The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 296

o•p-;', nn,l would render, "by wceke it ie aro largely morn]; hnt still tl,c :\[,·s•ianio dcti,rminccl." '!'hero ·seems little eviclcnco period even waa nr,t to bo expcclo,l to be one for this ren.cling; n.gn.inat n. few late mn.nn- in which there will be no sin-it is to br, rc- scripta la tho conaensua of versions. "De- etmine,J. "To make nn end of sins" -tho,wh termined" is nlso a. word thn.t occurs only "to seal sins" seems the hetterrcnding rliplo- hero; it is Ammnic, but not common even mntically-it is the K'thib, and that of eomc In thn.t lo.ngun.go. It inen.na "to cut off." of the versions. It ia difficult to give the It rnn.y thus refer to these weeks being phrase an intelligible meaning. Moreover, "out off" from time genera.Hy; hence the occurrence of □nn so immediately after "determined." It is eingulo.r, a.ad ita nomi- is against it. Something may be sai,l for nat.ive ia pluro.1. "To finish" a.lao ca.naes nnr.>, which ocenra in a. similar connection difficulty; so tra.nslo.ted, it implies tba.t the with □r.>n that this does in Lam. iv. 22. word should be written 11~;,; but it ia written This is the reading of one of the translators in the LXX., ba.\e,,i,a,-the spirit 9f law- N7:;,, which moans " to restrain," " to en- lessness would be restrained anrl the past close," "to eopo.rate off" (Fiirat). Hence iniquities and their guilt wiped a.way. "To if we translo.te as it stands, it should be make reconciliation"-" to make an atone- "restrain tro.nsgression." "To ma.ko o.n end ment." The verb used is the technical word, of" is a.leo "co.use transgression to cease." "the offering of an atoning sacrifice." In this This is a. rendering of the Ma.ssoretic Q'ri ; sense it occurs eome fifty times in Leviticus. if the K'thib ha.d been to.ken, the translation This might apply to the renewal of sacri- should rather ha.ve been "to seal." "Sine:" ficial offerings in the temple o.fter the fifty this word is plural in the K'thib, but years' cessation during the Babylonian cap- singular in the Q'ri. A large number of tivity, or to the renewal a.fter the shorter manuscripts write the word plural; the cessation under the oppression inflicted on Greek versions give the plural; the Pe- the J ewe under Epiphanee. The next clo.uee ehi1ta. o.nd Vulga.te, Aquila and Paulus implies a wider application and a. loftier Telleneis, singular. "The prophecy," it sacrifice. Professor Bevan is right in main- is clearly as it stands "the prophet." taining that, despite the accents, thia clause Jerome is the only one of the versions is to be connected with the next. To that ta.kee the word in the sense in whioh bring in e-r,erlasting righteourneaa. Thie it is ta.ken in our versions. Professor is more than merely the termination of the Beva.n renders it "prophet" (so Hitzig and suit of God against his people (Isa. xxv:ii. Hengetenberg). One is tempted to adopt 9). The phrase oocors in Ps. oxix. 142, the reading of Michaelis N•::i:ir, "l11, "the and is applied to the righteousness of God. vision of the prophet," which has some These two, "atonement for sin" anl " the manuscript authority (Wolf, 'Siebzigwo- everlasting righteousneBs," are found in ohen,' p. 15). The overwhelming mass of Christ-hie atoning death and the right- evidence is in favour of the present oon- eousness which he brings into the world. eonan ta.I text. Seventy weel,s. "Week," It is true that when Daniel heard these while generally a week of de.ye (eh. x. 2), words spoken by Gabriel ho might not pnt -wo.e occasionally week of years, as Gen. any very distinct meaning on them-in that xxix. 27, "fulfil the week of this," i.e. the he was but like other prophets; the prophets seven years of service. Among the lo.ter did not know the meaning of their own Jews this became a. recognized mode of prophecies. To seal up the 1,-ision ana reckoning, as in the Book of Jubilees, each prophecy; more correctly, to seal 'Cision jubilee is divided into successive weeks. and prophet-to set to them the seal of From who.t follows it is necessary that the fulfilment (von Lengerke, Hitzig, Bevan). weeks here are sevens of years. "Are deter- This does not refer to Jeremiah, because his mined," as already indicated, means "cut propl:ccy referred merely to the return from off,'' not "shortened," which does not seem Babylon, o.nd this refers to a. period which to be the meaning of the word in any case. is to continue long after that. J eremiah's "Upon thy people and upon thy holy city." prophecy was a.bout to be verified. This Dnniol hns been praying long o.nd earnestly new prophecy required four hundred anJ for his people; so the:a:e would be no in- ninety years ere it received its verification. ability to eeo what was DKlnnt by "his city Some event to happen nearly half a millen- o.nd hie people." "To finish tmnsgreesion" nium !lftor Daniel is to prove the prophecy is equivalent to "to restrain transgression." Gou has given him to be true. And to Transgression is apt to become bold and anoint the Most Holy. This phra.se, .::;1p imperious; it is a. g1·eo.t deo.l when it is □•ef:i~, (qodesh qodusheem), is used some forty even somewhat "restrained." It is to be times in Scripture, but almost al ways of noted tho.t, as Daniel'e prayer WI\B groatly things, as the altar 11.lld the innermost sanc- confession of the sine of tho people and tuary (Bevan, 155). Hengstenberg ('Christ.,' pro.yer for forgiveness, tho promises hero iii. 119) points out that the phrase for •• s:rn~- 268 TOE BOOK OF DANIEL, [on. IX, 1-27.