Note 1: Consider the context
The whole context of this scripture (Daniel 8) is concerning Daniel’s vision. The goat spoken of (v8) was the king of Greece (v21), and the large horn was Alexander the Great. He died in his prime at the age of 33 (v8) and his four Generals (four notable ones v9) took over his kingdom. The "little horn" is a type of the Antichrist of the last days, but in this context it is also said to refer to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who during the last few years of his reign made a determined effort to destroy the Jewish faith. He captured the temple, and caused the daily sacrifice to cease (v11), but was eventually overcome by Judas Maccabeus, who recaptured the temple and rededicated it to the Lord on 25^th Chislev 165 B.C. This rededication was the origin of the feast of Hanukkah, called "the feast of the Dedication" (John 10:22). The whole immediate context then is to do with the sacrifices (mentioned v11, 12, 13) that were made in the physical temple. The sanctuary referred to was also physical, "trodden underfoot" (v13) by the Greeks at that time.

Note 2: Check the original language
No scripture can be properly understood from faulty translations, and as no known perfect translations are available (2008) a good working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew is essential. Just looking in an interlinear (by Jay P. Green p2016) we can see that the words translated "days" (Daniel 8:14 KJV) are the Hebrew words עֶרֶב בֹּקֶר (Htr. erev boqer) which translate in the interlinear as "evenings and mornings", but literally as "evening morning", as they are both singular. Why then have they been translated days here? The misunderstanding comes perhaps because of the translations in the KJV in Genesis chapter 1.

(Genesis 1:5) "And the evening and the morning were the first day."
(Genesis 1:8) "And the evening and the morning were the second day."
(Genesis 1:13) "And the evening and the morning were the third day."
(Genesis 1:19) "And the evening and the morning were the fourth day." Etc.

It appears from these translations as if the evening and the morning could refer to a whole day, and taking it to be so then enables "evening morning" to refer to a day (Daniel 8:14).
But again we need to look at the Hebrew words וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר (Htr. vay^ehî erev vay^ehî boqer) translated, "And the evening and the morning were" (Genesis 1:5 etc). In other versions they translate like this:

(JPG) "And there was evening, and there was morning the first day."
(NASB) "And there was evening and there was morning, one day."
(NIV) "And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day."
(RSV) "And there was evening and there was morning, one day."
(YLT) "and there is an evening, and there is a morning - day one."

In this instance, these other translations are much better than the KJV. They are saying that there was an evening and there was a morning on the first day, but they are not saying that evening and morning makes up a day. Obviously it doesn’t anyway, as there is also afternoon and night to account for. The "evening" and "morning" (Daniel 8:14) then refer to the times that the two daily burnt offerings were made (Exodus 29:38-42; Numbers 28:3-4; 2 Kings 16:15; 1 Chronicles 16:40; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 13:11; 31:3; Ezra 3:3), and not to literal days. In each of these scriptures the same two words (Htr. erev and boqer) are used together for the times of the burnt offerings, so why would they refer to days here (Daniel 8:14) and the times of burnt offerings everywhere else? God is not the author of confusion. Look at this scripture:

(Daniel 8:26) "And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: therefore shut up the vision, for it is for many days from now."

Now let us ask the question, "What is this vision of the evening and the morning mentioned here?" Obviously the one that was just told. So if the Hebrew words erev and boqer refer to evenings and mornings here (v26), then why not in verse 14? If the vision in verse 14 was truly days, then this should say days also. The answer is obvious, that the words erev and boqer refer to the evening and morning sacrifices that were made, and not days in either verse 26 or verse 14.
The 2300 burnt offerings, evening - morning, would come to 1150 days, one fulfilment of which would be the interval between the desecration of the temple, and its rededication by Judas Maccabeus on 25^th. Chislev 165 B.C. Antiochus set up a pagan altar on 25^th. Chislev 168 BC, which is just 3 years before, but the Lord’s altar was removed some time before that, so the 1150 days may be counted from the time of its removal.

Conclusion

From the Hebrew of Daniel 8:14, and the context that it is in, this verse should read:

(Daniel 8:14) "And he said to me, For two thousand three hundred sacrifices; evening - morning, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

If you doubt that we should insert the word sacrifices here, then note that it is also inserted without the Hebrew for it in verses 12 and 13 (words are in italics), but it is obviously implied. See also our stud on finding the missing words in scripture. False doctrine has been established from the misunderstanding of this verse (Daniel 8:14); for a refutation of it see also our study on the Investigative Judgement.

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