The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 61

employed to translate mi"I', Jehovl\h, inetcod abstlnenoo nppeared to ndd to the snnctily of these four Hebrew youths, woultl it not of 0,&s (o•;,~N). It is not impoeeihle thl\t lhe ndcl lo the EC1nctHy of J u<lne also? In the oriainnl reading may ba.ve been ;n;,•, tho11gh it J';. to be admitted not likely. Ro,h"meem Assyrinn feasts the guests clo not seem to havo eat at one long to.hie or several long is tre.nela.tecl xd.pav," favour," in the Septua- tables ne is usunl with ue. 'fhe guests were gint, which is e. weak rr:ndering; Tl,enrh- di vid~cl into eets of four, and hC1rl provisione tion renders oiwrip,-,.111, which may be re- eerved to them, and it is to be observed that ga.rdod o.s pra.ctically erp1ivalent to our the youths before us woul<I have exactlyRevised Version. While the thir,l verne oocupied one of those to.hies. The word speaks of tho "chief" (:1:i) of the eunuchs, ueed for "defile" (ga'al) occurs in Isaiah, a. Babylonian and Ae,yrian title, the more Lamentatione Zepho.niab, Malachi, Ezra.,usual Hebrew ,21 r"plo.ces it in this verse e.nd Nehemi11h. It is an Exilic e.nd post- and in that which precedes it. From this Exilic word me.inly; the old priestly word root the Assyrian and Bo.by Ionian word tama ha.cl not disappeared-it is used infor "king," Bar or sarru, was derived, Haggai. It is to be obeerved that t_herewhile rab fell on evil days. Among the is nothing about defilement in the ~ceh1tta.: luter Jews it became equivalent to our it is not impossible that the word ll! 11 later doctora of divinity. Before the word for addition only its presence both in Theo<lo- "God" (Ewhim) there is the article. Bo tion and the Septuagint renders the omis- far a.s the form stands, it might be plural, sion improbable. There is nothing in theo.nd therefore be capable of being translated passage here which makes. it. neceeeo.ry [or "the gods," but the verb being singular us to maintain that the prmciple of e.ct~on renders tha.t translation impossible. 'l'he followed by those youths was one _which affection with which the chief of the eunuchs wRB genera.Uy acknowledged to be mcum- regarded Daniel is notified to ns as the bent on all Jews. It may simply have been result of God's goodness, who had thus tho.t feelin"' the critical condition in which given him favour in the eyes of him set they were placed, it was well for them to over him. The Hebrew never failed to erect o. hedge 11bout the Law. There mayiecornize, in his devouter moments, that even have been an excess of scrupulosity the 'hearts of all men a.re in the hands of which is in perfect dramatic suitability to God ; that by him kinge reign a.nd princes the age of the youths. Such abstinence decree wisdom. may well he.ve occasioned the regular Ver. 10.-A.nd the pri.D.ce of the eunnoh1 abstinence of the Essenee, bnt this state- said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, ment concerning Daniel and hie friends who ha.th appointed your meat a.nd your can scarcely have originated from the drink : for why should he see your !acea Eseene clictary. It has been noted, _a~ a worse liking tha:n the children which are of proof of Daniel's courtesy and doc1hty, your sort ! then shall ye make me end:mger the.t he requested of the prince of the my hea.d to the king. In the _Hebrew of eunuchs that he might not defile himself.this verse there a.re traces that it has been But to he.ve refused the food provided by trnnsla.ted from o.n Aramaic original. Wc the king might he.ve been construed as an shall consider the differences of the versions insult to the king, and anything of that from the Ma.ssoretic be!ow. The word sort had swift and severe punishment meted (sar) for "prince" is continued from the out to it. Do.niel'e request was simply doe preceding verse. 1 fear. In the M~eoretic to the necessities of the situation. text the word is not e. verb, but o.n a.d;ect1ve. Ver. 9.-Now God had brought Da.niel If the phrase were rendered "I a.m_ ufra.!~" into fo.vour and tender love with the prince this wouhl represent the constru.ct10n; it 1s of the eunuchs. The word here tra.nslatedone that is specially frequent with this "tender love" really meo.ns "bowels," andadjective; it resembles the constructio,1 so then "mercy" or "compassion." Hence the common in Aramaic of participle with pro- Apostle Po.al (Phil. ii. 1) combines the noun where.an ordinary preterite or imper- two meo.ninga, "If there be any bowels fect would be used iu Hebrew. Your meat and mercies." The Revised Versiou is a11d your dri11k. In this phrase the enig- here to be preferred, "favour and com- passion," as the Authorized exaggerates matic word path-blllJ has disappeared; S~~I? the cdfection the prince of ~he e~nuo~s (ma' 0 chal), the ordinfll'y word for "food," ha.d for Daniel.' The versions m tins has replaced it. For why should he 1Jee your face. The construction here is decide,Uy verse do not 111ford nay marked vnriations. Aramaic, o.nd resembles a word-for-word The Septuagint has K6p,os, "Lord," usually renclering from e.n Aramo.io original. The 1 For the charaoteristios of Hebrew Turgumio phrase h.ire is l!~~'J (deel'ma) psychology, see Delitzsoh's 'Biblioa.l (Onkelos, Gen. iii. 3). The Peshittr,, rendering Psychology.' bero is clalma. The construdion occurs in  20 THE DOOK OF DANIEL. [oR, I, 1-21.