8:3. And I lifted up my eyes, and saw: and behold a ram stood before the water, having two high horns, and one higher than the other, and growing up. Afterward A ram... The empire of the Medes and Persians. 8:4. I saw the ram pushing with his horns against the west, and against the north, and against the south: and no beasts could withstand him, nor be delivered out of his hand: and he did according to his own will, and became great. 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. A he goat... The empire of the Greeks, or Macedonians. Ibid. 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.-Ibid. A notable horn... Alexander the Great. 8:6. And he went up to the ram that had the horns, which I had seen standing before the gate, and he ran towards him in the force of his strength. 8:7. And when he was come near the ram, he was enraged against him, and struck the ram: and broke his two horns, and the ram could not withstand him: and when he had cast him down on the ground, he stamped upon him, and none could deliver the ram out of his hand. 8:8. And the he goat became exceeding great: and when he was grown, the great horn was broken, and there came up four horns under it towards the four winds of heaven. Four horns... Seleucus, Antigonus, Philip, and Ptolemeus, the successors of Alexander, who divided his empire among them. 8:9. And out of one of them came forth a little horn: and it became great against the south, and against the east, and against the strength. A little horn... Antiochus Epiphanes, a descendant of Seleucus. He grew against the south, and the east, by his victories over the kings of Egypt and Armenia: and against the strength, that is, against Jerusalem and the people of God. 8:10. And it was magnified even unto the strength of heaven: and it threw down of the strength, and of the stars, and trod upon them. Unto the strength of heaven... or, against the strength of heaven. So are here called the army of the Jews, the people of God. 8:11. And it was magnified even to the prince of the strength: and it took away from him the continual sacrifice, and cast down the place of his sanctuary. 8:12. And strength was given him against the continual sacrifice, because of sins: and truth shall be cast down on the ground, and he shall do and shall prosper. 8:13. And I heard one of the saints speaking, and one saint said to another I know not to whom, that was speaking: How long shall be the vision, concerning the continual sacrifice, and the sin of the desolation that is made: and the sanctuary, and the strength be trodden under foot? 8:14. And he said to him: Unto evening and morning two thousand three hundred days: and the sanctuary shall be cleansed.