The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 45

throntenod, ancl therefore it is concluded out allowing himself to be run a.way with tlmt he bad not yet invaded Po.Jestine. Thie by e. prejudico, will see thot there is nothina is o.galn set over against tbo third state- in the chapter which prevents Bllch a.~ ment, and is supposed to provo it untrue. expedition as tha.t mentioned in thiH verse 'l'hcse two passages together are o.lleged to having taken place. The circnmstrrnc, s prove tho llrat stotemont to bo untrue. a.re, a.a it seems to ns, the f,,Jlowing: Je- To tolre the second statement first, BB hoia.kim he.d submitted to the l:e.bylonian reolly the leas importi:mt. If there is truth conqueror, but had begun to plot against in Berosus's stotoment that Nebuchodnezzar his new snzerain, nnd to hanker after mnde hie expedition into Syrio while his Egypt. The Egyptian a.Ilia.nee would, he father woe yet living, he probably we.s not hoped, deliver him from the oppression of yet king; but as he become so immediately Nebuchadnezzar, hence his rngc at Jerc- ,.rter, only o pedo.nt in accuracy wonl<J find miah'a prophecies of disaster, and hence his fault with the words e.a they ate.nd. If we burning of the roll. There is notliing in found it stated that the Duke of Welling- the twenty-ninth verse that implies tlrnt ton woe at Eton in 1782, it would be tbe N ebnchadnezzar he.d not been before in height of e.bsurdity to declo.re this prolepsia Palestine. 'fhe prophecy now is " that be nn error. Little stress he.a been luid on this shall come and ea.use to cease" from Judah in the assault on Daniel; e.s little need be "man a.ad beast "-a thing that was not laid on it in the defence even approximately fulfilled till the fall 'fhe other two statements e.re supposed of J ernaalem in the reign of Zedekie.h. to be erroneous in a more serious we.y. Yet Nebuchadnezzar ho.d been in Palestine, Even if we get over the above difficulty, e.nd he.d carried away Jehoie.chin. This • Professor Bevan ea.ye, "The difficulty re- chapter of Jeremiah, therefore, gives no mains-a. siege of Jerusalem in Jehoiakim's evidence on the question at issue. Professor third year, of which J erewie.h, e. contem- Bevan he.a been well advised not to drag it pora1·y, eaye nothing." Confi~atory of ~hie in aa pa.rt of his proof. ie supposed to be Jer, xlv1. 2, "Agnmet The passages Professor Bevan has brought Egypt, age.inst the army of Phaxaoh-Nccho forward a.re relatively stronger. If we King of Egypt, which was by the river have in them the veritable words of Jere- Euphrntee, . . which Nebuche.drezze.r miah, e.nd if their evidence is confirmed by King of Babylon emote in the fourth year other parts of Scripture, they ha,e some of Jehoiakim son of Josiah King of Judah." cogency If we now turn to Jer. xxv. I, If he fought and won the battle of Carche- e.nd compare the Maasoretic text with the mieh in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, he Septuagint, we find very considcr:.Lle omis- could not in the thi1·d year of that monarch sions, e.nd omissions of great iw portance. be in Polestine. Hitzig refers re.ther to In order that Professor Bevan me.y not Jer. :u:xvi. 1-3, "It co.me to pe.sa in the politely impugn our honesty, a.a he does fourth year of Jehoie.kim . this word that of Hengstenberg, we aha.11 translate co.me unto Jeremiah from the Lord, ae.ying, the whole thirteen verses as they stand in Te.ke thee a roll of a book, e.nd write t.herein the Greek text: "(l) The word which was all ihe words that I have Epoken unt;, thee to Jeremiah concerning e.11 the people of age.inst Israel, e.nd e.gllinst Jude.h, and Judah [in the fourth yee.r of Jehoia.kim son age.inst all the nations, from the de.y I apake of J oaiah King of Judah, (2) which he spake unto thee, from the de.ya of Josiah, even unto to e.11 the peopfo of J ude.h 1] and to all the this de.y. It may be that the house of Juda.h inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, (3) Iu the will hee.r all the evil that I purpose to do thirteenth yee.rof Josiah son of Amon(' Aµws) unto them;" compared with ver. 29, "The King of Judah, even until this day, twenty King of Babylon shall certainly come e.nd and three years I have even spoken to you, destroy this land, e.nd shall c,lnse to cease rising early and ae.ying, (!) I was even from thence man and beast." He refers sending to you my servants the prophets, also to ver. 9, "And it oame to pass in the sending ee.rly, and ye heard not e.ud in- fifth year of J ehoie.kim the son of J oaie.h clined not your ears, (5) saying, Turn ea.eh King of Judah, in the fifth month, that one of you from his evil way, and from your they proolnimed a fast before the Lord," in ev ii works, e.nd dwell in the land whioh I consequence of the readii;.g of the contents gave to you 1111d to your fathers for ever of the roll. and ever: (6) Go not a.rter other gods, to As it is olee.r tht\t the whole case ,1gainst serve them e.nd to worship them, in order the chronology of the verse ree:;, on these that ye provoke me not to anger with the statements in Jeremiah, it will be e.dvan- work of your hands to your own hurt. tageous to axe.mine. them. Aa it i_s ~~e 1 The words within [ ] are not in the weakest we will consider Professor H1tz1g a grounu ~f objection first. Any on~ read_ing Codex Frederico-Augusta.nu~ (Codex Sinlli.- tile thirty-sixth chapter of Jercnnah with- ticus),  THE BOOK OF DANIEL. [on. r. 1-21.