The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 294

right in our idea of tho de.to of the Book of JM about /he time of the erenfrig olilrition. D1mrnh, Bnd of the role.tion between it e.nd De.niel ie eo e.bsorbe<l in his <l~v0tions thnt the Book of Daniel, we have proved that not till Gabriel touched bim did he reco"'- Do.niel must ho.ve existed long prior to the nize the presence of an e.ngel-vieitnnt. Tl~e Mnocabean struggle. time of the evening offering does not imply that thoee offe:rings were made in Be.bylon Vere. 20, 21.-And while■ I w111 ■peaking, but simply that, through the half-century and praying, and oonfe■■tng my ■in and the that had intervened aince the capture of ain of my people I■rael, and pre ■enting my Jerusalem by Nebucbe.dnezze.r the se.crerl ■ opplication before the Lord my God for the hour be.d been kept in remembrance, not holy mountain of my God ; yea, whiles I impossibly as being one consecrate,! to was speaking in prayer, tven the man pre.yer. Daniel he.d been using this season Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at to make known hie reque,t and petition to the beginning, bein&- caused to 11.y awiftly, God. "Oblation," min~ah, the blcodless touohed me about the time of the evening meat offering (Lev. ii. I, 4, 14). oblation. .All the versions are practically Ver. 22.-And he informed me, and in agreement with the Massoretic text, save talked with me, and aaid, 0 Daniel, I am that none of them gives the hophe.l meitning, now come forth to give thee elrill and "caused to fly swiftly;" the nee.rest e.p- understanding. The LXX. e.nd Peshitta proach being in the Septue.gint, in which render the first clause, " And he approached we have nl.x" q,epoµ.evos. All, however, and talked with me." It is difficult to derive the word from c:i1v," to fly; " another underste.nd how that reading could have a:rieen from the Maesoretic text, or bow, on etymology is possible from "]P:• .As to the the other hand, the Maeeoretic text could meo.ning of this word, there is a difference have arisen from that behind the Septua- of opinion, Geseniue holding that it means gint. The rendering of the Septuagint in "wee.ried out"-a meaning unsuited to the the last clause is better than that in our subject or to the context, though in accord- .Authorized Version, and is in accordance anco with the use of the word elsewhere. with onr Revised, "to me.ke thee skilful of Meinhold would connect this word with the underste.nding." Theodotion agrees with preceding clause, e.nd refer it to Daniel, the Massoretic. .Although Daniel was " when I we.s faint." The main difficulty highly endowed. and although he had is the succeeding word. Fiiret suggests before him the inspired words of Jeremiah, that it means "shining in splendour "-a he had need of yet higher endowments to meaning perfectly suited to the circum- understand the secrets of the Divine plan. stances, but for which there seems little He knew that if be reckoned seventy years justification in etymology from cogna.te from the time when he himself had been tongues. Fiiret suggests a transposal from carried captive, then the period was draw- Jlp;. Winer gives it, "celeriter ivit, ou- ing to a close ; but the Bins of the people ourrit." This view is taken by Hitzig, von were still there. It might be that God Lengerke, and H'livemick. Ver. 20 is would restrain the fulfilment of his promise; largely an expansion of the first clause of the more so that, if the prophecy of Jeremiah ver. 21. Whiles I was speaking, and pray- were reckoned from the fall of Jerusalem. ing (comp. Gen. xxiv. 15, ".And it came to twenty years would yet have to run. Daniel pass, before he had done speaking"). Thie is concerned about the sins of his people, shows the rapidity of the Divine answer to knowing that, unless they were removed, prayer; even before we ask, "our Father renewed punishment would befall them. knows whe.t things we have need of." The Ver. 23.-At the beginning of thy suppli- man GabTiel. The ne.me Gabriel, e.s men- cations the commandment came forth, and tioned above, means "Hero of God; " I am come to show thee; for thou art and the word here translo.ted " me.n" is the greatly beloved: therefore understand the ordinary word for "man," 'ish. It me.y be matter, and consider the vision. The ver- reme.rked the.t in Scripture angels are sion of the LXX. differs somewhat from always "men ; " never, a.s in modem art this, "In the beginniDg of tl!y prayer 11, and poetry, "women." W11om 1 had seen commandment ea.me from the Lord, and I in the vision at the beginning. 'l'hi~ really came to show thee, because thou art mer- means "whom I had seen previously in ciful, o.nd do thou understand (o,w,011811.,.,) vision," the reference being to eh. viii. 16. the command." The other versions do not Being caused to fly swiftly. Ae above men- present much worthy of remark. .At the tioned, there is considerable difficulty in beginning of thy Bupplicatiom. This affords deciding which meo.ning is to be taken 11s e. reason why it we.s while Daniel "was the r.orrect. Kliefoth's and Meinhold's view yet speaking," that Gabriel co.rue to him ; would be the simplest, if there were any cer- the moment the desire wo.s strong enough tainty thnt 9)1' mee.ns "fointness." To11ched to shape itself in words, the answer we.a u11  266 THE BOOK OF DANIEL, [on. Ix. 1-27.