus Cylinder
- King of JudahJehoiakim609-598 BC
Judah's king when Daniel was taken. Jeremiah warned him and his people that the land would serve Babylon seventy years. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 23:36-24:6Jeremiah 25:1-11
What was happening, 612 BC to 167 BC
- 612 BCWarNineveh falls
Babylon and the Medes destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, as Nahum and Zephaniah had foretold. Babylon became the great power of the region. Nahum 3:7Zephaniah 2:13Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)
- 605 BCWarBattle of Carchemish
Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Carchemish on the Euphrates, in Jehoiakim's fourth year. The same year he came against Jerusalem and took the first captives, Daniel among them. Jeremiah 46:2Daniel 1:1-4Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 597 BCWarJerusalem surrenders
Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his nobles and craftsmen to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel went into exile with them. 2 Kings 24:10-17Ezekiel 1:2Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 586 BCWarJerusalem and the temple destroyed
Babylon's army burned the temple and the city and broke down its walls. Daniel later prays over "the desolations of Jerusalem" and asks God to shine on his "sanctuary that is desolate." 2 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 52:12-14Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:17
- c. 575 BCBuildingBabylon rebuilt in splendor
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon with great walls, palaces and the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate, and his inscriptions praise his own work. Compare his boast: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" Daniel 4:30Nebuchadnezzar's East India House InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 1.178-183
- 562 BCRulersNebuchadnezzar dies
His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34
- c. 553-543 BCRulersNabonidus leaves Babylon to Belshazzar
King Nabonidus stayed at Tema in Arabia for about ten years, and the yearly New Year festival in Babylon was not held. Belshazzar governed in Babylon. Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Daniel 5:1Daniel 7:1
- 550 BCWarCyrus unites the Medes and Persians
Cyrus of Persia defeated Astyages king of the Medes, joining the two peoples in one kingdom. Daniel's vision names the ram's two horns as "the kings of Media and Persia," the higher coming up last. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:20Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.127-130
- October 539 BCWarBabylon falls to Cyrus
Cyrus's army entered Babylon without a long siege. Herodotus says the people were feasting when the city was taken. Daniel records that "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.191Cyrus Cylinder
- 538 BCGod's peopleCyrus lets the exiles return
In his first year over Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed that the Jews could go back and build the LORD's house in Jerusalem. Daniel "continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Daniel 1:21Cyrus Cylinder
- c. 536 BCGod's peopleThe temple's foundation is laid
The returned exiles rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple. In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel was still in the east, mourning and praying. Ezra 3:1-11Daniel 10:1-3
- 334-331 BCWarAlexander the Great conquers Persia
Alexander of Macedon crossed into Asia and overthrew the Persian empire within four years. Daniel 8:21 names the rough goat as "the king of Grecia" and its great horn as "the first king." Daniel 8:5-8Daniel 8:21Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 1-3
- 323-301 BCWarAlexander's empire is divided
Alexander died young, and after twenty years of war his generals divided his empire, chiefly into four kingdoms. Daniel 8:22 says "four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Diodorus Siculus, Library 18-20Plutarch, Demetrius 28-30
- 167 BCWarAntiochus IV defiles the temple
The Greek king Antiochus IV banned Jewish worship and set up a pagan altar on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Maccabees calls it "the abomination of desolation." Two centuries later Jesus spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as still to come. 1 Maccabees 1:54-59Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4Matthew 24:15
The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records of these years (the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Diodorus, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and it became great | וַתִּגְדַּ֖ל | va-tig-DAL | H1431 | to magnifyגָּדַל (ga.dal) 1) to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to grow up 1a2) to become great 1a3) to be magnified 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to cause to grow 1b2) to make great, powerful 1b3) to magnify 1c) (Pual) to be brought up 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to make great 1d2) to magnify 1d3) to do great things 1e) (Hithpael) to magnify oneself |
| to | עַד־ | 'ad- | H5704 | tillעַד (ad) prep 1) as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as 1a) of space 1a1) as far as, up to, even to 1b) in combination 1b1) from...as far as, both...and (with 'min' -from) 1c) of time 1c1) even to, until, unto, till, during, end 1d) of degree 1d1) even to, to the degree of, even like conj 2) until, while, to the point that, so that even Aramaic equivalent: ad (עַד "till" H5705) |
| [the] host of | צְבָ֣א | tze-VA' | H6635A | armyצָבָא (tsa.va) : army 1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host 1a) army, host 1a1) host (of organised army) 1a2) host (of angels) 1a3) of sun, moon, and stars 1a4) of whole creation 1b) war, warfare, service, go out to war 1c) service |
| the heavens | הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם | ha-sha-MA-yim | H8064 | heavenשָׁמַיִם (sha.ma.yim) 1) heaven, heavens, sky 1a) visible heavens, sky 1a1) as abode of the stars 1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc 1b) Heaven (as the abode of God) Aramaic equivalent: sha.ma.yin (שָׁמַ֫יִן "heaven" H8065) |
| and it made fall | וַתַּפֵּ֥ל | va-ta-PEL | H5307G | to fall: fallנָפַל (na.phal) : fall/drop/fail 1) to fall, lie, be cast down, fail 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to fall 1a2) to fall (of violent death) 1a3) to fall prostrate, prostrate oneself before 1a4) to fall upon, attack, desert, fall away to, go away to, fall into the hand of 1a5) to fall short, fail, fall out, turn out, result 1a6) to settle, waste away, be offered, be inferior to 1a7) to lie, lie prostrate 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to cause to fall, fell, throw down, knock out, lay prostrate 1b2) to overthrow 1b3) to make the lot fall, assign by lot, apportion by lot 1b4) to let drop, cause to fail (fig.) 1b5) to cause to fall … |
| [the] ground towards | אַ֛רְצָה | 'AR-tzah | H0776H | earth: soilאֲרַע (a.ra) : soil earth, world, ground Aramaic of e.rets (אֶ֫רֶץ ": soil" H0776H) |
| some of | מִן־ | min- | H4480A | fromמִן־ (min) prep 1) from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than 1a) from (expressing separation), off, on the side of 1b) out of 1b1) (with verbs of proceeding, removing, expelling) 1b2) (of material from which something is made) 1b3) (of source or origin) 1c) out of, some of, from (partitively) 1d) from, since, after (of time) 1e) than, more than (in comparison) 1f) from...even to, both...and, either...or 1g) than, more than, too much for (in comparisons) 1h) from, on account of, through, because (with infinitive) conj 2) that … |
| the host | הַצָּבָ֥א | ha-tza-VA' | H6635A | armyצָבָא (tsa.va) : army 1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host 1a) army, host 1a1) host (of organised army) 1a2) host (of angels) 1a3) of sun, moon, and stars 1a4) of whole creation 1b) war, warfare, service, go out to war 1c) service |
| and some of | וּמִן־ | u-min- | H4480A | fromמִן־ (min) prep 1) from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than 1a) from (expressing separation), off, on the side of 1b) out of 1b1) (with verbs of proceeding, removing, expelling) 1b2) (of material from which something is made) 1b3) (of source or origin) 1c) out of, some of, from (partitively) 1d) from, since, after (of time) 1e) than, more than (in comparison) 1f) from...even to, both...and, either...or 1g) than, more than, too much for (in comparisons) 1h) from, on account of, through, because (with infinitive) conj 2) that … |
| the stars | הַכּוֹכָבִ֖ים | ha-ko-kha-VIM | H3556 | starכּוֹכָב (ko.khav) 1) star 1a) of Messiah, brothers, youth, numerous progeny, personification, God's omniscience (fig.) |
| and it trampled them | וַֽתִּרְמְסֵֽם׃ | VA-tir-me-SEM | H7429 | to trampleרָמַס (ra.mas) 1) to trample 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to trample 1a2) trampler (participle) 1b) (Niphal) to be trampled |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.