Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 7 · Doctrines 1 · Question 12 – Question 17
Quest. 12. Where the Chaldean Monarchie here described must take beginning.
1. Some thinke that the Assyrian Monarchie beganne in Nimrod, and so continued as Diodorus Siculus thinketh a 1300. yeares, vntounto Sardanapalus: who was the last king of the Assyrians, and against whom conspired Arbaces a Mede, and Phul Belochus the gouernour of Babylon, at such time as Iotham raigned in Iudea, and Pekah in Israel: But exception may be made hereunto. 1. although Nimrod were mightie in his time,Gen. 14. 1. 5. and raigned in Babel, yet not long after in Abrahams time, Chedorlaomer king of Elam or Persia, was greater then Amraphel king of Shinar, or Babylon, for Sodome and Gomorrha were subiects to the king of Elam. 2. Herodotus counteth but 520. yeeres for the whole time of the Assyrian Monarchie vntounto Sardanapalus. Pap. But whether the Assyrian Monarchie continued so long, or not, we are not here to fetch the beginning thereof so farre for the application of this vision: for it is euident, that Daniel hath speciall reference to the state of that Monarchie then present.
2. Eusebius thinketh that these Monarchies are here vnderstood, vntounto the which the Iewes were subiect foreign,de praepar. Euang. c. 15. from the times of this Prophet. And this seemeth the most probable, that this vision should beginne from the raigne of Nebuchadnezzar: for so in the vision of the image, c. 2. Nebuchadnezzar is expounded by Daniel, to be the head of gold, the first Monarchie.
3. Pappus beginneth the Assyrian and Chaldean Monarchie from the time of Sardanapalus: after whom the kingdome was deuided: Arbac…s had Media and Persia, and Phul Beloch Chaldea and Assyria. 1. The first king then of the Chaldeans and Assyrians after the diuision of the Empire, was this Phul, who is supposed to hauehave raigned 48. yeares: to him Menahem king of Israel paied a 1000. talents of siluer which was imposed vponupon him, 2. king. 15. 19. 2. Next vntounto him was Tiglath Peleser, who ouercame Pekah king of Israel, and carried captiue all the land of Nepthali on this side Iordan, and all the countrey beyond, into Asshur, 2. king. 15. 29. he helped Ahaz king of Iudah against Pekah king of Israel, and Rezin king of Aram, 2. king. 16. 7. he is said to hauehave raigned 23. yeares. 3. Then succeeded Sa… manazar, who ouercame Hoshea king of Israel, and tooke Samaria, and carried away the people captiue, 2. king. 17. 3. 6. he raigned 11. yeares. 4. Senacherib followed, who besieged Ierusalem in the time of Hezekiah, and lost of his armie in one night by the stroke of an Angel an 185000. men: to him are giuen but 7. yeares. 5. Senacherib beeing slaine by his sonnes, Asarchaddon his sonne succeeded, 2. king. 19. 37. who raigned 10. yeares. 6. About this time it seemeth that the Chaldeans ouercame the Assyrians, and Berodach Baladan, that sent presents to Hezekiah to congratulate for his recouerie, 2. king. 20. 12. had the whole Empire, who is held to hauehave raigned 40. yeares. 7. Next to him was Ben Merodah who raigned 21. yeares. 8. Nabuchadnezzer the Elder followed, who ouercame Egypt, whome Iosephus affirmeth to hauehave raigned but 21. yeares: but it is gathered that he raigned 35. yeares. Bulling. Papp. 9. After him was Nabuchadnezzer the Great▪ who raigned 45. yeares: he carried away Iechoniah prisoner in the 8. yeare of his raigne, and …fterward tooke Ierusalem, and put out Zedekiahs eyes, and bound him in chaines. 11. After him raigned Euilmerodach his sonne, who tooke Iechoniah out of prison in the 37. yeare of his captiuitie and imprisonment, 2. king. 25. 27. 12. The last of this race was Belshazzar, in the third yeare of whose raigne was Babylon taken by Darius and Cyrus. Thus Bullinger and Pappus set downe the succession of the kings of Assyria and Babylon.
4. But the Chaldean Monarchie in this vision reacheth not so high, as either to the diuision of the Empire after Sardanapalus, or the alteration of the kingdome vnderunder Berodach Baladan: Daniel onelyonly describeth the state of the Monarchie in his time, beginning at Nabuchadnezzer the great: as he expounded the like vision of the image, c. 2. resembling Nabuchadnezzer to the head of gold.
13. Quest. Of the second beast: and why the Persian Monarchie is compared to a beare.
1. Lyranus thinketh they are so resembled, because the beare is lesse cruell: and so the Persians were more equall toward the people of God: but in this sense, this vision should differ from the other, c. 2. where the armes and breasts, which signifie the Persian Monarchie, appeared to be of siluer, as inferiour to the first, which was of gold.
2. In diuers other respects then the Persian state is resembled to a beare: as in their obscure beginning: the Persians were at the first a nation of no fame or renowne: like as the beare, is at the first but a rude lumpe of flesh without any fashion, which the damme by continuall licking bringeth to fashion. Perer. Pintus.
3. Beside, the beare is most patient of labour and hunger: all winter long they liue without food, beeing nourished onelyonly by sleepe, as Plinie writeth of them, lib. 8. c. 36. So the Persians … a most frugall nation, for the most part they liued onelyonly of bread: and they dwelt among the mountaines, as wild beares seeking their food. Perer. Hug. Card.
4. The beare is of a weake sight, and of a tender head, but of a vast and vnhansome bodie, whereby is signified that the Persians did fight rather with their vast and huge numbers, then with martiall stratagemes and policie, Perer. as Cyrus was ouercome of the Massagetes, and his head was cut off by Thomyris, hauing 200. thousand men in his armie. Pisistratus beeing expelled Athens for his tyrannie, was sent against Grecia by Darius, with an armie of an 100. thousand footmen, and 10. thousand horsemen: and was ouercome by Miltiades the Athenian captaine in the fields of Marathon, onelyonly hauing a 11. thousand men. Xerxes with 10. hundred thousand men inuaded Greece, and was ouercome by Sea of Themistocles, and by land of Leonidas and Pausanias with a small number, and he himselfe constrained to flee away in a small boate. Leonidas at Thermopylae with 3000. men kept the streights against all the Persian armie: and with 300. men set vponupon their hoast of 500. thousand, and slue of them 20. thousand; where he himselfe also, and all his companie was slaine.
5. They were like vntounto beares ob barbariem, because of their barbarousnes, Calvin. they were a sauage and barbarous people brought vp in the mountaines: like as the beare is to the sight a more vncomely and vnpleasant bea…t, then a lyon.
6. But herein the fittest resemblance is, the beare is, typus barbaricae & ferinae crudelitatis, a type of babarous and beastly crueltie, Iun. Theodoret hath speciall reference here vntounto the cruell torments, which the Persians vsed, in fleaing of men, and pulling off their skinnes, and hewing them into peices: But generally rather is described the sauage and cruell nature of that nation (as it followeth in the rest of the vision) by the ribbes betweene the teeth, and their deuouring of much flesh.
Quest. 14. Why the beare is said to stand vponupon the one side.
1. The vulgar Latine readeth, in parte stetit, it stood vp on a part: but the true reading is, it stood vponupon one side, which the Hebrewes expound, that this Monachie was not so cruell against the Iewes, as the other: for diuerse of the Persian kings were beneficiall toward the people of God.
2. Hierome giueth this sense, they first rose vp on a part, that is, surprised the Chaldean kingdome, that they might more easily subdue the rest.
3. Theodoret referreth it to that part of the kingdome, which the Persians held still vnderunder the Romane Monarchie, though the dominion of Egypt, and Asia minor, and Syria, were taken from them: but in this vision the Persian Monarchie is described how it was in the time of the pri…e and glorie thereof, before it was dissolued by Alexander.
4. Calvin, and the Geneuens. following him, doe vnderstand it of the meane beginning of the Persians: respicit obscura initia regni illius, it respecteth the obscure beginning of that kingdome.
5. Vatablus vnderstandeth it of the taking of Babylon: that the Persians leaned on one side, they onelyonly set themselues against the Babylonians, they spared the Iewes, so also Pintus.
6. But the best interpretation is, it stood vponupon one side, ex duobus lateribus, id est, distinctis regnis, vnum effectum est, of the two sides, that is, two distinct kingdomes, there was one side, that is, one kingdome made: for the Medes and Persians ioyned together, Iun. in commentar. so also Bulling. Iunius in his annotat. followeth an other reading, retayning the same sense, dominatum vnum erexit, he erected one dominion: that is, subdued all other nations, and made but one dominion of them all: so also Polanus: the word satar, with a pricke on the left side ouer shin, signifieth a side, also so D. Kimchi readeth: but with a pricke on the right side, shatar, it signifieth rule and dominion: the first reading seemeth to be the fitter, because of the preposition lamed, set before lishtar, on the side, which is omitted in the other reading.
7. Oecolampadius thus interpreteth, he stood vponupon one side, that is, there was a place found for the Persians to be numbred among the cruel beasts: but this sense is not so proper.
15. Quest. Of the three ribbes in his mouth, what they signifie.
1. R. Saadia vnderstandeth three kings which succeeded Cyrus: but Hierome refuseth this interpretation, because there were more then three kings of Persia: Osiander also expoundeth by these three long teeth, three great kings of Persia, Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes: but it appeareth not, seeing there were 10. kings of Persia, or according to Hierome 14. kings, why these three should be vnderstood beside therest: Melancthon vnderstandeth other three, Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes.
2. Hugo interpreteth these three teeth, which the Latine translateth, three orders, to be those three chiefe officers, which were set ouer all the kingdome, as we read, cap. 6. 2. so also Apollinarius: but these chiefe gouernours were the teeth rather of the beast, then the pray betweene the teeth.
3. Hierome vnderstandeth the three kingdomes, Persia, Media, and Babylon: Hyppolitus the Assyrians, Medes, and Babylonians.
4. Calvin, and so Bullinger thinke not good to define any certaine number by these three ribbes: but by three ribbes vnderstand plures, many: for so they subdued not one kingdome, but many: and the words following seeme to approoue this sense, arise, and de…oure much flesh.
5. Oecolampadius placeth not the force of the words, in the number of three: but in that they are said to be ribbes, carnibus deuoratis arrodebat ossa, the flesh beeing deuoured, he gnaweth the bones, not one onelyonly, but three together, to shewe him to be vnsatiable.
6. Iunius in his commentarie, by the three ribbes, interpreteth, ex omni parte, that they shall deuoure on euerie side: because three wayes onelyonly a beast vseth to gnawe bones, before, and on each side.
7. But in his annotations he vnderstandeth by the three bones, tres partes orbis habitabilis, the three parts of the habitable world; into the which the Monarchie of the Persians was extended: And so Theodoret expoundeth the three parts of the world, the East, North, and South: likewise Polanus.
Now of all these, the third exposition of the three principall kingdomes, Persia, Media, and Chaldea, seemeth to be most probable: because although Cyrus subdued many countries beside, yet these were the three sweetest bones, which he had first in his mouth: and after this he deuoured and destroyed much flesh beside.
Quest. 16. Who said vntounto him, arise, and deuoure, &c. v. 4.
1. Herome, and Lyranus following him, with others, as gloss. interlin. gloss. ordinar. Hug. Card. doe interpret this of Assuerus, who was encouraged by Haman to deuoure and destroy the Iewes: But this beeing attempted onelyonly by Haman, not effected, cannot be the meaning of these words, which shewe, that as this beast had alreadie a pray in his teeth, so he should deuoure more.
2. Pererius thinketh it may be referred to Cyrus, who was insatiable in his ambitious desire, and his ende was answerable thereunto: for he beeing ouercome of Queene Thomyris, and 200. thousand of his men slaine, she caused his head to be cast into a bowle of mans blood, vttering these reproachfull words of him, bibe sanguinem, quem …itiuisti, & cuius insatiabilis semper fuisti, drinke thy fill of blood, which thou hast thirsted for, and wast thereof insatiable, ex Iustin. But seeing this vision containeth a generall description of the whole Monarchie of the Persians, it is not so fitly applyed vntounto one.
3. Calvin thus expoundeth, they said, that is, the Angels.
4. Bullinger saith, caelitus iussio descendit, that this commandement came from God: they were iussi à Deo, bidden of God: The Persians were raised vp of God, who, though not the author of their crueltie, yet concurred as a iust iudge, vsing them as his instruments in punishing the sinnes of the world, Pap. mandatum ei diuinitus, &c. it was commanded him from God to enlarge his Empire, Iun. annotat.
5. As both these last senses may be receiued, so yet further here may be vnderstood the instruments whereby the kings of Persia were stirred vp, to destroy and deuoure: as Darius, called also Cyaxares, and the Hyrcanians, together with Gobryas a gouernour of Assyria, did stirre vp Cyrus against the Babylonians, Xenophon lib. 4. Mardonius likewise perswaded Xerxes to take in hand the warre against Grecia, but Artabanus disswaded him: in which warre, as Orosiu… writeth, were consumed in three battels and in three yeares,Oros. l. 3. c. 17. 10. hundred thousand men. So that this Monarchie, thorough their ambitious desire to rule, was the cause of the effusion of much blood: as it is here said vntounto them, arise, and deuoure much flesh.
6. So then all these concurred together, in setting vp this Monarchie, God is the author, the Angels as the chiefe ministers, and then other instigators and setters on, as the instruments: like as the Chaldeans prouoked Nebuchadnezzar to cast the three Hebrewes into the fierie fornace, cap. 3. and the Persian gouernours caused Daniel to be cast into the Lyons denne, cap. 6.
17. Quest. Of the Persian Kings with whom the Persian Monarchie beganne and ended.
1. Hierom, whom the ordin. gloss. followeth, reckoneth vp 14. kings of Persia. 1. Cyrus. 2. Cambyses. 3. the Magi. 4. Darius, vnderunder whom the Temple began to be reedified. 5. Xerxes the sonne of Darius. 6. Artabanus. 7. Artaxerxes Longimanus. 8. Xerxes, an other of that name. 9. Socdianus. 10. Darius Nothus. 11. Artaxerxes Memnon. 12. Darius Ochus. 13. Arses. 14. Darius the last, whom Alexander ouercame.
2. Some doe number eleuen in this order. 1. Cyrus. 2. Assuerus Artaxerxes, which was Cambyses. 3. Darius Assyrius. 4. Artaxerxes pius. 5. Xerxes the terror of Grecia. 6. Artaxerxes Longiman…. 7. Darius Nothus. 8. Artaxerxes Memor. 9. Ochus. 10. Arses, or Arsanes. 11. Darius Codoma…us, whom Alexander subdued: H. B. in the short viewe of the Persian Monarchie, following Beroaldus.
3. Some account not so many kings of the Persians, as Pappus nameth all these before rehearsed, omitting Arsanes who succeeded Ochus.
4. But the best numbring of them, is that which Iunius in the argument of the bookes of Ezra and Nehemiah, and Bullinger in his Chronicle tables followeth, who number 10. Kings of the Persians beside Smerdes the Magician, and his brother: and with them an eleuen. 1. Cyrus. 2. his sonne Cambyses. 3. then the Magi. 4. Darius the sonne of Hystaspis. 5. Xerxes his sonne, who inuaded Grecia with such an huge armie. 6. Artaxerxes Longimanus, so called as it seemeth because one hand was longer then an other. 7. Darius Nothus. 8. Artaxerxes Memnon, who committed horrible incest, and left behind him Darius Ochus. 9. This Ochus molested the Iewes: Bagoas his captaine polluted▪ the Temple, and depriued them of the priuiledges graunted them by Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes: he was at last slaine by the same Bagoas. 10. Then this Bagoas set vp Arsanes the sonne of Ochus, and slue him also at the length. 11. The last was Darius Codomannus, whome Alexander vanquished. But Smerdes is rather to be omitted in this number, because he was an vsurper, and raigned but 7. moneths: and by the same reason also Artabanus must be fetched in, and other vsurper after Xerxes: and if Smerdes be admitted, Xerxes should be the 5. not the 4. king, as Daniel maketh him, c. 11. 2.