Daniel 8:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.

NIV: It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down.

NASB: It even exalted itself to be equal with the Commander of the army; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was overthrown.

CSB: It acted arrogantly even against the Prince of the heavenly army; it revoked his regular sacrifice and overthrew the place of his sanctuary.

NLT: It even challenged the Commander of heaven’s army by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple.

KJV: Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

NKJV: He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.

Among the more traumatic events in Israel's history was their treatment under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, in the 2nd century BC. Antiochus's power increased so much so that he pitted himself against Israel's Prince: Yahweh Himself. Antiochus forcibly stopped Jews from making burnt offerings, drink offerings, and sacrifices in the temple. He hated the people of Israel and despised their religion.

According to I Maccabees 1:44–49, Antiochus wrote to the residents of Jerusalem, commanding them to follow foreign customs and to discontinue sacrifices and offerings in the temple. He ordered the Jews to build altars and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals. He ordered them to forget the law of Moses. Failure to obey Antiochus's orders carried the death penalty. In pure spite, he erected a pagan altar in the temple with a statue of Zeus. He poured the unclean blood of a pig on the furnishings in the temple. It was reported that Antiochus desecrated the temple so severely that it was hardly suitable for use.

This tragedy is predicted in Daniel's vision (Daniel 8:1–2), which depicts a godless tyrant rising from the four successors to Alexander the Great (Daniel 8:8–10; 23–26). This period of persecution is further explained in later verses (Daniel 8:12–14, 23–25).

Daniel 8:1–14 changes the written language to Hebrew, after several chapters in Aramaic. This indicates a shift in intended audience: these messages are primarily meant for the benefit of Israel. This section gives the time, place, and contents of another of Daniel's visions. Like the dream and visions of chapter 7, it concerns the time before Christ's birth. While the vision of Daniel 7 provides more detail on the final end times, the vision here includes a prophecy that appears to have dual fulfillment. After the vision, Daniel will record the meaning as given to him by the angel, Gabriel.

Daniel sees a vision, later explained to him by the angel Gabriel. A swift-moving goat overpowers a two-horned ram. This represents the conquest of Greece over Medo-Persia. Then the goat's horn shatters, replaced by four more; this predicts Alexander the Great's death and succession. Later, a ruler arises to brutally persecute God's people. This prophecy refers to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who desecrated the temple and outlawed Jewish religious practices. It also foreshadows the end times when the Antichrist will be tied to similar events. The experience leaves Daniel temporarily bedridden.

The first 6 chapters of Daniel recorded events from his life. The final chapters record his visions of the future. The prior chapter contained a dream involving several animals, depicting powerful nations. The vision explained here also deals with conquering empires, but also touches on events to come in the end times. Daniel's next passage includes his prayer for Israel and further explanation of what will happen in the last days of human history.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.