The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 22

b)· which the Egyptians maintained their hold of Northern Syria, The Egyptians were ut.terly dE>foatcd, and Nebuchadnezzar pursued their flying forces through Syria and Palestine, receiving the eubmission of the various subject-kings, taking from them hostages. He advanced against Jerusalem, which submitted without much resistance. After taking hostages, he retained Jehoie.kim on the throne. Among the hostages were Dsniel and his three ftiends. Shortly after this the young conqueror was checked in his career by the news of his father's death. Fee.ring lest the opportunity might be seized to make an attempt at revolution, sending his heavy troops and hostages by the long but easier route northward to Carchemish and then southward, he himselt dashed across the deeert with his light-armed troops, and took possession of the throne. U nfortnnately, we have no inscriptions to tell us what campaigns N ehuchadnezzar under- took after thi~. From the Prophet Jeremiah's mention of the Elamites and Medes as having to drink the cap of fury in conseqnence of the rise of Nebuchadnezzar, we may presume that he made campaigns to the east and north. Meantime Egypt began to intrigue with the newly submitted provinces. Jehoiakim revolted from Nebuchadnezzar three years after his submission to him, Nebuchadnezzar, probably engaged in other campaigns of more importance, did not immediately march against this rebel, who must have appeared to him a sufficiently insignificant one, He did not, however, over- look his fault. Bands of Chaldeans were sent against Judma, and with these operated Syria, Moab, and Ammon, that seem to have remained faithful to their suzerain. Nothing like a siege of Jerusalem was undertaken till after the death of Jehoiakim and the accession of his son. Again the Babylonian monarch has only to appear before it for Jernsalem t.o submit, and Jecon.iah is carried away captive to Babylon. Zedekiah, the uncle of the young captive, became king in his stead, as vassal of the King of Babylon. Meantime a new Pharaoh had risen in Egypt. Pharaoh-Hophra (Uahabra-Apries) advanced into Philistia and Phaanicia, and received the submission of Zedekiah. This bronght the Chaldeans back in force to Syria, and before them Pharaoh retired and .Jerusalem was besieged. Pharaoh-Hophra made some attempt to relieve Jerusalem, and, indeed, the Chaldean army broke up from Jerusalem to go to encounter him. He retired, however, without having effected anything. Again the siege was renewed and Jerusalem was taken, and Zedekiah, deposed and blinded, was carried a captive to Babylon. We do not know the course of Nebuchadnezzar's campaigns, but during his reign he besieged and captured Tyre-, and then invaded Egypt and reduced it to subjection. The real history of the overthrow of Pharaoh-Hophra we do not know, but in his thirty-seventh year Nebuchadnezzar seems to have conquered Egypt. The long reign of the great conqueror drew near a close. After forty-three years of the possession-if we except the period of his madness, probably short-the glorious posses- sion of the throne of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar died. He was succeeded by Evil-Merode.ch, who is accused of being tyrannous and vicious. It is a possible supposition that he had a favour for Judaism, which expressed itself in setting Jecon.iah at his own table. After a reign of two years, his brother-in-law, Nergal-sbar-ezar, conspired against him and slew him. It is by no means impossible that Daniel retired from the court after the murder of the son of hie master, This would easily explain Belshazzar's ignorance of him. N ergal-shar-ezer reigned about four years, and was succeeded by his son Labashi-Marduk, who was murdered after a reign of a few months. His succeesor was Nabunahid, a Babylonian we are informed-that is to say, not a Chaldean. It is possible he might be the son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar. He ascended the throne in the year B.c. 556, and we can by the contract tables fix the date of bia accession to within a few days; between the twelfth anrl eighteenth Sivan  THE BOOK OF DANIEL. xxvii