Commentary on Daniel Chapters 1-12 John Calvin (continued)
JOHN CALVIN
thou bring us to the full manifestation of light. Then, being like thee, we shall behold thy glory face to face, and enjoy the same in Christ our Lord. — Amen.
Lecture Ninth Daniel 2:31-35 31. Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
31. Tu rex videbas, et ecce imago una grandis, imago illa magna, et splendor ejus 145 pretiosus 146 stabat coram te et species ejus terribilis.
32. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
32. Hujus imaginis caput ex auro bono, 147 pectus ejus et brachia ejus ex argento, venter ejus et femora ejus ex aere, oes
33. His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 33. Crura ejus ex ferro, 148 pedes ejus partim ex ferro, et partim testa. 34. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
34. Videbas, quousque excisus fuit lapis, qui non ex manibus, 149 et percussit imaginem ad pedes qui erant ex ferro et testa, et contrivit eos.
35. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
35. Tunc contrita sunt simul ferrum, testa, aes, argentum, et aurum: et fuerunt quasi quisquiliae 150 ex area aestivali; et abstulit ea ventus, et non inventus est locus eorum; et lapis qui percusserat imaginem, fuit in montem magnum, et implevit totam terram.
Although Daniel here records the dream, and does not touch on its interpretation, yet we must not proceed farther without discoursing on the matter itself. When the interpretation is afterwards added, we shall confirm what we have previously said, and amplify as the context may guide us. Here Daniel records how Nebuchadnezzar saw an image consisting of gold, silver, brass, and iron, but its feet were mixed, partly of iron and portly of clay. We have already treated of the name of the "Vision," but I briefly repeat again, — king Nebuchadnezzar did not see this image here mentioned, with his natural eyes, but it was a specimen of the revelation which he knew with certainty to have been divinely offered to him. Otherwise, he might have
145Or, appearance, in. common language — its splendor, therefore. — Calvin. 146Or, excellent — Calvin. 147Pure gold — Calvin. 148Iron — Calvin. 149Which was cut out without human hands — Calvin. 150Or, chaff. — Calvin.