DAN 8:3 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Then I looked up, and to my surprise, there was a ram standing beside the canal. It had two horns and both horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one had grown last.

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram standing beside the canal. It had two horns and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.

UST I looked up and saw a ram that was standing alongside the canal. It had two long horns, but the one that grew last was longer than the one that grew first.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram which had two horns stood before the river. The two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET I looked up and saw a ram with two horns standing at the canal. Its two horns were both long, but one was longer than the other. The longer one was coming up after the shorter one.

LSV And I lift up my eyes, and look, and behold, a certain ram is standing before the stream, and it has two horns, and the two horns [are] high; and one [is] higher than the other, and the high one is coming up last.

FBV I looked around and saw a ram standing beside the river. It had two long horns, one longer than the other, even though the longer one had grown last.

T4T I looked up and saw a ram that was standing alongside the canal. It had two long horns, but the newest one was longer than the other one.

LEB And I lifted up my eyes and I saw, and look! A ram[fn] standing _⌊before_⌋[fn] the stream, and _⌊it had_⌋[fn] two horns, and the horns were long, but the one was longer than the second, and the longer one came up _⌊after the other one_⌋.[fn]

8:3 Hebrew “One ram”

8:3 Literally “to the face of”

8:3 Literally “for it”

8:3 Literally “in the behind of the other”

BBE And lifting up my eyes, I saw, there before the stream, a male sheep with two horns: and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, the higher one coming up last.

Moff When I looked up, there in front of the river stood a ram with two horns, two high horns, but one of them was higher than the other, and the higher came up last!

JPS And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the stream a ram which had two horns; and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.

ASV Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.

DRA 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

YLT And I lift up mine eyes, and look, and lo, a certain ram is standing before the stream, and it hath two horns, and the two horns [are] high; and the one [is] higher than the other, and the high one is coming up last.

Drby And I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns; and the two horns were high; and one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.

RV Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.

SLT And I shall lift up mine eyes, and I shall see, and behold, one ram stood before the stream, and horns to him: and the horns high; and the one high above the second, and the high came up at the last.

Wbstr Then I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.

KJB-1769 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.[fn]

8.3 the other: Heb. the second

KJB-1611 [fn]Then I lifted vp mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there stood before the riuer, a ramme which had two hornes, and the two hornes were high: but one was higher then the other, and the higher came vp last.
(Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there stood before the river, a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high: but one was higher then the other, and the higher came up last.)

8:3 Heb. the second.

Bshps Then I loked vp and saw, & beholde, there stoode before the riuer a ramme which had two hornes: and these two hornes were hye, but one was hyer then the other, & the hyest came vp last.
(Then I looked up and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and these two horns were high, but one was higher then the other, and the highest came up last.)

Gnva Then I looked vp and sawe, and beholde, there stoode before the riuer a ramme, which had two hornes: and these two hornes were hie: but one was hier then another, and the hyest came vp last.
(Then I looked up and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram, which had two horns: and these two horns were hie: but one was higher then another, and the highest came up last. )

Cvdl Then I loked vp, and sawe: and beholde there stode before the ryuer, a ramme, which had hornes: and these hornes were hye, but one was hyer then another, and the hyest came vp last.
(Then I looked up, and sawe: and behold there stood before the river, a ram, which had horns: and these horns were high, but one was higher then another, and the highest came up last.)

Wycl And Y reiside myn iyen, and Y siy; and lo! o ram stood bifor the mareis, and hadde hiy hornes, and oon hiyere than the tother, and vndurwexynge.
(And I raised mine eyes, and I siy; and lo! o ram stood before the mareis, and had high horns, and one higher than the other, and underwexing.)

Luth Und ich hub meine Augen auf und sah, und siehe, ein Widder stund vor dem Wasser, der hatte zwei hohe Hörner, doch eins höher denn das andere, und das höchste wuchs am letzten.
(And I hub my eyes on/in/to and saw, and see/look, a ram(n) stood before/in_front_of to_him water, the/of_the had two height Hörner, though/but one higher because/than the other/different, and the höchste growth in/at/on_the last.)

ClVg Et levavi oculus meos, et vidi: et ecce aries unus stabat ante paludem, habens cornua excelsa, et unum excelsius altero atque succrescens. Postea
(And I_lifted the_eye mine, and I_saw: and behold aries one was_standing before paludem, having horns high, and one excelsius to_the_other and_yet succrescens. Postea )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 8:1–27 Daniel had a dream about a ram and a goat

At this point in the narrative, the author of the book of Daniel again began to write in the Hebrew language. He described another vision, this one occurring during the third year of Belshazzar’s reign over Babylon. In this vision Daniel was by the bank of a canal near the city of Susa. He saw a very powerful ram with two horns that charged in all directions. Next he saw a goat with one large horn between its eyes. The goat attacked and defeated the ram and grew very powerful. Its large horn broke and four prominent horns grew in its place. From one of those four horns grew a small horn. That little horn grew as high as the stars, as high as the army of heaven, and as high as the commander of the army. When it was at its highest, it stopped the daily sacrifices and desecrated the temple.

The angel Gabriel came to Daniel and explained the meaning of what he had seen. The ram and the goat represented kings and their kingdoms. The little horn represented a particularly wicked king. That king would even defy God, but in the end that wicked king would be destroyed.

Some versions have two headings within this section. For example:

NET Daniel Has a Vision of a Goat and a Ram (8:1)

An Angel Interprets Daniel’s Vision (8:15)

NRSV Vision of a Ram and a Goat (8:1)

Gabriel Interprets the Vision (8:15)

GNT Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat

The Angel Gabriel Explains the Vision (8:15)

BFrCL88 Second vision: the Ram and the Goat (8:1)

Interpretation of the second vision (8:15)

GeCL97 A second vision: The battle between the Ram and the Goat (8:1)

The meaning of the vision of the ram and the goat (8:15)

There are a number of similarities between chapter eight and chapter seven. For example, both chapters use symbolic language to describe kingdoms, and both use the symbol of a horn to refer to particular rulers of those kingdoms. In spite of these similarities, it is important to understand that the symbols in the two chapters do not necessarily refer to the same things. For example, while there are similarities between the two little horns, there are also important differences. The Notes will explain some of these differences. The Notes will also suggest ways to translate these symbols.

As noted above, the chapter is divided into two parts, one that describes the vision and one that gives the interpretation of the vision. Both parts lead to a climax. In the first part the horn grew until it became so great that it succeeded in everything it did (8:12). A similar sequence of events occurs in the second part of the vision. Gabriel described the growth of the horn and its climactic success (8:24–26). At the end of the chapter, Gabriel announced that God would destroy the horn (8:25).

The vision includes a number of images that may seem obscure and confusing. It is usually best to translate these images in a literal way. Even Daniel did not understand the full meaning of what he saw.

Paragraph 8:3–4

In his vision, Daniel first saw a powerful ram with two horns.

8:3a

Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram

Then I saw/noticed in front of me one ram
A male sheep appeared before me,

Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram: The Hebrew text is more literally “And I lifted up my eyes and I saw, lo/behold, one ram.” The verbs lifted up and saw calls attention to the ram and introduces the beginning of the vision. It does not indicate that Daniel was looking down before the appearance of the ram. Emphasize what Daniel saw in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

I noticed a ram

there appeared before me a ram

a ram came into view/sight

a ram: The Hebrew text is more literally “one ram.” Here is another way to translate this:

a single ram (GW)

A ram is a male sheep with horns. If you do not have a specific word for such an animal, you may say

a male sheep (NCV)

8:3b

with two horns standing beside the canal.

and it had two horns. It was standing by the canal.
one with two horns. It stood on the bank of the river.

with two horns standing beside the canal: The BSB has reversed the order of the two Hebrew phrases. The Hebrew says, “standing before/beside the canal, and it had two horns.” The fact that this ram had two horns was not unusual in any way. Use the order which is most natural in your language. Other ways to translate this include:

standing on the bank of the river. It had two horns (RSV)

standing there with two horns on its head (CEV)

8:3c

The horns were long,

Its horns were long.
The horns were both tall/high,

The horns were long: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as long can also be translated as “high,” as in the RSV. Try to use a word that suggests importance or power. Other ways to translate this include:

Its two horns were both long (NET)

both of them were long (CEV)

He held his horns high

General Comment on 8:3b–c

In some languages it may be natural to combine the information in 8:3b–c. For example:

^3b-cwith two long horns standing beside the river (NLT)

8:3d

but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later.

The longer horn grew/came up after the other.
but the second horn was taller/higher than the first.

but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later: The second horn became longer, or higher, than the first horn. This implies that it became more powerful. This was contrary to expectation, and the GW translates this as:

one longer than the other, though the longer one had grown up later (GW)

In some languages it may be natural to combine the two clauses into one. For example:

but the second one was longer than the first (CEV)

the latter horn exceeded the former horn

In other languages it may be natural to translate this as two independent clauses or sentences. For example:

but one was longer than the other. The longer one was coming up after the shorter one. (NET)

The horns were both long/high, but the second horn exceeded the first in length/height.