Daniel 11:33

And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. AND THEY THAT UNDERSTAND - who know and keep the truth of God (," Of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord"). SHALL INSTRUCT MANY - in their duty to God and the law, not to apostatize. YET THEY SHALL FALL BY THE SWORD - as Eleazar fell, who, when 'constrained to eat swine's flesh, spit it forth, choosing rather to die gloriously,' and would not even save his life by 'bringing flesh of his own provision which it was lawful for him to use,' lest by dissembling he should lead the young to think that now, in his fourscore and tenth year, he was recanting the faith. Two women, who circumcised their infant boys, were cast down with their babes headlong fro...

With reference to the words, they mean, _those who shall be taught among the people shall make many understand _Some take the first word of the verse transitively, as “those who shall instruct,” but this is wrong; and they shew their ignorance by supposing the relative pronoun understood before the next verb, as if it were, “and those who shall teach.” The simple sense is, “Those who shall be wise among the people shall teach many.” Here the Prophet, under the angel’s guidance, predicts the multitude of apostates as well as the existence of some of an opposite character, who should retain the people within the pure worship and fear of God. Without doubt, he speaks specially of the priests. The greater part were defaulters, and they implicated the foolish vulgar in their wickedness. We observe similar effects at this day in the Papacy, as they corrupt the whole world by their sacrifices....

31-45 The remainder of this prophecy is very difficult, and commentators differ much respecting it. From Antiochus the account seems to pass to antichrist. Reference seems to be made to the Roman empire, the fourth monarchy, in its pagan, early Christian, and papal states. The end of the Lord's anger against his people approaches, as well as the end of his patience towards his enemies. If we would escape the ruin of the infidel, the idolater, the superstitious and cruel persecutor, as well as that of the profane, let us make the oracles of God our standard of truth and of duty, the foundation of our hope, and the light of our paths through this dark world, to the glorious inheritance above....

Verse 33. _AND THEY THAT UNDERSTAND_] The _apostles_ and _primitive_ _Christians_ in general, who _understood_ from the _prophets_, and his own _actions_, that JESUS was the true MESSIAH. _INSTRUCT MANY_] Preach the Gospel every where, and convert multitudes to the faith. _YET THEY SHALL FALL BY THE SWORD, AND BY FLAME, BY CAPTIVITY,_ _AND BY SPOIL_, MANY _DAYS._] They were exposed to the malice and fury of their enemies, during TEN STATE PERSECUTIONS, and suffered all kinds of tortures, with but little intermission, for _three hundred_ _years_.-_Newton_....

AND THEY THAT UNDER STAND AMONG THE PEOPLE - Among the Hebrew people. The allusion is to such as, in those times of so general corruption and apostasy, should have a proper understanding of the law of God and the nature of religion. There were such in the days of Judas Maccabeus, and it is reasonable to suppose that they would endeavor to inculcate just views among the people. SHALL INSTRUCT MANY - In the nature of religion; in their duty to their country and to God. See Prideaux, “Con.” iii. 265. YET THEY SHALL FALL BY THE SWORD - They shall not be immediately nor always successful. Their final triumph would be only after many of them had fallen in battle, or been made captives. Matrathins, the father of Judas Maccabeus, who began the opposition to Antiochus (1 Macc. 2:1), having summoned to his standard as many as he could induce to follow him, retired for s

EXPOSITION DANIEL 11:1 THE KINGS OF THE NORTH AND THE KINGS OF THE SOUTH. DANIEL 11:1 ALSO I IN THE FIRST YEAR OF DARIUS THE MEDE, EVEN I, STOOD TO CONFIRM AND TO STRENGTHEN HIM. The versions show signs of great disturbance having happened here. The rendering of the LXX. is, "In the first year of Cyrus the king, he told me to be strong and to play the man." Theodotion's rendering is yet briefer, "And I, in the first year of Cyrus, stood in strength and might." The Peshitta rendering, "In the first year of Darius the Mede (he)

AND THEY THAT UNDERSTAND AMONG THE PEOPLE SHALL INSTRUCT MANY,.... Such as had a better understanding of divine things than others, had more light and knowledge in the sacred Scriptures, in the law of God, and in his mind and will, and were capable of teaching others; and such as these the Lord raises up among his people in the worst of times, in the times of the greatest apostasy and declension; and these are enabled to perform their duty, to instruct the people in theirs, teach them what they should do, and how they should behave; exhort them to retain the doctrines and ordinances of their holy religion, and not embrace the doctrines and inventions of men, will worship, superstition, and idolatry; and so they instructed the ignorant, strengthened the weak, and established the wavering; such were Mattathias the priest of Modin, and Eleazar, one of the chief scribes, in the Apocrypha: ...

CHAPTER 11 THE WARS OF THE PTOLEMIES AND SELEUCIDAE PREDICTED THE COMING EVENTS OF THE END _ 1. The wars of the Ptolemies and Seleucidae (Daniel 11:1)_ 2. The time of the end and the man of sin (Daniel 11:36) Daniel 11:1. Here we have history pre-written and the greater part of this chapter (Daniel 11:2) is fulfilled historically. So accurate are these predictions and their subsequent fulfillment that the enemies of “the Scripture of truth” have declared that it could never have been written by Daniel several hundred years before these persons came into existence and fought their battles. The pagan Porphyry in t

DANIEL 11:33. THEY THAT BE WISE: the pious Israelites who were loyal to their faith. FALL BY THE SWORD, ETC.: a reference to the various forms of persecution....

UNDERSTAND. are wise. See Daniel 11:35 with Daniel 12:3; Daniel 12:10, where it would be well to use the Hebrew _Maskilim,_ as. proper name. SHALL FALL BY THE SWORD: i.e. in the great tribulation which is here described, in part. MANY. Some codices, with six early printed editions, read this word "many" in the text....