Daniel 11:3

11:3 Then a powerful king ¹  will arise, exercising great authority and doing as he pleases.

Daniel 11:36

11:36 “Then the king ²  will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the time of ³  wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must occur. ⁴ 

Daniel 8:4

8:4 I saw that the ram was butting westward, northward, and southward. No animal ⁵  was able to stand before it, and there was none who could deliver from its power. ⁶  It did as it pleased and acted arrogantly. ⁷ 

Daniel 8:7

8:7 I saw it approaching the ram. It went into a fit of rage against the ram ⁸  and struck it ⁹  and broke off its two horns. The ram had no ability to resist it. ¹⁰  The goat hurled the ram ¹¹  to the ground and trampled it. No one could deliver the ram from its power. ¹² 

¹ sn The powerful king mentioned here is Alexander the Great (ca. 336-323 B.C.).

² sn The identity of this king is problematic. If vv. 36-45 continue the description of Antiochus Epiphanes, the account must be viewed as erroneous, since the details do not match what is known of Antiochus’ latter days. Most modern scholars take this view, concluding that this section was written just shortly before the death of Antiochus and that the writer erred on several key points as he tried to predict what would follow the events of his own day. Conservative scholars, however, usually understand the reference to shift at this point to an eschatological figure, viz., the Antichrist. The chronological gap that this would presuppose to be in the narrative is not necessarily a problem, since by all accounts there are many chronological gaps throughout the chapter, as the historical figures intended by such expressions as “king of the north” and “king of the south” repeatedly shift.

³ tn The words “the time of” are added in the translation for clarification.

⁴ tn Heb “has been done.” The Hebrew verb used here is the perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of fulfillment.

⁵ tn Or “beast” (NAB).

⁶ tn Heb “hand.” So also in v. 7.

⁷ tn In the Hiphil the Hebrew verb גָּדַל (gadal, “to make great; to magnify”) can have either a positive or a negative sense. For the former, used especially of God, see Ps 126:2, 3; Joel 2:21. In this chapter (8:4, 8, 11, 25) the word has a pejorative sense, describing the self-glorification of this king. The sense seems to be that of vainly assuming one’s own superiority through deliberate hubris.

⁸ tn Heb “him.”

⁹ tn Heb “the ram.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “stand before him.”

¹¹ tn Heb “he hurled him.” The referents of both pronouns (the male goat and the ram) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹² sn The goat of Daniel’s vision represents Greece; the large horn represents Alexander the Great. The ram stands for Media-Persia. Alexander’s rapid conquest of the Persians involved three battles of major significance which he won against overwhelming odds: Granicus (334 B.C.), Isus (333 B.C.), and Gaugemela (331 B.C.).