Daniel 7:5

7:5 “Then ¹  a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs ²  in its mouth between its teeth. ³  It was told, ⁴  ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’

Daniel 8:7

8:7 I saw it approaching the ram. It went into a fit of rage against the ram ⁵  and struck it ⁶  and broke off its two horns. The ram had no ability to resist it. ⁷  The goat hurled the ram ⁸  to the ground and trampled it. No one could deliver the ram from its power. ⁹ 

[7:5]  ¹ tn Aram “and behold.”

[7:5]  ² sn The three ribs held securely in the mouth of the bear, perhaps representing Media-Persia, apparently symbolize military conquest, but the exact identity of the “ribs” is not clear. Possibly it is a reference to the Persian conquest of Lydia, Egypt, and Babylonia.

[7:5]  ³ tc The LXX lacks the phrase “between its teeth.”

[7:5]  ⁴ tn Aram “and thus they were saying to it.”

[8:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “him.”

[8:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “the ram.”

[8:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “stand before him.”

[8:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “he hurled him.” The referents of both pronouns (the male goat and the ram) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:7]  ⁹ sn The goat of Daniel’s vision represents Greece; the large horn represents Alexander the Great. The ram stands for Media-Persia. Alexander’s rapid conquest of the Persians involved three battles of major significance which he won against overwhelming odds: Granicus (334 B.C.), Isus (333 B.C.), and Gaugemela (331 B.C.).