Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 11 · Questions · Question 18 – Question 19
18. Quest. v. 5. One of his Princes shall preuaile, who is meant hereby.
1. Hierome, whom Lyranus, Hugo Card. Pintus follow, vnderstand this to be Ptolome Philadelphus, who succeeded Ptolome Lagi, and grew to be mightier then he: he had 200. thousand footmen, and 20. thousand horsemen, 15. hundred shippes of warre, and a 1000. shippes for burthen: so Hierome.
2. Iunius in his commentarie, and in his annotations is of the same opinion, that the pronoune (his) hath reference to the king of the South before named: and by Princes, vnderstandeth sonnes: as Dauids sonnes are said to be his chiefe Princes, 2. Sam. 8. And they are called Princes, rather then sonnes, because they were not the legitimate sonnes of Ptolome. And beside this philadelphus, after the manner of the Persians, married his owne sister Arsinoe, so that the children which he had by her, were rather called his Princes, then sonnes; Iun. in commentar.
But the words of the text following, he shall preuaile aboue him, (or, as some read) against him, G. B. will not beare this sense: for these words doe implie a contention, which should be the greater: but this was not betweene the father and the sonne: rather Ptolome the father made his sonne great, beeing his younger sonne he appointed him to be heire of the kingdome, and as Iustine saith, resigned vntounto him the kingdome beeing yet aliue, thinking it to be a greater honour to be a kings father, then the king: neither can it be shewed, that this Ptolome more enlarged the kingdome, then his father had done.
3. Therefore, by one of his Princes, is rather to be vnderstood, one of his, that is, Alexanders Princes, and that was Seleucus Nicanor, who was king of Babylon and Syria, which was North to Iudea: so Melanct. Vatabl. Calvin, Osiand. Bulling. Genevens. B. Polanus. 1. This Seleucus was of such strength, that when a wilde bull, as Alexander was sacrificing, brake loose, he held him by the hornes alone and staied him, whereupon he gaue the hornes in his armes: which doth fitly answer vntounto the description of the fourth beast with tenne hornes, c. 7. 8. which signified the kingdome of the Seleucians, Appian. in Syriac. it is said, that Seleucus and his posteritie had naturally the signe of an anchor in their thigh, Melanct. 2. This Seleucus ouercame Antigonus, though he were before by him expelled out of Babylon: and he diuided his kingdome: likewise he caused his sonne Demetrius to yeeld himselfe vntounto him: he also slue valourous Lysimachus, who in Alexanders time, being cast vntounto a lyon, slue him. 3. He much enlarged his kingdome: he raigned ouer Babylon, and Media, Mesopotamia, Armenia, Cappadocia: and ouer the Persians, Parthians, Arabians, Bactrians, Hyrcanians: and possessed all from the borders of Phrygia euen vntounto the riuer Indus: and passing ouer that riuer, he likewise warred with Sandracotus king of the Indians: neuer any possessed more countries in Asia then this Seleucus, onelyonly Alexander excepted. Polan. 4. He builded many goodly cities, sixteene of them he called after his fathers name Antiochia, sixe by his mothers name Laodicea, nine after his owne name, Seleucia: three by his wiues name Apamea, and one Stratonica by his other wiues name: the most famous of these cities, which afterward continued, were two called by the name Seleucia, one by the Mediterranean sea, the other by the riuer Tygris: Laodicea in Phoenicia, Antiochia vnderunder Libanus, and Apamea in Syria. Many other cities he called by Greeke or Macedonian names: as Berrhea, Edessa, Perinthus, Maronea, Callipolis, Achaia, Pella, Amphipolis, Arethusa, Cholcis, Larissa, Apollonia: In Parthia Sotera, Calliope, Hecatompolis, Achaia: in India Alexandropolis: in Scythia Alexandrescota: So that Seleucus dominion was mightier and larger, then the kings of the South. H. Br. in Daniel. 5. This Seleucus was somewhat equall and fauourable toward the Iewes: he did enfranchise them in all his cities which he builded in Asia and Syria, with the same priuiledges which the Macedonians had, Ioseph. lib. 12. c. 3. which he did to make them his friends against Ptolome Soter. 6. But at length he was circumvented, and slaine by Ptolome Ceraunus, brother to Ptolome Philadelphus. Melancthon.
19. Quest. That this kingdome of the North is the same which Ezekiel calleth Gog and Magog.
That Ezekiel, c. 38. and Daniel here agree in their description of the same kingdome, may appeare by these reasons. 1. because the kingdome of Gog is also there called the kingdome of the North, Ezek. 38. 15. Come from thy place out of the North parts, thou, and much people with thee: and here also he is called the king of the North. 2. The nations which doe accompanie Gog, as Magog, Meshech, Gomer, Togarmah, Pharas, Put, the …ebrews themselues vnderstād to be the nations inhabiting, Cappadocia, Galatia, Iberia, Armenia: all which were vnderunder the command and obedience of the king of the North. 3. The building of cities thoroughout those countries, and the calling of them by the names of the Seleucians, and their kinted, are euident arguments of the foueraigntie which they had ouer those nations: so that we neede seeke no further for that great Gog, whome Ezekiel speaketh of. 4. And further, as Ezekiel prophesieth, c. 38. 23. that after the ouerthrow of Gog, the Lord would be magnified and sanctified among many nations, which was performed by the comming of the Messias: so it came to passe: for not long after the destruction of this kingdom of the North, and the ende of that familie of the Seleucians, Christ came into the world. And this is the common opinion of the Hebrewes, as Ab. Ezra, and Kimhi testifie, that after the ouerthrow of Gog, Messiah should …aigne. 5. Wherefore seeing this Prophesie is fulfilled alreadie, they are deceiued, which deferre the fulfilling of Ezekiels prophesie vntill the ende of the world, wherein they giuegive great aduantage vntounto the Iewes, who thinke that their Messiah, when he commeth, shall vanquish the power of Gog and Magog. H. Br. in Daniel.