Daniel 1

to him with other prophets, but also prefixed a time for their coming to pass.’ (Antiq. lib. x. cap. 12.) Our Saviour’s authority is decisive in this matter, who expressly calls Daniel a prophet, Matt. xxiv. 15. wherein he likewise spoke the sense of the Jews of that time. And if we consider the important subject of some of his prophecies, wherein he plainly points out the time of Christ’s coming and sufferings, and the large extent of others of them, giving an account of the succession of four monarchies unto the end of the worid, he may justly be reckoned among the first of that order. Daniel and St. John had both of them the honour of being persons greatly belovedby God and Christ: (compare Dan. x. 11. with Johnxiii. 23.) so the latter, in his Revelation, doth more distinctly unfold those events which the former foretells in general terms, as Mr. Mede has observed. (See his Works, p. 787.) This prophecy is writ partly in Hebrew, and partly in Chaldee: for which this reason may be assigned; that those parts of it in which the Babylonian empire was concerned were writ in their language, viz. from ii. 4. to the end of the seventh chapter; a great part of which was probably entered into their public registers. (See a like instance, Esth. ii. 23.) St. Jerome tells us in the preface to his Commentary upon Daniel, that Porphyry had the boldness to affirm, that the prophecies of Daniel relating to the kings of Syria and Egypt, (chap, xi.) were written after the times of Antiochus Epiphanes: this was plainly granting the truth of the matters of fact therein contained," as St. Jerome observes; and the falsity of his assertion clearly appears from Tience, that this prophecy was translated into Greek a hundred years before Antiochus’s time, and that translation was in the hands of the Egyptians, who had no kindness either for the Jews or their religion. Nay, farther, the prophecies of Daniel foretelling the great successes of Alexander, (viii. 5. xi. 3.) were shewed to Alexander himself by the Jews, who thereupon obtained several privileges from biin, as Josephus informs us, Antiq. lib. xi. cap. 8. Daniel lived in great favour under Nebuchadnezzar and his successors in the Babylonian monarchy; his extraordinary merits continued him in the same degree of favour under Darius and Cyrus, the two first Persian monarchs: and, as Josephus observes ( ubi supra), " he was the only prophet that enjoyed a great share of worldly prosperity." He must needs have lived to a great age, it being near seventy years from the date of his first prophecy (ii. 1.) to that of his last, (x. 1.) Our learned chronologer, Bishop Lloyd, supposes him to have been carried into captivity, when he was about twenty years old: about ten years after we find him famed for his piety and wisdom, as appears from Ezek. xiv. 14. xxviii. 3. His last vision was in the third year of Cyrus, (Dan. x. 1.) at which time he was about ninety-four years of age, and it is not likely he lived much longer. There need not any thing be said concerning the three additions to Daniel, viz. The Song of the three Children, the History of Susannah, and of Bel and the Dragon: since they manifestly appear to have been the productions of Hellenists of later times, and accordingly are rejected as apocryphal, by St. Jerome, in the prefaces to his translation, and to his Commentary on Daniel, and by other ancient writers. The first chapter gives an account of the captivity of Daniel, and his companions, together with the manner of their education under the king of Babylon. That he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, &c] The Words may be better translated, even of the king’s seed; the conjunction copulative being often used by way of explication. (See Noldius’s Concordance, p. 27G. and the note upon Isa.li. 19.) And thus Isaiah’s prophecy was punctually fulfilled, xxxix. 7. as hath been observed in the Preface.

Daniel 1:1

JLNthe third year of the reign ofJehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem. The prophet Jeremiah makes the first year of Nebuchadnezzar coincident with the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and from thence begins the date of the seventy years’ captivity: (see Jer. i. 11. xxv. 1.) but here Daniel speaks of Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon in the third year of Jehoiakim. To this objection Dr. Prideaux gives an easy answer: (Script. Connex. par. i. p. CO.’ edit. 8vo.) That Daniel begins his computation from the time that Nebuchadnezzar was sent by his father on the expedition against Pharaoh-Nechoh, king of Egypt, which was towards the lat-’ ter end of the third year ofJehoiakim. In the beginning of the following year he conquered the Egyptians, which was the fourth year of Jehoiakim; (see Jer. xlvi. 2.) and in the latter end of the same year he came and besieged Jerusalem in the ninth month, according to the Jews’ account, who to this day keep a fast, on the eighteenth day of that month, in memory of this taking of Jerusalem. At which time Jehoiakim became tributary to the king of Babylon, and consequently the seventy years of captivity and vassalage to Babylon began. It has been observed in the notes upon Jer. xxv. 1. that the Scripture account of the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign anticipates the computation of Ptolemy’s Canon two years, which two years Nebuchadnezzar reigned with his father, as Josephus informs us from Berosus, Antiq. lib. x. cap. 11.

Daniel 1:2

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim into his hand. He took Jehoiakim prisoner, and put him in chains, with a design to carry him to Babylon: but he having humbled himself, and submitted to become his tributary, he was restored to his kingdom. (Comp. 2 Kings xxiv. 1. 2 Chron. xxvi. G.) And part of the vessels of the house of God.] See 2 Chron. xxxvi.7. compared with Dan. v. 2, 3. Some of the vessels were still left, which Nebuchadnezzar seized when he carried Jeconiah captive.. (See 2 Kings xxiv. 13. Jer. xxvii. Into the land of Shinar.] This was the original name of the country about Babylon, (Gen. xi. 2.) and it was still called by this name in some places of the prophets. (See Isa.xi. 11. Zcch. v.ll.)’ And he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god.] Of the idol Bel: (see Jer. 1. 2.) from whence they were taken by Cyrus, and delivered to Zcrubbabel, (Ezra i. 7, 8.) To this agrees the testimony of Berosus apud Josephum, (Antiq. lib. x. cap. 11.) who tells us, f* That Nebuchadnezzar adorned the temple of Be] with the spoils of war which he had taken in that expedition."

Daniel 1:3

And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, master of the eunuchs. One of the chief officers of his palace; the officers that attended about the persons of the eastern kings being commonly eunuchs: a custom still practised in the Ottoman court.

Daniel 1:4

Children in whom xuas no blemish, &c. He was directed to mako choice of such as had the best accomplishments both of body and mind, and were fit to give attendance in a king’s court. The word yeladim, children, is used in Scripture of such as, are past the years of childhood, as we now distinguish the parts of man’s life. It is applied,to Rehoboam’s counsellors, 1 Kings xii. 8. who cannot be thought mere children, since Rehoboam himself was of an advanced age.‘Nor can we suppose Daniel and his companions less than twenty years of age at this time, as may b’e’concluded from their being put into considerable posts in the government in a short time after, (ii. 48, 49.), IVhom they might teach the learning and tongue of the Chaldeans.’] Beside^ the study of politics and the art of war, thelearning chiefly valued among them was astrology, or the knowledge of the heavenly motions, the interpretation of dreams, and architecture. (See the notes upon ver. Tlie tongue of the Chaldeans.’] The same was likewise called the Syrian language. (See ii. 4.) Ver*. 5. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, &c] In like manner it was a custom of the Persian kings to feed their domestics with the remainder of their own tables. (See Athenaeus, lib. iv. cap. 10.)

Daniel 1:7

He gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar, &c. According to the name of his god, as Nebuchadnezzar himself derives the word, iv. 8. So the name was derived from Bel, the chief idol of Babylon, as Nebuchadnezzar had his own name from Nebo, another of their idols, mentioned Isa. xlvi. 1. and Evil-Merodach, his successor, was named from their idol Merodach, Jer. 1. 2. It is probable that the other names imposed upon DanieFs com-. panions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were derived from some of their idols. Misael/ix word derived from El, the name of the true God, may probably have been changed into Meshach, because Sac was an idol worshipped by the Chaldeans. (See the note upon Jer. xxv. 26.)

Daniel 1:8

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself With the portion of the king’s meat, Sec. It was the custom of most nations, before their meals, to make an oblation of some part of what they ate and drank to their gods, as a thankful acknowledgment, that every thing they enjoyed was their gift. These oblations were, called prosicice and libamina among the Romans; so that every entertainment had something in it of the nature of a sacrifice. This practice generally prevailing, made Daniel and his friends look upon the provisions coming from the king’s table as no better than meats offered to idols, and, by being so offered, to be accounted unclean and polluted. (See Ezek. iv. 13. Hos. ix. 3. compare with Acts xv. 20.) [The portion of the king’s meat.] The word in the Hebrew is path-bag: from whence Scaliger derives a the word iroTlfiamg, mentioned in Athenaeus as a dish served up to the table of the Persian kings, being a mixture of corn and wine together. See his notes upon Eusebius, p. 112.]

Daniel 1:9

Now God had brought Daniel into favour -with the prince of the eunuchs. See a liko instance of God’s care over Joseph, when he was a poor captive and prisoner, and destitute of all friends to support or comfort him: Gen. xxxix. 11. and compare Psal. cvi. 46.

Daniel 1:10

Than the children of your sort. Or, Of y out age; for so the word gile Signifies in the Arabic, and to this sense the Greek translation understands it.

Daniel 1:12

Let them give its pulse to eat. The Hebrew word zeronim signifies all sorts of garden roots or herbs. (See Isa. lxi. 11.)

Daniel 1:17

God gave them knowledge and skill in all leatning and wisdom. In all sorts of learning and knowledge: so that it became a proverb, Thou art wiser than Daniel, Ezek. xxviii. 3. They were particularly skilful in those parts of the Chaldean learning which were really useful, and might recommend them to the favour of the kings both of Babylon and Persia, and qualify them for places of [trust under them. So Moses’s education in the Egyptian learning, (Acts vii. 22.) fitted him to be a ruler of God’s people. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.] It was an opinion generally received in the early ages of the world, that dreams, when they were attended with unusual circumstances, did portend or signify some future event. This subject Tully handles at large in his first book de Divinatione, and alleges some very remarkable instances of that: kind. Homer speaks the general sense of his own age, when he saith, Kalyap t ovap tic Atbc ivrtvi even a dream comes from God. The authority of Joseph is still more ancient, who saith, Do not interprela* tions [of dreams] come from God? (Gen. xli. 8.) The next evidence, in point of antiquity, is the book of Job, where Eliphaz relates a night-vision he himself had, which in-’ strncted him in a truth of great importance, (Job iv. 12, &c. xxxiii. 14, 15.) Elihu affirms, that God speaks once, yea, twice to men — in a dream, in a vision of the night: which, indeed, was the common w r ay by which God revealed his will to the patriarchs of old, and afterward to the prophets. (See Gen. xxviii. 12, &c. xxxi. 11. Numb. xii. 6.) To descend to later times, the son of Siraeh, when he dis-: courses of the vanity of dreams, yet makes this exception, Unless they be sent from the Most High, (Ecelus. xxxiv.

Daniel 1:18

At the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in. At the end of three years. (See ver. 5.)

Daniel 1:19

Therefore they stood before the king. They were in continual attendance in the king’s court. So Joseph stood before Pharaoh, Gen. xli. 4G. The same expression is used of Elijah and Jeremiah, as God’s servants and messengers, 1 Kings xvii. 1. Jer. xv. 19. and the Levites are said to stand before the congregation, to minister to them, Numb. xvi. 9.

Daniel 1:20

He found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in’ all his realm. The words may be understood of those that employed themselves in the lawful search of natural causes and effects, and of the regular motions of the heavenly bodies. For when Daniel made intercession to the captain of the guard, that the wise men of Babylon might not be slain, (ii. 24.) wc cannot suppose all of them were such as studied unlawful arts and uiyuize d by Mic F Uz>Ull VtV CHAP. II J UPON DANIEL. sciences, since he himself was afterward made master or head over them: (ii. 48.) and if no part of the Chaldean learning might lawfully be studied, they that would not defile tJiemselves with the Icing’s meat, would have refused to be instructed in that way of education which he had appointed, as St. Jerome observes upon ver. 8. In like manner, the wise men mentioned Matt. ii. 1. called Mayot in the original, may be supposed such as employed themselves in observing the motions of the heavenly bodies, and might reasonably suppose that the new star they had seen, in that region of the heavens which the astrologers appropriated to Judea, did portend the birth of that Prince whom the Jews expected should be born about this time, arid had spread such an expectation over a great part of the world: as a learned prelate hath lately slaved, in his Defence of Christianity from the ancient Prophecies, chap. 1. [Astrologers.) The word in the Hebrew is Assaphim, which coming near in sound to the Greek 2o0ot, hath made some conjecture that it was derived from thence. But the true derivation of it is either from the verb tsapha, or sapha, signifying to view carefully, from whence comes the word tspphim, watchmen, a name given to the prophets: or else from tsaphah, to hide, from whence the author of Ecelesiastieus derives the Greek sophia; wisdom, saith he, is according to her name, and she is not manifest unto many: (vi. 22.) Sec the Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield’s Vindication, book i. chap.l. sect. 2.] Vcr. 21. And Daniel continued.even to the first year of king Cyrus.] He lived to see the overthrow of the. Babylonish monarchy by Cyrus: which made way for the fulfilling of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the seventy weeks, in the return of the Jews from their captivity; which was accomplished in the first year of king Cyrus: (Ezra i. 1.) for the accomplishment of which prophecy wc find Daniel very solicitous, ix. 1, 2. This being so remarkable a year, the text takes notice that Daniel lived so long: not but that he lived longer, at least till the third year of Cyrus, as appears from x. 1. The word unto, or until, does not always exclude the time following the period mentioned* (See Psal. ex. 1. cxii. 8.)