Daniel 8:1-5,21; 2 Chron. 11:15, The Male Goat

We continue to see things in the writings of Daniel that deserve the attention of Bible students.  My study of this began in 2 Chron. 11:15 which speaks of the establishment of idolatrous religion in the days of Jeroboam I of Israel.  The NKJV says he appointed priests for the demons, and the calf idols he had made.  Other translations read: for the satyrs and for the calves (NASB); for the goat and calf idols (NIV); and for the goat idols and for the calves (ESV).  We know about the “golden calves” erected in Bethel and Dan, and the connection the Bible makes between this and the incident at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 32:4,8; 1 Ki. 12:28).

The question today has to do with what the NKJV calls “demons.”  In fact, the Hebrew word is sa’iyr meaning male goat.  Why did they translate it “demons?” 

·       The root meaning is “hairy,” first used in the OT of Esau (Gen. 27:11).

·       Isaiah used this term of wild goats in the deserts of Babylon (Isa. 13:21; 34:14).

·       The term is used frequently of the male kid of the goats used in certain sacrifices, including the sin offering of a ruler, Lev. 4:23-24; the offering of the people at the ordination of the High Priest, Lev. 9:3,15; 13x of the identical offerings brought by the leaders in Num. 7; and 12x in the offerings of Num. 28-29.

·       The term is used 12x of both goats on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in Lev. 16 (the goat that is killed and the scapegoat that is freed in the desert).

·       Lev. 17:7 forbid offering their sacrifices to demons (NKJV; NASV and ESV say goat demons; goat idols in NIV) after whom they have played the harlot.  This passage indicates Israel was familiar with goat-worship, likely in Egypt.  Given Israel’s background with goat and calf worship, it is not surprising that Jeroboam chose such “gods”, nor that the LORD God considered it such an abomination.

In summary, Israel was to offer male goats for sacrifices in certain situations.  Israel was forbidden to worship male goats as their “god.”  And Israel was familiar with goat-worship (a practice discovered in many ancient cultures).

Now we come to the symbol of Alexander the Great, the first king of Greece, in Dan. 8.  He is a “male goat,” the same term sa’iyr.  We do not want to push this too far.  But it is hard not to think that God chose this term specifically.  A previous king of Macedon (Caranus) attributed military success to being led by “goats” (acc. to Jameson, Faucette, Brown comment on Dan. 8:5).  Albert Barnes adds several notes that identify the male goat as a symbol of Macedon (Barnes Notes commentary on Dan. 8:5).  He includes a coin found from the reign of Archelaus in 413BC that has, on one side, a goat having only one horn. 

Barnes also adds a note from Josephus, relating to the time when Alexander was at Jerusalem.  He was shown the prophecy of Daniel, and his response was to confer favors on the Jews.  This event is questioned by some, but if true, might help explain why many Jews, in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, were willing to adopt the Hellenistic philosophy and to permit the abomination of desolation (the sacrifice of a pig on the altar of the second temple).

Let me mention two other references to the goat-god.  The god Pan was so depicted in Caesarea-Philippi in the time of Christ.  And the statue of Satan in Detroit, MI, unveiled in 2015, is also a depiction of a goat-god.

Of what benefit is this study? 

ü For one thing, we see the consistency of Scripture in making a connection between the kings of the raging nations and the demonic powers of the universe. 

ü Furthermore, as always, we see the precision of God’s word, including His prophetic statements.  Long before archaeology discovered the goat gods or the satirs of Greek mythology, our Lord knew the workings of the god of this age.  We are again reminded of what it means when we say, God is on the throne. 

ü We also see, again, the extreme sinfulness of men.  The Bible tells us that it was the idolatry established by Jeroboam, and the refusal of the Ten Tribes to repent of that worship, that God judged Israel.  The “goat” and “calves” were very “in Your face” abominations against the living and true God of Israel.

We should hear the call to worship our holy God.  No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God (1 Sam. 2:2).