Daniel 8:5
And I understood: and behold a he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and he touched not the ground, and the he goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Et ego intelligebam : ecce autem hircus caprarum veniebat ab occidente super faciem totius terræ, et non tangebat terram : porro hircus habebat cornu insigne inter oculos suos.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἐγὼ ἤμην συνίων, καὶ ἰδοὺ τράγος αἰγῶν ἤρχετο ἀπὸ λιβὸς ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἁπτόμενος τῆς γῆς, καὶ τῷ τράγῳ κέρας μέσον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַאֲנִ֣י הָיִ֣יתִי מֵבִ֗ין וְהִנֵּ֤ה צְפִיר הָֽעִזִּים֙ בָּ֤א מִן הַֽמַּעֲרָב֙ עַל פְּנֵ֣י כָל הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֵ֥ין נוֹגֵ֖עַ בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְהַ֨צָּפִ֔יר קֶ֥רֶן חָז֖וּת בֵּ֥ין עֵינָֽיו
Haydock's commentary
A he-goat. The empire of the Greeks, or Macedonians.
He touched not the ground. He conquered all before him with so much rapidity, that he seemed rather to fly than to walk upon the earth.
A notable horn. Alexander the great. (Challoner)
He succeeded his father when only twenty years old, and the next year was chosen generalissimo of the Greeks against Persia, which he invaded at the head of 30,000 foot and 4,000 horses, having only seventy talents of silver and provisions for one month. With this he attacked the most flourishing empire, and conquered it in less than four years' time, when Darius was slain in the year of the world 3674 [326 B.C.]. Alexander survived only six years and ten months, yet subdued so many nations that it is almost incredible that he should have travelled over them. He is the belly of brass and the leopard, chap. ii. 39., and vii. 6. (Calmet)
He died in the midst of his prosperity, (Haydock) when not quite thirty-three years old, (Worthington) and left no heirs to succeed him. This conqueror would be painted with two horns, to intimate that he was the son of Jupiter Ammon. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Hippolytus Treatise on Christ and Antichrist
32. Speak with me, O blessed Daniel. Give me full assurance, I beseech thee. Thou dost prophesy concerning the lioness in Babylon; for thou wast a captive there. Thou hast unfolded the future regarding the bear; for thou wast still in the world, and didst see the things come to pass. Then thou speakest to me of the leopard; and whence canst thou know this, for thou art already gone to thy rest? Who instructed thee to announce these things, but He who formed thee in (from) thy mother’s womb? That is God, thou sayest. Thou hast spoken indeed, and that not falsely. The leopard has arisen; the he-goat is come; he hath smitten the ram; he hath broken his horns in pieces; he hath stamped upon him with his feet. He has been exalted by his fall; (the) four horns have come up from under that one. Rejoice, blessed Daniel! thou hast not been in error: all these things have come to pass.