New Living Translation
Daniel 8:24
24He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people.
Daniel 8:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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.
- New International Version (NIV)He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people.
- English Standard Version (ESV)His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.
- New King James Version (NKJV)His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
Context of Daniel 8:24
22The four prominent horns that replaced the one large horn show that the Greek Empire will break into four kingdoms, but none as great as the first. 23“At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people. 25He will be a master of deception and will become arrogant; he will destroy many without warning. He will even take on the Prince of princes in battle, but he will be broken, though not by human power. 26“This vision about the 2,300 evenings and mornings is true. But none of these things will happen for a long time, so keep this vision a secret.”
Read all of Daniel 8Daniel 8:24 word by word
וְעָצַ֤ם כֹּחוֹ֙ וְלֹ֣א בְכֹח֔וֹ וְנִפְלָא֥וֹת יַשְׁחִ֖ית וְהִצְלִ֣יחַ וְעָשָׂ֑ה וְהִשְׁחִ֥ית עֲצוּמִ֖ים וְעַם־קְדֹשִֽׁים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And his powerכֹּחַkôach kôach · strengthH3581
- shall be mightyעָצֹם‛âtsam · be vastH6105
- and he shall destroyשָׁחַתshâchath · to ruinH7843
- wonderfullyפָּלָאpâlâ' · to wonderH6381
- and shall prosperצָלֵחַtsâlach tsâlêach · to prosperH6743
- and practiseעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- the mightyעָצוּם‛âtsûm ‛âtsûm · mightyH6099
- and the holyקָדוֹשׁqâdôsh qâdôsh · holy: saintH6918
- peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
Cross-references for Daniel 8:24
- Revelation 13:3I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast.
- Revelation 17:12The ten horns of the beast are ten kings who have not yet risen to power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign with the beast.
- Daniel 8:12The army of heaven was restrained from responding to this rebellion. So the daily sacrifice was halted, and truth was overthrown. The horn succeeded in everything it did.
- Daniel 11:36“The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place.
- Daniel 8:10Its power reached to the heavens, where it attacked the heavenly army, throwing some of the heavenly beings and some of the stars to the ground and trampling them.
- Daniel 7:25He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.
- Daniel 11:31“His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.
- Revelation 13:10Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.
- Revelation 16:6Since they shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is their just reward.”
- Revelation 17:6I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.
- Revelation 19:2His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.”
Commentaries on Daniel 8:24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24But not by his own power - The strength of the other kingdoms consisted in themselves; but the Roman empire, as a horn or kingdom of the goat, was not mighty by its own power - was not strong by virtue of the goat, but drew its nourishment and strength from Rome and Italy. There grew the trunk and body of the tree; though the branches extended over Greece, Asia, Syria, and Egypt. - Bp. Newton. Shall destroy wonderfully - In the taking of Jerusalem by the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24And his power shall be mighty - He shall be a powerful monarch. Though not as mighty as Alexander, yet his conquests of Egypt and other places show that he deserved to be numbered among the mighty kings of the earth. But not by his own power - That is, it shall not be by any strength of his own, but by the power which God gives him. This is true of all kings and princes (compare John 19:11; Isaiah 10:5, following), but it seems to be referred to here…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. 24His power … will not be his own: God stayed in control of the events that led Antiochus IV to power. terrible destruction: See 1 Maccabees 1:10–63, which describes many of the evils that Antiochus IV caused.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. not by his own power--which in the beginning was "little" (Da 8:9; 7:8); but by gaining over others through craft, the once little horn became "mighty" (compare Da 8:25; 11:23). To be fully realized by Antichrist. He shall act by the power of Satan, who shall then be permitted to work through him in unrestricted license, such as he has not now (Re 13:2); hence the ten kingdoms shall give the beast their power (2Th 2:9-12; Re 17:13). prosper and…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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries