The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 102

nBB<'rt-1! tbe.t he he.d "found Daniel." This ' Nebuobadnozze.r deml\nds If ho cnn fulfil is not exactly m!'t by Professor Fuller's hie promiso, and tell the W'('am ne well aa aMertion tl1Rt it was It mode of tbci oourt the interpretation. Thero is no indic1ttion to ignore all "these ce.ptives," with some- the,t Nebueh1tdnezzar remombored 1tnytbing thing of tho oontt'mpt with which the of the youth who had done well in the Europenn in India regards tlioso whom ho en.mination held in his presonoe somo withont qualification denotes as "niggers." months before. 'l'his certainly is conflrmn- Thie, however, does not mc!'t the case if tory of Wieeeler's hypothosis, That tho the ordinary interpret.ntion of the circum- king should have forgotten, however, ia stR.nc-cs is right: th<'n N ebuohadnezze.r hnd nothing extraordinary, for tho occasions of not only seen Daniel in connection with this kind would be many. Nebuclmdnczznr, this matter, but furt.h<'r, Arioch knew of it. in the oe.se of the young Hebrew, does not The case of Abner and David be-fore Saul, question hie willingness to tell him who.t in 1 ~nm. xvii. 85 should not be brought he wishes, but only his ability. With re- in in comparison with 1 Sam. xvi. 21, o.s the p;nrd to the wise men, he believed, or pro- la ttcr does not occur in the Septuagint. fessed to believe, in their ability to do Unless there he.a been interpolation, the what he wished, nnd reckoned their refusal explanation seems to be that A.rioch was t.o answer him as due to obstinacy or treason. no! awe.re that Daniel had petitioned. It It may be that he he.a moderated somewho.t ma'" be that Arioch wishes t.o disarm the the rancour of his ire, o.nd is willing to kin·g•~ wrath by not saying e..nything of recognize their ignorance as to dreams and Daniel being one of "the wise men" age.inst such light furniture of the mind as not whom the king's sentence had gone out; militating against their claim to knowledge but it may also be regarded as a proof that in other directions, only for his oath's sake Daniel and his oompe.nione had not yet he must demand that the dream be told passed out of the class of pupils int.o that him by at least eome one. It may be that of wise men. He says he is "of the eons there was e. certain emphasis on 1:be pro- of the captivity of Judah." The haste noun when Nebuchadnezzar demanded of with which A.rioch brings De.Diel into the Daniel, "Is there to thee the power to king's presence me.y be due to his own declare to me the dream which I have seen, delight at having escaped a piece of em- and its interpretation ? " Is there to thee, ployment he had no heart for. There may mere student of the sacred mysteries as thou have been e..n element of e..nxiety-he had art, alien as thou o.rt, a hostage from e. city procrastinated, and the young king had whose king I overthrew easily? It certainly made no inquiries; but it was not the must have been strange t.o Nebuchadnezzar custom of the conqueror to give -Orders and that what the soothsayers, astrologers, and not to see that they were carried out, e..nd magicians of the court, the highest, and disobedience to the orders of N ebuchad- reputed to be the most skilful of their re- nezzar would menn instant death, possibly spective guilds, could not do, this young with t.orture. Every moment was fraught Hebrew proclaimed himself able to perform. with danger, so A.rioch's hastening of Daniel It may be observed that while in the may ha.ve been dne t.o his own sense of narrative the author calls the prophet by relief at escape from e..n impending danger. his sacred no.me Daniel," the Divine judge," But more, this haste would give the e.ppee.r- herein the presence ofNehuchadnezzar, the e..nce of eager diligence, if not in slaughtering court name he had received is introduced. the wise men of Babylon, at least in search- To his friends, to his fellow-countrymen, ing for one who could make good to the king he is De.Diel ; but as a. court official he is their le.ck of service t.owe.rd hinL His haste Belteshe.zzar, or perhaps Belshazzar. It might be intended to give the look at once may be that there is intended to be con- of eagerness and diligence. .All the motives veyed to us that not only was he introduced may have combined.. into the royal presence as Belshazza.r, but Ver. 26.-'Ih.e king a.nnvered and said to tha.t the king addressed him," Belteshazze.r Daniel, whose name was Beliesha.zza.r, Art (Belshe.zza.r), art thou able ? " thou able to ms.ke known unto me the dream ,er. 27.-Daniel answered ill the pre- which I have seen, and the i.uterprete.tion senoe of the king, and Ee.id, The secret which thereoft The variations in the versions are the king he.th demanded cannot the wise Lere unimportant, save that the Septuagint men, the astrologers, the magicians, the interpolates "in the Che.ldee tongue" be- soothsayers, &how unto : the king. The fore the Babylonian name of Daniel• It is differences between this and the Septuagint o.l.o to be noted that here, as throughout, are but slight and unimportant. To render the Bo.Lylonian name of Daniel, in both it literally, the LXX. is, "Danie~, havi~g the Greek veraions, appears as Ball..,-aa-ap, the spoken out in the presence of the king, Gtud, B!Lme form in which they give Belshe.zzar. The mystery which the king saw is not the When Daniel is brought in before the king, showing of the wise men, the astrologers, err. n. 1-49.] THE BOOK OF DANIEt. 63