Daniel 8:21
ESV
And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king.
NIV
The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.
NASB
The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
CSB
The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king.
NLT
The shaggy male goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king of the Greek Empire.
KJV
And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
NKJV
And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.
What does Daniel 8:21 mean?
Gabriel, an angel (Daniel 8:16), continues to explain Daniel's recent vision (Daniel 8:1–2). The second animal Daniel saw was a goat moving at incredible speed (Daniel 8:5). Gabriel explains that this symbolizes the kingdom of Greece and its first king, Alexander the Great. Earlier prophecies depicted this nation using bronze (Daniel 2:32) or as a four-winged leopard (Daniel 7:6). Daniel sees this goat rapidly attacking the ram (Daniel 8:6–7) and overpowering it. This represents the ferocity and speed of Alexander's conquests.Although Alexander's father, Philip of Macedonia, consolidated most of the Greek people under one government, Alexander is regarded as the Grecian Empire's first king. Alexander conquered Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. His army's speed and military prowess rendered the Persians helpless. After rapidly expanding his territory, Alexander died suddenly and his kingdom was divided among four successors (Daniel 8:8, 22).
