SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:8
Y se engrandeció en gran manera el macho cabrío; y estando en su mayor fuerza, aquel gran cuerno fue quebrado, y en su lugar subieron otros cuatro maravillosos hacia los cuatro vientos del cielo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Daniel 8:8
Verse 8. The he-goat waxed very strong] He had subdued nearly the whole of the then known world. The great horn was broken] Alexander died in the height of his conquests, when he was but about thirty-three years of age. His natural brother, Philip Aridaeus, and his two sons, Alexander AEgus and Hercules, kept up the show and name of the Macedonian kingdom for a time; but they were all murdered within fifteen years; and thus the great horn, the Macedonian kingdom, was broken, Alexander's family being now cut off.
And for it came up four notable ones] The regal family being all dead, the governors of provinces usurped the title of kings; and Antigonus, one of them, being slain at the battle of Ipsus, they were reduced to four, as we have already seen. 1. SELEUCUS, who had Syria and Babylon, from whom came the Seleucidae, famous in history. 2. LYSIMACHUS, who had Asia Minor. 3. PTOLEMY, son of Lagus, who had Egypt, from whom sprang the Lagidae. And, 4. CASSANDER, who had Greece and the neighbouring countries. These held dominion towards the four winds of heaven.
Cassander had the western parts, Lysimachus had the northern regions, Ptolemy possessed the southern countries, and Seleucus had the eastern provinces.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 8. Therefore the he goat waxed very great , etc.] The Grecian monarchy, under Alexander, became very powerful, and was very extensive; he not only conquered the Persian empire, but also the Indies, yea, the whole world, as he imagined; and indeed he did bring into subjection to him the greatest part of the then known world; and he was very great in his own esteem, at least reckoned himself lord of the world, called himself the son of Jupiter Ammon, and affected to be worshipped as a god: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken ; when the Grecian monarchy was established, and became very powerful, and reached to the greatest part of the earth, then Alexander the first king of it, a great horn, and powerful monarch, died, or was broken; not as the two horns of the ram, by the power of the enemy; not by violence, but by intemperance, in a drunken fit, or, as was suspected, by poison; and that when he was in the height of his glory, swelled with his victories; and that in the prime of his days, when in his full strength, being in the “thirty third” year of his age: and for it , or in the room and stead of it f384 , came up four notable ones ; or, “four horns of vision” f385 ; very famous and conspicuous, like that in ( Daniel 8:5), which were the four kingdoms into which the empire was divided some time after Alexander’s death, and the four kings that were over them: the kingdoms were those of Egypt, Greece, Asia, and Syria. Ptolemy was king of Egypt, to which belonged Lybia, Palestine, Arabia, and Caelesyria. Cassander was king of Macedonia and Greece. Lysimachus was king of Asia, to which belonged Thrace, Bithynia, and other places; and Seleucus was king of Syria, and of the eastern countries: these are the four heads of the leopard, or third beast, which signifies the Grecian monarchy, ( Daniel 7:6) and these were toward the four winds of heaven ; east, west, north, and south: Egypt, with its appendages, lay to the south; Asia, and what belonged to that, to the north; Macedonia and Greece to the west; and Syria to the east: and thus was the Grecian empire divided into four kingdoms, among the successors of Alexander: there were some partitions of it before this into provinces among governors, under the brother and son of Alexander; but after the battle of Ipsus, in which Antigonus, one of Alexander’s captains, and a very principal, active, and ambitious man, was slain, and his army routed; the four confederate princes against him, above named, divided by consent the empire between them into separate kingdoms, and became really, and not in title only, kings of them f386 ; which is what is here prophesied of.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Daniel's vision of the ram and the he-goat. (Dan. 8:1-14) The interpretation of it. (Dan. 8:15-27)
Dan. 8:1-14 God gives Daniel a foresight of the destruction of othe kingdoms, which in their day were as powerful as that of Babylon. Coul we foresee the changes that shall be when we are gone, we should be less affected with changes in our own day. The ram with two horns wa the second empire, that of Media and Persia. He saw this ram overcom by a he-goat. This was Alexander the Great. Alexander, when abou thirty-three years of age, and in his full strength, died, and showe the vanity of worldly pomp and power, and that they cannot make a ma happy. While men dispute, as in the case of Alexander, respecting the death of some prosperous warrior, it is plain that the great Firs Cause of all had no more of his plan for him to execute, and therefor cut him off. Instead of that one great horn, there came up four notabl ones, Alexander's four chief captains. A little horn became a grea persecutor of the church and people of God. It seems that the Mohammedan delusion is here pointed out. It prospered, and at one tim nearly destroyed the holy religion God's right hand had planted. It is just with God to deprive those of the privileges of his house wh despise and profane them; and to make those know the worth of ordinances by the want of them, who would not know it by the enjoymen of them. Daniel heard the time of this calamity limited and determined but not the time when it should come. If we would know the mind of God we must apply to Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdo and knowledge; not hid from us, but hid for us. There is muc difficulty as to the precise time here stated, but the end of it cannot be very distant. God will, for his own glory, see to the cleansing of the church in due time. Christ died to cleanse his church; and he wil so cleanse it as to present it blameless to himself.
Dan. 8:15-27 The eternal Son of God stood before the prophet in the appearance of a man, and directed the angel Gabriel to explain the vision. Daniel's fainting and astonishment at the prospect of evils he saw coming on his people and the church, confirm the opinion tha long-continued calamities were foretold. The vision being ended, charge was given to Daniel to keep it private for the present. He kep it to himself, and went on to do the duty of his place. As long as we live in this world we must have something to do in it; and even thos whom God has most honoured, must not think themselves above their business. Nor must the pleasure of communion with God take us from the duties of our callings, but we must in them abide with God. All who ar intrusted with public business must discharge their trust uprightly and, amidst all doubts and discouragements, they may, if tru believers, look forward to a happy issue. Thus should we endeavour to compose our minds for attending to the duties to which each is appointed, in the church and in the world __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
וצפיר 6842 העזים 5795 הגדיל 1431 עד 5704 מאד 3966 וכעצמו 6105 נשׁברה 7665 הקרן 7161 הגדולה 1419 ותעלנה 5927 חזות 2380 ארבע 702 תחתיה 8478 לארבע 702 רוחות 7307 השׁמים׃ 8064
