Commentary on the Holy Bible

29 ' Therefore e I niake a decree. That every people, nation, and language, which speak ''any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be ' cut '' in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: ^ because there is no other god that can deliver after this sort.

30 Then the king " promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of

nezzar heard them singing praise, and was astonished." To connect the two verses Houbigant adds two verses found in the Vulgate, which are the forty-ninth and the twenty-third: " But an angel of the Lord went down with Azariah and his companions into tlie furnace, and drove out the flame of fire from the furnace; and they walked in the midst of the furnace." This verse (the forty-ninth) has been added to show the reason of Nebuchadnezzar's astonishment, and also to account for the appearance of a fourth person in the ftimace, as in ver. 25.

Verse 25. Is like the Son of God.] A most improper translation. What notion could this idolatrous king have of the Lord Jesus Christ? for so the place is understood by thousands. pnSx 13 bar clahin signifies a son of the gods, that is, a Divine person or angel; and so the king calls him in ver. 28: " God hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants." And though even from this some still contend that it was the Angel of the covenant, yet the Babylonish king knew just as much of the one as he did of the other. No other ministration was necessary; a single angel from heaven was quite sufficient to answer this purpose, as that which stopped the mouths of the lions when Daniel was cast into their den.

Verse 27. Upon whose bodies the fire had no power] The heathens boasted that their priests could walk on burning coals unhurt; and Virgil mentions this of the priests of Apollo of Soracte: —

Summe Deura, sancti custos Soractis Apollo! Quern primi colimus, cui pineus ardor acervo Paseitur; et medium, freti pietate, per ignem Cultores multa premimus vestigia pruna.

And shady hills; a god above the gods;

To whom our natives pay the rites divine.

And burn whole crackling groves of hallowed pine;

Walk through the fire in honour of thy name.

Unhurt, unsinged, and sacred from the flame.

Pitts. But Varro teUs us that they anointed the soles of their feet with a species of unguent that preserved them from being burnt. Very lately a female showed many feats of this kind, putting red hot iron upon her arms, breasts, &c., and passing it over her hair without the slightest inconvenience; but in the case of the three Hebrews all was supernatural, and the king and his officers weU knew it.

Verse 28. Blessed be the God of Shadrach, cj-c] Here is a noble testimony from a heathen. And what produced it? The intrepidly pious conduct of these three noble Jews. Had they been time-servers, the name of the true God had not been knowTi in Babylon. \^'llat honour does the Lord put on them that are steadfast in the faith!

Verse 29. Speak any thing amiss] Though by the decree the king does not oblige the people to worship the true God, yet he obliges them to treat him with reverence.

Verse 30. Then the king promoted, 4'C-] He restored them to the offices which they held before the charge of disobedience and treason was brought against

At the end of this verse the Sepluagint add, " And he advanced them to he governors over all the Jews that were in his kingdom." This may be the meaning of the latter verse. They were more likely to be set over the Jews than over the Chaldeans.

The king relates his remarkable dream, and what followed.

Nebuchadnezzar, after having subdued all the neighbouring countries, and greatly enriched and adorned his own, became so intoxicated with his prosperity, as to draw dotvn upon himself a very remarkable judgment, nf which this chapter gives a particular account, in the very words of the edict or proclamation which the Babylonish monarch issued on his restoration to the throne. This state document begins with Nebuchadnezzar^s acknowledging the hand of God in his late malady, 1—3. It then gives an account of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, which portended the loss of his kingdom and reason for seven years, on account of his pride and arrogance, 4—18. So it was explained by Daniel, 19-27, and so it was verified by the event, 28—33. It then recites how, at the end of the period fixed by the God of heaven for the duration of his malady, the Chaldean monarch became sensible of his dependence on the Supreme Being, and lifted up his eyes to heaven in devout acknowledgment of the sovereign majesty of the King of kings, the Ruler of the earth, whose dominion alone is universal, unchangeable, and everlasting, 34-37.

2 '' I tliought it good to show the signs and wonder.s "= that the high God hath ■wTought toward me.

3 ■* How gi-eat «?-e his signs! and how mighty are liis wonders! his kingdom is ' an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:

5 I.saw a dream which made me afraid, ^ and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head s troubled me.

6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.

7 ^ Then came in the magicians, the astro-

Verse 1. Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people] This is a regtilar decree, and is one of the most ancient on record; and no doubt was copied from the stale papers of Babylon. Daniel has preserved it in the original language.

Verse 2. / thought it good to show'\ A part of the decree was a recital of the wonders wrought by the hand of the true God in his kingdom and on his person.

A'erse 3. How great are his signs.'] There are no preternatural signs like his! His ivonders — miraculous interferences, are mighty — they surpass all human power. He is the Sovereign of all kings, and his dominion is everlasting; and every gc?ieration is a proof of his all-governing influence. These are very fine sentiments, and show how deeply his mind was impressed with the majesty of God.

logers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.

8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, ■ whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, '' and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,

9 O Belteshazzar, ' inaster of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

10 Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; " I saw, and behold " a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.

1 1 The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:

Verse 4. / — ivas at resf] 1 had returned to my palace in Babylon after having subdued Syria, PhcEnicia, Judea, Egypt, and Arabia. It was probably these great conquests that puffed him up with pride, and brought that chastisement upon him which he afterwards describes. See the dream of the emblematical tree explained.

Verse 5. / saw a dream] See this dream circumstantially explained in the following verses.

Verse 10. I saw — a tree] This vision Nebuchadnezzar says made him afraid. What a rnercy it is that God has hidden futurity from us! Were he to show every man the lot that is before him, the misery of the human race would be complete.

the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.

13 1 saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, i' a watcher and "i a holy one came down from heaven;

14 He cried ' aloud, and said thus, ' Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: ' let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches.

15 Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion he with the beasts in the grass of the earth:

16 Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven " times pass over him.

17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent '' that the living may

m the kmgdom of men, and oi. cir. Lii.;i. giveth It to whomsoever he will, r. Koman., and setteth up over it the basest """• """"'" °- of men.

1 8 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, 0 Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, ^ forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; ^ for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

19 Then Daniel, 'whose name xoas Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, '^ the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.

20 ^ The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;

21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt,

Verse 13. A watcher and a holy one] These are both angels; but, according to the Chaldean oracles, of different orders. They appear, according to their opinions, to be a kind of judges of human actions who had the power of determining the lot of men; see

Verse 14. Hetc down the tree] As the tree was to be cut down, the beasts are commanded to Jiee away from under his branches. His courtiers, officers, &c., all abandoned him as soon as his insanity appeared; but he soon fled from the society of men.

Verse 16. Let his heart be changed] Let him conceive himself to be a beast, and act as such, herding among the beasts of the field.

Let seven times pass over him.] Let him continue in this state for seven years. I knew a man who was thus changed in his heart — in his imagination. He believed himself to be a bear, and would imitate the arsal growl, &c.; and the case did not appear to be hypochondriacal. Whether he ever came to sound mind, I know not.

Verse 17. This matter is by the decree of the watchers] See on ver. 13.

The Most High ruleth] He never leaves the goveiament of the world to man, to second causes, or to fortuitous occurrences. Wiat are thus called are his agents; they are no moving causes.

The throne ennobles no man: to be properly filled, the nuan must be noble. Some of the greatest and some of the meanest of men have sat on the throne. Kings differ in education, seldom in intellect, from the common mass of men; the poiver and authority are from God. The king himself may be given either in mercy or in icrath. When James II. ruled this kingdom, it might well be said, God hath set up over it the basest of men. His successor was one of the best. The former nearly ruined it both in a civil and religious point of view; the latter was the means of restoring it in both these respects.

Verse 19. Daniel — was astonied for one hour] He saw the design of the dream, and he felt the great delicacy of interpreting it. He was not puzzled by the difficulties of it. He felt for the king, and for the nation; and with what force and delicacy does he express the general portent; " The dream to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies!"

Verse 20. The tree that thou satccst] The dream is so fully interpreted in the following verses that il needs no comment.

"■• ^''"°' ^- 22 "= It is thou, 0 king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, "• and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

23 ^ And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, and saying. Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, ''and let his portion be with the beasts of tlie field, till seven times pass over him;

24 This is the interpretation, 0 king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which is come upon my lord the king:

25 That they shall s drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee '' to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, ' till thou know that the Most High nileth in the kingdom of men, and '' giveth it to whomsoever he will.

26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shall have known that the ' heavens do rule.

27 Wherefore, 0 king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and " break oif thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; " if it may be " a ^ lengthening of thy tranquillity.

Averse 26. Thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee\ No new king was set up; Evil-merodach his son was regent during his father's insanity.

Verse 27. Break off thy sins hy righteousness'] Do justice. Thou hast been an oppressive man; shoio mercy to the poar, many of whom have been made such by thyself: witness the whole nation of tlie Jews. He was to cease from his sins — repent, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance, in order that he might find mercy at the hand of God.

29 At the end of twelve months R.lioman'!' he walked i in the palace of the ""■ """""' ^- kingdom of Babylon.

30 The king ' spake, and said. Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

3 1 ^ While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell ' a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

32 And " they sliall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall he with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.

and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured him " that liveth for ever, whose dominion is ^ an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

35 And y all tlie inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and ^ he doeth according

royal palace, all built by Nebuchadnezzar, made it the greatest city in the world.

Verse 3 1. While the toord was in the king's moutkl How awful to a victorious and proud king: " Thy kingdom is departed from thee!" All thy goods and gods are gone in a moment!

Verse 32. They shall make thee, <3fc.] Thou shalt be made to eat grass as oxen. The madness that fell upon him induced him to forsake society, and to rua to the woods and deserts, where he lived like a wild beast, his hairs growing long and thick, so as to be a substitute for clothing; and his nails strong and hooked, that he might the better climb trees and grub up the ground, in order to get roots and earth-nuts. It was

01. Liv. 2. and among the inhabitants oi the R. Roman., earth; and ^ none can stay his

36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; "^ and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought

the mercy of God that thus clothed and accoutred him. His case seems much hke that of the maniac in the Gospel, whose dwelling was among the tombs and in the mountains, and who shunned the society of men.

Verse 36. My reason returned] Every thing was fulfilled that was exhibited by the dream and its interpretation. It is very likely that this unfortunate king had so concealed himself that the place of his retreat was not found out; and the providence of God had so watched over every thing, that, on his return to his

unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was ^ added unto me. "'■ """""■ '"■

37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the king of heaven, ° all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment 'and those that walli in pride he is able to abase.

palace, he found his counsellors and his lords, who received him gladly, and cleaved to and served him as they had formerly done.

Verse 37. Notv I — -praise and extol] It is very probable that Nebuchadnezzar was a true convert; that he relapsed no more into idolatry, and died in the faith of the God of Israel. It is supposed that he lived seventeen years after his restoration. But the authorized Version, which is followed in the margin, states the date of this decree to be B. C. 563, the year preceding Nebuchadnezzar's death.

In the commencement of this chapter we are infonned how Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, when rioting in his palace, and profaning the sacred vessels of the temple, 1—4, was suddenly terrified with the appearance of the fingers of a man''s hand, which wrote a few words on the wall before him, 5, 6. The wise men and astrologers were immediately called in to show the king the interpretation; but they could not so much as read the writing, because (as Houbigant and others have conjectured) though the words are in the Chaldee tongue, yet they were written in the Samaritan or ancient Hebrew characters, with which the wise men of Babylon were very probably unacquainted, as the Jews were at that time a despised people, and the knowledge of their language not a fashionable attainment, 7—9. Daniel, who had been so highly esteemed by Nebuchadnezzar for his superior wisdom, appears to have been altogether unknown to Belshazzar, till the queen {the same who had been the wife of Nebuchadnezzar according to the general opinion, or the queen consort according to others) had informed him, 10—12. Upon the queen's recommendation, Daniel is called in, 13-16; who boldly tells this despotic king, that as he had not benefited by the judgments inflicted on his grandfather, but gave himself up to pride and profanity, and had added to his other sins an utter contempt for the God of the Jews by drinking tvine out of the sacred vessels of Jehovah in honour of his idols, 17— 23; the Supreme Being, the Ruler of heaven and earth, had written his condemnation in three words, Mene, Tekel, Peres, 24, 25; the first of which is repeated in the copies containing the Chaldean original; but all the ancient Versions, except the Syriac, are without ^ this repetition. Daniel then gives the king and his lords the fearful import of the writing, viz., that the period allotted for the duration of the Chaldean empire was now completed, (see Jer. xxv. 12-14,) and that the kingdom ivas about to be transferred to the Medes and Persians, 26—28. However unwelcome such an interpretation must have been to Belshazzar, yet the monarch, overwhelmed with its clearness and certainty, commanded the prophet to be honoured, 29. And that very night the prediction ivas fulfilled, for the king was slain, 30, and the city taken by the Medes and Persians, 31. This great event was also predicted by Isaiah and Jeremiah; and the manner in which it was accomplished is recorded by Herodotus and Xenophon.

Verse 1. Belshazzar the king made a great feast] This chapter is out of its place, and should come in

B c "^' 538^' '"'^^ wine, commanded to bring oi. cir. LX. 3. the "^ golden and silver vessels R. Roman.,' " wliich his "^ father Nebuchadcir. annum 41. j^gggar had ° taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

3 Tiien they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and hi.s princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.

4 They drank wine, ^ and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Ion. Having reigned about ttvo years, he was slain by his brother-in-law, Neriglissar. He reigned ybur years, and was succeeded by his son Laborosoarchod, who reigned only nine months. At his death Belshazzar, the son of Evil-merodach, was raised to the throne, and reigned seventeen years, and was slain, as we read here, by Cyrus, who surprised and took the city on the night of this festivity. This is the chronology on which Archbishop Usher, and other learned chronologists, agree; but the Scripture mentions only Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-merodoch, and Belshazzar, by name; and Jeremiah, chap, xxvii. 7, expressly says, " All nations shall serve him (Nebuchadnezzar,) and his son (Evil-merodach,) and his son's son (Belshazzar,) until the very time of his land come;"' i. e., till the time in which the empire should be seized by Cyrus. Here there is no mention of Neriglissar nor Laborosoarchod; but as they were usurpers, they might have been purposely passed by. But there remains one difficulty still: Belshazzar is expressly called the son of Nebuchadnezzar by the queen mother, ver. 11: " There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and in the days of THV FATHER light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him: whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians." The solution of this difficulty is, that in Scripture the name of son 13 indifferently given to sons and grandsons, and even to great grandso7is. And perhaps the repetition in the above verse may imply this: " The king, Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king thy father." The king thy father's father, and consequently thy grandfather. If it have not some such meaning as this, it must be considered an idle repetition. As to the two other Icings, Neriglissar and Laborosoarchod, mentioned by Josephus and Berosvs, and by whom the chronology is so much puzzled, they might have been some petty kings, or viceroys, or satraps, who affected the kingdom, and produced disturbances, one hx four years, and the other for nine months; and would in

wrote over against the candle- r. Roman., stick upon the plaster of the wall ""'• »""""* ^'- of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

6 Then the king's '' countenance ' was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the ''joints 'of his loins were loosed, and his ™ knees smote one against another.

7 " The king cried ° aloud to bring in p the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show mo the interpretation

consequence not be acknowledged in the Babylonish chronology, nor by the sacred writers, any more than finally unsuccessful rebels are numbered among the kings of those nations which they have disturbed. I believe the only sovereigns we can acknowledge here are the following: 1. Nabopolassar; 2. Nebuchadnezzar; 3. Evil-merodach; A. Belshazzar; and with this last the Chaldean empire ended.

To a thousatid of his lords] Perhaps this means lords or satraps, that were each over one thousand men. But we learn from antiquity that the Persian kings were very profuse in their entertainments; but it does not follow that the Chaldeans were so too. Besides, one thousand lords and their appropriate attendants would have been very inconvenient in a nocturnal assembly. The text, however, supports the common translation. Literally, " Belshazzar the king made bread for his lords a thousand; and against the thousand he drank wine." That is, say some, he was a very great drinker.

Verse 2. Whiles he tasted the ivine] He relished it, got heated by it, and when wine got fully in, wit went wholly out; and in consequence he acted the profane part of which we immediately read.

Verse 4. And praised the gods of gold] They had gods of all sorts, and of all metals; with wooden gods, and stone gods, beside!

Verse 5. Fingers of a man's hand] The fingers were collected about the style or pen as in the act of writing.

Verse 6. The king^s countenance was changed] Here is a very natural description of fear and terror. 1. The face grows pale; 2. The mind becomes greatly agitated; 3. Pains seize on the lower part of the back and kidneys; 4. A universal tremor takes place, so that the knees smite against each other; 5. And lastly, either a syncope takes place, or the cry of distress is uttered, ver. 7: " The king cried."

Verse 7. Whosoever shall read this ivriting] H« knew it must be some awful portent, and wished tc know what.

thereof, shall be clothed with 1 scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, ■■ and shall be the thud ruler in the kingdom.

8 Then came in all the king's wise men: ^ but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation

9 Tlien was king Belshazzar greatly ' troubled, and his " countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonicd.

10 Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into tlie banquet house: and the queen spake and said, ' O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

1 1 ™ There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the daj's of thy "^ father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy y father, the king, I say, thy father, made '^ master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

12 'Forasmuch as an e.xcellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, '' interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and ■= dissolving of '^ doubts, were found in the same Daniel, " whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.

1.3 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom

Verse 8. They could not read the writing] Because it was in the pure Hebrew, not the Chaldean, character. See below.

Verse 10. The queen — came] This is generally allowed to have been the widow of Nebuchadnezzar; if so, she was the queen Amii/l, daughter of Astyages, sister of Darius the Mede, and aunt of Cyrus, according to Pulyhistor, cited by Cedrenus. See Calmet. Others think that Nitocris was the person who is said to be queen when Cyrus took the city; and is stated to have been a lady of eminent wisdom and discretion, and to have had the chief direction of the public affairs. She was the mother of Lahyttithus; and, if this be the same as Belshazzar, she must be the person here introduced.

the king my ' father brought out of Jewry?

14 I have even heard of thee, that s the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and under standing and excellent wisdom is found in

15 And now "^the wise?neti, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing:

16 And I have heard of thee, tliat thou canst ' make interpretations, and dissolve doubts

'' now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about tliy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king. Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy ' rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto tlie king, and make known to him the iYiterpretation.

18 0 thou king, "the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:

19 And for the majesty that he gave him, " all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; emd whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.

20 ° But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened p in pride, he was i deposed

Verse 16. Dissolve doubts] Untie knots — unbind what is bound. An e.vpression used in the east to signify a judge of eminent wisdom and skill.

Verse 17. Let thy gifts be to thyself] They could be of little use to any, as the city was in afeiv hours to be taken and piUaged.

Verse 18. Nebuchadnezzar thy father.] Or grandfather, as the margin reads, ver. 2. See the notes on ver. 1.

Verse 19. Whom he would he.ilew] The genuine character of a despot, whose will is the only rule of his conduct.

cir. annum 41. ^j^g g^j^g of men; and ^his heart was made hke the beasts, and his dwelhng filers with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet witli the dew of heaven; ' till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appoinleth over it wiiomsoever he will.

22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, " hast not Inunbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

23 ' But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, tliy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, "^ which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, ^ and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

24 Then was the part of the *• M- cir. 3466 hand sent from him: and this oi. cir. LX. 3.

Verse 22. Hast not humbled thine heart] These judgments and mercies have had no good effect upon

Verse 23. But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord] And the highest evidence of this rebellion was, the profaning the sacred vessels of the Lord's house.

Verse 24. Then icas the part of the hand sent] This was the filling up of the cup of thy iniquity; this last act made thee ripe for destruction.

Verse 25. And this is the writing] Had the words been written in the Chaldean character, every wise man there, every one that could read the alphabet of his own language, could have read and interpreted them. Let it be observed, — 1. That the character which we now call Hebrew is the Chaldean character. 2. That the true Hebrew character is that which we call the Samaritan. 3. Daniel could easily read this, for it was the character used by the Jews previously „o the Babylonish captivity. 4. It appears that it was simply on account of the strangeness of the character that the Chaldeans could not read it.

I shall set dov%'n the words in both characters, by which the least learned reader may see that it was quite possible that one might be well known, while the other might be unintelligible.

26 This is the interpretation of the thing MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

27 TEKEL;? Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

2S PERES; Tiiy kingdom is divided, and given to the ^ Medes and '^ Persians.

29 Tlien commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, '^ that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 " In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.

31 "i And Darius the Median took the kingdom, " being ^ about threescore and two years old.

In ancient times, no doubt, these letters differed more from each other than they appear to do now; for we know that the Samaritan on ancient coins, though radically the same, differs very much from that now used in printing.

It should be observed, that each ivord stands for a short sentence; NW mene signifies numeration; Spn tehel, WEIGHING; and D13 peres, division. And so the Arabic translates them. iy««»ii« mokeeson, measured; tiyj.f rnewzonon, weighed; |*>*~ov» mokesoomon, divided. All the ancient Versions, except the Syriac, read the words simply Mene, Tekel, Phares, as they are explained in the following verses; without the repetition of Mene, and without the conjunction 1 van, and plural termination, p in, in Peres.

Verse 29. Clothed Daniel leith scarlet] NJU1N argevana, more probably with purple. The gold chain about the neck was an emblem of magisterial authority. It is often thus mentioned in Scripture.

^'erse 30. In that night was Belshazzar — slain.'\ Xenophon says, he was despatched by two lords, Gadalas and Gobrias, who went over to Cyrus, to avenge themselves of certain wrongs which Belshazzar had done them. We have already seen that Cyrus entered the city by the bed of the Euphrates, which he had emptied, by cutting a channel for the waters, and directing them into the marshy country.

A'erse 31. Darius the Median took the kingdom] This is supposed to be the same as Cyaxares, son of Astyages and maternal uncle of Cyrus, to whom he gave the throne of Babylon, after himself had had the honour of taking the city.

Daniel speaks nothing of the war that raged between the Babylonians and the Medes; but Isaiah speaks particularly of it, chap, xiii., xiv., xlv., xlvi., xlvii.; and so does Jeremiah, chap. 1., li. I need not add, that it is largely spoken of by profane authors. The

Medes and Persians were confederates in the war; the former under Darius, the latter under Cyrus. Both princes are supposed to have been present at the tak ing of this city. Mandane, daughter of Astyages was mother of Cyrus, and sister to Cyaxares

Danus the Median, who succeeded Belshazzar in the kingdom of Babylon, having heard of DameVs extraordinary wisdom and understanding, constitutes him the chief of the three presidents who were ovet the whole empire, and purposed also to make him prime minister or viceroy, 1—3. This great partiality of the king towards a stranger of Jewish extraction, and who had been carried captive into Chaldca, raised up a great many enemies to Daniel; and a scheme was even contrived by the presidents and princes to ruin him, 4—15; which succeeded so far that he was cast into a den of lions, but ivas miraculously delivered, 16—23. Darius, who was greatly displeased with himself for hainng been entrapped by the governors of the provinces to the prejudice of his faithful minister, is pleased and astonished at this deliverance; punished DaniePs enemies with the same kind of death which they had designed for the prophet; and made a decree that, throughout his dominions, the God of Daniel should be had in the greatest veneration,

TT pleased Darius to set * over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, ^vhich should be over the whole kingdom;

2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.

3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, * because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

4 " Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the cir. annum 43. kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was

Verse 1. A hundred and twenty princes] A chief or satrap over every province which belonged to the Medo-Persian empire. Afterwards we find it enlarged to one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, by the victories of Cambyses and Darius Hystaspes. See Esth. i. 1. Josephus reckons three hundred and sixty satrapies or lordships; but this is most probably an exaggeration or mistake.

Verse 2. Three presidents] Each having /or/y of these presidents accountable to him for their administration.

Daniel vfzsfrst] As being established over that part where was the seat of government. He was confirmed in his ofHces by Darius.

Verse 3. The king thought to set him over the whole realm] Intended to make him grand vizier or emir ul amrim. This partiality of the king made Daniel the

5 Then said these men. We r. Roman.,' shall not find any occasion against ''"'• """"*" '^^- this Daniel, e.\cept we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

6 Then these presidents and princes '' assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, ° King Darius, live for ever.

7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm *^ decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, 0 king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

A'"erse 4. Sought to find occasion against Daniel] But the)' found no blemish in his administration, for he was failhf III to his king: this was a virtue. But he was also faithful to his God: this they hoped to construe into a crime, and make it the cause of his ruin.

A'^erse 7. Whosoever shall ask a petition] What pretence could they urge for so silly an ordinance 1 Probably to flatter the ambition of the king, they pretend to make him a god for thirty days; so thnt the whole empire should make prayer and supplication to him, and pay him Divine honours! This was the bait; but their real object was to destroy Daniel.

9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing wa.5 signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber ' toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees '' three times a day, and prayed, and gave tlianks before his God, as he did aforetime.

1 1 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praving and making supplication before his God.

12 ' Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any god or man within thirty days, save of thee, 0 king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said. The thing is true, ™ according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which alteretli not.

before the king. That Daniel, oi. cir.LX.4. " which is of the children of the r. Roman.,' captivity of Judah, " regardeth not "'^■=^""""^2. thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, butmaketh his petition three times a day.

14 Then the king, when he he^xA these words, p was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.

15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king. Know, O king, that 1 the law of the Medes and Persians is. That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.

16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Noiu the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God, whom thou servesi continually, he will deliver thee.

17' And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; ' and the king sealed it. with his own signet, and with the signet of his

them. This would argue extreme folly in legislators in any country. Nothing more appears to be meant than that the decree should be enacted, written, and registered, according to the legal forms among the Medes and Persians; and this one to be made absolute for thirti/ days. The laws were such among this people, that, when once passed with the usual formalities, the king could not change them at his own will. This is the utmost that can be meant by the law of the Medes and Persians that could not be changed.

Verse 10. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed] He saw what was designed, and he knew whom he served.

His windows being open] He would not shut them to conceal himself, but " kneeled down with his face turned toward Jerusalem, and prayed thrice each day, giving thanks to God as usual." When the Jews were in distant countries, in prayer they turned their faces towards Jerusalem; and when in Jerusalem, they turned their faces towards the temple. Solomon, in his prayer at the dedication of the temple, 1 Kings viii. 48, had entreated God to hear the prayers of those who might be in strange lands, or in captivity, when they should turn their faces towards their own land, which God gave unto their fathers; and towards ^he city which he had chosen, and the house which was dedicated to his name. It was in reference to this that Daniel turned his face towards Jerusalem when he prayed.

Verse 19. Shall he cast into the den of lions'] Either this was the royal menagerie, like that place in the

Tower of London, where wild beasts are kept for the king's pleasure, and the public amusement; or they were kept for the purpose of devouring certain criminals, wliich the laws might consign to that kind of death. This is most likely, from the case before us.

Verse 14. The king — was sore displeased with himself] And well he might, when through his excessive folly he passed a law that, for its ostensible object, would have been a disgrace almost to an idiot.

And set his heart on Daniel] He strove by every means to get the law annulled. He had no doubt spoken to several of his lords in private, and had gone from one to another till the going down of the sun.

Verse 15. Then these men assembled] Having got favourable answers, as we may presume, from many individuals, he called a parliament; but they now collectively joined to urge the execution of the law, not its repeal.

Verse 16. Then the king commanded] With a heavy heart he was obliged to warrant this murderous conspiracy. But wlien passing sentence his last words were affecting: " Thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee." He is thy God; thou servest him, not occasionally, but continually; therefore " he will deliver thee." Daniel had now the same kind of opportunity of showing his fidelity to God, as his three Hebrew companions before. The lions were not less terrible than the fiery furnace.

Verse 17. A stone was brought] AH thh precaution served the purposes of the Divine Providence. There could be no trick nor collusion here; if Daniel be

R. Roman., 18 1 licn the King went to his cir. annum 42. p^jg^g ^^^^ passed the night fasting: neither were ' instruments of music brought before him: "and his sleep went from him.

1 9 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, " is thy God, whom thou scrvest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

21 Then said Daniel unto the king, " 0 king, live for ever.

22 ' My God hath sent his angel, and hath >' shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O n.ing, have I done no hurt.

23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of

24 And the king commanded, r. Roman., "and they brougiit those men "'"■ """"""t^- which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, '' their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

25 " Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

26 '' I make a decree. That in everv dominion of my kingdom men "^ tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: *^for he is the living God, and steadf\ist for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be ^ destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

27 He delivereth and rescueth, '' and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the ' power of the lions.

28 So •this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, "^ and in the reign of ' Cjtus the Persian.

preserved, it must be by the power of the Supreme God. The same precaution was taken by the Jews, in the case of the burial of our blessed Lord; and this very thing has served as one of the strongest proofs of the certainty of his resurrection and their unmi.\ed wickedness.

Verse 18. Passed the night fasting] He neither ate nor drank, had no music to solace, nor sweet odours burnt or brought before him, and he passed the night without sleep. All this points out his great sincerity; and when it is considered that Darius could not be less than sixty-two or sixty-three years of age at this time, it shows more fully the depth of his concern.

A'erse 20. He cried with a lamentable voice] His heart, full of grief, affected his speech.

Servant of the living God] The king was convinced that, unless his God saved him, his destruction was inevitable.

Verse 22. My God hath sent his anget] Such a one as that who attended Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the fiery ftirnace, and blew aside the flames, so that they could not hurt them.

Before him innocency wasfoitnd in me] Because I was innocent God has preserved me; and now that I am preserved, my innocence is fully proved.

And why ] Because he believed in his God. How mighty is faith? It interests that power in the behalf of the believer by which the sea is dried up, the mountains removed, the dead raised to life, sin forgiven, the heart purified, Satan vanquished, death conquered, and God himself delighted and glorified! See Heb. xi.

A'erse 24. They brought those men] It was perfectly just that they should suffer that death to which they had endeavoured to subject the innocent; but it was savage cruelty to destroy the women and children who had no part in the transgression.

Verse 25. Then king Darius wrote] And the substance of this decree, which was made by a heathen king, was to point out the perfections of the true God, and the fdelity of his devoted servant.

Verse 26. / make a decree that — men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel] As in the case of the three Hebrews, chap. iii. 29. The true God was known by his servants, and by the deliverances he WTOught for them. See his characters in this decree. 1. He is the living Gad, the Author and Giver of life; all others are dead gods. 2. He is steadfast for ever. All things change; but he is unchangeable. 3. He has a kingdom; for as he made all things, so he governs all things. 4. His kingdom shall not be destroyed. No human power can prevail against it, because it is upheld bv his omnipotence. 5. His do- minion is without end. It is an everlasting dominion, under an everlasting rule, by an everlasting God. 6. He deliverelh them that are in danger and bondage. 7. He rescueth those who have fallen into the hands of their enemies, and implore his succour. 8. He worketh signs in the heavens. 9. And wonders upon earth; showing that both are under his sway, and are parts of his dominion. 10. And to complete all, He hath delivered Daniel. Before our own eyes he has given the fullest proof of his power and goodness, in rescuing his faithful servant from the teeth of the lions. What a fine eulogium on the great God and his faithful servant!

Verse 28. So this Daniel prospered] He had served Jive kings: Nebuchadnezxar, Evil-merodach Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus. Few courtiers have had so long a reign, served so many masters without flattering any, been more successful in theii management of public affairs, been so useful to the states where they were in office, or have been more owned of God, or have left such an example to posterity.

Where shall we find ministers like Samuel and Daniel? None so wise, so holy, so disinterested, so useful, have ever since appeared in the nations of the

The prophet having, in the preceding chapters of this book, related some remariatle events concerning himself and his brethren in the captivity, and given proof of his being enabled, by Divine assistance, to interpret the dreams of others, enters noio into a detail of his own visions, returning to a period prior to the transactions recorded in the last chapter. The first in order of the prophefs visions is that of the four beasts, which arose out of a very tempestuous ocean, 1-9; and of one like the Son of man who annihilated the dominion of the fourth beast, because of the proud and blasphemous words of one of its horns, 9—14. An angel deciphers the hieroglyphics contained in this chapter, declanng that the four beasts, diverse one from another, represent the four paramount empires of the habitable globe, which should succeed each other; and are evidently the same lohich were shadowed forth to Nebuchadnezzar hy another set of hieroglyphics, {see the second chapter,) 15-26. But for the consolation of the people of God, it is added that, at the time appointed in the counsel of Jehovah, " the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall by given to the saints of the Most High;" and that this kingdom shall never be destroyed or transferred to another people, as all the preceding dominations have been, but shall itself stand for ever, 27, 28. It will be proper to remark that the period of a time, times, and a half, mentioned in the twenty-fifth verse as the duration of the dominion of the Utile horn that made tear with the saints, {generally supposed to be a symbolical representation of the papal power,) had most probably its commencement in A. D. 755 or 756, ivhen Pepin, king of France, invested the pope with temporal power. This hypothesis will bring the conclusion of the period to about the year of Christ 2000, a time fixed by Jews and Christians for some remarkable revolution; when the loorld, as they suppose, will be renewed, the wicked cease from troubling the Church, and the saints of the Most High have dominion over the whole habitable globe. But this is all hypothesis.

dream, and told the sum of the * matters.

Verse 1. In the first year of Belshazzar^ This is the same Belshazzar who was slain at the taking of Babylon, as we have seen at the conclusion of chap. V. That chapter should have followed both this and the succeeding. The reason why the fifth chapter was put in an improper place was, that all the historic parts might be together, and the prophetic be by themselves; and, accordingly, the former end with the preceding chapter, and the latter with this. The division therefore is not chronological, but merely artificial.

Told the sum of the matters] That he might not forget this extraordinary dream, he wrote down the leading particulars when he arose.

A''erse 2. The four winds of the heaven strove upon

the four winds of the heaven r. Roman..' strove upon the great sea.

3 And four great beasts °came up from

the great sea] The idea of strife is taken here from the effects that must be produced, were the east, the west, the north, and the south winds to rise tempestuously, and meet on tlie surface of the sea. By the great sea, the Mediterranean is meant; and is so called to distinguish it from those lakes called seas by the Hebrews; such as the Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, Sea of Tiberias, &e.; but even that may refer to Asia, the scene of all these contentions. This dream is the same in meaning, under different emblems, as that of Nebuchadnezzar's metallic image: but in Daniel's dream several circumstances are added. It is supposed that Daniel had this dream about forty-eight years after Nebuchadnezzar had the vision of the great image.

till the wings thereof were plucked, ^and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand

The term sea, in Hebrew □'' yam, from mn hamah, to be timiultuous, agitated, &c., seems to be used here to point out the then known terraqueous globe, because of its generally agitated state; and the four winds striinng. point out those predatory wars that prevailed almost universally among men, from the days of Nimrod, the founder of the Assyrian or Babylonish monarchy, down to that time, and in the end gave birth to the four great monarchies which are the subject of this vision.

Diverse one from another.^ The people were different; the lau;s and customs dLferent; and the administration of each differently executed.

Verse 4. The first was like a lion, and had eagWs witigs'l Bp. Newton well remarks, that these great beasts, as explained by the angel, ver. 17, are kingdoms. They arise out of a stormy and tempestuous sea; that is, out of the tears and commotions of the world; and they are called great in comparison of other states and kingdoms, and are denominated beasts for their tyrannical and cruel oppression.

These four beasts are indeed monstrous productions; a lion loith eagle''s loings; a bear with three ribs in its mouth; a leopard loithfour wings, and four heads; and a beast with ten horns. But such emblems and hieroglyphics were usual among the eastern nations, as may be seen in the monuments of antiquity. A winged lion, and such-like fictitious animals, may be seen in many parts of the ruins of Persepolis. Horns are attributed to beasts which naturally have none, being used in hieroglyphic writings for symbols of strength and power. And such figures are supposed to be the symbols of different nations; and are not more strange than many that are still used in heraldry. I believe the science of heraldry arose out of the knowledge gained from the symbols used in the Sacred Writings; and the little acquaintance anciently obtanied of the meaning of some of the Egyptian hieroglyphics. Hence our wiverons, griffins, unicorns, with a congeries of natural and unnatural things, split eagles,?«io-headcd swans, &c., &c., &c.

The beast like a lion is the kingdom of the Babylonians; and the king of Babylon is compared to a lion, Jer. iv. 7; Isa. v. 29; and is said to fly as an eagle, Jer. xlviii. 40; Ezek. xvii. 3, 7. The lion is considered the king of the beasts, and the eagle the king of the birds; and therefore the kingdom of Babylon, which was signified by the golden head of the great image, was the first and noblest of all the kingdoms; and was the greatest then in being. The wings of the eagle denote the rapidity with which the lion — Nebuchadnezzar, made his conquests; for in a few years, by his own arms, he brought his empire to such sn extent, and raised it to such a degree of eminence.

5 " And beliold another beast, r. Roman.. a second, like to a bear, and ' it """""""' "'*' raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it:

as was truly surprising; and all tended to show with what propriety this eagle-winged lion is here made his emblem.

The wings thereof were plucked] Lydia, Media, and Persia, which had been provinces of the Babylonish empire, cast off the yoke, and put themselves under kings of their own. Besides, the rapidity of its conquests was stopped by its wars with the Medes and Persians; by whom it was at last conquered, and divided between Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian.

And it was lifted up from the earth] That is, the zoings tvere plucked, rendered unfit for farther flight. by which it had before been lifted up from the earth; making its conquests almost with the rapidity of an eagle's flight. In what a short time did Nebuchadnezzar, who is here chiefly intended, conquer Syria. Phcnicia, Judea, Egypt, Arabia, &c.! But on his death the wings were plucked; and no farther exten sion of the empire took place under Evil-merodach or Belshazzar, till it was lost by the latter, and became divided as we have seen above.

And made stand upon the feet as a man] This I think refers to the taming of Nebuchadnezzar's pride. He had acted like a fierce and ravening lion. God struck him with insanity; he then lived the life of a beast, and had a beasfs heart — disposition, and habits. At last God restored him.

And a man's heart was given to it.] He became humane, humble, and piov^; and in this state he appears to have died.

Verse 5. Another beast — like to a bear] This was the Medo-Persian empire, represented here under the symbol of the hear, as the largest species of these animals was found in Media, a mountainous, cold, and rough country, covered with ivoods. The Medes and Persians are compared to a bear on account of their cruelty and thirst after blood, a bear being a most voracious and cruel animal; the bear is termed by Aristotle an all-devouring animal; and the Medo-Persians are known to have been great robbers and spoilers- See Jer. li. 48—56. The Persians were notorious for the cruelty of their punishments. See Calmet.

Raised up itself on one side] Cyrus arose on the borders of Chaldea, and thus the bear appeared to put itself in the position to attack the lion.

It had three ribs in the mouth of it] As if it had just finished its repast on some animal that it h.ad seized. Some think three tusks, curved like rilis, are meant; others three throats, "i'S^' illin, by which it (Cyrus) had absorbed the three empires of the Babylonians, Medes, and Persians; for these symbolic animals do not so much denote four empires, as four kings. See ver. 17. Othcxs think three rows of teeth

had upon the back of it four wing.s of a fowl the beast had also ^ four heads; and dominion was given to it.

7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold ^ a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible.

and brake m pieces, and stamped r. Roman., the residue with the feet of it: '"^- '"'"""' -^- and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; ™ and it had ten horns.

8 I considered the horns, and, behold, "there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked

are meant, to denote the triple power of the Medes, Persians, and Babylonians, conjoined. Or the east, north, and south, which were subdued by the Persians. But the ribs being between the teeth of the bear may show how Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt were ground and oppressed by the bear — the Persians; though, as ribs strengthen the body, they were a powerful support to their conquerors.

Verse 6. Another, like a leopard — -four wings — -four heads] This was the Macedonian or Greek empire; and Alexander the Great its king. Alexander and his subjects are fitly compared to a leopard. 1. The leopard is remarkable for its swiftness. Alexander and the ]\Iacedonians were very rapid in their conquests. 0. The leopard is a spotted animal; a proper emblem of the various nations, with their various customs and languages, which constituted the Macedonian empire. It may refer to the character of Alexander himself, sometimes mild, at others cruel; sober and drunken; continent and lecherous; having a great power of selfgovernment, and at other times being a slave to his passions. 3. The leopard, though small, is not afraid to attack the lion.

Four wings of a fowl] The Babylonian empire was represented with tivo icings; and they sufficiently marked the rapidity of Nebuchadnezzar's conquests; but the Macedonian has here four wings; for nothing, in the history of the world, was equal to the conquests of Alexander, who ran through all the countries from Illyricum and the Adriatic Sea to the Indian Ocean and the River Ganges; and in twelve years subdued part of Europe, and all A.sia.

The beast had also four heads] Signifying the empire after the death of Alexander, divided between his four generals. Cassander reigning over Macedon and Greece; Lysimachus, over Thrace and Bithynia; Ptolemy, over Egypt; and Seleucus, over Syria.

Dominion was given to it.] It was not owing to the skill, courage, or valour of Alexander and his troops, that he made those wondrous conquests; the nations were given to him. For, as Bishop Newton says, had he not been assisted by the mighty power of God, how could he, with only thirty thousand men, have overcome Darius with six hundred thousand; and in so short a time have brought the countries from Greece as far as India into subjection T

Verse 7. / saw — a fourth beast — it had great iron teeth] This is allowed, on all hands, to be the Roman empire. It was dreadful, terrible, and exceeding strong: it devoured, and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue, that is, the remains of the former kingdoms, with its feet. It reduced Macedon into a Roman province about one hundred and sixty-eight years before Christ; the kingdom of Pergamos about one hundred and thirty-three years; Syria about sixty-five; and Egypt about thirty years before Christ. And, besides the remains of the iVIacedonian empire, it subdued many other provinces and kingdoms; so that it might, by a very usual figure, be said to devour the whole earth, to tread it down, and break it to pieces; and became in effect, what the Roman writers delight to call it, the empire of the whole world.

It (the fourth beast) was diverse from all the beasts that were before it.] Not only in its republican form of government, but also in power and greatness, extent of dominion, and length of duration.

It had ten horns] The ten kingdoms into which the Roman empire was afterwards divided. Calmet says, ten Syrian kings: and he finds them thus: — 1. Seleucus Nicator. 2. Antiochus Soter. 3. Antiochus Theos. 4. Antiochus Callinicus. 5. Seleucus Ceraunus. 6. Antiochus the Great. 7. Seleucus, surnamed Philopater, brother of Antiochus Epiphanes. 8. Laomedon of Mitylene, to whom Syria and Phoenicia had been intrusted. 9. Antigone. And, 10. His son Demetrius, who possessed those provinces, with the title of kings. This is too much like forced work. There are different opinions concerning these ten kings; or rather which they were that constituted this division of the Roman empire. They are reckoned thus: — 1. The Roman senate. 2. The Greeks, in Ravenna. 3. The Lombards in Lombardy. 4. The Huns in Hungary. 5. The Alemans, in Germany. 6. The Franks in France. 7. The Burgundiuns in Bur gundy. 8. The Saracens in Africa, and a part of.Spain. 9. The Goths, in other parts of Spain. 10 And the Saxons, in Britain.

Averse 8. -innther little horn] Among Protestant writers this is considered to be the popedom.

Before lohom there were three of the first horns plucked up] These were probably, 1. The exarchate of Ravenna. 2. The kingdom of the Lombards. And, 3. The state of Rome. The first was given to the Pope, Stephen II., by Pepin, king of France, A. D. 755; and this constituted the pope's temporal princes. The second was given to St. Peter by Charlemagne, in 774. The third, the slate of Rome, was vested in the pope, both in spirituals and temporals, and confirmed to him by Lewis the pious. These are the three horns which were plucked up from the roots before the little horn.

9 1 1 beheld till the tlirones were cast down, and ■■ the Ancient of days did sit, ' whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, ' and his wheels as burning fire.

10 "A fiery stream issued and came forHi from before him: " thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten tiiousand stood before him: ™ the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

Ill beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: ' I beheld eveti till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the biu-ning flame.

1 2 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet '' their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

ning and superintendence; for the pope calls himself Episcopus episcopoTum, the Overseer of overseers.

And a mouth spcahing great things.'\ Full of boasting; pretending to unlimited jurisdiction; binding and loosing at pleasure; promising to absolve from all sins, present, past, and future; and threatening to send to everlasting destruction all kings, kingdoms, and individuals, who would dare to dispute his power and authority.

Verse 9. The thrones were cast dowri\ VDT might be translated erected; so the Vulgate, ^oij/j sunt, and so all the versions; but that ours is a proper translation, is sufficiently evident from chap. iii. 6, 15, 20; vi. 17, &c.; where the original word can be used in no other sense than that of throwing or casli7tg down. There is a reference here to preparations made for a general assize, or to the convocation of the sanhedrin, where the father of the consistory sat with his assessors on each side in the form of a semicircle, and the people stood before them.

The Ancient of days\ God Almighty; and this is he ouly place in the sacred writings where God the Father is represented in a human form.

Averse 10. A Jicri/ stream issued] This is not spoken of the final judgment; but of that which he was to execute upon this fourth beast, the Roman empire; and the little boasting hom, which is a part of the fourth beast, and must fall when the other falls.

Verse 11. I beheld then because of the voice (or, the beast will be destroyed because) of the great words which the horn spake — his body destroyed] WTien the dominion was taken from the rest of the beasts,

man came with the clouds 01 r. Roman, heaven, and came to "the An- "'■ """"'" -■*• cient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14 '' And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all ' people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is ^ an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

15 I Daniel " was grieved in my spirit in the midst of wy ^ body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

1 6 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

17 ' These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, lohich shall arise out of the earth.

their bodies were not destroyed, but suffered to continue still in being; but when the dominion shall be taken away from this beast, his body shall be totally destroyed; because other kingdoms succeeded to those, but no other earthly kingdom shall succeed to this. — Bishop Newton.

Verse 13. One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven] This most certainly points out the Lord Jesus, lyjS ID bar enosh, the Son of miserable man; who took our nature upon him that he might redeem us unto himself. To prove himself to be the Messiah he applies, before the high priests, these words of the Prophet Daniel to himself. Matt. xxiv. 30.

Verse 14. And there ivas given him dominion] This also is applied to our Lord Jesus by himself, after his resurrection, Matt, xxviii. 18.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion] Christianity shall increase, and prevail to the end of the world. See the parallel passages in the margin.

Verse 15. I Daniel was grieved, <^c.] The words in the original arc uncommonly emphatic. My spirit was grieved, or sickened, rijnj U3 hego nidneh, xcithin its sheath or scabbard. Which I think proves, 1. That the human spirit is different from the body. 2. That it has a proper subsistence independently of the body, which is only its sheath for a certain time. 3. That the.spirit may exist independently of its body, as the sword does independently of its shealh.

Verse 17. These great beasts — are four king.i] See the preceding verses, where the following explanations are inserted and illustrated.

18 But ''the saints of the ' Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

19 Then I would know the truth of ''the fourth beast, which was diverse ' from all the othiirs, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth rvere of iron, and his nails o/" brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

20 And of the ten horns that tvere in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look luas more stout than his fellows.

21 I beheld, " and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

22 " Until the Ancient of days came, ° and

Verse 18. But the saints of the Most High shall tahe the kingdom^ I doubt whether this be the true sense of the original Chaldee, y:vhi' 'V\p NHO"?-: pS^p'l vikabbclun malcutha kaddishey elyonin, " But the supreme holy ones shall receive the kingdom;" or, " they shall receive the kingdom of the supreme saints." Properly translated by Montanus, Et suscipient regnum sanctorum altissimorum. Whatever we may think of the patriarchs and the Jews in their best times, there has never been so much holiness of heart possessed, and so much righteousness practised, as by the genuine di.5ciples of Christ. Christianity alone has provided a full redemption for man. They are the chief saints, and to them God gives the kingdom: and this Gospel dispensation, called often the kingdom of Gnd, and the kingdom of heaven, shall last for ever, during the whole lapse of time; and for ever and ever — throughout eternity, shall they and its blessings endure.

Verse 19. His nails of brass] This is not mentioned in the seventh verse, where the description of the beast is given. It might be added, for the first time, by the person who is now explaining the fourth beast. Houhigant thinks it has been lost out of the text: but such loss is not intimated by any M.S.; nor does any of the ancient Versions acknowledge this addition in the seventh verse.

Verse 2 1. The same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.] Those who make Antiochus the little horn, make the saints the Jewish people. Those who understand the popedom by it, see this as referring to the cruel persecutions of the popes of Rome against the Waldenses and Albigenses, and the Protestant Church in general.

01 the Most High; and the time Ol. cir. LVi.p came that the saints possessed R.Xman"'

23 Thus he said. The fourth beast shall be "the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

24 1 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue tliree kings.

25 ^ And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall ^ wear out the saints of the Most High, and ' think to change times and laws: and " they shall be given into his hand '' until a time and times and the dividing of time.

A''erse22. Saints of the Most High] To the supereminent saints; see the note on ver. 18.

Verse 25. He shall speak great words against the Most High] Sermones quasi Deus loquetur; " He shall speak as if he were God." So St. Jerome quotes from Symmachus. To none can this apply so well or so fiilly as to the popes of Rome. They have assumed infallibility, which belongs only to God. They profess to forgive sins, which belongs only to God. They profess to open and shut heaven, which belongs only to God. They profess to be higher than all the kings of the earth, which belongs only to God. And they go beyond God in pretending to loose whole nations from their oath of allegiance to their kings, when such kings do not please them! And they go against God when they give indulgences for sin. This is the worst of all blasphemies!

And shall wear out the saints] By wars, crusades, massacres, inquisitions, and persecutions of all kinds. \\Tiat in this way have they not done against all those who have protested against their innovations, and refused to submit to their idolatrous worship? Witness the exterminating crusades published against the Waldenses and.ilbigenses. Witness John Huss, and Jerome of Prague. Witness the Smithfield fires in England! Witness God and man against this bloody, persecuting, ruthless, and impure Church!

And think to change times and laivs] Appointing fa.?ts and feasts; canonizing persons whom he chooses to call saints; granting pardons and indulgences for sins; instituting new modes of worship utterly unknown to the Christian Church; new articles of faith; new rules of practice; and reversing, with pleasure, the laws both of God and man. — Dodd.

End of the vision according

26 " But the judgment shall

destroy it unto the end. 27 And the ^ kingdom and dominion, the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, ^ vphose kingdom is

28 Hitherto is the end of the ""•■ """""> -*■ matter. As for me Daniel, ''my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I "^ kept the matter in my heart.

Until a time and times and the dividing of lime.] In prophetic language a time signifies a year; and a prophetic year has a year for each day. Three years and a half (a day standing for a year, as in chap. ix. 24) will amount to one thousand two hundred and sixty years, if we reckon thirty days to each month, as the Jews do.

If we knew precisely when the papal power began to exert itself in the aniichristian way, then we could at once fix the time of its destruction. The end is probably not very distant; it has already been grievously shaken by the French. In 1798 the French republican army under General Berthier took possession of the city of Rome, and entirely superseded the whole papal power. This was a deadly wound, though it present it appears to be healed; but it is but skinned over, and a dreadful cicatrice remains. The Jesuits, not Jesus, are now the Church's doctors.

If the papal power, as a horn or temporal power, be intended here, which is most likely, (and we know that that power was given in 755 to Pope Stephen II. by Pepin, king of France,) counting one thousand two hundred and sixty years from that, we are brought to A. D. 2015, about o?te hundred and ninety years from the present [A. D. 1825.] But I neither lay stress upon nor draw conclusions from these dates. If the Church of Rome will reform itself, it will then be the true Christian Church, and will never be destroyed. Let it throw aside all that is ritually Jewish; all that is heathen; all that which pretends to be of God, and which is only of man; all doctrines that are not in the Bible; and all rites and ceremonies which are not of the appointment of Christ and his apostles; and then, all hail the once Roman, but now, after such a change, the HOLY, Catholic Church! Every true Protestant would wish rather the reform than the extinction of this Church.

Verse 27. The kingdom and dominion] The people of the saints of the Most High, or the people who are the supereminent saints, shall have the kingdom. Whatever name they may be distinguished by among men, these are the people, and theirs is the Church, that no lapse of time shall injure, and no power be able to destroy; but shall last as long as time shall endure.

Verse 28. The end of the matter.] So said the expounding angel; and he said so because the purpose of God had determined it. In considering these things, and looking at the evils that shall come upon the world before those auspicious times can take place, I may say, with Daniel, My cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I keep the matter of my conjectures and consequent feelings in my own heart.

This chapter contains DaniePs vision of the ram and he-goat, 1—14; referring, as explained by the angc, to the Persian and Grecian monarchies, 15-26. The little horn mentioned in the ninth verse, {or fierce king, as interpreted in the twenty-third,) is supposed by some to denote Antiochus Epiphancs; but seems more properly to apply to the Roman power in general, by which the polity and temple of the Jews were destroyed, on account of the great transgressions of these ancient people of God; and particularly because of their very obstinate and unaccountable rejection of the glorious doctrines of Christianity, which had been preached among them by Jesus Christ and his apostles, and the truth of which God had attested " by signs and wonders, and by divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost.^' Daniel is then informed of the two thousand and three hundred prophetic days {that is, years) which must elapse before the sanctuary be cleansed; or, in other words, before righteousness shall prevail over the ivhole earth. This period is supposed, with considerable probability, to have had its commencement when Alexander the Great invaded Asia, in the year before Christ 334. This will bring the close of it to about the end of the sixth chiliad of the voorld; when, as already observed, some astonishing changes are expected to take place in the moral condition of the human race; when the power of Antichrist, both Papal and Mohammeau'i, shall be totally annihilated, and universal dominion given to the saints of the Most High. The chaptr,' concludes with the distress of Daniel on accovnt of the fearful judgments with which his counti-y should be visited in after ^es, 37,

R. Roman., appeared unto me, even unto me cir. annum 26. j)anie!, after that which appeared unto me " at the first.

2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at ^ Shushan in tiie palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

3 Then I hfted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had tiuo horns: and the two horns

Verse 1. /;* the third year of the reign of — Belshazzar] We now come once more to the Hebrexo, the Chaldce part of the book being finished. As the Chaldeans had a particular interest both in the history and prophecies from chap. ii. 4 to the end of chap, vii., the whole is written in Chaldee; but as the prophecies which remain concern times posterior to the Chaldean monarchy, and principally relate to the Church and people of God generally, they are written in the Hebrew language, this being the tongue in which God rhose to reveal all his counsels given under the Old Testament relative to the New.

Verse 2. / saw in a vision] Daniel was at this time in Shushan, which appears to have been a strong place, wliere the kings of Persia had their summer residence. It was the capital of the province of Elam or the Elymais; which province was most probably added to the Chaldean territories by Nebuchadnezzar; see Jer. xlix. 34, 35. Here was Daniel's ordinary residence; and though here at this time, he, in vision, saw himself on the banks of the river Ulai. This is the same as the river Euleus, which divided Shushan or Susiana from Elymai.s.

Verse 3. A ram which had two horns] In the former vision there were four beasts, pointing out four empires; in this we have but two, as only two empires are concerned here, viz., the Grecian and the Persian. The Babylonish empire is not mentioned; its fate was before decided, and it was now at its close.

By the ram, the empire of the Medes and Persians was pointed out, as explained by the angel Gabriel, ver. 20; and particularly Cyrus, who was the founder of that empire. Cyrus was the son of Cambyses, king of Persia; and grandson of Astyages, king of Media, by his daughter Mandane, who had been given in marriage to Cambyses. Cyrus, marrying Roxana, the daughter and only child of his uncle Cyaxares, called in Scripture Ahasucrus, succeeded to both crowns, and thus united Media and Persia. A ram was the symbol of the Persians; and a ram's head with two horns, one higher than the other, appears as such in different parts of the ruins of Persepolis. See the plates of these ruins in the supplement to the seventh volume of the ancient part of the Universal History.

ward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither loas there any that could deliver out of his hand; ^ but he did according to his will, and became great. 5 And as I was considering, behold, a he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and ^ touched not the ground: and the goat had ^ a s^ notable horn between his eyes.

This ram had tiuo horns; that is, two kingdoms, viz.. Media and Persia; but one was higher them the other; and the higher came vp last. Media, signified by the shorter horn, was the more ancient of the two kingdoms. Persia, the higher horn, had come up but lately, and was of little historic or political consequence till the time of Cyrus; but in the reigns of this prince and his immediate successors, Persia attained a political consequence greatly superior to that possessed at any time by the kingdom of Media; therefore, it is said to have been the higher, and to have come up last.

Verse 4. / saio the ram pushing loestward] The Persians, who are signified by the ram, as well as their founder Cyrus, pushed their conquests icest, north, and south. The principal theatre of their wars, says Calmet, was against the Scythians, northward; against the Greeks, westward; and against the Egyptians, southward.

He did according to his will] There was no other nation at that time that could stay the progress of the Persian arms.

Verse 5. Behold, a he-goat] This was Alexandei the Great; and a goat was a very proper symbol of the Grecian or Macedonian people. Bp. Newton very properly observes that, two hundred years before the time of Daniel, they were called JEgeada:, the goals' people; the origin of which name is said to be as follows: Caranus, their first king, going with a multitude of Greeks to seek a new habitation in Macedonia, was advised by an oracle to take the goats for his guides; and afterwards, seeing a herd of goats flying from a violent storm, he followed them to Edessa, and there fixed the seat of his empire, and made the goats his ensigns or standards; and called the place JEge or JEgea, the goats'" town; and the people Mgeadm, the goats' people; names which are derived from ai^, aiyoj;, a goat. The city JEge or JE,gea, was the usual burying-place of the Macedonian kings; and, in reference to this origin,.Alexander called his son by Roxana, Alexander JEgus, Ale.xander the goat. All this shows the very great propriety of the symbol hero used.

7 i\.nd I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with clioler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and tlicre was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

Touched not the groiind] Seemed to fly from conquest to conquest. By the time Alexander was thirty yens of age he had conquered all Asia: and, because of the rapidity of his conquests, he is represented as a leopard with four wings, in the preceding vision.

A notable horn between his eyes.'] This, says the angel, is the first king, ver. 21, that is, the first kingdom of the Greeks in Asia, which was erected by Alexander; and continued some years in his brother Philip Aridieus, and in his two young sons, Alexander JEgus and Hercules. See Newton.

Verse 6. And he came to the ram.] This and the following verse give an account of the overthrow of the Persian empire by Alexander.

And ran unto him in the fury of his power] The conflicts between the Greeks and the Persians were excessively severe. Alexander first vanquished the generals of Darius, at the river Granicus, in Phrygia; he next attacked and totally routed Darius, at the straits of Issus, in Cilicia; and afterwards at the plains of Arbela, in Assyria. One can hardly read these words, says Bp. Newton, " the ram — which I had seen standing by the river, ran unto him in the fury of his power," without having the image of Darius' army standing and guarding the river Granicus; and of Alexander on the other side, with his forces plunging in, swimming across the stream, and rushing on the enemy, with all the fire and fury that can be conceived.

Verse 7. And brake his two horns] Subdued Persia and Media; sacked and burnt the royal city of Persepolis, the capital of the Persian empire, and, even in its ruins, one of the wonders of the world to the present day. This he did because " he was moved with choler" against Darius, who had endeavoured to draw off his captains with bribes, and had laboured to induce some of his friends to assassinate him. Alexander, finding this, would listen to no proposals of peace; and was determined never to rest til! he had destroyed Darius and his whole empire. In Media, Darius was seized and made prisoner by some of his own treacherous subjects, and afterwards basely murdered.

There tvas no power in the ram to stand before him] Alexander's victories over the Persians were as easy as they were rapid and decisive.

strong, the great horn was bro- r. Roman., ken; and for it came up ^ four ""' ^"""'" ^'^' notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

9 ' And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, ^ toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the ' pleasant land.

1 0 "^ And it waxed great, even " to ° the host of heaven; and p it cast down some of thf

He cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him] Totally destroyed the family, and overturned the whole monarchy.

Verse 8. The he-goat ivaxed very strong] He had subdued nearly the whole of the then known world.

The great horn was broken] Alexander died in the height of his conquests, when he was but about thirtythree years of age. His natural brother, Philip AridfEus, and his two sons, Alexander ^Egus and Hercules, kept up the show and name of the Macedonian kingdom for a time; but they were all murdered •wiihin fifl'een years; and thus the great horn, the Macedonian kingdom, was broken, Alexander's family being now cut off.

A7id for it came up four notable ones] The regal family being all dead, the governors of provinces usurped the title of kings; and Antigonus, one of them, being slain at the battle of Ipsus, they were reduced to four, as we have already seen. 1. Sei^eucus, who had Syria and Babylon, from whom came the Seleucida, famous in history. 2. Lysimachus, who had Asia Minor. 3. Ptole.mv, son of Lagus, who had Egypt, from whom sprang the Lagidrc. And, 4. Cas- SANDER, who had Greece and the neighbouring countries. These held dominion towards the four winds of heaven. Cassander had the western parts, Lysimachus had the northern regions, Ptolemy possessed the southern countries, and Seleticus had the eastern provinces.

Verse 9. Out of one of them came forth a little horn] Some think that Antiochus Epiphanes is meant; but Bp. Newton contends that it is the Roman government that is intended; and although very great at its zenith, yet very little in its rising.

Waxed — great toward the south] The Roman.'' made Egypt a province of their empire, and it con tinued such for some centuries.

Toward the pleasant land.] Jndea, so called Psa. cvi. 24; Jer. iii. 19; Dan. xi. Ifi, 41. It is well known that they took Judea, and made it a province: and afterwards burnt the city and the temple, and scattered the Jews over the face of the earth.

Averse 10. The hnst of heaven] The Jewish hieiarchv. The stars, the priests and Leviles. The

and " by him " the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

1 2 And " a ' host was given him against the daily sacrifice y by reason of transgression, and it cast down ^ the truth to the ground; and '^ it practised, and prospered.

1 3 Then I heard *> one saint speaking, and another saint said unto " that ^ certain saitit which spake. How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of "= desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred <" days; s then shall the sanctuary be ^ cleansed.

15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and ■ sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me ^ as the appearance of a man.

" f-'hrip. xi. 31. » Or, Ike host was given over for the transgression against the daily sacrifice. yl Mac. i. 11, &c.; 2 Mac

17 So he came near where I

afraid, and " fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man, for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

IS ° Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: p but he touched me, and <i set me upright.

19 And he said. Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation; ' for at the time appointed the end shall be.

20 ^The ram which thou sawest having tivo horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

21 'And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between liis eyes " is the first king.

22 ^ Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, " when the transgressors ^ are come to the full, a king y of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, == shall stand up.

powers or host of heaven are probably intended by our Lord, Matt. xxiv. 29, to signify the whole Jewish hierarchy.

Verse II. Even to the prince of the host] They seemed, in this case, to fight against God himself.

The daily sacrifice loas taken away] By the destruction of the city and temple; and has never been restored from that day until now.

Verse 12. And a host teas given him] That is, power; or perhaps the host of heaven — the priesthood — the whole sacrificial system, by reason of trans gression. They had filled up the measure of their iniquities, in rejecting the Lord that bought them; and the daily sacrifice, being no longer of use, was given jp with the rest to destruction.

Averse 13. One saint speaking, and another saint said] One angel asked another how long the sanctuary was to be trodden down?

dred evenings and mornings, yet I think the prophetic day should be understood here, as in other parts of this prophet, and must signify so many years. If we date these years from the vision of the he-goat, (Alexander's invading Asia,) this was A. M. 3670, B. C. 334; and two thousand three hundred years from that time will reach to A. D. 1966, or one hundred and forty-one years from the present A. D. 1825. This will bring it near to the time mentioned chap. vii. 85, where see the note.

Verse 17. At the time of the end shall be the vision.} Or, as Houlignnt, " The vision shall have an end at the proper time."

Verse 20. The ram which thou sawest] See this explained under the vision itself, ver. 3, &c.

Verse 22. But not in his power.] The four hngdmns which shall arise out of the Macedonian empire shall not be of Alexander's power oi family, nor have his strength and dignity.

24 And his power shall be

and practise, "= and shall destroy the mighty and the "^ holy people.

25 And ' through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; ^ and he sliall magnify himself in his heart, s and by ^ peace shall destroy many: ' he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but

26 ' And the vision of the r, Rom"n",' evening and the morning which ""'■ """"'" ^^- was told IS true: " wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall he for many days.

27 " And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, " and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, p but none understood it.

Onias was ejected for a sura of money, to make room for wicked Jason; and Jason again was supplanted for a greater sum by a worse man, if possible, than himself, Menelatis; and the golden vessels of the temple were sold to pay for this sacrilegious purchase. Thus transgressions were come to the full, before the Romans had commission to destroy Jerusalem and its temple, &c.

-4 hng of fierce countenance^ The Roman government, as before; for king is often taken for kingdom or empire.

Understanding dark sentences] Very learned and skilful in all things relating to government and its intrigues. The learning of Rome is proverbial to the present time.

Verse 24. But not hy his own power'] The strength of the other kingdoms consisted in themselves; but the Roman empire, as a horn or kingdom of the goat, was not mighty by its own powei was not strong by

virtue of the goat, but drew its nourishment and strength from Rome and Italy. There grew the trunk and body of the tree; though the branches extended over Greece, Asia, Syria, and Egypt. — Bp. NeiL'ton.

Shall destroy wonderfully] In the taking of Jerusalem by the Romans ninety-seven thousand Jews were made captives, and eleven hundred thousand

Verse 25. He shall cause craft to prosper] They subdued as many by their diplomatic skill and political intrigues as they did by the sword.

He shall also stand up against the Prince of princes] Against Christ; for it was by the Roman authority that he was condemned to death and crucified; and their persecutions had nearly destroyed the Christian religion; but the house was founded on a rock.

But he shall be broken without hand.] The tide was turned by the invisible hand of God; and thus heathen Rome was overcome, and converted to Christianity.

Verse 26. The vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true] That mentioned in ver. 14.

Verse 27. Daniel fainted] To foresee the desolations that were coming on the land, the city, the temple, and the people.

Did the king's business] Transacted the affairs of state that belonged to my department, after having been sick for certain days through the effects of this vision. He had a pious and feeling heart; and he was distressed for the desolations that were coming upon his people.

Daniel, understanding from the prophecies of Jeremiah that the seventy years' captivity was now terminating, pours out his soul in fervent prayer to God, and earnestly supplicates pardon and restoration for his captive people, 1—12. When thus supplicating God in behalf of Israel, the angel Gabriel is sent to inform him of the seventy prophetic tveeks, or four hundred and ninety natural years, which.ihould elapse from the date of the edict to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple to the death of the Messiah, 20-27; a prophecy most exactly fulfilled by the event, according to the computation of the best chronologers. Dean Prideaux states the commencement of these seventy prophetic tveeks to have been in the month Nisan, in the year of the Julian period 4256, which corresponds with A. M. 3546, B. C. 458, according to the Ushcrian account. How awfully are the Jews blinded, who, in contradiction to so clear a prophecy, still expect the Messiah who was cut off, and, after suffering, is entered into his glory!

TN the &st year " of Darius tlie son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, *> which was made king over the reahn of the Chaldeans;

2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to " Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

3 ''And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, Avith fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O ' Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to tiiem that keep his commandments;

5 ' We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

6 s Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

7 0 Lord, ^ righteousness ' belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that

Verse 1. In the first year of Darius] This is the same Darius the Mede, spoken of before, who succeeded Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans. See chap.

Verse 2. I Daniel understood hy books'] The prophecy referred to here is found Jer. xxv. 12; xjcix. 10. The people must have been satisfied of the Divine inspiration of Jeremiah, or his prophecies would not have been so speedily collected nor so carefully preserved. It appears that there was a copy of them then in Daniel's hands.

Averse 3. I set my face — to seek by prayer] He found that the time of the promised deliverance could not be at any great distance; and as he saw nothing that indicated a speedy termination of their oppressive captivity, he was very much afflicted, and earnestly besought God to put a speedy end to it; and how earnestly he seeks, his own words sliow. He prayed, he supplicated, he fasted, he put sackcloth upon his

8 O Lord, to us belongeth ^ confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

9 ^To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

10" Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

1 1 Yea, " all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the ° law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

12 And he hath f confirmed his words, which lie spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: 1 for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.

13 ''As it is written in the law of Moses, aU this evil is come upon us: ^yet 'made we not our prayer before the Lord out God, that we might turn from oiu: iniquities, and understand thv truth.

body, and he put ashes upon his head. He uses that kind of prayer prescribed by Solomon in his prayer at the dedication of the temple. See 1 Kings viii. 47, 48.

Verse 4. Keeping the covenant] Fidelity and truth are characteristics of God. He had never yet broken his engagements to his followers, and was ever showing mercy to men.

Verse 7. AU Israel, that are near, and that are far off] He prays both for Judah and Israel. The latter were more dispersed, and had been much longer in

Verse 9. Mercies and forgivenesses] From God's goodness flow God's mercies; from his mercies, forgivenesses.

Verse 1 1. Therefore the curse is poured upon ui] It is probable that he alludes here to the punishment of certain criminals by pouring melted metal upon them; therefore he uses the word inn tittach, it is poured out, like melted metal, for this is the propai meaning of the root ^iij nathach.

A. M. cir. 346fi. 14 Therefore hath the Lord oi. cir. LX. 3. "watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for ^ the '""• Lord our God is righteous in

all liis works which he doeth: " for we obeyed not his voice.

1 5 And now, 0 Lord our God, "^ that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a might}' hand, and hast ^ gotten thee ^renown, as at this day; ''we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 0 Lord, '' according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, = thy holy mountain: because for our sins, '^ and for tlie iniquities of our fathers, '^ Jerusalem and thy people ' are become a reproach to all tJiat are about us.

17 Now therefore, 0 our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, s and cause lliy face to shine upon thy sanctuary '"that is desolate, 'for the Lord's sake.

18 "^ O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, ' and behold our desolations, and the city ■" which " is called by thy name: for we do not "present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

20 '1 And whiles I was speaking, and pray ing, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God;

21 Yea, whiles I ivas speaking in prayer, even the man ^ Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly = swiftly, ' touched me " about the time of the evening oblation.

22 And he informed?«e, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth 'to give thee skill and understanding.

23 At the beginning of thy supplications the '' commandment came forth, and ^ I am come to show thee; ''for thou art ^greatly beloved: therefore °- understand the matter, and consider the vision.

24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people artd upon thy holy city, '' to finish the transgression, and •= to make an end of sins, ■* and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision " and ^ prophecy, ^ and to anoint the Most Holy.