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Commentary

Daniel 8:8

Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

After the defeat of Darius, Alexander extended the empire of the Greeks in every direction and made it firm with strong garrisons. In the meantime “the great horn was broken,” that is, Alexander died, “and in its place there came up four horns.” Indeed, since Alexander had died without children, he left his divided monarchy to his friends Seleucus, Demetrius, Philip and Ptolemy.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:8

Daniel 8:9

And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.

This is Antiochus, who was born from the family of Seleucus Nicanor. “It grew great toward the south and toward the east.” Antiochus extended his empire especially in these two parts of the world.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:9

Daniel 8:10

And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.

He signifies here the priestly order, which he compares with the host of heaven. “It threw down to the earth some of the host and some of the stars and trampled on them.” Here he prophesies about the sons of Semona and the allies killed by Antiochus.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:10

Daniel 8:14

And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

The intention of the angel who asked the question was to learn for how long the holy things would be given into the hands of immoral people. To him the angel who interprets the vision says, “For two thousand three hundred days,” to which “the times, time and half time” mentioned above correspond.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:14

Daniel 8:16

And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.

The guardian angel of Daniel, who never parted from him, asked the angel Gabriel, who was now by him, now by all the other saints in everything concerning visions, to explain to Daniel his dream.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:15

Daniel 8:17

So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

“And I became frightened,” being struck by the excessive brightness of this angel.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:17

Daniel 8:20

The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

“As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, this is the king of the Medes and the Persians.” [Gabriel] alludes to Darius. “The two horns” signify the two kingdoms, the Persian and the Mede. “The male goat is the king of Greece”: Alexander. “And the great horn between his eyes” signifies his highest power and his exceedingly extended empire all over the world. “After the horn was broken, four kingdoms arose from it”: the monarchy of Alexander, after his death, will be diminished and divided into parts assigned to his friends Seleucus, Philip, Demetrius and Ptolemy.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:20

Daniel 8:23

And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

When the Jews begin to abandon the law and faith of God and to estrange themselves, the grandchildren of Seleucus Nicator will invade the last part of their kingdom. “A king of bold countenance shall arise”: this is Antiochus, who is able to understand riddles, is cunning and is ready to weave intrigues and to prepare his domination by means of his intelligence.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:23

Daniel 8:25

And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

[Gabriel] says this because [Antiochus] got into the city through fraudulence, polluted the precious vessels of the temple and committed pillages and demolished the walls. “Without warning he shall destroy many”: he killed forty thousand Jews and captured just as many. “And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes”: either because Antiochus would have attacked God with curses and blasphemies or because he would have violated the temple of God and would have destroyed the holy vessels.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 8:25

Daniel 9:7

O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

“Yours is the victory, O Lord, in this case,” because you foresaw our many sins and threatened those about to sin with many curses, keeping your watch lest we might sin. Righteousness is on your side, O Lord, because no evil will besiege us that was not announced to us beforehand. So now confusion has overwhelmed us everywhere, and we are dispersed in every place.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 9:7

Daniel 9:15

And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

“And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from Jerusalem,” that is, “You made, O Lord, your name renowned everywhere when you divided the sea and submerged the Egyptians into the water, and now, since your people are banished because of their sins and wander through every land in exile, draw near to us and have mercy on your holy mountain and your city Jerusalem, which have become a disgrace among all our neighbors.”

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 9:16

Daniel 9:23

At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

“So consider the word, which I will speak,” that is, investigate and weigh carefully the meaning and the strength of the proposed vision; and in those things that I am about to tell you about it, contemplate a sort of expressed image of the future events.

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Daniel 9:24

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

This means that there will be quietness for your people, so that the transgressions may be finished and the sins expiated through the seventy years of the bondage in Babylon may end, as well as all the crimes of the children of Israel. Again “to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin”: here he also hints at the transgressions and sins of the Gentiles, which will happen in the end of the seventy weeks. “And to atone for iniquity”: and this began from the baptism of John; “to bring everlasting righteousness”: and soon Christ will appear, the Author of justice, who had been announced by the prophets before the centuries, and he will justify then sinners. “To seal both vision and prophet”: certainly Christ fulfilled all the oracles of the prophets with his advent, passion and death, and he showed that they were true through facts. “And to anoint a most holy one”: from the conclusion of this prophecy you will learn this: he endowed the holy ones with holiness.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 9:24

Daniel 9:27

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Certainly this end of the Jews will be by no means similar to their transmigration to Egypt or Babylon; in fact they were dismissed from there after four hundred years, and from here after seventy. This ruin fixed by the decree of God the judge will remain immutable to the end. He shall make a strong covenant with many: Christ will make the Testament holy and firm through one week and half a week, until he removes the victim and the sacrifice. He is the one who set the victim and the sacrifice but who also abolishes them. In their place shall be an abomination that desolates: the Romans, after submitting Judea to their power, placed the eagle, symbol of their emperor, in the temple. And this is what we read: “So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken by the prophet Daniel.” Until the decreed end is poured out on desolation, that is, until the full execution of the divine decrees, the city will be given to oblivion and will lie destroyed and abandoned.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 9:27

Daniel 10:2

In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.

He says that the mourning had been protracted “for three weeks,” because he had fasted for all that space of time. He calls fasting “mourning” in the same sense used by our Lord, when he defended himself and his disciples from the detractions of the Pharisees. When the disciples were reproached by the Pharisees because they were not fasting, the Lord answered, “The wedding guests cannot mourn,” that is, fast, “as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they”?

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:1-2

Daniel 10:11

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

“Daniel, pay attention,” … that is, learn and weigh carefully the mysteries of those things whose results you asked with constant prayer and with three weeks of mourning and fast.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:9-11

Daniel 10:12

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

“From the first day,” that is, from that day when you began to fast, being inflamed by the desire to learn those things that you asked, so that you persevered in praying and supplicating before your God. “Your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words”: your prayers led me, as well, to prepare a plan for the salvation of your people according to your vows.

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Daniel 10:21

But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

The angel reported these events, so that Daniel might know that there were not many among the Jews who asked God for their return, nor did the angels approve Daniel’s vow, nor was everything you requested, Daniel, accepted by the angels, in order that the freedom of human will not be restricted.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:21

Daniel 11:4

And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.

Understand this as referring to Alexander, who was certain that his last day was not close and therefore did not have children, who could be the heirs of his reign, and left it to his friends after dividing it into four parts.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:3

Daniel 11:41-43

He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

Antiochus will assail Judea, will occupy Jerusalem, will rush into the secret places of the sanctuary, will destroy the sacred objects of God, will break the vessels and will take away the golden altar, the candlestick and the table.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:41

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