The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 345

they o.grcocl to !\ joint oocupBtion of the ,Judaism. And M'l18 intelligen~e v,i/1, them throno. It is snpposccl this second expecli• !hat fm-,ake th'l holy wvenant. It is not tion wo.s intended, if possible, to break up 1mprohable that Antiochus was enennr0-1sed this o.grocmont. to make the attempt he did, by the fact Ver. 30.-For the ships of Chittim shall that so_ many persons high in po"ition wer~ oome against him: therefore he shall be Hellen,1zere (1 Ma.cc. i. 11-15, in which grieved, and return, and have indignation there 1s reference to those that forsook the against the holy oovenant : so shall he do ; holy covenant). The desire of Antiochus he shall even return, and have intelligence was probably to make hie empire more with them that forsake the holy covenant. homogeneous. The Jews, he would see by As the LXX. do not obscure the refer- the fact that they had a national nnity ence to Egypt, so they here co.ll the ships a.part from hie empire, might at times be of Chittim 'Poµa,01. The rendering is," Ancl thorns in hie side-might hecome allies of the Romans shall come, o.nd shall drive him Rome if he were compelled to engage in out, o.nd shall make him wroth, o.nd be war with the Republic. It was their re- ehBII return and be enraged agBinet the ligion that was the bond which united the covenBnt of the holy, ancl shall do and nation ; let that be broken, then there would return and plot against those on account of be a chance of the Jews blending har- whom they left the covenant of the holy." moniously with the other races tba.t made Theodotion renders in a slightly different up the Syrian Empire. Those that forsook way, "Those who come from Ohitti.m shall the holy covenant me.de him think it an assail, o.nii he shall be humiliated. and be easy task. she.II return e.nd be enraged age.inst the Ver. 31.-And arms shall stand on his covenants of the holy. And he shall do part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary and return, and have understanding age.inst of s~rength, and shall take a.way the daily those who have been left to the holy sacrifice, and they shall place the abomi- covenant." The Peshitta renders more in nation that maketh desolate. The render- harmony with the Me.ssoretic text, "Those ing of the LXX. is close to the abovP,. who come against them from the lines of "And arms shall stand by him, e.nd shall Ohitti.m, even they shall break him, and he pollute the sanctuary of fear "-probably shall tum e.nd be enraged against the holy the LXX. read iil't (mago-r;," fear," instead covenant, e.nd shall have understanding of l1J!Cl (ma'oz), " fortress," a change pro- with them that forsake the holy covenant." bably due to the fact that Jl sounded in The rendering of the Vulgate is singular, Greek ears like 1 hard, rcl(o: for ,11:i,-" e.nd "And there shall come against him trieree they shall take away the sacrifice ~~d place (ships of war, .,.p,11p,,r) e.nd Romans, and (0~11av11i, give) the abomination of deso- he ~he.11 be beaten, e.nd shall return, and lation." Theodotion, f-rom a mistaken ehall ibe enraged against the testament vocalization, renders, "And seeds "-reading (testamentwm, covenant) of the holy place o•:ii~ instead of 0•!)'11-" shall spring up and shall do, he shall even return and shall devise against those who have left the from him and shall pollute the sa.nctua.ry testament (testame11tum) of the holy place." of power, and shall change the continual The ships of Ohittim e.re the Roman ships, (sa.crifice), and shall place (6~11ov111) the bee.ring the envoys of the Senate with 0. abomination of things that have disappeared Popiliue Lamas e.t their head. He delivered U11>a.v,11µevo,v)." The Peshitta is quite dif. to Antiochus the tablets on which were ferent in the fust clause, "And their inscribed the wishes of the Senate. Anti- strong ones shall arise from them, and they ochus was then on the eve of commencing pollute the ea.nctuary of strength, and they the siege of Alexandria, e.nd completing cause the sacrifice (qorba11) to pass away, e.nd the conquest of Egypt. Ho.ving read that they shall hang up the abomination in the the Senato of Rome desired him to refrain temple." The Vnlge.te rendering is in from attacking the allies of the Republic, accordance generally with the Massoretic, Antiochue said he would answer after con- " And arms shall stand from him, and shall sulting with hie friends. Lmnae drew a pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall circle round him with •hie staff on the sand, remove the continua.I (juge) sacrifice, and and demanded that he should give hie shall place ~he abomination of desolation." answer before he left the circle. Antiochue Arms shall stand on his part. Thie word had to submit. Shall have indignation "arms" here is not to be understood as against t11e holy covenant. It is not certain weapons-a misunderstanding possible in whether Antioohue was present personally English. "Arms" here stands as the at the plunder of Jerusalem or superin- symbol of phyeioal power generally. "On tended the mBseaore of the Jews; but it his part" is represented by the preposition is practically certo.in that at this time F?, which means "with" or "from;'' hence bcgo.n tbe eystclllatic o.ttclllpt to put down we find the Septuagint tral).slating by ""P'¼  318 THE DO,)K OF DANIEL. [on. XI. 1-40,