DANIEL CHAPTER 8 Daniel's vision of the ram and he goat, DANIEL 8:1. The days of suspension of the daily sacrifice, and desolation of the sanctuary, DANIEL 8:13,14. Gabriel comforteth Daniel, and interpreteth the vision, DANIEL 8:15. This follows then in time after the former. Those things that were... [ Continue Reading ]
I WAS AT SHUSHAN; in his mind and thoughts, not bodily, and was by the river Ulai: some think he was locally there, being sent thither in embassy by Cyrus; but Daniel was now at Babylon, when it was besieged and taken, DA 5; he was only there in spirit, as the prophet Ezekiel saith he was in Jerusal... [ Continue Reading ]
WHICH HAD TWO HORNS; by which is meant the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, as it is in DANIEL 8:20, where it is so interpreted. Before he was called a BEAR, and here a RAM, both noting the same thing, though by different expressions. A ram because he is a fighting creature, pushing. THE TWO HORNS... [ Continue Reading ]
WESTWARD, i.e. towards Babylon, Syria, Cappadocia. Asia the Less, and Greece, all westward from Media and Persia; for the Persians under Darius and Xerxes made war against Greece. NORTHWARD, i.e. against the Armenians, Iberians, Lydians, Colchi, Cusptans. SOUTHWARD, i.e. against Ethiopia, Arabia, Eg... [ Continue Reading ]
AN HE-GOAT; Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia and all Greece, called a he-goat because the Greeks were called \'c6geans, as was their sea, that country and its islands abounding in goats, as the word signifies, goatish. The word HE-GOAT signifies a YOUNG HE-GOAT; for so was Alexander, called _p... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RAM THAT HAD TWO HORNS, i.e. the king of Media and Persia, and joined battle presently and furiously, Jehu like.... [ Continue Reading ]
BRAKE HIS TWO HORNS: Artaxerxes Mnemon, by aiding Cyrus against him and then Darius Codomanus; these are the two horns, or the Medes and Persians. CAST HIM DOWN TO THE GROUND, AND STAMPED UPON HIM; he overthrew him utterly, that he could never rise again. This was at the Granicus, Issus, and Arbela.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HE-GOAT WAXED VERY GREAT, by conquering all the Eastern empire and power, even to India. THE GREAT HORN WAS BROKEN: this was the mighty power of the Lord of hosts, who is higher than the highest, and stronger than the strongest, though they seem invincible. _Verily every man at his best estate i... [ Continue Reading ]
A LITTLE HORN; the little horn was Antiochus Epiphanes, he arose out of the Seleucidae of Syria; called a little horn, 1. Because he was much less than Alexander, called a notable horn; DANIEL 8:5. 2. Little, because he was the youngest of his brethren. 3. He was held a prisoner and pledge at Rom... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN TO THE HOST OF HEAVEN, i.e. the church of God militant, who worship the God of heaven, who are citizens of heaven, whose names are written in heaven; and among these chiefly the priests, and nobles, and champions, who were as stars shining above the rest; these he profaned and slew cruelly.... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN TO THE PRINCE OF THE HOST; not only against the high priest Onias, whom he put from his priesthood, and sold the high priesthood, /APC 2MAC 4, but against God himself, which showed his daring insolence, and God's patience and permission, for the sins of his people. BY HIM THE DAILY SACRIFICE WA... [ Continue Reading ]
BY REASON OF TRANSGRESSION, i.e. either the transgression of the priests, for Jason perfidiously took away the priesthood from his brother Onias, and afterwards Menelaus did the like by him. Or else for the sin of the people about the worship of God. Or else Antiochus wickedly and in contempt of God... [ Continue Reading ]
By the first SAINT is meant a holy angel, by the other is meant Jesus Christ, PALMONI, a NUMBERER OR REVEALER OF SECRETS, a wonderful revealer, ISAIAH 9:6. Of him the angel asks this secret concerning the calamity of the church, how long it would last, for Daniel's sake and his people. For the Lord... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SAID UNTO ME, i.e. that angel unnamed. Why did he speak to Daniel, and not to the angel that asked him? Because Daniel, and the church to which he related and was to communicate the answer, was most concerned in it, and the angel that asked the question did it upon their account. UNTO TWO THOUSAN... [ Continue Reading ]
Having obtained the favour of knowing something, he longed for a more clear discovery of those things; and he had his desire granted. AS THE APPEARANCE OF A MAN; either the angel Gabriel or Michael, who appeared often in the shape of men, and are the messengers of God in the great things concerning... [ Continue Reading ]
A MAN'S VOICE, i.e. of him but now before mentioned, namely, Christ. TO UNDERSTAND THE VISION, i.e. by declaring it more plainly to him: this shows Christ to be God, in commanding and sending his angel. Gabriel signifies the strength of God.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE CAME NEAR, that he might speak more familiarly to him, yet Daniel could not bear the glory of it, MATTHEW 17:6. How much less can we bear the glory of God! and how graciously hath the Lord dealt with us to teach us by men, and not by angels! and how vain are they who aspire to a converse with ang... [ Continue Reading ]
IN A DEEP SLEEP ON MY FACE TOWARD THE GROUND; being terrified and astonished with the splendour and grandeur both of the messenger and message; by the sight and by the voice. Set me upright, by one touch only. The power of spirits is incomparably greater than the strongest of men. Carnal, and flesh... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE LAST END OF THE INDIGNATION, i.e. that God will raise up Antiochus to execute his wrath against the Jews for their sins, and that yet there shall be an end of that INDIGNATION; God will have the end of his intention, and the end of his execution, in all his severe providences relating to his... [ Continue Reading ]
Or the kingdom, DANIEL 7:17.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KING OF GRECIA; of Javan, or Ion, or Joan, which properly is Asia the Less, which was inhabited by Javan, GENESIS 10:2, but spread over all Greece, and all spake Greek, and the sea was thence called the Ionian Sea, See more in Bochart. THE FIRST KING, i.e. Alexander the Great; called the Great f... [ Continue Reading ]
BEING BROKEN, i.e. by death, which breaks the horn of all pride and earthly glory. FOUR STOOD UP FOR IT, i.e. four kingdoms of the nations of the Greeks. NOT IN HIS POWER; that is, not in his majesty and magnificence, but inferior to him.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE LATTER TIME OF THEIR KINGDOM, i.e. when they were come to the height, and beginning to decline. It notes that time when the Romans began to seize part of the Grecian kingdom, by Emilius Probus, who subdued Perseus king of Macedonia, and thereby brought all Greece under the Roman jurisdiction;... [ Continue Reading ]
NOT BY HIS OWN POWER; not by any heroic deeds, or truly regal qualities, but by making use of the Jewish factions, and also through the Divine permission, and commission given him to punish a backsliding, degenerate nation; lastly, by the help of Eumenes and Attalus, by whose means and help he got u... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SHALL CAUSE CRAFT TO PROSPER IN HIS HAND; he shall contrive many devices, and most of them shall take; he shall be a great master of those kinds of artifices: all to circumvent and destroy, as beasts and birds of prey have a kind of craft to compass and then devour their prey. HE SHALL MAGNIFY HI... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VISION IS TRUE, i.e. of the two thousand three hundred days before, DANIEL 8:14. This exposition of it is true, plain, and certain. and therefore to be believed and seriously minded. Shut thou up the vision; lay it up in thy heart, keep it secret, reveal it to none till it be fulfilled. He doth... [ Continue Reading ]
WAS SICK CERTAIN DAYS; greatly afflicted, to consider the sad calamity that should befall the poor people of God. This he did in compassion and sympathy with his people, upon whom these sufferings should fall. 2. Under the dreadful apprehensions of God's wrath, provoked by his people's sins, which... [ Continue Reading ]