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The Hebrew of Greece is Yavan, which naturally associates it with Javan the son of Japheth. Gen. 10: 2, 4; 1 Chr. 1: 5, 7. In Isa. 66: 19 the country inhabited by his descendants is also called Javan, which is mentioned as a place whose merchants traded with Tyre. Ezek. 27: 13, 19. See JAVAN. The same word is translated 'Grecia' in
Daniel and 'Greece' in Zechariah. It is the well-known country bearing that name in the S.E. corner of Europe, but the name did not always apply to the same extent of territory. It did not anciently include Macedonia, nor does the modern kingdom. Greece is referred to in Daniel as the seat of the third great Gentile empire, of which Alexander the Great was the head, though he was a Macedonian; but he conquered Greece, and the empire he established bears that name. Dan. 8: 21; Dan. 10: 20; Dan. 11: 2.
THE GRECIAN EMPIRE is called 'a kingdom of brass,' as inferior to the Babylonian and the Persian: Dan. 2: 39. It was not inferior as to its extent. Of it was said, "it shall bear rule over all the earth;" but as an empire it was not consolidated, and scarcely had any capital. An army had to be left in Greece under Antipater to preserve peace. On the death of Alexander the empire was not conquered by others, but fell to pieces of itself.
The empire is further compared to a leopard, with four wings, marking its rapid conquests. It had four heads, answering to its being divided into four kingdoms, before Rome became supreme. Dan. 7:
6. Again it is compared to a he-goat that touched not the ground, also marking the speed of its progress. It was very great, and when very strong its great horn was broken. "The rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king." Dan. 8: 6, 8, 21. See ALEXANDER THE GREAT. In Zech. 9: 13 Greece is mentioned as one of the nations to be subdued by Israel when Jehovah again fights for them. It was visited by Paul under the names of Macedonia, Achaia, and Greece. Acts 16: 9-12: Acts 18: 12; Acts 19: 21; Acts 20: 2.