The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 335

na.me the usurper a.ssumcd, "Smcrdie; " but Maesoretic more closely; ho ro,nr1ora "n11t Ctceioe ea.lie him "Tnnyoxa.rcee;" Xeno- when his kingrlom stood (shn.11 sta~d) it phon, "Ta.na.oxa.ree;" nnd lEechylus, ehe.Il be broken, and shall bfl scntt,,rcr\ to "Mardoe." We know the.t Arta.xorxee the four winds of heaven; and to his latter wa.s proba.bly not n pereone.1 nnme, but end (frxcZTa), nor accrm1ing to his f'lllo rather a tiUo, ns was e.lao .A.clu-,,e1"081' Xerxes. which he ruled: for his kingc!"m shall oo tlome, ne Behrmann, nseume the fourth rooted out, and (let) for others besirleq monnrch hero to be Darius Codomannus, these." The Peshitte. agrees generally with but there seems no reason for this nssump• this, only that when in the English we ha.ve, tion, eave tha.t critics e.re euperior persons; "not to his posterity," it has, "not t0 J,is e.nd the writer, albeit many of them admit sword (Biphoh)." The lnst clause is some- him to be inspired, would be moro likely to be what pe.raphrastic, "And his kingrlom shall wrong in hie facts than the.t their theories be rooted, anrl shall not be to others save should be defective. As the writer here these." 'l'he Vulgate agrees with the Mas- gives no names, it is eerie.inly singular to soretic. The description here given of the e.seert the.t, though, if we te.ke his Hebrew empire of Alexander the Great is strictly e.s gmmmaticnl, he gives e. correct enumera- accurate; hie empire did not go to his tion of the Pereian kings, he has defied posterity, nor did any of hie successors Hebrew usage, and been wrong in his poasese e. dominion e.s extensive e.s his. enumeration. He shall stif' up all agaimt FOT otheT& buide those. This has be€n Uie realm of <heoia. All the versions thought to refer to the successors of those except the Vulge.te imply a plure.l here- who first divided the empire among them. ni•;:,~c inetee.d of no~c. This reading is It seems more natural to regard "those" aa pre'r~~ble to the Massoretio, which would referring to the posterity of Alexander, as the arise easily from the next verse. If we me.y nearest e.ntecedent. take this as the true reading, then the Ver. 5.-And the king of the south shall be diversities of the ate.tea in Greece is indicated strong, and one of his princes : e.nd he shall in the way most natural to e.n Oriente.I. be strong above him, e.nd have dominion; Ver. 3.-And e. mighty king shall ste.nd his dominion she.11 be e. great dominion. up, that shall rale with great dominion, The LXX. rendering di1fers from this," And and do according to his will. None of the he shall strengthen the kingdom of Egypt ; versions imply e.ny difference of reading. and one of the rulers shall overcome him The Hebrew implies that the king was a (1ea-r«rxo,m) e.nd role; and his power shall mighty warrior. All critics a.re agreed the.t be n gree.t power." Theodotion agrees with here the reference is to Alexe.nder the Gree.t. the Massoretic in sense. The Peehitta agrees This does not mean that Alexe.nder imme- verbally with the MaBSoretic, but, e.s it omits die.tely followed Xerxes, but the.t his expe- the preposition min, the meaning the trans- dition we.s the revenge for the.t of Xerxes. lator e.tte.ched to the verse is difficult to Alexander, in hie answer to De.riUJ! Codo- e.scerte.in. The Vulge.te e.grees with the me.nnus, justified his invasion of Persie. by Me.saoretio. The verse e.brnptly introduces referring be.ck to Xerxes' invasion of Greece. the conflict between the Lagid and Seleucid The two expeditions, that which Xerxes princes. There is no indice.tion in the pre- me.de into Greece, nnd the.t of Alexe.nder ceding verses the.t the four winds of heaven into Persie., might be rege.rded as ce.use.lly are to be taken so rigidly e.s is implied by cODDeoted. this verse. It is no e.nswer to say the.t Ver. 4.-And when he shall ste.nd up, his EgYJ?t e.nd Syrie. a.lone co.me into intimate kingdom she.ll be broken, and she.ll be rele.tions with the Jews ; it is not e. question divided towe.rd the four winds of heaven; of Co.et, but a question of the necessities of e.nd not to his posterity, nor according to composition. The e.ppears.nce presented is his dominion which he ruled : for his king- the.t of e. fragment existing eepo.rately, and dom she.ll be plucked up, even for others inserted here. The intruded references to beside those. The LXX. rendering is, "And the truth which is to be shown have the when he is risen up, hie kingdom she.11 be look of being e.wkwe.rd attempts to prepare broken, and divided to tho four winds of for the subjoined narre.tive. Whatever its heaven; not according to his might, nor origin, it is very difficult to explo.in to what according to his dominion which he ruled : it refers. The king of the south is certainly bccauso his kingdom shall be to.ken e.we.y, one of the Ptolem.ies, most probably Ptolemy and he shall teach these things to others." Lngi. And 011e of his p1'inces shall be stro11g It is difficult to see what reading the above him. This is usually understoo,l to LXX. translator had when ha rendered," his mel\D. Seleucus Nice.tor, who, when driven JDight," for no word mae.ning ''might" is at from Babylon, his original satre.py, by Anti- nil like ahai·eetho, "his posterity." In the gonus, took refuge with Ptolemy Lagi, o.ud last clause he must have reti<l, not mi/bad, bccamo a corunmnclcr under him in his war but m•lamayd. Thcodotiou resembles tho tigl\inst Anligonu.s. rt,,\0my ,ibo gave Lim  308 TllE BOOK OF DANlEL. [on. XI. 1-46.