Daniel 8:20
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. | The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. | The ram which thou sawest, that had the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel has seen a ram with two horns that pushed west, north and south until no beast could stand before it (8:3-4). Gabriel is told to make him understand the vision (8:16), and this verse is the first piece of that explanation: the two-horned ram stands for the kings of Media and Persia. The next verse names the he goat that breaks the ram as the king of Grecia (8:21). Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:4Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21
SpeakingGabriel, the one a man's voice at the Ulai told to make Daniel understand the vision (8:16-17). Daniel records his words in the first person. Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:17Daniel overview
ToDaniel, who had seen the vision and sought its meaning (8:15). Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:20
Also involvedThe kings of Media and Persia, pictured by the ram and its two horns. Their power is broken by the king of Grecia, the he goat (8:7, 8:21). Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:7Daniel 8:21
The verse plainly interprets a symbol: the ram with two horns means the kings of Media and Persia. Its pushing in three directions (8:4) pictures their growing power, and its defeat by the goat (8:6-7) pictures their fall to the king of Grecia (8:21). The verse itself does not say which of the two horns is Media and which is Persia. Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:4Daniel 8:6Daniel 8:7Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:3
In the vision Daniel was at Shushan in the palace, in the province of Elam, by the river Ulai (8:2). Media lay northwest of Persia proper, south and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Daniel 8:2Strong's H4074HMediaPersia
The eventsDaniel saw the vision in the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylon (8:1), before Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in one night (5:30-31). Daniel went on serving in the royal court into the reign of Cyrus. In a later vision the heavenly messenger speaks of the first year of Darius the Mede and foretells more kings in Persia (11:1-2). Daniel 8:1Daniel overviewDaniel 11:1Daniel 11:2
WrittenTraditional view: written by Daniel in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, though others keep the traditional date. Daniel overview
HereDaniel sought the meaning of the vision, and a man's voice told Gabriel to make him understand it (8:15-16). This verse begins that explanation, so the reader does not have to guess who the ram is. Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:20
In the whole of ScriptureThe book teaches that God sets up and removes kings and rules the kingdoms of men (2:21, 4:17). Here a great power that no beast could stand before (8:4) is shown in advance to be broken by another (8:7, 8:21), and the later king of fierce countenance will also be broken without hand (8:25). Daniel overviewDaniel 8:4Daniel 8:7Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:25
For readersThis verse shows Scripture interpreting its own symbols: the ram is named, not left to speculation. Readers should let the explanation given in the passage (8:20-22) govern how the vision is read. Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:22
- [the] possessor ofבַּעַל
This word means owner or master, and it can describe someone by what characterizes them. The ram is literally 'the possessor of the two horns', and Gabriel names that ram as the kings of Media and Persia. Strong's H1167JDaniel 8:20
- the two hornsקֶ֫רֶן
Besides a literal horn, the word is used figuratively for strength. In this chapter horns stand for kings, as Gabriel also says of the goat's great horn in the next verse (8:21-22). Strong's H7161ADaniel 8:21Daniel 8:22
- [is] [the] kings ofמֶ֫לֶךְ
The word simply means king, and here it is plural: the ram stands for the kings of Media and Persia, not one man. Compare 11:2, which speaks of several kings standing up in Persia. Strong's H4428GDaniel 8:20Daniel 11:2
Takeaway
Gabriel explained the vision to Daniel: the two-horned ram is the kings of Media and Persia. A power that no beast could stand before (8:4) was shown beforehand to be broken by the king of Grecia (8:7, 8:21), in a book that teaches God sets up and removes kings (2:21). Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:4Daniel 8:7Daniel 8:21Daniel overview
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.
Where
- Media regionMapAbout this place
- Persia regionMapAbout 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the ram | הָאַ֥יִל | ha-'A-yil | H0352A | ramאַ֫יִל (a.yil) 1) ram 1a) ram (as food) 1b) ram (as sacrifice) 1c) ram (skin dyed red, for tabernacle) |
| which | אֲשֶׁר־ | 'a-SHER- | H0834A | whichאֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when |
| you saw | רָאִ֖יתָ | ra-'I-ta | H7200G | to see: seeרָאָה (ra.ah) : see/show 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to see 1a2) to see, perceive 1a3) to see, have vision 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish 1a6) to look at, gaze at 1a7) to provide, choose 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to appear, present oneself 1b2) to be seen 1b3) to be visible 1c) (Pual) to be seen 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to see, show 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at 1e) (Hophal) … |
| [the] possessor of | בַּ֣עַל | BA-'al | H1167J | masterבַּעַל (ba.al) : master/leader 1) owner, husband, lord 1a) owner 1b) a husband 1c) citizens, inhabitants 1d) rulers, lords 1e) (noun of relationship used to characterise-ie, master of dreams) |
| the two horns | הַקְּרָנָ֑יִם | ha-ke-ra-NA-yim | H7161A | hornקֶ֫רֶן (qe.ren) 1) horn 1a) horn 1b) of strength (fig) 1c) flask (container for oil) 1d) horn (as musical instrument) 1e) horn (of horn-like projections on the altar) 1f) of rays of light 1g) hill Aramaic equivalent: qe.ren (קֶ֫רֶן "horn" H7162) |
| [is] [the] kings of | מַלְכֵ֖י | mal-KHEI | H4428G | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430) |
| Media | מָדַ֥י | ma-DAI | H4074H | Mediaמָדַי (ma.day) § Media = "middle land" Land inhabited by the descendants of Japheth; located northwest of Persia proper, south and southwest of the Caspian Sea, east of Armenia and Assyria, and west and northwest of the great salt desert of Iram |
| and Persia | וּפָרָֽס׃ | u-fa-RAS | H6539 | Persiaאֲפָֽרְסָיֵא (a.pha.re.say) Persia or Apharsite = "causers of division (?)" (CLBL) an unknown office (TWOT) perhaps a title of an official Another spelling of pa.ras (פָּרַס "Persia" H6539) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.