Volume III
The Book of Daniel
With John Brown’s marginal references, notes and reflections · Vol. III, p. 1384
Ezekiel, a priest, had not begun prophesying to the poor captives in Babylon, when Daniel, a prince, begins to officiate as a prophet at court, and continued about seventy years. He was early famed for wisdom and piety, ch. i. ii.; Eze. 28. 3; 14. 14, 20; was one of the first who were carried captives to Babylon, and lived to see the deliverance. The first six chapters of this book are generally historical and plain, narrating his and his three companions' captivity and education at Babylon; his companions' advancement and deliverance from the fiery furnace; his own interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dreams and Belshazzar's handwriting, and his deliverance from the lions, ch. i.-vi. The last six are generally prophetical, containing his four visions of the future state of the world and church of God, ch. vii.-xii. [His prophecies contain some remarkable proof that Jesus is the Christ; for the Saviour came exactly at the time he had predicted. For New Testament references to Daniel, see Mat. 24. 2, 15, 30; 25. 46; 26. 23; Mar. 13. 14; Lu. 10. 20; Jn. 5. 28, 29; 16. 24; 1 Co. 15. 24, 41, 42; 2 Co. 5. 21; He. 9. 12; 11. 33; 1 Pe. 2. 21; Re. 5. 11; 15. 3; 20. 12. C. The book of Daniel has long been a battle-field for critics. Some of its prophecies detail events with a clearness and fulness which history can scarcely surpass. The date of the book has therefore become a subject of keen controversy. If the date ordinarily assigned to it be admitted, its inspiration cannot be questioned, for its prophetic visions embody an outline of the great events of the eastern world from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes. Nor do they stop there. Other visions exhibit, though in a vista dimmer and more distant, the final establishment of the gospel kingdom, Christ's second coming, and the resurrection. It is thus true, as has recently been shown by Dr. Pusey, that let men assign to the book what date they will, it contains unmistakable prophecy. It is worthy of note that this book is written partly in Hebrew and partly in Chaldee. The reason of this will be obvious to the careful student of Bible history. Hebrew was still in Daniel's day the language of the Jews, and those portions of the book which concerned them and their nation were written in the language familiar to them. Chaldee was the language of the court of Babylon, and hence the officers of the court speak in that language. The first portion of the book, containing the story of Daniel and his companions, is in Hebrew; the answer of the magi to the king (ch. 2. 4) is in Chaldee, which continues to the end of Daniel's first vision, ch. 7. 28. Though the language is thus different, the book is manifestly one in authorship and design. It is arranged on a definite plan; and the languages are selected on an intelligible principle. There are also clear references from some portions of the book to others; thus from the Chaldee in ch. 2. 49; 3. 12, 16, 23, 30, to the Hebrew in ch. i.; and also from the Hebrew in ch. viii.-xii., to the Chaldee in ch. vii. P.]