Annotations for Daniel

1:1—6:28 Daniel and the Three Friends in a Foreign Court. Chs. 1–6 present six separate accounts of Daniel and his three friends in a foreign court. They span from the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah (ca. 605 BC) to the reign of Cyrus the Persian (post 539 BC). The first four stories take place during the reign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (605–562 BC), the fifth story during what looks like the last year of the reign of Belshazzar of Babylon (539 BC), and the final story during the time of Darius the Mede (for his relationship to Cyrus the Persian, see note on 6:28), thus dating sometime after Persia took over Babylon in 539 BC. Each of these stories illustrates the book’s main theme: in spite of present troubles, God is in control, and he will have the victory. These accounts teach later readers how to live in a culture that is toxic to faith and not only survive but even prosper. Further, these young men have been exiled from Jerusalem (thought to be the place that God would establish his kingdom on earth) to Babylon (which symbolizes human resistance to God’s plan). Their surviving and thriving in Babylon show that God is still with his people and that his redemptive plans have not ended.

1:1–21 Daniel’s Training in Babylon. The first of the six accounts describes how Daniel and his three friends came to Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar’s efforts to mold them into servants of the Babylonian Empire. While on the surface it looks like Nebuchadnezzar is in control of their lives, the book reveals that God is the one who is in control.

1:1–2 The Subjugation of Judah. Daniel begins with a brief account of Jerusalem’s yielding to Babylon and its king Nebuchadnezzar. From this point, Judah is a tribute-paying vassal state of the Babylonian Empire.

1:1 third year. Using the Babylonian method of dating a king’s rule (Jer 25:1; 46:2 call this his “fourth year” since Jeremiah uses the Judahite method), this was probably 605 BC, the same year Nebuchadnezzar became king of Babylon. Jehoiakim. Became king of Judah in 609 BC after his father, Josiah, died on the battlefield at the hands of Egyptian forces (2 Kgs 23:29–30; 2 Chr 35:20–27). Pharaoh Necho placed Jehoiakim on the throne, and Jehoiakim foolishly hoped that Egypt would help him against the Babylonians. Since Jehoiakim did not trust in God, Jeremiah announced his eventual judgment (Jer 22:18–23).

1:2 the Lord delivered. On a human level, it appears that Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem due to his superior strength. Perhaps the Babylonians also credited their gods for the victory. But the book of Daniel explains that God is in charge and that the only reason Nebuchadnezzar succeeded is that “the Lord delivered Jehoiakim . . . into his hand.” This deportation in 605 BC is the first of three; Daniel and his three friends are included in this deportation. Due to Judah’s continued sin, there would be further deportations in 597 BC (2 Kgs 24:12b–17) and in 586 BC, at which time the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple, and brought the monarchy to a close (2 Kgs 25:1–26). articles from the temple. In the ancient Near East, it was typical for a victorious army to take the idol of the chief god of a vanquished people back to their home temple. Since Judah did not have an idol of their God, Yahweh, Nebuchadnezzar settled for “some of the articles from the temple of God.” These articles included the gold and silver goblets that feature in the story in ch. 5. The first group of returnees from Babylon after the edict of Cyrus returns these objects to the temple, which signals the end of the exile (Ezra 1:7–11).

1:3–5 Nebuchadnezzar’s Training Program. According to ancient Near Eastern custom, the victors would take young men from the ruling class to train them in their ways so they could serve the imperialistic purposes of their conquerors.

1:3 court officials. Might also be translated “eunuchs.” Many palace officials were eunuchs. Daniel and his three friends may also have been made eunuchs as anticipated by Isaiah’s words to Hezekiah in Isa 39:7.

1:4 language . . . of the Babylonians. Aramaic. The scholarly language of the Babylonians was Akkadian. Daniel and his three friends likely learned both. literature of the Babylonians. Included pagan myths praising the deeds of false gods and divination texts of various sorts, such as astrological texts and commentaries on dream interpretation.

1:6–7 Name Change. As part of their attempt to reprogram these young men, the Babylonians change the names of Daniel and his three friends. Their Hebrew names praise the true God, and their Babylonian names praise pagan gods. Daniel (“God is my judge”) becomes Belteshazzar (“the divine lady protects the king”). Azariah (“The LORD is my help”) becomes Abednego (probably a jumbled form of “servant of Nabu”). Hananiah (“The LORD has been gracious”) and Mishael (“Who is what God is?”) become Shadrach and Meshach, respectively, names of debated meaning, but the latter may refer to the god Marduk.

1:8–16 Refusing the King’s Food. The king determined a specific diet for the young men so that they might look the part of court wise men. Ancient Babylonian art depicts wise men as pudgy and well fed. The king’s choice food and wine would achieve that result, and as Ashpenaz recognizes, the vegetables and water that Daniel desires would have the opposite effect. We know from 10:3 that at least Daniel refused the royal food only temporarily, so this refusal of the royal diet has nothing to do with keeping kosher, avoiding political connections, or refusing food offered to idols; rather, they are giving God room to work. Their healthy appearance at the end of the chapter is the result not of diet but of God’s grace.

1:8 Daniel goes through the proper channels to adopt a different diet.

1:11–12 Rather than becoming discouraged at his failure to convince Ashpenaz, the wise Daniel simply seeks another means to his desired end. The guard would have less to lose, especially considering that Daniel began his requested diet plan with a ten-day trial.

1:13–14 A diet of vegetables and water rather than the royal food and wine would naturally make the four men look worse (v. 10; see note on 1:8–16). Such a diet gives God space to demonstrate that he, not the king, is the reason the young men succeed.

1:17–21 Valedictorians. The four young Israelites were at the top of their class even though the curriculum was repellent to their faith. It included mythological and divination texts, including those used for interpreting dreams. Though thrown into a situation that was dangerous, Daniel and his friends not only survive but thrive in captivity, thanks to God.

1:18 chief official. Ashpenaz (see v. 3 and note).

1:19 they entered the king’s service. Their training prepared them to serve as advisors to Nebuchadnezzar.

1:20 They far exceeded (“ten times better”) all the other graduates in their training class. Nebuchadnezzar surely attributes their nourished appearance and academic achievement to his training program, but Daniel and his friends, as well as the reader, know that their appearance is not because of the king’s diet but is God’s doing.

2:1–49 God’s Wisdom Versus Babylonian Wisdom. In ch. 1, Nebuchadnezzar subjects Daniel and his three friends to a rigorous diet and academic curriculum in order to shape them to be proper wise men in service to his court. At the end of the chapter, they are found to be the best of their class. While Nebuchadnezzar thinks that their robust appearance is a result of their diet of choice food and wine, the reader knows that they have not been eating the king’s food and that their looks are due to God’s intervention. But their great knowledge and understanding does not seem to be the result of Nebuchadnezzar’s training. Ch. 2 demonstrates that their true wisdom comes not from the Babylonians, who are unable to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s troubling dream, but from God, illustrating the contrast that Paul later describes as the ineffective “wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age” (1 Cor 2:6) with the wisdom of God. Daniel is able to describe and interpret the dream that disturbs the king in a way that anticipates God’s victory over evil human kingdoms and the establishment of the kingdom of God.

2:1–13 The King’s Disturbing Dream. In ancient Babylon, as through much of the ancient world, dreams were often thought to communicate important messages. After a disturbing dream, Nebuchadnezzar summons his wise men, who are versed in dream interpretation. They ask the king to describe the dream to them. In ancient Babylon, wise men did not pretend to know what a person dreamed. They claimed only that they could interpret dreams, and they accomplished this with “dream books,” commentaries on the significance of different types of dreams.

2:1 second year. Approximately 603 BC.

2:4 See NIV text note. The language shifts back to Hebrew in 8:1. Attempts to explain the use of these two different languages have not persuaded the majority of scholars.

2:13 The king’s decree of death includes Daniel and his three friends since they are wise men.

2:14–30 God’s Wisdom. The wisdom of the Babylonians, dependent on knowing the content of a dream to interpret it, is woefully inadequate to answer the king’s question. God shows the superiority of his wisdom by revealing the content and the interpretation of the dream to Daniel, who then informs the king.

2:14 commander of the king’s guard. Or “chief of the butchers of the king,” indicating Arioch’s deadly role. Daniel does not panic at the threat of death, but “with wisdom and tact” receives permission from Arioch to consider the matter of the dream.

2:18 mystery. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is beyond human comprehension.

2:19 Daniel praises God because God revealed the dream and its interpretation. What is beyond human ability is not beyond God’s. God’s action shows that he, unlike the pagan gods of Babylon, makes his saving presence known to his people (cf. v. 11). God comes through to rescue Daniel and the three friends from certain death.

2:20 Daniel responds properly to God’s help by praising him for his wisdom and power. The wisdom that counts is not the wisdom taught by the Babylonians but the wisdom God reveals.

2:21 deposes kings and raises up others. Nebuchadnezzar’s position and power depend on Daniel’s God, who deposes and raises up kings. gives wisdom . . . and knowledge. Humans are wise and powerful only if God makes them so.

2:24 Daniel becomes an instrument of common grace for the Babylonian wise men, calling on Arioch to stop their execution.

2:27–28 Daniel makes it absolutely clear to Nebuchadnezzar that he is able to reveal the dream and its interpretation only because God revealed it to him. In this way, Daniel contrasts his God to the pagan gods the Babylonians worship.

2:30 Daniel boasts not in his own wisdom but in God’s wisdom.

2:31–35 The King’s Dream. From head down, the preciousness of the materials diminishes. A rock is cut out but not by human hands, implying that God chiseled it out.

2:35 chaff. The external husk that protects the grain. Without the grain, chaff is useless and easily blown away. Chaff often, as here, represents something worthless and temporary (see Job 21:18; Pss 1:4; 35:5; Jer 13:24).

2:36–45 The Interpretation of the Dream. Unlike the Babylonian wise men, Daniel is able to reveal the contents of the dream as well as its interpretation. The different parts of the statue represent different kingdoms that succeed each other. With the exception of the head of gold, Daniel does not name the kingdoms represented by the parts of the statue, and opinions differ over their identification. Some interpreters believe that the sequence represents first the Babylonian Empire (the head of gold), followed by the Medo-Persian Empire (the chest and arms of silver), the Greek Empire (the belly and thighs of bronze), and then the Roman Empire (legs of iron). Others identify the sequence after Babylon as the Medes, the Persians, and ending with the Greeks. It is possible, perhaps even probable, that these parts of the statue do not refer to specific kingdoms, the point being that evil human kingdoms will succeed each other until God’s kingdom decisively intrudes. The “rock” (vv. 34, 45) represents the kingdom of God that will destroy and displace these evil human kingdoms. The dream thus represents the conflict between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God and announces that God will have the final victory.

2:38 head of gold. Nebuchadnezzar, representing the Babylonian Empire. Though the kingdom will eventually pass away, at the moment Nebuchadnezzar’s empire surpasses all other human kingdoms.

2:39 another kingdom. As silver (v. 32) is “inferior” to gold, so the second kingdom (perhaps Persia) is inferior to Babylon; Daniel does not indicate the precise nature of its inferiority. third kingdom . . . of bronze. It will rule the whole earth and may refer to Greece, which displaced Persia with a vastly larger empire.

2:40 fourth kingdom. Traditionally thought to be Rome; like the “iron” that represents it, it will treat other nations with violence.

2:41–43 The feet made partly of iron and partly of baked clay represent a weakening of these human kingdoms as time progresses. Like the statue’s feet, “the people will be a mixture” (v. 43) that lacks unity.

2:44–45a God’s kingdom (the rock not made with human hands) will destroy human kingdoms (the statue). Throughout Scripture, evil human powers resist God’s rule, but Daniel anticipates God’s final victory.

2:45b True wisdom comes from God, not from human resources, including the training that Daniel and his three friends received in Babylon (1:3–5).

2:46–49 Nebuchadnezzar Praises the True God. God receives the glory from none other than the pagan Nebuchadnezzar, the king who defeated Jerusalem. Historical records, as well as later chapters in Daniel (see note on 4:8), imply that the king never became an exclusive worshiper of the true God.

2:46 Nebuchadnezzar reveals his ignorance by prostrating himself before Daniel and offering sacrifices to him. Even so, later readers of Daniel, especially those who were themselves persecuted, would derive great comfort in seeing this great king paying honor to Daniel the exile.

2:47–49 This story teaches that God’s people can survive and even thrive while experiencing exile and persecution.

3:1–30 The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace. The faith of the three friends (ch. 3 does not mention Daniel) is tested when Nebuchadnezzar sets up a golden image and demands that his officials worship it on pain of death. This story illustrates that God’s power even transcends death. The repeated long list of officials (vv. 2, 3, 27) and musical instruments (vv. 5, 7, 10, 15) gives the story a mood of pomposity and heightens the tension, focusing on the moment of obedience or disobedience.

3:1–7 The Image of Gold. The image of gold represents either a false god (like Marduk the chief god of the Babylonians) or Nebuchadnezzar himself. In either case, Nebuchadnezzar appears to be demanding a test of loyalty to himself and his reign.

3:1 sixty cubits . . . six cubits. See NIV text notes. plain of Dura. Location unknown, though Dura means “fortress” in Akkadian, the language of the Babylonians.

3:4 The Babylonian Empire incorporated “nations and peoples of every language.”

3:5 Most people of the ancient Near East would have no problem bowing to an image of a god or even of the king. As worshipers of many gods, they could easily incorporate the worship of one more.

3:8–18 The Three Friends Accused. Rivals of the three friends inform the king that the three friends did not bow to the image of gold, thus failing the loyalty test in the eyes of the king. The three friends thus demonstrate that their ultimate loyalty is to God alone.

3:12 Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon. May imply the motivation of the astrologers, native Babylonians who were likely jealous of the status and power of the men from Judah.

3:15 what god will be able to rescue you . . . ? Nebuchadnezzar believes that no god can save the three friends from his judgment. Those who know the true God know Nebuchadnezzar’s claim is pathetic (Ps 2:1–6).

3:17–18 The three friends know that God is able to rescue them if he so wills. Even so, if God for his reasons chooses not to rescue them, they are ready to die for their God rather than surrender to the evil powers of this world.

3:19–27 God’s Miraculous Rescue. God demonstrates his loyalty to the three friends and his power to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians by rescuing the three friends from the furnace.

3:19 his attitude toward them changed. Or “the image of his face changed.” The word “image” also describes the large statue that Nebuchadnezzar set up on the plain of Dura (vv. 1–3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14–15, 18). The one who in his pride has created an image with the purpose of assuring uniform loyalty finds his own image provoked beyond his control. seven times hotter than usual. Since seven is a number that signifies completeness, this means as hot as it can get.

3:25 like a son of the gods. The exact identity of the rescuer is unclear. Whether he is God himself in human form or an angel sent by God, the deliverance no doubt comes from God himself. Christians cannot help but see a prefigurement of Jesus, who came to dwell in an evil and dangerous world and who died so that we might have victory over death.

3:28–30 Nebuchadnezzar Worships God. The pagan king Nebuchadnezzar praises God, though he probably never became an exclusive worshiper of the true God (see note on 2:46–49).

3:28 his angel. Though Nebuchadnezzar refers to the fourth man in the furnace as God’s “angel,” he does not resolve the issue of the figure’s exact identity (see note on v. 25) since he speaks from his pagan background.

4:1–37 The King’s Pride Humbled. Nebuchadnezzar has a second dream that only Daniel can interpret (see ch. 2), thus again demonstrating the superiority of God’s wisdom over Babylonian wisdom (see note on 2:1–49). Nebuchadnezzar and everyone who reads this story comes to recognize that God is vastly more powerful than even this most powerful of all human beings.

4:1–3 The King Praises God. Ch. 4 begins with a letter or an official proclamation from Nebuchadnezzar to the inhabitants of all the earth and proclaims the greatness of God. The letter is written in response to the events narrated in vv. 4–33. See note on 2:46–49.

4:4–18 The Dream Report. In ch. 2, Nebuchadnezzar demanded that the Babylonian wise men tell him the content of his dream as well as its interpretation. In this story, they cannot even interpret the dream once Nebuchadnezzar tells them what the dream was about.

4:8 Though Nebuchadnezzar earlier praised the true God (2:47; 3:28–29), he retains his polytheistic beliefs as indicated by his calling Daniel “Belteshazzar” (see note on 1:6–7) and describing Daniel as one who has “the spirit of the holy gods.”

4:13 messenger. A supernatural being, probably an angel, reminding us that intertestamental literature used “watchers” to refer to angels (see NIV text note).

4:15 The function and symbolic meaning of the band of iron and bronze around the stump is not explained here or in the interpretation (v. 23), though it may have protected what was left of the tree.

4:16 seven times. Either seven years (see NIV text note) or an indefinite but long period of time.

4:19–27 Daniel Interprets the Dream. Daniel shows compassion toward the king, even though the king was responsible for Daniel’s deportation from Judah.

4:20–22 The tree represents Nebuchadnezzar, whose empire has exceeded all previous world empires.

4:23 The magnificent tree that represents the king would transform into a mindless wild animal by divine decree. seven times. See note on v. 16.

4:25 Due to his pride, Nebuchadnezzar will be reduced to an animal-like condition. like the ox. A rare mental disorder that today goes by the name boanthropy causes its victims to assume the appearance, habits, and posture of cattle.

4:26 acknowledge that Heaven rules. God wants the king, as powerful as he is, to know and acknowledge that he is no match for God.

4:27 Daniel hopes that the dream contains a provisional judgment that the king could avoid by repenting of wickedness and exhibiting right behavior toward the “oppressed,” perhaps including the Judahite people. Nebuchadnezzar must resist the idea that he is more powerful than God himself.

4:28–37 The Dream Is Fulfilled. Though warned, Nebuchadnezzar attributes to himself God-like status, so God reduces this arrogant human into a mindless animal for a period of time. Skeptics point out that though we have Babylonian records from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, they give no hint of a period of extended illness during his life. It is unlikely, however, that ancient sources would preserve memory of an embarrassing episode in the great king’s life.

4:30 the great Babylon I have built. From historical records and archaeological investigation, we know that the city of Babylon was indeed great, including the legendary hanging gardens and magnificent walls. Rather than praising God for its greatness, Nebuchadnezzar praises himself.

4:32–33 Thinking himself a god, Nebuchadnezzar the man becomes an animal.

4:34 With a mind like that of an ox, Nebuchadnezzar could not verbally acknowledge God’s sovereignty, but the simple gesture of raising his eyes toward heaven was sufficient to show that he had learned his lesson.

4:37 pride . . . humble. Nebuchadnezzar recognizes that his experience illustrates the principle that God will humble the proud (Prov 3:34; 29:23; Jas 4:6, 10; 1 Pet 5:5–6).

5:1–31 The Writing on the Wall. Nebuchadnezzar has died (in 562 BC) and the story now shifts forward to the very end of the Babylonian period when Belshazzar is ruling in Babylon (the year is now 539 BC). Belshazzar demonstrates his blasphemous arrogance by toasting his gods using the sacred vessels taken from the temple. God will not let Belshazzar go unchallenged.

5:1–4 The King Profanes the Holy Goblets. While Nebuchadnezzar stole the goblets from the temple, he never appears to have gone as far as Belshazzar, who actually used them.

5:1 King Belshazzar. While Babylonian records list Nabonidus as the final king of Babylon (556–539 BC), other historical texts report that he ruled from Teima in what is today Saudi Arabia, setting his son Belshazzar up as coregent in Babylon. Greek historians (Herodotus and Xenophon) mention drinking parties that took place on the eve of the fall of Babylon to the Persians.

5:2 father. See NIV text note. Historical records from Babylon indicate that “father” here likely is used in the sense of predecessor.

5:4 gods. Belshazzar’s gods are lifeless, being made of metals, wood, and stone.

5:5–12 The Writing on the Wall. God announces his judgment against Belshazzar’s blasphemy. The hand that writes the message on the wall is likely the hand of God himself.

5:5 fingers of a human hand. Though God does not have a body, his actions are often metaphorically described as accomplished by his “hand” (Pss 37:24; 95:4; Isa 5:25). Indeed, the “finger” of God wrote the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets (Exod 31:18).

5:7 clothed in purple . . . gold chain. Symbols of royal power. third highest. After Nabonidus and Belshazzar (see note on v. 1).

5:10 queen. Likely the queen mother (see NIV text note) since Belshazzar’s wives are already present (v. 2) and she vividly remembers Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (vv. 11–12). She is perhaps Adad-guppi, the long-lived mother of Nabonidus, known from extrabiblical historical records.

5:11 has the spirit of the holy gods in him. The queen mother’s description of Daniel from her pagan point of view, though the reader knows his wisdom comes from the true God. father. See note on v. 2.

5:13–28 Daniel’s Interpretation. By interpreting the writing on the wall, Daniel again (chs. 2; 4) succeeds where the Babylonian wise men fail.

5:13 Belshazzar attempts to put Daniel in his place by calling him “one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah.”

5:14 I have heard. Belshazzar is not yet willing to endorse Daniel’s God-given ability (contrast Nebuchadnezzar’s “I know” in 4:9). spirit of the gods. See note on v. 11.

5:16 clothed in purple . . . gold chain. See note on v. 7.

5:17 keep your gifts. Noting Belshazzar’s pride and condescension, Daniel refuses the reward and proceeds to deliver a stinging rebuke to the king.

5:18–21 Nebuchadnezzar, like Belshazzar, was a man of pride, but in the light of God’s rebuke, he humbled himself. These verses summarize the content of ch. 4.

5:22–24 Belshazzar did not learn from Nebuchadnezzar’s experience, though he “knew all this” (v. 22). God will not let the proud go unhumbled. Belshazzar expresses his immense arrogance by using the goblets from the Jerusalem temple for a drinking party and to praise his false gods. He thus combines arrogance, idolatry, and blasphemy.

5:25–28 The writing on the wall may have more than one layer of meaning. Daniel takes the three nouns in their verbal meanings: “Mene” (v. 26) is connected to the verb m-n-h (“to number”). “Tekel” (v. 27) is related to the verb t-q-l (“to weigh”). “Peres” (v. 28) is from the verb p-r-s (“to divide”). All three verbs anticipate Babylon’s fall to the Medes and Persians: (1) Babylon’s days are numbered; (2) Babylon has been evaluated and found wanting; and (3) the Medes and Persians are the human agents of Babylon’s fall. Peres also sounds like the name of the Persians. In addition, the noun mene can also mean mina, while tekel can mean shekel (both are units of money; the mina is more valuable than the shekel), while parsin can mean “half.” Thus, “mina, mina, shekel, and a half” denotes Babylon’s decline.

5:29–31 Daniel’s Reward and Babylon’s Punishment. In spite of his refusal (v. 17), Daniel is promoted to third most important ruler in the kingdom (v. 7).

5:31 Darius the Mede. His identity remains a mystery. Historical records indicate that Babylon fell to Cyrus the Persian in October 539 BC. Cyrus had earlier incorporated the kingdom of the Medes into his empire. Perhaps Darius was a Median ruler who ruled Babylon for a short period of time under the greater authority of Cyrus; perhaps Darius was the man known as Gubaru, the governor of Babylon. Alternatively, Darius could be another name for Cyrus (6:28). See Introduction: Particular Challenges.

6:1–28 Daniel in the Den of Lions. The sixth and final story of Daniel in a foreign court once again illustrates the book’s main message: in spite of present troubles, God is in control, and he will win the victory. The story of Daniel in the lions’ den shares many elements in common with the account of Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue (ch. 3), though ch. 3 features the three friends, while ch. 6 focuses on Daniel. In both chapters the king forces his subjects to demonstrate their loyalty to him in a way that is noxious to the faith of Daniel and his friends, who consequently refuse to comply. Jealous foreign wise men use the refusal of these faithful men as a pretense to force the king to execute them. In both stories, God intercedes to rescue Daniel and his friends while punishing their rivals, and the foreign kings praise the true God.

6:1–9 The Plot Against Daniel. Even though there is a change of empire (from Babylonian to Persian), Daniel continues to be held in high regard due to his integrity and wisdom. Out of jealousy the other wise men devise a plan to rid themselves of Daniel.

6:4 Daniel’s integrity testifies to the vitality of his faith in God.

6:5 The wise men know that Daniel places God’s law above human law.

6:7 Since Daniel, one of the three highest administrators in the kingdom (v. 2), would never have agreed with this proposal, the administrators and satraps are lying to the king when they claim that “all” support the idea of such a decree. The decree to pray only to the king is unusual from what we know about Persian religion, which did not consider the king a deity. Perhaps this envisions the king as a mediator to the gods. In any case, the decree is likely a loyalty test (see note on 3:1–7). If so, Darius feels insecure in his reign at this time.

6:8 cannot be repealed. Not even the king is above the law. Once he issues a decree, it cannot be changed (Esth 8:8). While God’s law perfectly expresses his will, the Persian king could find himself trapped by his own law (v. 14).

6:10–18 Darius Reluctantly Punishes Daniel. Daniel prays not to or through Darius but to God. He doesn’t worry; he simply remains obedient to God.

6:10 Daniel continues his practice of praying three times a day while facing Jerusalem. While not making a public display, Daniel must obey God rather than a human ruler (Acts 5:29). 1 Kgs 8:35–36 calls for prayer in the direction of the temple in Jerusalem in response to God’s judgment against his people’s sin. Daniel prays in the direction of Jerusalem even though it is now gone.

6:16 The king realizes that rescue is beyond human help, so he encourages Daniel to appeal to God for deliverance.

6:17 his own signet ring . . . rings of his nobles. Each ring has a design or inscription that identifies the ring’s owner. Pressed into soft clay, it serves as a means of identification. The impressions of the rings assure all that no one could tamper with the stone to allow Daniel to escape even for a moment.

6:19–24 Daniel’s Rescue. While God spares Daniel, his accusers meet the fate they intended for him. This story illustrates the teaching of Proverbs that wicked people often suffer the horrible fate they plan for the innocent (Prov 1:18–19; see Pss 9:15; 35:7–8).

6:19 That the king checks on Daniel first thing in the morning indicates that he thinks that Daniel’s God might indeed have saved him.

6:22 In the ancient Near East, to survive an ordeal like a night in a lions’ den indicated the innocence of the accused. As he did for the three friends in the fiery furnace (3:25), God sent an angel to protect Daniel in the lions’ den.

6:24 While Daniel was able to spend the entire night in the den unharmed, the accusers and their families meet their fate before they even hit the ground. This illustrates that those who wish to harm others will themselves be harmed (see note on vv. 19–24).

6:25–28 Darius’s Decree. Like Nebuchadnezzar before him (2:47; 3:28–29; 4:2–3), Darius responds to the display of God’s power by praising God.

6:26 Contrary to human empires, God’s kingdom will last forever (see 2:44–45a and note).

6:28 Darius. See note on 5:31. If Darius and Cyrus are different names for the same king, then the alternative reading presented in the NIV text note is correct.

7:1—12:13 Four Apocalyptic Visions. The last six chapters of Daniel present four apocalyptic visions (chs. 7; 8; 9; 10–12). All four visions recognize that the people of God experience oppression now and into the future but that at the end of time God will intervene to rescue them.

7:1–28 The First Vision. Daniel’s first vision begins with four beasts arising out of a chaotic sea and wreaking great damage (vv. 1–8). The second scene is a judgment room where one like the son of man comes into the presence of the Ancient of Days (vv. 9–14). The second half of ch. 7 interprets the vision (vv. 15–28).

7:1–14 Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts. Early in Belshazzar’s reign (see note on 5:1), Daniel has a dream that begins with four fearsome beasts arising out of a turbulent sea. While the first scene of Daniel’s vision concerns beasts that represent human kings/kingdoms (v. 17), the second scene presents the divine realm using human figures.

7:1 first year. The exact date of the start of Belshazzar’s coregency with his father, Nabonidus, is uncertain, but it was likely sometime between 553 and 550 BC.

7:2–3 The “sea” (v. 2) and its “beasts” (v. 3) often represent the forces of chaos and evil (Ps 18:15; Isa 27:1; Jer 5:22; Nah 1:4; Hab 3:15).

7:4 The first beast is a hybrid—part lion, part eagle—that transforms into a human. Like many mixed elements (Deut 22:9–11), Israelites considered hybrid animals unclean and thus repulsive.

7:6 The third beast is also a hybrid (see v. 4 and note)—part leopard, part bird. Its unnatural condition is highlighted by its four wings and four heads.

7:7 The fourth beast is metallic with “iron teeth” (and “bronze claws” [v. 19]) and thus unnatural and fearsome. horns. Symbolize power and authority. The image of a lifted-up horn often describes pride and honor, whether godly (1 Sam 2:1; Ps 89:17) or ungodly (Ps 75:5), stemming from the idea of a powerful animal lifting its head high.

7:8 The vision climaxes in the appearance of a little horn that sees and speaks like a human.

7:9 Ancient of Days. Pictures God as a powerful, aged king rendering judgment in court. Much of the imagery in this verse is not uncommonly associated with God’s appearance and signals his wisdom (white hair), righteousness (white clothing), and power in judgment (fire). Elements of this description are used in reference to “a man” in 10:5–6, an angel in Matt 28:3, and Jesus in Rev 1:14.

7:10 Thousands of God’s angelic creatures attend him.

7:13 son of man. A well-known phrase in the OT that means “human being” (Ezek 2:1, 3, 6, 8 and throughout Ezekiel). However, this figure is not a human being but is “like” a human being, and in the OT riding on clouds indicates divinity (Pss 68:4; 104:3–4; Isa 19:1; Nah 1:3). The description of this figure left no doubt in the minds of the NT authors that this refers to Jesus Christ. Indeed, many believe that this passage is the source of Jesus’ self-designation as the Son of Man (e.g., Matt 8:20). The NT also cites these verses when envisioning Christ’s future return at the end of history when he rides the clouds to defeat the forces of evil (e.g., Matt 24:30; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27; Rev 1:7).

7:15–28 The Interpretation of the Dream. Daniel does not understand the import of his vision, and he approaches a figure nearby who interprets the vision for him.

7:16 one of those standing there. His identity is not given, but it is clear from other examples (8:16; 9:21; probably 10:16—11:1) that he is an angel, likely Gabriel.

7:17–18 The vision concerns the conflict between the kingdoms of this world (represented by the beasts) and the heavenly kingdom. God will defeat evil human powers and establish his kingdom forever.

7:17 Similar to Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the multi-metaled statue in 2:31–45, the four great beasts represent four kings or kingdoms. Debate surrounds the exact identification of the kingdoms. One school of thought identifies the first beast as Babylon, followed by the Medes, the Persians, and the Greeks. Another view sees the first beast as Babylon, but then identifies the next three as the Medo-Persian Empire, followed by the Greeks and the Romans. It is more likely that these beasts and the horns do not represent actual kingdoms (with the exception of the first) but rather point to one evil human kingdom succeeding another until God intervenes at the end of time to defeat them and establish his eternal kingdom.

7:18 holy people of the Most High. May refer to God’s human followers or perhaps to angels (4:13; 8:13). A spiritual war stands behind human conflicts, so perhaps this refers to both humans and angels; God will win this great cosmic battle.

7:19–22 Daniel focuses attention on the fourth beast and the horns that emanate from it. This beast is particularly violent. For the significance of the horns, see note on v. 7. The ultimate battle takes place between the little horn and the holy people (see note on v. 18).

7:23–25 The interpreting angel goes no further than to say that the fourth beast represents a kingdom and that the ten horns and the little horn represent kings. Some believe that the fourth kingdom is Greece and that the little horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215–164 BC), who unleashed atrocities against the Jews in the middle of the second century BC; others believe that the fourth kingdom is Rome and that the little horn anticipates the antichrist at the end of the age. Even if we are not to identify the beasts with specific nations like Greece or Rome, the image of God defeating the little horn to usher in his eternal kingdom gives credence to the idea that it anticipates his victory over evil at the end of the age.

7:25 a time, times and half a time. See NIV text note. The significance of this chronological reference is debated. Those who believe that the fourth beast is Greece and the little horn Antiochus (see note on vv. 23–25) connect this three-and-a-half-year period to the time this king wreaked havoc on the Jews (167–164 BC). Those who believe that the fourth beast is Rome and the little horn the antichrist think this refers to a three-and-a-half-year tribulation. More likely this is intentionally vague and symbolizes the little horn’s fast start: it looks like it is building momentum but then is suddenly cut off.

7:26–27 The ultimate message of Daniel’s vision concerns God’s ultimate victory over the forces of evil, which is good news for God’s people presently experiencing the oppression of evil human kingdoms.

7:28 deeply troubled. The vision’s interpretation does nothing to calm Daniel’s thoughts (v. 15). He has just looked into the abyss of human evil and seen the glorious victory of God.

8:1–27 The Second Vision. While much debate surrounds the interpretation of Daniel’s other visions, the second vision garners little disagreement. Daniel receives a vision concerning a ram and a goat, and the angel’s interpretation indicates that the vision concerns events that culminate in the reign of the evil king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

8:1–14 Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat. Similar to the previous vision of ch. 7, ch. 8 begins with a description of the vision, followed by its interpretation.

8:1 third year. Two years after the vision in ch. 7; sometime between 550 and 547 BC (see note on 7:1). The fall of Babylon is still almost a decade away (539 BC).

8:2 Susa. Will become an important city in the Persian Empire (Esth 1:2), which plays an important role in the following vision. Ulai Canal. A human-made waterway that later classical writings call the Eulaeus.

8:8 four winds of heaven. From the north, south, east, and west.

8:9 Beautiful Land. Israel, the land of milk and honey (Ezek 20:6, 15).

8:10 host of the heavens . . . starry host. Both refer to God’s angelic army. Daniel’s vision concerns a battle that is not only earthly but cosmic in scope.

8:11 daily sacrifice. The morning and evening sacrifices at the temple (Exod 29:38–41; Num 28:3–8).

8:12 LORD’s people. Can be translated “armies” (see NIV text note) and refer to either the heavenly army or an army of people or both. It prospered. The horn achieves some measure of success against its rivals, calling to mind Gen 3:15, where the serpent (representing the forces of evil and ultimately Satan) “will strike” the heel of the offspring of the woman (representing those who follow God and ultimately the Messiah [Rom 16:20; Rev 12:9]).

8:14 2,300 evenings and mornings. The number can refer to 2,300 days if the language is used similar to Gen 1; or if the evening and morning sacrifices are counted separately, it can refer to 1,150 days; the number could also be symbolic. Whichever the correct interpretation, the message is clear: there is a limit to the amount of time God will permit Antiochus to perpetrate atrocities against his people (see note on v. 23). sanctuary will be reconsecrated. While the moment this period of time begins is unclear, it is clear that the end point is the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after Antiochus IV profaned it. The rededication of temple in 165 BC is the origin of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah, still celebrated by Jews today.

8:15–27 The Interpretation of the Vision. Like ch. 7, the presentation of the vision is followed by its interpretation. In contrast to the vision of ch. 7, Gabriel identifies the ram and the goat with specific kingdoms, but not the four horns. The focus is on the small horn identified as an evil king.

8:15–16 The voice, though not identified, is that of God; he instructs Gabriel, an angel commissioned to deliver messages (see 9:21–22; Luke 1:19, 26–37), to interpret the vision for Daniel.

8:17 Son of man. The NIV text note indicates that this means human being; here it is likely not connected with Jesus’ title in the NT. time of the end. While some take this (see also v. 19) to refer to the end of history associated with Christ’s return, it more likely refers to the end of the persecution described in this chapter (see notes on vv. 14, 23).

8:19 time of the end. See note on v. 17.

8:20 Unlike the vision of ch. 7, Gabriel identifies the animals with specific nations. two-horned ram. The ram’s two horns (for horn imagery, see note on 7:7) symbolize Media and Persia, kingdoms from the Iranian highlands. One horn was larger than the other (v. 3), indicating Persia’s eventual dominance over Media.

8:21–22 The goat represents Greece, whose first king was Alexander the Great, who conquered the Persian Empire and extended its boundaries. He died young (thus the broken horn), and his kingdom was eventually divided among four of his generals (the “four horns”).

8:23 fierce-looking king. Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215–164 BC). He persecuted the Jews, particularly toward the end of his life. master of intrigue. He manipulated his way to the throne of the Seleucid kingdom centered in Antioch. He profaned the worship of God in Jerusalem by setting up a holy object sacred to the Greek god Zeus in the Jerusalem temple, and beginning in 167 BC, he also ordered the end to the daily sacrifice.

8:25 His arrogant attacks against the worship of God (“the Prince of princes”) lead to his defeat and death.

8:26 evenings and mornings. The “2,300 evenings and mornings” (see v. 14 and note), the time during which the wicked king Antiochus commits his atrocities.

9:1–27 The Third Vision. Approximately a decade after the events of ch. 8, Daniel has a third vision. The vision takes place while he is studying the book of Jeremiah, particularly where it announces a 70-year exile. Thinking he lives at the end of the 70 years, Daniel turns to God to ask forgiveness on behalf of his people’s sin. In response, Gabriel, the interpreting angel, comes to him to explain the “vision” (v. 23) to him.

9:1–19 Daniel’s Prayer. After reading the prophecy of Jeremiah that the exile would last 70 years, Daniel turns to God in prayer with the hope of God’s forgiveness and restoration.

9:1 first year of Darius. 539 BC, the year Cyrus delivered an edict allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem (2 Chr 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4). For the relationship between Darius and Cyrus, see note on 5:31. Daniel’s prayer (vv. 4–19) seems to have taken place in anticipation of this decree. His witness to the fall of Babylon may have caused him to turn to the Scriptures with new eyes.

9:2 seventy years. Jer 25:11–12 (see note on Jer 25:11) and Jer 29:10 speak of a 70-year exile as Judah’s punishment for breaking the covenant. Daniel himself was exiled in 605 BC, though Jerusalem was defeated in 586 BC. If the 70 years is a round number for the exile that begins in 605 BC, then the end of the period is 539 BC, when Persia defeats Babylon and allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem. But some believe the 70-year period begins in 586 BC with the destruction of Jerusalem, which means that the end point is the rebuilding of the temple in 516 or 515 BC.

9:3 Daniel prays to God for forgiveness and restoration in the light of judgment according to the instructions given in 1 Kgs 8:33–34, 46–51. fasting . . . sackcloth and ashes. Expresses deep grief and mourning over the sins of God’s people.

9:4–19 Daniel’s prayer is a prayer of penitence that confesses sin, petitions for restoration, and praises God. While such prayers are found in the book of Psalms (e.g., Ps 51), they are poetic, not in prose. For similar prayers, see Ezra 9:6–15; Neh 1:5–11; 9:5b–37.

9:4–6 Daniel appeals to God on the basis of his “covenant of love” (v. 4) with his people. In the covenant, God promises to protect his faithful people (“those who love him and keep his commandments” [v. 4]), though Daniel acknowledges that the people have broken covenant with God by disobeying his laws and neglecting to listen to his spokespersons, the prophets.

9:7 Daniel prays on behalf of all the people of God who are scattered all over the known world, not just those in Babylon but also those who fled to Egypt and other small nations surrounding Israel.

9:9 The “covenant of love” (v. 4) includes the promise that God will restore his sinful people if they repent (Deut 30:1–10). God indeed is “merciful and forgiving” (see Exod 34:6–7; Deut 4:31).

9:11–14 Daniel appears to have in mind the covenant as renewed on the plains of Moab and recorded particularly in the book of Deuteronomy. Deut 27–28 enumerates the blessings that follow obeying the covenant law (found in Deut 4–26) as well as the curses that result from disobeying it. A number of the curses describe the specific judgment that came on Judah with the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of its leading citizens (Deut 28:25–26, 36–37, 49–57, 64–68).

9:15–19 Daniel appeals for God’s mercy.

9:15 Daniel evokes the memory of God’s great act of rescue at the time of the exodus. Isaiah (Isa 40:3–5), Hosea (Hos 2:14–15), and other prophets spoke of God’s restoration after his judgment as a second exodus.

9:18 not . . . because we are righteous. The people are still sinful. If there is any hope for them, it is because of God’s mercy and in his righteousness (v. 16), not their own.

9:20–27 The Seventy “Sevens.” Gabriel comes to Daniel in order to interpret the significance of Jeremiah’s prophecy of 70 years of exile.

9:20 his holy hill. Mount Zion, the location of the temple, where God made his presence known among his people.

9:21 Gabriel. See note on 8:15–16. evening sacrifice. It was not being offered at the time due to the destruction of the temple, but Daniel still uses it to reckon the time of day.

9:24 Seventy “sevens.” Much debate surrounds its exact significance, but one thing is clear: Gabriel suggests that the end of the 70-year exile begins a process, one that will last for 70 “sevens,” or weeks of years—usually understood as 490 years. Though Jews will be allowed to return to the land, the exile will not come to a definitive end with anything approaching full restoration. to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness. At the end of the 70 “sevens,” perhaps 70 seven-year periods of time and thus 490 years, sin and its consequences will come to an end. While these three actions remove the negative, the next three actions are positive. everlasting righteousness. The positive side of removing sin. seal up vision and prophecy. This is not a sealing away but is best understood as a mark of approval, authenticating the prophetic word (perhaps specifically Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the end of the exile; see note on v. 2). anoint the Most Holy Place. This is unclear; it refers to the temple and perhaps to its cleansing by the Maccabeans after Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated the temple (see note on 8:23), but others suggest that Gabriel refers to anointing the most holy one: the Messiah (see NIV text note). Though the details of these actions are debatable, the overall point is that at the end of the 70 “sevens,” God will remove sin and establish righteousness.

9:25–27 Gabriel divides the period of 70 “sevens” into three parts: (1) 7 “sevens,” (2) 62 “sevens,” and (3) a final “seven.” Gabriel treats the first two, comprising 69 “sevens,” as a single unit that begins with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and ends with the coming of the Anointed One. Some take the 69 “sevens” to refer to 483 years that stretch from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until the time of the Messiah, though this creates problems of when the period begins. Advocates of this approach might point to Ezra’s commission to reestablish the law in Judah in 458 BC, though the decree to rebuilt Jerusalem the city was issued by Cyrus in 539 BC. Still others connect it to Artaxerxes’ decree allowing Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 2:1–10), and they believe it culminates with Jesus’ coming to Jerusalem before his crucifixion (Matt 21:1–11). The final “seven” is divided in the middle, beginning when an individual “will confirm a covenant with many” (Dan 9:27). This individual will cause great havoc until the end, when God will judge his activities. Some interpret these numbers as pointing to the atrocities and end of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, while others believe that they anticipate Christ’s coming, the temple’s destruction, and the antichrist’s arrival and defeat. Still others believe these numbers indicate periods of time that are symbolic and should not be pressed into an absolute chronology of future events. Though the details are obscure, the point is clear: God will eventually bring an end to sin and establish his righteous rule.

9:27 abomination that causes desolation. See note on 11:31.

10:1—12:13 The Fourth Vision. The book continues with a fourth and final vision: 10:1—11:1 introduces the vision, 11:2—12:4 presents it, and 12:5–13 concludes with God’s final instructions to Daniel.

10:1—11:1 Daniel’s Vision of a Man. An introduction prefaces the final vision by describing Daniel’s reaction to receiving a vision of a great war. Daniel’s vision deeply disturbs him. He prays for divine help, but he suffers mental anguish for three weeks until he has a vision of a heavenly figure (10:5–21). There is a cosmic battle behind the earthly one, which explains the three-week delay of the angelic interpreter (perhaps Gabriel again). The prince of Persia resisted the heavenly figure until Michael came and rendered help in the fight. After encouraging Daniel to be strong, the angel prepares to explain the vision.

10:1 third year of Cyrus. 537 BC. For a possible connection with Darius, see note on 6:28. Belteshazzar. Mentioning Daniel’s Babylonian name reminds us he is still in exile (see note on 1:6–7).

10:3 no choice food; no meat or wine. See note on 1:8–16. lotions. Used for relief from the effects of the dry, hot climate on the skin. Daniel “lets himself go” because he is in a state of spiritual turmoil.

10:4 Tigris. One of two great rivers (along with the Euphrates) that ran through Mesopotamia. The Tigris was northeast of the city of Babylon.

10:5–6 Daniel sees a heavenly figure, described as a man “dressed in linen,” the material worn by priests (Lev 6:10). The figure’s features are statue-like: “his body was like topaz . . . like the gleam of burnished bronze.” Other parts are hard to visualize: “his face [was] like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches.” His voice is resonant and deep, “like the sound of a multitude.” While the figure’s dress is similar to that of an angel in Ezek 9:2, the rest of the description connects to Ezekiel’s experience of God’s presence in Ezek 1 as well as John’s depiction of Christ in Rev 1:14–15. On the basis of the Ezekiel parallels, one might think this figure is God himself, but if he is the same as the heavenly figure who speaks in 10:11—11:1, then he is more likely an angel (see note on v. 13).

10:9-10 my face to the ground . . . set me trembling. Like Paul in Acts 9:1–9, Daniel’s private encounter with the heavenly figure overwhelms him.

10:10 touched me. The supernatural figure ministers to Daniel. See also vv. 16, 18.

10:11 highly esteemed. A relatively rare Hebrew word found in the tenth commandment and sometimes translated “coveted.” Daniel is a highly desired, precious man whom God covets (v. 19a; 9:23). The words of the supernatural figure are meant to encourage Daniel.

10:13 Michael. An archangel known from the NT to engage in conflict with the devil (Jude 9; Rev 12:7). Spiritual beings are associated with nation-states. God distributed the nations among “the sons of God” (Deut 32:8; see NIV text note, widely considered the superior reading), which refer to spiritual beings or angels. Michael (“your prince,” v. 21) fights for God’s people, while the “prince of Persia” (v. 20) is a spiritual being, a demonic power, who fights for the Persian Empire. Since the prince of Persia could have blocked the arrival of the heavenly figure and since the heavenly figure requires Michael’s help to get to Daniel, the heavenly figure speaking is not God but a powerful (not all-powerful) angel, perhaps Gabriel, who is often God’s spokesperson (8:16; 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26).

10:18 touched me. For the third time (see vv. 10, 16), the heavenly figure ministers to Daniel, who is overwhelmed by his vision.

10:20 Persia . . . Greece. At the time of the vision, Persia oppresses Judah, but the time is coming when Greece will defeat Persia and take control of God’s people.

10:21 Book of Truth. Mentioned nowhere else in Scripture. In this context, it is a book that contains the course of future events. God is truly sovereign over history.

11:2—12:4 The Kings of the South and the North. The fourth vision is unlike the highly figurative visions that precede it. The heavenly figure gives a lengthy prophecy about unnamed kings and their actions. While these kings reign in the future from Daniel’s sixth-century BC perspective, readers today recognize that the prophecy identifies events through the Persian period and into the Greek period. The prophecy ends with a look to the far distant future, the end of time, when God will reward those who follow him with everlasting life and consign those who resist him to everlasting contempt.

11:2 Three more kings. We cannot be dogmatic about which of the 13 known Persian kings this refers to. Some think this refers to the next three kings after the founder Cyrus: Cambyses (530–522 BC), Pseudo-Smerdis, also known as Gaumata (523–522 BC), and Darius I (522–486 BC). a fourth. Either Xerxes I (486–465 BC), who attacked the Greeks, leading to the eventual defeat of Persia a century later, or Darius III (336–333 BC), whom the Greeks conquered.

11:3 a mighty king. Alexander the Great, the Greek who defeated the Persians. He died at a young age in 323 BC, relatively soon after Persia’s defeat. His four leading generals (“the four winds of heaven” [v. 4]) then carved up his kingdom. See “The Maccabean-Hasmonean Period.”

11:5–20 Focus shifts to the kingdoms established by two of Alexander’s generals: “the king of the North” (v. 6) is the head of the Seleucid realm, headquartered in Antioch in Syria; “the king of the South” (v. 5) is the head of the Ptolemaic kingdom, headquartered in Alexandria in Egypt. They fought over controlling Jerusalem, which lay between them, though in these early years the Ptolemaic kingdom held it.

11:5–6 The first king of the South is Ptolemy I (322–285 BC) and the first king of the North is Seleucus I (321–280 BC). At first they were allies, but tensions over controlling Palestine led to a rift. At a later time, their successors attempted to resolve the conflict by a dynastic marriage (ca. 250 BC). Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 BC) gave his daughter Berenice to Antiochus II (261–246 BC) as a wife. But Antiochus reconciled with his first wife, Laodice, who poisoned her husband, Berenice, and their son.

11:7–10 Tensions flared again. Berenice’s brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes (246–221 BC), came to the throne in 246 BC. He waged war against the son of Laodice, Seleucus II Callinicus (246–226 BC), who now reigned in the north. Ptolemy III seized their gods and took them to Egypt, but Seleucus II attacked the south and regained his lost land. The sons of Seleucus II were Seleucus III (226–223 BC) and the successful Antiochus III the Great (226–187 BC, 226–223 being a coregency); the latter won back great tracts of land.

11:10 fortress. Either Gaza or Egypt itself.

11:11–19 These verses describe the reign of Antiochus III, who successfully wrests control of Palestine (the Beautiful Land; see note on 8:9), including Jerusalem, from the south.

11:11 Antiochus III fought Ptolemy IV in the Battle of Raphia (in southern Palestine) in 217 BC, which the latter won.

11:14 among your own people. Though the details are obscure, there were political intrigues going on in Jerusalem. For example, the Oniad family (who supported the Ptolemaic kingdom) vied with the Tobiad family (who supported the Seleucid kingdom) for the high priesthood. Perhaps Daniel’s vision even encouraged some to rebel.

11:15 Antiochus pursued the Seleucid general Scopas to Sidon and defeated him there.

11:16 Beautiful Land. See note on 8:9.

11:17 Antiochus III gave his daughter Cleopatra I (not the famous Cleopatra VII, who was connected to Julius Caesar and Mark Antony) to Ptolemy V with the hope that she would serve as a spy in the south, but Cleopatra aligned her interests with her husband. Thus, Antiochus’s plans did not succeed.

11:18–19 Antiochus III started annexing parts of Asia Minor and some Greek islands, but when he encroached on Thrace in 196 BC, the Roman consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio defeated him at Thermopylae in 191 BC and Magnesia in 190 BC. Antiochus retreated to Antioch and died in 187 BC.

11:21–35 There is wide agreement that these verses describe Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–164 BC; see notes on 7:23–25; 8:23), who oppressed and persecuted the Jews. He is described in the Apocrypha in 1 Maccabees 1:7—6:16; 2 Maccabees 1:1—10:9; and in the OT pseudepigrapha in 4 Maccabees 4:15—18:5.

11:21 Antiochus IV took the throne from his nephew by intrigue.

11:22 a prince of the covenant. The high priest Onias III. Antiochus IV deposed him and replaced him with the more amenable Jason.

11:25 Antiochus IV successfully warred against Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–145 BC) near Pelusium, near Gaza.

11:26–27 Ptolemy VI’s brother Ptolemy VII declared himself king in Alexandria while his brother reigned from Memphis.

11:28 against the holy covenant. Antiochus IV began aggressive acts toward true worship in Jerusalem.

11:29–30 Antiochus IV invaded the south again in 168 BC, but this time Rome interceded through the agency of the consul Popillius Laenas (“ships of the western coastlands”), who ordered Antiochus IV to turn back. Antiochus then vented his rage against the Jews in Jerusalem.

11:31 abolish the daily sacrifice. Antiochus IV stopped the daily sacrifice at the temple and substituted the sacrifice of pigs, considered unclean (1 Maccabees 1:44–47). abomination that causes desolation. A meteorite dedicated to Baal Shamem, the Syrian equivalent of the Greek god Zeus, that Antiochus IV set up in the temple. The NT uses the phrase to describe a future sacrilege at the time of Christ’s return (Matt 24:15; Mark 13:14).

11:32 Conflict existed between two parties among God’s people: those who supported Antiochus’s program of Hellenization (“those who have violated the covenant”) and those who resisted it.

11:33 Those who are wise. Those who follow God and obey his law in the face of increasing persecution from Antiochus IV and from those who want to Hellenize Jewish religion and culture. The “wise” may refer to or at least include the Hasmoneans, who fought to rid the land of this foreign influence. But perhaps the Hasmoneans/Maccabees are the “little help” (v. 34) that aids the wise. The Hasmoneans led a revolt against the Seleucid kingdom and Antiochus. They recaptured and purified the polluted temple in 164 BC.

11:36–45 Controversy swirls around the interpretation of these verses. There are those who believe the text is a true prophecy and those who believe it is a failed one. The latter believe that these verses continue to describe Antiochus IV since there is no formal break between v. 35 and v. 36. If so, then v. 45, which describes the death of Antiochus IV, conflicts with what we know from other historical records. Others, however, believe that there is a subtle shift to the end of time (v. 40) and to a description of the antichrist. They make the break between v. 39 and v. 40, taking vv. 36–39 as a transition from Antiochus IV to a future figure who is larger than life (see vv. 40–45 and note). For those who hold this view, Antiochus IV’s evil was so intense that he is an appropriate model for the antichrist.

11:36 This king combines power and arrogance. He will even blaspheme the true God.

11:37 This king will blaspheme not only the true God but even his own pagan religion. the one desired by women. Adonis, the Syrian version of Tammuz, the Mesopotamian god whose worship reserves an important place for women.

11:38 a god of fortresses. Exact identification unknown. It indicates the trust this king puts in his military apparatus.

11:40–45 This describes “the end” (v. 40) of the arrogant king and the end of time when God will bring evil to an end.

11:41 Beautiful Land. Israel. Edom, Moab . . . Ammon. Nations on Israel’s eastern border.

11:43 Cushites. Inhabitants of the area south of Egypt, the upper Nile region, associated with Sudan.

11:45 the seas. Or “the sea” (see NIV text note), i.e., the Mediterranean Sea. beautiful holy mountain. Zion in Jerusalem.

12:1–4 These verses further support reading 11:36–45 (or 11:40–45) as referring to the end (see note on 11:36–45). After the events narrated there, the dead will rise up, some to everlasting life and others to everlasting shame. This is the clearest OT teaching on the physical resurrection and the different fates of the righteous and the wicked.

12:1 At that time. The time of the end of Antiochus IV and the one whom he foreshadows, the antichrist. Michael. See 10:13, 21 and note on 10:13.

12:2 This is the first reference in the Bible to the physical resurrection of the righteous and the wicked (see Isa 26:19 for a reference to the resurrection of the righteous). The NT’s description of heaven and hell expands and deepens this teaching on the afterlife (see John 5:24–29).

12:3 wise. See note on 11:33. When they are raised from the dead, they will “shine like the brightness of the heavens” and be “like the stars for ever and ever”—reminiscent of descriptions of celestial beings (Judg 5:20; Job 38:7; 1 Enoch 104; Testament of Moses 10:9; 2 Baruch 51:3, 10).

12:4 seal. See note on 9:24. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge. This picture is likely negative (Amos 8:12): people will try to find knowledge by their own power but fail in the attempt.

12:5–13 Final Words. Daniel has a final encounter with three heavenly beings: one asks about the time period before the events will be fulfilled, and another responds.

12:5–6 The scene returns to the bank of the river (see 10:4–21). The heavenly figures are not specifically identified, but the man clothed in linen is either God or an angel (see note on 10:5–6), while the other two, one on each side of the river, are clearly angels, perhaps Gabriel and Michael.

12:7 While only one hand is typically raised for an oath (Deut 32:40), the heavenly figure raises both hands for emphasis. a time, times and half a time. See note on 7:25. This is not a precise time period (though it may point to three and a half years); rather, it indicates that just as wickedness seems to be gaining momentum, it will be slowed and then stop. Rev 11:2 (“42 months”), Rev 11:3 (“1,260 days”), and Rev 12:6 (“1,260 days”) likely derive from this verse and vv. 11–12 (see note there).

12:10 The wicked do not understand that God will win the victory over evil at the end.

12:11–12 1,290 . . . 1,335. The exact significance and meaning of these numbers is enigmatic, though both numbers point to a period of about three and a half years (see 12:7 and note). The numbers are likely symbolic and impart a sense of mystery (though some see them connected to events in the reign of Antiochus IV). They impart the impression that God has determined an end to evil, but they do not allow us to predict when this end will actually come.

12:11 abomination that causes desolation. See note on 11:31.

12:13 go your way. The heavenly figure ends by telling Daniel to get on with his life in the assurance that he will receive his reward when the end does come (v. 2).