Daniel 8:22
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. | The four horns that replaced the broken one represent four kingdoms that will rise from that nation, but will not have the same power. | And as for that which was broken, in the place whereof four stood up, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not with his power. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedThe angel Gabriel is explaining Daniel's vision of the ram and the goat. He has said the goat is the king of Grecia and its great horn is the first king (8:21). Here he explains that when that horn is broken, the four horns that rise in its place are four kingdoms from the same nation, none as strong as the first king. Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:22Daniel 8:8
SpeakingGabriel, the angel sent to make Daniel understand the vision, is speaking. Daniel records it in the first person. Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:19Daniel overview
ToGabriel speaks to Daniel, who had seen the vision and was seeking its meaning. Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:17
Also involvedThe verse is about the four kingdoms that rise from the Greek nation after its first king is broken. The text does not name these kingdoms or their rulers. Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:22
Gabriel interprets the broken great horn and the four horns that came up for it (8:8). The first king's rule ends, and four kingdoms arise out of his nation, but they do not have his power. Daniel 11:4 describes the same split: his kingdom is divided toward the four winds, not to his own descendants, and not with the dominion he had. Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4
In the vision Daniel was at Shushan in the palace, in the province of Elam, by the river Ulai. Gabriel spoke to him there, between the banks of Ulai. Daniel 8:2Daniel 8:16Daniel overview
The eventsDaniel saw the vision in the third year of King Belshazzar (8:1). The verse foretells events after the king of Grecia, who follows the kings of Media and Persia (8:20-21). Gabriel says the vision concerns the time of the end (8:17, 8:19). Daniel 8:1Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:19
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
HereThe verse explains the four horns of 8:8, so Daniel can understand the vision. It also sets the stage for the fierce king who rises in the latter time of these kingdoms (8:23-25). Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:23
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel shows that God sets up and removes kings (2:21). Even a great empire breaks apart into weaker pieces, as 8:22 and 11:4 both say, while God's kingdom shall never be destroyed (2:44). Daniel overviewDaniel 8:22Daniel 11:4
For readersScripture here interprets its own symbols: the ram is Media and Persia, the goat is Grecia, the great horn is the first king, and the four horns are four kingdoms. Readers can see that God knows the rise and fall of nations ahead of time. Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:22
- for it (in its place)תַּחַת
The word can mean "in place of, instead of." The four kingdoms take the place of the broken first king, matching "for it came up four" in 8:8. Strong's H8478HDaniel 8:8
- stood up / stand upעָמַד
The word means to stand, and also to arise or come on the scene. The same idea of standing up is used for the fierce king in 8:23 and for his standing against the Prince of princes in 8:25. Strong's H5975IDaniel 8:23Daniel 8:25
- powerכֹּחַ
The word means strength, power, or might. The four kingdoms lack the first king's power. In 8:24 the later king's power is mighty, "but not by his own power." Strong's H3581BDaniel 8:24
- nationגּוֹי
The word means nation or people. The four kingdoms come out of the same nation as the first king, the nation of Grecia named in 8:21. Strong's H1471ADaniel 8:21
Takeaway
The four horns are four kingdoms that rise from the Greek nation after its first king falls, and none has his strength. Daniel 11:4 confirms the split. God foretells how even the mightiest earthly empire will break apart. Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Daniel 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.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and the broken [horn] | וְהַ֨נִּשְׁבֶּ֔רֶת | ve-HA-nish-BE-ret | H7665 | to breakשָׁבַר (sha.var) 1) to break, break in pieces 1a) (Qal) 1a1) break, break in or down, rend violently, wreck, crush, quench 1a2) to break, rupture (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be broken, be maimed, be crippled, be wrecked 1b2) to be broken, be crushed (fig) 1c) (Piel) to shatter, break 1d) (Hiphil) to cause to break out, bring to the birth 1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be shattered Aramaic equivalent: te.var (תְּבַר "to break" H8406) |
| and they arose | וַתַּֽעֲמֹ֥דְנָה | va-ta-'a-MO-de-nah | H5975I | to stand: standעָמַד (a.mad) : stand/stop/establish 1) to stand, remain, endure, take one's stand 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to stand, take one's stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of 1a2) to stand still, stop (moving or doing), cease 1a3) to tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, endure, persist, be steadfast 1a4) to make a stand, hold one's ground 1a5) to stand upright, remain standing, stand up, rise, be erect, be upright 1a6) to arise, appear, come on the scene, stand forth, appear, rise up or against … |
| four [horns] | אַרְבַּ֖ע | 'ar-BA' | H0702 | fourאַרְבַּע (ar.ba) four |
| in place its | תַּחְתֶּ֑יהָ | tach-TEI-ha | H8478H | underneath: underתַּחַת (ta.chat) : under/below 1) the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas n m 1a) the under part adv accus 1b) beneath prep 1c) under, beneath 1c1) at the foot of (idiom) 1c2) sweetness, subjection, woman, being burdened or oppressed (fig) 1c3) of subjection or conquest 1d) what is under one, the place in which one stands 1d1) in one's place, the place in which one stands (idiom with reflexive pronoun) 1d2) in place of, instead of (in transferred sense) 1d3) in place of, in exchange or return for (of things mutually interchanged) conj … |
| four | אַרְבַּ֧ע | 'ar-BA' | H0702 | fourאַרְבַּע (ar.ba) four |
| kingdoms | מַלְכֻי֛וֹת | mal-khu-YOT | H4438 | kingdomמַלְכוּ (mal.khu) 1) royalty, reign, kingdom 1a) royalty, kingship, kingly authority 1b) kingdom 1c) realm (of territory) 1d) reign (of time) |
| from a nation | מִגּ֥וֹי | mi-GOY | H1471A | nationגּוֹי (goy) 1) nation, people 1a) nation, people 1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people 1a2) of descendants of Abraham 1a3) of Israel 1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.) |
| they will arise | יַעֲמֹ֖דְנָה | ya-'a-MO-de-nah | H5975I | to stand: standעָמַד (a.mad) : stand/stop/establish 1) to stand, remain, endure, take one's stand 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to stand, take one's stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of 1a2) to stand still, stop (moving or doing), cease 1a3) to tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, endure, persist, be steadfast 1a4) to make a stand, hold one's ground 1a5) to stand upright, remain standing, stand up, rise, be erect, be upright 1a6) to arise, appear, come on the scene, stand forth, appear, rise up or against … |
| and not | וְלֹ֥א | ve-LO' | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| with power its | בְכֹחֽוֹ׃ | ve-kho-CHO | H3581B | strengthכֹּחַ (ko.ach) 1) strength, power, might 1a) human strength 1b) strength (of angels) 1c) power (of God) 1d) strength (of animals) 1e) strength, produce, wealth (of soil) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.