The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 366

but If tho word here mee.ne a definite e.nd I se.id, Lord, what is the solution ol poriod of time, it ie the only oo.se in which this word, and what are those pare.hies?" It dooe so, o.nd it is e. word tho.t l\ppee.re These ve.rie.tions seem due to glo,ses iind sovoro.l lmndreds or times in the Boripturee. paraphrase. Theod()tion is in complete We o.dmit tho.t the onumore.tion of de.ya agreement with the Massoretio text. The which follows renders tho aBBertion the.t Peshitta differs only by inserting" Daniel." mo'ea moo.ns here e." ycnr," to some e:dont The Vulgate renders th<1 le.at clause, Quid pll\usiblo, yot only plousiblo. But the next erit poet hmc 1 "What will be after these question orieea-Evon though we should ' things?" Daniel understood the words, but gro.nt thnt it meone e. yee.r, nro we to under• by hypothesis be did not underate.nd the atnnd e. literal yoo.r? We saw that the me.aning of them. This exhibits the rela.- " weclra" of eh. ix. a.re not to be taken tion of the prophet al ways to the revelations litoro.lly, but ne weeks of yeare, in which given-his faculty of understanding wa.s ench do.y atnnda for o. year; the contention of totally independent of the receptive faculty the traditionnl interpreters l,aa then e. juati- by which he received the revelation. If we fle11tion from analogy in taking a mo'ed, if a e.ssume this as representing a fa.et, then o.11 "yeo.r," to be one or three hundred o.nd arguments which are grounded on the sixty or three hundred e.nd sixty-five yea.re. meanings which the prophet himself might Not only is the extent of time indicated see in his words are beside the question. boro cxtrcinely doubtful, but the termimu Since he dnc·s not underete.nd, be appeals a quo is also. Although the writer of to the angelic messenger, who bad declared · 1 i\Jacce.beea fixes the setting up the e.bomi• so much. nation of desole.tion, that is only his inter• Ver. 9.-Alld he said, Go thy way, Daniel; prete.tion. Our Lord, on the other hand, for the words a.re closed up and sealed till refers it to the Romo.n conquest of J eruso.lem, the time of the end. The Srptuagint omits which we.a e. vastly more thorough destruction the last clause, and completes this verse than tho.t inflicted by Antiochus. The mean- from that which succeed.,, "And be said, ing of this period is not fixed yet. When he Depart, Daniel; for the commands are veiled shall have accomplished to scatter the power and sealed until many shall be tried and of the holy peopl,e. Professor Bevo.n would shall bo sanctified." Tbeodotion renders, change the reading !,ere, as from the order "Come, Daniel, because the words are fenced of the Greek words in the Septuagint be e.nd 'see.led till the time of the end." The deduces that the order in the text before Peshitta. e.nd the Vulgate e.gi-ee with the the tro.nslo.tor was different from thnt in the Me.asoretic. Go thy way, Daniel. This is Me.aaoretic text. He would render, "When a refusal to grant Daniel's prayer, but in the power of the shatterer of the holy people the refusal no condemnation of Daniel is shall come to an end." Behrmann sees implied. The oracles were sealed until grammntice.l difficulties, but these are not circumate.nce broke the seal. The purpose oogent; but the argument for this change is of propheoy we.a not to enable men to write weak. Yet we prefer, though with difficulty, history beforehand. It is to be a sign that, Professor Devon's reading. It makes the con- recognized in its fulfilment, may afford evi- nection much simpler to take this solution, as dence of the Divinity of the message or person the end of all things is not the scattering of to whom it referred. Closed up and ,ealed. the holy people, but their building up. If This verse gives us the real meaning of these we had any e.utbority from the versions we words. De.niel's oracles were not concealed should be inclined to ree.d ni1:,:aio instead of and see.led from being reo.d, but beca.nse they were not interpreted they were not nil;,?;ii. nnd insert 1!' before 1"Q'~~ry, and thus understood. For even to Daniel they are would wish to render, "From the brenking of "closed up and sealed." Till the time of the power of the scatterer of the holy people the e-nd. '!'his is omitted., as mny be seen till e.ll these things are ended." This gives above, from the Septuagint. Although this both termini, but none of the versions gives has a aa.tisfo.ctory meaning, yet U seems any hint of snoh a reading. .All these things better to connect this verse more directly ahall /Ja finished. As the resurrection is with thu t whioh follows. mentioned in the seoond verse, we mi<>ht e.t Ver. 10.-Many shall be puri1led, and once assume that this refere to the :nd of me.de white,and tried; but the wioked shall time; but Matt. x.xiv. 3-1, compe.red with 30, do wickedly : and none of the wicked shall renders this conolusion doubtful. understand ; but the wise shall understand. Ver. 8.-And I heard, but I understood As before observed., the Septua~t takes not: then uid I, 0 my Lord, what shall be the first words or this verse and Joins them the end of theae things? The Septuagint to the verse preceding, omitting, however, rendering dilfors in o. somewhat singular one of the three stages of the process. The we.y from the above, " And I heard e.nd rest of the verso is, "And the sinners shall understood not, eapeoially o.bout this time; sin, and none of the sinners shall under-  840 THE BOOK OF DANIEL. [en. xn. 1-18.