The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 104

nnd "visions of the hci1d upon the bed." Ver. 30.-But as for me, thi1 eeoret WILi This is r<'e.11~· to be regarded ILB a OILBe of not revealed to me for any wisdom the.t I pitmllelism, in which one portion of the hBVe more than any living, but for their verse "'as balanced by the other. Wl1e.t se.kes that shBll mBke known the interpre- ~lrndc of differenc.e there is, is between the tation to the king, e.nd that thou mighteat drcRru e.e e. tot!Llity and the portions of it e.e know the thoughts of thy heart. Tho seen. Septuagint Version is simpler, "But as for Ver. 29,-A■ for thee, 0 king, thy me, not on 1Lccount of any wisdom in me thoughts oe.me into thy mind upon thy bed, abovo all men is this mystery revco.lod, whe.t should come to pa.sa hereafter : and he but in order that it should he shown to that revealeth aeorets maketb known to thee the king it is revcBled to me who.t thou what shall oome to pass. This verse is of thoughtest in thy bee.rt in knowledge." Mmcwhat ruspicious e.uthenticity, the ren- The tre.nsle.tor he.a re1Ld the preforme.tivo derings of the different versions show l!llch n into :i. There is no reference to "those 11 diversity of text. The Septue.gint render- who sho.11 show the interpretation." The ing is very brief, being merely 1L version of text before him may hBve omitted the plural ihe le.st clause, " He the.t revealeth secrets termination; consequently, the lmpho.l was (µv(J"NJp<a) showed the.t which behoveth to supplied. Theorlotion, the Peshitte., e.nd be." This has the appearance as if the Jerome a.ll e.gree pretty closely with the Me.s- translators here rendered the last word e.e soretic text, but all mo.ke the verb tro.nslatod e.n infinitive, ta.king I, e.e not the preform1L• " shows" singular, not plure.l, a.a does the tive of the third person future, but 11s the Massoretio. Of course, it may be that this sign of the infinitive. It is not necesl!ILrily was due to rendering the sense, not the so, because it may be that ~.,, is rcgBrded worde,ofthe originlLl; but Theodotion especi- ally is more prone in e.ny difficulty to slavish e.e included in l'\1~~ (leha.t>e'). Theodotion adherence to his originBL His rendering is, is in closer agreement with the Massoretic, "But a.a for me, not for wisdom which is in "0 king, thy thoughts upon thy bed raised me beyond all living is the mystery reveo.led, up what behoved to be after these things; but that the interpretation be me.de known and he that revealeth secrets hath me.de to the king in order that thou mightest known to thee what behoveth to be.'' The know the thoughts of thy heart." The Po- Peshitta. renders slightly differently, "Thou, shitta. renders the latter clauses thus: " But 0 king, thy thoughts arose in thy heart on that the interpret1Ltion mBy be made known account of what should be in the le.tter days, to the king, and the.t thou mayest know what and he that revee.leth secrets made known thou didst medit!Lte on in thy heart." Jerome, to thee what ehe.11 be." Even Jerome, who after rendering 111, (raza, "secret") sacra- is usually pretty close to the Ma.seoretic text, mentum, proceeds, " Bed ut interprete.tio regi differs a little here. "Thou, 0 king, didst ma.nifeste. fieret et cogitBtionee mentis tum begin to tb..in.k upon thy 0011ch what would seires." The f1LCt that the IBst word takes be after these things; e.nd he who revee.1- the Me.ndaitio form ;p::.i,1;1 (tin'da•) instead of cth mysteries showeth thee what she.Il be," JI:!!) (tidda') indicates on the whole ILn Paulus Telleneis he.e broken away from Oriental origin. The ueeof the plural form, the Septuegint,eupplying the clause omitted, not improbably from Theodotion, " Thou, 0 11:piii,; (!fhod'un), ill wrongly rendered, "for kiDg, when thou layest upon thy couch, their ee.kes who shallme.keknown the inter- eawest all things which behoved to happen pretation." The Revised Version is more in the last days; e.nd he who revealeth accurate, "but to the intent that the inter- secrets bath showed to thee what behoved pretation mBy be me.de known ; " e.nd Luther to be." Altogether, with the exception of translates, "Dass dem Konige die Deutung the last clause, '\\'hich is evidenced by all e.ugezeigct wiirde." The use of the plural the versions, we doubt the authenticity of for the indefinite occurs elsewhere (Winer, this verse. However, the interpolation, if § 49). The position DBniel takes up is one we have e. case of it here, must have been which does not separBte him from the other of old date, e.s is indicated by the archaic 1J,alcmeen of the court. He in effect se.ye, form ilT1lN (a11'tah), which becomes in the "I am no wiser thBn the other sages who Q'ri m; '(an't). Whether an interpolation have been condemned to de1Lth, only the God of heaven can reve1Ll what the king or pa.rt of t be ori gino.l text, the picture sug- demands, and he has revealed it to me." gested ill very nature.I. The young con- The purpose of the revelation, " thBt thou queror who had already secured the whole m.ightest know the interpretation," is fitted of South-Westero Asia to the river of Egypt, to soothe his pride. The humility of Daniel we.s occupying his thoughts in specule.ting has been remarked in reference to this verse. wlie.t should come after him. He fa.lle He puts himself behind the impersonal fo!111, asleep, end the BUbject of his we.king thoug-lits b,comea the subject of hiB drealQI!. " in order that people 1Df1.Y show t!J.e kmg err. 11. 1-40.] THE BOOK OF DANIEL.