Daniel 8:3

Louis Segond

Je levai les yeux, je regardai, et voici, un bélier se tenait devant le fleuve, et il avait des cornes; ces cornes étaient hautes, mais l'une était plus haute que l'autre, et elle s'éleva la dernière.

Parallel Translations

La Bible David Martin (1744)
Et j'�levai mes yeux, et regardai; et voici, un b�lier se tenait pr�s du fleuve, et il avait deux cornes; et les deux cornes �taient hautes; mais l'une �tait plus haute que l'autre, et la plus haute s'�levait sur le derri�re.

La Bible Ostervald (1996)
Je levai les yeux, je regardai, et voici, un b�lier se tenait devant le fleuve; et il avait deux cornes, et ces deux cornes �taient hautes, mais l'une �tait plus haute que l'autre, et la plus haute s'�leva la derni�re.

Darby's French Translation
Et je levai les yeux, et je vis; et voici, un b�lier se tenait devant le fleuve, et il avait deux cornes; et les deux cornes �taient hautes, et l'une �tait plus haute que l'autre, et la plus haute s'�leva la derni�re.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I lifted: Daniel 10:5, Numbers 24:2, Joshua 5:13, 1 Chronicles 21:16, Zechariah 1:18, Zechariah 2:1, Zechariah 5:1, Zechariah 5:5, Zechariah 5:9, Zechariah 6:1

a ram: The Medo-Persian empire, of which a ram was the ensign; and a ram's head with horns, one higher than the other, is still to be seen on the ruins of Persepolis. Daniel 8:20, Daniel 2:39, Daniel 7:5

one: Media was the more ancient kingdom; but Persia, after Cyrus, was the most considerable. Daniel 5:31, Daniel 6:28, Ezra 1:2, Ezra 4:5, Esther 1:3, Isaiah 13:17, Isaiah 21:2, Isaiah 44:28, Jeremiah 51:11

the other: Heb. the second

Reciprocal: Isaiah 45:1 - to subdue Jeremiah 51:28 - the kings Ezekiel 34:21 - ye have Daniel 2:32 - breast Daniel 5:28 - Thy Daniel 8:6 - to the Daniel 8:22 - whereas

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then I lifted up mine eyes,.... To see what was to be seen in this place, where he in the vision was brought; he lifted up the eyes of his understanding, being enlightened by the vision of prophecy, and the eyes of his body, to which objects of corporeal things formed in the fancy were represented:

and saw, and, behold; he saw something wonderful in a visionary way, and which struck his mind, and raised his attention:

there stood before the river; the river Ulai, near Shushan, the palace, the seat of the kings of Persia, to the east:

a ram, which had two horns; a symbol of the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, signified by the two horns, Daniel 8:20, an emblem of power and dominion, and sometimes used to signify kings and kingdoms; see Daniel 7:24 and these as united in one monarchy, under one monarch, Cyrus, and continued in his successors unto the times of Alexander; and therefore called "a ram", or "one ram" m, as in the original; and which in sound has some likeness to Elam or Persia: and this kingdom or monarchy may be signified by it, partly because of its strength and power, and partly because of its riches, as some think, as well as because it is a fighting creature; and it may be chiefly because this monarchy was mild, and kind, and gentle to the Jewish nation: and it is very remarkable, that, according to Ammianus Marcellinus n, the ram was the royal ensign of the Persians; whose kings used to wear for a diadem something made of gold, in the shape of a ram's head, set with little stones:

and the two horns were high; grew straight up on high, and so were different from the usual horns of a ram, which are crooked; denoting the great power, authority, wealth, and riches, these two kingdoms rose up unto:

but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last; I think the words might be rendered better, "and the first was higher than the second, but it ascended, or grew up, higher at last" o; the kingdom of the Medes was the first kingdom, and it was at first superior to the kingdom of Persia; but afterwards the kingdom of Persia became greater than that, under Cyrus and his successors: and Sir John Chardin says p, that rams' heads, with horns one higher than another, are still to be seen in the ruins of Persepolis.

m איל אחד "aries unus", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, &c. n Hist. l. 19. o והאחת גבחה מן השנית והגבהה עלה באחרונה. p Travels, vol. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then I lifted up mine eyes and saw - And saw in vision, or there seemed to be before me.

There stood before the river - On the bank of the river.

A ram which had two horns - There can be no error in explaining the design of this symbol, for in Daniel 8:20 it is expressly said that it denoted the two kings of Media and Persia. The united power of the kingdom was denoted by the ram itself; the fact that there were two powers or kingdoms combined, by the two horns of the ram.

And the two horns were high - Both indicating great power.

But one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last - The higher horn springing up last denotes Persia, that became the more mighty power of the two, so that the name Media became finally almost dropped, and the united kingdom was known in Grecian history as the Persian The Median or Assyrian power was the older, but the Persian became the most mighty.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Daniel 8:3. A ram which had two horns — In the former vision there were four beasts, pointing out four empires; in this we have but two, as only two empires are concerned here, viz., the Grecian and the Persian. The Babylonish empire is not mentioned; its fate was before decided, and it was now at its close.

By the ram, the empire of the Medes and Persians was pointed out, as explained by the angel Gabriel, Daniel 8:20; and particularly Cyrus, who was the founder of that empire. Cyrus was the son of Cambyses, king of Persia; and grandson of Astyages, king of Media, by his daughter Mandane, who had been given in marriage to Cambyses. Cyrus marrying Roxana, the daughter and only child of his uncle Cyaxares, called in Scripture Ahasuerus, succeeded to both crowns, and thus united Media and Persia. A ram was the symbol of the Persians; and a ram's head with two horns, one higher than the other, appears as such in different parts of the ruins of Persepolis. See the plates of these ruins in the supplement to the seventh volume of the ancient part of the Universal History.

This ram had two horns; that is, two kingdoms, viz., Media and Persia; but one was higher than the other; and the higher came up last. Media, signified by the shorter horn, was the more ancient of the two kingdoms. Persia, the higher horn, had come up but lately, and was of little historic or political consequence till the time of Cyrus; but in the reigns of this prince and his immediate successors, Persia attained a political consequence greatly superior to that possessed at any time by the kingdom of Media; therefore, it is said to have been the higher, and to have come up last.