hc•lic>ve t.hat all this promotion befell Danial years, Daniel would by this timo have nt. once>; the statement here is eummary,and beon for eleven years a member of tho includes many steps, and perhaps eev<>rRI privy council of the Babylonian 1uonn1·ch, yc>nl'S. E·rnn at the utmost of his exaltation, and possibly for I\ coneidornblo portion of he i~ not repre•ented here RB being made that period governor of tho province of the rrgrnt of N ebuchAd.nezzar, as Hitzig Babylon. At any re.te, Daniel would bulk would mR in tR in. It is really only the pro- very large in the eyes of the poor Jewish vincr of Ifaby Jon, if we may not restrict the captives. 'l'hough contempomry, be was so mraning of the word m•deena even further, far removed from his fellow-countrymen in nnd r<"g,,rd it as equivalent to "city." Wu social position, that bis goodness and great- admit that this restriction of signifioance is ness would be subject to eimill\r exaggern- not supported by the versions, but the fact tion to that which happens to heroes of a. the.t in so many ORBCls we have traces of long-po.et age. A better argument may bo Sniac influences in Daniel, 11,nd that 0 drawn from the fact that sagan is always m 'deena mee.ne in Syri11,c "e. city," renders a civil title. The insertion of the word this supposition not e.n impossible one. The ~akmeen might easily be due to some eeribo pr<"cise limits of the pro,ince of Babylon who thought that as Daniel was one of the in the davs of Nc>buchadnezze.r cannot be wise men, head of them would be more likely eetUed. in Inter times, it consisted mainly than head of the civil govemore of the of the territory between the Tigris and the province, and placed it a.s e. suggestion of Euphrates, south of the muru.s Mediu.s, with what ought to take the place of signeen; a some territorv between the latter river e,nd copyist following, inserted it in the text. If the desert (Professor Rawlinson). It may we compare this che.pter with the sixth, we be that the eatre.py of Babylon was of con- find Daniel one of three who were to receive siderably less extent. The word /uuhlee4 the accounts of the various governors. mc>1ms "to cause to role.'' This would be Daniel was thus, if we may apply to his made true by making Da.niel overseer in e.ny office e. title drawn from our own political department of the government of the pro- usage, secretary of state for Babylonia.. It ,iuce. It is not necessary to Il18.inta.in the.t is characteristic of Daniel, that having been Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel ea.trap of made rich and great by the king, and having BabYlonie.; at the same time, shalet is the received many gifts at the hand of the king, ti~le· given to the eatrap of Babylon. 111. does not ea.tiefy him; he entreats favour Lenormant thinks there must be e.n inter- for hie friends also. Hitzig's objection that polation when Daniel is said to be set over Daniel would have the nppointment of his all the governors of the wise men in Baby- subordinates, would only be valid if Daniel lon. Hie arguments are founded mainly on had been made satrap. If hie shaletship the belief that the castes of astrologers, extended merely to some one department of Bootbeayers, and magiane-all that were governmental work-and that eeemeto follow included in the class of hakmeen-were here- from the last cla.use of this verse-it is un- ditary, a thing which has not been proved. likely that he would have this power. She.- A difficulty ba.s been urged by Lenormant dracb, Meshach, and Abednego are set over that Daniel, as a zealous Jew, could not the" business" ('ebeedta') of the province of become head of e. college of idolatrous Babylon. Thie word, in Tnrgnmio Aramaic, priests. While there may be some force in is very generally need of constructions where this, one must beware of testing the actions labour is employed. We may regard their of a Jew of the sixth century B.C. by criteria position as one eomethiDg like being mem- and principles applicable to one of later bers of a labour bureau. Nebuchadnezzar times. At all events, this militntee strongly was a very great builder, so much so that against the idea that the Book of Da.niel almost all the bricks that have been got we.a written in the e.ge of the -Maceabees. in Babylon a.re stamped with his name. When we see Da.uiel thus, a youth of pro- While !Jis Ninevite predecessors record in babl v two or three and twenty, promoted their inscriptions their campaigns, the kings ultimately to be over the province of Baby- they conquered, and the cities they sacked, lon, und to be one of the king's most the inscriptions of Nebuchadnezzar are trusted conncillors, Ezekiel's saying, which almost entirely occupied with the various places him between Noah and Jo~ (Ezek. structures-temples, palaces, ramparts, and xiv. 14), becomes nntural Dame! had canals-which he had caused to be ma.de. already been some years in the king's These buildings would need perpetual sur- privy council before Ezekiel was carried veying. Further, as a great military into captivity. We do not know how long genius, roads and canals would also be nfter the beginning of his prophetic work important objects, in the carrying out of we are to date the prophecy of the fourteenth which captives would be employed. And cLapttr-it may have been eight or nine the products of this enforced labour would years after. Hut even if it were only six have to be surveyed carefully. 'fhis scem1 CJ!, II, 1-4.9.] 'fIIE BOOK OJ!' DANIEL. 77
more probn.blo tho.n thn.t Dn.niol got these be nenr tho king when he was in his cRpital, thrco frioncls appointed to do the work he renrlered the implied precaution nccdle•s. himsolf wn.s appointed to. 'fhe only pfou- But Daniel sat in the gate of !h, kin']. The siblo suggestion against this would ho that gate of the king we.a the gate of hie P"lttce or Danial dosired tho.t his friends be set jointly the entrance to the central court from whieh over the province of Babylon instead of him- all Lhe apartments brnnched off. In the gate self, ancl, for his own po.rt, he preferred to re- the kings of the Ee.et acted e.s jndges over main in the go.ta of the king. We know tho.t their people; in the gate the king hdd thoeo who wished to undermine e. favourite in councils. Hence to sit in the gate of the au Eastern court, frequently intrigued to get king- conveyed the twofold idea. of being the him promoted to e. governorship, o.nd then king's representative on the throne of judg- poisoned the mind of the king against him. ment, o.nd of being the connsellor of tire On the other hand, the fo.ct that Daniel had king-member of the privy council, to employ hi& province in Babylon, and would always o. modern term.