Daniel 8:5

8:5 While I was contemplating all this, ¹  a male goat ²  was coming from the west over the surface of all the land ³  without touching the ground. This goat had a conspicuous horn ⁴  between its eyes.

Daniel 8:9

8:9 From one of them came a small horn. ⁵  But it grew to be very big, toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. ⁶ 

[8:5]  ¹ tn The words “all this” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.

[8:5]  ² tn Heb “and behold, a he-goat of the goats.”

[8:5]  ³ tn Or “of the whole earth” (NAB, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[8:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “a horn of vision” [or “conspicuousness”], i.e., “a conspicuous horn,” one easily seen.

[8:9]  ⁵ sn This small horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who controlled the Seleucid kingdom from ca. 175-164 B.C. Antiochus was extremely hostile toward the Jews and persecuted them mercilessly.

[8:9]  ⁶ 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”).