Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 11 · Questions · Question 47
47. Quest. Of Antiochus politike deuises to continue the idolatrous seruice of his new god, v. 39.
This wicked and subtill Tyrant hauing brought in a new Idol, vseth two meanes for the establishing of this new come image: first he by force, planting garrisons, and fortifying strong holds, seeketh to defend his false worship; then by rewards, honours, preferments, he inticeth base fellows to maintaine his idolatrie: but first the meaning of the words must be examined, and then the accomplishment and fulfilling thereof shewed.
1. Some doe ioyne both the parts of the verse together, and make this the sense; thus shall he doe to the strong garrisons, that shall defend his strange god: he shall giuegive rewards, honours, and preferments, Melancth. Oecolampad. Osiand. but beside, that the distinction rebia doth diuide the first part of the sentence from the latter, the words themselues will not beate this sense: for it is said, he shall diuide the land for a price, not freely: but to his soldiers and garrisons he gaue rewards freely, yea he gaue them a yeares pay before hand, 1. Macchab. 3. 27.
2. M. Calvin readeth thus, faciet adversus munitiones fortitudinum, &c. he shall doe against the strong munitions with a strange god: that is, preuaile, &c. which he vnderstandeth of the prosperous successe of the Romanes, who shall preuaile and ouercome by this their strange god; that is, by their owne power and strength, which they shall magnifie as a god. But beside that the Romanes are not here vnderstood at all, this sense is contrarie to the scope of the text: for he shall preuaile by these strong holds, not against them.
3. The vulgar Latine readeth thus, and he shall cause to fortifie Maozim with a strange god, that is, as Lyranus expoundeth, he shall fortifie the place, when he worshippeth this strange god; applying it to Antichrist: but although this sense be not much to be misliked, the words are not well translated: for the word lemibizere, is a noune put in the plural number, and not a verb, and signifieth holds, munitions, forts, not to fortifie.
4. Bullinger thus interpreteth, faciet, scilicet praedicta, he shall doe, that is to say the former things, with siluer and gold, in the holds, that is, the temples of Maozim, with a strange god, in setting forth the worship of this strange god: to this purpose also the English translations, thus shall he doe in the holds of Maozim, B. G. But these make here Maozim a proper name of the idol, which rather is a name appellatiue, and signifieth holds or garrisons, as is shewed in the former question: and it is euident, that Maozim is a diuers thing from the strange god here spoken of.
5. Bullinger deliuereth this as an other sense; he shall doe in the holds of Maozim, as the Gentiles vsed to doe with their strange gods: But this strange god here is the same, which before he called the god of Maozim, which is Antiochus new idol, which he set vp.
6. Iunius thus readeth, he shall commit the munitions of the (God) of strength vntounto a strange god: so also M. Br. and Polanus agreeth, sauing that he inserteth not (God) as the other doe: and they make this the sense, that Antiochus shall commit the custodie of the strong holds of Iudea vntounto Iuppiter Olympius, as though he had vanquished the mightie God of Iudea himselfe. But it seemeth, that he had more confidence in his munitions and fortified places, then in his strange god: and that he committed this new god to the custodie and defence of them, rather then strong places to him.
7. Therefore I preferre Vatablus translation for the first words, who readeth thus, faciet ac vertet in munimenta, these things he shall turne to the defence, &c. of the (god) Maozim: sauing that he maketh here Maozim a proper name, and supplieth the word (God,) and so maketh the (god Maozim) to be diuers from the strange god here mentioned,… beeing the same: I rather take Maozim with the Septuag, to be here an appellatiue, who translate it, a place of refuge: thus then are the words to be read, he shall make (to be) for holds, Maozim, strong places with a strange god: so the author of the Scholasticall historie interpreteth Maozim to be garrisons or forts, and Em. Sa, castella fortia, strong castles: the … is, he shall make strong places of defence, where he shall set vp his strange god: which Antiochus accordingly did: for he fortified the tower of Sion, neare vntounto the Temple, where he set the idoll of Iuppiter Olympius, 1. Macchab. 1. 35, 36. as Hugo Card. well obserueth: and he set garrisons in other cities of Iudah also, as in Garizin he placed Iuppiter hospital…, that is, which keepeth hospitalitie, as he had set Iuppiter Olympius in Ierusalem, 2. Macchab. 6. 2.
For the second part of the verse: 1. for this clause, whome he knoweth, some copies of the vulgar Latine hauehave, whome he knoweth not: which translation Vatablus and Pintus set downe: but there is no negatiue in the originall. 2. some referre this clause, whome he knoweth, vntounto Antiochus, that is, the idoll which he approoueth, and chooseth, Lyran. Hug. Melancth. Calv. Papp. with others: but it is said before, that he should not care for any god: he acknowledgeth none at all. 3. Iunius giueth this sense, those whome he knoweth, that is, fauoureth, and seeth to further his wicked deuise, them he shall honour: so also Polanus. 4. But the better sense seemeth to be this; that him, which acknowledgeth this idoll, and yeeldeth himselfe to this abomination, him will he honour. Vatabl. Bulling.
The last words, he shall diuide the land for a price, are diuersly interpreted: 1. the vulgar Latine readeth, gratuito, he shall diuide the land freely: so Lyran. Hug. Osiand. Papp but the originall hath bimchir, in a price. 2. some read, loco pretij, he shall diuide the land in stead of a price, Iun. but the word is in a price, that is, for a price. 3. the best reading is, for a price, Bulling. Calv. Vatab. Polan. so also the Septuag. (for gifts,) non gratuito, not freely, or gratis. Pellican.
For the accomplishment hereof: 1. Lyranus thinketh that this can not be vnderstood of Antiochus, for he had no lands to distribute, hauing little beside the kingdome of Syria: But this is vnderstood of the diuiding of Iudea, which now was in Antiochus hand. 2. M. Calvin vnderstandeth it of the Romanes, who tooke great summes of the kings, whome they subdued, to retaine their dignities, as of Philip king of Macedon, whome they had ouercome before. 3. But the historie of the Macchabees sheweth euidently, that all these things here prophesied, were so done by Antiochus: for so he bestowed the office of the high Priest for money, first Iason bought it, and he was defraueded thereof by Menelaus, who carrying the money obtained the Priesthood for himselfe, 2. Macchab. 4. And three things Antiochus is said here to bestow, honours, authoritie, possessions: which accordingly he did, distributing vntounto the Apostatate Iewes the dignities, offices, and lands in diuers places of Iudea: Polan. see it accomplished 1. Macchab. 3. 35, 36.