Daniel 11

Daniel 11:1

The angel Gabriel in this chapter performs his promise. Here is a prediction, 1. Of the sitting up of the Grecian upon the ruins of the Persian monarchy, vers. 1—4. 2. Of the affairs of the two kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, with reference to each other, vers. 5—20. 3. Of the vice of Antiochus Epiphanes, and his actions and successes, vers. 21—29. 4. Of the great mischief he should do to the Jewish church and nation, and his contempt of all religion, vers. 30—39. 5. Of his ruin at last, when in the heat of his pursuit, vers. 40—45.

1. ALSO I, * in the first year of * Darius the Mede, * Chas. h. 1. were I stood to confirm and to strengthen him. * 2. Ibid. v. 31.

This first verse properly belongs to the foregoing chapter, and declares how instrumental Gabriel had been already in furthering the restoration of the Jewish people: he stood to confirm and strengthen Darius as soon as he had ascended the throne, in conjunction with Cyrus, in his purpose of releasing the captive Jews, when probably many opposed it. God’s people have friends they often state think of, and more and mightier are with them, than can be against them.

2. And now will I shew thee the truth, Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength * through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. 3. And * a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4. And when he shall stand up, * his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; * and not to his po-

rity, Before Christ for his kingdom shall be pluckt up, even for others be- Sides those.

Daniel 11:5-4

The angel, as he had promised, here leads the prophet into futurity.

1. He begins with the Persian monarchy, which had just arisen: three others should succeed Darius, then on the throne; Cyrus, his son Cambyles, and Darius Hystages; a fourth, richer than all the rest, should arise, Xerans, who by his strength and riches should stir up all his own provinces and confederates, to raise an army the most numerous that probably was ever assembled, in order to invade the Grecian territories. Of which expedition heathen historians are full, and of his shameful defeat.

2. He passes on to the Grecian monarchy: to avenge this attack, a mighty king should arise, even Alexander; and having abdicated the Persian empire, should set up his own despotic throne, and govern with absolute sway: but his kingdom must be quickly broken and divided, not among his potterity, none of whom succeeded him, but among others, his four great generals; who neither ruled such exercise dominions, nor with so absolute a sway as Alexander had alone. So poor and transitory are human possessions: he that layeth up riches, cannot tell who shall gather them.

Heb. Allucent. themselves. Or, when he brought forth. § Or, when or offer. ¶ 12s. crevel. 13. & 13s. Heb. Vallic of their defeat. Or, shall or, 1 En. col. 8.

Daniel 11:21-45

the temple of Jupiter at Elymus; but the people, exasperated, rode and flew him, v. 19. His son Philopatre succeeded him, a rogue of tenes, obliged to express his people to levy the tribute imposed on his father by the Romans. His reign lasted not many years, and he fell not in anger or in battle, but by pains, thro’ the treachery of Helioderus his treachery, v. 20. So passing are the kingdoms of this world; blessed be God for that which never fudeth away, where no wars disturb, nor enemies enter; but an eternal reft remaineth for the people of God.

21. And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to abode theye shall not give the honour of the kingdom; but he shall come in peaceably, and ‘obesin the kingdom by flatteries. 22. And ‘with the arms of a flood shall ’they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; ‘yea, also the prince of the covenant. 23. And after the league made with him, he shall work detestably; for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. 24. He shall enter peaceably even upon the fatter places of the province, and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers fathers, ‘he shall scatter among them the prey and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall ‘forecall his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. 25. And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the fourth with a great army, and the king of the fourth shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecall devices against him. 26. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat, shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. 27. And both these kings hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall ‘speak lies at one table; ‘but it shall not prosper: for ‘yet the end shall be at the time appointed. 28. Then shall he return into his land with great riches, and ‘his heart shall be against the holy covenant: and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. 29. At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the fourth, but it shall not be ‘as the former, or ‘as the latter. 30. ¶ For ’the ships of Chitton shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved and return, and have indignation ‘against the holy covenant: so shall he do, he shall even return, ‘and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. 31. And arms shall stand on his part, and ’they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, ‘and they shall place the abomination that ‘maketh desolate. 32. ‘And such as do wickedly against the covenant, shall be corrupt by flatteries: but ’the people that do know their God, shall be strong, and do exploits. 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. 34. Now when they shall fall, ’they shall be holpen with a little help: ‘but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35. And some of them of understanding shall fall, ’to try them, and to purge, and to make them white,’ even to the issue of the end: ‘because it is yet for a time appointed. 36. And the king shall do according to his will, and he shall exalt himself, ‘and magnify himself above every god,’ and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper: till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined, shall be done. 37. Neither shall he regard the god of his fathers, ’nor the desire of women,’ nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38. But in his estate shall be honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not, shall be honour with gold and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. 40. And ‘at the time of the end shall the king of the fourth pull at him, and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots,’ and with horfermen, and with many ships, and he shall enter into the countries, ‘and shall overflow and pass over. 41. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries. Vol. II.

shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, ’even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42. He shall stretch forth his hand, also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold, and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans, and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. 44. But tidings out of the east, and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. 45. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in ’the § glorious holy mountain; ‘yet he shall come to his end,’ and none shall help him.

We have here a long prophecy concerning Antiochus Epiphanes, the fuccettoe or Seleucus Philopatre, and the inveterate persecution of the Jewish people.

1. He is described as a vile person. He had been a hostage at Rome, and by his immortalities, debaucheries, and extravaganties, had rendered himself periploable, and gained the title of Epimanus the musician, though on his coming to the crown he assumed that of Epiphanes the allegorist.

2. By fraud he gained the crown of Syria: none ever thought of advancing him to the throne; but pretending only to take the administration, on the death of his brother, till his brother’s son, who was an hostage at Rome, should return to his kingdom, he met with no opposition. But when he had once found the reins, he resolved to keep them: by flatteries and presents he won the nobles and citizens to espouse his cause, and prevailed on Eumenes, the king of Pergamon, and Artailus, to abide him against the usurper Helioderus, v. 1. whom he utterly routed with his forces, and entering Judea, deposed Onion the priest, the prince of the covenant; though others think this refers to Demetrius, the lawful heir of Syria, to whom he was under an engagement to resign the kingdom, v. 22. but by his cunning got him detained at Rome; till, with a small body of adherents, he politicised himself of all the lucretius and principal cities of Syria, and, by his munificence, strongly attached his followers to his intereth, v. 23, 24. Some however suppose this refers to Ptolemy Philometon, whose friend and guardian he pretended to be; and entering Egypt with a small but faithful band, he seized the strong-holds of Egypt, and thus got the power of the kingdom into his hands. This was his first expedition into Egypt, 1 Mac. i. 18. he afterwards entered it in a more hostile way, 2 Mac. v. 1. defeated Ptolemy, who opposed him, and over-ran the country, the king of Egypt being betrayed by his courtiers and general, v. 26. On this a treaty of peace was set on foot, and both the kings meeting at one table, either as friends at an entertainment, or in consultation, as it designing to establish firm peace and amity, endeavoured to impose on each other, neither intending to observe the terms of their agreement, and at the time appointed by the Divine Providence, the war broke out afresh, v. 27.

In his return from Egypt, laden with spoils, he took Jerusalem in his way, and hating the Jews for their covenant-relation to God, v. 28. and being provoked by some commotions in his absence, he mislaid eighty thousand men, women, and children; and as many more he led captive or fold; entered the temple, plundered it of all its vessels, and adding them to the spoils of Egypt, arrived at Antioch, 2 Mac. v. 5—21. Note. The peculiarities of God’s people, and his distinguishing love to them, provoke the world’s hatred against them.

A third war with Egypt ensued: Antiochus again invaded the land, but his fucceto was not at all answerable to his former expeditions, v. 29. The Romans espousing the cause of Ptolemy, sent their ambassadors, commanding him to retire, on peril of their declaring war against him; which, though reluctantly, he was obliged to do; and not being able to accomplish his designs upon Egypt, resolved to wreck his vengeance on the Jews, as he did most inhumanly, being afflicted by many apoclasts, who had forsaken the God of Israel, such as Jafon, Menelaus, and others, See 1 Mac. i. 11—15. Note. Apoclasts from the truth are usually the bitterest persecution. Having the power in his hand, and armies at his neck, he entered the sanctuary, polluted it with every abomination, prohibited the daily sacrifice, set up an idol in the temple, and dedicated it to Jupiter Olympius, 2 Mac. vi. 2.

To court the favour of the tyrant, many of the wicked Jews consented to abandon their protection of the true religion, and worshipped ideals, v. 32. for they whose lives are wrong, must need be doomed of true principles, and ready to embrace any religion which promises them most advantage. But the faithful were alike proof against flattery and threatening, and dared endure the fevered coronates, 1 Mac. i. 6—66. 2 Mac. vii. Whilst compelled by despair, some took to arms, and, under their valiant leader Judas Macedhena, did great exploits, v. 32. In these days of fearful apostasy, they who know God, by their instructions, and their examples of patient suffering, 3 Z

Before Chaffa zealously instructed their brethren; but they were perfected to death, some fain with the sword, others burnt, others enslaved, and their substance plundered. This perfection lafied during three years and a half, v. 33. when the noble efforts of the Macabees obtained a little respire, v. 34. with whom many of the apostate Jews joined, when they appeared victorious; but they received the punishment of their perfidy, See 2 Met. xii. 40. To try the faith and patience of the saints, and to brighten their crown, some of them also were suffered to fall into great affliction, 1 Met. i. 60, &c. for this furnace is often needful for God’s dearest children, and they are brought into it in purge away their remaining drifts: but however great the sufferings of the faithful may be, there is a time appointed for their end, v. 35.

The following verses many good interpreters suppose to refer not to Antiochus, but to the Romans, particularly to the power of the royal Antichrist, of which Antiochus was the figure. Thus the pope assumes defiotic power, v. 36. dispensing with the laws of God and man, deposing princes, &c. and exalteth himself alone every God, either angels or civil magdhaters, See 2 Thyl. ii. 4. speaking great swelling words of blasphemy, and prospering till the period of his adaptations shall end, See Rev. xi. 2, 3. xiii. 5. forbidding marriage, v. 37. and shewing an utter disregard of God and his ordinances; setting up Mahaxian, departed faints and angels, an guardians and protectors, and worshipping them, v. 38. paying adoration to a broaden god, or celebrated wafer, with great pageantry of worship; erecting the images of Mahaxian in the temples, and the people also the divine honours to them, and take them for patrons, as St. George for England, &c. and the pope makes gain of their superstition, v. 39. From the South and north, at the time appointed, the Turks and Saracens came, and spread defelation over part of this antichristian empire, v. 40. The glorious land of Judea also fell into their possession, with many other countries; Meah and Eidem, with Ammon, only slips, supposed to signify Arabia, which is still independent of the Turkish government, v. 41. Egypt, with its treasures, are published by them, v. 42, 43. and the Libyans and Ethiopians at their command; till in future times some powers from the east and north shall spread an alarm in the Ottoman empire, and the Turks shall assemble their forces, v. 44, 45. and pitch their tents in the land of Judea, where they shall utterly be destroyed, See Exut. xxviii. xxix. In this way many interpret the prophecy; but I rather incline to those who refer the whole to Antiochus, whole pride, infolence, and blasphemies were notorious. He regarded no God; let himself above them; introduced new deities; in his brutal executions made no distinction of age or sex, but murdered women and infants. In the fortress of the temple he erected the strange god Jupiter, honoured him with gold and silver, caulled his priests to bear rule, and gave them a rich revenue out of the land, v. 39. doing just as he pleased, till the time appointed of God came to stop his mad cause.

On some attack of Ptolemy, v. 40. Antiochus once more with fury marched against him, sweeping the countries which lay in his way, particularly the land of Judea, whilst Moab, Eidem, and Ammon escaped his ravages, v. 40. Egypt was plundered, the treasures carried off, and the Libyans and Afyrians favoured this invasion. But in the midst of his successes, the tidings of the revolt of the Persians and Parthians, v. 44. called him back to Syria; and in a rage at the disappointment, and the embarrassment of his affairs, to which the Jews had contributed, he threatened to exterminate them; but when he thought of gratifying his full revenge, God smote him, See chap. viii. 25. and he died miserably, v. 45. So will God in the time of need interpose for his people; and, however their enemies may seem for a while to prevail, they shall be rooted out at last.