The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 352

his hand over the countries, and the land of individuate belonging t.o these ne.tiono.litlea Egypt she.11 eeoe.pe from his hands." The 110.d joined his armies. This is altogether Yulgate bes nothing to justify reme.rk. e. moro ornate and poetioe.l pe.esage than the Proba.bly this verso, in the we.y it is ren- rest of this chapter, e.nd gives tho feeling dered by Theodotion, is e. portion of the of a different hand; therefore, probably, U lo8t vision of DRniel. The ve.guenoss of belongs to a time nearer that of Daniel, "countries" 8te.nds in contrast to the defi- and oonte.ins more of the original prophecy, niteness of Edom, Moab, e.nd Ammon, and Professor Fuller remarks on a refercnco is thm suspicions. Help wes e.l.wRys ex- being me.do to the help Ptolcmy rcceivod pected from Egypt in the time when Assyria from Cyprus. Cyprus, or Chittim, is referred and BR b\·lonia sucoeBBively claimed the sub- to in the ee.rlier pa.rt of this ohe.ptor, but not jection of the Holy Land. here. The Lubim and CUBhim a.re contem- Ver. 48.-Bnt he Bhe.11 have power over porary with Edom, Moe.b, e.nd the sons of the treasures of gold e.nd of ailver, e.nd over Ammon. all the preoiou things of Egypt; e.nd the Ver. 44.-Bnt tiding■ out of the east and Libyan■ and the Ethiopians shall be e.t his out of the north shall trouble him : there- steps. The rendering of the LXX. is fore he shall go forth with great fury to somewhat- fuller, "He shall have power delltroy, and utterly to make away many. over the place of gold and the plR.Ce of silver, The vorsion of the Septue.gint is very like and over all the desire of Egypt, and Libyans this, "A rumour out of the east and out of n.nd Ethiopians shall be in his multitude." the north she.ll trouble him, and he shall The word translated "treasures" is a late oome out in great rage to le.y waste with one, but evidCI1tly the Septuagint tre.ns- the sword, and to slay me.ny." The ver- lator he.d cp::i ( maqom) instead of '?.l??I? sion of Theodotion is somewhat briefer, "Rumours and disturbances out of the ea.et (micl1'manay). Theodotion renders,~ And and from the north she.ll trouble him, e.nd he shall have power over the secret hoards he she.II come in much wrath to destroy of gold and silver, and over o.ll the desirable many." The Syriacis closer the.n any other things of Egypt, and of Libyans, and of version to the Maseoretio text. The Vnl- 1Ethiopians in tl,eir fortresses." Theodotion gate renders, "A rumour out of the ea.et he.s ree.d i·in:::i ( m•tzorayo) instead of l'J:llltl? and north she.ll trouble him, and he shall (mitt'adayo). The Peshitte. renderi.Dg is, come with a great multitude the.t he may " And he shall have power over the honse beat down and slay many." The word N~!:1 of the treasures of gold and silver, and of (l>,ayma) me.y mee.n either "wrath" or the pleasant things of Egypt, and the "multitude." It is difficult to identify the Libvans, and the Cnshites (Ethiopians) are rumours that recalled Antiochus from hie his allies." The Vulgate follows e. slightly conquests. The account given by Porphyry dill'erent rendering, "And he shall rnle the (quoted by Jerome) of his receiving news treasures of gold and silver, and over ell that led him to re.ve.ge the coasts of Phai- the precious things of Egypt; through Libya nicie. e.nd march against Armenia. is un- and lEthiopiJL, too, she.ll he pass." Having supported by other historians. A phre.se a dill'erent ree.ding in the last cle.nse from in Te.citns (' Hist.,' v. 8) seems to throw the Me.ssoretic, the natural Hebrew equiva- light on this, "After the Macedonie.ns held lent for transibit is "D_l."_ (ya"'bor )-e. word the supremacy, King Antiochus, when he that could scarcely a.rise by mistake from was endeavouring to change the super- that in the text. He shall hace poUJOr OT!er the stition of this people, i.e. the J ewe, into treasuru of gold and sillJef', and or;er all the the manners of the Greeks, we.a hindered preci01J,B thi11gs of Egypt. Strict_l_y speaking, by a Parthian we.r.'.' There is, however, this never was the case, as Antiochus never no record of such e. Parthian we.r ; but such wholly conquered Egypt, althou_gh ~ that a war may have arisen, and not be recorded, expeditio:i., in which he b.n.d 18.ld siege to as the histories for the period before us are Alexandria, he came very nee.r completing very incomplete. Should we regard these his conquest. .Ar,d tl,,e Libyam and the verses as giving another account of the we.r Eiltiop1anuhall beat hiuk'I:''· T~ certainly between Epiphanes and Ptolemy, the tidings iE not true ID the sense ID which Jerome out of the north might mean the e.rrive.lofthe t::kes it, "he shall pass through Libya. and Roman envoys, headed by Popilins Lamas. Ethiopia." Though Antiochns more the.n If there were also a threat of e. Parthian ouce invaded Egypt, Le never pasS£;d further inve.sion, we should then have, "tidings out iulc, Africa. These nationalities a.re as- of the ea.et and north." Therefore he shaU sociated with ea.eh other; e.g. in Jer. xlvi go forth tcith great fury to destroy, and R \J, we be.ve, "The Ethiopians and the utterly to make away ma11y. Certainly Anti- Li1yaru that handle the shield." So in och us did return furious from the expedition Ez~k. xxx. 5 we have the countries spoken in which he was stayed by the Romans; of iogeth(;t. It may merely mean that e.nd certainly also he set himself thereafter (lR, XT. 1-45.] 'l'fTE BOOK OF DANIF,L, 325