The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 150

Israel wa,e thus ma.nifcetocl 11e so D\uch without changing the worrls of th~ docu• gro11tor tho.n Iz-bo.r, the.t ho coulcl deliver mcnt. Berthol,lt is mist,.ken in m"intnin- hie;eerva.nte oven whoo in the vory element ing that this declare.tion is that tho God in whioh Iz-be.r ho.d hie power. 'fhe fo.ct of the throe Hebrews is worthy of being tha.t evon thoir "coo.ta "-who.tover theeo hlosscd. All that Nebuchrulnezz"r acknow- ga.rmente wore-were not burned, o.ncl not ledges in this verse is that Jehovah rca.lly even o. ho.ir singed, whilo tho cords the.t ho.d exists-that he is powerful, and the H,,brr,ws been used to bind them were conrnmcd, did right to continuo in the worship of their cmpha.sizee their dolivcro.nce, ancl shows it national God. We find that the bar-elolwn to bo the work of o. higher power, who of vcr. 25 is now regarded by Nebuchad- could discriminate 11nd limit the deliver- nezze.r as an angel, or, as we ought rather 11nce. 'fhe cords were consumed, but the to translate it, "messenger." We have no garments of his sorvo.nts were preserved need to import Hebrew ideo.s into the de- evon from the smell of fire. The Baby- claration of the Babylonian monarch. It lonio.ns ho.cl conquered the city of Jehove.h, was quite in accordance with his mytho- ho.d burned hie temple, e.ncl ho.cl clone this logical notions the.t e. great God like the through the power of Mardulr, so they God of the Hebrews might have a messenger, thought; but here Bel-Marduk ho.cl been who was his instrument in the deliver- openly defied by three worshippers of Je- ance of his servants. The reading of the hovah. They he.d been hurled into the Massoretes, "changed," is to be preferred to very element of Iz-b11r, the serve.nt o.nd ally "despised." To one like N ebuchadnezzn.r, of Marduk, yet fire he.d been uno.ble to stiff to obstinacy in his opinions, for any- ho.rm them or vindicate the honour of Bel- thing to compel him to change not only his Me.rduk. Whe.t emphasized this was the.t opinions, but more, to alte_r a decree, was the fire tho.t spared the serve.nts of Jehovah a strange thing, and a thing that he would slew the vote.ries of Bel-Marduk, who were think worthy of chronicling. At the same eager to show their reverence for Marduk time, he might feel it needed a justification. bycarryingthese Jehovah-worshippers to the On the other he.nd, such a one as Nebu- furnace. Such e. miracle, so wrought before chadnezze.r would not advertise the fact e.ll the high dignitaries of the Babylonian that any one had " despised" his "word." Empire, would go far to take the edge off It is to be observed that Nebuchadnezzar any taunting reference to the weakness of recognizes not only the deliverance as an Jehovah's Godhead as demonstrated by the evidence of the truth of J ehovah's Divinity, ruins of Jerusalem. Jehovah had shown but e.lso the willingness with which his himself 11B the supreme Revealer of secrets servants were ready to offer their bodies when he enabled Daniel to tell Nebuchad- to be burnt. The evidence that compelled nezzar his dream. He now manifested Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge the might himself as Master of the most powerful of of Jehovah was the so.me in essence as that elements-fire. The Jews could thus main- which converted the Roman Empire. Still, f~d:1 their faith unchallenged. we must again repeat Nebuche.dnezzar re- Ver. 28.-Then Nebuchadnezzar epake, cognized in Jehovah only the God of the and said, Blessed be the God of Bhadrach, Jews, and in the faithfulness of the three Meshe.ch, and Abed-nego, who bath sent Hebrews only a species of religious patriot- his angel, and delivered his servants that ism, which he could e.t once understand and trusted in him, and have ohanged the king's respect without having the slightest belief word, and yielded their bodies, that they in monotheism, or even comprehension of might not serve nor worship any god, ex- such a notion. cept their own God. The Septuagint and Ver. 29.-Therefore I make a deoree, That Peshitta, instead of "changed the king's every people, nation, and language, which word," have "despised the king's word," speak anything amiss against the God of reading, t:1111', "to despise," instee.d of N~I\", Shadrach, Me,haoh, and Abed-nego, shall be "to che.nge." Theodotion agrees with the out in pieces, and their houses shall be Me.ssoretic, as otherwise do the other two made a dunghill : because there is no other versions, We me.y regard this as the be- God that can deliver after this sort. The ginning of the roye.l decree revoking practi- versions agree with the llie.ssoretio text ce.Hy that previoUBly promulge.ted, omitting here, only that all put the crime, "speaking only the statement of the titles of the 11nything amiss," more strongly than we mone.rch. The wording is somewhat pecu- find it in the Massoretio recension. ;,S;; is lie.r, "Blessed be their God-of She.draoh, amended by the Massoretes to bi,, "erro- Meshaoh, and Abednego." It may indicate neous," whereas the Septuagint renders, ~s av th11t some words in the immedie.te context /3>..au,P11p.fiCT?I• 'l'heodotion, lj (agreeing with. he.ve been omitted; in other words, that -y>..wuua) ia~ <t1r!'I /3>..au,P11p.iav. 'l'he Pe the editor, in quoting the decree, he.s en- shitta renders ~~," to blaspheme," Hit de1.wollled, e.s fe.r 1111 possible, to condense  112 THE BOOK OF DANIEL. [cH, m. 1-80