Exposition of the Whole Bible

Daniel did apply to this man, whofe name was Melzar, for fo moft take it to be the proper name. of a man; which, according to Hillerus *, fignifies one in full [plendor. ‘Fofepbus calls * him Afchanes; tho’ fome think it is the name of an office, as a fteward, or the like; but whether it is expreffive © of his name, or his office, he is defcribed as one, whom the prince of the eunuchs bad fet over Daniel,

Hananiah, Mifhael, and Azariab, to give them their

&c.] Here Daniel manifeftly includes his companions, and makes his requeft for himfelf, and them; defiring that they might be tried ten days with different fort of food and drink, and fee whether any alteration would be made in them for the worfe; which was a proper, time for fuch a trial; for in that time it might be reafonably fuppofed that their food, if it had any bad effeét on them, would appear.. Saadiah makes thefe ten days to be the days between the firft day of the year and the day of atonement; but without any foundation: and let them give us pulfe to eat, and water to drink; inftead of the king’s meat, pulfe; beans, peafe, vetches, lentiles, rice, millet, and the like. The word ¢ ufed fignifies any thing fown, ali kinds of roots, herbs and fruits; and initead of wine water; meat and drink, it may be thought, that perfons of fuch birth and education had not been’

ufed to; and yet they preferred thefe to the king’s dainties, by eating and drinking of which their confciences would be in danger of being defiled.

¥. 13. Then let cur countenances be looked upon before thee, &c.] And be thoroughly examined, whether any alteration is made therein for the worfe: and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat, who were either Chaldean youths brought up in this manner; or rather young men of the Fews, who were not fo {crupulous as Daniel and his companions, and made no objection to eating the king’s food; let their countenances and ours be compared together: aud as thou feeft, deal with thy servants; if there is no difference, or we are not the worfe for abftaining from the king’s meat, then grant us our requeft, and continue to indulge us in this manner; but if otherwife, do as thou wilt. Daniel no doubt in putting the matter on this iffue, as it fhould turn out at the end of ten days, had a revelation or affurance from God how it would be; or he would never have ventured to put it to fuch a trial.

y. 14. So be confented to them in all this matter, &c.] Or, bearkened to them*; being convinced

‘that it was a very reafonable requeft, and the mat- ‘ter was~fairly put; and efpecially as he faw if it fucceeded to their wifh, it would be to his profit; fince the meat and drink ‘of thefe four perfons would be his perquifite, and fetch him money s pulfe and water being to be obtained at an eafy

‘rate: and proved them ten days; tried the experi- _ ment, by giving them pulfe and water only during this time, in order to ice how it would agree with

* £9959}5 fecundum captivitatem veftram, Gejerus; in captivitate veftra; fic quidam legunt cum 3 Vatablus. == 5 y The word is only ufed in this place; but in the Arabic language s> Gil is an age or generation, as in the Arabic verfion of Gen. vi.g. Matt. i. 17. and xxiii. 36. Luke xi. 50, 51. So in the Talmudic Janguage, 13 ja is one that is born _ in the fame hour, and under the fame planet, as the Glofs explains it in T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 27. 2.: * So Hottinger, who fays, the word in the Arabic language fignifies a nation or country; and renders the words, qui fe- them; and whether any vifible alteration could be difcerned in their countenances, fo as to bring him or his matter into fufpicion and danger.

W. 15. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and fatter in fleh, &c.| At the time fixed for the trial of them, when they came to be examined, they appeared to be of a better complexion, and a more healthful look, and even plumper and fatter, with good folid flefh, and not {welled up as perfons in a dropfy: than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat, who appeared at the fame time, and were compared with them, being under the care of the fame perfons: now this was owing to the bleffing ' of divine providence, as Facchiades obferves 5 for how healthful foever pulfe may be, or the feveral things defigned by it, particularly rice, of which Aben Ezra on the place gives great encomiums, as very falutary and nourifhing, and a purifier of the blood; yet neither that, nor any of the things before-mentioned, tend to make perfons fat in flefh, as thefe were.

y. 16, Thas Melzar took away the portion of their meat, &c.] To himfelf, as the Syriac verfion adds; he took and carried it to his own family, and made ufe of it himfelf; and the portion of four fuch young gentlemen, maintained at the king’s expence, gnd who had their provifion from his table, mutt be, efpecially in the courfe of three years, of great advantage to this man and his family; for this was continued, as the word fignifies, and may be rendered, and Melzar was taking away‘, &c. fo he did from time to time; and thus by ferving the Lord’s people, he ferved himfelf: and the wine that they fhould drink; which he alfo took for his own ule: and gave them pulje, to. eat, and water to drink, as the Syriac verfion adds, and which they defired; when he found this agreed fo well with them, and he could fately do it without expofing himfelf to danger, and being to his profit and advantage.

¥. 17. ds for thefe four children, God gave them knowledge and frill in all learning and wifdom, &c.

As they profpered in their bodies, they fucceeded in their ftudies, and improved in their minds, and became great proficients in all kind of lawful and ufeful knowledge; not owing fo much to their own fagacity and diligence, and the, goodnefs and ability of their teachers, as to the bleffing of God, on their inftructions and ftudies; for as all natural, fo all acquired parts are to be afcribed to God; _ and which thefe were favoured with by him in a very great manner, to anfwer fome purpofes of his. This is to be underftood, not of magic art, vain philofophy, judicial aftrology, to which the Chaldeans were addicted; but of learning and wifdom, laudable and ufeful, both in things natural and political; for thefe men, who fcrupled eating and drinking what came from the king’s table, would never indulge themfelves in.the ftudy of vain, curious, and unlawful knowledge, much lefs would God have blefled the ftudy of fuch things, and {till lefs be faid to give them knowledge and’

fkill therein: and Daniel had underflanding in all vifions and dreams; befides knowledge and {kill in all learning and wifdom, in languages and fciences, in common with the other young men; he had the honour of feeing very remarkable vifions of future things, and of interpreting dreams; and this not by rules of art, fuch as the Oxeirocriticks ufe, but by the gift of God; of which many notorious in- {tances follow in this book.

¥. 18. Now at the end of the days that the king had faid, he foould bring them in, &c.| That is, at the end of three years; which was the time appointed for their education, and when they were to be brought before the king for his examination and approbation: then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnexzar 5 even all the young men that were taken from among the children of J/rael and Fudah, as well as the four children before and after-mentioned, as appears by what follows. This was done by Afpenaz, and not Melzar,

¥.19. And the king communed with them, 8&c.] He afked them feveral queftions upon the feveral articles of literature in which they had been educated, to try and fee what proficiency they had made; he difcourfed with them on various topics of learning, that he might be able to form a judgment of them, and of their capacities, and what employments under him they would be moft fic for, and capable of. This fhows that the king was a man of learning and good fenfe, as well as prudence, to be capable of taking fuch a ftep as this: and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mifbael, and Azariah; for their learning and knowledge: after the king had gore thro’ the examination. of all the youths, thefe four appeared to be the greateft proficients, and were accordingly taken notice of and diftinguifhed: sherefore fiood they before the king; miniltred unto him, became his fervants, and even came to be of his privy-council, efpecially Daniel; fee Prov. xxii. 29.

¥. 20. And in all matters of wifdom and under- Standing that the king enquired of them, &c.] At the time of their examination béfore him, when he put queftions to them, which they gave a ready, pertinent and folid anfwer to: and afterwards when he had occafion to confult them on any affair, be found them ten times, or ten hands better than all the magicians and -aftrologers that were in ail bis realm than all the magi and fophies, the enchanters, diviners, foothfayers, and fuch who pretended to judicial aftrology, and to judge of, and foretel things by the pofition of the ftars; thefe young men were able to give more pertinent anfwers to queftions put to them, and better advice and counfel when afked of them, than all the perfons before defcribed, throughout the king’s dominions.

¥. 21. And Daniel continued, &c.| In Babylon, and at court there, and in the favour of Nebuchadnezzar and his fucceflors: even unto the firft year of king Cyrus; by whom Babylon was taken, and when the feventy years captivity of the Zews were at an end; during which time Daniel was there, for the fake of obferving which this is mentioned: not that Daniel died in the firft year of Cyrus; or went from Badylon with the reft of the Fews to Ferufalem upon the proclamation of Cyrus, as Facchiades thinks; for we hear of him at the river Hiddekel, in the third year of Cyrus, ch. x. 1, 4. but he was till this time in the court of the kings of Babylon; and afterwards in the courts of the kings of Media and Perfia, for when it is faid, he was there, it does not fo much intend his being there, as the {tate and condition in which he was there; namely, as a favourite and prime-minifter; for he is faid to profper in the reign of Darius and Cyrus, ch. vi. 28. This is that Cyrus who was prophefied sal ¥ by name near two°hundred years before he was born, by the prophet J/aiab, ch. xliv. 28. and xlv. 1. which were fure prophecies, and to be depended upon; and had their exact accomplifhment in him. Heathen writers report many things, as prefages and predictions of, his future greatnefs; they tell us fome dreams, which his grandfather Aftyages had concerning his daughter Mandane, the mother of Cyrus; which the interpreters of dreams in thofe days explained of a. future fon of hers, that was to be lord of all d4fa*: and Megajibenes i relates a prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar, who before his death foretold to the Babylonians, that a calamity fhould befal them, which neither his progenitor Belus, nor queen Beltis could avert; which was, that a Perfian mule fhould bring them under fubjection, affiftted by a Mede,; which is underftood of Cyrus, who was a Medo-Perfian; his father was Camby/es king of Perfia, and his mother Mandane was daughter of Afyages king of Media; and he with Darius the Mede, or however with his army, conquered Babylon: and he is alfo fuppofed to be the mule in the Pythian oracle, that fhould be king of the Medes; by which Cre/us was de-

HE fubject of this chapter is a dream which

Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed, but had forgot; upon which he calls his magicians and aftrologers together, to tell him it, and the interpretation of it; threatning them with death if they did not, and promifing them great rewards and honour if they did, ¥. 1—6. they urge the unreafonablenefs of the demand, and the impoffibility of the thing; which fo highly incenfed the king, that he ordered their immediate deftruction, ¥. 7— 13. Daniel and his companions being in danger, he goes in to the king, and defires time, and he would fhew him what he dreamed; which being granted, he fpent it in prayer to God, ¥. 14—18. and the thing being revealed to him, he gave thanks to God, ¥. 19—23. and being introduced to the king, he both told him his dream, and the interpretation of it; which concerned the four monarchies of the world, and the everlafting kingdom of the Meffiah, y. 24—45. upon which he was highly honoured, and greatly promoted by the king, ¥. 46—49.

y¥. 1. And in the fecond year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, &c.] It was in the firft year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign that Daniel was carried captive, Fer. xxv. 1. three years Daniel had been under tutors; at the end of which he was prefented to the king, as is related in the preceding chapter; and yet the following dream was in the fecond of his reign: this creates a difficulty, which is folved by fome thus; in the fecond year after the deftruction of the temple, fo the Fewifh chronicle °, with which archi agrees; others, as dben Ezra, inthe fecond year of his monarchy, after he had fubdued all the nations round about; and fo o- Jephus fays *, it was in the fecond year after the deftruction of the Egyptians. R. Mojes the prieft, n Aben Ezra, would have it to be the fecond year

I E 7’., Ch. ll. ¥. Fe ceived, who concluded a mule would never be a king; and therefore, as his kingdom was fafe tik — there was fuch an one, it muft be for ever fo*, © The birth, parentage and education of this prince, together with his victories, and particularly his taking of Babylon, are recorded by Xenophon in his hiftory, in great agreement with this book of Daniel. Plutarch fays', that Cyrus, or Corefh as his name is in Hebrew, in the Perfian tongue fignifies the fun; and the name of the fun, Cheres, is pretty. near in found to it in the Hebrew tongue; and of the fame fignification and derivation with Cyrus, or Corefh feems to be Carfhena, one of the feven princes of Perfia. Cyrus is remarkably famous for the edict he publifhed in favour of the Fews, giving them liberty to go to their own land, and rebuild ' their temple, Ezra i. 1, 2, 3. according to Cicero ™, out of Dionyfius the Perfian, he lived to be feventy years of age; and died after a reign of feven years, according to Xencphon"; and otf nine years, according to Péolemy’s canon; the one reckoning from the time he became fole monarch of the empire; the other from his reigning in partnerfhip with his uncle Cyaxares, or Darius the Mede.

to his reign, to the end of it, when there were only two years wanting to it; a very unufual way of reckoning indeed! and therefore juftly rejected by Aben Ezra: but all thefe dates are too late, fince Daniel long before thefe times was well known, and in great fame for his wifdom; whereas, at this time, it does not appear that he was much known, or in great requeft: it is better either to render it, in the fecond year, that is, after Daniel and his companions had been prefented to the king and promoted; even im the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, as oppofed to the reign of Darius or Cyrus, in which he flourifhed.alio: or rather this was the fecond year of Nebuchadnezxzar’s reigning alone; for he had been taken into partnerfhip in the throne with his father before his death, as Bero/us * obferves, which is faid to be two years; fo that this fecond year was the fourth year of his reign, reckoning from the time he reigned conjunétly with his’ father, tho’ the fecond of his reigning alone: yet it feems beft of all to render the words with Nol-' dius *, but in the fecond year, in the reign of ‘Nebuchadnezzar, that is, in the feeond year of Daniel’s miniftry in, or under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar; _ who continued at court under different reigns, till the firft of Cyrus: this was, according to bifhop Uber +, and Mr. Wbijion +, in the year of the Julian period 4111, and before Chrift 603. Mr. Bedford ® places it in 604: Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; which, tho’ but one, yet relating to various things, the feveral parts of the human body, and the aif=. ferent metals the form he faw was made of, as — well as the four monarchies it fignified, is called dreams. Facchiades fays, he firft dreamed the dream; and then the interpretation of it; which is the rea— fon of the plural number: wherewith bis /pirit was troubled, it gave his mind a great deal of trouble while he was dreaming it; and when he awaked, tho’ he could not recover it, yet he had fome con- ' Apud Eufeb. Prapar. Evangel. 1. 9.! In Vita Artaxerxis. a = be biviaroos P Antiq. 1. 10, c.:10. §. 3.; s

Ch. 1. ¥. 2—s. fufed broken ideas of it; it had left forne impreffions upon him, which gave him. great uneafinefs, and the more as he Could not recollect any part of it; his mind was agitated, and tofled to and fro, and under the greateit perplexity: anil bis Sleep brake from him; went away from him, thro’ the ftrangenefs of the dream, and the effect it had upon him..

¥. 2. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, &c.) He ordered his fervants in waiting to fend immediately for the wife men, the philofophers of that age and kingdom, that ftudied the things of nature, and the natural caufes of things:

_and the aftrologers, that caft nativities, and pretended by the pofition and influence of the ftars to know what would befal men: and the forcerers; or wizards, that made ufe of familiar fpirits, and the help of the devil; necromancers that confulted the dead, in order to get knowledge of future things: and the Chaldeans; fo called, not from their country; for probably all the preceding were Chaldeans by nation; but inafmuch as the ftudy of judiciary aftrology, and other unlawful arts, greatly obtained in Chal/dea; hence thofe that were addicted to them had this name”: for to fhew the king bis dreams; both what it was he dreamed, and what the interpretation or meaning of it was: /o they came, and flood before the king, they came immediately with great readinefs and willingnefs, efteeming it a great honour done them to be fent for by the king, and admitted into his chamber; and hoping it would turn much both to their credit and profit; and being come, they ftood waiting his will and pleafure.

¥. 3. And the king faid unto them, I have dreamed a dream, &c.| What before is called dreams, is here expreffed in the fingular, a dream; for it was but one dream, tho’ it contained in it various things; this the king could remember, that he had a dream; for it had left fome impreffion on his mind, tho’ he could not call to mind what it was about. ben Ezra makes mention of one of their Gaons or Rabbins, that affirmed that Neduchadnezzar knew his dream, but was willing to try the wife men; but, as he obferves, he could not furely believe the words of Daniel: and my /pirit was troubled to know the dream; both that, and the meaning of it; he fays nothing: as yet about the interpretation of it; concluding that if they could tell him the dream, they could explain it to him; or then it would be time enough to enquire after that.

y. 4. Then fpake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, &c.] Thefe fpake, either becaufe the interpretation of dreams particularly belonged to them; or elfe as being the chief of the wife men, and of greateft authority; or as chofen by the reft, and fpake in their name; and indeed this appellation may include them all, being all of the fame country, tho’ they might differ in their profeffion: they fpake in the Syriac or Babylonifh language, the fame with the Chaldee, being their mother-tongue, and that of the king too; and therefore could more eafily fpeak it themfelves, and be more eafily underftood by him, than if they had fpoke in another; fee the note on ch. i. 14. and from hence to the end of the /eventh chapter, Daniel writes in Chaldee; the things he treats of chiefly relating to the Chaldeans: O king, live for ever; which is a with of long life, health and profperity; and does not intend an everlafting continuance in this world, or an eternal life in another, to the knowledge of which they might be ftrangers: this was an ufual form of falutation of kings in thefe eaftern nations; like to this is that of Simetus a Perfian, to Artaxerxes Mnemon *, * O king Artaxerxes, reign ‘< for ever;” fo faid » Artabazus, a faithful friend of Darius, to Alexander the Great, when he met him with the friends and relations of Darius, “ O *¢ king, may you flourith in perpetual happinefs:” tell thy fervants the dream, and we will foew the interpretation, this was not the thing that was afked of them, but the dream itfelf; and if that had been told them, they promife more than there is reafon to believe they would have fulfilled, had that been done; it is more than the Egyptian magicians could do, even when Pharaob had told them his dream: this they faid partly to get*time, and partly to make a fhew of their fkill and knowledge; tho’ in a very vain and arrogant man-

¥. 5. The king anfwered and faid to the Chaldeans, &c.] In the fame language they {poke to him: the thing'is gone from me; either the dream was gone from him; it was: out of his mind, he had forgot it, and could not call it to remembrance; he had been dreaming of monarchies and kingdoms, which are themfelves but dreams and tales, and empty things that pafs away, and which he might have learned from hence: or as it may be rendered, the word is confirmed by me*. Saadiah fays, that fome obferve that the word here ufed has the fignification of ftrength or firmnefs; and fo Aben Ezra interprets the word, is ftable and firm; to which agrees the Syriac verfion, ‘* moft ‘* fure is the word which I pronounce;” refer - ring not to the dream, but to what follows the king’s declaration, both with refpect to threatnings and promifes: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof; the king {peaks as if he thought it was in their power, but they were unwilling to do it; tho’ no doubt had they been able, they would have readily done it, both for their credit and advantage: ye /hall be cut in pieces; not only cut-in two, but into various pieces, limb by limb, as Agag by Samuel, and the Ammonites by David, and which was a punifhment often inflicted in the eaftern nations; as Orpheus was cut to pieces by the Jracian women, and Be/fus by order of Alexander the Great *; much the fame punifhment as with us, to be hanged, drawn and quartered: and your boufes fhall be made a dunghil, be deftroyed, and never rebuilt more, but put to the moft contemptible ufes: and this was common among the Romans; when any were found plotting again{t the government, or guilty of treafon, they were not only capitally punifhed, but their houfes were pulled down, or the names of them changed; or however were not ufed for dwelling houfes; fo the houfe of Caius Caffius was pulled down and demolifhed for his affectation of government, and for treafon; and that of MZ. Manlius Capitolinus who was fufpected of feizing the government, after he was thrown from the rock, was made a mint of; and that of Spurius Melius for the fame crime, after he had fuffered, was by reproach called 4qui- melium, and of the like kind many inftances are ‘given >: and fo among the Greciaiis 5 Paufanias © relates of Afiylus Crotoniata, that by way of punifhment, and as a mark of infamy upon him for a crime he had done, his houfe was appointed for a public prifon. Herodotus * reports of Leutychides general of the Lacedemonians in the Theffalian expecition, that having reccived money by way of bribery, for which he was tried and condemned, tho’ he made his efcape, his houfe was demolithed; and the fame ufage and cuftom remains to this day ‘in France: thus the unhappy Damien, a madman, who of late {tabbed the French king; one part of his fentence was, that the houfe in which he was born fhould be pulled down, as he himfelf alfo was pulled and cut to pieces; fee 2 Kings x. 27. y. 6. But if ye foew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, &c.] Which he was extremely intent upon to know; and therefore makes ufe of every way to obtain it, firft by threatnings to. terrify, and next by promifes to allure: ye /hall receive of me gifts, and rewards, and great honour, gold, filver, jewels, rich apparel, houfes, lands, and great promotion to fome of the highelt places ef honour, truft and profit in the kingdom, as Daniel afterwards had: therefore fhew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof; at once, directly, without any more ado; for the king-was impatient of it. ¥. 7. They anfwered again, and faid, &c.] Or, a fecond * time; repeating the fame words, having nothing more to fay: /et rhe king tell bis fervants the dream, and we will fhew the interpretation thereof; the firft part was but right and reafonable, tho’ the latter was mere boafting and arrogancy. ¥. 8. The king anfwered and faid, I know of certainty, &c.} I fee plainly and clearly what you are at, and am fully affured you mean nothing, but that ye would gain the time, or buy‘, or redeem time, as in Eph. v. 16. prolong time, put off the anfwer to longer time; fpin out time, as people do in buying and felling; or have it in their poffeffion and power when to anfwer; and fo by gaining time, or being mafter of it, might hope fomething would turn up to their advantage, and extricate them out of their prefent difficulties: de- _caufe ye fee the thing is gone from me; the dream he could not remember; or becaufe the decree was certain which he had determined concerning them; fee the note on y. 5. ¥.9. But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, &c.J For the prefent he does not infift upon the interpretation, only the dream itfelf, at leaft this is now only mentioned; concluding that if they could do the one, they could do the other, as is after obferved: there is but owe decree for you; tor them all; and that was the decree of death; which fhould never be revoked or mitigated, or the fentence be changed for another; but fhould certainly be executed, and in which they were all involved, not one fhould efcape: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to {peak before me, framed a deceitful. aniwer to impofe upon me, and ficfeen yourfelves: sil] the time be changed; either that he could remember his dream, and tell them it himfelf, or all the images and impreffions of it were wore off his mind, fo that they could tell

them; or he would grow indifferent to it, him any thing, and he not be able to ie paffionate defire after it cool, and he be careless ~~ whether he knew it or no; or he or they fhould die; or he might be engaged in other affairs, and - be called abroad to war, as he had been; or fome thing or other,turn up, whereby they Hee the ruin threatened. Szadiab fixes the time’ to noon, when the converfation of kings ceaféd, and they were othetrwife engaged: therefore tell me the dream, and I fball know that ye can fhew me the tnterpretation thereof; tor by being able to tell a dream that was paft, it might be concluded they were able to tell what was to come, fignified by that dream; and if they could not declare what was paft, how fhould it be thought that they could foretel things to come? Bd.

¥..10. The Chaldeans anfwered before the king and faid, &c.] As follows, in order to appeafe his wrath, and cool his refentment; and bring him to reafon: there 1s not a man upon the earth can fhew the king’s matter, or, upon the dry land ®: upon the continent, throughout the whole world, in any country whatever; not one fingle man can be found, be he ever fo wife and learned, that ean fhew the king what he requires; and yet Daniel afterwards did; and fo it appears by this cosfeffion, that he was greater than they, or any other, of the fame profeffion with them: this is one argument they ufe to convince the king of the unreafonablenels of his demand; it being fuch that no man on earth was equal to; another follows: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler; there neither is, nor never was, any potentate or prince, be who he will; whether, as Facchiades diftinguifhes them, a kg over many provinces, whofe empire is very large; or Jord over many cities; or ruler over many villages belonging to one city; in fhort, no man of power and authority, whether fupreme or fubordinate: that afked fuch things\at any magician, or aftrologer, or Chaldean; never was fuch a thing required of any before; no inftance, they fuggeft, could be produced in ancient hiftory, or in the prefent age, in any kingdony or court under the heavens, of fuch a requeft being made; or that any thing of this kind was ever infifted upon; and therefore hoped the king would not infift upon it; and which no doubt was true: Pharach required of his wifemen to tell him the pier yee of his dream, but not the dream itfelf. sabia os

¥.11. And it isa rare thing the king requireth, &c.] Meaning not fcarce, or feldom heard of;. for they had ‘before afferted, it never had been required; but that it was hard and difficult, yea with them, and as they fuppofed-with any other, impoflible to be done: and there is none other that can foew it before* the king, except the gods, wha dwelling is not with flefo, thefe men own there was a God, tho’ they held more than one; and omnifcience of God, tho’ they feem to have notion of his omniprefence y and to fugeett, % he had no concern with mortals;' had no regard to men on earth, nor communicated the knowledge of things unto them. -Yerchi, Aben’ Ezra, and Saadiah, interpret this of angels, who are incorporeal; but the fuperior deities of the Gentiles ar

-tather defigiled; who were fuppofed to dwell in heaven, and to have no converfation with men on earth; thefe, *tis owned, could declare to the king what he defired; and no other; and therefore fhould

-not perfift in his demand on them.

¥. 12. For this caufe the king was angry, and very furious, &c.] Not only becaufe they-could not tell his dream, and the interpretation of it; -but becaufe they reprefented him as requiring a thing unreafonable and impoffible, which had never been done by any potentate but himfelf, and could never be anfwered but by the gods: this threw him into an excefs of wrath and fury; which in -thofe tyrannical and defpotic princes was exceeding great and terrible: and commanded to deftrey all the wife men of Babylon; not only thofe that were now in his prefence, but all others; concluding from -this inftance that they were an ufelefs fett of men, yea deceivers and impoftors, y. 13. And the decree went forth, that the wife men fhould be flain, &c.| Or, and the wife men were flain®, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Syriac verfions render it; and fo Saadiah: orders were given by the king to his proper officers, and his edict was publifhed, and his will made known in the ufual manner; upon which the wife men, at leaft fome of them, were flain; very probably thofe who were in the king’s prefence, and at court; and the officers were gone out to flay the reft: and they fought Daniel and bis fellows to be flain; who had the character of wife men, and might be envied at court, and fo the officers took this opportunity, having thefe orders to flay them: there was, no doubt,.a particular providence, that Daniel and his friends fhould not be at court at this time; both that the vanity of the Chaldean wifdom and arts might be the more manifeft and made known, and the divine and fuperior wifdom and

-knowledge of Daniel might be more confpicuous, and his fame be fpread in Babylon, and in other provinces.

y.c14. Then Daniel anfwered with counfel and wifdom, &c.] Ina difcreet manner, uling foft words and gentle language, humbly and modeftly enquiring what fhould be the meaning of all this. The Vulgate Latin verfion is, he enquired of the law and decree ‘ 3 what was the reafon of the king’s orders, which this officer had in commiffion to execute; with which others agree: or, he made to return the counfel and decree*, as fome chufe to render it, he ftopped the execution of it for the prefent, by his enquiries and prudent behaviour; but neither feem to agree with what follows, the firft fenfe is beft: to Arioch the captain of the king’s guards, there was a king of this name, Gev. xiv. 1. this man, according to the Septuagint verfion, and others that follow it, was the chief of the king’s cooks; and Aben Ezra fays, the word in the dradic language fo fignifies: or as it may be rendered, the chief of the flaughterers'; the executioners of male-

_ factors, fo Farchi,; he was the king’s chief execu- tioner, with which agrees the bufinefs he was now charged with: the Vulgate Latin verfion calls him the prince of the militia; and others the king’s provoft-marfhal: which was gone forth to flay the

‘wife men of Babylon; who by the king’s order went

Pylon who went undet the character of wife Mei: tho” they were not among thofe that could not anfwer the king’s demand, fince they declared none could do it; and therefore he ordered them all to be flain, as a fett of ufelefs men in his kingdom. rt _¥. 15. And be anfwered and faid to Arioch the king’s captain, &c.] Or governor ™; over the perfons before-mentioned; either the king’s guard or militia, or cooks or executioners: before, the manner in which Daniel anfwered is obferved; here, the matter of it, as follows: why is the decree fo bajly from the king? or, why this rafo, hafty, or cruel (as the Vulgate Latin verfion) decree from the king? for fo it was: what is the caufe and reafon of it? then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel; who before was ignorant of it; he was not with the wife men before the king; either they did not care he fhould go with them, and therefore called him not; or he did not chufe to go himfelf, being under no temptation by the. rewards offered, and efpecially having no fummons from the king himfelf: this being his cafe, Arioch informs him of the whole affair; how that the king had dreamed a dream, and forgot it; and had fent for the wi men to tell him both it and the interpretation; but they not being able to do it, and declaring glfo that it was impoffible to be done, the king had given orders to flay all of that character. ¥. 16. Then Daniel went in, &c.] Or went up"; to the king’s palace, which might be built on an eminence; or into his chamber, where he probably was; or in fome upper room, very likely introduced by Arioch; and which was a bold and daring action in them both: in Avioch, to ceafe from doing his orders, and entring into the king’s prefence before he had; and in Daniel, to appear before him, having the name of a wife man, when the king was in fuch a fury; all which was owing to the providence of God, that wrought upon the heart of Arioch, to liften to what Danie] faid, and infpired them both with courage to go in to the king: and defired of the king that he would give him time, not two or three days, but only that night till morning, as Saadiah obferves; and this with a view not to read books, or ftudy any art, or by reafoning with himfelf, or converfation with others, to get knowledge, but to pray to God: and that he would fhew the king the interpretation; that is, of his dream, and the dream itfelf; being perfuaded in his own mind, that God would hear his prayers, and make it known to him. ‘The king granted him his requeft, tho’ he upbraided the wife men of their defign to gain time; but perhaps, upon the fight of Danie/, he remembred him again, and how fuperior in wifdom he was to all his magicians and wife men;, and befides, Daniel gave him hope, yea affurance, of fhewing his dream, and the interpretation of it, which his mind was very eager after; but chiefly this fubfiding of his wrath, and his indulging Daniel in his requeft, were owing to the over-ruling providence of God.. y. 17. Then Daniel went to his houfe, &c.] Which Sanéius thinks was in the king’s palace; very probably it might be near it, fome where in forth from the court into the city, to flay all in Bathe city of Babylon; for that it fhould be twenty

’ Dyn MOY DMM interrogavit de lege & decreto, miles from that city, as Benjamin of Tudela relates °, is not likely; fince.driocb’s orders reached to none but the wife men of Babylon, and where he fought for and found Daxie/; hither he went to