of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. The gates had a general relation to the location of every tribe's portion in the New Canaan. V. 35. It was round about eighteen thousand measures; and the name of the city from that day shall be "The Lord Is There," which is not a mere name, but expresses the fact that Jehovah, the God of the covenant, truly lives in the midst of His Church. The entire wonderful vision,

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as stated at the beginning, is Messianic in character. Every attempt at interpreting the individual points of this great painting are both futile and foolish; but this one great fact stands out, namely, that the Lord, speaking in terms of Old Testament worship, intended to give the believers some idea of His great Temple of the New Testament, of the communion of saints, bound together by the true faith in Jesus, the Messiah.

Daniel, according to the testimony of this book and of various historical references, cp. Matt. 24, 15. 21; Mark 13, 19; 1 Pet. 1, 10. 11; 2 Thess. 2, 3. 4, its author, was a member of one of the foremost Jewish families, possibly even of kingly descent. Having been led away into captivity at one of the conquests of Jerusalem, about in the year 606 B. C., he was taken to Babylon and there, under the name Belteshazzar, trained for special service at the court of Nebuchadnezzar. Although surrounded by temptations of every kind, Daniel remained true to the religion of his fathers. God endowed him with an extraordinary measure of wisdom, particularly with reference to the interpretation of dreams. Owing to the fact that he gave the correct explanation of a strange dream of the king, he was elevated to a high position in the kingdom, in which he was continued by some of Nebuchadnezzar's successors, such as Evil-merodach, Belshazzar, and later Darius. He was still living when Cyrus became the head of the empire, but did not return to Jerusalem with the other exiles. Cp. Ezra 1, 2. The fame of his wisdom and of his justice extended far beyond his immediate neighborhood and beyond the circle of his own people. Apparently Daniel reached an age of more than ninety years, but there is no authentic account of the time and manner of his death, although there is some apocryphal material concerning various incidents in his life. The Book of Daniel may readily be divided into two fairly equal parts, the first of which is chiefly historical, telling of various outstanding experiences in the life of Daniel, while the second gives an account of various visions which he had concerning the kingdoms of the world and Messiah, the King, the interpretation of the strange matters being given him by angels. There is a close inner connection between the two parts, a fact which emphasizes the unity of the book, which is further substantiated by the linguistic agreement. A feature of the book is the fact that all the

sections intended specifically for the Jewish people are written in Hebrew, while those pertaining to the whole world are written in Aramaic, which at that time was the language of the world.

The purpose of the book, which, with respect to its prophecies, is apocalyptic in character, is to show the Lord's people, who were at that time in the power of their enemies, that God is able to protect His children, who fear Him, even against the greatest and mightiest men of the earth, and to give them the comforting reassurance that all the machinations of the enemies of God must come to an end at His command, while the kingdom of the Lord remains forever.

As far as the character of Daniel's work is concerned, we may say: "Daniel and Ezekiel were contemporaries and lived in the same country, the kingdom of Babylon. But while Ezekiel labored among his captive countrymen on the banks of the Chebar, Daniel preached the name of God in the court of the king who had conquered the Jews. His preaching produced a profound impression. Nebuchadnezzar declared at different times that he was greatly moved by the words of Daniel (chap. 2, 47; 3, 29; 4, 33. 34). King Darius spoke in a similar vein (chap. 6, 26. 27). This does not imply, however, that these great kings became true believers of the Gospel; history shows that they did not experience a real change of heart; they continued to worship their heathen idols and died as idolaters. Due to the peculiar circumstances under which Daniel spoke, his style is also peculiar. He does not use the common prophetic expression, 'Thus saith the Lord,' nor does he, as the prophets usually do, address the people of his time. His predictions are highly symbolical. Regarding the final revelation he writes: 'And I heard, but I understood not' (chap. 12, 8. 9)." 1)

1) Concordia Bible Class, May, 1919, 76-78; Fuerbringer, Einleitung in das Alte Testament, 74-78.

The Early History of Daniel. DANIEL AND HIS FRIENDS BROUGHT TO BABYLON.-V. 1. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, cp. 2 Kings 24, 1; 2 Chron. 36, 6. 7, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. This account, which has been declared to be untrue by unbelieving Bible critics, is abundantly supported and verified by seeular accounts, as recent investigations have shown; for even if Nabopolassar was king of Babylon at the beginning of this year, his death took place while Nebuchadnezzar was in the midst of his expedition against Jerusalem, and so the latter was king in fact before the city was taken.2) V. 2. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, the rest being taken in later expeditions, 2 Kings 25, which he carried into the land of Shinar, the ancient name for Babylonia, to the house of his god, the temple of Bel, one of the chief deities of Babylon; and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god, the usual storage-place of vessels made of precious metals. The object of this expedition was merely to make Jerusalem and Judah tributary to the king of Babylon. Later expeditions increased the power of the world empire over Jerusalem, until it was finally subjugated and destroyed, some twenty years later. V. 3. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, the chief of all the officers of the court, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, of those who had been taken captive to Babylon, and of the king's seed and of the princes, 2 Kings 20, 17. 18, v. 4. children, young men of the middle adolescent period, between the ages of sixteen and twenty, in whom was no blemish, that is, no physical defect, so that they would be faultlessly handsome, but well favored, this being considered essential among Oriental nations in the case of those destined for court service, and skilful in all wisdom, with the evident talent to acquire knowledge and ability rapidly, and cunning in knowledge and understanding science, that is, with good, sound judgment and common sense in applying the knowledge which they possessed and gained, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, to become accustomed to the ways and manners of a king's court, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans, that of the learned classes of the Babylonian people. Their course of study would thus comprise all that was taught in the highest schools of the empire, and their training would be that of

2) Cp. Wilson, Studies in the Book of Daniel, 58.

the noblest youths of the empire. V. 5. And the king appointed them, namely, for those who were to be selected, a daily provision of the king's meat, of the food which was served on his own tables, and of the wine which he drank, literally, "of the wine of his drinking," or "banqueting," so nourishing them three years, their education and their physical development going hand in hand, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king, fully equipped for his service as courtiers and advisers, or in whatever capacity he might choose to use them. V. 6. Now, among these, among the youths selected in accordance with this royal order, were of the children of Judah, of the most prominent tribe of the Jewish people, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, v. 7. unto whom the prince of the eunuchs, as being in charge of this entire experiment, gave names; for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah of Shadrach, and to Mishael of Meshach, and to Azariah of Abed-nego. "The changing of names as a sign of entrance into the condition of subjection to a ruler is a frequently attested custom of Oriental and classical antiquity." It is significant that all these names had definite meanings, a fact which it might be well for Christian parents to remember as they bring their children to Christ, their merciful King, in Holy Baptism. The giving of meaningless and heathen names ought certainly to be discouraged in all Christian congregations.

DANIEL FAITHFUL TO HIS RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS. - V. 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart, definitely made up his mind, that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat nor with the wine which he drank, chiefly because the heathen had the custom of consecrating their food and, in fact, their entire meals by offering a portion to their gods, cp. 1 Cor. 10, 18-20; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel's resolution to refrain from the king's food thus was due to the fact that he had the proper spiritual understanding of the Law, that he desired to be obedient to its spirit as well as to its letter. V. 9. Now, God, whose kind providence is brought out throughout the narrative, had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs, so that the latter was favorably disposed toward Daniel, was ready to grant him any reasonable request from the outset. V. 10. And the prince of the eunuchs, to whom Daniel promptly presented his petition, said unto Daniel, as he gave evidence of the favorable mental attitude which he had toward the Jewish youth, I fear my lord, the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink, by a definite command; for why should he

see your faces worse liking, of a meager and emaciated appearance, in a worse condition, than the children which are of your sort? The question has the meaning of a most emphatic denial: He must not see you in that condition. Then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king, that is, the king held his life as a pledge for the faithful fulfilment of his commandment concerning the training of the Jewish youths. V. 11. Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, the official who was their immediate superior during the course of their training, v. 12. Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days, making an experiment in their case; and let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink, the simplest kind of vegetable food with water, all luxuries in the line of food being omitted in their diet. V. 13. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, in a careful examination of their physical condition, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat, making a comparison between these four and the youths who complied with the king's order concerning their diet; and as thou seest, according to the result of the observations made after the period, deal with thy servants, the test determining the matter once for all. V. 14. So he consented to them in this matter and proved them ten days, making the experiment in accordance with their petition. V. 15. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh, they were clearer-eyed and in better condition in every way, than all the children, or youths, which did eat the portion of the king's meat. V. 16. Thus Melzar, who evidently was in charge of the king's kitchen, took away the portion of their meat and the wine that they should drink, he no

longer set it aside for their diet; and gave them pulse, vegetables, especially legumes. V. 17. As for these four children, God, who thus rewarded their faithfulness, gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, so that they mastered the Chaldean literature and scientific knowledge; and Daniel, in addition to these accomplishments, had understanding in all visions and dreams, this being clearly a miraculous gift granted by God for a special purpose and not identical with the gift of prophecy. V. 18. Now, at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, that is, at the end of the three-year period originally fixed, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar, so that all the Jewish youths were presented for inspection and examination. V. 19. And the king communed with them, examining them in all the branches which they had studied; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, none of the others equaled them either in physical beauty or in mental excellencies; therefore stood they before the king, they entered the royal service, they were given a position of importance at the royal court. V. 20. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king enquired of them, namely, at the general examination, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers, the most learned men and those who practised occult arts, that were in all his realm. V. 21. And Daniel continued, he held positions at court, he lived in Babylonian court circles, even unto the first year of King Cyrus. If God's children are faithful in their adherence to His Word and commandments, He often rewards them even in this life by giving them positions of wealth and influence in the world.

The Vision of the Monarchies. THE DREAM OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR. V. 1. And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, when he had advanced from the position of coregent to that of sole regent of the Babylonian Empire, which must have been shortly after he had examined the Jewish youths brought before him, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, he was, by the interposition of God, vouchsafed a vision of the future in the form of symbols, wherewith his spirit was troubled, very strongly agitated, and his sleep brake from him, so that he was unable to regain the tranquillity of mind necessary for quiet sleep. V. 2. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, the men who were learned in the Chaldean language

and literature, and the astrologers, those who were masters of incantation, and the sorcerers, the men who employed witchcraft, and the Chaldeans, the noblest and most exalted among the highest class of influential men in the kingdom, for to show the king his dreams, to tell him the contents of his dream which he could not remember. So they came, in obedience to his summons, and stood before the king. V. 3. And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream, for he had only a vague impression of the importance of his dream, whence he was all the more anxious to have it presented to him in all its details, together with its explanation. V. 4. Then spake the Chaldeans, as the fore

most representatives of the wise men of the realm, to the king in Syriac, in the EastAramaic dialect in which this section of the book is also written, O king, live forever! This was the usual form of salutation at the courts of the Chaldean and the Persian monarchs. Tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation. It was necessary for them to know the contents of the dream before they would even venture an interpretation. V. 5. The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me, that is, the statement of what he required from them had gone forth from him, he had stated his purpose of having called them; if ye will not make known unto me the dream, giving its contents, with the interpretation thereof, both of which he now clearly demanded, ye shall be cut in pieces, such hewing to pieces being a punishment in vogue among the Chaldeans, and your houses shall be made a dunghill, that is, razed to the ground and covered with refuse and dung. V. 6. But if ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, what it consisted in and what it meant, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor, both in money and in advancement. Therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof. The insistence of the king was that of a true Oriental despot, who demanded without a reason, simply because it suited his fancy. V. 7. They answered again and said, in an effort to bring home to the king the unreasonableness of his request, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it. V. 8. The king answered and said, I know of certainty, most assuredly, that ye would gain the time, because ye see that the thing is gone from me, because he insisted upon a speedy answer to his demand. He declared that they were merely trying to put off the matter, to postpone it indefinitely, in the hope that he would sufficiently relent to tell them the contents of his dream. V. 9. But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you, one and the same sentence of condemnation would strike them all: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, base misrepresentations, by which they kept him for a fool, till the time be changed, until by some lucky chance they might get into possession of the secret, or until the king would withdraw his demand. Therefore tell me the dream, which he would immediately recognize, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof. It was clear to Nebuchadnezzar that the wise men were unable to reveal hidden things, and therefore he concluded that the interpretation which they would offer in case they would find out the contents of the dream would, at best, be mere

guesswork. V. 10. The Chaldeans answered before the king, in an attempt to establish the impossibility for mere human beings to satisfy the king's demand, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter, revealing this secret thing; therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler that asked such things at any magician or astrologer or Chaldean. The fact that no ruler on earth, no matter how great and mighty he was, had ever made such a demand, was to them a proof that the fulfilment of his command transcended the highest human wisdom. V. 11. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, most singular and unusual, the like of which was not known in history, and there is none other that can show it before the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. "God makes the heathen, out of their own mouth, condemn their impotent pretensions to supernatural knowledge in order to bring out in brighter contrast His power to reveal secrets to His servants." V. 12. For this cause the king was angry and very furious and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon, either of this city or of the province. V. 13. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain, the slaughter being apparently begun; and they sought Daniel and his fellows, who had not been summoned with the older members of the Chaldeans, but belonged to their class, to be slain. The enemies of the believers often seem to be on the verge of triumphing over them and of taking their life, but God holds His sheltering hand over His children so that without His consent no harm may come near them.

DANIEL PREPARES TO INTERPRET THE KING'S DREAM. - V. 14. Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom, with sound and prudent advice, to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who was also in charge of the sentence of execution, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon; v. 15. he answered and said to Arioch, the king's captain, thereby displaying the wisdom for which he afterward became so famous, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Why the furious and sharp command, which came upon the people concerned like a bolt out of the blue sky? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel, giving him the information which he sought. V. 16. Then Daniel went in, naturally after being properly announced, and desired of the king that he would give him time, postponing the execution of the cruel decree for some days, and that he would show the king the interpretation, thereby giving the king a definite promise. V. 17. Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, who were of one mind with him in their ob

servation of the religion of their fathers, v. 18. that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven, the fulfilment of their united prayers being represented as a taking of gifts from before the throne of God, concerning this secret, that Daniel and his fellows, his Jewish companions, should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon, whose death, according to the king's decree, seemed inevitable. V. 19. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision, the Lord Himself granting the knowledge needed in this urgent case. Then Daniel, properly giving all glory and honor to God alone, blessed the God of heaven, the one and only Lord. V. 20. Daniel answered and said, responding, as it were, to the goodness of God with his hymn of praise, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, this name including His entire essence and attributes; for wisdom and might are His, the two qualities coming into consideration here; v. 21. and He changeth the times and the seasons, as would appear in the carrying out of the king's prophetic vision; He removeth kings and setteth up kings, all the events in the history of nations being determined by Him; He giveth wisdom unto the wise and knowledge to them that know understanding, Daniel thus tracing his own accomplishments entirely to the gift of God; v. 22. He revealeth the deep and secret things, which are hidden before the eyes of such as are mere human beings; He knoweth what is in the darkness, what is covered before human eyes, and the light dwelleth with Him, abiding with Him as His possession, so that He is the Source of all light, physical and spiritual. V. 23. I thank Thee and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, of the patriarchs of the Jewish nation, who hast given me wisdom and might and hast made known unto me now what we desired of Thee, that for which they had so eagerly implored Him; for Thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter, the very thing which the Chaldeans had declared to be an impossibility. V. 24. Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus unto him, Destroy not the wise men of Babylon, their execution thus being summarily stayed; bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation. V. 25. Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah that will make known unto the king the interpretation. V. 26. The king, having duly received Daniel in audience, answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen and the interpre

tation thereof? V. 27. Daniel answered in the presence of the king, whose amazement at his assertion concerning his ability to undertake what the wisest of the realm had found beyond their wisdom had just appeared in his question, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king, it was clearly impossible for any mere man, no matter what degree of wisdom was his, to solve the king's difficulty; v. 28. but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, possessing the attribute of omniscience of which the heathen gods and their servants knew nothing, and maketh known to the King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days, at the period to which the believers of the Old Testament were looking forward with such intense eagerness. Thy dream and the visions of thy head, those which he saw in his mind, upon thy bed are these: v. 29. As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, he was engaged with these problems, what should come to pass hereafter; and He that revealeth secrets, the one true God, whom the Jews worshiped, maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. V. 30. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, because he possessed such an extraordinary measure of wisdom by virtue of his own efforts or natural abilities, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. The indefinite expression was used purposely, so that the person of Daniel might be as little conspicuous as possible. When God endows a person with unusual understanding and wisdom in the interest of His Word and work, it behooves such a person to be properly humble, giving the glory to God alone and working in His service with cheerful energy.

THE DREAM INTERPRETED; DANIEL ADVANCED. V. 31. Thou, O king, sawest, that is, he beheld before his eyes, he had his gaze fixed upon the vision, and behold a great image, a statute in human form. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, over against him, in full view; and the form thereof was terrible, on account of its colossal proportions and its terrifying aspect. V. 32. This image's head was of fine gold, or, "as far as the image was concerned, its head was of pure gold," his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs, or, "his hips with the upper thighs," of brass, v. 33. his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. "Only the first part, the head, constitutes a unity; the second, in the arms, shows evidence of division; the third has the same feature in the thighs; the fourth, while proceeding from