Daniel 10:13

The opposition, for 21 days (cf. Daniel 10:2), of the -prince," i.e. the patron-angel, of Persia, prevented the dazzling being from reaching Daniel sooner.

the prince of the kingdom of Persia its patron- or guardian-angel. The doctrine of tutelary angels, presiding over the destinies of particular nations, though there appears a trace of the idea in Isaiah 24:21, and according to some commentators, in Psalms 82, is found for the first time distinctly in the O.T. in this prophecy of Dan. (Daniel 10:13; Daniel 10:20-21; Daniel 11:1; Daniel 12:1). In the earlier books of the O.T. angels appear merely as the -messengers" of Jehovah, with little or no personal character or distinctness of their own: in the later books of the O.T. grades and differences begin to be recognised among them; particular angels are appropriated to particular purposes or functions; and they begin to receive individual names (see below). The origin of the idea of patron-angels is matter of conjecture: even as applied to Israel, it evidently signifies more than is implied in such passages as Exodus 23:20; Exodus 23:23; Exodus 32:34; Exodus 33:2 (which speak of an angel leading Israel to its home in Canaan). According to some (see the art. Angel in the Encycl. Biblica, col. 108), they are the ancient -gods of the nations," which, according to Deuteronomy 29:26 (cf. Daniel 4:19), are -allotted" by Jehovah to the several peoples of the earth, transformed into -angels," under the teachings of a more consistent monotheism, for the purpose of being more distinctly subordinated to Him; according to others (see the art. Angel in Hastings" Dict. of the Bible, p. 96 b), the idea is due to the tendencies which arose in later times, (1) of conceiving God as ruling the world by intermediate agencies, and (2) of personifying abstract conceptions, such as the -spirit," or genius, of a nation, and of locating such personified forces in the supersensible world, whence they ruled the destinies of men. Other passages in which the same idea is found are Sir 17:17 ἑκάστῳ ἔθνει κατέστησεν ἡγούμενον); and Deuteronomy 32:8 LXX. (-he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God[אל for ישראל]," a reading thought by some moderns to be the original). The later Jews developed the doctrine further, teaching, for instance, that each of the 70 nations mentioned in Genesis 10 had its Angel-Prince, who defended its interests, and pleaded its cause with God (cf. the Targ. of Ps.-Jon. on Genesis 11:7-8 and Deuteronomy 32:8; and Weber, System der Altsynag. Theol., p. 165 f.).

Michael the patron-angel of the Jews (Daniel 10:21; Daniel 12:1). The idea of the passage is that the fortunes of nations are determined by the angels representing them in heaven: the success or failure of these regulating the success or failure of the nations themselves. Cf. Isaiah 24:21.

As was remarked in the last note but one, it is not till the later books of the O.T. that angels begin to receive names. The only angels mentioned by name in O.T. and N.T. are -the Satan" (i.e. the unfriendly Opposer or Thwarter: see Davidson's note on Job 1:6), Job 1-2, Zec 3:1-2, 1 Chronicles 21:1 [alteredfrom the parallel, 2 Samuel 24:1], and frequently in the N.T.; Michael, here and Daniel 10:21; Daniel 12:1; Judges 9; Revelation 12:7; and Gabriel, Daniel 8:16; Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19; Luke 1:26.

In the extra-canonical books other names of angels appear. Thus in the Book of Tobit, an angel Raphael is named, who, disguised as a man, performs various offices for Tobit and Tobias (Tob 3:17, Tob 5:4, &c.); in Tob 12:15 (cf. Daniel 10:12), he is said to be -one of the seven holy angels [cf. Enoch lxxxi. 5 -those seven holy ones," xc. 21, 22] which present the prayers of the saints" to God. In 2 (4) Esdr. 4:1, 5:20, 10: 28, Uriel is mentioned; and in Daniel 4:36 (R.V.) Jeremiel, the -archangel." In the book of Enoch many names of angels occur: in ix. 1 [see the Greek text, in Charles" ed., p. 333] and elsewhere, Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel; in xx. 1 7 (p. 356f., Charles) the names and offices of seven principal angels, or -archangels," are enumerated (Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Sariel, Gabriel, and Remeiel); in xl. 2 10, those of four principal angels, called here -presences" (cf. Isaiah 63:9), Michael, Rufael (Raphael), Gabriel, and Phanuel (פנואל): the names of many fallen angels, who seduced the children of men (Genesis 6:2; Genesis 6:5), are also given (vi. 7, viii. 1 3, lxix. 1 15, &c.). See, further, on the names and functions of angels in the later Jewish Angelology, Weber, l. c.p. 161 ff.; Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus, ii. 745 ff.; and cf. A. B. Davidson's art. Angel in Hastings" Dict. of the Bible.

one of the chief princes The reference is evidently to some group of superior angels, or (to adopt the later Greek expression) -archangels." In the book of Enoch, as has just been shewn, sometimes four angels (see esp. xl. 2 9), sometimes seven, are distinguished above the rest. Among the later Jews (Edersheim, l.c.p. 748 f.; Midrash Rabbaon Numbers 2:20) Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael were usually regarded as the four principal angels, privileged to stand immediately about the throne of God; but seven are mentioned, not only in Enoch xx. 1 7, lxxxi. 5, xc. 21, but also in Tob 12:15 (see the last note), and Revelation 8:2 (-the seven angels which stand before God"); and probably these seven are alluded to here. Cf. Judges 9, where Michael is called the -archangel."

Michael is the warrior-angel (cf. Revelation 12:7), whose special office it is to protect the interests of Israel; in Enoch xx. 5 he is described as ὁ εῖς τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ὃς ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγαθῶν τέτακται [καὶ] ἐπὶ τῷ λαῷ; in the Assumption of Moses x. 2 (ed. Charles, 1897) he appears to be the -angel" who avenges Israel on their enemies at the end of the world; in the legend quoted in Judges 9 (see the patristic quotations, in Charles, l. c.p. 106 ff.), it is he who, as the angelic patron of Israel, defends the body of Moses against the devil (who claims it on the ground that Moses has been guilty of the murder of the Egyptians). For other extra-Biblical references to Michael, see Hastings" Dict. of the Bible, s. v.

remained there properly, was left over there(the word used implying that others had departed, or been destroyed, Genesis 32:24; 1 Samuel 30:9; 1 Kings 19:10; Amos 6:9), though the meaning of the expression here is far from certain. According to some it is simply I remained there, which, however, does not do justice to the word used; according to v. Lengerke, Ges., and Keil, it is I had the superiority, i.e. obtained the victory (cf. Luther, da behielt ich den Sieg), the -prince" of Persia having been, at least temporarily (see Daniel 10:20), disabled; according to Ewald, it is I was superfluous there, i.e. (R.V. marg.) I was no longer needed. Meinh. and Behrm. follow LXX. and Theod. in reading and I left him there(הותרתיו for נותרתי); but this verb means not to leavesimply, but to leave overor remaining(viz. from what has been taken elsewhere, Ezekiel 39:28, or destroyed, Exodus 10:15; Exodus 16:19 al.): so that it is doubtful whether it would here be suitable. Perhaps, on the whole, we may acquiesce in the rend. was left over(viz. in the conflict): the -prince of Persia," for the time, succumbed; the angel, with Michael's aid, overcame his opposition, and so was able to come to Daniel.

beside (Nehemiah 8:4) the kings of Persia Both the plural, and also the statement itself that the angel, after his conflict, should have found himself -beside" the kings of Persia, are strange. It is probable that we should read (with LXX., Meinh., Behrm.) -beside the prince ofthe kings of Persia."