The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 179

the text behind tho Soptuo.gint is superior of the vision, but are not rcpo,nterl now. to thBt of tho Mo.ssorotio; the fatter is Theodotion agrees with the Mnssoretic text. obviously filled out from ver. 11. The The Peshitta. carries the repetition yet fur- etu.toment of Nebucho.clnezzBr's greo.tncss ther, and inserts, "And his Lico.rt shall br, ln ver. 22 (14 Septtlll,gint, 18 Mo.ssoretic) changed from the heart of a man, and the mriy be somewhat tho result of paraphrase. heart of a beast shall be given him." In this 'l'he fiftoonth vorse, according to the LXX., the process already begun in the tr,xt of which is pamlleled by Tischenclorf with the Massoretes is carrier! a little fortlier. ver. HJ of tho Mas,oretic, is reo.lly another The Vulgate agrees with the received text. vorsion of the prececling verses, probably Daniel rapidly notifies the principal fea- sligb tly moclified to give the resulting tures in the king's clrea.m, before he pro- toxt the appearance of being continuous. ceeds to explain it. 'l'heodotion boo.re a very close resemblance Ver. 24.-This is the interpretation, 0 to the lllaeeoretic text, only he lwe 1<t-ror, king, and this is the decrae of tha :Most "breadth," inetco.cl of 8pa,m. The Peshitta High, which is coma upon my lord tha lring. differs but little, though still a little, from The passage in the Seventy which is parallel the Massoretic text. Instead of rendering, with this is partly in the last clause of the "meat for all," it has, "for all flesh." previous verse and partly in the verse that According to both recensions of the text, occupies a similar place to this in the Daniel repeats, either in substance or with Septuagint text, "The judgments of the verbal exactness, the description N ebu- great God shall come upon thee, and the chadnezza.r had himself given of the tree Most High and his angels assail thee of his vision, but applies it to the monarch. (1<a.Ta-rpexov<TIV E1Tl <Te)." The changa of To us the terms of the description of Ne- tense here indicates that the second clause buchadnezzar's power a.re exaggerated; bnt is an alternative rendering, brought into the we must bear in mind that the manners of text from the margin. In this marginal note an Oriental court a.re different from those m·ta has been taken as " assail," and malka', of Western nations. It is not unlike the "0 king," has been, by transposition of the boastful language of Nebuchadnezzar in two final letters, read m'la'k, "angel." I.he Standard Inscription. The monarch's Theodotion and the Peshitta. agree with dominion was vast, but it had been given the Massoretic text. The respectful tone him, and that he did not recognize, and in which Daniel addresses Nebuchadnezzar hence the judgment that came upon him. in the received text is to be observed; it is Ver. 23.-And whereas the king so.w a utterly a.lien to the boastful tone Judaism watcher and an holy one ooming down from was afterwards accustomed to impute to its heaven, and sa.ying, Hew the tree down, old saints. That there is no reference to and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the watchers or to their decree in this is the roots thereof in the earth, even with imputed to Daniel's recognition of its true a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass source; but in the Septuagint there is of the field; and let it be wet with the nothing equi vu.lent to the statement in ver. dew of heaven, and let his portion be with 17. The fact that it is omitted here con- the beasts of the field, till seven times pass firms the suspicion against it which we over him, This in the beginning agrees expressed in regard to the earlier verse. with the text behind the Septuagint Ver- Ver. 25.-Tha.t they shall drive thee from sion of ver. H (7 LXX., 11 Massoretic). men, and thy dwelling shall be with the In that verse, instead of the elaborate pro- busts of the field, e.nd they shall mue thee cess of cutting off branohes and aha.Icing off to e11,t grass as oxen, and they shall wet leaves, the Septuagint had simply, 1<a-ra- thee with the dew of heaven, and seven </>Oelpan av-r&. This confirms us in our pre- times shall pass over thee, till thou know ference of the Septuo.gint there. In the that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom present instance, the Septuagint is briefer of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. than the Massoretic text ; it varies in some The Septuagint Version is here much briefer, points, which may indicate the hand of a and in that better, "And they shall put redactor, "And tho vision which thou thee in guard, and send thee into a. desert ea.west, that an angel was sent in strength, place." The Massoretic text, although it and commanded to root the tree up and to agrees with that from which T11eodotion's cut it down, tlle judgment of God shall Version, the Peshitta., and the Vulga.te come upon thee." Here, ago.in, there is have been translated, is pleonastio. The nothing of "the watcher and the holy one,'' Vulgate di·ops the causative element, and nothing of the belt of "iron and brass," nor simply says, "Thou sbalt eat grass like of the "tree having its portion with the the ox, and thou aha.It be wet with the beo.sts of the field," nor that it was to be dew of heaven." The Peshitta, while trans- " wet with the dew of heaven." Some of lating Cllll;l by tho a.phel or 'acaZ-that is to theao feutures are mentioned in the account say, ma.king the meaniug causative-renders  142 THE BOOK OF DANIEL. [OH, IV, 1-87,