Commentary on the Holy Bible

The height of the aisles, or apartments that were around the two courts, is not mentioned any where in the Scriptures; but they are here fixed at thirty cu- bits; for the temple was not higher, neither was Solomon's palace. See 1 Kings vii. 2.

BB The city of the heviles, four thousand Jive hundred cubits square, and eighteen thousand in compass, chap, xlviii. 16.

cccc Suburbs of the city of the Levites, two hundred and fifty cubits in breadth, chap, xlviii. 17.

dddd The twelve gates of the Levitical city, four on each side, chap, xlviii. 31—34.

EE City of the lay persons or workmen employed in the service of the priests and of the Levites, _^De thousand broad by twenty-five thousand cubits long, chap. xlv. 6.

GG Portion of the prince of Israel, twenty-five thousand cubits long by twelve thousand five hundred broad, chap, xlviii. 21. The whole extent of the land from Kadesh-barnea south to Hethlon or Hamath north, was about tivo hundred and ticenty miles, its mean breadth about one

T^ANIEL is said to have descended from the royal family of David; and he appears to have been carried into Babylon when very young, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim king of Judah, A. M. 3398, B. C. 602, or 606 before the vulgar era. He and his three fellowcaptives, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, being hkely youths, were chosen to be about the king's court, and were appointed to have an education suitable to the employments for which they were destined. As they had been carefidly bred up in the Mosaic institutions, they regulated their conduct by them, even in the court of a lieathen king, where they were in the capacity of slaves; hence, though ordered to be fed from the royal table, they would not touch tliat food, because the Chaldeans ate of meat forbidden by the Mosaic law; and probably even that which might be denominated clean became defiled by having been sacrificed to idols before it was prepared for common use. At their earnest request, the officer under whose care they were placed permitted them to use vegetables only; and finding that they grew healthy and strong by this aliment, did not oblige them to use tiie portion sent from the king's table.

Daniel appears to have been instructed in all the wisdom of the Chaldeans, which was at that time greatly superior to the learning of the ancient Egyptians; and he was soon distinguished in the Babylonish court, as well for his wisdom and strong understanding as for his deep and steady^ piety.

His interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the variously compounded metallic i7nage raised his credit so high at the comt that he was established governor of the province of Babylon, and made chief of all the Magians, or wise men in that country. The chief facts and incidents of his history are so particularly woven throughout the book bearing his name, and undoubtedly written by himself, that they need not be detailed here.

The reputation of Daniel was so great, even in his lifetime, that it became a proverb. " Thou art toiser than Daniel" said Ezekiel ironically to the king of Tyre, chap, xxviii. 3; and by the same prophet God ranks him among the most holy and exemplary of men, when he declares, speaking relative to Jerusalem, which had been condemned to destruction, " Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own lives by their righteousness," chap. xiv. 14, 20.

Josephus, Ant. lib. x., c. 12, says that God bestowed many favours on him: that he was advanced to the rank of the most considerable prophets; that he enjoyed the favour of princes, and the affection of the people during his life; and that after his death his memory became immortal. He observes also that, in the complexion of his predictions, he differs widely from all other prophets; they foretold scarcely any thing but disastrous events; on the contrary, he predicts the raosi joyous events, a.nA fixes the times of accomplish??ient with, more circumstantial precision than they did. And this is so true, that we cannot help thinking that God had given this eminent man a greater degree of light to fix the times when his predictions should issue, than he had given in general to all his predecessors, who simply declared the mind of God in relation to things future, without attempting to indicate the distance of time in which they should be fulfilled. There are but very few exceptions to this either in Isaiah or Jeremiah. And in this respect the prophecy of the seventy tueeks of Daniel exceeds all that have gone before, as the incidents and transactions relative to its fulfilment were so various, and yet so fixed and declared six hundred years before the time, that when the time came in which they were predicted to take place, they were expected, and occurred exactly accoriling to the prediction, and the expectations founded upon it. This prophet therefore, far from occupying a lower place among divinely inspired men, deserves to be placed in the front rank with all those who have been most distinguished among the men who have partaken most largely of the prophetic gift.

The rabbins have endeavoured to degrade Daniel, and have placed his prophecies among /,he hagiographa, books which they consider to possess a minor degree of inspiration; and it is probable that he meets with this treatment from them because his prophecies are proofs too evident that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, and that he came at the very time that Daniel said the Prince Messiah should come. But the testimony and sayings of such men arc infinitely overpowered by the testimony of Ezekiel, which has been produced above; and the testimony of our Lord, who gives him the title of prophet. Matt. xxiv. 15, without the slightest intimation that he was to wear this title with abatement.

It is very probable that Daniel did not retimi at the general restoration from the Baby lonish captivity. At that time, if alive, he must have been an old man; and it is most likely that he finished his days in Babylon, though some Asiatic authors hold that he returned to Judea with Ezra, came back afterward to Persia, and died in the city of Susa.

Josephus speaks of his skill in architecture, Antiq. lib. x., c. 12, and that he built a famous tower at Ecbatane or Susa, which remained to his time, and was so exquisitely finished that it always appeared as if newly built. In this tower or palace the kings of Persia were inteiTcd; and in consideration of its founder, the guard of it was always chosen from the Jews.

Daniel is famous among the orientalists. The authgr of the Tareekh Muntekheh says that Daniel floiurished in the time of Lohorasp, king of Persia; and consequently in that of Ceresh, or CjTUs, who gave him the government of Syria; that he taught these two princes the knowledge of the true God; tliat he preached the true faith through the whole of the Babylonian Irak; and was, on the death of Nebuchadnezzar, sent by Bahman, (Artaxerxes Longimanus,) son of Asfendiar, who then reigned in Persia, into Judea; and that, having retiuiicd, he died at Shoiister, or Susa, the capital of Persia, where he lies interred.

Some have supposed that the Zoroaster or Zeradusht of the Persians is a confused pictiu-e of the Prophet Daniel. The account given by Abul Pharaje, in his ffth dynasty, may be considered favourable to this opinion. He says, " Zeradusht, author of the Magiouseiah Magism, or sect of the worshippers of fire, flourished in the reign of Camhasous, (Cambyses;) that he was a native of the province of Adherbigian, or Media, or, according to others, of Assyria; that he foretold to his disciples the coming of the Messiah, who should be pointed out by a star which should appear in the day time at his birth; that they should have the first information of his advent; that he should be born of a virgin; and that they should present him with gifts; because he is the Word that made the heavens." See Pococke's Abul Pharajius, p. 83 of the Arabic, and 54 of the Latin.

D'Herhelot, on this account, makes the following remark: "We may see by these words of the historian, that the prophecy of Balaam was pretty generally known throughout the cast, and that the Magi, who came to worship our Lord, were the true Magians of Persia, and not Arab kings."

The account given by Abul Pharaje makes Daniel and Zeradusht contemporary, and thus far is favourable to the opinion that the history of the former may be disguised under that of the latter. There hdve been several Zoroasters, of whom many fables are told; and no wonder, when the persons tliemselvcs are generally fabulous.

The Asiatics make him the inventor of J^j remel, or geomancy; and among them lie passes for the author of a work entitled Assoul ol Taheer, " The Principles of the Interpretation of Dreams." I have in my own libraxy a very ancient work which pretends to be drawn from this, and is entitled Somnia Daniel; it was printed in the infancy of printing,

Ijut without date; small 4to. There is an Arabic work in the French king's library, No. 410, entitled Odhmet al Mancoul, an Danial an Nabi, " The Traditionary Predictions of Daniel the Prophet;" which is said to contain many falsities, built on the foundation of Daniel's prophecies; but it has never been given to the public, and I have no other notice of it than the above from UHerhelot. But altliough all these are curious from their antiquity, yet they are doubtless impostures.

Abul Pharaje, in his history of the dynasties, says, that the seventy weeks of Daniel are to be dated from the tioentieth year of >:i— rtii;lj>.<>^At^'^j! Ardsheer Dirazdest, the Artaxerxes Longimanus of the Greeks, (called Bahaman above,) and the same to whom Nehemiah was L7?U» sakee, or cup-bearer. Other orientalists are of the same opinion. This shall be considered more at large when we come to the prophecy itself. Artaxerxes had the name of Longimanus, or Long-handed, from the great extent of his dominions.

Daniel cannot be ranked among the Hebrew poets: his book is all in prose; and it is written partly in Hebreiv, and partly in Chaldee. The Chaldee, or SjTo-Chaldaic part, be gins with "n ydiv^ mS-d inalka leuhnin chei, " O king, live for ever!" and continues to the end of the seventh chapter.

In the interpretation of iiis prophecies I have endeavoured to follow the best critics and chronologists; and, without an extended comment, to give in as short a space as possible the meaning of every place. On the metallic images and seventy loeeks I have been obliged to be more prolix, as these are of too much importance to be slightly handled. It is not my province to enter into the controversy about the date when the seventy weeks commence; even they who disagree so much from each other on this point come so near to tlie general issue that the difference is immaterial.

The clironology of the several events mentioned in this book Calmet endeavours to fix as follows: —

33i)9. Death of Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel and his companions promoted to honour at court.

Birth of Cyrus, son of Cambyses and Mandane. 3405. Jehoiakim is taken and put to death by the Chaldeans.

Jeconiah is raised to his throne, but reigns only three months and ten days.

Zedekiah, last king of Judah, succeeds; and reigns eleven years. 3416. Taking of Jerusalem, and destruction of the temple, 1 Chron. xxxvi.

3434. Return of Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon after his great conquests in Phtenicia, Judea, Egypt, &c. His dream of the great tree, chap. iv. 7, &c.

The golden image set up. The three Hebrews cast into the fiery furnace, chap. iii.

Death of Nebuchadnezzar after a reign o{ forty -three years, according to Berosus

Daniel's vision of the four beasts, representing the four great empires, chap. vii. 3447. Vision of the ram and he-goat, chap. viii.

The death of Belshazzar, chap. v. 3449. Darius the Mede, called Cyaxares by Xenophon, and Astyages in the Apocrypha, son of Astyages, king of the Medes, and maternal great uncle to Belshazzar, succeeds him in the government of Chaldea, chap. v. 30, 31. See Isa. xiii. 1, &c.

Cyrus attacks the Medes in the first or second year of Darius the Mede, chap. x. 1.

3455. Daniel is cast into the den of lions, chap. vi.

3456. Death of Darius. Cyrus succeeds him.

3457. End of the Babylonish captivity declared by Cyrus, in t)xe first year of his reign, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 22, and Ezra i. 1; but afterward interrupted. See below.

3 }85. Termination of Jeremiah's seventy years under Darius Hystaspes, who gives orders to continue the rebuilding of the temple. 3550. Commencement of the seventy weeks, chap. ix. 24. Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem, Neh. ii. 1-6.

In this chronology Calmet differs from Usher.

As a Avriter, tliis prophet is simple, yet pure and correct: and he is so conscientious that lie relates the very words of those persons whom he introduces as speaking. He writes Hebrew where what he delivers is a bare narrative; but he relates in Chaldee the conversa tions which he had with the wise men and the kings; and in the same language he relates Nebuchadnezzar's edict, which he made after Daniel had interpreted his dream concerning the great metalline image. This is a proof of his great and conscientious accuracy; and exhibits this prophet in a most advantageous point of view. Daniel writes both Hebrew and Chaldee witli great purity.

This book divides itself into two parts. Part I. is historical, and is contained in the six former chapters. Part II. is prophetical, and occupies the other six.

Chronological Notes relative to the commencement of DanieFs prophesying.

Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, 3397. — Year of the Jewish era of the world, 3154. — Year from the Deluge, 1741. — Second year of the forty-third Olympiad. — Year from the building of Rome, according to the Varronian or generally received account, 147. — Year from the buildin^ of Rome, according to Cato and the Fasti Consulares, 146. — Year from the building of Rome, according to Polybius the historian, 145. — Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 411. — Year of the Julian Period, 4107. — -Year of the era of Nabonassar, 141. — Year from the foundation of Solomon's temple, 397. — Year since the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, 114. — Fourth year after the first Sabbatic year after the seventeenth Jewish jubilee, according to Helvicus. — Year before the birth of Christ, 603. — Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 607. — Cycle of the Sun, 19. — Cycle of the Moon, 3. — Tenth year of Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of the Romans. — Nineteenth year of Cyaxares or Cyaraxes, the fourth king of Media. — Forty-fourth year of Archidamus, king of Lacedeemon, of the family of the Proclidae. — First year of Leon, king of Lacedsemon, of the family of the Eurj'sthenidae. — Thirteenth year of Alyattes II., king of Lydia, and father of the celebrated Croesus. — Thirty-fourth year of Philip, the sixth king of Macedon. — Eleventh year of Pharaoh-necho, called Necus by Herodotus. This king was the immediate predecessor of Psammis; and Psammis was succeeded by the celebrated Pharaoh-hophra, called also Apries. — Eighth year of Ithobalus, king of the Tyrians, according to Helvicus. — Third year (ending) of Jehoiakim, king of Judah; for the principal part of A. M. 3397 corresponded to the fourth year of this prince.

TViis chapter begins with giving a short account of Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Judea, when Jehoiahm became tributary to him; and consequently the seventy years' captivity and vassalage began, 1, 2. On this expedition {talcing Egypt in his way) the Kng of Babylon set out toicards the end of the third year of Jehoialiim, but did not take Jerusalem before the ninth month of the year following. Hence the seeming discrepancy betiveen Daniel and Jeremiah, (chap. xxv. 1,) the one computing from the time of his setting out on the expedition, and the other from the time in xchich the purpose of it urns accomplished. We have next an account of the manner in which Daniel and his companions were brought up at the king's court, 3—7. They reject the daily provision of meat granted by the king, lest they should be defiled, and are allowed to live on pulse, 8-16. Their great proficiency in the wisdom of that time, 17-20. Daniel flourishes till the reign of Cyrus the Persian, 21.

TN the third year of tlie reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah

'^ came Nebuchadnezzar king of

Babylon unto Jerusalem, and be-

Verse 1. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiahm] This king was raised to the throne of Judea in the place of his brother Jehoahaz, by Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt, 2 Kings xxiii. 34-36, and continued tributary to him during the first three years of his reign; but in the fourth, which was the first of Nebu- kirn king of Judah into his hand, 01. XLill. 3. with '' part of the vessels of the r. Roman^

into the land of Shinar to the house of his

ehadnezzar, Jer. xxv. 1, Nebuchadnezzar completely defeated the Egj'ptian army near the Euphrates, Jer. xlvi. 2; and this victor,' put the neighbouring countries of Syria, among which Judea was the chief, under the Chaldean government. Thus Jehoiakim, who had first been tributary to Egypt, became now the vassal of the king of Babylon, 2 Kings xxiv. 1.

A. M. cir. 3398. gQjj. J ^nd lie brought the vessels 01. XLlil. 3. into the treasure house of his

Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;

4 Children " in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and ^whom they

6 Heb. the wine of his drink.

At the end of tliree years Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, who, then occupied with other wars, did not proceed against Jerusalem till three years after, which was the eleventh and last of Jehoiakim, 2 Kings

There are some difEculties in the chronology of this place. Calmet takes rather a different view of these transactions. He connects the history thus: Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, finding that one of his lords whom he had made governor of Ccelesyria and Phoenicia had revolted from him, and formed an alliance with the king of Egypt, sent Neubuchadnezzar his son, whom he invested with the authority of Iting, to reduce those provinces, as was customary among the easterns when the heir presumptive was sent on any important expedition or embassy. This young prince, having quelled the insurrection in those parts, marched against Jerusalem about the end of the third or beginning of the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. He soon took the city, and put Jehoiakim in chains with the design of carrying him to Babylon; but, changing his mind, he permitted him to resume the reins of government under certain oppressive conditions. At this year, which was A. M. 3398, the seventy years of the Babylonish captivity commence. Nabopolassar dying in the interim, Nebuchadnezzar was obliged to return speedily to Babylon, leaving his generals to conduct the Jewish captives to Babylon, among whom were Daniel and his companions.

Verse 2. Part of the vessels of the house of God] He took the richest and finest of them for the service of his god Bel, and left what were necessary for carrying on the public worship of Jehovah, (for he did not attempt to alter the civil or religious constitution of Judea;) for leaving Jehoiakim on the throne, he only laid the land under tribute. The Chaldeans carried these sacred vessels away at three different times. 1. In the war spoken of in this place. 2. In the taking of Jerusalem and Jeconiah a few months after, 2 Kings xxiv. 13. 3. Eleven years after, under the reign of Zedekiah, when the city and temple were totally destroyed, and the land ruined, 2 Kings xxv. 8-15.

The land of Shinar] This was the ancient name of Babylon. See Gen. xi. 3.

The treasure house of his god.] This was Bel, who

5 And tiie king appointed them r. Roman., a daily provision of the king's meat, "'' '^"""'" "' and of s the wine which he drank: so nourishing them tliree years, that at the end thereof they might '' stand before the king.

6 Now among these were of the cliildren of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishacl, and Azariah:

7 ' Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: ^ for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of

had a splendid temple in Babylon, and was the tutelar god of the city and empire.

Verse 3. Master of his eunuchs] This word eunuchs signifies officers about or in the palace, whether literally eunuchs or not.

Verse 4. Children] mV yeladim, youths, young men; and so the word should be rendered throughout this book.

S/cilful in all ivisdom] Rather, persons capable of every kind of literary accomplishment, that they might be put under proper instruction. And as children of the blood and of the nobles were most likely, from the care usually taken of their initiatory education, to profit most by the elaborate instruction here designed, the master of the eunuchs, the king's chamberlain, was commanded to choose the youths in question out of such.

Verse 5. A daily provision] Athenaus, lib. iv., c. 10, says: The kings of Persia, (who succeeded the kings of Babylon, on whose empire they had seized,) were accustomed to order the food left at their own tables to be delivered to their courtiers.

So nourishing them three years] This was deemed a sufficient time to acquire the Chaldce language, and the sciences peculiar to that people. I suppose they had good introductory books, able teachers, and a proper method; else they would have been obliged, like us, to send their children seven years to school, and as many to the university, to teach them any tolerable measure of usefiil and ornamental literature! O how reproachful to the nations of Europe, and particularly to our own, is this backward mode of instruction. And what is generally learned after this vast expense of time and money? A little Latin, Greek, and mathematics; perhaps a little moral philosophy; and by this they are entitled, not qualified, to teach others, anc especially to teach the people the iipportant.science of salvation! To such shepherds, (and there are many such,) the hungry sheep look up, and are not fed; and if all are not such, no thanks to our plan of national education.

Verse 6. Ncnv among these] There were no doubt several noble youths from other provinces: but the four mentioned here were Jews, and are supposed to have all been of royal extraction.

8 But Daniel purposed in his

heart that he would not defile himself ^ with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine wliicli he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

9 Now " God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces ^ worse liking than the children which are of your ° sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

1 1 Then said Daniel to r Melzar, whom the prince of the i eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

names] This change of names, Calmet properly remarks, was a mark of dominion and authority. It was customary for masters to impose new names upon their slaves; and rulers often, on their ascending the throne, assumed a name different from that which they had before.

'7N':t D.tNiEL signifies " God is my Judge." This name they changed into IVSK'tlSa Belteshatstsar; in Chaldee, " The treasure of Bel," or " The depositor)' of the secrets (or treasure) of Bel."

n'JJT H.ANASiAH signifies, " The Lord has been gracious to me;" or " He to whom the Lord is gracious." This name was changed into IITty.Shad- RACH, Chaldee, which has been variously translated: " The inspiration of the sun;" " God, the author of evil, be propitious to us;" " Let God preserve us from evil."

Sxi7'0 Mishael signifies, " He who comes from God." Hirn they called "[Bf^ Meshach, which in Chaldee signifies, " He who belongs to the goddess Sheshach," a celebrated deity of the Babylonians, mentioned by Jeremiah, chap. xxv. 26.

rri;;? Azabiah, which signifies " The Lord is my Helper," they chafiged into IJJ T2X Abed-nego, which in Chaldee is " the servant of Nego," who was one of their divinities; by which they meant either the sun, or the morning star; whether Jupiter or Venus.

The vicious pronunciation of this name should be carefully avoided; I mean that which lays the accent on the first syllable, and hurries to the end, without attending to the natural division of the word Abed- Nego.

1 3 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.

16 Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.

17 As for these four children, ' God gave them " knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and " Daniel had " understanding in all visions and dreams.

have spoken of this resolution in the introduction. The chief reasons why Daniel would not eat meat from the royal table were probably these three: — 1. Because they ate unclean beasts, which were forbidden by the Jewish law. 2. Because they ate, as did the heathens in general, beasts which had been strangled, or no* properly blooded. 3. Because the animals that were eaten were first offered as victims to their gods. It is on this account that Athenceus calls the beasts which were served up at the tables of the Persian kings, ispia, victims, lib. iv. c. 10, p. 145.

Verse 11. Then said Daniel to Melzar] Melzar was an officer under Ashpenaz, whose office it was to attend to the food, clothing, &c., of these royal captives. Others think ■iv'7'3 meltsar, master of the inn or hotel, the name of an office.

Verse 12. Give us pulse to eat] Uy\^T[ hazzeraim, seeds or grain, such as barley, wheat, rye, and peas, &c. Though a vegetable diet might have produced that healthiness of the system in general, and of the countenance particularly, as mentioned here; yet we are to understand that there was an especial blessing of God in this, because this spare diet was taken on a religious account.

Verse 17. As for these four children] Young men or youths. Our translation gives a false idea.

In all visions and dreams.] That is, such as are Divine; for as to dreams in general, they have as much signification as they have connexion, being the effects of the state of the body, of the mind, or of the circtmistances of the dreamer. A dream may be considered supernatural, if it have nothing preposterous, nothing monstrous, and nothing irregular. If the whola

18 Now at the end of the days

01. XLiv. 2. thai the Icing had said he should R. Koman., ' bring them in, then the prince of cir^nnumu. ^^^^ eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

19 And the king communed with tlicm; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore * stood they before the king.

order and consequences of the things be preserved in them, from beginning to end, then we may presume they are supernatural. In such dreams Daniel had understanding.

A'erse 18. Noio at the end of the days] That is, at the end of three years, ver. 5.

Verse 19. And among them alT\ All the young noble captives from diiferent nations.

20 ^ And in all matters of ^ wisdom and understanding, that the king inquireii of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

21 "And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

rious tirae of the retuni of his people from the Babylonian captivity, though he did not die then; so till is used, Psa. ex. 1; cxii. 8.

Verse 21. The first year of king Cyrus.] That is, to the end of the Chaldean empire. And we find Daniel alive in the third year of Cyrus, see chap.

Nebuchadnezzar, in the second year of his reign, {or in the fourth, according to the Jewish account, ichich takes m the first two years in which he reigned conjointly with his father,) had a dream which greatly troubled him; but of lohich nothing remained in the morning hut the uneasy impression. Hence the diviners, when brought in before the king, could give no interpretation, as they ivere not in possession of the dream, 1—13. Daniel then, having obtained favour from God, is made acquainted icith the dream, and its interpretation, 14—19; for lohich he blesses God in a lofty and beautiful ode, 20—23; arid reveals both unto the king, telling him first the particulars of the dream, 24-35, and then interpreting it of the four great monarchies. The then existing Chaldean empire, represented by the head of gold, is the first; the next is the Medo-Persian; the third, the Macedonian or Grecian; the fourth, the Roman, ivhich should break every other kingdom in pieces, but which, in its last stage, should be divided into ten kingdoms, represented by the ten toes of the image, as they are in another vision (chap, vii.) by the ten horns of the fourth beast. He likewise informs the king that in the time of this last monarchy, viz., the Roman, God would set up the kingdom of the Messiah; which, though small in its commencement, should ultimately be extended over the whole earth, 36-45. Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, [named by the prince of the eunuchs, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,) are then promoted by the king to great honour, 46-49.

2 " Then the king commanded TarquiniiPrisci,

Verse 1. The second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar] That is, the second year of his reigning alone, for he was king two years before his father's death. See the notes on chap. i. 1. This was therefore the fifth year of his reign, and the fourth of the captivity of Daniel.

Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams icherewith his spirit was troubled] The dream had made a deep and solemn impression upon his mind; and, having forgotten all but general circumstances, his mind was distressed.

The astrologers] O'lJlVN ashshaphim. Perhaps from WJ nashaph, to breathe, because they laid claim to Divine inspiration; but probably the persons in question were the philosophers and astronomers among the Babylonians.

The sorcerers] D'atS^^O mechashshephim. See the note on Deut. xviii. 10, and on Exod. xxii. 18, and Lev. xix. 31, where several of these arts are explained.

The Chaldeans] Who these were is difficult to be ascertained. They might be a college of learned men, where all arts and sciences were professed and taught. Tlie Chaldeans were the most ancient philosophers of the world; they might have been originally inliabitants of the Babylonian Irak; and still

01. XLiv. 3. and the Chaldeans, for to show Tarqumii Prisci, the king liis dreams. So they R. Roman., 14. (.g^j^jg ^j^j gtood before the king.

3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, '' 0 king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be ^ cut ^ in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dungliill.

6 ^ But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and ^ rewards and great honour: therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation

7 They answered again and said. Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will sliow the interpretation of it.

8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would ' gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

9 But if

have preserved to themselves exclusively the name of Chaldeans, to distinguish themselves from other nations and peoples who inhabited the one hundred and twenty provinces of which the Babylonish government was composed.

Verse 4. Then spake the Chaldeans to the Mng in Syriac] n"3"iS aramilh, the language of Aram or Syria. What has been generally called the Chaldee.

O king, live for ever] "n J'aSi'*? ND^O Malca leolmin cheyi. With these words the Chaldee part of Daniel commences; and continues to the end of the seventh chapter. These kinds of compliments are still in use in the East Indies. A superior gives a blessing to an inferior by saying to him, when the latter is in the act of doing him reverence, " Long life to thee." A poor man, going into the presence of a king to solicit a favour, uses the same kind of address: O father, thou art the support of the destitute; may est thou live to old age! — Ward's Ciisto7ns.

Verse 5. Ye shall be cut in pieces] This was arbitrary and tyrannical in the extreme; but, in the order of God's providence, it was overruled to serve the most important purpose.

ye will not make '^jj'cora'' known unto me the dream, * there oi. XLiv. 2. is but one decree {or you: for ye Tarquinii Prisci, have prepared ' lying and corrupt R- Roman., u. words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpreta tion thereof.

10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked sucli things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, ™ except the gods, whose dwelhng is not with flesh.

12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

13 And the decree went forth that the wise 7nen should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

1 4 Then Daniel ° answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the ° captain p of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise?nen of Babylon:

means either that they wished to prolong the time thai he might recollect it, or get indifferent about it; or that they might invent something in the place of it; or make their escape to save their lives, after having packed up their valuables. See ver. 9.

Verse 10. There is not a man upon the earth] The thing is utterly impossible to man. This was their decision: and when Daniel gave the dream, with its interpretation, they knew that the spirit of the holy gods was in him. So, even according to their own theology, he was immeasurably greater than the wisest in Babylon or in the world.

Verse 1 3. They sought Daniel and his felloios] As the decree stated that all the wise men of Babylon should be slain, the four young Hebrews, being reputed among the wisest, were considered as sentenced to death also.

Verse 14. Captain of the king's guard] Chief of the king's executioners or slaughter men. Margin. NTIDil m rab tabachaiya, chief of the butchers, he that took off the heads of those whom the king ordered to be slain, because they had in any ease displeased him. " Go and bring me the head of Giaffer." The honourable butcher went and brought the head in a bag on a

16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made tlie thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

18 1 That they would desire mercies ' of the God of heaven concerning this secret; '^ that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel 'in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20 Daniel answered and said, " Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: ^ for wisdom and might are his:

21 And he changeth ^'' the times and the seasons: ^ he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: ^ he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

22 ^ He revealeth the deep and secret things:

dish. It was Herod's chief butcher that brought the head of John the Baptist in a dish to the delicate daughter of Herodias. This was the custom of the country. No law, no judge, no jury. The will or caprice of the king governed all things. Happy England! know and value thy excellent privileges!

Verse 16. That he would give him tiine^ That is, that he might seek unto God for a revelation of the thing. The Chaldeans dared not even to promise this; they would only pledge themselves for the interpretation, provided the king would furnish the dream. Daniel engages both to find the lost dream, and to give the proper interpretation.

Verse 18. That they would desire mercies] For this Daniel had requested a little time; and doubtless both he and his three companions prayed incessantly till God gave the wished for revelation; but whether it was given that same night, we do not know.

Verse 19. Then was the secret revealed — in a night vision.] Daniel either dreamed it, or it was represented to his mind by an immediate inspiration.

A'erse 20. Wisdmn and might are his] He knows all things, and can do all things.

Verse 21. He changeth the times] Time, duration, succession are his, and under his dominion. It is in

23 I thank thee, and praise thee, R- «""■'■"■■ '^- 0 thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we " desired of thee: for thou hast now made known mito us the king's matter.

24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation.

25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, '^ I have found a man of the ^ captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said. The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;

the course of his providence that one king is put down, and another raised up; and therefore he can distinctly tell what he has purposed to do in the gi'eat empires of the earth.

Verse 23. I thank thee and praise thee] No wonder he should feel gratitude, when God by this merciful interference had saved both the life of him and hi.s fellows; and was about to reflect the highest credit on the God of the Jews, and on the people themselves.

Verse 24. Destroy not the wise men] The decree was suspended till it should be seen whether Daniel could tell the dream, and give its interpretation.

Verse 27. Cannot the wise men] Cannot your own able men, aided by your gods, tell you the secret ' This question was necessary in order that the king might see the foolishness of depending on the one, or worshipping the other.

The soothsayers] One of our old words: " The tellers of truth:" but |mj gazerin is the name of another class of those curious artists, unless we suppose it to mean the same as the Ch.4ldeans, ver. 2. They are supposed to be persons who divined by numbers, amulets, &c. There are many conjectures about them, which, whatever learning they show, cast little light upon this place.

ni'iPiisci, and e'maketh known to the king aian., 14. Nebuchadnczzar ^ what shall be

in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

29 As for thee, 0 king, thy thoughts ' came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: ^ and he that revealeth secrets maketh known unto thee what shall come to pass.

30 ' But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for amj wisdom that I have more than any living, ™but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, " and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy

3 1 Thou, O king, ° sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

32 PThis image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his 1 thighs of brass,

33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out 'without Miands, which smote the image upon his feet that ivere of iron and clay, and l^rake them to pieces.

22, 28. 1 So Gen. xli. 10; Acts iii. 12. "i Or, but for the intent that the interpretation Tnay be made known to the king. ^ Ver.

Verse 28. There is a God in heaven] To distinguish him from those idols, the works of men's hands; and from the false gods in which the Chaldeans trusted.

In the latter days.] A phrase which, in the prophets, generally means the times of the Messiah. God is about to show wliat shall take place from this time to the latest ages of the world. And the vision most certainly contains a very extensive and consecutive prophecy; which I shall treat more largely at the close of the chapter, giving in the mean time a short exposition.

Breast and his arms of silver] The Medo-Persian empire, under Cyrus, (^c.

His belly and his thighs of brass] The Macedonian emjnre, under Alexander the Great, and his successors.

the brass, the silver, and the oi. XLiv. a. gold, broken to pieces together, TarquinUPrisci, and became ' like the chaff of the R- Roman., 14. summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that " no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image ' became a great mountain, "" and filled the whole earth.

36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

37 ^ Thou, O king, art a king of kings: '' for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

38 ^ And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. ^ Thou art this head of gold.

39 And after thee shall arise "^ another kingdom "^ inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, * which shall bear rule over all

40 And ' the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces, and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41 And whereas thou sawest ^the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron,

A''erse 33. His legs of iron] The Roman govern ment.

His feet part of iron and part of clay.] The same, mixed with the barbaric nations, and divided into ten kingdoms. See at the end of the chapter.

Verse 34. A stone was cut out] The fifth monarchy; the spiritual kingdom of the Lord Jesus, which is to last for ever, and diffuse itself over the whole earth.

Verse 35. The stone — became a great mountain] There is the kingdom ps eben, of the stone, and the kingdom of the mountain. See at the end of the

Verse 37. The God of heaven] Not given by thy own gods, nor acquired by thy own skill and prowess; it is a Divine gift.

Power] To rule this kingdom.

And strength] To defend it against all foes.

And glory.] Great honour and dignity.

Daniel and Ins companions are promoted to great Jwnoiir

01.'xLiv.2. but there sliall be in it of the

TarnuiniiPrisci, Strength of the iron, forasmuch as

R. Roman., 14. i]^q^ sawest tlic iron mixed willi

42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly ^ broken.

43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave ^ one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

44 And in ' the days of these kings '' shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, ' which shall never be destroyed: and the " kingdom shall not be left to other people, "fc«i it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdom's, and it shall stand for ever.

45 ° Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain f without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great

Verse 44. A kingdom which sliall never he destroyed] The extensive and extending empire of Christ.

Shall not be left to other people] All the preceding empires have swallowed up each other successively; but this shall remain to the end of the world.

Verse 45. The dream is certain] It contains a. just representation of things as tliey shall be.

.47!^ the interpretation thereof sure.] The parts of ihe dream being trul3' explained.

Verse 46. The king — fell upon his face] Prostrated himself; this was the fullest act of adoration among the ancients.

Worshipped Daniel] Supposing him to be a god, oj Divine being. No doubt Daniel forbade him; for to receive this would have been gross idolatry.

And a Lord of kings] He governs both in heaven and earth.

Verse 48. Made Daniel a great man] By, 1. Giving him many rich gifts. 2. By making him governor over the whole province of Babylon. And, 3. By making him the chief or president over all the wise

Verse 49. Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Mcshach, and Abed-nego over the affairs of Vie jtrovincc of Babylon] lie wished his three companions promoted, who had shared his anxieties, and helped him by their prayers. They all had places of trust, in which they could do much good, and prevent mufti evil.

God hath made known to the ^B^fil,"' king what shall come to pass 01. xlu. 2. 1 hereafter: and the dream is Tarquimi Pnsci certain, and the interpretation R- Run'""-, i'- thereof sure.

46 ■■ Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation 'and sweet odours unto him.

47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, ' and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

4S Then the king made Daniel a great man, " and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and ' chief of the governors over all the wise 7nen of Babylon.

49 Then Daniel requested of the king, '^ and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the affairs of the province of Babvlon but Daniel '^sat in the gate of the king.

Daniel sat m the gate of the king.] That is, was the chief officer in the palace; and the greatest confidant and counsellor of the king. But whatever his influence and that of his friends was, it extended only over the province of Babylon; not through the empire.

I shall now consider this most important vision more at large, and connect it with a portion of the previous history of the.Jewish people.

The kingdoms of Israel and Judah after a series of the most unparalleled ingratitude and rebellion, against displays of mercy and benevolence, only equalled by their rebellions, were at last, according to repeated threatenings, given over into the hands of their enemies. The inhabitants of the former country were subdued and carried away captives by the Assyrians; and those of the latter, by the Chaldeans.

The people of Israel never recovered their ancient territories; and were so disposed of by their conquerors, that they either became amalgamated with the heathen nations, so as to be utterly undistinguishable; or they were transported to some foreign and recluse place of settlement, that the land of their residence though repeatedly sought for and guessed at, has foi more than tieo thousand years been totally unknown.

Judah, after having been harassed by the Chaldeans Egyptians, and others, was at last invaded by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon; Jerusalem besieged and taken; and Jehoiachin the king, who had before be- come tributary to the Babylonians, with his mother, wives, officers of state, and chief military commanders, princes, and mighty men of valour, to the amount of ten thousand; and all the artificers, smiths, &c., to the number of one thousand, with all that were fit for war, he carried captives to Babylon; leaving only the poorest of the people behind, under the government of Mattaniah, son of the late king Josiali, and uncle to Jehoiachin; and, having changed his name to Zedekiah, gave him a nominal authority as king over the wTCtched remains of the people. Zedekiah, after having reigned nine years, rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, who, coming against Jerusalem with all his forces, besieged it; and having reduced it to the last extremity by famine, and made a breach in the walls, took the city, pillaged and destroyed the temple by fire, slew the sons of Zedekiah before his face, then put out his eyes, and carried him bound in brazen fetters to Babylon, 2 Kings, chap. xxiv. and xxv. Thus, the temple of God, the most glorious building ever laid on (he face of the earth, was profaned, pillaged, and burnt, with the king's palace, and all the houses of the Jewish nobility, in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, — the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar, — the first of the fm'ty-eighth Olympiad, — the one hundred and sixtieth current year of the era of Nabonassar, — four hundred and twenty-four years, three months, and eight days from the time in which Solomon laid As foundation stone!

In the same month in which the city was taken, and the temple burnt, Nebuzar-adan, commander in chief of the Babylonish forces, carried off" the spoils of the temple, with the Jewish treasures, and the principal part of the residue of the people; and brought tliem also to Babylon. And thus Judah was carried away out of her own land, four hundred and sixtyeight years after David began to reign over it; from the division under Rehoboam, three hundred and eightyeight years; from the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, one hundred and thirty-four years; in the year of the world, three thousand four hundred and sixteen; and before the nativity of our Lord,^i'e hundred and eighty-eight.

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, A. M. 3397, B. C. 607, Nebuchadnezzar, having besieged Jerusalem, and made its king tributary, carried away a number of captives; and among them was the Prophet Daniel, then in his youth, who became, for his wisdom, and knowledge of future events, very eminent at Babylon; and, with some other Jewish captives, great favourites of Nebuchadnezzar the king; w'ho made Daniel president of all the wise men of his city. It was in the second year of the reign of this king, that a circumstance occurred which, though at first it threatened the destruction of the prophet, finally issued in the increase of his reputation and celebrity.

As prophecy is one of the strongest proofs of the authenticity of what professes to be a Divine revelation, God endued this man with a large portion of his Spirit, so that he clearly predicted some of the most astonishing political occurrences and changes which have ever taken place on the earth; no less than the rise, distinguishing characteristics, and termination of the FOUR great monarchies or empires, which have been su celebrated in all the histories of the world. And as the Babylonian, under which he then lived, was one of these monarchies, and was shortly to be absorbed by the Medv- Persian, wliich was to succeed it, he made Nebuchadnezzar, the then reigning monarch, by means of a most singular dream, the particulars of Vvhich he had forgotten, the instrument that ajipeared to give birth to a prediction, in which the ruin of his own empire was foretold; as well as other mighty

I changes which should take place in the political state of the world, for at least the term of one thousand years next ensuing. Nor did the prophetic Spirit in

' this eminent man limit his predictions to these; but showed at the same time the origin and nature of that FIFTH monarchy, which, under the great King of kings,

' should be administered and prevail to the end of time. The dream itself, with its interpretation, and the exact and impressive manner in which the predictions relative to the four great monarchies have been fulfilled, and those which regard the fifth monarchy are in the course of being accomplished, are the subjects to which I wish to call the reader's most serious and deliberate attention.

1 This image, so circumstantially described from the thirty-eighth to the forty-fourth verse, was, as we learn from the prophet's general solution, intended to point out the rise and fall of four different empires and

I states; and the final prevalence and establishment of Si fifth empire, that shall never have an end, and which shall commence in the last days, ver. 28; a phrase commonly used in the prophets to signify the times of the Messiah, and in the New Testament, his advent to judge the world.

Before we proceed to particidar parts, we may remark in general, that the whole account strongly indicates: —

1. The especial providence of God in behalf of the Jews at that time. For, although suffering grievously because of their sins, being deprived of both their political and personal liberty, God shovi's them that he has not abandoned them; and the existence of a prophet among them is a proof of his fatherly care and unremitted attention to their eternal welfare.

2. The particular interference of God to manifest the superiority of his truth, to wean an idolatrous nation from their vanity and superstition, and lead them to that God who is the fountain of truth, the revealer of secrets, and the governor of all things.

And, 3. The direct inspiration of God immediately teaching his servant things which could be known only to God himself, and thus showing the Babylonians that his prophets had spoken by an unerring Spirit; that the Jeics were the depositaries of the true religion; that HE was the only true God; and as he was omniscient, so he was omnipotent; and (he things which his ivisdom had predicted, his power could and would accomplish.

1. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the second year of his reign, about A. M. 3401, and B. C. 603 had a remarkable dream, which, although it made a deep impression on his mind, yet, on his awaking, he found it impossible to recollect; the general impression only remaining.

2. He summoned his wise men, astrologers, &c., told them that he had a dream or vision, which he had forgotten; and commanded them to tell him the dream, and give its interpretation.

3. They request the king to tell them the dream; and promise, then, to make known the meaning. This he could not do, having forgotten it; yet he insists on their compliance on pain of death.

4. To tell the king his dream they find impossible; and a decree for the destruction of the wise men of Babylon is issued, in which Daniel and his fellows are included.

5. Daniel, hearing of it, speaks to Arioch, captain of the king's guard or the royal executioner; desires to be brought before the king; and promises to tell the dream, &c.

6. He is introduced; and immediately tells the king what he had dreamed, and shows him its interpretation.

A vast image, exceedingly luminous, of terrible form, and composed of different substances, appears in a night vision to the king, of which the following is the description: —

IV. Its legs of iron, and its feet and toes of iron and clay. While gazing on this image he sees, —

V. A stone cut out of a mountain without hands, which smites the image on its feet, and dashes it all to pieces; and the gold, and sUver, brass, iron, and clay become as small and as light as chaff.

1. This image is considered a political representation of as many different governments, as it was composed of materials; and as all these materials are successively inferior to each other, so are the governments in a descending ratio.

2. The human figure has been used, both by historians and geographers, to represent the rise, progress, establishjnent, and decay of empires, as well as the relative situation and importance of the different parts of the government. Thus Florus, in the procemium to his Roman history, represents the Romans under the form of a human being, in its different stages, from infancy to old age, viz.

Si quis ergo populum Romanum quasi hominem consideret, totamque ejus cetatem percenseat, ut c(EPe- RiT, utque ADOLEVERiT, Ut quasi ad quemdam juvent^; florem pervenerit; ut postea velut consenuerit, quatuor gradus progressusque- ejus inveniet.

1. Prima atas sub Regibus fuit, prope ducentos quinquaginta per annos, quibus circum ipsam matrem suam cum finitimis luctatus est. Usee erit ejus mpantia.

2. Sequens a Bruto, CoUatinoque consulihus, in Appium Claudium, Quinctiumque Fulvium consules, ducentos quinquaginta annos habet, quibus Italiam su- begit. Hoc fuit tempus viris armisque exercitatissi mum! ideo quis adolescentiam dixerit.

3. Dehinc ad Cffisarem Augustum, ducenti quinquaginta anni, quibus totum orbem pacavit. Hie jam ipsa juventa Imperii, et quasi qusedam rohusta maturitas.

4. A Caesaie Augusto in saeculum, nostmm, sunt non multo minus anni ducenti, quibus inertia Ca;sarum quasi consesi'it atque decoxit. L. An. Flori Pro(EM

1. LNFA^•t■Y; first stage — under kings, from Romulus to Tarquinius Superbus; about two hundred and fifty years.

2. Youth; second stage — under consuls, from Brutus and Collatinus to Appius Claudius and M. Fulvius; about two hundred and fifty years.

3. Manhood; third stage — the empire from the conquest of Italy to Caesar Augustus; about tuw hundred and fifty years.

4. Old age; fourth stage — from Augustus, through the twelve Caesars, down to A. D. 200; about two hundred years.

Geographers have made similar representations. The Germanic empire, in the totality of its dependent states, has been represented by a map in the form of a man; different parts being pointed out by head, breast, arms, belly, thighs, legs, feet, &c., according to their geographical and political relation to the empire in general.

3. Different metals are used to express different de grees of political strength, excellence, durability, &c.

6. Stone signifies Jesus Christ, Gen. xlix. 24: " From thence" (of the posterity of Jacob) " is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel." That our blessed Lord, "the good shepherd," John x. 11-17, is here intended, will appear most plainly from the following passages; Isa. viii. 14: " And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a kock of offence to both the houses of Israel." Isa. xxviii. 16: " Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner STONE, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste." 1 Peter ii. 4, 6, 8. Collate these with Psa. cxviii. 22: " The stone which the builders refused is become the bead stone of the corner." Matt, xxi. 42; Mark xii. 10; Luke xx. 17; Actsiv. 11; in which latter quotations the whole is positively applied to Christ; as also 1 Peter ii. 4-8: " To whom coming as unto a living stone," &c.; who seems to have all the preceding pa.ssages in view. See also Isa. ii. 2: " The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains," &c.

7. This stone is said to be cut out without hands. ver. 34. Without hands signifies that which is spiritual. So 2 Cor. V. 1, a house not made with hands means a.spiritual building.

explanation. The Chaldean empire, called the Assyrian in its commencement, the Chaldean from the countrj', tho Babylonish from its chief citv.

I. Head of gold. This was the first monarchy, begun by Nimrod, A. M. 1771, B. C. 2233, and ending with the death of Belshazzar, A. M. 3466, B. C. 538, after liaving lasted nearly seventeen hundred years. In the time of Nebuchadnezzar it extended oyer Chaldea, Assyria, Arabia, Syria, and Palestine. He, Nebuchadnezzar, was the head of gold.

II. Breasts and arms of silver. The Medo-Persian empire; which properly began under Darius the Mcde, allowing him to be the same with Cyaxares, son, of Astyages, and uncle to Cyrus the great, son of Cavihyscs. He first fought under his uncle Cyaxares; defeated Ncriglissar, king of the Assyrians, and Cra-sus, king of the Lydians; and, by the capture of Babylon, B. C. 538, terminated the Chaldean empire. On the death of his father Cambyses, and his uncle Cyaxares, B. C. 536, he became sole governor of the Medes and Persians, and thus established a potent empire on the ruins of tliat of the Chaldeans.

III. Belly and thighs of brass. The Macedonian or Greek empire, founded by Alexander the Great. He subdued Greece, penetrated into Asia, took Tt/re, reduced Egypt, overthrew Darius Codomanus at Arbela, Oct. 2, A. M. 3673, B. C. 331, and thus terminated the Persian monarchy. He crossed the Caucasus, subdued Hyrcania, and penetrated India as far as the Ganges; and having conquered all the countries that lay between the Adriatic sea and this river, the Ganges, he died A. M. 3681, B. C. 323; and after hiis death his empire became divided among his generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. Cassander had Macedon and Greece; Lysimachus had Thrace, and those parts of Asia which lay on the Hellespont and Bosphortis; Ptolemy had Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, Palestine, and Ccelesyria; Seleucus had Babylon, Media, Susiana, Persia, Assyria, Bactria, Hyrcania, and all other provinces, even to the Ganges. Thus this empire, founded on the ruin of that of the Persians, " had rule over all the earth."

IV. Legs op iron, and feet and toes of iron and CLAY. I think this means, in the first place, the hingdom of the Lagid^, in Egypt; and the hmgdom of the Seleucid^, in Syria. And, secondly, the Roman empire, which was properly composed of them.

1. Ptolemy Lagus, one of Alexander's generals, began the new kingdom of Egypt, A. M. 3692, B. C. 312, which was continued through a long race of sovereigns, till A. M. 3974, B. C. 30; when Octavius Cicsar took Alexandria, having in the preceding year defeated Anthony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium, and so Egypt became a Roman province. Thus ended the kingdom of the Lagidm, after it had lasted two hundred and eighty-two years.

2. Seleucus Nicator, another of Alexander's generals, began the new kingdom of Syria, A. M. 3692, B. C. 312, which continued through a long race of sovereigns, till A. M. 3939, B. C. 65, when Pompey detlvroned Antiochus Asiaticus, and Syria became a Roman province after it had lasted two hundred and

That the two legs of iron meant the kingdom of the LagidiB and that of the Seleucidce, seems strongly intimated by the characters given in the text. " And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron. Foras- much as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise," ver. 40. 1. The iron here not only marks the strength of these kingdoms, but also their violence and cruelty towards the people of God. History is full of the miseries which the kings of Egypt and Syria inflicted on the Jews. 2. It is said that these legs should break in pieces and bruise. How many generals and princes were destroyed by Seleucus Nicator, and by Ptolemy, son of Lagus! Seleucus, particularly, could not consider himself secure on his throne till he had destroyed Antigonus, Nicanor, and Demetrius; and Ptolemy endeavoured to secure himself by the ruin of Perdiccas, and the rest of his enemies. 3. The dividing of the kingdom, the iron and clayey mixture of the feet, point out the continual divisions which prevailed in those empires; and the mixture of the good and evil qualities which appeared in the successors of Seleucus and Ptolemy; none of them possessing the good qualities of the founders of those monarchies; neither their valour, wisdom, nor prudence. 4. The efforts which these princes made to strengthen their respective governments by alliances, which all proved not only useless but injurious, are here pointed out by their mingling themselves with the seed of men. "But they shall not cleave one to another," ver. 43. Antiochus Theos, king of Syria, married both Laodice and Berenice, daughters of Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt. Antiochus Magnus, king of Syria, gave his daughter Cleopatra to Ptolemy Epiphanes, king of Egypt; but these marriages, instead of being the means of consolidating the union between those kingdoms, contributed more than any thing else to divide them, and excite the most bloody and destructive wars.

In chap. vii. 7, the prophet, having the same subject in view, says, " I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it;" and in chap. viii. 22: " Now that being broken," the horn of the rough goat, the Grecian monarchy, " whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." These and other declarations point out those peculiar circumstances that distinctly mark the kingdom of the Seleucidee., and that of the Lagidce; both of which rose out of the Macedonian or Grecian empire, and both terminated in that of the Romans.

2. These two legs of iron became absorbed in the Roman government, which also partook of the iron nature; strong, military, and extensive in its victories; and by its various conquests united to and amalgamated with itself various nations, some strong, and some weak, so as to be fitly represented in the symbolical image by feel and toes, partly of iron and partly of clay. Thus, as the Lagida, and Seleucidiz arose out of the wreck of the Grecian empire; so the Roman empire arose out of their ruin. But the empire became weakened by its conquests; and although, by mingling themselves with the seed of men, that is, by strong leagues, and matrimonial alliances, as mentioned above, they endeavoured to secure a perpetual sovereignty, yet they did not cleave to each other, and they also

« ere swallowed up by the barbarous northern nations; and thus terminated those four most powerful monarchies.

1. Tliat Jesus Christ has been represented by a stone, we have already seen; but this stone refers chieliy to his Church, which is represented as a spiritual building, wliich he supports as a foundation stone, connects and strengthens as a comer stone, and finishes and adorns as a top stone. He is called a stone also in reference to the prejudice conceived against him by liis countrymen. Because he did not come in loorldly pomp they therefore refused to receive him; and to them he is represented as a sto7ie of stumbling, and rock of offence.

2. But here he is represented under another notion, viz., that of a stone projected from a catapult, or some military engine, which smote the image on its feet; that is, it smote the then existing government at its foundation, or principles of support; and by destroying these, brought the whole into ruin.

3. By this stroke the clai/, the iron, the brass, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces, and became like chaff which the wind carried away. Now we have already seen that the Roman empire, which had absorbed the kingdoms of the Lagidm and Seleucidte, was represented by the legs of iron, and feet and toes of iron and clay; but as we find that not only the iron and clay, but also the brass, silver, and gold were confounded and destroyed by that stroke, it follows that there was then remaining in and compacted with the Roman government, something of the distinguishing marks and principles of all the preceding empires; not only as to their territorial possessions, but also as to their distinctive characteristics. There were at the time here referred to in the Roman empire, the splendour of the Chaldeans, the riches of the Persians, the discipline of the Greeks, and the strength of the Egyptian and Syrian governments, mingled with the incoherence and irnbecilit)' of those empires, kingdoms, and states which the Romans had subdued. In short, with every political excellence, it contains the principles of its own destruction, and its persecution of the Church of Christ accelerated its ruin.

4. As the stone represents Christ and his governing influence, it is here said to be a kingdom, that is, a State of prevailing rule and government; and was to arise in the days of those kings or kingdoms, ver. 44. And this is literally true; for its rise was when the Roman government, partaking of all the cliaracteristics of the preceding empires, was at its zenith of imperial splendour, military glory, legislative authority, and literary eminence. It took place a few years after the battle of Actium, and when Rome was at peace with the whole world, September 2, B. C. 31.

5. This stone or government was cut out of the mountain, arose in and under the Roman government, Judea being, at the time of the birth of Christ, a Roman province.

6. It was cut out without hands; probably alluding,0 the miraculous birth of our Lord, but particularly to the spiritual nature of his kingdom and government, in which no worldly poUoy, human majcims, or military force were employed; for it was not by might nor power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts.

Two things may be here distinguished: 1. The government or kingdom of the stone. 2. The government or kingdom of the mountain.

1. The kingdom of the stone smites, breaks to pieces, and destroys all the other kingdoms, till no vestige of them remains, and till the whole earth is subdued by it.

2. The kingdom of the mountain fills, and continues to govern, all that has been thus subdued, maintaining endless peace and righteousness in the earth.

First, The stone began to strike the image, when the apostles went out into every part of the Roman empire, pulling down idolatry, and founding Christian Churches.

Secondly, But the great blow was given to the heathen Roman empire by the conversion of Constantine, just at the time when it was an epitome of the /o«r great monarchies, being under the government of FOUR EMPERORS at oiice, A. D. 308: Constantius, who governed Gaul, Spain, and Britain; Galerius, who had Illyricum, Thrace, and Asia; Severus, who had Italy and Africa; and Maximin, who had the East and Egypt.

1. The conversion of Constantine took place while he was in Gaul, A. D. 312, by the appearance of a luminous cross in the sky above the sun, a little after noon-day, W'ith this inscription, Ev toutu vixa, " By this conquer;"' Euseb. De Vit. Const, lib. i. cap. 28. In A. D. 324 he totally defeated Licinius, who had shared the empire with him, and became sole emperor. He terminated the reign of idolatry in A. D. 331, by an edict ordering the destruction of all the heathen temples. This made Christianity the religion of the

2. The stroke which thus destroyed idolatry in the Roman empire is continual in its effects; and must j be so till idolatry be destroyed over the face of the earth, and the universe filled with the knowledge of

3. This smiting has been continued by all the means which God in his providence and mercy has used for

I the dissemination of Christianity, from the time of Constantine to the present: and particularly now, by means of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and 1 its countless ramifications, and by the numerous misi sionaries sent by Christian societies to almost every part of the globe. Thus far the kingdom of the stone.

In ver. 44, the kingdom of the stone, grown into a great mountain and filling the whole earth, is particularly described by various characters.

1. It is a kingdom which the God of heaven sets up. That this means the ivhole dispensation of the Gospel, and the moral effects produced by it in the souls of men and in the world, needs little proof; for our Lord, referring to this and other prophecies in this hook, calls its influence and his Gospel /he l.tngdom of God, I and the kingdom of heaven; showing thereby that it is a kingdom not of this loorld — not raised by human ': ambition, the lu.it of rule, or military conquest; but a ^ spiritual kingdom, raised and maintained by the grace of God himself, in which he himself lives and rules, governing by his own laws, influencing and directing by his own Spirit; producing, not wars and contentions, but glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good loill among men.

2. This is called the kingdom of heaven, because it is to be a counterpart of the kingdom of glory. The kingdom of God, says the apostle, is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, (Rom. xiv. 17;) righteousness, without any sin; peace, without inward disturbance; joy, without any mental unhappiness. An eternity of righteousness, peace, and spiritual joy constitutes heaven; nor can we conceive in that state any thing higher or more excellent than these.

3. This kingdom shall never be destroyed: it is the everlasting Gospel, and the work of the everlasting God. As it neither originates in nor is dependent on the passions of men, it cannot be destroyed. All other governments, from the imperfection of their nature, contain in them the seeds of their own destruction. Kings die, ministers change, subjects axe not permanent; new relations arise, and with them new measures, new passions, and 7iew projects; and these produce political changes, and often political ruin. But this government, being the government of God, cannot be affected by the changes and chances to which mortal things are exposed.

4. This kingdom shall not be left to other people. Every dispensation of God, prior to Christianity, supposed another by which it was to be succeeded. 1. Holy patriarchs and \\ievc families were the first people among whom the kingdom of God was found. 2. Hebrews, in Egypt and in the wilderness, were the next. 3. Jews, in the promised land, were a third denomination. 4. And after the division of the kingdoms, captivity, and dispersion of the Jews, the Israel of God became a, fourth denomination. 5. Under the Gospel, Christian is the name of the people of this kingdom. Every thing in the construction of the Gospel system, as well as its own declarations, shows that it is not to be succeeded by any other dispensation: its name can never be changed; and Christi.in will be the only denomination of the people of God wliile sun and moon endure. All former empires have changed, and the very names of the people have changed with them. The Assyrians were lost in the Chaldeans and Babylonians; the Babylonians were lost in the Medes; the Medes in the Persians; the Persians in the Greeks; and the Greeks in the Syrians and Egyptians; these in the Romans; and the Romans in the Goths, and a variety of other nations. Nor does the 7iame of those ancient governments, nor the people who lived under them, remain on the face of the earth in the present day! They are only found in the page of history. This spiritual kingdom shall never be transferred, and the name of its subjects shall never be changed.

5. Jt shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms; that is, the preaching and influence of Christianity shall destroy idolatry universally. They did so in the Roman empire, which was the epitome of all the rest. But this was not done by the sword, nor by any secular influence. Christians wage no wars for the propagation of Christianity; for the religion of Christ breathes nothing but love to God, and peace and good will to all mankiyid. The sum of the Gospel is contained in these words of Christ: "God

so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life; — for the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save."

For his own cause, God fights in the course of hia providence. He depresses one, and exalts another; but permits not his own people to join with him in the infliction of judgments. It is by his own Spirit and energy that his kingdom is propagated and maintained in the world; and by the same his enemies are confounded. All false religions, as well as falsified and corrupted systems of Christianity, have had recourse to the sword, because they were conscious they had no God, no influence but what was merely human.

6. The kingdom of Christ breaks in pieces and con sumes all other kingdoms; that is, it destroys every thing in ever)' earthly government where it is received, that is opposed to the glory of God and the peace and happiness of men, and yet in such a way as to leave all political governments unchanged. No law or principle in Christianity is directed against the political code of any country. Britain is Christian without the alteration of her Magna Charta or her constitution. All the other empires, kingdoms, and states on the face of the earth, may become Christian and preserve their characteristic forms of political government. If there be in them any thing hostile to Christianity, and the peace and happiness of the subject, the wind of God — the Divine Spirit, will fan or winnow it away, so that HO more place shall be found for it. But this he will do in the way of his ordinary providence; and by his influence on their hearts, dispose truly Christianized rulers to alter or abrogate whatever their laws contain inimical to the mild sway of the sceptre of

7. And it shall stand for ever. This is its final characteristic. It shall prevail over the whole world; it shall pervade every government; it shall be the basis of every code of laws; it shall be professed by every people of the earth: " The Gentiles shall come to its light, and kings to the brightness of its rising." The whole earth shall be subdued by its influence, and the whole earth filled with its glory.

8. The actual constitution, establishment, and maintenance of this kingdom belong to the Lord; yet he wUl use human means in the whole administration of his government. His word must be distributed, and that word must be preached. Hence, under God, Bibles and missionaries are the grand means to be employed in things concerning his kingdom. Bibles must be printed, sent out, and dispersed; missionaries, called of God to the work, and filled with the Divine Spirit, must be equipped, sent out, and maintained; therefore expenses must necessarily be incurred. Here the people noiv of the kingdom must be helpers. It is the duty, therefore, of every soul professing Christianity to lend a helping hand to send forth the Bible; and wherever the Bible is sent, to send a missionary, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, to enforce its truths.

9. The duration of the kingdom of the mountain upon earth. The world has now lasted nearly six thousand years, and a very ancient tradition has pre- dieted its termination at the close of that period. Its duration has been divided into three grand periods, each comprising two thousand years, which should be closed by a period without terminating limits; and these have been supposed to have their types in the six days' work of the creation, and the seventh day, called Sabbath or rest,

1. There have been tico thousand years from the creation without any written revelation from God; this was called the patriarchal dispensation.

2. There have been two thousand years under the laio, where there has been a written revelation, a succession of prophets, and a Divine ecclesiastical esta- Uishinent. This has been termed the Mosaic dispensation.

3. One thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine years have passed since the true epoch of the nativity of our blessed Lord; and this is called the Gospel or Christian dispensation, which is now within one hundred and seventy-one years of closing its two thousand!

According to the ancient tradition there were, 1. Two thousand years void; that is, without the law. 2. Two thousand years under the law. And, 3. Two thousand years under the Messiah. And at the termination of the third the endless Sabbath should commence. The comments on this ancient tradition go on to state, that at the termination of each day's work of the creation it was said. The evening and the morning were the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth day; but when the Sabbath is introduced, and God is said to rest from his work, and to have hallowed this day, there is no mention of the evening and the morning being the seventh day. That is left without termination; and therefore a proper type of the eternal Sabbath, that rest which remains for the people of God.

And are we indeed so near that time when the elements of all things shall be dissolved by fervent heat; when the heavens shall be shrivelled up like a scroll, and the earth and all it contains be burned up 1 Is the fifth empire, the kingdom of the stone and the kingdom of the mountain, so near its termination! Are all vision and prophecy about to be sealed up, and the whole earth to be illuminated with the bright beams of the Sun of righteousness 1 Are the finally incorrigible and impenitent about to be swept off the face of the earth by the besom of destruction, while the righteous shall be able to lift up their heads with ineffable joy, knowing their final redemption is at hand 1 Are we so near the eve of that period when " they who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and evcrV What sort of per-sons should we then be in all holy conversation and godliness ' Where is our zeal for God! Where the sounding of our bowels over the perishing nations who have not yet come under the yoke of the Gospel t Multitudes of whom are not under the yoke, because they have never heard of it; and they have not heard of it, because those who enjoy the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus have not felt (or have not obeyed the feeling) the imperious duty of dividing their heavenly bread with those who are famishing with hunger, and giving the water of life to those who are dying of thirst. How shall they appear in that great day when the conquests of the Lion of the tribe of Judah are ended; when the mediatorial kingdom is delivered up unto the Father, and the Judge of quick and dead sits on the great white throne, and to those on his left hand says, " I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink." I say. How shall they appear who have made no exertions to tell the lost nations of the earth the necessity for preparing to meet their God; and showing them the means of doing it, by affording them the blessings of the Gospel of tlio grace of God? Let us beware lest the stone that struck the motley image, and dashed it to pieces, fall on us, and grind us to powder.

Bibles are sent out by millions into heathen countries; but hoio shall they hear xoithoui a preacher; and hoiv shall they understand the things which they read, unless those who know the things of God teach them 1 Let us haste, then, and send 7nissionaries after the Bibles. God is mightily at work in the earth: let us be workers together ivith him, that we receive not the grace of God in vain. He that giveth to those poor (emphatically poor, for they are without God in the world, and consequently without the true riches) lendeth unto the Lord; and let him look what he layeth out, and it shall be paid unto him again. For " he that converteth a sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins." God does not call on us to shake hands with all secular, social, and family comfort, and bid farewell to the whole; and go to the heathen with the glad tidings of great joy: but he loudly calls on us to assist in sending those who, in the true spirit of sacrifice, the love of Christ constraining them, say, " Here are we! O Lord, send us." Let these servants of God run to and fro; that by their ministry knowledge may be increased. Amen.

Nebuchadnezzar, having erected an image, whose height (including probably a very high pedestal) teas sixty cubits, and the breadth six, ordered a numerous assembly, ivhich he had convened, to fall down and worship it; threatening, at the same time, that lohosoever refused should be cast into a fiery furnace, 1-7; a punishment not uncommon in that country, (see Jer. xxix. 22.) DaniePs three companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who were present, being observed to refrain from this idolatrous worship, were accused before the king; who, in great wrath, commanded them to comply with his orders on pain of death, 8-15. But these holy men, with the greatest composure and serenity, expressed their firm resolution not to worship his gods or his images, whatever might be the consequence, 16-18. Upon which the king, unaccustomed to have his will opposed, in the height of his wrath, ordered the furnace to be made seven Vol. IV. ( 37) 577 times hotter than usual, and these men to be cast into it, bound by the most mighty of his army, who were killed by the flame in the execution of this service, 19-23. On this occasion God liie^c^XXy performed his promise by Isaiah, (chap, xliii. 3;) " Whc7t thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the f.ame kindle upon thee;" for an angel of God, appearing m the furnace, protected these youn<r men, and counteracted the natural violence of the fire; which, ordy consuming the cords with which they were bound, left them to walk at liberty, and in perfect safety, in the midst of the furnace. The kin", astonished at this prodigy, called to them to come out of the furnace, and blessed God for sending an angel to deliver his servants; and commanded all his subjects, upon pain of death, not to speak irreverently of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who tcere promoted to great power and honour, 24—30. A striking example of the interposition of Providence in favour of true and inflexible piety.

thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain

2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to

Ver.se 1. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold] It is supposed that the history given here did not occur till the close, or near the end, of Nebuchadnezzar's reign. For it was after his insanity, as we see chap. iv. 33-36, and this happened near the close of his reign. The authorized version, which is followed in the margin, fixes the date of this event seventeen years earlier, and ten years before the king's insanity. A few observations on this image may be necessary: —

1. It is not likely that this image was in human form — the dimensions show the improbability of this; for what proportion is there between sixty cubits (ninety feet) in length, and six cubits {nine feet) in breadth?

2. It is not likely that this image was all of gold; for this would have required more of this precious metal than the whole province of Babylon could produce; for as I suppose the sixty cubits apply to the perpendicular altitude, so I take it for granted that the six cubits intend the diameter. Now a column of gold of this height in diameter, upon the supposition that the pillar was circular, contains five thousand seven hundred and twenty-five and a half cubic feet; and as there are nineteen thousand avoirdupois ounces in a cubic foot, the weight of the whole pillar would be eight millions two hundred and sixty-two thousand eight hundred and six pounds te7i ounces of gold.

3. It might have been a pillar on which an image of the god Bel was erected. The image itself might be of gold, or more probably if;7^ that is, covered with thin plates of gold, and on this account it might be called the golden image; and most probably the height of the image may be confounded with the height of the pillar. Or perhaps it was no more than a pillar, on the sides of which their gods and sacred emblems were engraven, surmounted with Bel on the top.

The plain of Dura] The situation of this place is not exactly known; there was a town or city called Dura, or Doura, in Mesopotamia, near the Tigris.

judges, the treasurers, the coun- r. Roman., sellers, the sheriffs, and all the ""■ """""' ^'^- rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

not easy to show what these diiferent offices were, as it is difficult to ascertain the meaning of the Chaldee words. Parkhurst analyzes them thus; —

The princes] N'JimtynN achashdarpenaiya, from iyriN achash, great or eminent, and ^^ dar, " to go about freely,'' and D^ja panim, " the presence." Satraps or privy counsellors who had free access to the presence of the king.

The governors] N'jJD signaiya, lieutenants or viceroys, for jJO sagati, among the Hebrews, was the name of the high priest's deputy.

The captains],S'nin3 pachavatha. from niJ pach, to extend, because set over those provinces that had been annexed to the kingdom by conquest. Pashas- — This word and office are still in use in Asiatic countries. By corruption we pronounce bashaw.

The judges] N^liJITN adargazeraiya, from "nx adar, noble or magnificent, and "IIJ gazar, to decree. The nobles, the assistants to the king in making laws, statutes, &c. The same probably in Babylon, as the House of Lords in England.

The treasurers] N"i31J gedaberaiya, from IJJ ganaz, (the I zain being changed into T daleth, according to the custom of the Chaldee,) to treasure up, and 12 bar, pure. Those who kept the current coin, or were over the mint; the treasurers of the e.\chequer in

The counsellors] N'IDm delhaberaiya, from m dath, a statute, and 13 bar, " to declare the meaning of the law;" for in all ages and countries there has been what is temied the glorious uncertainty of the law; and therefore there must be a class of men whose business it is to explain it. What a pity that law cannot be tendered to the people as other sciences are, in plain, unsophisticated, and intelligible terms, and by persons whose business it is to show what is just and right, and not pervert truth, righteousness, and judgment.

The sheriffs] NTISH tiphtaye, from T\2T\ laphath, in Hebrew, PiSW shaphath, " to set in order."' Probably civil magistrates.

R. Roman., the treasurers, the counsellors, cir. annum.37. ^^^ sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered logclhcr unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

5 That at what time ye hear the sound of die cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, ' dulcimer, « and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

6 And whoso falleth not down and worihippelh shall the same hour ^ be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7 Therefore at that time, when all the people aeard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all l,he people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

or civil officers, not only to grace the solemnity, but (o maintain order. My old Bible renders them:..Sitrrapi?', at U)ii?c men. jBasi?t';ati.sS, fugijS. ©uiihi;S> (jCiit.iuntilS, or pttonge men, ptcfectiji, anb alle tlje gtinfcjS of iCunttcc^E-

Verse 5. The sound of the corset] There is not less difficulty in ascertaining the precise meaning of these musical instruments than there is in the offices in ver. 2. x:ip karna, here translated cornet, is the common Mowing horn, which makes a deep and hollow sound, as well as one shrill and piercing.

Flute] sn'pntya mashrokitha, from pntV sharak, to ivhistle, shriek. A wind instrument which made a strong and shrill noise, such as the hautbois or clarionet.

Harp] D"\j1'p kithros, cytharus; xi^apa. Some kind of stringed instrument. It seems to be formed from the Greek word.

Sackbut] XSaD sabbecha. The Greek has it (fajx- /3ux»), from which our word sackbut, from ^3D sabach, to inlenoeave; probably on account of the number of chords, for it seems to have been a species of harp.

Psaltery] ""y^MOS pesantcrin; Greek, -.J/aXTYjpiov. A stringed instrument, struck with a plectrum; that called santeer in Egypt is probably the same. Dr. Russel says: " It is a large triangle, and has two bot-

9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, '' 0 king, live for ever.

10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dul cimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

1 1 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

1 2 ' There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, ™ have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.

toms two inches from each other, with about twenty catguts of different sizes." It was the ancient psalterium, and most probably the same as David's harp.

Dulcimer] TTiSO^D sumponeyah; Greek, tfufi-^wvcia. Probably a kind of tamboor, tambourine, or tomtom drum. It does not mean the same as the Greek symphonia, which signifies a concert or harmony of many instruments, for here one kind of instrument only is intended.

All kinds of music'] N10I 'JI Sj col zeney zemara, the whole stock, or band, of music; the preceding being the chief, the most common, and the most sonorous. My old MS. Bible has, iCtumpt, mt) JOipc, anb ifiuve: ^ambufte, ^^antric, anb.Spnfomic, anb al hpiibc of mufSpitcs*.

Verse 6. Shall the same hour] This is the first place in the Old Testament where we find the division of time into hours. The Greeks say that Anaccimander was the inventor. He had it probably from the Chaldeans, among whom this division was in use long before Anaximander was born.

Be cast into the midst of a burning fery furnace.] This was an ancient mode of punishment among the Chaldeans, if we may credit the tradition that Abram was cast into such a fire by this idolatrous people because he would not worship their idols.

Verse 8. Accused the Jeics.] That is, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. The other.Tews were left unnoticed; and probably at this time Daniel was too

R. Roman., jc serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have

1 5 Now if ye be ready that at wliat time ye hear the sound of the comet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; " ivell: but if ye worsliip not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace: p and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, 0 Nebuchadnezzar, 1 we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, 0 king.

18 ''But if not, be it known unto thee, 0 king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor

19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar R^Toman.?'' ^ full of fury, and the form of his "'■ """""^ ^'- visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the fur nace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

20 And he commanded the • most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast the7n into the burning fiery furnace.

21 Then these men were bound in tlieir " coats, their hosen, and their ' hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore because the king's " command ment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the ^ flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

high to be touched; but we may rest assured that he was not found among these idolaters, see ver. 12.

Verse 16. We are not careful] We have no need to put thee to any farther trouble; we have made up our minds on this subject, and have our answer ready: Be it known unto thee, we will not serve thy gods. This was as honest as it was decisive.

Verse 17. If it he so] Thou mayest cast us into the furnace; the terror of it has no effect on our minds to induce us to alter the resolution we have taken, nor shall the fire change our purpose. We serve a God who is able to deliver us. Should he not, we are equally determined; but we are satisfied that in some way or other he will deliver us out of thy hand. Thy power cannot affect us in the kingdom of our God to which we shall ascend from thy furnace, should he permit the fire to kindle upon us. " Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar's," is a maxim of Jesus Christ; but when Csesar arrogates to himself the things that are the Lofd's, then, and in such cases, his authority is to be resisted. God does not desire Ceesar's things; Csesar must not have the things of God.

Verse 19. Then tvas Nebuchadnezzar full of fury] How strange is this, after having had so many proofs of the supremacy of Jehovah! He had seen how God poured contempt upon his authority in the case of the three Hebrews, and yet he will try his strength once more! How infatuated is man!

Seven times more] As hot as it could be made. Seven expresses the great intensity of the heat.

Verse 21. Their hats] This word, Jiat, is found only in this place in the Old Testament. The word S31D sarhal properly means an outer garment. Herodotus, who lived about one hundred years after Daniel, says, " the dress of the Babylonians consisted of a tunic of linen reaching down to the feet; over this a tunic of woollen; and over all a white short cloak or mantle, j(Xavi5iov; and on their heads they wore turhans, (xirpvjtfi." Following this, Mr. Parhhurst translates the verse thus: " Then these three men were bound [jin'SnlDD hesarlaleyhon] in their cloaks, [|in"J"L3i) patesheyhon] their tubb.^ns, [*innS:!"\:)l vecharhelathehon] and in their upper (viooUen) tunics, [pn'B'uSl ulehushehon] and their under (linen) tunics." And as, according to this interpretation, their 'Sdid sarbaley were their outermost garments, we see the propriety with which it is observed at ver. 27 that these ivere not changed by the fire.

Verse 23. And these three men — fell down hound] There is a most evident want of connexion between this and the following verse; and it is between these ver.ses that the apocryphal Song of the Three Children, as it is called, has been inserted by St. Jerome and others; but with this note: Quae sequuntur in Hebrseis voluminibus non reperi; " What follows 1 have not found in the Hebrew books." And then begins, " They walked in the midst of the flame, praising God, and blessing the Lord." The Septuagint and Arabic read the tioenty-fourth verse thus: " Then Nebuchad-

God delivers them, and a decree

R. Roman., in haste, and spake, and said unto cir. annum 37. j^-^ y counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? Tliey answered and said mito the king, True, O king.

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, ^ walking in the midst of the fire, and " they liave no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like "" the Son of God.

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the * mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hithe/-. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, ''upon whose bodies

were their coats changed, nor the r. Roman., smell of fire had passed on them. "'"■ """""^ ^^-

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said. Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshacii, and Abed-nego, who hath sent liis angel, and delivered his servants that " trusted in nim, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.