Ulai, a river in Elam, near Susa, where Daniel received a vision of a ram and a goat (Dan. 8:2, 16).
The Ulai is a river mentioned in the Book of Daniel, located in the ancient region of Elam, near the city of Susa (Dan. 8:2). In Daniel's vision, he finds himself beside the Ulai Canal, where he sees a ram with two horns standing beside the river (Dan. 8:3). The ram is later interpreted as representing the kings of Media and Persia (Dan. 8:20). As the vision continues, Daniel sees a male goat coming from the west, which defeats the ram (Dan. 8:5-7). The goat is interpreted as the king of Greece (Dan. 8:21). The Ulai River is mentioned again when the angel Gabriel approaches Daniel to explain the vision (Dan. 8:16). The river's location in Elam, combined with the mention of Susa, suggests that the Ulai may be associated with the ancient city of Susa, which served as one of the capitals of the Persian Empire. The Ulai River is thus connected with important prophetic visions in the Book of Daniel, which foretell the rise and fall of major world empires and their impact on God's people.
Approximate location: 32.179, 48.225 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
The Eulaus of the Greeks; a river of Susiana. It was probably the eastern branch of the Choasper (Kerkhan), which divided into two branches some 20 miles above the city of Susa. Hence Daniel (8:2, 16) speaks of standing “between the banks of Ulai”, i.e., between the two streams of the divided river.
(pure water) is mentioned by Daniel, (Daniel 8:2,16) as a river near to Susa, where he saw his vision of the ram and the he-goat. It has been generally identified with the Eulaeus of the Greek and Roman geographers, a large stream in the immediate neighborhood of that city. The Eulseus has been by many identified with the Choaspes, which is undoubtedly the modern Kerkhah, an affluent of the Tigris, flowing into it a little below Kurnah . Recent surveys show that the Choarspes once divided into two streams about 20 miles above Susa. The eastern was the Ulai. This bifurcation explains (Daniel 8:16)
strength; fool; senseless
U'LAI (strong water?), a river of Susians, on whose banks Daniel saw his vision of the ram and he-goat. Dan 8:2-16. It is doubtless the Eulaeus of the Greeks and Romans, a large stream in the vicinity of Susa (Shushan). Recent explorations have shown that the river Choaspes (Kerkhan) divides about 20 miles above Susa. The eastern branch, which received the Shapur and fell into the Karan, was probably the Ulai. This bifurcation of the stream explains the otherwise difficult passage, "I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai," Dan 8:16 - that is, between the banks of the two streams of that divided river.
U'LAI (strong water?), a river of Susians, on whose banks Daniel saw his vision of the ram and he-goat. Dan 8:2-16. It is doubtless the Eulaeus of the Greeks and Romans, a large stream in the vicinity of Susa (Shushan). Recent explorations have shown that the river Choaspes (Kerkhan) divides about 20 miles above Susa. The eastern branch, which received the Shapur and fell into the Karan, was probably the Ulai. This bifurcation of the stream explains the otherwise difficult passage, "I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai," Dan 8:16 - that is, between the banks of the two streams of that divided river.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
2 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0195
And in the vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.
And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.