Hos 1:1

See Lesson, Minor prophets, and their messages.

See Lesson, Prophet, the.

“Hosea’s period of ministry was about forty years — the last forty years of the northern ten-tribed Kingdom of Israel, just as Jeremiah prophesied during the last, sad forty years of the Kingdom of Judah.

“Hosea began his prophecy in a time of prosperity for Israel. The land had been in great distress before Jeroboam began his reign, but God in His pity for the sad condition of Israel, even though they were wicked, greatly strengthened and helped Jeroboam and enabled him to recover Israel’s lost territory and defeat her enemies and even extend his rule over Syria to the north.

“It was one more opportunity for Israel to recognize and appreciate God’s goodness and love, and the wisdom of drawing nigh unto Him in faithfulness. But Israel did not respond. Because of their apparent strength and stability, they could not believe the end was so near. In spite of God’s help, they and their king intensified their wickedness and idolatry. God often blesses, as a last invitation to repentance and reform, before pouring out His judgments on sin.

“Such was the background of Hosea’s prophecy, as the powerful but evil reign of Jeroboam II drew to its close. Israel did not realize it, but this reign was to mark the end of any real security or stability for the nation. In the remaining twenty-five years of the Kingdom, six kings were to rise and fall, and the dark shadow of Assyria, to whom they had first turned as an ally, was to grow swiftly and terribly until it completely destroyed and blotted out their nation, and carried them away” (GVG).

HOSEA: Another form of Joshua/Jesus: sig “the salvation of Yahweh”.

Hos 1:2

GO, TAKE TO YOURSELF AN ADULTEROUS WIFE…: “For us, so many centuries later, not the least of its {Hosea’s] values is its astonishing revelation of the tender love of God towards those who are His, His yearning desire that they ‘might not perish’ but might turn unto Him and be saved. This love is expressed in Hosea with such earnestness, that if we had not had this sanction of the word of the prophet himself, we might well not have dared to presume that it could be so great. In the light of Hosea we may enter a little better into the convictions of the apostle Paul that nothing, literally nothing, can ‘separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ [Rom 8:38,39]” (FP, Xd 113:99).

AN ADULTEROUS WIFE: Not that Gomer was necessary an immoral woman, or a prostitute, BEFORE her marriage. But rather that she turned out to be so later. (Consider that v 2 also speaks as though the “children of unfaithfulness” were already there — when of course they were not born as yet!: vv 3,6,8.)

The Hosea story is all about redemption. But the whole of the OT is about redemption: Israel was a slave in Egypt, and a “harlot” and an “idolator”… but she was redeemed (ie, bought out of slavery) by the blood of the Passover lamb. And we can surely see ourselves, as you say, in Gomer: we are all “slaves” to sin, and we are unfaithful in our allegiance to the world, and worshipers of many false “gods” — yet we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb, which is priceless beyond our feeble words to describe.

The question is: do WE really see ourselves in Gomer? And what does that say about us?

AN ADULTEROUS WIFE: ” ‘A wife of harlotries.’ The noun means ‘prostitute; harlot’ (HAL 1:275). The term does not refer to mere adultery which is expressed by a different root (HAL 2:658). The plural noun (lit ‘harlotries’) is an example of the plural of character or plural of repeated behavior. The phrase ‘wife of harlotries’ prob refers to a prostitute, poss a temple prostitute serving at a Baal temple” (NET notes).

Gomer was possibly a Gentile, and a prostitute at a pagan temple.

Cp God taking Israel to wife, as described in Exo 34:15; Deu 31:16; Jdg 2:17; Isa 54:4-6; Jer 3:14; 31:32; Eze 16:17; 23:5; Rev 17:1,2.

THE VILEST ADULTERY: “Israel was guilty of gross spiritual prostitution by apostatizing away from Yahweh. The verb is used in a concrete sense to refer to a spouse being unfaithful in a marriage relationship (HAL 1:275.1), and figuratively ‘to be unfaithful’ in a relationship with God by prostituting themselves with other gods and worshiping idols” (Exo 34:15; Lev 17:7; 20:5,6; Deu 31:16; Jdg 8:27,33; 21:17; 1Ch 5:25; Ezek 6:9; 20:30; 23:30; Hos 4:15; Psa 106:39) (HAL 1:275.2)” (NET notes).

Hos 1:3

Vv 3-9: “Following God’s instruction, Hosea married an adulterous wife and was given three children by her. Each of his children were named by God and their names were designed to be parables of the state and future of the nation of Israel. The message of Jezreel was that Israel would soon be punished and destroyed. The message of Lo-Ruhama was that Israel was no longer loved or forgiven by God. And the message of Lo-Ammi’s name was that God disowned his people: ‘You are not my people and I am not your God.’

“God through Hosea had given three devastating prophecies that were fulfilled not long after they were given. However, in God’s destruction of Israel He still remembered his promises to Abraham and David; still, in His warnings, He gave the hope of redemption. He did not leave Israel totally without hope despite their desperate situation. He told them that they would again be His people and be a numerous as the sand on the seashore.

“In the same way He has offered hope to every sinner that turns to Him. In the midst of the wages of sin, death, there is always the hope of the gift of God — eternal life, if we turn to God. Turn to Him today!” (RP).

BORE HIM A SON: Notice the “him” here: in contrast, Gomer has two other children, but the “him” is absent: suggesting the last two children (vv 6,8) were not fathered by her husband.

Hos 1:4

“Hosea’s message sheds much light on the relationship between God’s love for His people and their necessary chastening and disciplining.

“While it manifests the great beauty and the transforming, appealing power of His infinite patience and affection, it clearly speaks in the strongest terms of the sorrows and bitternesses and hardships that must inevitably arise from disobedience and wickedness.

“Its basic message is the great tragedy of Israel’s blindness and unnecessary, self-caused miseries in the face of God’s choice of them as the special recipients of His love — a choice not as a matter of respect of persons, but as a witness and example to all the world of the beauties of His character and the glories of His purpose.

“Even in judgment, its tone is sorrow rather than anger, and the severest condemnations always look forward to eventual reconciliation.

“The book of Hosea contains many deep lessons on the subject of marriage and divorce — deep spiritual principles of patience and kindness and hope, and faithfulness, and a love that bears and endures all things, and never fails” (GVG).

I WILL PUNISH THE HOUSE OF JEHU FOR THE MASSACRE AT JEZREEL: “Jezreel is one of the fortresses commanding the valley of Megiddo, or Esdraelon. It is on the slopes of Mt Gilboa, where Saul died, and it controls the gateway between the mountains down to the Jordan valley, the main entrance to Israel from the east. This is Israel’s historic battleground, right back to the days of Gideon.

“The ‘blood of Jezreel’ that was soon to be avenged began with the treacherous murder of the faithful Naboth by Jezebel (1Ki 21; cp 2Ki 9:7). Jehu was raised up to destroy the house of Ahab for this wickedness, which he did at Jezreel, but because of his own subsequent wickedness and following in the ways of Ahab, all the bloodshed associated with Jezreel is held against him and his house, including his killing of Ahab’s family.

“Jehu had boasted, ‘Come and see my zeal for the Lord.’ He manifested a great zeal for vengeance and destruction, and condemnation of others, but such a zeal — if it is not accompanied by righteousness and gentleness and mercy and tenderness toward the weaknesses of others — is merely an ugly, hypocritical, Pharisaical manifestation of the evil of the flesh.

“Jezreel (cp Hos 2:22) has a double meaning, which comprehends both Israel’s judgment and her redemption. Basically it means, ‘God will sow.’ It is the name of God combined with the root word related to seed, planting, and conception — both animal and vegetable. It also comprehends the meaning of the ‘seed or offspring of God’ — the Fatherhood of God — the family relationship. ‘We also are His offspring,’ as Paul told the Athenians — both naturally, and also potentially in a spiritual sense, as John expresses it — ‘Beloved, now are we the sons of God.’

“Jezreel also means ‘God will scatter’ — as seed is scattered, but with the idea of an eventual reaping and gathering — ‘He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock’ (Jer 31:10)” (GVG).

Hos 1:6

Vv 6-9: “And so the basis of the allegory is laid in Hosea’s wife and three children. The three names represent three successively increasing stages of divine abandonment — Jezreel, Lo- Ruhamah, Lo-Ammi — Scattered, Unloved, Rejected” (GVG).

LO-RUHAMAH: “Not loved”. Ct with Peter’s words: “Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1Pe 2:10). “LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” (Zech 1:12).

AND GAVE BIRTH: Ct v 3n.

Hos 1:7

YET I WILL SHOW LOVE TO THE HOUSE OF JUDAH: Judah will be spared as an independent kingdom even after Israel is destroyed.

I WILL SAVE THEM — NOT BY BOW, SWORD OR BATTLE, OR BY HORSES AND HORSEMEN, BUT BY THE LORD THEIR GOD: The defeat of Sennacherib’s invading force (2Ki 19:35). (Cp other examples: Gideon in Jdg 7; Deborah and Barak in Jdg 4.)

Hos 1:8

GOMER HAD ANOTHER SON: Ct v 3n. Gomer seems to revert to her previous life as a prostitute. “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Because of your sins you were sold; because of your transgressions your mother was sent away” (Isa 50:1).

Hos 1:9

LO-AMMI: “Not my people”. Ct with Peter’s words again: “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God” (1Pe 2:10).

Hos 1:10

LIKE THE SAND ON THE SEASHORE: Gen 13:16; 32:12; Isa 48:19; Rom 9:27,28.

Hos 1:11

REUNITED… ONE LEADER: Subsequent returns to the Land, under Zerubbabel, then Ezra, and then Nehemiah. But, of course, the last great Return of the End Times, under Christ: Eze 37:21-28; Zec 14:8,9; 12:6-10. God scattered Israel among the nations, but in the Last Days He will reap an increase (Jer 31:10), under Jesus Christ, the true “Jezreel” (Seed of God).

Hos 2:1

Hos 2: “Having commenced his prophecy in the days of Jeroboam when Israel was at the peak of its power, Hosea lived to see its rapid decline. After seeing briefly the glorious future for Jezreel we are now brought up very smartly to the problems and sins, of Israel in Hosea’s day. Hos 1 showed clearly that they were not now the people of Yahweh (Hos 1:9) The prophet is instructed to show that a marriage such as this would not be valid between Yahweh and Israel (v 2). As ever, Yahweh — being merciful — was prepared should the Israel-Wife repent of her adultery. So the continuing adultery of the unfaithful wife is reported in vv 1-13 — the urgency of this matter is clearly seen in v 2 where the word ‘plead’ is used twice (the idea behind the word is ‘to grapple with’). In vv 14-23 there is reference to the second Exodus, as again the merciful hand of Yahweh is extended to the people of Israel. If they accept this hand then the way is opened that His covenant with the fathers of old could be fulfilled. The prophecy as recorded by Hosea would now be patterned after the happenings of the first Exodus under the hand of Moses. The obvious difference is that it is the whole of the power of the Gentiles which in this prophecy replaces the Egypt of old” (Graham Harding).

Hos 2:2

“Hos 2 repeats the same theme, with different figures and details, ending with the same assurance and promise. While Hos 1 was based mainly on Hosea’s children and their names, Hos 2, under the allegory of his unfaithful wife, is a representation of God’s infinite patience and love and kindness toward Israel, and their repeated unfaithfulness and corruption. The lesson is for us, for we continually fail and are so often unfaithful to the beautiful character of godliness” (GVG).

“The first three chapters of this prophecy are in the nature of a prologue in which Hosea’s personal experiences in his domestic relations provide, as a dramatic symbolism, the outline of his message. They record the story of Hosea’s unfaithful wife and her three children: typical of the ecclesia in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash. Gomer’s perfidy went beyond adultery, which can be illicit love that is motivated by a genuine affection for the object of it, such as in the case of David and Bathsheba. But harlotry is the setting of oneself for material gain, and Gomer (as representing Israel) was guilty of that. So also is the symbolic Jezebel found in the midst of the first century ecclesia (Rev 2:20). A person who neglects the Truth for material gain is guilty of harlotry and not merely adultery (friendship with the world). Hos 2 [beginning with v 2] outlines the estrangement. It records: (1) Pleading with Gomer: vv 2-5. (2) Discipline forces Gomer to repent: vv 6-13. (3) Application of the circumstances: Yahweh’s tenderness for Israel: vv 14-22. Thus Hosea represented the Spirit of Yahweh, whose national wife was so unfaithful in her refusal to uphold His righteousness and purity. Hosea was required of Yahweh to fulfil this parable in life, to demonstrate to the nation their true status in the divine sight” (GEM).

Hos 2:3

I WILL STRIP HER NAKED: The punishment of an adulterer: to be stripped naked, and stoned (Eze 16:37-40).

DESERT… PARCHED LAND: The curses of Lev 26; Deu 28.

Hos 2:5

MY LOVERS, WHO GIVE ME MY FOOD AND MY WATER…: She attributes her prosperity to her own efforts, and to her lovers among the aliens (cp Jer 44:17,18).

Hos 2:6

I WILL BLOCK HER PATH WITH THORNBUSHES: Israel became blocked, or hedged in, by the products of her own sins. Seeing and experiencing the results of our sins should cause us to turn back to God, and this was the result God hoped to achieve with Israel. Cp the thorn in the flesh: 2Co 12:7.

Hos 2:7

I WILL GO BACK… FOR THAN I WAS BETTER OFF THAN NOW: This was the attitude of the prodigal son: Luk 15:17,18.

Hos 2:8

SHE HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I WAS THE ONE WHO GAVE HER THE GRAIN, THE NEW WINE AND OIL…: “She attributed her prosperity to her own efforts, and her intimacies with foreigners. All that she had, all that she could ever have, even her life itself, and her every breath, was of the love and mercy of God — but she did not know” (GVG).

THE SILVER AND GOLD: Which were used to overlay her idols and images: Jer 10:4; Isa 40:19.

Hos 2:11

I WILL STOP ALL HER CELEBRATIONS: Isa 1:13; Jer 7:34; 16:9; Eze 26:13.

Hos 2:13

BUT ME SHE FORGOT: “Have you ever had a day or a week slip by when life’s pressures and pleasures seem to fill the whole of your life from morning till night, only to discover — when you take stock of your day — that you had not read your Bible, prayed or walked with God at all? It may be that we have ‘idols’ that take our time — things that are more important than God. It may be that nothing is more important but everything is more urgent. With God there are no deadlines, yet every day we face deadlines in our busy schedules — deadlines that must be met. But sometimes these deadlines squeeze God out of the picture and He is forgotten.

“Even though God must be the most important thing in our lives, He is often the easiest to forget because He has given us the responsibility of ordering our lives, instead of ordering them for us.

“So let us resolve no longer to be like Israel who forgot God, but instead let us set times, priorities and deadlines that will help us to remember our God, to love Him and to live for Him” (RP).

Hos 2:14

I WILL LEAD HER INTO THE DESERT AND SPEAK TENDERLY TO HER: Through the wilderness and into the promised land: a second “exodus”!

AND SPEAK TENDERLY TO HER: God speaks to each of us, individually and often in solitude, as in the closet of prayer (Mat 6:6). Cp Moses, Elijah, and John the Baptist.

Hos 2:15

VALLEY OF ACHOR: The valley of Achor was the place where Achan was buried after being stoned for his sin (Josh 7:24,25). Hosea prophesies that, instead of being a place of shame, this valley would become a place of “hope” — leading, perhaps, to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. Cp idea: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

THERE SHE WILL SING: Moses’ song of victory (Exo 15; Rev 15:3).

Hos 2:16

MY HUSBAND… MY MASTER: The significance of this is lost unless we look at the root meanings of the words. Whilst ‘Baali’ is Master, ‘Ishi’ is husband — thus signifying that the covenant that was to be established would be based on a very different relationship — that of love, as in the marriage covenant. As well as this, of course, Baali was the word they applied to their idols, from whom they could never expect an ‘Ishi’ relationship. “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

Hos 2:18

THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD: In the Kingdom, tamed (Isa 11:6-9). The Son of man will be given dominion over all creation (Gen 1:28; Psa 8).

Hos 2:21

Vv 21,22: A promise of renewed fertility for the Land. The full cycle of agriculture is given in reverse: the grain calls to the earth, and the earth calls to the skies, and the skies call to God. And He hears. God answers, and then — in reverse — the heavens, then the earth, and then the seed all listen to “Jezreel”. “God made it grow” (1Co 3:6,8).

Hos 2:22

JEZREEL: Sig “the seed of God” — with ref to Christ, the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15). Jesus, also the sower of the word (Mat 13:18; Mar 4:14).

Dan 5:1

Dan 5: Belshazzar’s feast: (1) Belshazzar’s dishonoring of Yahweh (vv 1-4); (2) God’s revelation to Belshazzar (vv 5-9); (3) The queen’s counsel (vv 10-12); (4) Belshazzar’s request of Daniel (vv 13-16); (5) Daniel’s rebuke of Belshazzar (vv 17-24); (6) Daniel’s interpretation of the writing (vv 25-28); (7) Daniel’s rise and Belshazzar’s fall (vv 29-31).

The events of this ch occurred about 66 years after those in Dan 1 and approx 36 years after those in Dan 4. Daniel would now have been in his 80s.

Dan 5: See Article, Handwriting on the wall.

Dan 5: “It had been the great centre of the universe for over 70 years. It was home to some of the most incredible architecture seen in the world to that time, it was lined with famous streets such as the processional, great edifices dedicated to the worship of multitudes of pagan deities were everywhere to be found. It housed the beautiful summer palace, and the hanging gardens, one of the wonders of the ancient world. An enormous wall surrounded it all. This was the city of Babylon.

“No one could ever have imagined that this city would fall; and yet, the great Creator had this city and its people marked out for destruction even before it had gained the ascendancy on the world political stage.

“So confident was Belshazzar in his impregnable position behind the walls of Babylon, that the presence of Cyrus the conquering Persian outside caused him no alarm. So unperturbed was Belshazzar in fact, that he felt quite justified in organizing an enormous drunken feast! He knew not that, very soon, the writing would be on the wall.

“Cyrus found a way into Babylon. The great river Euphrates which coursed through the centre of Babylon was diverted, and the water level of the river began to sink.

“The citizens (and certainly the nobility) of Babylon did not notice what was happening to the river, but rather, kept on with their drunken revelry. They were unaware of the signs of the times. Meanwhile, Cyrus was assembling his troops to march under the wall! The writing on the wall appeared! King Belshazzer was suddenly sober! His face was deathly white: ‘Mene Mene tekel upharsin!’ Thou art weighed in the balances, Belshazzar, and found wanting! Your kingdom is finished, and so are you!

“Not long after, Persian troops entered into the great hall, and Belshazzar was killed. Babylon had fallen. The Great God in the heavens who sets up whomsoever He will had handed the empire to Cyrus.

“It was a black night for Babylon. The world rejoiced at the coming of their Saviour. Cyrus had kind policies, unlike the Babylonian oppressor. Many returned to their homes. A new era began.

“In our day, ‘Belshazzar’s feast’ still rocks on. Fornication, drunkenness, blasphemy and materialism are the hallmarks of this age. The writing is on the wall! And a great king waits in the wings. The water level is sinking. When Cyrus entered Babylon, he was surrounded by his bodyguard, his elite troops. They were a band of fierce fighting men, world famous for their loyalty, skill and bravery. Cyrus called them: his Immortals!

“When the Lord Jesus Christ returns to rid this world of Babylon, as he soon will, he will have with him those appointed to aid him to do so. They will be the immortals. The Saints. Us? Yes, if we heed the lesson, read the writing on the wall, and follow the example of Daniel, remaining separate from Babylon’s black night of revelry.

” ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof’ (Rom 13:12-14)” (JW).

“The symbolism of the 6th and 7th vials is based upon the historical conquest of Babylon by Cyrus and his army (significantly, the elite of the Persian army was given the title of The Immortals because when one was slain in battle, his place was instantly filled by another). The River Euphrates ran under the protective walls of the city and through its centre, and its fortifications were considered to be of such strength as to defy the might of any conqueror (Dan 4:30). However, Cyrus diverted the water of the river which dried up the channel that flowed through the city, and along the dry bed his forces were led to dramatically occupy and overthrow it. The fall of Babylon was unexpected, and its citizens were engaged in ‘a night of pleasure’ which, however, turned into fear” (Eur).

BELSHAZZAR: “For a long time there were two points of view about this. Some said: ‘History knows nothing of King Belshazzar… Therefore the writers of the Bible must have been writing fiction, not history.’ Others said: ‘Not so fast. History isn’t complete yet. New facts may come to light one day that will show the Bible was right after all’… Now we can see the wisdom of the second approach. All these names appear in the history books today.

“Belshazzar is described by the Bible as the last king of Babylon, who was slain by the Persians when they captured the city. But the ancient historians Berosus, Megasthenes, and Herodotus agreed that the last king of Babylon was called Nabonidus (or something like it). No historian ever mentioned Belshazzar. Something was wrong, somewhere.

“In 1882 the explanation came to light. The archaeologist TG Pinches told the world of the discovery of what is called the Nabonidus Chronicle. This recorded on baked clay that Nabonidus had a son Bel-shar-usur (Belshazzar to his pals). Moreover, it made it clear that Nabonidus had a habit of saying to Belshazzar, ‘I’m off to the wars for a while, son. Just you run the kingdom till I get back.’ Nabonidus was unlucky. The clay tablets tell us that the last time he did this Belshazzar lost his kingdom for him to the Persians, just as the Book of Daniel said. The Persian conquerors arrested Nabonidus as soon as he returned home” (GT ch 18).

“At the time that Dan 5 begins, Nabonidus was with his army out in the country, either hoping to stop Persian invasion or else anxious not to get shut up in an indefensible city. So his son Belshazzar was acting king in Babylon and inclined to enjoy the opportunities that were now his! Legal documents of the 12th and 13th years of Nabonidus mention Belshazzar as crown-prince” (WDan).

KING BELSHAZZAR GAVE A GREAT BANQUET FOR A THOUSAND OF HIS NOBLES: “Banquets the size described in this verse also drew the attack of critics. Yet the ancient historian Ktesias wrote that Persian kings frequently dined daily with 15,000 people (cf Est 1)” (Leupold).

Dan 5:2

HE GAVE ORDERS TO BRING IN THE GOLD AND SILVER GOBLETS THAT NEBUCHADNEZZAR HIS FATHER HAD TAKEN FROM THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM: “It was probably the anniversary of the capture of Jerusalem in Zedekiah’s reign (so says the Talmud), which sparked off the idea of indulging in some good anti-Semitic gloating at a special celebration. All the glorious holy vessels, the seven branched candlestick included, were brought out, and the great concourse of lords and ‘ladies’ settled down to a self-congratulatory orgy of hard drinking” (WDan).

HIS FATHER: The NIV mg has “ancestor, or predecessor; also in vv 11,13, and 18”. Nebuchadnezzar was Belshazzar’s grandfather rather than his father, but the original language commonly used “father” in the sense of ancestor. “Neither in Hebrew, nor in Chaldee, is there any word for ‘grandfather,’ ‘grandson.’ Forefathers are called ‘fathers’ or ‘fathers’ fathers.’ But a single grandfather, or forefather, is never called ‘father’s father’ but always ‘father’ only” (Pusey).

Dan 5:3

SO THEY BROUGHT IN THE GOLDEN GOBLETS THAT HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM THE TEMPLE OF GOD IN JERUSALEM, SO THAT THE KING AND HIS NOBLES, HIS WIVES AND HIS CONCUBINES MIGHT DRINK FROM THEM: Evidently the vessels taken from the Jerusalem temple had been stored as trophies of war and not used previously (cp Dan 1:2). Their presence in the warehouses of Babylon was sufficient humiliation of Yahweh who in the minds of the Babylonians could not prevent their theft. However using these vessels in praise of Babylon’s gods was even more sacrilegious than just possessing them.

“Have you noticed how in recent years the world has stepped into the ‘sanctuary’ of faith and laid its ruthless hands on some of the things we hold most sacred? Our day has seen this impious sacrilege carried into many other realms, as well. Is God unmindful of this? Will He not visit for such defiance?” (Feinberg).

Cp also Obad 1:16: “Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been.” Here the sacrilege is committed by Edom, and occurs on the holy mount of the LORD itself — but it also involves drinking from the sacred vessels of the LORD!

Dan 5:5

THE PLASTER OF THE WALL: “In the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar’s palace archeologists have uncovered a large throne room 56 ft wide and 173 ft long which probably was the scene of this banquet. Midway in the long wall opposite the entrance there was a niche in front of which the king may well have been seated. Interestingly, the wall behind the niche was covered with white plaster as described by Daniel, which would make an excellent background for such a writing” (Walvoord).

This verse describes the hand of God in the writing on the wall, but it also describes the hand of God in the history of Babylon and of Israel. To Belshazzar the “hand of God” was a bizarre and frightening thing (v 6). To the believer, seeing “the hand of God” in history should be a constant encouragement.

Dan 5:6

HIS FACE TURNED PALE AND HE WAS SO FRIGHTENED THAT HIS KNEES KNOCKED TOGETHER AND HIS LEGS GAVE WAY: “Knowing the power of the Babylonian kings, Belshazzar must have seen many men stand in fear and trembling before him. Now it was his turn to tremble. In that torch-lit banquet hall, the revelry had reached its peak, doubtlessly with loud boasting and toasting, laughter and celebration. Likely, the king was the life of the party. Perhaps he was closest to the sudden emerging of the mysterious hand in the light of the nearby lamp.

“One might have thought the king was having a heart attack. Barely able to stand, his face was ashen and seized with terror. The raucous laughter turned to deafening silence with all eyes on the king. The king’s eyes were fixed upon the hand as it wrote. As a sense of foreboding and panic fell on the crowd, all eyes turned to the mysterious writing on the wall. The king’s actions alarmed all who were present.

“One can only imagine the scene. Already affected by too much wine, the king’s terror robbed his legs of all strength. The lower part of his body seems to have lost control. Crying aloud in fear, his speech probably slurred, the king immediately summoned his wise men to the banquet hall” (Deff).

HIS LEGS GAVE WAY: More literally, as the AV: “the joints of his loins were loosed” — he lost control of his bowels!

Dan 5:7

CLOTHED IN PURPLE: Sym royal authority: cp Est 8:15.

HE WILL BE MADE THE THIRD HIGHEST RULER IN THE KINGDOM: Because Nabonidus (Nebuchadnezzar’s father) was still the “first”, and Belshazzar (ruling as regent in his father’s absence) was “second”.

Dan 5:8

THEY COULD NOT READ THE WRITING OR TELL THE KING WHAT IT MEANT: Part of their difficulty was probably due to the inscription being in Aramaic.

Dan 5:10

THE QUEEN, HEARING THE VOICES OF THE KING AND HIS NOBLES, CAME INTO THE BANQUET HALL: “Normally we would identify the queen as Belshazzar’s wife. However, there are a number of reasons to prefer the view that she was really the queen mother or perhaps even the surviving wife of Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar’s wives had been participating in this banquet (v 2), but this woman now entered it apparently for the first time. She also spoke to the king more as a mother than as a wife. Moreover she spoke as one who had personal acquaintance with Daniel’s earlier interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream (cf Dan 4:8,9,18) [and possibly with Daniel’s God also!]. Probably this woman was Belshazzar’s mother and the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. The queen mother was often a significant figure who exerted considerable influence in ancient courts (cf 1Ki 15:13; 2Ki 11:1-3; 24:12; Jer 13:18). This woman proceeded to do for Belshazzar what Arioch had done for Nebuchadnezzar, namely bring Daniel to the king’s attention (cf Dan 2:25)” (Const).

Dan 5:11

THERE IS A MAN IN YOUR KINGDOM…: As before, Daniel had not accompanied the other wise men whom the king had summoned (Dan 4:6-8). The reason for this is unclear, but the effect in the event and in the narrative is that it sets Daniel off as unique. Clearly Belshazzar did not know Daniel personally. Perhaps Daniel had left public service.

The Spirit of God: in Daniel (Dan 5:11); in Joseph (Gen 41:38); clothed Gideon (Jdg 6:34); clothed Amasai (1Ch 12:18); clothed Zechariah (2Ch 24:20); came upon Balaam (Num 24:2); came upon Saul (1Sa 10:10).

Dan 5:13

ARE YOU DANIEL, ONE OF THE EXILES MY FATHER THE KING BROUGHT FROM JUDAH?: “The king had heard of Daniel by reputation even though he had not met him before. He recognized him as a person whose extraordinary ability came from some divine source (cf Dan 4:8,18). Perhaps it was because Daniel was a Jew that Belshazzar did not employ him in his administration. However, now the king was quite willing to give even this Jewish exile all the honors that he had formerly promised his wise men. Here was a worshiper of the God that Belshazzar had been dishonoring in his banquet but who now might ironically prove superior to the Chaldeans. The king’s willingness to reward a Jewish exile shows how desperately Belshazzar wanted to learn the meaning of the enigmatic message on the wall.

“As in the previous instances in Dan 2 and Dan 4, the wisdom of the world is demonstrated to be totally unable to solve its major problems and to understand either the present or the future. Daniel as the prophet of God is the channel through which divine revelation would come, and Belshazzar in his extremity was willing to listen.

” ‘Too often the world, like Belshazzar, is not willing to seek the wisdom of God until its own bankruptcy becomes evident. Then help is sought too late, as in the case of Belshazzar, and the cumulative sin and unbelief which precipitated the crisis in the first place becomes the occasion of downfall’ (Walvoord)” (Const).

Dan 5:16

THE THIRD HIGHEST RULER IN THE KINGDOM: Because Nabonidus (Nebuchadnezzar’s father) was still the “first”, and Belshazzar (ruling as regent in his father’s absence) was “second”.

Dan 5:17

YOU MAY KEEP YOUR GIFTS FOR YOURSELF: “Some gift!”… if it could be so easily taken away from you by the hand of God (Dan 4:30…)!

Dan 5:18

Vv 18-23: Daniel reminded Belshazzar, and undoubtedly everyone else in the room, of the lesson in humility that God had taught his forefather, Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4). The Most High God had given his grandfather his authority and had taught him that he was under His greater sovereignty. Nebuchadnezzar’s pride had led him to behave arrogantly, as Belshazzar was doing by drinking from the sacred vessels of Yahweh, this Most High God. Even though Belshazzar knew all about this (v 22) he had not humbled his heart before the Lord of heaven and glorified Him. Therefore the God who held Belshazzar’s life and his ways in HIS hand had sent THE hand to write the inscription on the wall!

Dan 5:21

“God is displeased with the wickedness of men now as He was then. He is not an indifferent spectator of the ways of nations, though He would appear so in this time of long-kept silence… Babylon was weighed in the balances and found wanting, and therefore the kingdom was divided and given to the Medes and Persians (Dan 5:27,28). This was done by events with which, apparently, God had nothing to do, namely, the successful enterprise of Darius and Cyrus. So now national disasters do not come without divine intention and manipulation. A threatening army gathered on the frontiers of a country may be the hand of God for the visitation of justice” (WP 134).

Dan 5:24

Four handwritings: Upon the stone (Exo 20:2); upon the wall (Dan 5:24); upon the ground (John 8:6); and upon the cross (John 19:19).

Dan 5:26

Vv 26-28: A hidden message? Consider this: Mene (mina) = 50 shekels (Eze 45:12, RSV). Tekel (or shekel) = 20 gerahs (Eze 45:12). Upharsin (peres) = division or half. Thus: Mene = 1,000 (20 X 50) gerahs; Tekel = 20 gerahs; Perez (half) (mina?) = 500 gerahs. Altogether, then, “Mene, mene, Tekel, Upharsin” = 2,520 gerahs, or “seven times” (7 x 360 = 2,520) (cp Dan 4:23) (Adv 94:128).

MENE… GOD HAS NUMBERED THE DAYS OF YOUR REIGN AND BROUGHT IT TO AN END: “Mene” sig “numbered.” Daniel understood this word to signify that the number of years that God had prescribed for the Neo-Babylonian Empire had expired. Its repetition probably stressed the certainty of this point (cp idea, Gen 41:32).

Dan 5:27

TEKEL… YOU HAVE BEEN WEIGHED ON THE SCALES AND FOUND WANTING: “Tekel” (cognate with the Heb “shekel”) means “weighed.” God had weighed Belshazzar and had found him deficient; he was not the ruler that he should have been because of his flagrant refusal to acknowledge the Most High God’s sovereignty (v 22).

Dan 5:28

PERES… YOUR KINGDOM IS DIVIDED AND GIVEN TO THE MEDES AND PERSIANS: “Peres” (the singular of “Parsin”, or “Upharsin” — “AND Parsin”) has two meanings: it can mean either “divided” (as in a half-shekel) or “Persia”. This obviously relates to the division of Belshazzar’s kingdom into two parts, one part for the Medes and the other for the Persians.

“The word was deliberately used to suggest ‘Persians’; but it is closely associated with a familiar Hebrew word for ‘broken down’ or ‘break in’, which is precisely what was to happen that night” (WDan).

Dan 5:29

AT BELSHAZZAR’S COMMAND, DANIEL WAS CLOTHED IN PURPLE, A GOLD CHAIN WAS PLACED AROUND HIS NECK, AND HE WAS PROCLAIMED THE THIRD HIGHEST RULER IN THE KINGDOM: “In its rise to power the Babylonian Empire had conquered Jerusalem, taken its inhabitants into captivity, looted its beautiful temple, and completely destroyed the city. Yet this empire was to have as its last official act the honoring of one of these captives who by divine revelation predicted not only the downfall of Babylon but the course of the times of the Gentiles until the Son of man should come from heaven. Man may have the first word, but God will have the last word” (Walvoord).

There was so little time left for Belshazzar (v 30), and yet he spent his last hours bestowing empty honors on Daniel (who didn’t want them in the first place)! How tragic to be preoccupied with purple clothing, a gold necklace, and the promotion of men, rather than with eternal destiny. In a few moments of time, all the king’s wealth and power was swept away, into utter oblivion.

Dan 5:30

Vv 30,31: “The invading Medes and Persians, led by Ugbaru, commander of the Persian army, would have already taken the surrounding countryside, and everyone in the city would have known of their intentions. However, Babylon had not fallen to an invading army for 1,000 years because of its strong fortifications. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Babylon was about 14 miles square with a double wall system enclosing a moat between the two walls. The outer wall was 87 feet thick, wide enough for four chariots to drive abreast on. It was 350 feet high with 100 gates, plus hundreds more towers reaching another 100 feet above the walls.

“Belshazzar’s confidence in the security of his capital is evident in his banqueting and getting drunk while his enemy was at his door. His name, which means ‘Bel [also known as Marduk] has protected the king’, may have increased his sense of invulnerability. Herodotus also mentioned that a festival was underway in Babylon when the city fell” (Const).

Herodotus pictured Babylon’s fall as follows: “Hereupon the Persians who had been left for the purpose at Babylon by the river-side, entered the stream, which had now sunk so as to reach about midway up a man’s thigh, and thus got into the town. Had the Babylonians been appraised of what Cyrus was about, or had they noticed their danger, they would never have allowed the Persians to enter the city, but would have destroyed them utterly; for they would have made fast all the street-gates which gave upon the river, and mounting upon the walls along both sides of the stream, would so have caught the enemy as it were in a trap. But, as it was, the Persians came upon them by surprise and took the city. Owing to the vast size of the place, the inhabitants of the central parts (as the residents at Babylon declare), long after the outer portions of the town were taken, knew nothing of what had chanced, but as they were engaged in a festival, continued dancing and revelling until they learnt the capture but too certainly.”

“The downfall of Babylon is in type the downfall of the unbelieving world [cp Rev 17; 18]. In many respects, modern civilization is much like ancient Babylon, resplendent with its monuments of architectural triumph, as secure as human hands and ingenuity could make it, and yet defenseless against the judgment of God at the proper hour. Contemporary civilization is similar to ancient Babylon in that it has much to foster human pride but little to provide human security. Much as Babylon fell on the sixteenth day of Tishri (Oct 11 or 12) 539 BC, as indicated in the Nabonidus Chronicle, so the world will be overtaken by disaster when the day of the Lord comes (1Th 5:1-3 [cp also Psa 2:4-6; Rev 19:15,16]). The disaster of the world, however, does not overtake the child of God; Daniel survives the purge and emerges triumphant as one of the presidents of the new kingdom in Dan 6” (Walvoord).

Dan 5:31

DARIUS THE MEDE: Who is this man? “Archer suggested that ‘Darius’ may have been a title of honor in the Persian Empire as ‘Caesar’ was in the Roman Empire or, I might add, ‘Pharaoh’ was in Egypt. If this was so, ‘Darius’ could refer to another man known in history by another name or names. The most likely possibility seems to me to have been Cyrus. This would account most naturally for the fact that Daniel referred to Darius as ‘king’ in Dan 6. Furthermore it would have been very unusual for a subordinate of Cyrus to divide the whole empire into 120 satrapies (Dan 6:1). Darius was probably called ‘the Mede’ because he was of Median descent (Dan 9:1).

“Another possibility is that Darius is another name for Gubaru (Gobryas), a ruler of Babylon under Cyrus. This would distinguish Gubaru from Ugbaru, the governor of Gutium and Persian commander who led the assault against Babylon.

“A third view is that Ugbaru and Gubaru are different spellings of the same man’s name” (Const).

“Although Daniel has long since been vindicated in his references to Belshazzar, his other classic ‘mistake’ has not yet been cleared up. He refers to another king, Darius the Mede, and nobody yet knows who this is. Some scholars think that this is another name for a governor called Gobryas, or Gubaru. Others think it was an alternative name for Cyrus, the Persian king. Nobody really knows. But in view of what has happened in the past it would take a brave man to say that Daniel definitely blundered. One more shovelful of earth, and the final answer to the problem may appear tomorrow” (GT ch 18).

Dan 6:1

Dan 6: Darius’ pride and Daniel’s preservation: (1) Daniel’s promotion in the Persian government (vv 1-3); (2) The conspiracy against Daniel (vv 4-9); (3) Daniel’s faithfulness and Darius’ predicament (vv 10-15); (4) Daniel in the lions’ den (vv 16-18); (5) Daniel’s deliverance and his enemies’ destruction (vv 19-24); (6) Darius’ decree and praise of Yahweh (vv 25-28).

Vv 1,2: When the Medo-Persian alliance overthrew the Babylonian Empire, it acquired much geographic territory that it proceeded to incorporate into its kingdom. The Persian Empire became the largest that the world had yet seen eventually encompassing modern Turkey, Egypt, and parts of India and North Africa as well as Babylonia. Darius divided his realm into 120 satrapies or provinces and set a satrap (“protector of the realm”) in charge of each one (cp Est 1:1; 8:9). They reported to three commissioners — one of whom was Daniel. Evidently Darius had heard about Daniel’s unique gifts and accomplishments as a Babylonian administrator and wanted to use him in his cabinet.

Dan 6:3

NOW DANIEL SO DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF…: What makes this so extraordinary is that Daniel would have been in his 80s by now!

Dan 6:4

AT THIS, THE ADMINISTRATORS AND THE SATRAPS TRIED TO FIND GROUNDS FOR CHARGES AGAINST DANIEL…: Why did the other officials wanted to get rid of Daniel? Perhaps his integrity made it difficult for them to get away with graft and political corruption. A godly man in authority is a threat to every ungodly man under his authority (Pro 20:8). This explains why the men about to be placed under Daniel’s authority were willing to take risks to keep Daniel from being promoted. (It is also the reason the scribes and Pharisees were terrified at the thought of Jesus being in authority over them. They wished to persist in their sins and to profit from them. They devised a scheme to put Jesus to death, even as Daniel’s enemies formed a conspiracy to bring about his death.)

Maybe since Daniel was quite old, his enemies wanted to eliminate him so someone from a younger generation could take his place. Anti-Semitism could also have been part of their reason (cp v 13; Dan 3:12).

THEY COULD FIND NO CORRUPTION IN HIM: He was persecuted, though blameless: cp Psa 59:4; 109:3; Joh 19:6.

HE WAS TRUSTWORTHY: Examples of faithfulness in service: Samuel (1Sa 3:20); David (1Sa 22:14); the temple overseers (2Ki 12:15); the workers (2Ch 34:12); Hananiah (Neh 7:2); Abraham (Neh 9:8); the treasurers (Neh 13:13); Daniel (Dan 6:4); Timothy (1Co 4:17); Epaphras (Col 1:7); Tychicus (Col 4:7); Onesimus (Col 4:9); Paul (1Ti 1:12); Moses (Heb 3:2,5); Gaius (3Jo 1:5); Jesus Christ (Rev 1:5); Antipas (Rev 2:13).

Cp Luk 16:10; 2Ch 31:12.

Dan 6:5

The accusers’ plan was similar to that of the Babylonian officials who had tried to topple Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Dan 3). They knew that Daniel was a God-fearing man who did not worship pagan idols. So they set a trap for him believing that he would remain faithful to his faith. When Daniel had to choose between obeying his God or his government, his God came first (v 10; Acts 5:29).

Dan 6:7

THE ROYAL ADMINISTRATORS, PREFECTS… HAVE ALL AGREED: The adversaries’ exaggerated their claim that all the rulers of the kingdom had concurred with their proposal. Obviously Daniel had not agreed to it. Nevertheless it was believable enough that Darius did not object or consult Daniel.

ANYONE WHO PRAYS TO ANY GOD OR MAN DURING THE NEXT THIRTY DAYS, EXCEPT TO YOU, O KING…: The plan catered to the king’s vanity. The proposed statute evidently covered petitions of a religious nature rather than requests of any type since a general ban, even a permanent ban, would have been absurd. Perhaps the antagonistic rulers also aimed at impressing the Babylonians with the importance of remaining loyal to their new Persian king. In any case they promoted humanism, the philosophy that puts man in the place of God.

“The iniquity of world rulers during the ‘times of the Gentiles’ has not yet been examined to the last detail. These monarchs have sponsored idolatry in the past [Dan 3], and they will again in the prophetic future. They became deranged by their senseless, overbearing pride in the past [Dan 4], and they will again in the predicted future. They were blatantly impious in their desecration of holy things in the past [Dan 5], and they will be again in the foretold future.

“But that is not all; there is yet a final touch. Man will finally seek to displace God altogether” (Feinberg).

Dan 6:8

PUT IT IN WRITING THAT IT CANNOT BE ALTERED: Under Persian law, the king was bound by the authority of a royal edict (vv 8,12,15; cp Est 1:19; 8:8). This made his power less than it was under an absolute dictator such as Nebuchadnezzar (cp Dan 2:39). The action of Darius was both foolish and wicked. Did he yield to the request of the ministers because he was greatly influenced by the claims to deity which many of the Persian kings made?

Dan 6:10

WHERE THE WINDOWS OPENED TOWARD JERUSALEM: Solomon had taught the Jews to pray to the Lord facing Jerusalem since that is where He promised to be in a special sense for them (2Ch 6:21,34-39; cp Psa 5:7). The fact that his window was open evidently symbolized for Daniel that his prayers were unhindered.

THREE TIMES A DAY: Praying three times a day was evidently the practice of godly Jews dating back to David, if not before then (Psa 55:16,17).

HE GOT DOWN ON HIS KNEES: Daniel’s kneeling posture, reminiscent of Solomon’s at the temple dedication, indicated his dependence on God as a suppliant. Normally the Jews stood when they prayed (1Ch 23:30; Neh 9; Mat 6:5; Mar 11:25; Luke 18:11,13), but they kneeled (and prostrated themselves) when they felt a more urgent need (1Ki 8:54; Ezra 9:5; Luke 22:41; Acts 7:60; 9:40; 20:36; 21:5).

“He knew the penalty. Was he foolhardy? Why couldn’t he have taken care not to be seen? Why couldn’t he have closed the lattice window, which is so pointedly mentioned as being open? Wouldn’t common prudence have demanded at least that? God could hear just as well with it shut.

“But why SHOULD he hide? Why should he be ashamed or afraid? Who has supreme power, God or man? Naaman the Syrian said (2Ki 5:18): ‘When I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant this thing.’ But Daniel was a man of different stamp. Why should he temporise and interrupt his communion with God at the whim of a heathen monarch? It was no sin to pray; it was his duty. And if he intended to pray, why should he hide it?

“He could not have faithfully followed any other course. His allegiance to God was on trial, and he faced the issue squarely. He did not go out of his way to flout the king’s commandment. He merely ignored it, and followed his usual custom of worship, scorning subterfuge” (GVG).

For what did Daniel pray? For the welfare of the city where God had sent them into exile, and for the Jews’ return from exile. That this was the subject of his praying, among other things including thanksgiving (v 10), seems clear since Daniel possessed a copy of Jeremiah’s prophecy (Dan 9:2; cp Jer 29:1,7,10). Jeremiah had written that God had promised to hear such prayers, if they were wholehearted, to restore the fortunes of the Jews, and to regather them to the Promised Land (Jer 29:12-14). See Daniel’s specific prayer, recorded in Dan 9:3-19.

Cp Christ in Gethsemane: praying the third time (Mat 26:44). Here are portrayed “the sufferings of Christ” — AND “the glories that follows” (1Pe 1:11).

Dan 6:11

They evidently felt that eyewitness testimony would be important in making their case. But did they suppose that a man who was so faithful as to pray, even under threat of death, would pray and then lie about doing so?!

Dan 6:13

WHO IS ONE OF THE EXILES FROM JUDAH: The same anti-semitic description had been used before, of Daniel (Dan 2:25; 5:13), and of his 3 friends (Dan 3:12).

Dan 6:14

HE WAS GREATLY DISTRESSED: Nebuchadnezzar had become angry with Daniel’s three friends when they refused to idolize him (Dan 3:19), but Darius became angry with himself for signing the decree. This shows how much he respected and valued Daniel.

HE WAS DETERMINED TO RESCUE DANIEL: Cp Pilate with Jesus (Luk 23:20).

Dan 6:16

THEY BROUGHT DANIEL AND THREW HIM INTO THE LIONS’ DEN: Two different books have been written which share the same title: “Daniel in the Critics’ Den”. Their authors have compared Daniel’s experience in the lion’s den to the book of Daniel coming under attack by textual critics, Dan 6 is one of the portions which has come under the heaviest attack. A good part of this attack has to do with the Gentiles who appear in the book: Belshazzar (Dan 5), and Darius (Dan 6) — whose very existences have been disputed. However, by now, perfectly reasonable explanations for both have been discovered and offered: Until recent years, nothing was known of Belshazzar, but by now his existence and identity have been independently confirmed. “Darius” is commonly accepted as one of the titles of Cyrus, which seems the best guess as of now, but In twenty or forty years, we may know as much about Darius as we now know about Belshazzar. Either way, most of the critics’ case against the book of Daniel has evaporated.

MAY YOUR GOD, WHOM YOU SERVE CONTINUALLY, RESCUE YOU!: The KJV is even more definite: “Thy God whom thou servest continually, HE WILL deliver thee.”

Dan 6:17

The lions’ den appears to have been a large pit in the ground with an opening above that a large stone sealed, probably to keep people from stumbling into it. Such pits were commonly used as cisterns to store water or as prisons. Daniel had to be lifted up out of it (v 23), and others when thrown into it fell down toward its bottom (v 24). It may also have had a side entrance or drain since if it did not, rain could have filled the den and drowned the lions.

A STONE WAS BROUGHT AND PLACED OVER THE MOUTH OF THE DEN: Cp the great stone at the tomb of Christ.

Dan 6:18

AND HE COULD NOT SLEEP: Quite possibly Daniel — in the lions’ den — slept better than his king — in the safety and comfort of his palace! To the believer, external circumstances and surroundings are not the prerequisite for “peace”. Daniel in a lions’ den, Joseph in a pit, Paul in a storm-tossed ship, or in a prison… all these are more in the hands of God than any unbeliever!

Dan 6:19

AT THE FIRST LIGHT OF DAWN: Evidently spending a night in the lions’ den was the minimum that the law required.

For the typical parallel, cp those who go to the tomb of Jesus, “at dawn” (Mat 28:1).

Dan 6:22

His unlikely surroundings do not keep Daniel from delivering his exhortation to the king!

MY GOD SENT HIS ANGEL: Like the Angel who was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace: Dan 3:28. Cp Acts 27:23-25; 12:5-10; Gen 24:40.

AND HE SHUT THE MOUTHS OF THE LIONS: “…who through faith… shut the mouths of lions” (Heb 11:33).

NOR HAVE I EVER DONE ANY WRONG BEFORE YOU: Cp the innocence of Christ.

Dan 6:24

Then the king applied the “law of retaliation”, and cast his friend’s accusers into the very den in which they had placed Daniel (cp, generally, Gen 12:3; Est 7:9,10; Gal 6:7).

BEFORE THEY REACHED THE FLOOR OF THE DEN, THE LIONS OVERPOWERED THEM AND CRUSHED ALL THEIR BONES: Thus proving that it wasn’t through lack of appetite that Daniel’s life was spared!

Dan 6:26

Recognition of the supremacy of God’s dominion and kingdom over all others. Such a decree would encourage the scattered exiles of Israel, and keep them ready and willing for their eventual return from exile.

Dan 6:28

DURING THE REIGN OF DARIUS AND THE REIGN OF CYRUS: Or, as the NIV mg, “the reign of Darius, THAT IS, the reign of Cyrus”. This supports the view that “Darius” was a title for Cyrus. Cyrus’ first full year as king of Babylon was 538 BC, and this is when Daniel’s career in government service ended (Dan 1:21).

Dan 7:1

Dan 7: Daniel’s vision of the future: (1) The four beasts (vv 1-8); (2) The Ancient of Days and the destruction of the fourth beast (vv 9-12); (3) The Son of Man’s kingdom (vv 13,14); (4) The interpretation of the four beasts (vv 15-18); (5) Daniel’s request for interpretation of the fourth beast (vv 19-22); (6) The interpretation of the fourth beast (vv 23-25); (7) The end of the fourth beast and the beginning of the everlasting kingdom (vv 26-28).

This ch is a graphic demonstration of Eccl 3:18,19: “As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal…”

King Nebuchadnezzar saw the earlier vision, of the KIngdoms of Man as a great Image, destined to be broken and crushed to pieces by the power of God in Christ (Dan 2). Then he was taught that he, although the head of the great Image, was himself no more nor better than a beast (Dan 4). And now, in ch 7, Daniel is given more detail about the four separate entities that constituted the Image: (a) In Dan 2, the four earthly kingdoms and Christ’s heavenly kingdom were seen in their outward political appearance; by contrast, Dan 7 presents God’s estimate of their innermost moral and spiritual features. (b) In Dan 2, the symbols were taken from inanimate objects; here in Dan 7, they are taken from the animate. (c) In Dan 2, King Nebuchadnezzar saw the splendor of these kingdoms portrayed in the dazzling statue of a man, while the Kingdom of God was symbolized by a stone. By contrast, in Dan 7, Daniel’s vision reveals the animalistic character of these kingdoms of men and the fact that it is only in the Kingdom of God that man’s full dignity is realized — in the Son of Man.

In turn, Dan 7 becomes the framework for an even more detailed prophetic picture of these kingdoms, to be developed in the Book of Revelation.

Comparison between Daniel 2 and Daniel 7:

Dan 8:1

Dan 8: Daniel’s vision of the ram and the goat: (1) The setting of the vision (v 1); (2) The ram (vv 2-4); (3) The goat (vv 5-8); (4) The little horn on the goat (vv 9-14); (5) The interpretation of this vision (vv 15-26); (6) The result of this vision (v 27).

Dan 7 recorded the general history of “the times of the Gentiles,” from the time Nebuchadnezzar took the Jews into captivity until the Son of Man’s return to the earth. Dan 8 reveals more detail about the second (Persian) and third (Greek) kingdoms, and especially how they relate to Israel.

Two things signal the beginning of a new section in the book: (1) a return to the Hebrew language in the original text (as in Dan 1:1 — 2:3), and (2) an emphasis on the nation Israel. Evidently Daniel wrote the remainder of this book in Hebrew because the revelation in it concerned his people particularly.

THE THIRD YEAR OF KING BELSHAZZAR’S REIGN: Approx 551 BC, two years after the vision in Dan 7 and about 12 years before the events of Dan 5. Daniel was then living within the kingdom of Neo-Babylonia, the first beast of Dan 7.

Dan 8:2

I SAW MYSELF IN THE CITADEL OF SUSA: Evidently Daniel was in Babylon when he had this vision, but what he saw, including himself, was in Susa (Shushan, AV; cf Eze 8:3; 40:1). Daniel probably knew where he was in his vision because he had visited Susa. It is reasonable to assume that a man in Daniel’s position in the Neo-Babylonian government would have visited Susa previously. Susa stood about 200 miles east of Babylon and approximately 150 miles due north of the top of the Persian Gulf. When Medo-Persia overthrew Neo-Babylonia, Susa became the capital of the Persian Empire. Eighty years after Daniel had this vision Susa became Esther’s home. One hundred seven years later it was the city from which Nehemiah departed to return to Palestine (Est 1:2; Neh 1:1). The citadel was the palace, the royal residence, that had strong fortifications.

THE PROVINCE OF ELAM: Elam was the name of the province where Susa stood when Daniel wrote this book, not necessarily when he had this vision.

THE ULAI CANAL: Prob an artificial canal which connected the rivers Choastes (the modern Kerkha) and Coprates (the modern Abdizful) and ran close by Susa.

Dan 8:3

A RAM: The ram (male sheep) that Daniel saw standing before the canal represented Medo-Persia (v 20). It corresponds to the lopsided bear in the Dan 7 vision (Dan 7:5).

The ram was especially important for the Persians. The guardian spirit of the Persian Empire was portrayed as a ram. When the Persian king went into battle, he carried the head of a ram. Also, in the ancient world, different zodiac signs represented various nations. Aries, the ram, stood for Persia, and Capricorn (Latin “caper”, goat, and “cornu”, horn) was Greece.

TWO HORNS: The two horns, representing power, symbolized Media and Persia, the two kingdoms that formed an alliance to create Medo-Persia. The longer horn stood for Persia, which had become more powerful in the alliance and had risen to displace Media in leadership after the two nations merged.

Dan 8:4

THE RAM… CHARGED TOWARD THE WEST AND THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH: Historically the Medo-Persian Empire pushed its borders primarily in three directions. It went westward (into Lydia, Ionia, Thrace, and Macedonia), northward (toward the Caspian Mountains, the Oxus Valley, and Scythia), and southward (toward Babylonia, Palestine, and Egypt). These advances happened mainly under the leadership of Cyrus and Cambyses.

HE DID AS HE PLEASED AND BECAME GREAT: In general, Medo-Persia had its own way for many years, and it glorified itself. “There is nothing inherently wrong about ‘doing great things’… but the expression is only used in an unequivocally good sense of God (1Sa 12:24; Psa 126:2, 3); of human beings it tends to suggest arrogance (Jer 48:26; Joel 2:20; Zeph 2:10; Psa 35:26; 55:12), or at least achievement at someone else’s expense (Zeph 2:8; Lam 1:9) — here achievement that presages calamity. The expression has the foreboding ambiguity of the mouth speaking great things in Dan 7:8,20” (Goldingay).

Dan 8:5

A GOAT WITH A PROMINENT HORN: The text also identifies the male goat — goats are relatives of sheep — in this vision as representing Greece (v 21). History has confirmed the identification. Alexander the Great is clearly the conspicuous horn. Normally goats have two horns, so this one was unusual.

PROMINENT: “Notable” (KJV), or “conspicuous” (RSV).

CAME FROM THE WEST: Under Alexander, the Greek armies advanced quickly from the west against Persia.

CROSSING THE WHOLE EARTH WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GROUND: “Alexander’s conquest of the entire Near and Middle East within three years stands unique in military history and is appropriately portrayed by the lightning speed of this one-horned goat. Despite the immense numerical superiority of the Persian imperial forces and their possession of military equipment like war elephants, the tactical genius of young Alexander, with his disciplined Macedonian phalanx, proved decisive” (Archer).

Dan 8:7

Due to previous attacks by the Persians, the Greeks retaliated against their enemies with unusual vengeance. Alexander won two significant battles in Asia Minor in 334 BC and in 333, first at the Granicus River and then at Issus in Phrygia. Alexander finally subdued Persia with a victory at Gaugamela near Nineveh in 331 BC.

Dan 8:8

Clearly this description corresponds to that of the third beast in Dan 7:6. Alexander magnified himself exceedingly in two ways. He extended the borders of his empire after he conquered Medo-Persia even farther east, into modern Afghanistan and to the Indus Valley. He also became extremely arrogant. He regarded himself as divine and made his soldiers bow down before him. This resulted in his troops revolting.

“Expositors, both liberal and conservative, have interpreted this verse as representing the untimely death of Alexander and the division of his empire into four major sections. Alexander, who had conquered more of the world than any previous ruler, was not able to conquer himself. Partly due to a strenuous exertion, his dissipated life, and a raging fever, Alexander died in a drunken debauch at Babylon, not yet thirty-three years of age. His death left a great conquest without an effective single leader, and it took about twenty years for the empire to be successfully divided” (Walvoord).

PROMINENT: “Notable” (KJV), or “conspicuous” (RSV).

Dan 8:9

Comparison between the “little horn” of Dan 8 and the “ruler” of Dan 9:

Dan 2:1

Dan 2.

See Lesson, Daniel 2 image.

See Article, Nebuchadnezzar’s bad dream.

Dan 2: Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream: the big picture: (1) The king’s dream (vv 1-3); (2) The failure of the king’s wise men (vv 4-13); (3) Daniel’s request for time (vv 14-16); (4) Daniel’s reception of a revelation and his thanksgiving (vv 17-23); (5) Daniel’s appearance before Nebuchadnezzar (vv 24-30); (6) What Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream (vv 31-35); (7) The interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (vv 36-45); (8) The consequences of Daniel’s interpretation (vv 46-49).

“Daniel saw about him in the great metropolis of Babylon, evidence of human achievement. In Dan 1, Human Wisdom was challenged; and now in Dan 2, Human Power is judged. In his power and wisdom mankind fails to recognise that God guides the destiny of nations, and that while man may propose, it is God who disposes, and whose will and purpose will finally prevail. The events recorded reveal that the nature of human glory is transient, and show Nebuchadnezzar that though he might think he was working out his own will, he was but an instrument in the hands of the God of Israel. The king received an unusual dream, which he never claims to have forgotten, but demands some evidence of wisdom from his university, religious and secular advisers, none of whom had the slightest ability to interpret such world events. The great metallic image stands proud in its might, but is seen to be weak in its foundations. The stone cut without hands so simply reduced the whole image to dust with one powerful sweep from the heavens. So will the fulfilment be seen, as the great power of the multitudinous Christ sweeps down to destroy the power of Gentile strength” (GEM).

DREAMS: Why “dreams”, plural? Perhaps a Heb intensive: ie, Nebuchadnezzar had a GREAT dream! Or maybe he had the same recurring dream, time after time.

Other earlier Gentile rulers who received revelations from God were Abimelech (Gen 20:3) and Pharaoh (Gen 41:1-8).

Dan 2:2

MAGICIANS: Heb “hartummim”: scholars who could divine the future by using various means

ENCHANTERS: Or “conjurers”. Heb “assapim”; those who communicated with the dead.

SORCERERS: Heb “mekassepim”: those who practiced sorcery and cast spells.

ASTROLOGERS: The “Chaldeans” (Heb “kasdim”) here refer to the priestly caste that studied the heavens to determine the future.

Daniel prepared the reader for the failure of all the king’s counselors that follows by pointing out that there were many different groups of them.

Dan 2:4

THEN THE ASTROLOGERS ANSWERED THE KING IN ARAMAIC: The text from here through Dan 7 is in Aramaic, or “Chaldean” or “Syriac”.

O KING, LIVE FOREVER: The Chaldeans addressed the king with appropriate respect: cp 1Ki 1:31; Neh 2:3; Dan 3:9; 5:10; 6:21.

Dan 2:5

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE FIRMLY DECIDED: “The thing is gone from me” (AV), also in v 8 — meaning: ‘I cannot — or will not — change my mind at this point.’

“The thing has gone from me” implies that the king had actually forgotten his dream, but it is more likely that he was just withholding the information to test his counselors, and the alternative rendering, from the NIV, is the correct one.

TELL ME WHAT MY DREAM WAS: “The [Chaldean] dream manuals, of which several examples have come to light, consist… of historical dreams and the events that followed them, arranged systematically for easy reference. Since these books had to try to cover every possible eventuality they became inordinately long; only the expert could find his way through them, and even he had to know the dream to begin with before he could search for the nearest possible parallel. The unreasonable demands of the king and the protests of the interpreters in vv 3-11 are in keeping with his character and the known facts concerning dream books” (Baldwin, cited in Const).

“The king was a young man who had been extraordinarily successful in his military conquests. He undoubtedly had developed a great deal of confidence in himself. It is entirely possible that the wise men were much older than the king, having served Nebuchadnezzar’s father. It would be understandable that the king might have previously been somewhat frustrated by these older counselors and may have had a real desire to be rid of them in favor of younger men whom he had chosen himself. Nebuchadnezzar might well have doubted their honesty, sincerity, and capability, and may even have wondered whether they were loyal to him. He may also have questioned some of their superstitious practices” (Walvoord, cited in Const).

Dan 2:9

HOPING THE SITUATION WILL CHANGE: This phrase (which is “till the time be changed” in the AV) “implied [the one day soon there might be] a new king on the throne. These wily priests, faced with a demand contrary to all their trade union rules, were quite capable of resolving their dilemma with a spoonful of strychnine in their master’s morning cup of tea!” (WDan). (Background: Nebuchadnezzar had only recently ascended to power; and it is quite possible that many of his “counselors” were not really loyal to him.) So the wise young man, Nebuchadnezzar, saw that he must be rid of these crafty “counselors” before they got rid of him!

Dan 2:10

Vv 10,11: The Chaldeans proceeded to explain with profuse courtesy and flattery that what the king requested was humanly impossible. No one could tell what the king had dreamed. Furthermore no king had ever asked his counselors to do such a thing before. Only the immortal gods could provide this information, and the implication was they even these men could not get information from the gods. Yet that is precisely what they claimed to be able to provide: supernatural information! Their confession sets the stage for Yahweh’s ability to do precisely what they said no person could do.

Dan 2:11

Cp the inadequacies of the Egyptian magicians, when compared to Moses and his God: “But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals. The magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said” (Exo 8:18,19).

Dan 2:16

“”The stage was now set to show the reality, wisdom, and power of the one true God — Yahweh — as over against the inarticulate and impotent imaginary gods the magicians worshiped. It is the same general theme that dominates the remainder of the book and serves to remind the Hebrew nation that despite their own failure, collapse, and banishment into exile, the God of Israel remains as omnipotent as He ever was in the days of Moses and that His covenantal love remains as steadfast toward the seed of Abraham as it ever had been” (Archer, cited in Const).

Dan 2:23

YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO US: By “us” Daniel may mean himself AND his three companions.

Dan 2:28

BUT THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN WHO REVEALS MYSTERIES: Arioch had focused on Daniel as the solution to the king’s problem. Nebuchadnezzar viewed him the same way. Daniel, however, quickly redirected the king’s attention from himself and placed it where it belonged, on God who revealed the future. Thus Daniel gave all the glory to God (cp Joseph in Gen 41:16).

Dan 2:30

THAT YOU, O KING, MAY KNOW THE INTERPRETATION…: It was important for Nebuchadnezzar to receive this revelation since he was to be the first Gentile king in a significant period of history, namely the times of the Gentiles — ie, the period during which Gentile nations would dominate Israel until Messiah would subjugate Gentile power under his reign.

Dan 2:32

Vv 32,33: Several features are noteworthy: (1) The head is the only member of the body made of only one metal. All the other parts had more than one substance with the exception of the arms. For example, the upper torso was silver but bronze lower down. The same was true of the legs and feet. (2) There is a consistently decreasing value to the substances beginning at the top and proceeding to the bottom of the image. (3) The image was top-heavy, and thus unstable: note the specific gravities: gold 19.3; silver 10.6; brass 8.4; iron 7.8; and clay, approx 2.0. (4) The substances progress from the softest to the hardest, top to bottom. The feet are a non-adhering combination of very hard and hard but fragile materials. The clay in view may have been baked clay that the Babylonians used as tiles in construction projects.

Dan 2:34

NOT BY HUMAN HANDS: Not of human origin. Cp Mar 14:58; Heb 9:11; Acts 7:48.

Dan 2:35

THEN THE IRON, THE CLAY, THE BRONZE, THE SILVER AND THE GOLD WERE BROKEN TO PIECES AT THE SAME TIME: “How can they be broken to pieces together, seeing that they have been broken to pieces one after the other many centuries ago? The answer to this question is important, and must be given; for without it no interpretation can be received as satisfactory. And here I would remark, that the image was presented to the mind of the King of Babylon, not so much to represent a succession of empires, as to exhibit the catastrophe which should usher in the Kingdom of God. The idea I would convey is well expressed by the prophet, saying, ‘The God in heaven, who revealeth secrets, maketh known to the king what shall be in the latter days’ (Dan 2:28,29). That is, there will be in the latter days a dominion, ruling over all the countries mainly comprehended in the limits of the successive empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome: and represented by the image as a whole; and which will be broken by a power from heaven, which will utterly destroy it, and set up an empire which will cover all the territory it possessed” (Elp ch 12).

LIKE CHAFF ON A THRESHING FLOOR: Cp the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (2Sa 24:16-24; 1Ch 21:15-28) — the Temple Mount!

Dan 2:36

Dan 2:36-45: The interpretation of the dream: “That the segments of that impressive image represent a chronological sequence of empires can hardly be doubted. And if there were nothing more in the vision than this main idea the interpretation would be impressive: Babylon — Persia — Greece — Rome. The sequence and character of these empires has often been commented on. The aptness and accuracy of the successive parts are something to marvel at.

“But all too easily a twofold difficulty has been constantly glossed over: (a) Why should world history suddenly become the quite new feature of Old Testament prophecy? And (b) Why should this sequence of world empires be so blatantly incomplete?

“This last point needs to be underlined. The truth is that since the days of the fourth (Roman) empire, the world has seen plenty of other empires as extensive and as long-lasting as the four, which preceded them: (1) Genghis Khan had an empire, which stretched right across Asia. (2) Philip II of Spain ruled an empire covering a large part of Europe and the whole of Central and South America. Here was grandeur to make golden Babylon look ordinary. (3) Napoleon’s genius defeated every army he came against. Even Alexander’s achievements look small at the side of his. (4) And for two centuries the British Empire sprawled great splashes of red right round the globe. That empire was, in all respects, easily the greatest of them all.

“Then if this revelation to Nebuchadnezzar was intended to be a conspectus of world history, why these amazing omissions? What the vision included was magnificently accurate. Put why so incomplete?

“Careful attention to certain of the image details supplies a fully convincing explanation:

“(a) ‘After thee (Nebuchadnezzar) shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee’ (v 39). And this is all that is revealed here about the Persian Empire. The reason is simple: Already, in the early days of Nebuchadnezzar, Medes and Persians were becoming troublesome. Within a lifetime their aggressive spirit was to prove overmastering. So it was hardly tactful to dwell at length on this silver part of the image. Also it needs to be recognised that ‘inferior to thee’ is an altogether inaccurate description of the Persian Empire. It was stronger, better organized, and more long-lasting than Babylon. The words simply mean ‘lower down’ (in the image). They indicate that Daniel was working his way systematically through the details of the vision.

“(b) ‘And another kingdom of brass which shall bear rule over all the earth.’ But, for certain, the Greek empire did not bear rule over all the earth, not even over all the civilised world of that time. Here, once again, students have been at the mercy of King James’s translators with their failure to recognize that right through the Bible — OT and NT — the words for ‘earth’ and ‘land (of Israel)’ are interchangeable. Only context can decide which reading is called for. Here the phrase clearly alludes to the instantaneous appropriation of the state of Judea by the advancing Alexander.

“(c) Most decisive of all are the details about the Iron kingdom of Rome: ‘as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things… shall it break in pieces and bruise (crush)’ (v 40). Yet in point of fact the Roman regime did not have this character. Wherever the legions went, there followed the blessings of law and order. The pax Romana provided the civilised world with its most wonderful era of peace and settled government. To that general rule there was one quite striking exception. The Jews in Palestine proved to be the most turbulent province of the empire, until at last in the war of AD 67-70 (and again in 135) Roman patience gave out, and all the towns and cities were ruthlessly devastated. ‘Break in pieces and crush’ became the most exact part of the prophecy regarding Israel!

“In these details there is supplied a highly important clue concerning Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. It was not a revelation of world history. It was a revelation of the sequence of Gentile powers that would completely dominate the People of God in their own Land. It was made known to the king of Babylon because he was the first to incorporate the Holy Land in his empire (Sennacherib the Assyrian had tried and failed — hence the omission of Assyria from the sequence)” (WDan).

WE WILL INTERPRET IT TO THE KING: By “we” Daniel must mean himself AND his three friends.

Dan 2:37

Vv 37,38: “It took considerable courage for Daniel to tell the most powerful ruler of his time that he was responsible to God. God had given Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty (symbolized by the head of the statue), power (the head’s weight), strength (the connotation of the head on a body), and glory (its value as gold). The head of gold aptly described Nebuchadnezzar. It also symbolized the kingdom over which he ruled. Nebuchadnezzar ruled about 45 years (605-560 BC), and his empire only lasted another 21 years. Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, founded the Neo-Babylon Empire in 627 BC, and it fell to the Persians in 539 BC” (Const).

Dan 2:39

AFTER YOU, ANOTHER KINGDOM WILL RISE, INFERIOR TO YOURS: The Medo-Persian Empire led by Cyrus the Great would have been inferior in quality to Babylon from Nebuchadnezzar’s viewpoint (Dan 5:28,31). The Medo-Persian monarchs could not annul a law once it went into effect (Dan 6:8,12). This restricted the absolute authority of the king. However, in some respects this kingdom was superior to Babylonia: it covered a larger geographical territory, and it lasted longer (539-331 B). The arms of the image evidently represented the two nations of Media and Persia that united to defeat Babylon.

NEXT, A THIRD KINGDOM, ONE OF BRONZE, WILL RULE OVER THE WHOLE EARTH: The kingdom that succeeded Medo-Persia was Greece under Alexander the Great (Dan 8:20,21). Its territory was even larger than that of Medo-Persia. Greece dominated the ancient cradle of civilization from 331 to 31 BC, lasting longer than either Babylonia or Medo-Persia. However, after Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, the empire split into four parts, and each of Alexander’s generals took one piece. Antipater ruled Macedon-Greece, Lysimachus governed Thrace-Asia Minor, Seleucus headed Asia, and Ptolemy reigned over Egypt, Cyrenaica, and Palestine. Thus Greece lacked the unified strength of Medo-Persia and Babylonia. Its republican form of government gave more power to the people and less to the rulers. The two legs of the statue evidently represented the two major divisions of the Greek Empire: its eastern and western sectors.

Dan 2:40

FINALLY, THERE WILL BE A FOURTH KINGDOM, STRONG AS IRON: Rome defeated the last vestige of the Greek Empire in 31 BC and ruled for hundreds of years, until 476 AD in the West and until 1453 AD in the East. The eastern and western parts of this empire ruled their territories with a strength that surpassed any of its predecessors. Certainly iron legs fitly symbolized the Roman Empire. Rome also dominated the map more extensively than any previous kingdom, encompassing almost all of Europe including Spain and the British Isles as well as India. Those legs stood astride most of the ancient world. However, from Nebuchadnezzar’s viewpoint, Rome was indeed an inferior power. The people and the senate played major roles in setting its policies, and they controlled the emperors more than had been true in the preceding empires.

Dan 2:41

FEET AND TOES: “For generations it has been asserted that the ten toes, part iron, part clay, strong and weak, represent the subdivisions of the Roman Empire covering the period from (roughly) the 7th century to the 20th. Which ten? Here a good deal of guesswork comes into play. In Elp 326… two separate lists are submitted for approval. Today neither of these carries conviction. In the last thing he wrote, JT (‘Exposition of Daniel’ 13) suggested that no accurate identification need be looked for until the Last Days. This was a wise assessment.

“Let it be remembered that, according to the clue now brought to light, the vision is about the oppressors of Israel in the Holy Land. When at last they were scattered far and wide, this history — God’s history — was drastically interrupted; and this state of affairs continued until the Zionist movement in this century. Then, and only then, does the vision — God’s history regarding His Chosen People — resume its relevance. In other words, the ten toes, weak and strong, do not represent a long period of European history (that idea beloved of so many politically-biased expositors); it represents ten enemies of Israel who are to dominate the State of Israel in the Last Days immediately before the impact of the Stone, the Messiah” (WDan).

Dan 2:42

Toes = Last days Arab nations. See Lesson, Ten toes, identity. Other reasons:

• cp 1Sa 17: other great image was a Philistine;
• Psa 83;
• Gen 15 (different nations, but also 10; mixed with the Arab peoples);
• Isa 13-23 (10 enemies of Israel, primarily Arab);
• Jer 46-51 (10 nations in days of Babylon’s conquest);
• Jer 25 (nations drunk with cup of Babylon);
• general tenor of age-old dispute between Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob;
• 10 nations “born” in same generation (ie between 1925 and 1975) that witnessed “birth” of Israel — is the 11th the Palestinian nation?;
• Muslim Arabs are situated perfectly to mount a “holy war” against God’s “holy place”, the Temple Mount (Eze 25; Eze 36; Obad; Joe 3; etc); and
• a map of Europe and Asia and Africa showing the overlay of all 4 “world” empires of Dan 2 will completely intersect, only, in the Middle Eastern area of Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Dan 2:43

MIXED… MIXTURE… MIXED: Heb “arab”, sig the Arabs, a “mixed” or “mingled” peoples: See Lesson, Arab/”mixed”.

BAKED CLAY: Like the potter’s vessel — the same material as Psa 2:9.

SO THE PEOPLE WILL BE A MIXTURE: “As you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage” (RSV).

Dan 2:44

A KINGDOM THAT WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED: This is a fifth kingdom that God Himself will establish following the final phase of the fourth kingdom, of Rome (cp Psa 2:7-9; Rev. 11:15). The rock, a frequent symbol of Jesus Christ in Scripture (Psa 118:22; Isa 8:14; 28:16; Zec 3:9; 1Pe 2:6-8), evidently represents the King as well as His kingdom (cp v 38: “You are the head of gold”). The mountain out of which the rock comes is evidently God (cp Deut 32:18; Psa 18:2; 31:2-3)

Dan 2:48

Daniel here typifies Christ — who will rule over “Babylon” (Rev 16:15-19), when the judgments of God (which is sig of “Daniel”) is revealed (Acts 17:31). Daniel received the homage of a prostrate king just as the Lord Jesus Christ, who was submissive to men and the servant of God, will receive the homage of all men (Phi 2:10,11).

AND LAVISHED MANY GIFTS ON HIM: As Christ will receive gifts (Psa 72:10; Isa 60:8; 61:6).

Dan 3:1

Dan 3: Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image: (1) The worship of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (vv 1-7); (2) The charge against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (vv 8-12); (3) The response of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (vv 13-18); (4) The execution of the king’s command (vv 19-23); (5) God’s deliverance of His servants (vv 24-27); (6) The consequences of God’s deliverance (vv 28-30).

“The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego is a story we all know well. Who does not know how these three Hebrews were cast into the fiery furnace and came out alive? Familiarity with the story of the fiery furnace is one of two major obstacles which prevents us from benefiting from this passage as we should.

“We are told automobile accidents often happen close to home. Because we are so familiar with the area, we pay less attention. In the same way, familiar passages of Scripture may receive less of our attention. Christians, and many others, know the stories of David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, and Jonah and the ‘whale.’ We may fail to grasp the meaning and message they were intended to convey because of our superficial understanding of the characters and events.

“A second barrier is our mentally filing the story of these three Hebrews under the category of ‘fairy tale’ or ‘myth.’ Some commentators candidly admit, even advocate, that this story is merely a myth, and not history. They, at least, are conscious of their perspective on this passage. But many of us have heard this story so often in Sunday School that we may have lumped Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego with Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears…

“We must see this event as history, not fairy tale. We must feel the heat of that fire and smell the smoke of that ancient furnace” (Deff).

AN IMAGE OF GOLD, NINETY FEET HIGH AND NINE FEET WIDE: This great golden image, representing the Gentile “beast” and his successors, was “threescore cubits” tall and “six cubits” broad (Dan 3:1). Here are two of the three numbers allotted to the last Gentile oppressor of Israel, the beast/man of Rev 13 (see Rev 13:18). Is this merely a coincidence?

This was no mean feat — but quite a financial proposition, as well as a fairly amazing technical accomplishment, since gold is not a strong metal. The image could have been solid gold, or wood overlain with gold (Exo 37:25,26; 39:38; Isa 40:19; 41:7; Jer 10:3-9).

Daniel had told Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold (Dan 2:38) but that he would be followed by “another kingdom inferior to you” (Dan 2:39) made of silver (Dan 2:32). Rejecting now the idea that any kingdom could follow his own, he may have determined to show the permanence of his golden kingdom by having the entire image covered with gold. [The dimensions suggest a phallic symbol. Possibly this was Nebuchadnezzar’s way of saying, ‘Behold my power to procreate! My dynasty will continue from one generation to the next, and will never be replaced by any “inferior” kingdom — as Daniel has predicted!’]

Possibly, the gold with which Nebuchadnezzar constructed the great idol was the same gold that he had confiscated from the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Shortly before this time, his army had conquered the city, destroyed the Temple, and carried much gold back to Babylon, breaking it down for other uses (Dan 1:1,2; 2Ki 24:13; 2Ch 36:10).

Dan 3:2

THE IMAGE HE HAD SET UP: Nebuchadnezzar “set up” his image (cp vv 2,3,5,7,12,14) in opposition to Yahweh’s assertion that he would “set up” a kingdom (Dan 2:44). The repetitious indicators of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride are designed to mark this contrast. This also explains why Daniel would not bow down to the image that had been “set up” (see v 18). Certainly, it would be reason enough that the Law of Moses prohibited such worship. But especially here, Daniel would know that Nebuchadnezzar was trying to replace the word of Yahweh with his own plans; Daniel could never assent to that.

Dan 3:3

“Some of the titles of the officials named in the text are Persian and some are Babylonian. Daniel may have updated some of these Babylonian titles with modern Persian equivalents when he wrote the book in its final form. Perhaps they were already common when the events of this chapter happened.

The satraps were the highest political officials in each province. The prefects (princes) were military chiefs. The governors (captains) were heads of sections of the provinces. The counselors (advisers, judges) were high ranking judges. The treasurers were superintendents of the treasury. The judges (counselors) were secondary judges, and the magistrates (sheriffs) were lower level legal officials. The rulers (officials) [provincial officials: NIV] were subordinates of the satraps. These groups represented all the administrative government officials of the wide-ranging empire, and they spoke many different languages (v 7)” (Const).

Dan 3:5

“The musical instruments referred to (vv 5,7) also have Persian names [as do some of the rulers: v 3]. Some of these instruments were Greek as well. The Greeks had an influence on Babylonia earlier than Daniel’s time. These were various wind and stringed instruments. The Babylonians seem to have been an almost music crazed culture (cp Psa 137:3; Isa 14:11)” (Const).

Dan 3:6

Cit Rev 13:15: the beast shares the same characteristics as Nebuchadnezzar — he wanted to usurp the authority of God, and to kill those who refuse to worship his image.

A BLAZING FURNACE: There were great brick-kilns outside the city, where the bricks required for certain purposes in the vast building projects of Nebuchadnezzar were baked. Some of these great ovens have been found in archaeological excavations. There are also written records suggesting that disobedient slaves might be executed by being cast into such brick-kilns.

Dan 3:7

The “pipes” (“dulcimer”: AV), omitted here only, in ct vv 5,10,15. This is the only place where the instruments are actually played.

Dan 3:12

THERE ARE SOME JEWS… WHO PAY NO ATTENTION TO YOU: Picture the scene. On a huge plain Nebuchadnezzar had set up a huge statue of Gold 27 meters high. This great image was imposed upon the landscape so that people from miles around could see it. Then the people were gathered into the plain and told to fall down before that image when they heard the music.

As the music began, the mass of standing people on the plain would suddenly fall down to the ground, leaving three men still standing in the midst of the crowd. With all the people down around their knees, these three would have stood out like great trees in a pasture, or like ships’ masts on a smooth sea. What courage to stand apart in a situation like that!

It might have seemed to them like a good compromise, at that point, to have fallen simply down with the rest of the people, whilst telling themselves that they were not REALLY worshipping the image. But God does not want compromises. He wants all of us. With God it is all or nothing. These young men gave their all to God and were prepared to give their lives for him.

Let us not compromise our stand with God, but rather take our stand for Him and Him alone.

The absence of reference to Daniel here raises questions. Had he worshiped the image? Was he away on government business, was he occupied with pressing matters, or was he ill and unable to attend the ceremony? Did he enjoy such an exalted position or such favor with the king that these Chaldeans dared not accuse him? The writer did not explain this mystery. It was the response of Daniel’s three Hebrew friends that he wanted to stress. It seems safe to assume that if Daniel had been present he would have responded as his three friends did.

Dan 3:17

Vv 17,18: They said they believed the Lord could deliver them from any fiery furnace and that He would deliver them. However, they also acknowledged the possibility that it might be God’s will not to deliver them. God does not always save the lives of His children when they face martyrdom. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego knew this, but they had no question about God’s ability to save them (cf Mat 10:28). Whether God would deliver them or not, they refused to serve idols or to bow before the king’s image (Exo 20:3-5).

The quiet, modest, yet very positive attitude of faith that these three men display is one of the noblest examples in the Scriptures of faith fully resigned to the will of God. These men ask for no miracle; they expect none. Theirs is the faith that says: “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15).

It is said that “Every man has his price!” — but these young men did not! Their allegiance and worship could not be bought at any price and by any threat.

Dan 3:19

SEVEN TIMES: Meaning much, much more: Pro 24:16; 26:16.

Dan 3:21

“Judging from bas-reliefs, it would seem that Mesopotamian smelting furnaces tended to be like an old-fashioned glass milk-bottle in shape, with a large opening for the insertion of the ore to be smelted and a smaller aperture at ground level for the admission of wood and charcoal to furnish the heat. There must have been two or more smaller holes at this same level to permit the insertion of pipes connected with large bellows, when it was desired to raise the temperature beyond what the flue or chimney would produce. Undoubtedly the furnace itself was fashioned of very thick adobe, resistant to intense heat. The large upper door was probably raised above the level of the fire bed so that the metal smelted from the ore would spill on the ground in case the crucibles were upset” (Archer, “Daniel” 115).

Dan 3:22

As Haman, caught and slain in his own trap: Est 7:9n. “Whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen 12:3).

Dan 3:25

“This is what the LORD says — he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you… When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze’ ” (Isa 43:1,2).

Dan 3:28

THEN NEBUCHADNEZZAR SAID, “PRAISE BE TO THE GOD OF SHADRACH, MESHACH AND ABEDNEGO, WHO HAS SENT ANGEL AND RESCUED HIS SERVANTS”: His question, asked only moments before, “What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” (v 15), is now answered by the king who asked it. Nebuchadnezzar blessed the God of these three Hebrews, as the God who had delivered them from death. He praised them for their faithfulness in obeying their God, even unto death. Significantly, the king praised these men for their exclusive (monotheistic) worship of their God. Unlike the rest, they were not willing to serve any other god in addition to the one God they worshipped and served.

THEY TRUSTED IN HIM AND DEFIED THE KING’S COMMAND AND WERE WILLING TO GIVE UP THEIR LIVES RATHER THAN SERVE OR WORSHIP ANY GOD EXCEPT THEIR OWN GOD: The AV has “…and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” This seems to be echoed in Rom 12:1: “I urge you, brothers… to offer [present] your bodies as living sacrifices…” The example of the three friends should be our example when we are confronted with trials and temptations to cause us to compromise our faith. Such action as they manifested was a “living sacrifice”, by contrast to the sacrifices under the law of Moses — which were usually dead animals.

And here, even before the great “idol” of the Babylonian king, the young Jews could offer themselves as the ultimate sacrifice to their faith! It is fascinating, then, to note that even the very presence of the “false god” was holy ground, because it was witness to a holy “sacrifice”.

Dan 4:1

Dan 4: Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and humbling: (1) Nebuchadnezzar’s introductory doxology (vv 1-3); (2) The king’s frustration over his second dream (vv 4-8); (3) Nebuchadnezzar’s account of his dream (vv 9-18); (4) Daniel’s interpretation (vv 19-27); (5) The fulfillment of threatened discipline (vv 28-33); (6) Nebuchadnezzar’s restoration (vv 34-37).

The time of this incident seems to be considerably later than the event recorded in Dan 3 — Nebuchadnezzar had finished extensive building projects (v 30). He reigned a total of 43 years (605-562 BC). Perhaps it was toward the end of his reign that these events transpired.

Dan 4:2

MIRACULOUS SIGNS AND WONDERS: Common Bible words used to describe miracles (cf Deu 6:22; 7:19; 13:1,2; 26:8; Neh 9:10; Isa 8:18; etc).

Dan 4:4

I, NEBUCHADNEZZAR, WAS AT HOME IN MY PALACE, CONTENTED AND PROSPEROUS: “The time of this dream was apparently later in Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. Historians have identified a seven-year period during his reign when he engaged in no military activity (c 582-575 BC). This may be the seven years during which he was temporarily insane. If so, he may have had this dream in 583 or 582 BC. If this is the true date, Nebuchadnezzar would have defeated the Egyptians under Pharaoh Hophra (in 588-587 BC) and would have destroyed Jerusalem (in 586 BC) before he had this dream. In any case, he was at ease and resting in his palace when God gave him this revelation. Nebuchadnezzar described himself as flourishing in his palace… the original language pictures him flourishing as a green plant. This king built the famous hanging gardens of Babylon, which enriched his capital with luxuriant foliage. His description of himself here anticipates the figure of the tree in his dream that represented him” (Const).

Dan 4:6

I COMMANDED THAT ALL THE WISE MEN OF BABYLON BE BROUGHT BEFORE ME TO INTERPRET THE DREAM FOR ME: Such “wise” men had failed him before (Dan 2:10-12).

Dan 4:7

BUT THEY COULD NOT INTERPRET IT FOR ME: Was it any wonder?!

Dan 4:8

THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLY GODS IS IN HIM: That this “elahin” (Aram “gods”) is meant as a true plural — rather than a plural of majesty — is shown by the plural form of the adjective “qaddisin” (Aram “holy”) accompanying it.

But of course, it is possible that Nebuchadnezzar was hereby referring to the One Great God of Israel — whom he knew to be Daniel’s God.

Dan 4:9

CHIEF OF THE MAGICIANS: By this he probably meant that Daniel was his chief interpreter of the future, not that he was the head of a group of magicians. Daniel’s fame in this regard had evidently become well known (Eze 28:3).

Dan 4:10

A TREE: Which frequently signifies a great ruler of a nation: Isa 2:12,13; 10:34; Eze 31:3-17.

Dan 4:11

THE TREE GREW LARGE AND STRONG: Cp the parable of the mustard seed: Mat 13:31,32.

ITS TOP TOUCHED THE SKY: Like the tower of BABEL — “with a tower that reaches to the heavens” (Gen 11:4).

Dan 4:13

COMING DOWN FROM HEAVEN: As God (or the “angels” He sent) “came down” to Babel (Gen 11:7).

Dan 4:14

CUT DOWN THE TREE…: “Nebuchadnezzar was very keen on felling cedars in Lebanon — he did it personally: ‘Under her shadow (Babylon) I gathered all even in peace… Mighty cedars with my own hands I cut down… Merodach… may my woodcutting prosper’ — And from a bas-relief in Wadi Brissa: the ‘image of my royal person’ is felling cedars” (WDan).

Nebuchadnezzar’s fate would be the same as that of Assyria (cp v 10; and Eze 31:3-17).

Dan 4:15

BOUND WITH IRON AND BRONZE: . The significance of the iron and bronze band that bound the stump is questionable. It kept the tree stump from disintegrating. Perhaps it symbolized the madness that would bind Nebuchadnezzar or the fact that he would be protected while demented.

Dan 4:16

The Bible tells us generally that men who know not God, or who treat other men in a brutal fashion, are no better than “beasts”, and that they will ultimately perish like beasts (Psa 49:12,20; Ecc 3:19,20). This is probably the rationale for Gentile oppressors of God’s people being characterized as “beasts” of prey, in Daniel and elsewhere. The great “Beast” of Rev 13, with its 7 heads and 10 horns, also is said to have the number of a man (v 18), perhaps indicating that it represents a particular man. At least one man in OT times was actually made by God to be like a “beast”. This was the great king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who recognized himself in the “head of gold” in the image of Dan 2, and whose great pride and arrogance brought upon him an unusual judgment from the Almighty: see Dan 4:16,25,32,33. Only a coincidence? Or does this suggest that the “Beast” of the Last Days will be Babylonian, as was the “Beast” Nebuchadnezzar? (See Lesson, Beasts, heads, and horns.)

SEVEN TIMES: The word “periods of time” (“iddanin”) is indefinite; it does not indicate how long these periods of time are. It means years in Dan 7:25, and probably that is the meaning here too. Seven days or seven months would have been too short a time for his hair to have grown the length of feathers (v 33).

Dan 4:17

” ‘God ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever He will.’ It is this that imparts to political occurrences the character of signs of the times, in the discernments of such as are enlightened in the scriptures of truth. These occurrences, which to the natural man are the fortuitous changes of the hour, are to the other class the open and public expression of the secret and divine will which is moulding all public affairs, with a view to the appointed climax when all things will be gathered together under one head, even Christ. The recognition of this fact makes all the difference between the mere newspaper point of view, which is that of scientific Paganism, and the point of view of the Scriptures, from which we are able to see things as they appear to Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, and who is guiding them to a determined end — even the end proclaimed in the gospel of the kingdom and the promises made to the fathers in the beginning” (WP 335).

“Daniel tells us, in a sense that does not conflict with the Gospel of the kingdom, that He ruleth in the kingdoms of men, setting up some and putting down others. The kingdoms, now existing, are provisionally of God’s appointment. God’s purpose to make the earth a habitation of order, love, intelligence, and glory, requires a preliminary prevalence of evil, and yet the evil must be regulated. If evil were allowed to run riot, it would make the world a desert, in which it would be impossible for the preliminary work of trial in patient obedience to be done; we could never assemble here this morning if evil were not controlled in its operations. There is a necessity for a certain machinery to exist, and God has appointed that machinery, but only for mechanical service. It is, so to speak, but the scaffolding for the erection of the future building. They are a crude work, the saints are called to a higher work in all respects. Even now it is highest work to preach the Gospel of the future kingdom” (SC 116).

Cp Dan 2:21; Deu 28; Isa 10:5-7; Jer 25:15-32; 27:5-17; 51:11; Eze 29:18; 30:24; 38:16-21; Hab 1:6-12; Zeph 1:14-17; 1Sa 2:7,8; Job 5:11. God does not need the mighty to do His work. Therefore it is foolish to become proud over one’s accomplishments and importance, as Nebuchadnezzar was.

God had sought to impress His sovereignty on Nebuchadnezzar previously (Dan 2; 3), but the king had not learned his lesson. So the LORD sent him a stronger lesson. This is often what He does (cf Job 33:141-7). The last part of this v is really a summary of the main theme of the Book of Daniel.

AND SETS OVER THEM THE LOWLIEST OF MEN: In his inscriptions, Nebuchadnezzar speaks of his father Nabopolassar as “son of a nobody”, while he — Nebuchadnezzar — has become “the magnificent one.”

THE LOWLIEST OF MEN: KJV has the “basest of men”. But not necessarily the most wicked of men. Points to Christ, the humblest of men, because he relied on his Father altogether. And because he humbled himself, even unto the death of the cross, therefore God will exalt him above all others (Phi 2:5-11).

Dan 4:18

NONE OF THE WISE MEN IN MY KINGDOM CAN INTERPRET IT FOR ME: It seems incredible that the Babylonian soothsayers could not offer an interpretation of this dream since its meaning seems quite transparent. Perhaps God hid the meaning from them, or maybe they pretended ignorance of it since it predicted Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation, and they would not have wanted to tell him of that.

Dan 4:19

DANIEL… WAS GREATLY PERPLEXED FOR A TIME, AND HIS THOUGHTS TERRIFIED HIM: “This verse reveals the heart of Daniel as well as any in the entire book of Daniel. He knew the meaning of this dream and how well Nebuchadnezzar deserved what was to come upon him. Nevertheless, Daniel’s heart was concerned for the king and grieved over what he had to tell him. This was the distinctive feature of the true prophets of God: though they often had to predict judgments, they were nevertheless grieved when any of God’s creatures were chastised” (Feinberg, “Daniel”).

Dan 4:23

LET HIM LIVE LIKE THE WILD ANIMALS: Such mental illness has actually been observed and recorded: men acting like wild beasts, in outward appearance and actions, while still retaining more or less reasonable mental abilities. Of course, the Bible tells us that men who know not God are in fact like the beasts that perish (Psa 49:12,20).

UNTIL SEVEN TIMES PASS BY FOR HIM: Figurative, perhaps, of “seven times” of Gentile madness. At the end of this time, Gentile powers (symbolized by Nebuchadnezzar here) acknowledge the power and authority of the Almighty God of Israel (vv 34-37).

Suggested periods (as per CH views): 7 times 360 years, or 2,520 years: from 606 BC (Nebuchadnezzar’s accession) / 536 BC (abasement of Jews) … 1914 / 1984 (the period marking the beginning of the renewal of Israel; Balfour Declaration; independence of Israel; etc).

Or, perhaps, much more simply: “seven times” sig the “fullness, or completeness” of Gentile times (ie, Rom 11:25) — without regard to exact times!

Dan 4:27

Daniel’s call to true repentance — which seems to have an effect on the king, if only temporarily.

Dan 4:28

Vv 28-33: Nebuchadnezzar is “put out to pasture”!

Dan 4:29

TWELVE MONTHS LATER: Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar repented, initially, but after a year he reverted to his great pride and arrogance, and was then smitten.

Dan 4:30

IS NOT THIS THE GREAT BABYLON I HAVE BUILT… BY MY MIGHTY POWER AND FOR THE GLORY OF MY MAJESTY?: “The palace from which he surveyed Babylon was one of the citadels on the north side of the city. It had large courts, reception rooms, throne room, residences, and the famous hanging gardens, a vaulted, terraced structure with an elaborate water supply for its trees and plants, apparently built by Nebuchadnezzar for his Median queen. From the palace he would see in the distance the city’s 27 km outer double wall, which he had built. His palace stood just inside the double wall of the inner city, which was punctuated by eight gates and encircled an area 3 km by 1 km, with the Euphrates running through it. The palace adjoined a processional avenue that Nebuchadnezzar had paved with limestone and decorated with lion figures, emblematic of Ishtar; this avenue entered the city through the Ishtar Gate, which he had decorated with dragons and bulls (emblems of Marduk and Bel). It continued south through the city to the most important sacred precincts, to whose beautifying and development Nebuchadnezzar had contributed, the ziggurat crowned by a temple of Marduk where the god’s statue resided. In Marduk’s temple there were also shrines to other gods, and in the city elsewhere temples of other Babylonian gods, restored or beautified by Nebuchadnezzar” (Goldingay, cited in Const).

“Pride is a kind of plagiarism. It attempts to grasp for ourselves the glory which belongs to another. Nebuchadnezzar took all the glory for the greatness of his kingdom; he did not give glory to God. In effect, he began to set himself in the seat of God, reminiscent of other glory-seeking creatures… (see Isa 14 and Eze 28). Taking glory which does not belong to us causes us to see ourselves as better than others. Pride ignores and denies the truth that prosperity comes from God, as a gift of His grace, and not the reward for our greatness. Pride also interprets others’ poverty as proof of inferiority and the penalty for inferiority. Sooner or later, pride justifies the use of power as rightly taking advantage of the poor to gain from their weakness” (Deff).

What did King Nebuchadnezzar of ancient Babylon and Nikolai Ceausescu of present-day Romania have in common? Both were ruthless dictators who fell after boldly exalting themselves.

Nebuchadnezzar brazenly declared that he had built the great city of Babylon by his own power and for the honor of his majesty (Dan 4:30). God humbled him by driving him into the wilderness with a mental illness.

Ceausescu, after years of cruelly persecuting Christians and killing all potential threats to his power, instructed the National Opera to produce a song in his honor that included these words: “Ceausescu is good, righteous, and holy.” He wanted this song to be sung on his 72nd birthday on January 26, 1990, but on December 25, 1989, he and his wife were executed. Although his overthrow was part of the anticommunist revolution that swept through eastern Europe, many Christians see his sudden downfall as an act of God. One Romanian, Peter Dugulescu, said that it was “because he took for himself the glory of God”.

Dan 4:33

Since this madness lasted 7 years, how did Nebuchadnezzar not lose control of his empire? Did Daniel perhaps act as his regent, maintaining his kingdom for him until his senses returned?

Dan 4:34

AT THE END OF THAT TIME, I, NEBUCHADNEZZAR, RAISED MY EYES TOWARD HEAVEN: What a scene! What a treatise, what a revelation is comprehended in a few words! The “wild beast” finally lifts his eyes up to heaven — realizing that there is in fact a God enthroned there… one higher and more powerful than he! In this simple act there is the profoundest repentance. The man who has lived like a beast, whose thoughts and “spirit” have been pointed downward, to the earth (Eccl 3:21), now looks UP! And his spirit soars to the heavens, where his new God dwells! He now sets his mind, and affections, on things above (Col 3:2).

Dan 4:35

“In Dan 4 Nebuchadnezzar reaches a new spiritual perspicacity. Prior to his experience of insanity, his confessions were those of a pagan whose polytheism permitted the addition of new gods, as illustrated in Dan 2:47; 3:28,29. Now Nebuchadnezzar apparently worships the King of heaven only. For this reason, his autobiography is truly remarkable and reflects the fruitfulness of Daniel’s influence upon him and probably of Daniel’s daily prayers for him. Certainly God is no respecter of persons and can save the high and mighty in this world as well as the lowly” (Walvoord, cited in Const).

What we can say certainly is that Nebuchadnezzar moved from acknowledging the sovereignty of no one but himself to acknowledging Yahweh’s sovereignty over him.

Eze 48:1

Vv 1-7: Tribal allotments in the north: The tribe of Dan was to receive the northernmost section of the Promised Land. The order of tribes from north to south, north of the sacred district, was Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben and Judah — seven tribal allotments of equal size (Eze 47:14). Since they will be of equal size, and since the east-west width of the Promised Land would vary depending on the latitude of each allotment, the north-south distance would also vary somewhat.

The order of these tribes does not conform to any other in Scripture. These tribal allotments are not like those that Joshua assigned nor are they as large (cf Jos 14–22). There is a general progression from the most unfaithful tribe, Dan, to the most faithful, Judah. Judah, from which Messiah came, received the blessing of being adjacent to the holy allotment. The tribes that descended from Jacob’s concubines (Dan, Asher, Naphtali, and Gad) received land to the far north and far south. Those that descended from Jacob’s wives received land toward the center of the land (cp Gen 35:23-26).

Eze 48:8

Vv 8-22: The holy allotment.

South of Judah’s portion would be a special territory, which would be the same size as the other tribal allotments. It would include a section 25,000 cubits wide, and the temple sanctuary would stand in its center.

Eze 48:9

Vv 9-12: This portion would be 25,000 cubits long, from east to west, and 10,000 cubits wide, from north to south. It would be for the descendants of the Zadokite priests who remained faithful to the Lord. This would be a most holy place next to the territory for the other Levitical priests.

Eze 48:13

Vv 13,14: The other Levitical priests would have an allotment the same size next to the allotment of the Zadokite priests. They were not to sell or exchange any of this land for other land because it was holy to the Lord.

Eze 48:15

Vv 15-19: The remaining portion of this allotment, a section 25,000 cubits wide by 5,000 cubits north to south, would be for the holy city and the open spaces beside it. The city itself would occupy the central portion of this section. It would be for the common use of the Israelites, as would be its open spaces and home sites. The city itself would be 4,500 cubits square with a 250 cubit open space border on each of its four sides, another green belt like the one around the temple complex (cf Eze 45:2). The 10,000 cubit-wide areas on the east and west sides of the city would also be for the production of food for those who lived in the city. Those who lived in the city, from all the tribes of Israel, would cultivate those fields.

Whereas cities have always been known as places of moral corruption and rebellion, this city will be a place of eternal rest, refuge, and personal fellowship with others and God (Eze 48:8-20,30-35).

Eze 48:20

The total holy allotment would be 25,000 cubits square including the city and its adjacent lands as well as the territories for the Levites and Zadokites. This is an area of almost 70 square miles.

Eze 48:21

Vv 21,22: The prince would receive the rest of this allotment, on the east and west sides of this square and between the boundaries of the tribes of Judah on the north and Benjamin on the south.

Eze 48:23

Vv 23-29: Tribal allotments in the south: The tribal allotments south of this special territory would fall to Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad. This was the total land to be divided by lot and the tribes’ individual portions.

The tribe of Benjamin received land next to the holy allotment — possibly because Benjamin was one of Rachel’s sons, or because the Benjamites supported David (2Sa 19:16,17) and allied with Judah to form the Southern Kingdom.

Eze 48:30

Vv 30-35: The city, its gates, and its name.

Vv 30-34: The Lord next specified the gates of the holy city. Though Ezekiel did not name the city, Zechariah did. It is Jerusalem (Zec 14:8). On each of its 4,500 cubit-long sides there would be three gates. The ones facing north would be named in honor of the tribes of Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Judah (the kingly tribe), and Levi (the priestly tribe). All three of these patriarchs were Leah’s sons. The gates on the east would bear the names of Joseph and Benjamin (Rachel’s sons), and Dan (a son of Bilhah). The south gates would honor Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun (Leah’s other three sons). The west gates would bear the names of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali (all sons of the two handmaids, Zilpah and Bilhah). The many gates illustrate the accessibility of the city.

The New Jerusalem of Revelation is similarly described: having three gates on each of its four sides, each named for one of the 12 sons of Jacob (Rev 21:12,13). That city will also be square, but it will be a cube, ie of three dimensions — like the most holy place (Rev 21:16). Also it will be very much larger (Rev 21:16,17). Thus it seems that the “eternal city” will be similar to but not identical with the city of Ezekiel’s vision.

Eze 48:35

The circumference of the city proper would be 18,000 cubits, less than six miles. And its name from the day of its establishment would be “The LORD is there” (Heb “Yahweh shammah”).

AND THE NAME OF THE CITY FROM THAT TIME ON WILL BE: THE LORD IS THERE: “Jehovah-Shammah”, or “Yahweh-Shammah”. The new name indicates a new character, as always in Scripture, namely that the Lord would forever reside among His people: thus He will be the great Immanuel: “God is with us” (cf Isa 7:14). Despite what fortunes and misfortunes beset the people of God, this is His promise: there will come a time when their God would never again depart from them or send them out of His land. He will forever dwell among them, and they will forever enjoy the unbroken fellowship with God that He intended since the creation of the world. The Book of Ezekiel — just like the Book of Revelation — ends with a description of a New Jerusalem. However, the New Jerusalem of Ezekiel has to do with earlier times, and is dependent upon the faithfulness of Israel; whereas, the New Jerusalem at the end of Revelation is absolute and eternal.

Twenty-two years and 48 chapters earlier Ezekiel began his book with a vision of a storm picturing the destruction of Old Jerusalem (Eze 1), and God’s departure from it (Eze 10; 11). He ends it with another vision of the Glory of God returning to His city and temple (Eze 43:2-5), and the building of a special temple-city to be named “The LORD is there” (Eze 48:35). The glory of the LORD is the unifying feature that ties the book together and runs through it from beginning to end.

Due to man’s unbelief and disobedience, God’s glory departs from him. But when man’s unbelief gives way to faith, and his disobedience to obedience, then that wondrous Glory may yet return to him. And when — through the mercies of our God — all sins are forgiven, then will be ushered in the Age of “God who is all in all” (1Co 15:28), and the Glory will return to His land and His city and His temple and His people, never to depart again. Truly “THE LORD WILL BE THERE”: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ ” (Rev 21:3-5).