What is the meaning of Daniel 8:7? I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him “I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him” describes the male goat—identified in Daniel 8:21 as the kingdom of Greece—charging the ram (Medo-Persia, v. 20) with passionate fury. • The “rage” mirrors the swiftness and intensity of Alexander the Great’s campaigns (cf. Daniel 8:5; 11:3). • God foretells exactly how Greece would come “from the west” (8:5) to confront Persia, fulfilling His sovereign timeline (Isaiah 46:9-10). and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns “and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns” pictures Greece decisively breaking Media and Persia—“the two horns” already noted in 8:3, 20. • Historically, Alexander crushed Darius III’s armies at Granicus, Issus, and Gaugamela. • Daniel 2:39 had earlier predicted a third, bronze kingdom that would “rule over all the earth”; here we watch that prophecy unfold in vivid action. The ram was powerless to stand against him “The ram was powerless to stand against him” underscores Persia’s inability to resist. • Proverbs 21:30 reminds us “no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can prevail against the LORD.” • God raises and removes empires (Daniel 2:21; 4:35); Medo-Persia’s strength evaporates exactly when God decrees. and the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him “and the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him” portrays complete humiliation. • Alexander did more than win battles; he absorbed vast territories, spreading Hellenistic culture (cf. Daniel 11:3-4). • This trampling parallels the fourth beast’s iron treading in Daniel 7:7, reminding us that unchecked human power can be ruthless—yet still under God’s leash (Psalm 33:10-11). and no one could deliver the ram from his power “and no one could deliver the ram from his power” seals the verdict: Persia’s fall was irreversible. • Jeremiah 51:11 hints that even Persia’s earlier triumph over Babylon came by God’s hand; now the same sovereign hand removes Persia. • Acts 17:26 affirms that God “determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands,” showing that every empire’s rise and fall serves His larger redemptive plan. summary Daniel 8:7 paints a prophetic panorama later matched by history: Greece, led by Alexander, charges Medo-Persia with furious speed, shatters its dual authority, overwhelms its defenses, and leaves it utterly helpless. The verse showcases God’s precise foreknowledge, His control over nations, and His faithfulness to speak truth through Scripture. |
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