The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 227

l11tstcn in the somi-dnrkness of the first Ver. 29.-Then wa1 the king exceeding f,:limmer or dRwn to tho lions' den to see glad for him, and oomm&nded that they whether Dtmiel were yet e.lfre, WRS but should take Daniel up out of the den. So nnturnl. As the see.ling of the lions' den Daniel was taken up out ot the den, and no sugg-.,,t.,d the sealing of the holy 6cp11lchro, manner of hurt we.a found upon him, booe.nse so t.lw hnstPning of Dn,rius to the dC'n in the he believed in his God. The verso that earliest dnwn suggests the action of the occupies the sn,me place in the S0ptungiut is women who got up "a great while before not a translation of the present verse at e.ll, dnv." When Dnrius calls Dn,niel the but looks as if it hnd been a sentence in the "s~•rnrnt of the living God," there is no original longer documents whioh followed nccess"n- confession of faith in him on the the above Me.ssoretio verse, "Then all the part or 'the king. It is for him simply e.n powers gathered together, and saw Daniel, net or politeness to a Deity who, if this were that the liane had not hurt him." It is barely noglcct.cd, might resent. It is to be noted possible the.t the first clall.8e here represents t hnt this attribute "living" is omitted in Aramaic that might be misread into the the Septuagint. l\Iassoretio text. Although it is supported Yers. 21, 22.-Then said Daniel unto the by the later versions, the Massoretio text has e. k:ng. 0 king, live for ever. My God bath suspicious appearance. The last clause is e. sent his e.ngel, e.nd bath shut the lions' moral reflection, unlike anything else in the mouths, that they have not hurt me: foras- Book of Daniel, and is omitted, as we saw, much as before him in.nocency was found in from the Septuagint. The assertion of the n;.o; and also before thee, 0 king, have I king's gladness, too, differs in colour from the done no hurt. The Syriac construction, other statements in the book; thus com- 111alleel 'im, is to be observed_ The render- pare the language concerning Nebuche.d- ing of the LXX. diff'ere from the Me.ssoretic nezzar when the three Hebrew youths were text in e. way that can scarcely be due to delivered from the fiery furnace. At the differences merely of reading," Then Daniel same time, it is to be observed that the nee called with e. loud voice, and said, 0 king, of the hophal form in the verb hoosaq is e.n I am yet living, and God bath saved me evidence of the e.ntiquity of this portion of frcm the lions according to the righteousness the verse. The hypothesis that this ne.rrn- found in me before him, and before thee, 0 tiva has been condensed from e. longer one, king, we.s neither ignorance nor sin to be ha.s much to support it. The lesson incul- found in me ; but thou didst hearken to men cated, thnt faith in God would result in who deceive kings, and hast cast me into the deliverance, is very true, even though it we.a den of lions for my destruction." It is not not in the text. The irregular form of the impossible that the opening clauses of the adjective t'ayb points out a possibility that Maesoretic and the LXX. respectively, "0 there bas been some modification of the text- king, I am yet living," and" 0 ld.ng, live for Sometimes words not understood have re- ever," have been derived from the same sulted in known words being written in an source. The last cl.a.use is to ell appenrance irregular way. an expansion. Theodotion and the Peshitta Ver. 24.-And the king commanded, and agree with the llassorctic text. Daniel tb.ey brought those men which had a.caused e..n.swers the king, and declares bis safety. Daniel, and they cast them into the den of The o.ngelology of Daniel is an interesting l:ons, them, their children, e.nd their wives; su~iect, but here the question is complicated and the lions had the mastery of them, and by the fact that there is no reference to brake all their bones in pieces or ever they angelic interference in the Septnagint. Still came at the bottom of the den. Here the ull turough Scripture God does most of hie Septuagint text is superior to the Maeeoretic, wr,rks through the intervention of angels. as briefer, "Then those two men who he.d To Darill.8, if be had any such beliefs as l,orne witness against Daniel, they, their ufterwarcls are found associated with Zoro- wives, e.nd their children, were cast to the astrianism, the ascription of deliverance to an lions, and the lions slew them, and brake o.ngcl would be natural enough. It is doubt- their bones." In this account of the punish- ful whether Cyrus and bis followers were not ment meted out to the accusers of Daniel, idolaters. The rebuke implied iu the state- the victims are only two, with their wives ment that not only before God was Daniel and children. Hitzig contemptuously re- innocent, but in the sight of the king, is marks that the lions' den must have been rnfficiently clee.r without po.eeing beyond the large to contain a hundred e.nd twenty- llilcS of courtly decorum. The expansion in two men along with their families-that tl,c LXX. is unnecessary, and mare the number he gets by adding to the governors nately picture ; though, on the other hand, of the provinces the two presidcnts,collee.guea tLe simpk answer t.o the king's question is of Daniel. If, however, we assume the more likely than the courtl7 "0 king, live Septuagint text to be correct, then thia for ever." objection fe.lle to the ground. The phrase, !II, VI. 1-28,] THE BOOK OF DANIEL. HJ3