New International Version
Daniel 8:21
21The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.
Daniel 8:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.
- New Living Translation (NLT)The shaggy male goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king of the Greek Empire.
Context of Daniel 8:21
19He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. 20The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. 22The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. 23“In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise.
Read all of Daniel 8Daniel 8:21 word by word
וְהַצָּפִ֥יר הַשָּׂעִ֖יר מֶ֣לֶךְ יָוָ֑ן וְהַקֶּ֤רֶן הַגְּדוֹלָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בֵּין־עֵינָ֔יו ה֖וּא הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ הָרִאשֽׁוֹן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the roughשָׂעִירώâ‛îyr ώâ‛ir · he-goatH8163
- goatצָפִירtsâphîyr · male goatH6842
- the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Greciaיָוָןyâvân · GreeceH3120
- and the greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- hornקֶ֫רֶןqeren · hornH7161
- between his eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- the firstרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · firstH7223
Cross-references for Daniel 8:21
- Daniel 8:5As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground.
- Daniel 10:20So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come;
- Daniel 8:8The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.
- Daniel 11:3Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.
Commentaries on Daniel 8:21
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21And the rough goat - See the notes at Daniel 8:5. In Daniel 8:5 he is called a he-goat. Here the word rough or hairy - שׂעיר s'â‛ı̂yr - is applied to it. This appellation is often given to a goat Leviticus 4:24; Leviticus 16:9; Genesis 37:31. It would seem that either term - a he-goat, or a hairy-goat - would serve to designate the animal, and it is probable that the terms were used indiscriminately. Is the king of Grecia - Represents the king of Greece…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-27Verses 15-27 The eternal Son of God stood before the prophet in the appearance of a man, and directed the angel Gabriel to explain the vision. Daniel's fainting and astonishment at the prospect of evils he saw coming on his people and the church, confirm the opinion that long-continued calamities were foretold. The vision being ended, a charge was given to Daniel to keep it private for the present. He kept it to himself, and went on to do the duty of his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21The large horn represents Alexander the Great, the mighty first king who established the Greek Empire. Two centuries after Daniel, Alexander quickly conquered the world (Daniel 8:5). He defeated Persia in 331 BC. Alexander died in 323 BC when he was 33 years old. But not before he allowed people to call him a god. Josephus records that some Jewish priests showed the book of Daniel to Alexander. However, Alexander treated Homer’s Iliad as his sacred book…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. the first king--Philip was king of Macedon before Alexander, but the latter was the first who, as a generalissimo of Greece, subdued the Persian empire.Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Daniel 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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Commentaries