Commentary - Daniel 8:15-27

Bird's-eye view

In this latter portion of Daniel 8, the prophet is given the divine interpretation of the vision he has just seen. This is a common pattern in apocalyptic literature; God does not give us these visions to leave us in a state of befuddled confusion. He gives revelation in order to reveal, and so He sends an angelic messenger, Gabriel, to make the meaning plain. The vision concerns the clash of empires, specifically the transition from Medo-Persia to Greece, and the subsequent arrogance and blasphemy of a particular king who arises from the Grecian empire's dissolution. But as with all prophecy, the immediate historical fulfillment is a type, a pattern, that points forward to greater realities. The central theme here is the sovereignty of God over the tumultuous affairs of men and empires. Men rage, kings boast, and empires clash, but God has set the appointed time of the end for all their pretensions. The final word is that the Prince of princes will break this arrogant king without human hands, demonstrating that history is His story, and all usurpers will be brought to nothing.

The passage moves from Daniel's personal reaction of awe and terror to the specific, clause-by-clause explanation of the vision's symbols. The ram is Medo-Persia, the goat is Greece under Alexander the Great, the four horns are the four generals who divided his kingdom, and the small horn that grows great is a figure of profound arrogance and persecution. This figure, historically Antiochus IV Epiphanes, is a forerunner of the antichrist spirit that will manifest itself repeatedly until the final consummation. The climax is not the power of this wicked king, but his ultimate, supernatural destruction. The vision leaves Daniel physically spent and appalled, a right reaction to seeing the face of true evil and the majesty of God's coming judgment.

Outline

Context In Daniel

This chapter follows the vision of the four beasts in Daniel 7, which laid out a grand sweep of gentile empires culminating in the arrival of the Son of Man who receives an everlasting kingdom. Chapter 8 narrows the focus, looking with greater detail at the second and third empires of that sequence, Medo-Persia and Greece. The language also shifts here from Aramaic (Dan 2:4-7:28) back to Hebrew, indicating a more direct focus on the fate of Israel and the holy people. The vision is not just about geopolitical shifts; it is about how those shifts will directly impact the covenant community. The "little horn" of chapter 7 is a Roman figure, but the "little horn" of chapter 8 is a Greek one. They are related typologically. God shows us the pattern of arrogant, persecuting evil that arises from gentile empires, and He shows it to us repeatedly so that we might recognize it and not lose heart when it appears on the stage of history.

Verse by Verse Commentary

15 Now it happened when I, Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who had the appearance of a man.

Daniel is not a passive recipient of divine revelation. He is an active participant. He sees the vision, and his immediate, godly response is to seek the meaning. This is a model for us. We are not to treat the prophetic portions of Scripture as a cryptic puzzle box, meant to be admired for its complexity but never opened. We are to seek understanding, to ask, to knock. And when we do, God provides. The one who appears is like a man, a common feature in these angelic encounters. Heaven is not so alien as we sometimes imagine; its messengers often bear a familiar form.

16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, give this man an understanding of what has appeared.”

The authority here is palpable. An unnamed voice, speaking with absolute command, instructs the angel Gabriel. This is likely a theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, the ultimate revealer of all mysteries. He is the Lord of the prophets and the Lord of the angels. He commands Gabriel, whose name means "God is my strength," to serve as the interpreter. Notice the purpose: "give this man an understanding." God's intent in prophecy is not to mystify, but to clarify. He wants His servants to understand the times, so they can live faithfully within them.

17 So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was terrified and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.”

The natural human reaction to a direct encounter with the holy is terror. Daniel, one of the most righteous men in history, falls on his face. This is not the casual, buddy-buddy relationship with the supernatural that our modern culture fantasizes about. This is awe and dread. Gabriel's first words are both a comfort and a directive. He calls Daniel "son of man," a term emphasizing his humanity in contrast to the angel's heavenly origin, and a title Christ would later adopt for Himself. The central point is then stated: the vision is for "the time of the end." Now, we must be careful here. Our newspaper-eschology friends immediately jump to the 21st century. But "the time of the end" in Daniel refers to the end of the Old Covenant era, the period of God's indignation against His people which would culminate in the events of the first century and the destruction of the Temple. The vision has an immediate fulfillment in the time of Antiochus, but that event is itself a sign pointing to the great end of that age.

18 Now while he was talking with me, I sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and made me stand upright.

The sheer weight of the revelation overwhelms Daniel. He is not just emotionally undone; he is physically incapacitated. This is a reminder that we are creatures of dust, and the glory of God's unveiled truth is too much for our frame to bear unaided. But the angel's touch brings strength. God does not crush His servants with His truth; He strengthens them to receive it. He touches Daniel and sets him on his feet. We cannot stand to hear God's word in our own strength; we need His enabling grace to even listen, let alone obey.

19 Then he said, “Behold, I am going to let you know what will happen at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end.”

Gabriel reiterates the time frame. This is about the "final period of the indignation." This indignation is God's covenantal wrath against an unfaithful Israel. The gentile empires are God's rod of chastisement. This period has an "appointed time." History is not a chaotic series of accidents. Every tyrant, every battle, every persecution happens within the appointed boundaries set by the sovereign God. This is a profound comfort. Even in the midst of suffering, God's people can know that the time is appointed, and the end is not in the hands of their enemies, but in the hands of their God.

20 The ram which you saw with the two horns is the kings of Media and Persia.

The interpretation begins, and it is wonderfully straightforward. There is no need for speculative gymnastics. The ram is the Medo-Persian empire. The two horns represent the two peoples, with the Persians becoming the dominant horn. History bears this out precisely.

21 Now the shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

Again, the symbol is explicitly identified. The goat is Greece, and the great horn is its first and most famous king, Alexander the Great. His conquest of the Persian empire was astonishingly swift, like a goat moving so fast its feet did not touch the ground, just as the vision described.

22 And the broken horn and the four horns that stood in its place are four kingdoms which will take their stand from his nation, although not with his power.

Alexander's horn was broken at the height of its power; he died young and unexpectedly. Just as the prophecy foretold, his empire was not passed to his heir but was divided among his four generals, the Diadochi. These four resulting kingdoms (Ptolemaic, Seleucid, etc.) were significant, but none of them ever wielded the singular power of Alexander. The prophecy is minutely accurate.

23 In the latter period of their reign, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will stand, Insolent and skilled in intrigue.

Now we come to the focus. Out of one of those four kingdoms, in the "latter period," a particular king will arise. This happens when "the transgressors have run their course," which refers to the apostasy within Israel reaching its peak. God raises up this wicked king as a judgment on covenant-breakers. This king is defined by his character: he is insolent, a man of fierce countenance, and a master of intrigue and dark schemes.

24 His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will destroy to an astonishing degree And succeed and do his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.

This king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, will have great power, but Gabriel notes that it is not his own. This is a crucial theological point. The devil and his puppets have no power except what is granted them from above (John 19:11). God is sovereign over the persecutor. Antiochus will seem unstoppable. He will destroy, he will succeed, he will do as he pleases. His targets are "mighty men" and, specifically, "the holy people," the faithful remnant in Israel. This was fulfilled in the Maccabean crisis when Antiochus desecrated the Temple and viciously persecuted the Jews.

25 And through his insight He will cause deceit to succeed by his hand; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even stand against the Prince of princes, But he will be broken without hands.

His primary weapon is not just brute force, but cunning and deceit. He is a master of political maneuvering and treachery. His fundamental sin is pride: "he will magnify himself in his heart." This is the primordial sin of Satan, to usurp the place of God. He attacks when people are secure and at ease, a cowardly and satanic tactic. The climax of his arrogance is that he will "stand against the Prince of princes." This is a title for God Himself, or for the Messiah. Antiochus did this by desecrating the Temple and forbidding the worship of Yahweh. But his end is decreed. "He will be broken without hands." His downfall will not be the result of a human army or a political coup. It will be a direct act of God. History records that Antiochus died a miserable death from a wasting disease, a fitting end for a man who magnified himself against Heaven.

26 And what had appeared about the evenings and mornings Which has been told is true; But as for you, conceal the vision, For it pertains to many days in the future.”

The vision of the 2,300 evenings and mornings (the period of the Temple's desecration) is affirmed as true. But Daniel is told to seal it. This doesn't mean to hide it forever, but rather to preserve it carefully because its fulfillment is not immediate. It is for "many days in the future." From Daniel's perspective in the Babylonian exile, the rise of Greece and Antiochus was indeed many days away. This command to seal is a sign of its divine origin and certain fulfillment.

27 Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I rose up again and did the king’s work; but I was appalled at what had appeared, and there was none to make me understand it.

Daniel's response is again physical. He is sick for days. A true vision of sin, rebellion, and divine judgment should appall us. It should wreck us. We have become too accustomed to hearing of wickedness. Daniel was undone by it. And even after Gabriel's explanation, a level of mystery remained. He was appalled, and the full weight of it was beyond comprehension. This is the humility of a true prophet. Yet, notice what he does next. He gets up and goes back to doing the king's work. He is a faithful servant in the place God has put him, even while his mind and spirit are reeling from a vision of centuries to come. This is the calling of every believer: to grapple with the profound truths of God's sovereign plan, and then to get up and faithfully do the day's work before us.