The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 346

Rnd Thoodotion by •!• ProbRbly the most Epiphe.nes. Ho used them to gain tho nt1tural Yiew is t-0 tRke the preposition RB people over to his views. But the people equiYRlent to "by," the.t is, he she.ll set that do 1mow their God shall be atrono, and physical forces in motion. And they shall do nploits. Even when Epiphanes seemed 7'nl/11tc thf i1111cft1ory of itrcngfh. ThRt the most neRrly successful, there wo.s a deep- t<'mple in ,Teru!!alcm hRd e.11 the obarncter- seated opposition to this Hellenizing pro- istics thnl fitted it to become a fortress, eess. EspcciRlly prominent were those who was proved in eYery one of the numerous were zealous for the Lo.\'\', the ]lasidim, or, to 6icf!es it bas endured. It becomes still give them the name they hRve in the Book more n fortress. of course, when the Tower of Maccabees, the Assidroans. These re- Ant,,nia wu erected overlooking the temple ligionists, heRded by Matto.thias o.nd his nrea. There ma~·, however, he.ve been a sons, especie.lly by the heroio Judfts MRcOO.· reference to the fact the.t the collectors of bams, oertRinly know their God, and as tribute sent by Antiochus fortified the city cortainly did exploits. of DM·id. nnd used it as a basis of operations Ver. 33.-A.nd they that understand a.mong from which to aBSo.il the temple an<l defile the people shall instrnot many : yet they its courts w-ith blood (1 Mace. i. 35--86). llhall fall by the sword, and by flame, by A"d take awny the daily sacrifice. The oaptivity, and by spoil, many days. The Hehrcw wor<l here used mca.ns "continual," LXX. rendering is, "Tho prudent of the nnd the substantiYc "sacrifice" is supplied. people she.11 understand in multitudes (,is Jn vcr. 45 of the same chapter of 1 ro>.>.o6s ), and they shall push against them l\Iacc. we are told that Antiochus forbade with the sword, and shall grow old with it "burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and drink ( ..-aX41r,,6,!1Tov-rcu Iv 11.brfi)." W o should feel offerings in the temple." And they ehaU inclined to read ,,..,L,.,.,,,.,.,,, had Pe.ulus place the abomination that maketh dual.au. Tellensis not read as the text, "And by One must note here the source of lio,1Tov1T1 bondage and by plunder of days they shall which we find in both Greek versions, and be disgraced." The mysterious ele.use, dabit, which we find in the Vulgate. The " shall grow old with it," is due to the Hebrew has llc1.)) ( 'IRl.(Uh'noo), "and they translation of '=?I!' (Bh"Vee), "captivity," as if it shall give or set:"· It seems to refer to an had been ;-q•~(seebah), "old ago." Theodotion altar to Jupiter, which was erected on the is obscure also, "The underste.nding of thB brazen altar (1 Mace. i. 59). This altar is people shall understand in regard to many spoken of in ver. 54 as the "abomination things, and they shall suffer ( &ITOerr/itTovtTIJI) of desolation (fJlib.. rryµ,z ep71µ.r:,,,.,,.,,)." The by the sword, and with fire, and by ce.p- Hebrew phrase has been borrowed from eh. tivity, and in plunder of de.ye." Tho Pe- ix. 27 ; hence the sugge8tion of Professor shitte. renders, "The dispersed of tho people Bevan, to read here •,z,',j,.:i, is not necessary shall instruct many, and they shall fall by Ver. 32.-.4.nd such as do wickedly against tho sword, and by fire, by captivity, and the covenant &hall he corrupt by fla.tteries : by spoil, a thousand days." The Vulgate but the people that do know their God. shall does not supply any point worthy of rome.rk. be strong, and do exploits. The LXX. trans- .And Oi,ey that undentand am<mg the peop1.s lates, "And by sins of the covenant sha.11 shall inatruct many. In 1 Mace. ii. 27 we they defile themselves with a hard people, have an account of e. multitude instructed and the people knowing these things shall in the Le.w e.nd determined to keep it, who, have the mastery and do (exploits)." The with their wives, children, and cattle, re- o, the preform&tive of the participle hiphil, tired into the deYert. Yet they shall fall by ha.s been taken for the preposition J!? the swoTd, etc. After the multitude pur- written defectively, and probably ;,!'fp, ctt\1 sued the e.rmy of King Antiochus, which was at Jerusalem, and overtook them, the for np?r:J~- Theodotion does not require fugitives would not submit to sacrifice to special noti~, as his version here agrees idols. The e.rmy OBBO,iled them on tho closely with the Massoretic. The Peshitta sabbath day; from e. superstitious reverence is a-0mewhat shorter and having a different for tho day of rest, they did not even do- significance, "And those who transgress fend themselves, and therefore fell &Deasy against the covenant he shall condemn prey to their enemies (1 Maco. ii. 38, them. And the people who know the fear "They slew them with their wives, and shall be strong." The Vulgate rendering children, and their cattle to the number of e. is, "And the impious against the cove- thouse.nd people "). While we wonld not bo nant shall feign falsely (aimulabuntfravdu- held as regarding as literally historical the 1.enler), hut the people knowing their God sufferingB of Eleazar and the s~ven brethrc~ sbo.11 possess and do (exploits)." l\Ien like and their mother, o.s related m 2 l\focc. v1. Alcimue, the Ligh priest after Menelaus, and vii., and more fully in 4 llfaccabe~s, yet were transgressors of the sncrNl cov~nant, it can only have been nn cxngi;crnt10n of uud were c,muptcd by ihc fiattcrit:~ of what mUJlt have actually occurred.  11II, XI. 1-1u.] 'l'HE B')OK m• DANIEL. 31'.)