The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 319

tincLly s11,ye tiJnt it w11e I\ man, In tho of them. Theodotion's rendcrincr ~ota con- cnso of E~cldol, it w11e II thoopbnny which firms this. Dn.niel explains ho;,' ho ;!,one he enw; 1t was nn nngelophany which had seen t~o vision, o.nd narrates the olfeds nppo11red to Daniel. " 'fhe voice of a ~ontact with_ the spiritual ha,! on him, multitude" refers to the sound of the shout The!e remamed no strength in me;" "A n,L of n multitude; the effect it produces ie I retamed no strcngth"-a re<loublerl alrtlc- not morely the volumo of sound, but the ment of w~akness not neccssnrily mr;inin!;, difforonoo of tonee and the difference of as Jephet-1bn-Ali would have it, that tho momont of uttoranoo give n eonee of vast- one refers to hie inability to flea like hia ness o.nd multitudinousness, o.lwaye im- attendants, and the otiJcr to his ina.hility to pressive, and indeed awe-inspiring, sto.nd upright. It is prohClbly due mcrdy Ver. 7.-And I Daniel a.lone saw the to the great impression this su,ldcn powcr- vision: for the men that were with me saw lcseness made on him. For my cnmdines• not ths vision; but a great qua.king fell was turned in me into cmruptwn. From the upon them, so that they tied to hide them- natlll'al brightness of the skin in life the selves. The LXX. in the me.in agrees with face assumed the yellow pallor of death this, but seems to have read l'mahar, "in (comp. eh. vii. 28). "And my countenanco baste," instead of b•hayl1abay. Theodotion was changed in me;" comp. also Hab. iii. renders the lo.et word Iv ,pof3'1', implying 16, "_When. I heard, my belly trembled; that he read b•haga'. The reading of the my hps quivered at the voice: rottenness Massoretio is superior, o.s being lees ex- entered into my- hones." While the ideas pected. The Peehitta renders in accordance here are the so.me, tiJe parallelism is made with Theodotion. Jerome agrees very exactly more striking by the difference of the terms. with the Maasoretio text. .And I Daniel alone ,aw the vision (comp. Acts. ix. 7 ; xxii. 9). Ver. 9.-Yet heard I the voice of his The Apostle Paul was solitary in hearing words : and when I heard the voice of his intelligible words and seeing Chriat; his words, then was I ill II deep slsep oa my attendants saw the bright light o.nd heo.rd face, and my face toward the gro·ind. The a voice, but neither saw the speaker nor Septuagint rendering here is briefer than were able to distinguish the pmport of the the Maasoretic, " And I heard the aound words. FOf' the men that were with me ,aw of his speech (A.a,\,iis, 'talking'), and I was fallen upon my face upon the earth." The oot the vision. Who those were that were with Da.niel we cannot tell ; probably they Septuagint translator seems to have read were the ordinary attendants of o.n officer '1;1?~ (n•phaUi) instead of c~~) (nir'dam). of rank in the court of the great king. Theodotion is somewhat nearer the Mas- Rashi's idea that thoy were Haggai, soretio text, but rendera nirdam by Zechario.h, and Malo.chi, has no probability "stupefied." The Peshitta is an accurate in favour of it. As little has Professor rendering of the text behind the Septuagint. Fuller's hint that they were Hane.niah, Jerome agrees with Theodotion, rendering Mishael, and Azariah. But a great qual,ing nirdam by coneternatua; he strengthens the fell upon them, so that they /Zed to hide them- phrase, "my face toward the ground," by 1elves (comp. Exod. :u. 18; Gen. ill. 8). inserting haiTebat. It would seem that A yet finer parallel is Job iv. 12-16. nirdam is of doubtful authenticity. It may Eliphaz there describes a spirit passing be said this was omitted because of tlia before him, although invisible; yet in the difficulty of imagining the prophet seeing horror of conto.ct witiJ tho spiritual, all his while in a deep sleep. But a state of hones shook and the hair of bis flesh stood sleep does not preclude the possibility of up. There is a difference to be noted here seeing a vision. In the parallel passage between the conduct of the nttendants of (eh. viii. 18) the LXX. ho.s no difficulty in Daniel and those of the Apostle Paul. As translating •r;,pi~, l1<otµ:f1811v, By a.,;suming we read here, the attendants of Daniel flee the reading of -the LXX. and the Peshitta. to hide themselves, those of the apostle to be correct, we make the process of events nre first struck to the earth nnd then stn.nd more natural ; according to the l\fassorctic stupefied. reading, though we have an account of IJis Ver. 8.-Therefore I was loft alone, and sense of weakness, we have no record that l&W this great vision, and the1·e remained he fell to the ground, o.nd yet we o.re told no strength in me : for my comeliness wa ■ that he was "m a deep sleep, with his face turned in me into corruption, and I retained toward the ground." The resemblance is no strength. The versions do not call for vory great to Job iv. 12, "A thing was much remark. The LXX. renders "glory" secretly brought to me,and mine ear received hy "spirit" or" breo.tb; " and the Peshitta. a little thereof in thoughts from the vision rcnrlers it by "body." Tho l\fossoretic is of tho night, when sleep falleth on llle!l superior, ns moro difficult nod morn likely (:ir,i:r:iri. tardaymah)." If there has liccu to be tho source of the other two th1m cithe1· ! imittitiou, tho originality au,1 bcm1ty of thu  2!:l2 THE BOOK OF DANIEL. [OH, X, 1-21.