The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 347

Ver. 84.-Now when they ■hall bll, they or the wiee ie omittc,l. Although the Vnl- shall be holpen with a little help: but many ge,te llllpporte the :rtfoswirctic in tliis, we fed ■hall olee.ve to them with flatteries, The it auspicious. Ancl ,ome of !hem, of muter- Septuagint rendering ie, "And whPn they standing shall fall. Though marvcllonsly nre orushed many eh all be gaU1orod to thorn succeesfnl, yet Judas and his comra,]r;e in (l11l) the city, even many ae in dietribu- euffered eome reverses; the reference may tlon by lot (tcl..1Jpo80<1la)." Thie phrneo ie be to those that fell in battle. The rcnr\o,r- ing in Theodotion woulcl seem to pcint to rendered byPaulueTelleneis,~ 't"Q!!D some apostatizing. We have no record of (poolor, peso.), "the divieion of the Iota;" any rnch co.ees, yet it is nr,t impossible wrongly 1·endored by Dugati, in heredilctle. that some would fall away. This wonlrl he The reading here ie due to dropping of the a greater trial than defeat o.nr\ the deal h reduplication in h•lrrqlaqoth. The Peehitta in b1>ttle of such heroes ae Elcazar, sn r- genc1·ally agreee wHh the Maesoretic, only no.med Ava.ran, or even of Judae lH,vca.- it renders the last clause, "Many eho.ll add blllus himeelf. To try them, and to p•irue, and to make th,m white. The death of themselvee to them in divieion, lb.~ teachers and of military leaders woul, I 1,e a severe test of the zeal and enthusiasm of (palr,oolha)," which, however, Castelli ren- the faithful. All the fearful and insincere dere in thie one caee o.e simulatio. When would fall off from the ranks of the faithful. succeee crowned the o.rme of Judae and his Those zealous for the Law of God would he brethren, many of the Sadducean party o.t once tried and purified by these un- joined themeelves to them, e,lthough for- toward events. This has been the experi- merly they belongecl to the Hellenizers. This ence of the Christian Church in every age. aeeocie.tion rendered the A.esid!llane dis- Because more a trio.I, therefore more purify- satiefied, e,nd resulted in diee.ster. Probably ing would be the failure of some to main- the reference ie to nothing so far down tain the faith under trio.I. Even to the lime history. When Judas began to be eucceeeful, of the end: because it is yet for a time ap- many would join him, hoping, by a limited pointed. It is in perfect accordance with a.mount of treachery to Judo.a, to eecure the view that the purpose of the death of eafety if the king ultimately prevailed, teachers and leaders, even their failure, is while at the ea.me time, their preeence with the purification of the saints, that the time the Macce.bees would eave them from the of the trial ehould be fixed o.nd definite. vengeance of their own countrymen if • This view is frequent iu the Apocalypse. Judae were BUcceseful and the Syrian yoke thrown off. Ver. 36.-And the king shall do accor;!- Ver. 85.-And some of them of under- ing to his will ; and he shall exalt himself, standing shall fall, to try them, and to and magnify himself above every god, and purge, and to make them white, even to the shall speak marvellous things against the time of the end: beoe.use it is yet for a time God of gods, and sho.11 prosper till the m- appointed. The rendering of the LXX. ie, digno.tion be accomplished; for that that "And some of those of understanding shall is determined shall be done. The LXX. consider to purify themselves both to be does not differ greo.tly from this, "And choeen and to be purified to the time of the the king shall do according to his will, end, for the eeo.son is for hours." The and ehall be enraged, and be exalted above every god, nnd ago.inst the God of gods tro.nelator must have read 1"7~: instead of shall he speak marvellous things U!a.Ma) i,rh:, The reading of the Mo.esoretee is to and shall prosper until the wrath be ac- be· preferred. Theodotion's, while closer to complished; for on him ( eir avT6v) there the Mo.ssoretic text, ie not identical with is o.n end." The difference in the last the sense as represented by the Authorized clause is considero.ble between the LX:X., and Revised Versions, " And eomo of those a.nd not easily explicable. Theodution of understanding elrnll be weak to try them, differs somewho.t more, "And he shall tho.t they may be chosen out o.nd revea.led do according to his will; and the king at the end of time, for it yet is for a eeo.eon." shall be exalted, and be m,1gnified, and he Both Greek versione, as will be seen, render shall epeak marvellous things, nnd he shall barar, "choose "-a meaning it lms in the prospe1· until the wrath is anded; fur it is puo.1-and both omit one of tho clauses. In to a detormined end (<1uvT,,\eta.,,)." 'l'ho this the Greek vcreione have the eupport of Peshitta is closely related to the Massorctic, the Peshitta, which 1'0ndere, "And (some) even in the last clause, where a difference of the wise ehiill bo overthrown to choose is manifested in the others. The Vulgnte a.mong them, and that they may understand affords no occasion of remark. 'l'he to the end, beca.use it is ago.in protra.cted question tha.t has to be settled here is-Who for a eeason." Hero, too, the Inst of the is the king who slll\ll do accor,liug to hie cll1usc3 descriptive of the effect of tho foll pkt1st1rc? AuL'll Ezm maintt1inecl the refer- 820 THE BOOK OF DANIEL. [on. xr. 1-45.