The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 340

HebrC'w kxt we.s before the tran~litlor when oo cornmmert. Thie ccrte.inly contrndlota h_e rendered, "tum his spears." Theodo- hietory as we he.vo it elsewhere. The Ro- hon &grces with the MRSsoretic in the first vieed is little better, "And in his hand portion, and with the LXX. in the l&tter. shall be destruction," which is the render• The Peshitt& rendering is not unlike the ing of Behrmann, Keil, Hitzig, and Bevan. M1L0sol'('tio, "And the king of the north shall The rendering of von Lengerke, Ewald, come &nd shall le.y ambuscades, &nd shall Stue.rt, and Fuller seems better to take n~~ conquer strong f1L0tneBSes; &nd the &nns of the !lOuth shall not st&nd, beoouse there is not (kal.ah) as meaning "completely." The in them might to st&nd; and his obosen answer t.o the historice.l objection that An- people shall not st&nd, because there is not tioohus did not destroy Palestine, is that might in them to stand." The Vulge.te, 1L0 this destruction refers to Egypt· but ne usual is closest to the Mas!lOretic. The refer- little did he destroy Egypt. ' enc-,e here is most probably to the ce.pture of Ver. 17.-He shall also set his faae to Sidon, into which Scopas, the genera.I of enter with the strength of his whole king• Ptolemy, had thrown himself &fter his de- dom, and upright onea with him: thus feat at Panee.s. Other strongholds a.nd shall he do: and he shall give him the fortified cities were of necessity ta.ken daughter of women, corrupting her: but she at the sa.me time. The arms of the sotdh shall not stand on his side, neither be for him. ,hall Mt ,uitluitand, neither his chosen peopl,e. The LXX. renders, "And he shall set (give, Ptolemv sent severe.I successive armies to 3..S,m) his faoe t.o enter upon (h·,>..B,,v) his relieve· Sidon, but Wl!.8 unable t.o compel work with violence, and he shall make Antiochus t.o give up the siege. Finally oovenants with him, and shall give him a Scope.s had t.o surrender. Neither shall daughter of mo.n to corrupt her, but she there be any strength to 'IDilhstand. Egypt shall not obey, neither shall it be." The we.s t.o e.ll appea.re.nce helpless; there WIL8 translator eeems to have had before him neither wisdom in their counsels nor ve.lolll' ir.ott~o, "work," instead of ,n,:i~o, "king- in their arms. dom "-a reading not equal to the Massoretio, Ver. 16.-J3ut he tha.t cometh age.inst him and c•:,~•P. instead of c•:,ii•), in which case shall do according to his own will, and none the LXX. reading is preferable. Theodo- shall stand before him: and he shall stand tion is like the Ma.ssoretic, "And he shall in the glorious land, which by his hand set (.,.,4,.) his face to enter with the shall be coD.SUJDed. The rendering of the strength of all his kingdom, aud he shall Septuagint is quite different, "And he who ma.Ire all things straight with him, and entereth in shall do to him e.ccording to shall give him a daughter of the women his will, and there shall be none to resist to corrupt her, but she shall not continue before him, and he she.11 stand in the pro- on his side, neither be for him." The nnce in the pla.ce of his will, and all things Peshitta renders, "And he shall set his shall be fulfilled in his hands." Some of face to enter with the force of e.11 his king• the varis.tious may be understood by a dom, and all his people shall pass over, slightly different voeo.liza.tion, but others and the daughter of men shall be given to resist this explo.nation. Theodotion renders him t.o corrupt her, but she shall not stand, in a way the.t suggests a text between that neither be for him." The Vulgate ren,ler• used by the Septuagint translator and the ing is independent of the other versions, Ms.ssoretic, "And he who entereth in shall "And he she.11 eet his face the.t he may do to him according to his will, and there oome to lay hold of his whole kingdom, ond she.11 not be one that standeth before him, he shall do right things with him, and he and he shall Htand in the land of Se.bei, shall give to him the daughter of women ,rnd it slrn.ll be perfected ( 1'EA<0"91jO".-ra.,) by that he may overturn it, but she shall not his hand." The Peshitte. has, "cometh stand, neither be for him." The events ago.inst him," e.s in the Massoretic, "the portro.yed here o.re well known. Antioohua glorious land" is put down directly as collected all his forces with o. view to the "the land of Isre.el." The Vulgate ren- conquest of Egypt, then, e.larmed by the ders exacily e.s our Authorized Version progress of Rome and the overthrow of does. But lu; that cometh against him shall Philip of Me.cedon, he ehe.nged his ple.n, de aceording to Ms 011m will, and none shall He now endeavoured to get Ptolemy to be •tand before him. This is a fe.ir description his ally, and gave him his de.ughter Cleopatra c,f t.he e.dve.nce of Antiochus the Great to wife, with Ccele-Syria. as a dowry. His idea through Ca!l~Byria and Palestine. FortreBB was that she would remain al ways on his side, after fortress fell before his arms. .And would be his spy in the court of her h us- he eltall etand in t/u; gloriou, land; " the band, and would a.I ways lead the policy of land of delight." Ewald would render, Egypt in the lines he wished. His hope1 "land of the ornament." It is certainly the were frustrated. She wo.s not corrupted BO lar,d of Jnde::e.. Which by his hand ,hall 1L0 t.o be false to her husband. In proof of Cl!, Xf. 1-45.) TUE BOOK OF DANIEL. 31.'3 ------------------------------~- -·