What does Daniel 8:27 mean?

(Daniel 8:27) . . .And as for me, Daniel, I felt exhausted and was made sick for [some] days. Then I got up and did the work of the king; but I kept showing myself numbed on account of the thing seen, and there was nobody understanding [it].

In the above versus he was shown a vision of things leading up to the end.. a ram with 2 horns, the one horn being broken and four coming up in it's place.. representing world powers and kings. It had deep meaning, he was probably contemplating hard about what it meant.

The whole chapter is prophetic, telling Daniel events which were future to his time. starting with the conflict between Medo Persia and Greece. Verses 20 & 21 leading to Alexander the great (verse 21 &22) . Alexander's Kingdom on his death went to his 4 generals (22) . Verses 23 to 26 are still future; they refer to the one mentioned in other scriptures as " The Man of Sin" or "The Beast". This is the period we shall shortly be passing through known as the "Tribulation", it will be the most terrible period in earths history. God has told us that if it weren't for the fact that He will shorten those days by intervening, no flesh would survive. Daniel could not fully comprehend all of what God was telling him, but he understood enough to be filled with awe, fear, and apprehension. It was this which overwhelmed him making him swoon and feel ill for days. - May God grant you understanding of His Word, through which you can find salvation, and the assurance that you will not have to pass through the tribulation.