דניאל, פרק ח׳, פסוק ח׳

The dramatic rise and sudden fall of a mighty ruler, followed by the breaking apart of his vast empire, stands at the center of this vision. The imagery of the male goat represents the Greek Empire, specifically focusing on Alexander the Great, who rapidly expanded his rule and conquered the world [מלבי״ם, יוסף אבן יחיא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He eventually reached the absolute height of his strength, but precisely at the peak of his power and success, the great horn on his forehead was shattered [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This breaking symbolizes Alexander's sudden death midway through his life, at around thirty years of age [אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם]. Adding to the sudden nature of his end, he died outside his homeland after being given a deadly poison [יוסף אבן יחיא].

In place of the single broken horn, four new, large horns emerged [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This visual shift represents the splitting of the massive empire into four distinct leaderships [אבן עזרא]. There are different perspectives on exactly when this division occurred. While some maintain that the empire was fractured after Alexander's death, divided among the strongmen who overpowered the rest [מלבי״ם], another perspective suggests that Alexander himself partitioned the kingdom among four kings while he was still alive [יוסף אבן יחיא].

These new powers spread out toward all directions of the globe [מצודת דוד], mirroring the four heads of the beast mentioned earlier in Daniel's visions [אבן עזרא]. Commentators offer varied identifications for these four geographic and political divisions. One approach identifies the regions broadly as Aram, Egypt, the Land of Israel, and Persia [אבן עזרא]. A more detailed historical view maps the division to specific rulers: Ptolemy the First ruling Egypt in the south; Seleucus controlling Asia and Babylon in the north, a line that would eventually produce the wicked Antiochus; Antiochus the First ruling Persia in the east; and Philip, Alexander's brother, governing Greece in the west [מלבי״ם]. Alternatively, another tradition links the division to specific cities and their leaders, pointing to Romanus in Rome, Alexander in Alexandria, Herod in Acre, and Antiochus in Antioch [יוסף אבן יחיא].