Daniel Chapter 8 Vs. 5

Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat

Daniel 8:5 "And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat [had] a notable horn between his eyes."


The acknowledged symbol of Greece. Caranus, the first king going with many Greeks to seek a new habitation in Macedonia, was advised by an oracle to take goats as guides. Seeing a herd fleeing from a storm, he followed them to Edessa and there built the seat of his empire. He called the place Aegea, the goats’ town and the people Aegeadae, the goats’ people, names derived from aigeos, goat.

He chose a goat as the emblem on his standards. He chose a goat as the emblem on his standards. Aegea was the burying place of Macedonian kings. Alexander called his son by Roxana, Alexander Aegus—Alexander the goat.

Alexander came from the west to conquer.

the whole earth... again we have a whole put for a part of the earth, as is the case so often when Gentile world powers are referred to (2:38-40; 4:11-12, 20-22; 7:19,23). The antichrist kingdom is as limited geographically as the others.

and touched not... The fact that the goat’s feet did not touch the ground symbolizes the swiftness of Alexander’s conquest, as did the wings on the leopard in the previous chapter. In 13 years he conquered the whole known world.

had a notable... this horn {symbolizing power} is speaking of Alexander the great.

The vision of the goat

Daniel then saw a goat with a powerful single horn arise suddenly… from the west. His speed was so great that his feet did not touch the ground.