Daniel 8:21
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. | The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. | And the rough he-goat is the king of Greece: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedIn Daniel's vision a ram with two horns is trampled by a he goat with one great horn (8:3-8). Here the angel Gabriel explains the goat: it stands for the king of Grecia, and its great horn is that kingdom's first king. The next verse says the horn breaks and four kingdoms rise in its place. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:7Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:22
SpeakingThe angel Gabriel is speaking. A voice by the river Ulai told him to make Daniel understand the vision. Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:19
ToDaniel, who had seen the vision and was seeking its meaning. Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:17
Also involvedThe verse is about the king of Grecia and its first king. Later in the chapter the vision reaches the holy people, who suffer under a fierce king who rises from this kingdom. Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:23Daniel 8:24
Gabriel names what two symbols mean. The rough goat is the king of Grecia, and the great horn between its eyes is the first king. Just before, he named the ram as the kings of Media and Persia, so the goat's attack shows Greece overthrowing Media and Persia. Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:5Daniel 8:6Daniel 8:7
In the vision Daniel was at Shushan in the province of Elam, by the river Ulai. The goat came from the west, and the verse names Grecia, a region west of Persia. Daniel 8:2Daniel 8:5Greece
The eventsDaniel saw the vision in the third year of king Belshazzar. Gabriel says it concerns the time appointed and the time of the end, for many days to come. Daniel 8:1Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:19Daniel 8:26
WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote the book in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date its final form to about 167-164 BC, under the Greek king Antiochus IV, while others keep the traditional date. Daniel overview
HereGabriel gives the meaning so Daniel can understand the vision he had been seeking to understand. Scripture itself names the symbols, and the text does not leave them to guesswork. Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:21
In the whole of ScriptureThe book shows that God sets up and removes kings and rules over the kingdoms of men. Daniel 10:20 also foretells that after Persia the prince of Grecia shall come, and Daniel 11:3 speaks of a mighty king who rules with great dominion. Daniel overviewDaniel 10:20Daniel 11:3
For readersReaders can see that empires rise and fall on a course God has foretold. Even the great horn is broken (8:8, 8:22), so no earthly power lasts. Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel overview
- roughשָׂעִיר
The word rendered "rough" means a he-goat or buck, here "the hairy" one. It is the same animal as the he goat of 8:5. Strong's H8163BDaniel 8:5
- Greciaיָוָן
The Hebrew is Javan, meaning Ionia or Greece. The vision names the kingdom plainly and does not leave it hidden. Strong's H3120H
- hornקֶ֫רֶן
Besides a literal horn, the word is used figuratively for strength. That fits a horn standing for a king, as the ram's horns stand for the kings of Media and Persia. Strong's H7161ADaniel 8:20
- firstרִאשׁוֹן
The word means first, former, or chief. The great horn is the first king of Grecia, and the four horns after it are later kingdoms without his power. Strong's H7223GDaniel 8:22
Takeaway
Daniel 8:21 lets Scripture interpret its own symbols. The goat is the king of Grecia, and the great horn is its first king, whom the text does not name. God showed Daniel ahead of time how these kingdoms would rise and fall. Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:22Daniel 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
- Greece 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and the he-goat | וְהַצָּפִ֥יר | ve-ha-tza-FIR | H6842 | male goatצְפִיר (tse.phir) he-goat Aramaic of tsa.phir (צָפִיר "male goat" H6842) |
| the hairy | הַשָּׂעִ֖יר | ha-sa-'IR | H8163B | he-goatשָׂעִיר (sa.ir) 1) he-goat, buck 1a) as sacrificial animal |
| [is] [the] king of | מֶ֣לֶךְ | ME-lekh | H4428G | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430) |
| Greece | יָוָ֑ן | ya-VAN | H3120H | Greeceיָוָן (ya.van) § Javan = "Ionia" or "Greece" 1) Greece, Ionia, Ionians 2) location of descendants of Javan |
| and the horn | וְהַקֶּ֤רֶן | ve-ha-KE-ren | 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) |
| the great | הַגְּדוֹלָה֙ | ha-ge-do-LAH | H1419A | great: largeגָּדוֹל (ga.dol) adj 1) great 1a) large (in magnitude and extent) 1b) in number 1c) in intensity 1d) loud (in sound) 1e) older (in age) 1f) in importance 1f1) important things 1f2) great, distinguished (of men) 1f3) God Himself (of God) subst 1g) great things 1h) haughty things 1i) greatness Also means: ga.dol (גָּדוֹל ": old" H1419K) § Haggedolim = "the great one" (CLBL) Haggedolim, the great man?, father of Zabdiel |
| which | אֲשֶׁ֣ר | '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 |
| [is] between | בֵּין־ | bein- | H0996G | betweenבַּ֫יִן (ba.yin) : between between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between |
| eyes its | עֵינָ֔יו | 'ei-NAV | H5869A | eyeעַ֫יִן (a.yin) : eye 1) eye 1a) eye 1a1) of physical eye 1a2) as showing mental qualities 1a3) of mental and spiritual faculties (fig.) |
| it | ה֖וּא | hu' | H1931 | he/she/itהוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article) |
| [is] the king | הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ | ha-ME-lekh | H4428G | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430) |
| the first | הָרִאשֽׁוֹן׃ | ha-ri-SHON | H7223G | firstרִאשׁוֹן (ri.shon) : first adj 1) first, primary, former 1a) former (of time) 1a1) ancestors 1a2) former things 1b) foremost (of location) 1c) first (in time) 1d) first, chief (in degree) adv 2) first, before, formerly, at first |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.