8:9 From one of them came a small horn. 1 But it grew to be very big, toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. 2
7:8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn – a small one – came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. 3 This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant 4 things.
8:5 While I was contemplating all this, 5 a male goat 6 was coming from the west over the surface of all the land 7 without touching the ground. This goat had a conspicuous horn 8 between its eyes.
1 sn This small horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who controlled the Seleucid kingdom from ca. 175-164
2 sn The expression the beautiful land (Heb. הַצֶּבִי [hatsÿvi] = “the beauty”) is a cryptic reference to the land of Israel. Cf. 11:16, 41, where it is preceded by the word אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”).
3 tn Aram “were uprooted from before it.”
4 tn Aram “great.” So also in vv. 11, 20.
5 tn The words “all this” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
6 tn Heb “and behold, a he-goat of the goats.”
7 tn Or “of the whole earth” (NAB, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
8 tn Heb “a horn of vision” [or “conspicuousness”], i.e., “a conspicuous horn,” one easily seen.