“As I was watching,
A male goat
Appeared
From the west.
It came across
The face
Of the whole earth,
Without touching
The ground.
The goat
Had a conspicuous horn
Between its eyes.”
While Daniel was watching the ram, a goat from the west appeared, maybe a reference to Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE). This goat was a like a flying animal, but there was no mention of any wings. This goat simply moved without touching the ground. However, it did have a horn between its eyes, like a unicorn.
“The herald
Proclaimed aloud.
‘You are commanded!
O peoples!
O nations!
O languages!
When you hear
The sound of the horn,
The pipe,
The lyre,
The trigon,
The harp,
The drum,
The entire musical ensemble,
You are to fall down!
You are to worship
The golden statue
That King Nebuchadnezzar
Has set up!
Whoever does not
Fall down,
Whoever does not
Worship,
Shall immediately
Be thrown
Into a furnace
Of a blazing fire.’”
The king’s herald announced to all standing there around this statue. All the people, countries, and various language groups were to fall down and worship this statue, when a musical sound would be made. They were to listen for the sound of a horn, a pipe, a lyre, a trigon, a harp, or a drum. Then, they were to worship this golden statue. Anyone who failed to worship this statue would immediately be thrown into a fiery furnace.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 