Daniel 8:16
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. | And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.” | And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel has seen the vision of the ram and the he goat and is seeking its meaning. A man's voice from between the banks of the Ulai tells Gabriel to make Daniel understand it. Gabriel then comes near and explains the vision, naming the ram and the goat. Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21
SpeakingA man's voice calls from between the banks of the Ulai. The text does not name the speaker, but he gives an order to Gabriel. Daniel 8:16Strong's H0120G
ToThe command is spoken to Gabriel, the angel later sent to Zacharias and to Mary. Daniel hears it. Daniel 8:16Strong's H1403Luke 1:19Luke 1:26
Also involvedDaniel, called "this man," is the one who is to be made to understand the vision. Daniel 8:16Strong's H1975Daniel 8:17
A heavenly voice commands Gabriel to explain the vision to Daniel. Gabriel comes near, Daniel falls on his face in fear, and Gabriel tells him the vision is for the time of the end. He then names the ram as the kings of Media and Persia and the goat as the king of Grecia. Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:18Daniel 8:19Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21
In the vision Daniel was at Shushan in the province of Elam, by the river Ulai. The voice came from between the river's banks. Daniel 8:2Daniel 8:16UlaiStrong's H0195
The eventsThe vision came in the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylon. Daniel 8:1
WrittenTraditional: written by Daniel in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, under Antiochus IV, while others hold the traditional date. Daniel overview
HereDaniel had seen the vision and sought its meaning. God answers that search by sending Gabriel to explain it. Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:19
In the whole of ScriptureA theme of Daniel is that God reveals secrets to those who seek him. This verse shows that the meaning of the vision comes from heaven, given through a messenger God sends. Daniel overviewDaniel 8:15Daniel 8:16
For readersScripture calls angels ministering spirits sent to serve the heirs of salvation, and here Gabriel is sent to give Daniel understanding. The verse shows that the understanding of God's vision is something God gives. Hebrews 1:14Daniel 8:16Daniel overview
Christians read this differently
The text does not say whose voice this is, and no cited Scripture names him. Some link him to the man clothed in linen who stands over the river's waters in Daniel 12:7. Others take him to be another heavenly being, like the holy ones speaking in 8:13. Daniel 8:16Daniel 12:5Daniel 12:7Daniel 8:13
- Gabrielגַּבְרִיאֵל
The name is glossed "warrior of God" or "man of God." The same messenger is sent to Zacharias and to Mary, where he says he stands in the presence of God. Strong's H1403Luke 1:19Luke 1:26
- make to understandבִּין
In this form the word means to cause to understand or to teach. It answers Daniel's search for the meaning in 8:15, and Gabriel opens with "Understand" in 8:17. Strong's H0995Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:17
- visionמַרְאֶה
The word means sight, appearance, or a supernatural vision. Here it is what Daniel saw: the ram, the goat and the little horn. Strong's H4758Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:5Daniel 8:9
Takeaway
When Daniel sought the meaning of what he saw, heaven itself ordered that he be taught. Scripture's own explanation in verses 20-21 names the ram as the kings of Media and Persia and the goat as the king of Grecia. Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21
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
Behind this verse
- Shushan (Susa): By the river of Ulai
- Daniel was "by the river of Ulai" in the vision and heard a voice "between the banks of Ulai." The Ulai was a watercourse beside Shushan. Daniel 8:2Daniel 8:16
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.
Where
- Ulai riverMapAbout this place
Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and I heard | וָאֶשְׁמַ֥ע | va-'esh-MA' | H8085G | to hear: hearשָׁמַע (sha.ma) : hear v 1) to hear, listen to, obey 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to hear (perceive by ear) 1a2) to hear of or concerning 1a3) to hear (have power to hear) 1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to 1a5) to understand (language) 1a6) to hear (of judicial cases) 1a7) to listen, give heed 1a7a) to consent, agree 1a7b) to grant request 1a8) to listen to, yield to 1a9) to obey, be obedient 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound) 1b2) to be heard of 1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed 1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound … |
| [the] voice of | קוֹל־ | kol- | H6963A | voiceקוֹל (qol) : voice/shout/loud 1) voice, sound, noise 1a) voice 1b) sound (of instrument) |
| a person | אָדָ֖ם | 'a-DAM | H0120G | manאָדָם (a.dam) 1) man, mankind 1a) man, human being 1b) man, mankind (much more frequently intended sense in OT) 1c) Adam, first man 1d) city in Jordan valley |
| between | בֵּ֣ין | bein | H0996G | betweenבַּ֫יִן (ba.yin) : between between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between |
| Ulai | אוּלָ֑י | 'u-LAI | H0195 | Ulaiאוּלַי (u.lay) § Ulai = "my leaders (mighties)" river of Elam |
| and he called | וַיִּקְרָא֙ | vai-yik-RA' | H7121H | to call: call toקָרָא (qa.ra) : call_to/invite/entreat 1) to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to call, cry, utter a loud sound 1a2) to call unto, cry (for help), call (with name of God) 1a3) to proclaim 1a4) to read aloud, read (to oneself), read 1a5) to summon, invite, call for, call and commission, appoint, call and endow 1a6) to call, name, give name to, call by 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to call oneself 1b2) to be called, be proclaimed, be read aloud, be summoned, be named 1c) (Pual) to be called, be named, be called out, be chosen |
| and he said | וַיֹּאמַ֔ר | vai-yo-MAR | H0559 | to sayאָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560) |
| O Gabriel | גַּבְרִיאֵ֕ל | gav-ri-'EL | H1403 | Gabrielגַּבְרִיאֵל (gav.ri.el) Gabriel = "warrior of God" or "man of God" an archangel; the angel God used to send messages of great importance to man; sent to Daniel, to Zacharias, and to Mary Also named: Gabriēl (Γαβριήλ "Gabriel" G1043) |
| explain | הָבֵ֥ן | ha-VEN | H0995 | to understandבִּין (bin) 1) to discern, understand, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to perceive, discern 1a2) to understand, know (with the mind) 1a3) to observe, mark, give heed to, distinguish, consider 1a4) to have discernment, insight, understanding 1b) (Niphal) to be discerning, intelligent, discreet, have understanding 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to understand 1c2) to cause to understand, give understanding, teach 1d) (Hithpolel) to show oneself discerning or attentive, consider diligently 1e) (Polel) to teach, instruct 2) (TWOT) prudent, regard |
| to this [one] | לְהַלָּ֖ז | le-ha-LAZ | H1975 | thisהַלָּז (hal.laz) this, this one (without subst), yonder |
| the vision | הַמַּרְאֶֽה׃ | ha-mar-'EH | H4758 | appearanceמַרְאֶה (mar.eh) 1) sight, appearance, vision 1a) sight, phenomenon, spectacle, appearance, vision 1b) what is seen 1c) a vision (supernatural) 1d) sight, vision (power of seeing) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.