"Behold, I take away from thee the "desire of thine eyes (d) with a stroke; "yet neither shalt thou mourn nor 66 weep, neither shall thy tears run "down. 17. Forbear to cry, make no

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mourning for the dead, bind (c) the "tire of thine head upon thee, and put "on thy shoes upon thy feet, and co"ver not thy lips (g), and eat not the "bread of men (h).” 18. So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. 19. And the people said unto me, "Wilt thou not tell us what these 66 things are to us, that thou doest so?" 20. Then I answered them, "The "word of the LORD came unto me, "saying, 21. "Speak unto the house "of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; ""Behold, I will profane my sanc

tuary (1), the excellency of your "strength, the desire of your eyes, and "that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom

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ye have left (k) shall fall by the "sword. 22. And ye shall do as I

CHAP. III.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR the king (n) made an image of gold, whose height was three

(d) v. 16. "The desire of thine eyes," thy wife." See verse 18.

i. e.

(e) v. 17. "Bind, &c." "adopt none "of the signs of mourning;" an intimation that the public distress would be such as to make them disregard all private causes of sorrow. Shaving the head was one of the mourning signs; going barefoot another; covering the face a third; partaking of mourning feasts prepared by relations or friends a fourth.

(g) "Lips," i. e. "thy face."

(h) The bread of men," i. e. "your "friends' mourning feasts. Park. Hebr. "Dict. 33."

(i) v. 21. "My sanctuary," i. e. "the "temple at Jerusalem;" and in less than two years the Babylonians spoiled it of its brass, and all its gold and silver utensils, and burnt the temple with fire. 2 Kings xxv. 9. & 13 to 17. and Jer. liii. 13. and 17 to 23.

score cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

(k)"Left," i. e. (probably) "at Jeru"salem :" the persons he was addressing were in Chaldea.

(l) v. 25. "Their strength," i. e. according to verse 21. "the temple."

(m) v. 26. "He that escapeth, &c." Ezekiel afterwards gives an account of his receiving the intelligence, and having his speech restored, Ezek. xxxiii. 21, 22 "It came to pass in the twelfth year of "our captivity, in the tenth month, in the "fifth day of the month, that one that escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me saying, "The city is smitten." Now "the hand of the Lord was upon me in "the evening, afore he that was escaped came and when he came to me in the "morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer dumb."

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(n) v. 1. "The king," i. e. " of Baby"lon."

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2. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 3. Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together (o) unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4. Then an herald cried aloud, "To you it is "commanded, O people, nations and languages, 5. That at what time ye "hear the sound of the cornet, flute, "harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and "all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Ne"buchadnezzar the king hath set up. "6. And whoso falleth not down and "worshippeth, shall the same hour be "cast into the midst of a burning fiery "furnace." 7. Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image, that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 8. Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. 9. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live for ever. 10. Thou, "O king, hast made a decree, that 66 every man that shall hear the sound

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(o) v. 3. "Gathered together," so that persons from all quarters would witness the miracle, and would afterwards circulate an account of it in the countries whence they came.

(p) v. 12. "Shadrach, Meshach, and "Abed-nego." They were brought with Daniel to Babylon the first year of the Babylonish captivity, about 606 years before Christ. Nebuchadnezzar spake to the master of the eunuchs, " that he should "bring certain of the children of Israel, "and of the king's sced, and of the

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"of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, "psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds "of music shall fall down and worship "the golden image: 11. And whoso "falleth not down and worshippeth, "that he should be cast into the midst "of a burning fiery furnace. 12. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set "over the affairs of the province of "Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and "Abed-nego (p); these men, O king, "have not regarded thee; they serve "not thy gods, nor worship the golden "image which thou hast set up." 13. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; then they brought these men before the king. 14. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Me"shach, and Abed-nego? do ye not my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? "15. Now if ye be ready that at what "time ye hear the sound of the cornet, "flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dul"cimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall "down and worship the image which "I have made, well: but if ye worship 66 not, ye shall be cast the same hour "into the midst of a burning fiery fur66 nace; and who is that God that shall "deliver you out of my hands?" 16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "Ŏ Nebuchadnezzar, we are not (q) "careful to answer thee in this matter. "17. If it be so, our God whom we

❝ serve

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"18. But if not, be it known unto "thee, O king, that we will not serve thy "gods, nor worship the golden image "which thou hast set up." 19. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake and said unto his counsellors, "Did not we cast "three men bound into the midst of the "fire?" They answered and said unto the king, "True, O king." 25. He answered and said, "Lo, I see four "men loose, walking in the midst of "the fire, and they have no hurt; and "the form of the fourth is like the "Son (r) of God." 26. Then Nebuchad

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a son,

(r) v. 25. "The son, &c." or rather i. e. 66 an angel." The definite article is not in Heb. or Sept. Daniel says in verse 28. "God had sent his angel;" and angels are called " sons of "God, Job. i. 6. —xxxviii. 7."

(s) v. 29. "A decree, &c." So that this miraculous display of power had one effect beyond the preservation of the three lives, in protecting the Jews from insult on account of their religious persuasions and worship: but this was by no means the whole; it would naturally procure them greater consideration from the government, and more respect from the people; it would satisfy themselves that even in

nezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed

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nego, ye servants of the most high "God, come forth, and come hither.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 27. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 28. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, "Blessed be "the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and "Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, " and delivered his servants that trust"eth in him, and have changed the

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king's word, and yielded their bodies "that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. "29. Therefore I make a decree (s), "That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss

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against the God of Shadrach, Me"shach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut "in pieces, and their houses shall be "made a dunghill; because there is no "other God that can deliver after this

"sort. 30. Then the king promoted "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, "in the province of Babylon."

CHAP. VI. (t)

IT pleased Darius (u) to set over the (1) kingdom an hundred and twenty (y) princes, which should be over the

their captivity God had an eye over their ways; it would tend to keep them stedfast in his worship, and would confirm their expectation of ultimate deliverance, and future prosperity. So much beyond

the immediate occasion does an inter

fe
ference of Omnipotence extend!!

(t) The occurrence stated in this chapter happened after Cyrus had taken Babylon, about 537 years before Christ, when the seventy years fixed for the duration of the Babylonish captivity were drawing to a close. Daniel, therefore, who had been carried to Babylon at the commencement of the captivity (See ante, 697., note (ph must have been far advanced in years.

whole kingdom. 2. And over these three presidents, (of whom Daniel wa first), that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. 3. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. 4. Then the presidents and princes sought to - find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find none occasion nor fault: forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. 5. Then said these men, "We shall not find

門

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any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concern"ing the law of his God." 6. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, "King Darius, live for ever. "7. All the presidents of the kingdom, "the governors, and the princes, the "counsellors and the captains have "consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm "decree, that whosoever shall ask a "petition of any god or man for thirty "days, save of thee, O king, he shall "be cast into the den of lions. 8. Now, "O king, establish the decree, and

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sign the writing; that it be not "changed, according to the law of the "Medes and Persians, which altereth "not." 9. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. 10. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open

(u) v. 1. "Darius," also called "Cy"axares," the uncle and father-in-law of Cyrus.

(x)"The kingdom," i. e. " of Darius." (y) "An hundred and twenty;" according to the number of the provinces, a prince over each province. In about sixteen years afterwards, in the time of Ahasuerus (i. e. Artaxerxes Longimanus, 1 Prideaux, 253.), the empire contained 127 provinces. See Esther i. 1.- Esther viii. 9.-1 Esdras iii. 2.

(z) v. 10. "Toward Jerusalem." Agreeably to Solomon's prayer at the dedication

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in his chamber toward (2) Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 11. Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 12. Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; "Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any god or man, within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast "into the den of lions?" The king answered and said, "The thing is true, "according to the law of the Medes "and Persians, which altereth not." 13. Then answered they and said before the king, "That Daniel, which is "of the children of the captivity of “Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, "nor the decree that thou hast signed, "but maketh his petition three times a "day." 14. Then the king when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 15. Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, "Know, O king, that the law "of the Medes and Persians is, that

of the temple, 1 Kings viii. 46. 48. "If "thy people sin against thee, and thou "deliver them to the enemy, so that they 66 carry them away captives, and they re"turn unto thee with all their heart and "with all their soul, and pray unto thee "toward their land which thou gavest "unto their fathers, then hear thou their

prayer, &c." See also verse 30. 35. 38. 42. 44. of the same chapter, where forgiveness is intreated upon prayer toward the temple, or toward Jerusalem. See also Ps. v. 7.- Jon. ii. 4.

was brought, and laid upon the mouth | of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. 18. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him, and his sleep went from him. 19. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel, and the king spake and said to Daniel, “O "Daniel, servant of the living God, is "thy God whom thou servest contin"ually, able to deliver thee from the "lions?" 21. Then said Daniel unto the king, "O king, live for ever. "22. My God hath sent his angel, "and hath shut the lions' mouths that 66 they have not hurt me: forasmuch "as before him innocency was found "in me and also before thee, O king, "have I done no hurt." 23. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den: so

Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt (a) was found upon him, because he believed in his God. 24. And the king commanded (b), and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces, or ever they came at the bottom of the den. 25. Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations and languages that dwell in all the earth, "Peace be multiplied unto you. 26. I "make a decree, that in every dominion "of my kingdom, men tremble and "fear before the God of Daniel: for "he is the living God, and stedfast for "ever, and his kingdom that which "shall not be destroyed, and his do"minion shall be even unto the end. "27. He delivereth and rescueth, and "he worketh signs and wonders in "heaven and in earth, who hath de"livered Daniel from the power of the "lions." 28. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

ye the trumpet in Zion, and

(a) v. 23. "No manner of hurt, &c." This miraculous deliverance had most important consequences. Is there indeed any of God's interpositions which has not? It naturally increased Daniel's influence, and would induce Cyrus to listen the more readily to any application he might make; we find accordingly that in the first year of his reign, Cyrus issued a written proclamation, in which he took notice that "the Lord God of heaven "had given him all the kingdoms of the "earth, and had charged him to build him "a house at Jerusalem;" and he therefore gave the Jews leave to go up to Jerusalem, and ordered the men of the place where each Jew sojourned to "help him with "silver, and with gold, and with a free"will offering for the house of God in

"sound an alarm in my holy mountain: "let all the inhabitants of the land

"Jerusalem. Ezra i. 1 to 4." The pas sages Isaiah xliv. 28. ante, 653. and Isaiah xlv. 1. 13. are supposed to be referred to in this proclamation; and who so likely Daniel to have shewn them to Cyrus, and to have induced him to act upon them?

(b) v. 24. "Commanded, &c." Josephus says, that these nobles pretended, that Daniel's safety was not owing to God's interposition, but because the lions' bellies were full, and this their unbelief so exas perated Darius, that he first ordered the lions to be supplied with as much meat as they could eat, and then ordered the nobles, &c. to be cast in. Jos. Antiq. B. 10. c. 12.

(c) The time when Joel lived is uncer tain: probably at the same time with Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, Micah, and Zephaniah;