Daniel 7:6

7:6 “After these things, ¹  as I was watching, another beast ²  like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. ³  This beast had four heads, ⁴  and ruling authority was given to it.

Daniel 8:8

8:8 The male goat acted even more arrogantly. But no sooner had the large horn become strong than it was broken, and there arose four conspicuous horns ⁵  in its place, ⁶  extending toward the four winds of the sky. ⁷ 

[7:6]  ¹ tn Aram “this.” So also in v. 7.

[7:6]  ² tn Aram “and behold, another one.”

[7:6]  ³ tn Or “sides.”

[7:6]  ⁴ sn If the third animal is Greece, the most likely identification of these four heads is the four-fold division of the empire of Alexander the Great following his death. See note on Dan 8:8.

[8:8]  ⁵ tn The word “horns” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[8:8]  ⁶ sn The four conspicuous horns refer to Alexander’s successors. After his death, Alexander’s empire was divided up among four of his generals: Cassander, who took Macedonia and Greece; Lysimachus, who took Thrace and parts of Asia Minor; Seleucus, who took Syria and territory to its east; and Ptolemy, who took control of Egypt.

[8:8]  ⁷ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.