CHAPTER VII.

1 IN the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream, even visions of his head upon his

THE Historical Part of the Book of Daniel was finished with the last Chapter; the remaining part of this Book acquaints us with the Visions which at different times were communicated to the Prophet himself. The Interval of Time from the first to the last of these Visions is about one or two and twenty Years, i. e. from the first Year of Belshazzar mentioned at the beginning of this Chapter to the third Year of Cyrus at the beginning of Chapter 10th. The first Vision or Dream is contained in the 7th Chapter, and is the only one that is written in the Chaldee Language; and perhaps the Similarity of it to the Dream of Nebuchadnezzar which the Prophet had related and expounded at Chapter ii. might have been one reason why this same Language was here adopted, and the Benefit designed by it for the impious King in whose reign it was delivered another. What was there prefigured by a large Statue, composed of various metals, is here pointed at by a very different sort of Emblems, each suited to the Disposition or Character of the Persons to whom the Communications were made. Four Beasts are in this Dream, designed to signify the four great Monarchies or Kingdoms, according to the Interpretation of an Angel; and some Circumstances relating to the fourth Beast are probably intended to adumbrate a Series of Events which were to reach to the latest Ages of the World.

1.

-Belshazzar King of Babylon.-Gr. and Ar. "King of the Chaldeans." Many Editions, and some MSS. read “Belashtzar,” as it were deriving the latter part of the word from ws fire, and 7 an enemy; according to Grotius denoting "Belum esse ignis hostici," or to be burnt by an hostile flame; see Jer. 1. 2, and li. 44, but a very great number of MSS. and particularly the ancient Bodleian, read the word as it now stands.

2

bed, at which time he wrote the dream, and related the sum of the matters.

Daniel related thus, I was seeing in my visions of the night, and behold the four winds of heaven burst

he wrote the dream.—From hence it appears that the Prophet certainly wrote some of his prophecies; and it seeems from Chap. xii. 4, that he was expressly ordered by God to do so. What is advanced therefore from the authority of the Talmudists in Bava Bathra, c. i. is absurd, that the whole of this book of Daniel was written by persons of the great Synagogue. The following clause of this verse, “and related the sum of the matters," is omitted by Gr. and Ar. and has certainly the appearance of a gloss. Yet MS. Pachom. has αρχη λόγων αυτου, και αποκριθείς είπεν, marked with points; and Theodoret has the same words without the points. See the Note at the close of the Chapter.

sense.

2. -in my visions of the night.-The preposition y has this See Nold. p. 576. The words however are not found in the Greek of Theodotion either here or at ver. 7, but Theodoret has them, and MS. Pachom. and Copt. There is an expression equivalent to this, and very little varied from it, at Chap. ii. 19. That by Visions of the night are meant Dreams we may learn from Job. iv. 13. And of the revelations that were primarily made to Daniel, contained in this latter part of his book, the only instance wherein the divine intelligence is said to be communicated to him in a vision of the night, or a dream, is this before us. See Zech. iv. 1.

66

-the four winds of heaven burst forth.—Chald. ¡n'D erumpentes;" they met with an eruptive vehemence upon the great sea, as the Mediterranean is called, by way of distinction from the lesser seas or lakes in Judea. This description of a tempest is short, but very forcible; and in its simple form perhaps equally impressive with that animated one of Virgil,

Una Eurusque Notusque ruunt, creberque procellis
Africus.

Æn. i. 89.

The raging of the waves and the madness of the people have long since been considered as analogous, and the vicinity of the several kingdoms to the great sea, may serve to illustrate farther the propriety

3 forth into the great sea. And four large beasts came 4 up from the sea, different from each other. The first

was like a Lion, but had the wings of an eagle: I was

of the Prophet's analogy. From the various tumults and commotions, with which the countries around this sea were agitated, the four larger monarchies or empires emerged or came up, as the next verse intimates; and their various ravages, idolatry, and tyranny, sufficiently justify the allusion to wild beasts.

4. The first was like a Lion.-The Chaldee or Babylonian empire compared to the Head of Gold in Chap. ii. 32, 38, is here represented as like a Lion or Lioness; see Jer. iv. 7. Its progress to what was then deemed universal empire was rapid, and therefore it has the wings of an eagle. See Jer. xlviii. 40, and Ezek. xvii. 3. I. D. Michaelis intimates from Megasthenes and Strabo, that this power advanced as far as Spain. When its wings were plucked or torn out, that is, when it was checked in its progress by frequent defeats (and that this is the meaning here intended may appear from a like expression in Cicero's Epistle to Atticus, 1. iv, Qui mihi pennas inciderant, nolunt easdem renasci), when it was thus curtailed and humbled, it became more peaceable and humane, agreeably to that idea of the Psalmist, ix. 20.

Bring terror upon them, Jehovah,

That the nations may acknowledge themselves men.

Some think, that the Prophet alludes here to the changes which Nebuchadnezzar underwent, although he was now dead; and that he was a proper emblem of the future changes of his empire; and especially that his being raised or lifted up from the ground, means his being restored from the prone posture of a quadruped to the erect or human. The Prophet no doubt must well recollect the emblem, and the circumstances relating to it might be so strong in his mind, as to insinuate themselves unavoidably into this part of the present vision.

It may also be proper to observe, that though the dream of Nebuchadnezzar concerning the image, and this of Daniel's beasts, agree in their general sense and interpretation, yet there are circumstances added to the latter, as well as some points more plainly illustrated, than were found in the former. Nebuchadnezzar saw his kingdom

seeing till its wings were plucked, wherewith it was raised up from the ground, and it became erect on the feet like a man, and a man's heart was given unto it. 5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a Bear,

which was raised up on one side, and three tusks were

flourishing; Daniel saw it, when its wings were plucked, and its end approaching. Other particulars will be readily observed by the attentive reader in the subsequent parts of the vision: and especially the stone that became a mountain and filled the whole earth, will here appear to be more fully explained by the Son of Man, who came to the Ancient of days, and was advanced to a kingdom of universal and endless duration.

.on one part לקצת אחד has

5. -on one side.-The word w signifies either dominion or a side; in the latter case the is read like, and nine MSS. of Kenn. with many more of De Rossi, and some Editions, read 0; the Versions also favour this reading, and the Heb. Cod. 240, which Some think the allusion is to the eastern quarter of the world whence the Persians came; others to the elevation of the Persians above the Medes and Babylonians, which three powers are conceived to be meant by the three ribs or tusks in the mouth of the bear; but others consider Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt, as the ribs. Jerom refers the allusion to the land of Judea, which was favoured by Cyrus, and whose dominion was established on one side of it; but I am inclined to think the expression ought rather to be referred to the situation of the former beast, on one side of which, or near to Chaldea, and by conquests over the neighbouring countries, this second empire was established.

-three tusks.-Vulg. has Ordines: Gr. λevρai. Heb. 240 b. The original word seems to denote something prominent, or penetrating, either from by in altum tendere, or by intrare; the bear is called by Aristotle (wov muμþáyov, a most voracious animal; and the command given to it in the subsequent part of the verse indicates its rapacious nature. From these considerations I have rather supposed the idea of tusks more natural and agreeable to the sense of the original than the term ribs, which seems far-fetched and rather inapplicable; insomuch that Houbigant ridicules the notion, and wonders that Arias Montanus and others could discover ribs in the mouth of an animal. He renders the word jaws, and refers to Job

in its mouth among its teeth; and thus they spoke to 6 it, Rise, devour much flesh. After this I was seeing, and behold another, like a Leopard, which had four bird's wings upon its back; four heads also had the

xxxix. 30. The three tusks may refer to the three different points to which the Persians pushed their conquests: Coming from the East they invaded the western, southern, and northern territories; and thus we read in the next Chap. ver. 4, that the ram pushed westward and northward, and southward. And that great havoc among the human race was made by the Persians may be learnt from Jer. li. 56, and also from the revolt of the Hyrcanians, and of Gobryas in the fourth book, and from other parts of the Cyropædia, as well as from most of the historians.

66

6. -upon its back.-Gr. and Vulg. "upon it." The word loses its Jod in very many MSS. as well as in the Masora, yet Syr. seems to retain the plural form, and renders, on its sides." As the second beast or the bear answered to the silver in the image, the third or the leopard agrees with the brass. Many fanciful resemblances have been pointed out by various commentators between the second beast and the Persians, and between the third beast and the Grecians or Macedonians. Alexander is especially thought to resemble the leopard, and in many respects doubtless the parallel must hold. His well known reply, to one who asked him how he obtained so many signal victories, of μηδεν ἀναβαλλομενος, is quite consonant with the celerity of the leopard, and the method by which it leaps on its prey; as his daring to engage with Darius and the most powerful princes is illustrative of the leopard's spirit and courage, which will rouse it to a contest with the largest and fiercest wild beasts. See Hab. i. 8. By the four wings on its back or sides seems to be meant the union of the four empires, the Assyrian, Median, Persian, and Grecian; or, as some think, Persia, Greece, Egypt and India; and the rapidity with which they were united under Alexander is fitly denoted by the character of wings. After the death of Alexander, the partition of his kingdom into four parts is probably what is meant by the four heads of the beast; See on Chap. viii. 8. And if we reflect on the small beginnings of this power, the difficulties which it surmounted, and the vast strides it made toward universal empire, extending its conquests as far as the Ganges in so short a space as twelve years, (1 Mac. i. 7.)