The He-Goat

In contrast with the beasts of prey seen in Daniel’s previous dream, Daniel sees a ram and a he-goat. In contrast with the previous dream, the nations represented by the animals are mentioned explicitly: the ram represents Persia, which possesses great forces and quantities of weapons, and the he-goat represents Macedonia-Greece which possesses speed and flexibility to adapt itself to any situation. Daniel sees that 2300 years is the time of the final redemption, and various interpretations exists as to when that time will arrive. An alternative interpretation suggests that the number 2300 corresponds with the number of daily offerings which were not sacrificed during the Greek occupation of the Beit HaMikdash until the successful rebellion of the Hashmonaim.