ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES AND THE DESECRATION OF THE SANCTUARY A vision of Daniel in the third year of Belshazzar. A ram with two horns appeared, pushing towards the west, north, and south, until a he-goat, with a -notable horn" between its eyes, emerged from the west, and, drawing nigh, attacked the ram... [ Continue Reading ]
_In the third year_&c. See the note on Daniel 7:1. _at the first_ properly, AT THE BEGINNING (Genesis 13:3; Genesis 41:21; Genesis 43:18; Genesis 43:20). The reference is to ch. 7 where the first of Daniel's visions is recorded.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And I saw in_ THE _vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I_was IN SHUSHAN, THE CITADEL, _which_is IN ELAM, THE PROVINCE; _and I saw in_ THE _vision, and I was by_ THE STREAM ULAI] The verse is awkwardly worded, and in part tautologous; its object is to describe where Daniel seemed to find h... [ Continue Reading ]
AND _I lifted up my eyes_ in the vision: cf. Daniel 10:5; Genesis 31:10; Zechariah 1:18; Zechariah 2:1; Zechariah 5:1; Zechariah 5:9; Zechariah 6:1. _a ram_ STANDING _before the_ STREAM, AND IT _had_ TWO _horns; and the_ TWO _horns_were _high_, &c. The ram is an emblem of power and dominion: cf.... [ Continue Reading ]
_pushing_ i.e. _butting:_cf. Exodus 21:28 (-gore"); and applied figuratively to peoples, Deuteronomy 33:17; Psalms 44:5 (-push down," properly -butt"). _stand before him_ so Daniel 8:7. For the expression cf. 2 Kings 10:4. _did according to his will_ did exactly what he pleased; cf. Daniel 11:3; Da... [ Continue Reading ]
_considering paying attention, reflecting_(מבין): not, as in Daniel 7:8 (where the word is a different one), _contemplating_. _a he goat_ For the he-goat (though the Heb. word is different), the leader of the flock, as a symbol of a prince or ruler, cf. Isaiah 14:9; Isaiah 34:6; Ezekiel 39:18; Zech... [ Continue Reading ]
A he-goat, with a conspicuous horn between its eyes, appearing from the west, attacked the ram, and beat it down to the ground. The empire of the Greeks; the horn (cf. Daniel 8:21) being Alexander the Great.... [ Continue Reading ]
Alexander's attack upon Persia. _that had two horns that had_ THE TWO _horns_(Daniel 8:3). _the river the_ STREAM (Daniel 8:2). _ran unto him_ AT or (R.V.) UPON him (Job 15:26).... [ Continue Reading ]
The collapse of the Persian power before Alexander, especially in the two great defeats of Issus and Arbela. _was moved with choler_ an effective rendering: so Daniel 11:11. The Heb. is lit. _embitter himself_, or _be embittered_, i.e. be maddened, enraged: cf. in Syriac, Euseb. v. 1, 50 for ἠγριώθ... [ Continue Reading ]
_Therefore_, &c. AND _the he goat_ DID VERY GREATLY (Daniel 8:4) i.e. performed great exploits. _and when he was strong, the great horn_the - CONSPICUOUS horn" of Daniel 8:5 _was broken_ Alexander was struck down by his fatal malady, just when he had risen to the summit of his power. _and_ INSTEAD... [ Continue Reading ]
_out of one of them_ The history of Seleucus himself and his immediate successors is passed over: and the prophecy proceeds at once to Antiochus Epiphanes (b.c. 175 164), whose reign was fraught with such momentous consequences for the Jews. _a little horn_ cf. Daniel 7:8. The general sense is, no... [ Continue Reading ]
Antiochus Epiphanes (b.c. 175 164), and his assaults upon the religion of the Jews (cf. Daniel 8:23).... [ Continue Reading ]
The horn -waxed great," in the vision, not only over the surface of the earth (Daniel 8:9); it even towered up to heaven, struck and hurled down to the earth some of the stars, and then trampled contumeliously upon them. even _to_ AS FAR AS, so as even to reach. Cf. Isaiah 14:13-14; Job 20:6; and 2... [ Continue Reading ]
AND EVEN UNTO _the prince of the host_ IT MAGNIFIED ITSELF] it not only mounted to the stars, but in impious defiance it _shewed greatness_(Daniel 8:4_; Daniel 8:25_), i.e. continued its acts of pride and presumption, _even to_the throne of _the prince of the host_, i.e. of God himself. _and_ IT TO... [ Continue Reading ]
_And a host_, &c. The first part of this verse is difficult and uncertain; but the most natural rendering is, - _And a host_ WAS APPOINTED [or, A WARFARE (Isaiah 40:2) WAS UNDERTAKEN] AGAINST [324] THE CONTINUAL (burnt-offering), WITH _transgression_(i.e. wickedly)." The allusion, with this renderin... [ Continue Reading ]
A dialogue between two angels, which is overheard by Daniel, and the object of which is evidently to inform Daniel how long the suspension of the daily sacrifices and the desecration of the Temple are to continue.... [ Continue Reading ]
_one saint_ A HOLY ONE, i.e. an angel, as Daniel 4:13 (where see the note). So in the next line, _and another_ HOLY ONE. In A.V. -saint" is used, in an application which is now obsolete, of the _angels_: see Deuteronomy 33:2; Job 5:1; Job 15:15; Psalms 89:5; Psalms 89:7; Zechariah 14:5; Judges 14, a... [ Continue Reading ]
_unto me_ Sept. Theod. Pesh. _unto_ HIM, which is adopted by most moderns, and is probably right. _unto two thousand and three hundred_ EVENINGS, MORNINGS] i.e. successive evenings and mornings: cf. Daniel 8:26 -the vision of the evenings and the mornings." The expression is peculiar; but it seems t... [ Continue Reading ]
Daniel seeks to know the meaning of the vision, which is imparted to him, as in Daniel 7:16 ff., by an angel. 15 THAT I _sought_ TO UNDERSTAND (it), AND, _behold_, &c. cf. Daniel 7:19. _there_ WAS STANDING IN FRONT OF _me_ appearing suddenly, some little way off (see Daniel 8:17, -came near"). _as... [ Continue Reading ]
_between Ulai_ This singular expression can, it seems, mean only - _between_(the banks of) _Ulai_" (Daniel 8:2): the voice seemed to come to Daniel from above the waters of the river (cf. Daniel 12:6-7). _Gabriel_ mentioned also in Daniel 9:21 as explaining to Daniel Jeremiah's prophecy of the 70 ye... [ Continue Reading ]
_afraid_ AFFRIGHTED (R.V.), as Isaiah 21:4, A.V. (Job 7:14 _al._-terrify"): -afraid" is not strong enough. At the approach of the celestial being Daniel is terrified. _fell upon my face_ a mark of awe or respect (Genesis 17:3; Judges 13:20; Ruth 2:10, _al._); cf. in the visions of Ezekiel, Ezekiel 1... [ Continue Reading ]
_I_ FELL INTO _a_ DEAD _sleep_ Daniel was alarmed when the angel approached (Daniel 8:17): when he spoke to him, he fell paralysed and motionless or, as we might say (in a figurative sense), _stunned_upon his face (cf. the similar passage, Daniel 10:9). The word is used of a deep sleep, Judges 4:21;... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the_ LATTER TIME (R.V.) _of the indignation_ The -indignation" is the Divine wrath implied in Israel's subjection to the nations: the persecution by Antiochus is the last stage of this indignation: when that is over, the kingdom of the saints will be set up. Cf. Daniel 11:36, -and he (Antiochus)... [ Continue Reading ]
The explanation of the vision.... [ Continue Reading ]
_having_ THE TWO _horns_ see on Daniel 8:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the rough_ HE - _goat_ Daniel 8:5. The word rendering -rough" (_sâ-îr_), treated as a subst., is the usual old Hebrew word for a he-goat (Genesis 37:31, &c.): the word here rendered -he-goat" (_ṣâphîr_) being properly the Aramaic word for the same animal (Ezra 6:17, and in the Targums), and being f... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS FOR THAT WHICH WAS BROKEN, IN THE PLACE WHEREOF _four stood up_(R.V.), _four kingdoms shall stand up_, &c. see on Daniel 8:8. _stand up_ i.e. _arise_. Late Hebrew uses _-âmad_, -to stand," or -stand up," where early Hebrew would say _ḳûm_, -to arise" (e.g. Exodus 1:8): similarly Daniel 8:23... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the latter time of their kingdom_ in the closing period of the rule of the Diadochi (which the author pictures as brought altogether to an end at the death of Antiochus). _when the transgressors_ HAVE COMPLETED (their guilt)] i.e. filled up the measure of their transgressions (cf., though the He... [ Continue Reading ]
A fuller description of the character and policy of Antiochus Epiphanes.... [ Continue Reading ]
_his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power_ but rather, so it is implied in this rendering, by the permission of God (Häv., Hitz.). The rendering NOT BY HIS POWER (but rather by intrigues) is, however, preferable: the first two clauses of the verse will thus contain an oxymoron. R.V. _marg... [ Continue Reading ]
_And through_properly, _on_(the basis of) _his_ UNDERSTANDING] or _insight, cleverness_, usually in a good sense (1 Samuel 25:3; Job 17:4, _al._), here in a bad sense = _astuteness_. _he_(without -also") [328] _will cause_ DECEIT _to prosper in his hand_ his intrigues will prove successful (cf. Dan... [ Continue Reading ]
_the vision of the evenings and mornings_(Daniel 8:14) _which_ HATH BEEN _told_, is _true_ a solemn asseveration of the truth of what has been told (cf. Daniel 10:1; Daniel 11:2; Daniel 12:7; also Revelation 19:9; Revelation 21:5; Revelation 22:6), intended here as an encouragement to the persecuted... [ Continue Reading ]
_fainted_ The expression is peculiar: if correct, it must mean _I was done with, exhausted_, the verb being the same that is used in Daniel 2:1 in the passage -his sleep was _done with_upon him." It does not occur in this sense elsewhere in the O. T. FOR (some) _days_ so Genesis 40:4 (A.V., R.V., -... [ Continue Reading ]