Daniel 8

Daniel · Chapter 8

Daniel 8:23

1In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.2And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.3Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.4I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.5And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.6And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.7And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.8Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.9And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.10And 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.11Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.12And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.13Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?14And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.15And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.16And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.17So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.18Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.19And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.20The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.21And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.22Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.23And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.24And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.25And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.26And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.27And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
23And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.In the latter part of their reign, when the rebellion has reached its full measure, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

The angel Gabriel is explaining Daniel's vision of the ram and the goat. After Greece's first king falls and four kingdoms rise from his realm, a fierce and cunning king will arise late in their rule. What is said of him matches the little horn that grew out of one of the four horns. Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:22Daniel 8:23Daniel 8:9Daniel 8:12Daniel 8:24Daniel 8:25

SpeakingGabriel speaks, sent to make Daniel understand the vision. Daniel records it in the first person. Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:17Daniel overview

ToDaniel, who had seen the vision and was seeking its meaning. Daniel 8:15Daniel 8:16

Also involvedThe coming 'king of fierce countenance,' and those he destroys: 'the mighty and the holy people.' Daniel 8:23Daniel 8:24

A king will 'stand up' who is fierce in face and skilled in 'dark sentences,' a word meaning riddles, here glossed intrigues. He comes 'when the transgressors are come to the full.' The next verses say he will destroy, prosper by craft, and stand against 'the Prince of princes,' but 'be broken without hand.' Daniel 8:23Daniel 8:24Daniel 8:25Strong's H2420Strong's H6586Strong's H8552

In the vision Daniel was at Shushan, in the province of Elam, by the river Ulai. The book was written from Babylon, where Daniel served under Babylonian and Persian kings. Daniel 8:2Daniel 8:16Daniel overview

BABYLONIAMEDIABabylon 1SusaUlai

The eventsDaniel saw the vision in the third year of King Belshazzar. The king it foretells rises 'in the latter time' of the four kingdoms that come out of Greece. Gabriel says the vision is for 'the time of the end' and 'for many days.' Daniel 8:1Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:19Daniel 8:22Daniel 8:23Daniel 8:26

WrittenTraditional: Daniel wrote it 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 keep the traditional date. Daniel overview

HereGabriel is putting the picture of the little horn into plain words. The little horn 'practised, and prospered' and magnified himself to the prince of the host. The king here 'shall prosper, and practise' and stands up against the Prince of princes. Daniel 8:9Daniel 8:11Daniel 8:12Daniel 8:24Daniel 8:25

In the whole of ScriptureThe book shows that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and sets up and removes kings. This proud king rises when the transgressors 'are come to the full,' and in the end 'he shall be broken without hand.' Daniel overviewDaniel 8:23Daniel 8:25

For readersGod's people can expect fierce and crafty powers that seem to prosper. Gabriel says that 'at the time appointed the end shall be,' and this king is broken. Later Scripture also warns of one 'whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.' Daniel 8:19Daniel 8:24Daniel 8:252 Thessalonians 2:9

Christians read this differently

Gabriel names Media-Persia, Greece and its first king, and sets this king in the latter time of the four kingdoms from Greece, but the text does not name the king himself. Some read him as a king who arose from those Greek kingdoms in history. Others, noting that the vision is for 'the time of the end,' see in him a final enemy like the deceiver of 2 Thessalonians 2 and the deceiving beast of Revelation 13. Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:19Daniel 8:20Daniel 8:21Daniel 8:22Daniel 8:232 Thessalonians 2:9Revelation 13:11Revelation 13:14

  • dark sentencesאֲחִידָה
    Hebrew · a.chi.dah · H2420

    The word means 'puzzle, riddle,' and here it is glossed 'intrigues.' That fits 8:25, where he 'shall cause craft to prosper in his hand.' Strong's H2420Daniel 8:25

  • fierceעַז
    Hebrew · az · H5794

    The word means 'strong, mighty, fierce,' and here it is joined to the word for 'face.' Together they describe a king strong or fierce of face. Strong's H5794Strong's H6440H

  • Hebrew · ta.mam · H8552

    This word means to be complete or finished, including 'to be complete (of number).' Here it is glossed 'when are completed': the king rises when the transgressors have reached completion. Strong's H8552Daniel 8:23

  • transgressorsפָּשַׁע
    Hebrew · pa.sah · H6586

    The root means 'to rebel, transgress, revolt,' and here it is glossed 'the rebels.' Compare 8:12, where the horn's host was given 'by reason of transgression.' Strong's H6586Daniel 8:12

Takeaway

Daniel 8:23 explains the little horn as a fierce, scheming king who arises late in the kingdoms that come out of Greece, when the transgressors are come to the full. However mighty he seems, his end is set: he 'shall be broken without hand.' Daniel 8:9Daniel 8:22Daniel 8:23Daniel 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
  1. 612 BC
    WarNineveh 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)

  2. 605 BC
    WarBattle 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)

  3. 597 BC
    WarJerusalem 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)

  4. 586 BC
    WarJerusalem 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

  5. c. 575 BC
    BuildingBabylon 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

  6. 562 BC
    RulersNebuchadnezzar dies

    His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34

  7. c. 553-543 BC
    RulersNabonidus 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

  8. 550 BC
    WarCyrus 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

  9. October 539 BC
    WarBabylon 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

  10. 538 BC
    God'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

  11. c. 536 BC
    God'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

  12. 334-331 BC
    WarAlexander 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

  13. 323-301 BC
    WarAlexander'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

  14. 167 BC
    WarAntiochus 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

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and at [the] end ofוּֽבְאַחֲרִית֙u-ve-'a-cha-RITH0319
end

אַחֲרִית (a.cha.rit) 1) after part, end 1a) end, issue, event 1b) latter time (prophetic for future time) 1c) posterity 1d) last, hindermost Aramaic equivalent: a.cha.rit (אַחֲרִית "latter" H0320)

reign theirמַלְכוּתָ֔םmal-khu-TAMH4438
kingdom

מַלְכוּ (mal.khu) 1) royalty, reign, kingdom 1a) royalty, kingship, kingly authority 1b) kingdom 1c) realm (of territory) 1d) reign (of time)

when are completedכְּהָתֵ֖םke-ha-TEMH8552
to finish

תָּמַם (ta.mam) 1) to be complete, be finished, be at an end 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be finished, be completed 1a1a) completely, wholly, entirely (as auxiliary with verb) 1a2) to be finished, come to an end, cease 1a3) to be complete (of number) 1a4) to be consumed, be exhausted, be spent 1a5) to be finished, be consumed, be destroyed 1a6) to be complete, be sound, be unimpaired, be upright (ethically) 1a7) to complete, finish 1a8) to be completely crossed over 1b) (Niphal) to be consumed 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to finish, complete, perfect 1c2) to finish, cease doing, leave off doing 1c3) to complete, sum up, make whole …

the rebelsהַפֹּשְׁעִ֑יםha-posh-'IMH6586
to transgress

פָּשַׁע (pa.sah) 1) to rebel, transgress, revolt 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to rebel, revolt 1a2) to transgress 1b) (Niphal) to be rebelled against

he will ariseיַעֲמֹ֛דya-'a-MODH5975I
to stand: stand

עָמַד (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 …

a kingמֶ֥לֶךְME-lekhH4428G
king

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

strongעַז־'az-H5794
strong

עַז (az) strong, mighty, fierce

of faceפָּנִ֖יםpa-NIMH6440H
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

and understandingוּמֵבִ֥יןu-me-VINH0995
to understand

בִּין (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

of intriguesחִידֽוֹת׃chi-DOTH2420
riddle

אֲחִידָה (a.chi.dah) puzzle, riddle Aramaic of chi.dah (חִידָה "riddle" H2420)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.