Q
In Daniel 8:21, the angel Gabriel explains that the king of Greece, Alexander the Great, is represented by the shaggy goat in Daniel’s vision. Knowing that scripture doesn’t just give information this detailed for no reason, I was wondering why Alexander the Great is represented as a goat, and is there any significance in the fact that the goat is shaggy?
A
Several English translations refer to a shaggy goat in Daniel 8:21. In the original language it’s simply called a hairy goat which would not be unusual, especially for a male. Alexander’s father was Philip of Macedon. Their homeland, Macedonia, was symbolized by a one horned male goat in ancient art work and on coinage that predated Alexander by at least 100 years.