gave into favor . . . before the prince," etc. ;
~~~i '~: is exactly the Greek hSuwi' ti,- t'/'o-
Kru "cvn.iuor (Theodot. ). On this subject compare
Gen. xxxLX. 21 ; also Xeh. i. 1 1 ; 1 Kings viii. 50.
— Versa 10. I fear my lord, the king, etc. The
prina? of the eunuchs does not, in these words,
positively refuse the favor which Daniel seeks,
but intimates that in order to avoid the royal
displeasure, he must render at lea.st a formal
and apparent obedience to the command he had
received ; aside from this, he shows his readi- 1
ness to exercise every possible forbearance j
towards his wards. The remark in verse 9 that
God had brought Daniel into the favor of the
prince is, therefore, by no means in conflict
with the tenor of this reply. — For why should
he see, etc. The .same turn as in Cant. i. 7, i
where the poetical ~"^'r stands for Ti"S«
'"''??, and where, similarly, the question ex-
presses the sense of an emphatic negation (cf.
2 Chron. xxxii. 4; Ezra vii. 23). — Your faces
worse liking, etc. -"?".T, properly "««(/, low-
ering, of a peevish appearance " (Gen. xl. G ; cf.
^"??. xl. 7), here implying a meager and decayed
appearance, exactly like the Greek mi'^puTrd,-,
Matt. vi. IG. ['â–  ^;B is to be understood before
3'""'''. according to the compnratio decnrtata
frequently found in Hebrew ; cf. Psa. iv. 8 ;
xviii. 34. etc."— A'( (•;.]— Then shall ye make
me endanger my head to the king j properly,
" and ye shall endanger." sr^^rr; [and ye cause
(<â– ' f<J>'fr'if- a Chaldaizing Piel from;:|n], is co-
ordinated with ~?<"':''., and like it depends on

~"^ ""'t-'?^ ; therefore: "for why should he
aee . . . and ye endanger my head," etc. On

cause, ar:.^ing fr.-ni an ap!>rehensinn of the stimulating
effect of the highh-seasoned fooil, especially if they were
imdcr surgical treatment.)



the phrase " to endanger the head," compare
Iliad, iv. 162, a~nr}oai g'w KKpa'Af]^ and the Ger-
man, ^'den Kopf iienrirkeii."

Verses 11-lG. Danitfs abstemiouxness, and iU
consequences. Then said Daniel to Melzar.
"^?r?~, as the prefixed article shjws, is not a
proper name, but an appellative, and probably
designates an official. It can, however, scarcely
mean a pedagogue or president of alumni, as
Hitzig suggests, but rather a "butler" or
"steward," as appears from the nearly identical
Persian mekor, "vini princeps" (according to
Haug a compound word from the Zend, madhu
=u{tiv^ "drink," and fara^^Kapa, "head");
compare aiJ,\iriyiii/.nor, John ii. 8, 9), — [and
npcri, Isa, xxxvi. 2]. Verse 12. Prove thy
servants, I beseech thee, ten days. The
number ten, which was constantly employed as
a round number (ci. verse 20; Zech. viii. 23;
2 Kings XX. 8, et seq. ; and generally my I'heo-
logia NaturalU^ i. 713 et seq.), was the more
suitable in this case, as it was " sufiiciently
large to leave traces of the change of food in
the appearance of the young men, yet not too
great for a mere experiment" (Hitzig). — Give
us (only) pulse to eat. Concerning CsSt, tege-
tables, pulse, see on verse 8. — Verse 13. And as
thou seest, deal with thy servants; i.e., ac-
cording to the result of thy observations. On
rs^ri with ?.s«>e, see Ewald, Lehrbiich, % 224, c.
— Verse 15. Fatter in flesh. The youth them-
selves, and not merely their faces, are the sub-
jects of this predicate; for neither Sri'HI':
nor 13"'»-i'3 can be regarded as plurals. The
plural 5i»n>2 can nowhere be poiuted out, and
finds no support in Ecc. xi. 9 (cf. the exegetical
notes on that passage, and also Hiivemick on
Daniel, p. 30). — Verse 1(5. Thus Melzar took
away the portion of their meat, and the wine
that they drank; better, '-and the steward
(henceforth) took away their appointed food
and wine.' '^^''^. is "not introductory, but in
connection with the participle expresses the
duration" (Hitzig). The continuation of their
treatment on this wise by the steward is re-
marked in order that the improvement in the
condition of the youth, already mentioned as
apparent in verse 15, may be more strikingly
brought out.— On the question whether the
narrative aims to represent this fact as miracu-
hua, as well as concerning its ethical importance,
see the dogmatico-ethical considerations [below].
Verse 17. The great endowments of Danid and
his companions. — As for these four children,
God gave them knowledge and skill, etc. ;
properly, "And God gave . . . to these four,''
etc. Luther's rendering, "And the God of
these four gave them," is inexact. On the pre-
cedence of the remote object in the nominative,
followed by a personal pronoun in the dative
(here onb), compare the examples adduced by
Ewald, § 309, a, b.— In all learning and wis-
dom. — 1E0, as in verse 4, " literary knowledge,
acquaintance with literature, erudition" (Theo-
dotion, ypaunnriK)/). — And Daniel had imder-
standing in all visions and dreams. It was.



62



THE PROPHET DANIEL.



therefore, his acquaintance with oneirocritics
that disting-uished him above his companions,
who must also be regarded as wise and highly
cultured. This was clearly a miraculous gift,
which was intimately connected with his X"!""/^"
iTi«i0iiTthvi\ but must not be confounded with it ;
for the skill to interpret the dreams and visions
of others, is certainly different from the gift of
seeing prophetical dreams and visions in person.
Still, as the second half of the book shows, the
possession of the latter faculty by our prophet
presumed the existence of the former ; just as
in the New Testament the divinely-bestowed
power to interpret tongues and prove spirits
goes hand in hand with the power to speak in
tongues and prophesy, in the case of the truly
great bearers of the Divine Spirit, e.g., St. Paul
(1 Cor. xiv. 6 et seq.), St. Peter (Acts v. 3; viii.
20; X. 10, etc.).— liTn-ira 1^:n is the same
construction as in verse 4 : n?3rn";33 D^i^3— Oi
compare Ewald, § 217, 2. ;■;, however, does
not belong only to liT~, but also to "iabri]
following. "All visions and dreams" are all
possible ones, of every imaginable kind.

Verses 18-20. Favorable issue of their ex-
amination before the king. Now at the end of
the days. Von Lengerke's rendering, " and
toward the end of the time," is incorrect. —
^'*^?~?, "to bring them," viz.: into the pres-
ence of the king. Hence not the same as »^n~
in verse 3.— The prince . . . brought them in
before Nebuchadnezzar. Tliem—uot merely
the four (verse 17), but, as may be inferred
from ver. I'J, all those Israelitish youths, verse
1 o. — And among them aU was none found like
Daniel, etc., either in physical beauty, or in
marked mental excellencies. — Therefore stood
they before th3 king, i.e., they became his
servants. " T?" is inceptive ; they entered the
royal service, and continued in it afterwards "
(Hitzig). — Verse 20. And in all matters of
wisdom and understanding; literally, "the
discernment of wisdom" (~;'3 ~'?t"; some-
thing like CBCK) rpn, Num. xxvii. 11 ; cf. Psa.
Iv. 24). "'p^n. however, is here, as in verse 4,
employed exclusively in the sense of objective
irist/om, which is essenti.ally the same as science ;
while ~:''3 is " the subjective interior of this
wi.sdom, the mind which shines through it."
^9" is here equivalent to a special point, matter,
object ; cf. Psa. xxxi. ; Judg. xix. 24 ; Jer.
xliv. 4, etc. — That the king inquired of them.
-13.3, not '^â– J3.^"'. The perfect refers hack to
the examination instituted by the king, verse
19, not forward to later questions, which he
addressed to them. — Found them ten times
better. Compare Gen. xxxi. 7, 41 ; Lev. xxvi.
2<i; Zech. viii. 23; Ecc. vii. 19. — Tnan all the
magicians and astrologers that -were in all his
realm; rather, "than all the learned (in litera-
cure) magicians that were," etc. C^:3r"}n, by
reai-on of the probable derivation of the word
from "7"?, stylus, represents those who are
Tersed ra writings, scribes (scarcely persons who



are clever, discerning, as Hitzig prefers, becaus*
of its assumed derivation from the Zend
khratuinat, the Rabbinical Tpcnip). The
learned Egyptian priests were designated by
this term (Gen. xh. 8, 24; Ex. vii. 11, 22,
etc.), while Herodotus (ii. 30) calls them
lepoy/iau/iareic, and the Sept. sometimes terms
them ifr/yt/Tal (Gen. xli. 8, 24), and again
oixpiarai (Ex. vii. 11). Unlike chap. ii. 2, 27 ; iv.
4, etc. , where the Chartummim are mentioned
as a special class beside the Ashaphim nnd other
wise men, tlie word, though not connected with
the following, serves in this place merely to en-
large the conceptif.a of the predicate. C^C i2!«, the
more special term designates (in virtue of the
undeniable samentss in sense of its root njj
with cisi:; and C|"i':) "breathers, whisperers,"
i.e., conjurers, who murmured their magic
formulas in an aspirated whisper. Whether
they are to be specially regarded as "snake-
charmers " must remain undecided, in view of
the fact that the relation of this word to the
term iin-i- is not established, and is possibly no
more than an accidental similarity in sound.
Compare, on the other hand, the Arabic
naplmtha, "to breathe mysteriously on coiled
knots" (Freytag, Lexic. Arab. s. v.).

Verse 21. Preliminary conclusion of the intro-
duction. And Daniel continued (thus) even
unto the first year of king Cyrus. ~"~, which
is neither to be identified with, nor exchanged
for rr^n (the latter is advocated by Kirmss and
Hitzig among others, who substitute ''^y_ for
"''??''). expresses, in connection with "5, the
sense of attaining to. or of existing until the in-
auguration of an event. But " to live until the
first year of the reign of Cyrus " is by no means
equivalent to dying in that year. In this case
the passage would contradict the statement
found in chap. x. 1, and, therefore, would be in
evidence against the original unity of this book
(compare Introd. g 4). It is clear that the par-
ticle Tj; in this place does not refer to the close
of the prophet's life, but simply designates a
highly important period of time, up to which he
lived and approved himself as the possessor of
the exalted gifts of wisdom, prophecy, and in-
terpreting dreams (verse 17). The special
mention of the first year of Cyrus as such a
period, " ha.s, on the one hand, the objective
reason that a really new a;ra, for the Jews
especially, and one to which the most remark-
able prophecies (Isa. xliv. 28; xlv. 1) referred,
began with him ; and, on the other, the subjec-
tive reason, that this sharp separation into great
historical periods is general in Daniel, and, in
addition, that a longing for the deliverance of
his people must be regarded as a controlling dis-
position of his nature " (Hiivernick). Compare
Hengstenberg (Beitr., p. 65, 314 et seq.), and
Maurer on this passage, who regards "? """11'
etc., correctly, as simply .showing that Daniel
lived through the whole period of the exile aa
a highly esteemed wise man at the Chaldajan
court.* We need not, however, adopt Ewald'e

*[*' Compjire the analogous statement, Jer. i. 2etseq,, that
Jcrem.ah pruphcbieU iu the days of Jos'ab and Jchoiakljx.



CHAP. 1. 1-21.



63



view, who assumes that the words ~?^n "l^ra
have beon lost after ;j{"':~ ; "Thus Daniel lived
at the royal court until," etc.. with which he
connects the ventviresome hypothesis that Dan-
iel and his companions dwelt in a separate
building of the palace, which was sjiecially
intended to serve as " the royal academy (!)." —
The Hebrew form of the name â„¢^13 evidently
corresponds better with the ancient Persian in
the cuneiform inscriptions (Qufun, Quriis), than
the Greek Krfm-. Its interpretation by "sun,"
which is found as early as Ctesias (Plut. Artax.
i. p. 1012) and in the Etyaot M. (cf. the San-
scrit ««/•«, surja ; Zend hrare; modem Persian
khur). is not entirely certain. See the ZeiUchrift
far Kujuk des Morgeid. vi 153 et seq. ; 350
ct seq.

ETHICAL DEDUCTIONS CONNECTED WITH THE
SCHEME OF REDEMPTION, .\POLOGETICAL
REMARKS, AND HOMILETICAL HINTS.

1. The dogmatic and ethical significance of
the early history of Daniel and his companions
consists chiefly, and it may even be said ex-
clusively, in the proof of resolute faith and
obedient devotion to God, which they displayed
by abstaining from the ro.val provision at the
Babylonian court. Our admiration is not en-
listed in behalf of the abstinent diet, the fast-
ing, the mortification of self, on the part of these
youth, but finds something grand and morally
important in the active trust in God, and the
faithful obedience to God, that are displayed in
those self-denials. They did not abstain from
the use of the delicacies of the royal table, dur-
ing the whole period of their training, from a
spirit of desperate ascetic bravado, or because of
a super-legal dread of God's creatures, which,
in themselves, are not objectionable (1 Tim. iv.
4) ; nor yet because, like the Buddhists of India,
the.v scrupled to destroy animal life in any form ;
but from the truly religious motive of remain-
ing faithful and devoted to their covenant God
Jehov.ih (see above, ver.se 8i. and to avoid their
being implicated, to any degree whatever, in the
idolatrous practices of their heathen masters.
Their iib.stemiousne.ss has, therefore, essentially
the same ethical value as that of the Rechabites,
who refused to drink \vine. from motives of reli-
gious obedience to the vow of their ancestor iJer.
XXXV.); or. as the conscientious abiding of the
Nazarite by his sacred vow. which imposed
similar denials on him. and which might cover
the whole period of life (Samson, John the Bap-
tist), or a definite time of longer or shorter
duration (St. Paul, Acts xxi. 24 et seq. ; Aquila,
Acts xviii. 18). A further analogy to the course
of these youth in Babylon will be found in the
case of the Jew^ at Rome, whom Flavins Jose-
phus mentions in chap. 3 of his autobiography.
Our wonder and em^ilation are not excited in
any of these instances by the avoiding of certain
indulgences, but rather, b.v the disposition of
faithful submission to the wholesome discipline
of God. This it is, that marks their course as
the effect of a strong, rather than weak faith,

to the end of tiio eleventh yeiir of Zedekiah, although his
book contains prophecies also ^f a date subsequent to the
taking of Jerufialei „" — Ktil.}



which thus becomes an example for the Chris-
tians of all ages. Several of the older expositors
already recognized this, on tlie whole, although
their extravagant estimate of the value of ascetic
self-denial of any sort, prevented them from
reaching a really unprejudiced and truly evan
gelical conclusion upon the subject. On the
request of Daniel to Melzar, verse 12, to prove
him and his companions during ten days with
pulse and water, Jerome remarks, that it was a
striking evidence of his faith: " In^eredibilii
fldei magnitudo non sdum sibi corpulentiam
poUiceri esu vUioris dbi, sed et tempiis statuere.
Non est ergo temeritath, sed fidei, ob quam
regtas dopes contempserat." Similarly Theo-
doret on that passage : Ovdev ry' fi^ ^edv'Tzicrsui^
iCX^'pOTEpov^ Kui 6f^ TovTo TroX}^axo^^v Kal aAAa;^;(ii?rw
f(Trt jUrti^fiv, oiix fjKiGTa dh kol en tuv tov •&£/j:r£<riob
^avti/7. pr/fidruv to yap Trcarevaat rs koI ^ap'p7,aat^
u~ "7/r ^€ia~ p0777/~ aTzoAnvG^Tat^ Kal fiij kc-diui'

ev-p€—taT£po~ Kal TrepiKa/./Jcrepo' tpavrjacrai

Kal pflsuv ttoItjv fvGef^Eia~ v:TepSo?-r/T KaraXeirrEi, —
Among later writers, see especially Melancthon,
who remarks correctly : " Danielis temperentiam
fuisse opus coitfessionis, et quidcm hanc absti-
nentiiim pr<eceptnmfuissc lege Dei, non humnnii
traditioiiibus. Ergo abstinebat JJaniel, lit tes-
tnretnr se non abjicere doctrlnnm, in qua sola
exstabat verbum Dei, et ahhorrere ab alia-
rum gentium traditionibus ; " also Calvin, who
remarks on the words of Daniel, verse 11 et
seq. : "' Tenendum est etiom iUud, nempe non
lemere, riequ-e proprio motu hire di^dsse, seti
instincUi ipiritus Sancti. Fuixset enim non
solertin, sed temeritas, si Daniel siM fabricasset
hoc wiisilium, et non fuisset certior f actus a
Domine defelici evenlu Xon. est igitur dubium,
quia hoc Imbuerit ex arcana reeelatione, fdiciter
et ex roto eessurum, si permitteret minister
ipsum et socios read leguminibus." And fur-
ther: ^' Sciamui, hoc esse verum experimenlam
finigalitatis et temperentit, si possimus esurire,
ubi Deus nos ad inerpiom et egestatem crtgit,
immo etinm si sponte possvmus abjicere delifias,
qutf nobis essent ad mannm, sed nostro exitio.
Nam hie subsistere in leguminibus et aqua esset
valde frivolum, quia major interdum in em-
perentia se prodit in leguminibus. quam in
optimis quibusque et lautissimis dbis." Note
further, what Chr. B. Michaelis says con-
cerning the contrast, indicated in verse 13,
between the majority of the youth designed to
be pages to the king, who partook unhesitat-
ingly of the prescribed fare, and the strict
abstinence of Daniel and his three friends : "' Hi
ergo, licet et ipsi Judeei essent (verses 3, 4, 6),
tamen in observanda lege dieina minus religiosi
fuerunt. Tanto laitdibilior fnit Danielis socio-
rumque ejus pietag et in patria rdigione con-
stantia."

2. The course of the self-denying youth will
also appear as an effect of faith, from what is said
in verse 15 respecting their surprisingly robust
and handsome appearance. Whether this con-
sequence of their vegetable diet is to be regarded
as something miraculous, or as a purely natural
result, may be questioned. The phenomenor.
cm hardl.v pass for absolutely miraculous ; for
the traveler Chardin, in a manuscript remark
on that verse, observes, " 1 have noticed that the
Kechichs (i.e., monks) have Ijy far a fresher and
more healthful color than others, and that the Ar-



bi



THE PROPHET DANIEL.



menians and Greeks, though they frequently fast,
appear healthy, lively, and handsome " (com-
pare Bunler. in RosenmuUer's Alt- u. Xmi-Mor-
gerdiind, iv. 340 ; also Banner, Observations in
the East. i. 357 ) ; and it is conceivable that an
unrestrained indulgence in luxurious food might
rather detract from the beauty of the remaining
youths, than enhance it, especially if it were
accompanied by the debaucheries and excesses
which are so common among the pages at
Oriental courts (Liidecke, Bexchreibiing des
iiiyk. Reichs. i. 52 et seq. ; Hiivemick, Koonment.,
p. 37). Still, there is something extraordinary,
indicative of Divinely supernatural co-operation,
in the fact that at the end of three years the ap-
pearance of Daniel and his companions excelled
that of all the other youths in fullness and
beauty, and not less in the additional fact that
they excelled these latter in point of intellectual
qualities and scientific acquirements. Cf.
Hiivernick. ' ' At the same time, it would be par-
tial to ignore the Divine assistance ; it was God
who enabled his servants to find favor with their
overseer, who gave them progress in Divine
wisdom and under.standing, and who did not
forsake them in this instance. Only by this
reference to God, which is certainly found in
our narrative, can the believer comprehend its
true bearing. Hence it is unwise, and the mark
of a merely carnal exposition, to become in-
volved in far-fetched and physiological explana-
tions and calculations, such as are found in
Aben-Ezra, no less than to ignore the Higher
power, from which come all good and perfect
gifts."

3. As an iipologetic'd question of some impor-
tance, it must be remarked that what is related
in this chapter concerning the abstinence and
strict observance of the law at the heathen court
of the Chaldajan king, by Daniel and his associ-
ates, is but poorly adapted to stamp the narrative
.as a fiction of Asmonaian times, in which the
author seeks to beget trust in God on the part
of his readers (Hitzig), or to warn them against
partaking of unclean food (Bertholdt. Von Len-
gercke. etc.). The pious Jews of the MaccabEean
period not only scrupulously avoided the flesh
which was sacrificed to idols by their heathen
oppressors, but everything that emanated from
them, even to their arts and sciences. Daniel,
Hananiah. etc.. are. on the contrarj-, represented
as "distinguished adepts in all the wisdom of the
Chaldajans. and at the same time, as filling
ofticial stations at the court of the Babylonian



king, or even as members of the order of tha

magi (cf. chap. ii. 13, 48 et seq.). But while
this latter feature shows a striking resemblance
between the experience of the leading character
and that of Joseph in Egypt ; while especially
the patronage of the youth Daniel by the prince
of the eunuchs, as well as his high endowment aa
an interi)reter of dreams, reminds us strongly of
Joseph ; we are yet compelled to reject the
opinion that the whole is merely an artificial
copy of the early history of that patriarch,
because nothing is recorded, either of an ascetic
refusal of food or drink on the part of Joseph,
nor yet of his being trained with especial refer-
ence to service at the court of Pharaoh, or of a
careful instruction in foreign wisdom and learn-
ing. With respect to the latter point, indeed,
Moses, rather than Joseph, would serve as an
example (see Acts vii. 22). Compare also Jerome
(on verse 8) : " Qiii de mensa regis et de vino
potus ejvs non tiilt cmiiedere, ne poUuatui\
vtirjne sisciret ipsam sajyicntidm ntque dvctrinam
Bdhyloniorvm esse peccatmn. nunrjunm acqid-
esceret discere, quod non licebnt. Discvnt au-
tem non ut segvantw; sed vt jtidicent atqne
convincant. Qumnodo si giiisjmtm ndversiia
mathemdticos relit seribere imperitus uai)nfin-or,
risui patent, et adrersum pMlosophos disjnitniis,
si ignoret dogmata pldhtsophorum. Discvnt
ergo ea mente doetrinam Clialdreanim, qua et
Moyses o^nnem supientiam ^Sgyptionim didi-
cerat."

4 The nomiletical treatment will, of course,
seize on the chief and fimdamental ethical prin-
ciple of the section, as indicated above, under
1, without regard to subordinate details. Thus,
perhaps : " Not dainty food, but the blessing of
God develops beauty and strength. All wis-
dom, even in worldly concerns, is a gift of God,
and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of thi.i
wisdom also" (Starke, after the BiU. Tiibing.).
— Or : " Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth
of God" (Deut. viii, 3 ; Matt. iv. 4).— Or : " It is
a good thing that the heart be established with
grace; not with meats" (Heb. xiii. 9), etc.
Compare Melancthon : " Uanid in aula neo
mixix nee contemptu, nee illecebris roliiptatem ant
poteiiti(f victus est, vt deficeret a rero cvUn.
Hanc conntantiam paud imitnntur, sed qui
itnitantur /labebunt ingentin preemin corporalia
(t spiritualia. sieiit inqiiit teiias : GU/i-iJicante*
me glorificabo, etc. (3 Sam. ii. 20)."



The vision of the monareMes, or Nebuehadnezzar^s dream concerning the four irorld-kingdoms,
and its i)iterjirttation by Daniel.

U. 1-49.

And in the second year of the reign of Xebucliadnezzai-. Nebuchadnezzar

dreamed dreams, wherewith [and] his spirit was troubled,' and his sleep brake
: from liim.' Then [And] the king commanded ' to call the magicians, and tlie

astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldneans, for to shew [tell] the king
I liis dreams. So [And] they came and stood l)etbre the king. And the king

said unto them, Ihave dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled ' to know

the dream.



CHAP. n. 1-49. <55



4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac [Aramaic], O king, live
forever! tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldseans, The thing [word] is gone
from me : if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with [and] the inter-
pretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces,' and your houses shall be made a

fi dunghill [sink]. But [And] if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation
thereof, ye shall receive of [from before] me gifts and rewards [largess], and
great honour : therefore shew me the dream and <Ae interpretation thereof.

7 They answered again, and said. Let the king tell his servants the dream,

8 and we will shew the interpretation of it. The king answered and said, I know
of certainty that ye icoxdd gain the time, because ye see the thing [word] is

9 ofone from me. But [, that] if ye will not make known unto me the dream,
"there is but one decree for you ; for [and] ye have prepared lying and corrupt
words [a lie and a corrupt word] to speak before me till the time be changed ;'