Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Daniel · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
HEre Daniel setteth forth another vision, which hee had two yeares after the former of the four Monarchies of the world, in the third yeere of Belshazzar the King of Babylon, and therefore before that the Medes and Persians had attained unto it. He had all four very briefly represented unto it. He had all four very briefly represented unto it. He had all four very briefly represented unto him in the former chapter, but now the Lord declareth more at large the proceeding of two of them in particular, viz. of the kingdome of the Medes and Persians and of the Grecians, that his people might fully understand, what should be done both under the one and the other, and so it might appeare how all things past, present and to come are present unto God, and that the warres betwixt kingdome and kingdome, and prevailings at all times are ordered by his providence, and that one cannot subdue another, or stirre up any persecution against the people of God, but according to his will secretly working in all the transactions of men. In this chapter the Prophet speaks no more in the Caldee tongue, as in the seventh, but in the Hebrew, because as Polanus conjectureth, the Lord had in setting forth these things respect unto his Church in Judea, as for whose comfort Polanus.they were written, and not of Pagans and Infidels, yet because it seemed good unto him by his predictions to shew to the Caldeans something, whereby they might be convinced, that hee onelyonly was the true God, from whom nothing to come lay hid, and that theirs who could not doe this, were false gods and vain idols, hee would have the first Vision chap. 7. written in the Caldee tongue, whereby they might have a tast of his Omniscience, and that all things to come to the end of the world were open and manifest unto him, because in that the principall occurrences of all times and ages to the day of judgement are revealed, which is also another strong argument to prove, that the fourth kingdome there spoken of was the Roman, how soever touching the little horn something like unto Antichrists persecution is hereby shewed to have beene done by a King arising out of the Grecian Kingdome in this chapter, against the old Church of God, which because it was as materiall for the Jews then to know, as for us Christians the proceedings of Antichrist; God vouchsafed to shew unto Daniel another Vision here representing the tragicall acts that by Antiochus Epiphanes should then be done. For betwixt the Kingdome there spoken of, out of which sprung the little horn, and this here spoken of there is this plain difference made, that was a fourth beast, not one springing out of the third, and had ten horns, this springeth out of the Goat, and consisteth but of four horns, and out of one of these springeth the little horn, that afterwards grew so great, whereas the little horn there is said to have come up amongst the ten horns. For the place where Daniel had this Vision, at Shushan the palace by V. 2.the river Ʋlai. This Shusan, from whence the Palace here spoken of had the name, was one of the chief Cities of Persia, whereof it was spoken before Esther 1. 5. But how could Daniel, who was a captive in Babylon at this time, it being in the reign of Belshazzar, be in Shushan? Polanus saith, that hee was Polanus.there onelyonly in spirit, about the proving of which he useth divers arguments, but forsomuch as Daniel speaketh of no such manner of being there, but saith plainly, I was in the palace of Shushan, it is rather to be held, that hee was there indeed, being carryed miraculously thither by the Spirit of God, as Ezekiel had been by the lock of his head to the Temple at Jerusalem from the land of the Caldees, and as the spirit took up Elijah sometime and carryed him to remote places, so that Ahah, who sought to destroy him could no where finde him. For all arguments brought to prove, that Daniel that was not really now in Persia, (because so hee should have made himselfe obnoxious to the King of Babylon at his return, and he should have done against his duty, it being the known will of God, that the Jews should dwell where they were, till the 70 yeares expired, and be subject to the King of Babylon, and pray for the peace of that Kingdome) fall to the ground, sith if by the Spirit hee were carryed thither to see these visions, and back again, he did nothing against his fidelity to the Babylonian King, or which had been by the Lord forbidden the Jews in generall, no more then Ezekiel, who before had been likewise carryed to Jerusalem, or Jeremiah, who being the subject of the King of Iudah, when according to the will of God he went to Babylon to hide a girdle by the river Euphrates, for from generall' rules exception of particulars is ever to be understood, all are to do so, unlesse God specially ordereth it touching some particular persons otherwise. And an argument to prove him not to have been in Caldea now, may be drawne from his change of the language wherein hee writeth, not in the Caldean tongue as hee had done before from chap. 2. 4. to the end of the seventh. But not to contend about a matter of so small moment, because divers other Expositours say the same with Polanus herein, I will yet relate what Jerome saith hereupon. Susis is the Hieron.Metropolis of the region of the Elamites, and here as Josephus saith, Daniel built an high Tower fouresquare of marble great and fair which continueth to this day, into which the Kings of the Medes and Persians had their bones laid, and it looketh still as if it were new built, and is kept by a Jew, a Priest. By the gate Ʋlai, Symmach. by the marish Ʋlay, but Vatabl. and Pagnin. by the river Ʋlai, and this may suffice for the place where Daniel had this Vision. Whereas vers. 3. a Ram is seen by the river having two hornes, one higher V. 3.then the other, and the highest came up last, the vulgar that rendred the word Porta or gate before here renders it marish, stood upon the marish; for the two hornes they are afterwards expounded by the Medes and Persians, whose Kingdome is by this Ram set forth, as it was before by a Bear for its pushing the Nations in all parts, Westward, Northward and Southward; the higher horn coming up last was Cyrus the Persian, who after Darius his death came to be King alone, and was farre greater then Darius had ever beene. Vers. 5. After the Ram a Goat appeared with one horn, who is afterwards V. 5.plainly said to be the first King of Grecia, and for his swist marching with his Forces into all parts and subduing them, hee is said not to have touched the ground. But this great horn is broken off, when Alexander within 12 yeares dyed, and four come up in the roome of it, when Alexanders kingdome was divided amongst the foure Kings before spoken of, chap. 8. and V. 8. V. 9.out of one of these came a little horn, which waxed exceeding great towards the South and the East, and the pleasant land; the vulgar for the last words here hath contra fortitudinem, expounded by Lyra of Judea and Ierusalem, the fortitude Lyra.whereof was in God Almighty. And he saith, that Antiochus Epiphanes set forth by this little horn, was little at the first because hee was a pledge at Rome, and therefore in such a condition, that no man would ever have thought of his rising to such greatnesse, but hee being of the race of Seleucus one of the four Kings, viz. of the King of Syria, although divers generations after him, for which it is said, vers. 23. at the latter end of these kingdomes, escaped from Rome, and gat the kingdome of Syria from the Son of Seleucus Philometor who was his elder brother, and waxed great against the South, that is Egypt which he subdued, and the East, that is, some parts of Persia, by him subdued also, and lastly, Jerusalem, of his prevailing against which, and cruelty exercised there, and insolencies against God and his Laws, see 1 Maccab. 1. &c. for the Heb. word rendred fortitude, it is foreign signifying decor or gloria, or capreelus; and therefore may best be rendred against the glory, yet hereby Jerusalem is Ezek. 20. 6, 15.understood, which was the glory of the whole earth. Of these things done by that Antiochus Aben Ezra writeth in Perush, and that he subdued Persia as sarre as Ptolemais, vers. 10. And it waxed great to the hoast of Heaven, that is, as V. 10. Polanus.Polanus hath it, the Church militant upon earth, which is for warfare here compared to an hoast, and is called the Hoast of Heaven, as the Church the Kingdom of Heaven commonly in the New Testament. He is also said to throw downe the stars, because he subdued men of greatest eminency, who in vertue shone as stars in Jerusalem, and trampled them under his feet. For so the holy Ministers of Christs Churches are compared to stars, Revel 1. he is said also, vers. 11. to have magnified himselfe against the Prince of the Hoast, that V. 11.is, the Lord whose the heavenly hoasts are, and that by opposing against him in sour things. 1. In taking away the dayly Sacrifice, and making that to cease which God commanded alwayes to be made. 2. In overthrowing his Tabernacle, that is, his Temple, which he turned into a Temple of Idols, causing swines flesh to be sacrificed there. 3. An hoast was given him against the V. 12.dayly Sacrifice because of transgression; Polanus, through defection, that is, by means of such as for feare of his tyranny fell away and did after the manner of the heathen, eating and offering swines flesh, and not circumcising as God had commanded, of which sort of perfidious persons there were many amongst the Jews, and the word here used is foreign signifying so first and chiefly, for foreign is deficere to fail, or to fall away, and they who thus fell away, were a new hoast, as it were, raised up for the subduing of such as stood in opposition to these abominations. 4. He cast the truth to the ground, which he did by burning the Bookes of the Lawes of God wherein the true and right way of worshiping him was set forth, and therefore this Holy Book being taken away, the truth was cast downe, and notwithstanding all this, Antiochus prospered, and did a long time according to his wicded defire, no contrary power hindering him, and this continued 2300 dayes, V. 14.and then the Sanctuary, it is said, shall be cleansed: This time, saith Lyra, is six Lyra.yeares, but it is to be understood, that this was from Antiochus his first taking of Ierusalem, and entring into the Temple, but hee set not up an idoll in the Temple till three yeares after this. But let us look into the words. I beard one Saint speaking, and another Saint said to that certain saint who spake, How V. 13.long shall the vision be concerning the dayly sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, &c. the word here rendred that certain Saint, Heb. is foreign to the Palmoni in the margin of the New Translation rendred the numberer of secrets, or the wonderfull numberer, but why it should be rendred numberer of secrets, I see not, Polanus indeed compoundeth it of foreign wonderfull, and foreign occult are to hide or keep secret: but it cometh of foreign and foreign signifying to number, and therefore to render it rightly, it must be the wonderfull numberer, and this was Christ the Son of God, and the matter in hand implyeth, that it should thus be reudered, because the question asked of him was about the number of the dayes of the desolation of the Sanctuary, and the answer, vers. 14. is V. 14.made accordingly 2300 dayes. Christ then was hee, of whom this question was demanded, and hee is called Palmoni or the Wonderfull numberer, because of his wonderfull wisdome, whereby hee knew all things even to come, and so was able to set the very day, when that desolation should have an end, which no creature, no not any Saint, nor Angell in heaven, here meant by Saint, could doe. And well might he be set forth by numberer, because he numbereth all things, the dayes of the tribulation of his Church in any particular place at any time, as appeareth, where it is said, yee shall have Revel. 2. 10.tribulation ten dayes, hee also numbereth the Stars and calleth them by their names, and the hairs of our head are by him numbered. And by the name Wonderfull, as also Esay 14. 6. They shall call his name Wonderfull, because hee was Wonderfull in his conception and birth, in that a Virgin conceived, man was to God united in him, hee that was infinite was contained in a womans Ioh. 3.wombe, and hee that is in heaven descended being still in heaven, and wonderfull in his life and death. And it is to be noted that Christ is not onelyonly set forth by the name Palmoni here, but also by the name Hamdabber, that speaker, or as hee is called, Ioh. 1. that word, to which we are to take heed, and in it to beleeve, that we might be saved. But why is the Angell so inquisitive of the time, that this great judgement should last? Answ. First to shew, that the Angels are affected with sorrow, and do condole together with the Church of God suffering, and desire a speedy end of our miseries. 2. That they are solicitous about the glory of God, who if he doth not soon stretch out his Almighty hand to deliver his Church conflicting with misery under the hands of persecuters, they will hereupon be ready to open their blasphemous mouths, and say, either hee is not able to save his people, or that hee regards them not, and therefore it is no advantage to men to be his faithfull servants. 3. The Angell thus interposeth himselfe to ask out of a desire, which hee had to have something answered for the comfort of Daniel and such godly ones, as hee was, who could not but be greatly astonished at the hearing of those grievous judgements by an heathen King to come upon Gods people and Sanctuary; and therefore the answer was made to Daniel, he said unto me Note. unto 2300 dayes. And of the Angels of God wee should learn both to condole and to be solicitous for the Church of God in misery in any place, and to stand for the comfort of one another, as it is said, weep with those that Rom. 12. 15.weep.
Now for the number of dayes, they are reckoned by Polanus to have been so many, that they make 6 yeares 3 moneths and 18 dayes. But chap. 7. 25. in speaking of the time of the little hornes going on in his insolent doings against Gods people, it is said, Ide shall have power to doe a time and times, and the dividing of time; that is, but 3 yeares and an half. For reconciling of these hee taking both to be spoken of Antiochus Epiphanes saith, that there the time spoken of, was that of his setting up an Altar to offer swines flesh in the Temple, from which time in the cleansing of the Sanctuary by Iudas Maccabeus were onelyonly 3 yeares and 10 dayes, but I see not there how the whole time from the desolation made by Menelaus to that wicked King is also included, which, as Iosephus as Iosephus saith, was Anno 141. of the Seleucidin Kingdome, but the proceedings of Antiochus here reckoned upon were not till Anno 142. the 6 monethmonth and the 6 day of the monethmonth, and an end was put to this judgement Anno 148. the 9 monethmonth the 25 day. But as hath been before said, the little horn spoken of chap. 7. and the time of the power thereof doth not set forth Antiochus, but Antichrist rising up in the Roman State, and therefore it is but lost labour to seeke to reconcile the time here spoken of, and there, being so divers one from the other. Ierome saith, that some will have Antiochus Epipha…s Hieron.a type of Antichrist, and to make him so, divide his time of raging against the Jewes and God thus, the whole time betwixt his entring the Sanctuary so proudly and robbing it, and Iudas his cleansing it againe, began Anno 143. and in the monethmonth Casleu the 15 day An. 145. the abomination of desolation 1 Mac. 1. 20. Chap. 4. 54.was set up, and An. 148 the 25 day of the same monethmonth. Iudas cleansed it. But from 143 to 148. although we reckon the whole 143 yeares for one, and 365 1 Mac. 4. 52.dayes to the year the dayes will be but 2100. 2nd out of these deduct what is missing in the last yeare of an whole yeare, viz. 3 moneths and 5 dayes, that is, 95 more, the whole time will be but 2095 dayes. Wherefore the time must not be thus reckoned, but An. 143. to An. 149. when this persecuting 1 Mac. 6. 16.Antiochus dyed, and the godly Jews who could not goe on in their continuall dayly sacrifice before without fear, had not him any more to put them in danger by raising more Forces against them. And if we pitch upon that 149 yeare of the Grecian Kingdome for the determination of this time, and begin An. 143. there will be 6 whole yeares and so many more dayes as will fully make up the whole number of dayes here mentioned, viz. 2300. that is 2090 as was said before, in 6 years and 210 in 7 months out of the odde year. And this the words may well beare, then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed, that is, within the compasse of this time, hee being cut off that polluted it, which must be before that they could be perfectly delivered to hold and sacrifice in the Sanctuary going on constantly and continually without interruption, and for further confirming of this exposition, see ver. 24. where his death is spoken of, as the full period of this vision. As for the distinction of this whole time made again into two, that Antiochus in the time of his rage might be a type of Antichrist fighting and reigning three yeares and an halfe, I see no cause, why it should once come in question here, because here is no such distinction made, howsoever the other part of his time may be for this mystical end singled out, chap. 12. as may be seen there. Lastly, before we goe from hence, it is to be noted that the Vulgar and Hebrew have not barely 2300 days, but, untill morning and evening 2300 dayes. In answering more fully to the question Exod. 29. 39.about the continuall Sacrifice, which was morning and evening, and the meaning is, it shall be 2300 dayes compleat consisting of both parts, morning and evening, wherein the Sacrifice of the Lamb used to be offered from day to day continually, shall cease according to the description of a day, Gen. 1. So the Evening and the morning were the first day, &c. and this is the reason why hee counteth the time by dayes.V. 15, 16.
Then Daniel saith, that he heard the voice of a man between the bankes of Note. Ʋlai calling to Gabriel and bidding him to make Daniel understand the Vision before going, about which hee was sollicitous, whence by the way note, that it is a study beseeming the wisest of men to study, what may be the meaning of heavenly visions shewed by God unto his servants at any time, and he that is studious hereabout and seeketh for resolution, shall finde it, as this holy Prophet did, and of this I can also say the same by experience, especially in my reading through the dark passages of Ezek. 40, 41. &c. almost without any guide but the Spirit of God, whose direction I assiduously sought.
Now for this voyce of a man, it was most probably the voice of Christ Note. called before Palmoni, and Gabriel an Angell, this being as Polanus noteth, the Polanus.onelyonly name whereby an Angell is called in all the Canonicall Scriptures, whereas other names are by some named, as Raphael, &c. They are but humane inventions Gabriel is a fit name for any Angell of God, because signifying the strength or vertue of God. Whereas Michael is afterwards also spoken of, he is none other, but Christ the Archangell, that is, the Prince of Angels, so Polanus. For these words, I fell into a deep sleep upon the ground, the vulg. hath it, V. 18.I fell down upon the ground, or to the ground, as being astonished at the glorious presence of the Angell, not for adoration, for then it would have been noted, as it is afterwards, and taxed, the word cometh of foreign which signifieth soporare, to make to sleep, such a sleep as that of death, when a man through Note. sudden feare and passion coming upon him swouneth away and salleth down. Whereby we see, what the Majesty of an Angell is, and how unable man is to bear his presence, comming to speak unto him, and how much lesse then are we able to bear the presence of God, that we may beleeve and repent at mens speaking, whom God sendeth, and praise him for condescending to our weaknesse so far, as to teach us by one another, as we are able to bear.
At the latter time of their kingdome when transgressours are come to the full: a king V. 23.of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences shall stand up. Heb. for in the latter time of their kingdome, it is in the after time, for the Seleucidan kingdom stood Appia. in Alex.as Appian saith, 270 yeares, therefore Antiochus Epiphanes dying, An. 149. it continued still 121 yeares more in which time many Kings reigned, as the said Appian sheweth, and who they were. For these words, when transgressors are come to the full, Heb. it is, in making full transgressors, that is, the transgressors amongst the people of God becoming most notoriously wicked, wherein Jasons falling away to the humouring of Antiochus Epiphanes in conforming the Jews to the 2 Mat. 4. 7. &c.Heathens, and after him of Menelaus, by whom many were drawn to the like, is prophesied of. And Antiochus is here further set forth to be a man of a fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences, whereby the harshnesse of his manners is denoted: for he both procured his Fathers death by sedition and his elder brothers Seleucus, and prevented his sonnes injoyning the kingdom. For his under standing of dark sentences, hereby was meant his subtlety to devise means to circumvent others, as it is said, Mac cab. 1. 3. that hee sent his collectour of tributes to the Jews, who spake peaceable words unto them, but when hee was come into the City, committed all manner of violence against their goods and persons, and his fiercenesse not onelyonly in attaining to that kingdome, but also all the time of his reign after appeared.
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: here it is foreshewed, V. 24.how hee should come to this greatnesse, even as the history saith, that hee did by the help of Eumenes and Attalus neighbour Kings come to the kingdome of Syria, unto which they inclined their mindes the rather, because for some offences Appian. Alex.taken against them by the Romans they feared them. He also increased his strength by the ambitious and prophane high Priests of the Jews, as hath been already touched according to 2 Maccab. 4. 7. &c.
Hee shall be broken without hands. Having hitherto spoken of the wicked practises V. 25.and intolerable pride of Antiochus, now he sheweth, what his end should be, viz. not by being cut off by a violent death in war, but by Gods just judgement seazing, upon him, as he was well worthy. How this was fulfilled, see 2 Maccab. 9. hee had intollerable pangs in his body through a fall out of his Chariot, when hee hastened in a great rage towards Ierusalem, whereupon his inward parts putrefied and wormes bred, and an intolerable stench came from him, and so hee dyed in extream misery, making vowes to God, if he would spare him, but Gods wrath would not now be pacified againe towards him. Wherefore let none of how great power soever they be bear themselves hereupon, but still walk humbly before God, forsomuch as that the power, which Note. is irresistible by man, is still subject to God, as this wretched tyrant before his death was made to acknowledge: but because he did it not sooner, that his acknowledgement was vain and bootlesse unto him, that wee may learne to confesse our own weaknesse and wickednesse before it be too late, that is, extremity of sicknesse forcing us hereunto, because so wee may doubt whether wee shall be accepted or no, humble our selves what wee can, sith the judgment of death is now begun to be executed, and so it is too late for us to repent, as when the great day of judgement of all the world cometh.
Shut up the vision, for it shall be for many dayes. After these things represented V. 26.and expounded, the Lord would have Daniel keep them secret from the Caldees and other Heathens then living, as not concerning them, for which cause the language, wherein they were written, is also varyed from the Caldee, wherein the 7 chapter was written, to the Hebrew, intimating a concealing of them from them, and an imparting of them onelyonly to the Church, that in all the changes and troubles that should follow, shee might have whereupon to stay herselfe and be comforted, as certainly knowne, that all things were by the Divine providence moderated and her persecutions, although most fierce Note. and sharp, should soon have an end again, which ought also to be our comfort in the midst of our greater sufferings, who be the true faithfull people of God, and speak and understand the Holy language. Whereas he saith, the vision is for many dayes, the meaning is, from the first to the last extending to a long tract of time, viz. from the beginning of the reign of the Medes and Persians to the time of the foresaid Antiochus, and his death, that is, as Polanus casts it up, about 300 yeares, at the end or near the end of which time the faithfull Jewes should have speciall use hereof, as being in it most concerned.
Lastly, Daniel sheweth how this Vision wrought upon him, for certain days V. 27.hee was sick and weak, so stricken was hee at the miseries foreseen to come to …he Church, but none else knew of these things then, but hee concealed them as hee was commanded, when he was recovered from his sicknesse arising and going about the Kings businesse, and making no shew in his countenance of any trouble or distraction of minde for any thing, that he had seene. From hence Polanus argueth again, that Daniel was all this while in Babylon, and not at Susis before spoken of, but onelyonly seemed to himselfe to be there, but this cannot hence be proved, for the same divine power that carryed him out could suddenly bring him back again, as weak as he was, and then he, as if nothing else had befaln him in all the dayes, that he was absent, went silently on about his businesse again.