The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 99

be clue to something of thnt rovcrenco which and knowledge to them that know under- hne lccl tho JowR for centuries to 11voicl standing. In regard to this verR~, Thcr,r\o. pronouncing tho encred nnmc, nnd to use tion e.nd the Septuag:nt only differ in this inetencl, .Ado11a-i, "Lord." It is to be ob- from the l\faesoretic text, that they omit tl,r, served thnt nll through Dnniel the Bep• repetition of the word" kings." Tho PeRhitta tungint hns JCJp,os, the Greek eqnivnlcnt has a different sense in the middle clans,,. for Jehovah, whilo Theodotion follows the "He maketh (Peshittll, ma'iii<l) kinga Maesoretio in hnving 0,&s. For ever and and confirmeth (Pcshittn, maqeem) kings." ever. This is not nn nccure.te tro.nsle.tion, The Byria.c translators have evidently o.lthough it o.ppeo.rs not only in the Author- read ;JJV,;:JP (m•h•'deh), "to removo," as ized but nlso in the Revised Version. 'fhe ,;:nm,;, (irliw:bed), "to mnke." The utter eoun'd of the phrase impresses us with o, wa.iit.of contrast in this reading condemns souse of grandeur, perhaps du~ to the musio it. In regard to the Aramaic of this with which it hns been e.esocmted. When passage, the carrying on of the P!eforr.nativ_e we think of the meaning we really give to ;, the sign of the haphel conJugat10n, 1s the phrase, or of its a.et ue.l gre.m1;0a tice.1 o.' proof of the early date of the Aramaic. sense, it only convey~ to _us the 1deo. of Jn later Aramaic, ;, gives place to N, and. unending future duro.t1on ; 1t does not at all N disappears after the other preformative imply unbeginning duration. More correct is Luther's "vom Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit." as ~\?P,:, not ~i-?1:1;- Cha11geth ti7:ies and The Greek of Theodotion conveys this also, season,·. Nebuchadnezzar wa.e anxious lest d,r& Toii o.li:Jvos ,c4l E"'s ToV a.lii111os. Jerome the time in which he might make adva.nt- renders "a smculo et ueque in emculum." ageoususe of the information conveyed by the The tr~e rendering is, " from eternity to dream should pass a.way, llnd a new "time" be established. Not improbably Nebu- eternity." It is quite true that the ~1?7Jt chadnezzar, like most heathens, imagined means primarily " an age," as does also that his gods were limited by some unseen ald, 11 and sreoulum; it is also quite true that power like the Greek Fate, and, however it is improbable that in o.n_cient days man wishful they might be to be propitious to had definite ideo.s of eternity; even at the their wo:rshippers,only in certain collocations present time when men strive after definite- of the heavenly bodies could they carry out ness, they have no r~al conception _of un• their wish. God, the God of heaven, the ending existence, still less of ex1ste~ce God of the despised Hebrews, he it was unbeginning. Still, it was used as ha.Vlng who arranged the times and the sea.sons, that meaning so far as men were able to he made the sun to rise, he makes summer apprehend it. As ai.S11, it ?S used f?r and winter, he leads out the host of the "world." For wisdom and might are his. stars alike the star of N ebo and the star Wisdom is the Divine quality of which they of l\Iarduk. The two words "time " have ho.d proof now, but "might" is united and "season" o.re nearly synonymous. with it as really one in thought. The fact Perhaps the first is more indefinite than that the usual combination is " wisdom and the other. Our own opinion is that the first understanding" (see Exod. mi. 3; Isa. :xi. has more the idea of space of time, and the 2; Ezek. xxviii. 4) has led the scribe, whose latter more of point of time ; but really they text Theodotion used, to replace "might" are almost synonymous. He removeth kings, by "understanding." He might feel him- a11d setteth up kings. In this there seems self confirmed in.his emendation by the fa.et to be a special reference to the _content~ of that, while God's wisdom and, it might be the vision, which showed that m the time said, his understancling were exhibited in to come not only kings but dynasties were thus :revealing to Daniel the royal dream, to be s;t up and overthrown. The former there was no place for "might." What was clause rega.rded God as tho God of nature. in the mind of Daniel and his friends was This looks upon him as the God of providence, the.t they were in the hands of a great by whom " kings reign, and princes dec~ee Monarch, who was practically omnipotent. justice." He giveth wisdom unto the wise, They now make known their recognition of and knowledge to them that Tmr,w understand- the glorious truth that not only does the ing. This address to God goes further. wisdom of the wise belong to God, but also Daniel sees in the faculties and mental the might of the strong. Further, there is acquirements of men the ma.nifestati?n of another thought here which is pr~sent in God. It is the inspiration of the .Almighty all Scripture-that wisdom and might_ are that giveth understanding. All the power really two sides of one and the same thing; mnn has of acquiring knowledge, all the henoe a truth is proved by a mi.raole, a work faculty he has for using that knowledge of power. aright, all come from God. Ver. 21.-And he ohangeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth Ver. 22.-He revealeth the deep and socrct up kings; he giveth wisdom unto the wise, things: he knoweth what is in the darkness,  GO THE IlOOK 01<' DANIEL. ten. n. 1-1!!.