In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; Ver. 1. _In the first year of Darius,_] _i.e., _ Of Darius Priseus, who, together with Cyrus the Persian, took Babylon, and with it the kingdom or monarchy of the Chaldea... [ Continue Reading ]
In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Ver. 2. _I Daniel understood by books._] _Consideravi in libris._ Daniel was a grea... [ Continue Reading ]
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: Ver. 3. _And I set my face unto the Lord God,_] _i.e., _ Toward the habitation of his holiness at Jerusalem, but especially in heaven. I looked up unto the hills from whence I looked fo... [ Continue Reading ]
And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; Ver. 4. _And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession._] The saints themselves, when th... [ Continue Reading ]
_We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:_ Ver. 5. _We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled._] Mark how full in the mouth the good prophet is, an... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. Ver. 6. _Neither have we hearkened._] Sins of omission are in a special manner to be lamented in prayer; Jeremiah 9:1 _; Jeremiah 9:10_ _;... [ Continue Reading ]
O Lord, righteousness [belongeth] unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, [that are] near, and [that are] far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that... [ Continue Reading ]
_O Lord, to us [belongeth] confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee._ Ver. 8. _O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face._] The same again is acknowledged, not without a special emphasis, _q.d., _ We are extremely abashed and abased to... [ Continue Reading ]
To the Lord our God [belong] mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; Ver. 9. _To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses._] Matchless mercies, pardons ready prepared for poor penitents, not for proud Pharisees, such as Bellarmine was, if at least it be true that is... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Ver. 10. _Neither have we obeyed._] See on Daniel 9:6 . _ The voice of the Lord our God_] It is the Lord who speaketh in and by his ministers. This because men either kno... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that [is] written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. Ver. 11. _Yea, all Israel._] There is a general defecti... [ Continue Reading ]
And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. Ver. 12. _And he hath confirmed his words._] What he had spoken with his mouth he hath... [ Continue Reading ]
As [it is] written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. Ver. 13. _All this evil is come upon us._] But unless God set in and sanctify, his hammers (afflictions) do bu... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God [is] righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. Ver. 14. _Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil._] To bring it at the just time, and when it might do us most mischief, bu... [ Continue Reading ]
And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. Ver. 15. _And now, O Lord God, that hast brought thy people._] Thanksgiving is an artificial begging; and ever... [ Continue Reading ]
O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people [are become] a reproach to all [that are] about us. Ver. 16. _O L... [ Continue Reading ]
Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. Ver. 17. _Now therefore, O our God._] Since thou hast shown us our sins, and seen our reproach, whereof we are sure thou art very se... [ Continue Reading ]
O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. Ver. 18. _O my God, incline thine ear and hear; open thine eyes, and... [ Continue Reading ]
O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. Ver. 19. _O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive._] This was to pray, yea, this was to strive in prayer; Luk 13:12 to strive, as those of old did, in the Grecia... [ Continue Reading ]
_And whiles I [was] speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;_ Ver. 20. _And whilst I was speaking and praying._] When, haply, I had now new done; and yet not so done but that... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, whiles I [was] speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. Ver. 21. _Yea; whilst I was speaking in prayer._] This he recogniseth and celebrateth as a sweet and singular... [ Continue Reading ]
And he informed [me], and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. Ver. 22. _And he informed me, and talked with me._] Rather than the saints shall want information and comfort, God will spare one out of his own train to do them any good office;... [ Continue Reading ]
At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew [thee]; for thou [art] greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Ver. 23. _At the beginning of thy supplications._] Thy prayer was scarce in thy mouth ere it was in God's ear. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy._ Ver. 24. _Seventy... [ Continue Reading ]
Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. Ver. 25. _Know, therefore, and un... [ Continue Reading ]
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. Ver. 26. _And after threescor... [ Continue Reading ]
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. V... [ Continue Reading ]