_Also I, in the first year of Darius_, &c. This verse should have been joined to the last chapter. The meaning of what the angel here says is, that from the time that Daniel addressed those ardent prayers to God about the affairs of his people, mentioned chap. 9., which was in _the first year of Dar... [ Continue Reading ]
_And now I will show thee the truth_ Now I will show thee future things plainly, not enigmatically, or under symbolical representations. Here this chapter should begin: what goes before should be added to the former chapter. _Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia_ “According to the... [ Continue Reading ]
_And a mighty king shall stand up_, &c. Namely, from among the Grecians; _that shall rule with great dominion_ This is evidently descriptive of Alexander the Great; of the rapidity and success of whose conquests: See on Daniel 7:6; Daniel 8:5. His success was indeed universal, none being able to put... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the king of the south_, &c. “Though the kingdom of Alexander was divided into four principal parts, yet only two of them have a place in this prophecy, Egypt and Syria. These two were by far the greatest and most considerable, and at one time were, in a manner, the only remaining kingdoms of th... [ Continue Reading ]
_And in the end of years_ That is, after several years, for these wars lasted long. _They shall join themselves together_ Shall enter into a league or confederacy with each other. _For the king's daughter of the south_, &c. They agreed to make peace, upon condition that Antiochus Theus should put aw... [ Continue Reading ]
_But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up_ One of the same stock, or original, with Berenice, namely, her brother, Ptolemy Euergetes, shall succeed his father in the government of Egypt, and shall revenge his sister's quarrel, by invading the territories of Seleucus Callinicus, then reign... [ Continue Reading ]
_But his sons shall be stirred up_ “The sons of Seleucus Callinicus were Seleucus and Antiochus, the elder of whom, Seleucus, succeeded him in the throne, and, to distinguish him from others of the same name, was denominated _Ceraunus_, or _the thunderer._ He was indeed _stirred up_, and _assembled... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the king of the south shall be moved with choler_ The LXX. render it αγριανθησεται, _shall be made wild_, or _frantic;_ namely, at the successes of Antiochus, and the revolt of his friends. This is spoken of Ptolemy Philopater, who was king of Egypt at that time, being advanced to the crown upo... [ Continue Reading ]
_When he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up_ This is a description of the effect which this victory would have on Ptolemy, namely, to puff him up with pride and insolence: and so we are informed it did; for being freed by it from his fears, he now more freely indulged his lu... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the king of the north shall return_ It is here foretold that the war should be renewed between the two kings of the north and south, and that it should be begun by the former, who should attempt another invasion of Egypt. This came to pass accordingly, about fourteen years after. For Antiochus,... [ Continue Reading ]
_There shall many stand up against the king of the south_ “Antiochus was not the only one who rose up against young Ptolemy: others also confederated with him. Agathocles was in possession of the young king's person; and he was so dissolute and proud in the exercise of his power, that the provinces... [ Continue Reading ]
_So the king of the north shall come and take the most fenced cities_ It was in the absence of Antiochus that these advantages were obtained by the arms of Egypt; but his presence soon turned the scale, and changed the whole face of affairs: for being concerned to recover Judea, and the cities of Cœ... [ Continue Reading ]
_He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom_ Or rather, _He shall also set his face to enter, by force, the whole kingdom: and upright ones with him; thus shall he do_ If this translation be right, the _upright ones_ here intended are the Jews who marched under his ba... [ Continue Reading ]
_After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many_ After entering into this alliance, Antiochus fitted out a formidable fleet of one hundred large ships of war, and two hundred other lesser vessels, with a view to reduce under his power the maritime places of Asia, Thrace, and G... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land_ The word rendered _fort_, מעוזי, is plural, and would be more properly rendered, the _fortresses._ It is intended to signify, that he should return after the battle to some of his fortified towns. And accordingly we find that he fled away... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then shall stand up in his estate_ Hebrew, על כנו, _on his base;_ Vulgate, _in his place;_ or, _shall succeed him; a raiser of taxes in the glory of his kingdom_ Or, as in the margin, _one that causeth an exacter to pass over_, &c., that is, one who will send the tribute-gatherers through his kingd... [ Continue Reading ]
_And in his estate shall stand up a vile person_ This is a description of Antiochus Epiphanes, the great persecutor of the Jewish nation and religion. He is here called a _vile person_, not for any want of wit or parts, but for the extravagance of his life and actions, which made many doubt whether... [ Continue Reading ]
_And with the arms of a flood_, &c. By _arms_ here is signified force, or strength, and by an inundation, or _flood_, a great army. By which is here to be understood the forces of Attalus and Eumenes, who favoured Antiochus: by these they should be _overflown_, and broken, who were his competitors f... [ Continue Reading ]
_For he shall stir up his power, &c., against the king of the south_ By the king of the south is meant the king of Egypt, namely, Ptolemy Philometor, who demanded the surrender of Cœlosyria to him, as by right belonging to him, through virtue of the marriage articles between Ptolemy Epiphanes and Cl... [ Continue Reading ]
_And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table_ Antiochus and Ptolemy Philometor often met together at Memphis, and frequently ate at the same table as friends, Antiochus pretending to take care of the interests of his nephew Philometor, especially afte... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then shall he return into his land with great riches_ Namely, with the spoils taken in Egypt, which were of immense value. _And his heart shall be against the holy covenant_ “While he was absent in Egypt a false report was spread of his death; and Jason, thinking this a favourable opportunity for r... [ Continue Reading ]
_At the time appointed_ Namely, by God. At the time determined by the divine providence, _he shall return and come toward the south_ He shall march into Egypt again. Antiochus perceiving that his fine-woven policy was unravelled, and that the two brothers, Philometor and Euergetes, instead of wastin... [ Continue Reading ]
_And arms shall stand on his part_ His arms shall so prevail as to make an entire conquest of the Jews, to profane the temple, and cause the daily service performed there to cease: see note Daniel 8:11; and compare 1Ma 1:39; and 2Ma 5:2-5. The temple is here called _the sanctuary of strength_, eithe... [ Continue Reading ]
_Such as do wickedly shall he corrupt by flatteries_ This is a declaration, that there would be many wicked persons who would be enticed to this idolatry by Antiochus's persuasions. Jason and Menelaus, who were made high-priests by Antiochus for a sum of money, afterward became his instruments, and... [ Continue Reading ]
_They that understand, &c., shall instruct many_ They that know their duty, and are zealous in doing it, that are holy in heart and life, shall instruct many in the righteous ways of God, and keep them from apostacy when others fall off. Such were Mattathias and his family, Malachi 2:1; Malachi 2:1,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now when they shall fall_ When they shall lie quite overcome and oppressed with these great miseries; _they shall be holpen with a little help_ This was fulfilled by Mattathias and his five sons, who, in the height of their misery, stood up with most wonderful zeal and courage, to oppose these crue... [ Continue Reading ]
_Some of them of understanding shall fall_ Some of the principal men for piety and knowledge shall fall under this persecution, and suffer grievous miseries and torments: see Daniel 11:33. _To try them, and to purge_, &c. For the trial of their faith and patience, and to purge them from those corrup... [ Continue Reading ]
_The king shall do according to his will_ He shall act arbitrarily; or, all things shall succeed for a time according to his wish; _and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god_ Antiochus, as heathen authors have recorded, plundered almost all the temples of the gods which he came... [ Continue Reading ]
_Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers_ The god or gods worshipped in his own native country, namely, Syria. He made laws to abolish the religion of his country, and to bring in the idols of the Greeks. And though his predecessors had honoured the God of Israel, and given great gifts to the... [ Continue Reading ]
_But in his estate_ Or _jurisdiction._ The LXX. render it, επι τοπου αυτου, _in his place shall he honour the god of forces_ Literally, _the god Mahuzzim._ This seems to be either Jupiter Olympus, never introduced among the Syrians till Antiochus did it, or, as others rather suppose, Mars, the god o... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thus shall he do in the most strong holds_ Or, _fortresses of Mahuzzim; with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge_ The temple of Jerusalem, called _the sanctuary of strength_, (Daniel 11:31, where the same word _Mahuz_ is used: see also Psalms 27:5,) seems to be here intended by the _most stron... [ Continue Reading ]
_And at the time of the end_ At the determined time, or when the time shall approach that God will put an end to these miseries of the Jews; _shall the king of the south push at him_ The king of the south, through all this prophecy, appears evidently to signify the king of Egypt, and if it be so int... [ Continue Reading ]
_He shall enter into the glorious or pleasant land_ By this title it is beyond a doubt Judea is signified, chap. Daniel 8:9, and therefore it is reasonable to conclude Judea is meant here; and this seems to be spoken of Antiochus's sending his captains Apollonius, Lysius, and Gorgias into the land o... [ Continue Reading ]
_He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries_ Namely, upon the countries near to Egypt, as well as upon Egypt itself. Some think that the occasion of Antiochus's coming into Egypt this third time was a quarrel between Ptolemy Philometor and his brother Physcon, who set up against him; an... [ Continue Reading ]
_But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him_ Historians relate, that the Parthians on the east, and the Armenians on the north, declared war against Antiochus about the same time; so that this may very reasonably be supposed to relate to this fact. _And he shall plant the tab... [ Continue Reading ]