Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Vision of Ihe Ram and He-Goat. DANIEL VIII. Twenty-three Hundred Days of Saertoe, ing to the Kuphratean (Turk) horsemen (Revelation 9. 14-
(ch. 7. 5), symbolizing clumsy firmness. Tlie king of Persia wore a jewelled ram's head of gold instead of a diadem, such as are seen on the pillars at Persepolis. Also the Hebrew foi ram springs from the same root as "Elam," or Persia. [Newton.] The "one horn higher tlian the other" answers to the bear " I'aising itself on one side" (of. JVote, ch. 7. 5). 4. ram pushing westward—Persia conquered westward Babylon, Mesopotamia, Syria, Asia Minor, northward—Colchis, Armenia, Iberia, and the dwellers on the Caspian Sea. southward—Judea, Egypt, Ethio-
21), loosed " an hour, a day, a month, a year" (391 years, In the year-day theory), to scourge corrupted idolatrous Christianity. In 637 A. D. the Saracen Moslem mosque of Omar was founded on the site of the temple, "treading under foot the sanctuary" (u. 11-13); and there it still remains. The first conquest of the Turlis over Christians was in 1281 A. D. ; and 391 years after they reached their zenith of power and began to decline, Sobieski defeating them at Vienna. Mohammed II., called "the conqueror," reigned 1451-1481 A. D., in which period Constantinople pia, Libya; also India, under Darius. He does not say eastward, for the Persians themselves came from the east (Isaiah 46. 11). did according to his will—(Ch. 11. 3, 16; fell; 391 years after brings us to our own day, in which Turkey's fall is imminent, vvaxed . . . great, toward cf. ch. 5.19.) 5. he-goat— Graeco-Macedonia. notable horn—Alexander. "Touched not . . . ground," implies the incredible swiftness of his conquests; he overran the world in less than twelve years. The he-goat answers to the leopard (ch. 7. 6). Caranus, the first king of Macedonia, was said to have been led by goats to Edessa, which hemade theseatof his kingdom, and called iEge, t". e., goat-. . . south—(Ch. 11. 25.) Antiochus fouglit against Ptolemy Philometer and Egypt, i. e., the south,, toward tlie easthe fought against tliose who attempted a change of government in Persia, toward the pleasant laud—Judea, "the glorious land" (ch. 11. 16, 41, 45; cf. Psalm 48. 2; Ezekiel 20. 6, 15). Its chief pleasantness consists in its being God's chosen land (Psalm 132. 13; Jeremiah 3. 19). Into it Antiochus made his inroad after his return from Egj'pt. 10. great, even to . . . liost of heaven—explained v. 24, "the mighty and holy people," i. e., the Jews (ch.7. 21) and their priests (cf. Isaiah 24. 21). The Levites' service is called " a warfare" (Margin, Numbers 8. 24, 25). Great civil and religious powers are symbolized by "stars" (Matthew city. 6. standing before the river—Ulai. It was at the "river" Granicus that Alexander fought his first victorious battle against Darius, 834 b. c. 7. moved with choler —Alexander represented the concentrated wrath of Greece against Persia for the Persian invasions of Gi'eeoe; also for the Persian cruelties to Greeks, and Darius' attempts to seduce Alexander's soldiers to treachery. [Newton.] stamped upon him—In 331 B. c. he defeated Darius Codomanus, and 330 b. c. burned Persepolis and completed the conquest of Persia, none . . . could deliver—not the immense hosts of Persia could save it from the small army of Alexander (Psalm 33. 16). 8. when he was strong
24. 29). See 1 Maccabees 1. 2.5, &c. ; 2. 35, &c. ; 6. 2, 12, 13. Tregelles refers "stars" to tliose Jews whose portion from God is heavenly glory (ch. 12. 3), being believers in Him who is above at God's right hand: not the blinded Jews, cast . . . stars to the ground—so Babel, as type of Antichrist, is described (Isaiah 14. 13, 14), "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." Cf. Revelation 12. 4; 2 Maccabees 9. 10, as to Antiochus. 11. to the prince of the host i. e., God Himself, the Lord of Sabaoth, the hosts in heaven and earth, stars, angels, and earthly ministers. So v. 25, " he shall stand up against tlie Prince. . . great horn was broken—the empire was in full strength at Alexander's death by fever at Babylon, and seemed then least likely to fall. Yet it was then " broken." His natural brother, Philip Aridceus, and his two sons, Alexander jEgus and Hercules, in fifteen months were murdered, four . . . toward . . . four winds—Seleucus, in the east, obtained Syria, Babylonia, Media, &e. ; Cassander, in the west, Macedon,Tliessaly, Greece ; Ptolemy, In the south, Egypt, Cyprus, &c. ; Lysimachus, In the north, Thrace, Cappadocia, and tlie north parts of Asia Minor. 9. little horn—not to be confounded with the little horn of the fourth kingdom in ch. 7. 8. The little horn in ch. 7. comes as an eleventh horn after ten preceding horns. In ch. 8. it is not an Independent fifth horn, after the four previous ones, but arises out of one of the four existing horns. This horn is explained (v. 23) to be "a king of fierce countenance," &c. Antiochus Epiphanes is meant. Greece with all its refinement produces the first, i. e., the Old Testament Antichrist. Antiochus had an extraordinary love of art, which expressed itself in grand temples. He wished to substitute Zeus Olympius for Jehovah at Jerusalem. Thus first heathen civilization from below and revealed religion from above, came into collision. Identifying himself with Jupiter, his aim was to make his oum. worship universal (cf. u. 25 with ch. 11.36); so mad was he in this that he was called Epimanes (maniac) Instead of Epiphanes. None of the previous worldrulers, Nebuchadnezzar (ch. 4. .31-34), Darius (ch. 6. 27, 28), Cyrus (Ezra 1. 2-4), Artaxerxes Longimanus (Ezra 7. 12), had systematically opposed the Jews' religious worship. Hence the need of prophecy to prepare them for Antiochus. The struggle of the Maccabees was a fruit of Daniel's prophecy (I Maccabees 2. 59). He is the forerunner of the final Antichrist, standing in the same relation to the first advent of Christ that Antichrist does to His second coming. The sins in Israel which gave rise to the Greek Antichrist were that some Jews adopted Hellenic customs (cf. ch. U. 30, 32), erecting theatres, and regarding all religions alike, sacrltlciug to Jehovah, but at the same time sending money for sacrifices to Hercules. Such shall be the state of the world when ripe for Antichrist. At v. 9 and 23 the description passes from the literal Antiochus to features which, though partially attributed to him, hold good In their fullest sense only of his antitype, the New Testament Antichrist. The Mohammedan Antichrist may also be included; answerof princes;" "against the God of gods" (ch. 11. 36; cf. ch. 7.
8). He not only opposes God's ancient people, but also God Himself, dally sacritice—offered morning and evening (Exodus 29.38,39). taken away—by Antiochus (1 Maccabees 1. 20-50). sanctuary . . . cast down—tliough robbed of its treasures, it was not strictly "cast down" by Antiochus. So that a fuller accomplislimeitt is future. Antiochus took away the daily sacrifice for a few years; the Romans, for many ages, and " cast down" the temple and Antichrist, in connection with Rome, the fourth kingdom, shall do so again after tlie Jews in their own land, still unbelieving, shall have rebuilt the temple, and restored the Mosaic ritual : God giving them up to him "by reason of transgression" (v. 12), i.e., not owning tlie worship so rendered [Tkegelles]; and then the opposition of the horn to the "truth" is especially mentioned, la. an host—rather, "the host was given up to him," i. e., the holy people were given into his hands. So in v. 10 " the host" is used; and again in v. 13, where also "give " is used as here for "giving up" for destruction (cf. ch. 11. 6), [Maurer.] against , . . dally sacrl Ace—rather (tlie host was given up for him to tread UTpon), " together \v\l\\ the daily sacrifice" (cf. i'. 13). by reason of transgression—
Maccabees 1. 11-16 traces all the calamities sullercd under Antiochus to the transgression of certain Jews wlu> introduced heathen customs into Jerusalem just belore. But transgression vfus not at the full (v. 23) under Antiochus; for Onias the high priest administered the laws in godliness at the time (2 Maccabees 3. 1). Therefore tl\e " transgression" must refer to that of tlie Jews hereafter restored to Palestine in unbelief, the truth—the worsliip of the true God. Isaiah 59. 14, "Truth is fallen in the street." practised, and prospered—whatever he undertook succeeded (r. 4; ch. 11. 28, 36). 13. that certain snint—Daniel did not know the names of these two holy angels, but saw only that one was speaking to the otlier. How long shall be the vision concerning . . . daily sacrilic<—How long shall the daily sacrifice be suspended'? transgression of desolation— making desolate, i. e., AiMochwH' desolating profanation of the temple (oh. 11. 31; 1'2. 11). CI, as to Rome and the last Antichrist, Matthew 24. 15. 14. 637