The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 338

Y,,r. !l.-So the king or the south ehe.ll ,·~ry warlike. Ile began to n•~nil Ryrill, come into hie kingdom, e.nd she.11 return whit-.h was in the possession of rhilopator, into his own land. 'fhc Sept111\gint Version but wne intern1pted by news of wnr in the differR kss thnu usnnl from the MI\Sso- for Enst. After I\ e11cceeef11l enmp8.igD. in rdic, "TbC' l~in~ or EgYpt ehn,11 enter into Media nud l'ereia, he wrested llrst Selcucia (his) kingdom <'-C'rtnln ch1ys t\nd return to from the hnnde of Ptolcmy Philopntor; hie h.nd." Thcodolion renders, "And he nnd then proceeded on hie invasion of Crole• ,'1,nll C'ntcr into th<> kingdom of the king of Syria t\nd Palestine. And one ~Tinll cer- flt,, sonth. nnd return into hie ]8.nd." The tainly come, and overjlmo, nnd pa~s througl,. Pl'shittn ~liffere rnoro, "The ldng of tho ThiB describes in I\ compendious wo.y the F011th shnll enter in strength, and tum to oampe.igne of Antiochue l\11\gnus. And be his own land." Th<> Yu!g&te does not differ Btirred up, ei,en to hi• fort,·us. Thie ie from the othcrF. Thie verse, assuming tho supposed to refer to the recovery of So- kin; of the s0uth, Pto\cmy Euergetes, to be leucie.. Some think tho.t this rather et.a.tea ihr su bjcct of the verb, merely completes that ho pierced nearly to Pelueium, the th<> slatem<>nts of the previous verse, and frontier fortress of Egypt. • ~<>ems to de~crihe the trinmph1mt return of Ver. 11.-And the king of the south shall Em•rgctes into Egypt. If we take-which, be moved with oholer, and shall oome forth, however, is not so natural-the ld.ng of the e.nd fight with him, even with the king of north !U3 the subject, then the reference may the north: and he shall set forth e. gree.t be to the unsuccessful attempts made by multitude ; but the multitude shall be given Sclcucus Calli.nicus to invade Egypt. into hi1 hand. The LXX. differs e. little Ver. 10.-Bnt his &ons &hall be stirred up, from the Massoretio, " And the King of and ahall assemble a multitude of great Egypt shall be much embittered and en- forces; and one ahall certainly come, and raged, and shall come forth and fight with overflow, and pass through : then shall he the king of the north ; and he ehall eet return, and be stirred up, even to hia forth (ITn/lTEl) a great multitude, and the fortress. The version of the Septuagint multitude she.ll be betrayed into his hands." differs from this, "And his son shall both Thcodotion, like this, differs from the be stirred np, and shall a.seemble (ITrw<t{e, Maseoretic by inserting, " the king of the 1Tuva-yary1w) a. great multitude, and, ravaging north," without the pro.noun, as do all the with it (1«rra,,-upow), he shall enter, and pass other versions. Ptolemy, usually slothful by and return." The R'thih here supports and lethargic, wae at length roused, and this to the extent at least that it has "his placed e.n army of seventy-five thonae.nd son," not "his sons ; " but the verbs are men in the field. Agai.net thie A.ntiochllB plural. The last cla.use of this verse i.n the opposed the slightly superior army of Jifassoretio text is transferred by the Sep- seventy-eight thousand. The two armies tuagint to the next; Theodotion., while, as engaged at Raphie., e.nd A.ntiochns ene• usual, more closely in agreement with the tained a severe defeat, loeing no Iese than Maseoretic text, is not quite identical with ten thous&nd men. The multitude com- it," And his sons shall e.esemble a multitude manded by Antiochns was given into the modcrutely numerons (,i,,12: µ,,,-011 ...ox>..w11), hands of Ptolemy Philopa.tor. Thie seems and he that cometh and overfioweth shall the only interpretation which is consistent come and shall pa.as by, and shell enter, e.nd with facts. slw.Jl struggle hard (1Tuµ1rpo<TTA.a1<711TE1'a1), Ver. 12.-A.nd when he hath ta.ken a.way even to his fortrellS (i,,-x6os). " The P!'llhitta the multitude, his he&rt shall be lifted up ; and the Vulgate are in cl0118 agreement a.nd he sh&ll oast down many ten thousands: with the Maseoretic text. But hu wna but he shall not be strengthened by it. sliall be Bti.-red up. The natural i.nferenee The rendering of the LXX. is, "And he is that it is the sons of the king of the &hall take the levy (11uva-y..,-yr/11), e.nd hie south wL.o thus are stirred up, but, his- heart shall be lifted up, and he shall trouble torically, it can only refer to the sons of many, and shall not be afraid." There Scleuc-na Calli.nicna, who, one after the seeme to have been eome difference of read- other, BUcceeded him on the throne: Seleucna ing in the la.et cle.uee, but it ie not clear Ceraunus, who died after a short reign of what. Theodotion rendere the first clause rather more than two years ; and A.ntiochue as doee the Septuagint; but the latter ill., Magnna. Certainly Seleucus did little clauee ie more in accordance with the iu this conflict, al though he undertook a English version of the Maesoretic text. The campaign to A£ia Minor, in the course of Peehitta from the ea.me text differs in its which he was aesaB8i.nn.ted.. It may be interpretation, "And he shall destroy them tL.at this campaign was intended a.a a pre- mightily, and his heart ebe.11 be lifted up, paration for & grt:at campaign against Egypt. and be shall cast down many, and sbo.11 not On th6 d6ath of Cerau.nus, he was succeeded bo strengthened." The Vulgo.te presents by Antivchus Magnue. Thie prince wae no occasion of remark. And lvi ehall caet Ott. Xl. 1-15.] 'flm IlOOK OF DANIEL. :-l1J