Daniel 8:8 NIV

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Daniel 8:8

Therefore the he-goat waxed very great - The Macedonian power, especially under the reign of Alexander.And when he was strong, the great horn was broken - In the time, or at the period of its greatest strength. Then an event occurred which broke the horn in which was concentrated its power. It is easy to see the application of this to the Macedonian power. At no time was the empire so strong as at the death of Alexander. Its power did not pine away; it was not enfeebled, as monarchies are... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Daniel 8:8

Daniel 8:8. Therefore the he-goat waxed very great See note on chap. Daniel 2:39. The empire of the goat was in its full strength when Alexander died. He was succeeded by his natural brother Philip Aridæus, and by his own two sons before mentioned; but in the space of about fifteen years they were all murdered, and the firstborn, or kingdom, was entirely broken. And for it came up four notable ones The royal family being thus extinct, the governors of provinces, who had usurped the... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Daniel 8:1-14

Vision of the ram and the goat (8:1-14)This vision is easier to understand than that of the previous chapter (which was given to Daniel two years earlier; cf. 7:1; 8:1). This is partly because of the interpretation given to Daniel, and partly because of ancient records that show a remarkable correspondence between details of the vision and events as they actually happened.It was now almost 550 BC, and though Babylon was still the dominant power in the region, Persia had now begun to challenge... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Daniel 8:8

waxed very great. Referring to the great extent of Alexander's conquests, as "ran" (Daniel 8:6 ) refers to the rapidity of them. very = exceedingly. great: or, proud. Compare Daniel 8:4 . broken = broken in pieces. for it = instead of it. came up . Septuagint adds "afterward". four notable ones = four conspicuous [ones]. the four winds. See note on Daniel 7:2 . winds . Hebrew. rua c h . App-9 . read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Daniel 8:8

Daniel 8:8. The he-goat waxed very great, &c.— This the angel interprets, Daniel 8:22. The empire of the goat was in its full strength when Alexander died. He was succeeded by his natural brother Philip Aridaeus, and by his two sons, Alexander AEgus and Hercules; but in the space of about fifteen years they were all murdered, and the first horn or kingdom was intirely broken. The royal family being thus extinct, the governors of provinces, who had before usurped the power, usurped the title... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Daniel 8:8

8. when he was strong . . . great horn was broken—The empire was in full strength at Alexander's death by fever at Babylon, and seemed then least likely to fall. Yet it was then "broken." His natural brother, Philip Aridoeligus, and his two sons, Alexander Ægus and Hercules, in fifteen months were murdered. four . . . toward . . . four winds—Seleucus, in the east, obtained Syria, Babylonia, Media, c. Cassander, in the west, Macedon Thessaly, Greece; Ptolemy, in the south, Egypt, Cyprus, c.... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 8:5-8

3. The goat 8:5-8 read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Daniel 8:8

Clearly this description corresponds to that of the third beast in Daniel 7:6. Alexander magnified himself exceedingly in two ways. He extended the borders of his empire after he conquered Medo-Persia even farther east, into modern Afghanistan and to the Indus Valley. Alexander’s empire covered one and a half million square miles. [Note: Whitcomb, p. 111.] He also became extremely arrogant. He regarded himself as divine and made his soldiers bow down before him. This resulted in his troops... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 8:1-27

The Vision of the Ram and the He-GoatIn the third year of Belshazzar Daniel has a vision in which he seems to stand by the river Ulai, near Susa (Daniel 8:1-2). He sees a two-homed ram which behaves aggressively for a time (Daniel 8:3-4), but is attacked and overthrown by a he-goat which comes rapidly from the w, (Daniel 8:5-7). The he-goat has a notable horn (Daniel 8:5), which is presently broken, and instead of which four others come up (Daniel 8:8). From one of these there springs a little... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Daniel 8:8

(8) Was broken.—This points to the sudden and unexpected end of Alexander, B.C. 323. The “four horns,” which take the place of the “notable horn,” may mean either that this empire was dispersed to the four winds of heaven on the death of its founder (comp. Daniel 7:2; Daniel 11:4; Jeremiah 49:36; Zechariah 2:6), or it may hint at the ultimate division of the empire into four parts, Thrace, Macedonia, Syria, Egypt, under Symmachus, Cassander, Seleucus, and Ptolemy respectively. read more