Chapter 4.

I, Nebuchadnezzar, have been at peace in my house, and have prospered in my palaces, v. 1. Why did the prophet write thus, and not say, "Nebuchadnezzar was calm," wrote as if on his behalf? It seems to me that these are the words of Nebuchadnezzar himself. When he corrected himself from his former error, he may have promulgated such an epistle. And Daniel cites the decree itself in order to be reliable. Here he who himself has experienced this speaks to the human race. And see what instruction is given here to the proud. That which he suffered was from pride, and he himself, both in the beginning and in the end, indicates that the cause of everything was pride. At the end he says, "Who is able to humble those who walk proudly" (v. 34), and in the attack, at the very beginning, he shows the cause of pride: there he explains that he was humiliated for this, and here he says why it happened, namely, because he enjoyed great prosperity; so David also says: pride has taken possession of them (Psalm 72:6). In the same way, here too the cause of this is complete well-being. In the beginning he says, "I was at peace in my house, and prospered in my palaces." It is impossible for all goods to be united together. It happens to be happy in office and unhappy in one's own house, as was the case with Herod, or with David; it happens to be unhappy in public affairs, but not to endure anything unpleasant in the house; It happens to take advantage of the peace in the city, but to experience anxiety in the position of one. And this man prospered in every way; Nothing upset him. Do you see what an evil serenity is? Just as in order to strengthen the body, when there are no obligatory labors and occupations, we engage in special exercises, so God usually does it to tame excessive strength. But I saw a dream that frightened me, and the meditations on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. And I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought to me, that they might tell me the meaning of the dream, v. 2, 3. See how God wants to humble him, not by the deed itself, but by the prediction of a future event, and how terrible the dream was. Why then did not his spirit depart from him now, and did he not forget sleep as before? For Daniel had already given sufficient proof (of his wisdom), namely in the explanation of the previous dream, and there was no need to have recourse to a second test. God does everything for the sake of need, and not out of vanity. On the other hand, this is also done to rebuke the Magi, so that they will not say again: "Let the king tell his servants a dream, and we will explain its meaning" (Dan. 2:7); they are found to be able to do neither. Again, they could not say, "The matter which the king demands is so difficult that no one else can reveal it to the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with the flesh" (Dan. 2:11). By this the king was convinced that Daniel had not spoken according to human wisdom before; he became convinced that even in former times the Magi did not say anything sensible, as he himself admitted, but there was only no one to denounce them. And when the chastisement from Judea appeared to them in the person of Daniel, they no longer dare to pretend. In this way they are again invited by the inspiration (of God). It is surprising why the king, having tested Daniel's strength in such matters, did not summon him first of all? God Himself arranged for Daniel's victory to occur after their defeat. He has terrified me, says the king; however, even so, he did not become the best, but wanted to really try it. So God is always innocent. Then came the mystics, the charmers, the Chaldeans, and the diviners; I told them the dream, but they could not explain to me the meaning of it. At last Daniel came in to me, whose name was Belshazzar, after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy God; I told him a dream (v. 4, 5). Finally, he said, Daniel came to me. He speaks as if he had forgotten Daniel. In fact, many years had passed (since the first dream), and he soon forgot how he had had so many cares and lived in such luxury. The title: the other (there is no Russian translation of this word) shows that the tsar almost completely forgot it. By name, he says, my god. Does he not mean to say: I so honored him that I called him in the name of God? It was their custom to call their children by the names of gods, because they sometimes recognized people as gods. So we have the names Bel and Veliy. When the demons saw that in this way people were revered and the name of gods was ascribed, they themselves began to contribute to this. Why does he say, Daniel, whose name was Belshazzar? Because Daniel had the power of God. This name was their greatest honor. And Daniel allowed them to call him by that name; but nowhere does he call himself Belshazzar, but says, I am Daniel. As much as the king's son was honored, so was he, because even before the trial he seemed amazing in his very appearance. It was not by his own power, it is said, that he spoke, but in whom the spirit of the holy God; here we are not talking about the Spirit whom we call the Comforter, but inspired, he was divinely inspired. Belshazzar, the head of the wise men. He was, he says, the first of them. See how many signs of his superiority over others. Belshazzar, chief of the wise men! I know that the spirit of the holy God is in you, v. 6. The best I know. The king said this so as not to put him in the need to answer again: "Not because I am wiser than all" (Dan. 2:30); the king hoped by his words to win him over, and therefore he said this first of all to another. If I have called you the prince of charmers, do not think that I have said this as a testimony that you speak from human wisdom; Thou art the chief of the wise men, but I know that thou speakest all things, moved by the power of God; I learned this from experience. And no mystery, he says, hinders you. Such are the works of God; human works are imperfect, but God's are not so. Explain to me the visions of my dream, which I saw, and the meaning of it. And the visions of my head are on my bed. What does he say? I saw, behold, in the middle of the ground a very tall tree. This tree was large and strong, and its height reached to the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the whole earth. Its leaves are beautiful, and the fruit on it is plentiful, and the food therein is for all; the beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the air nested in its branches, and all flesh fed from it (vv. 6-9). What does this vision mean? He again depicts the inconstancy of human affairs. The birds, he says, and the beasts delighted in his shadow, and dwelt in him, and their food was from him. It is said that his power extended over the entire universe. So, first under the guise of an idol, and now under the guise of a tree, events are revealed to him. Why didn't God send Daniel to announce this? For when events are visualized, the discourse on them is more certain and terrible, in order to prove that He who grows plants also magnifies the kingdom secretly and without our knowledge. And I saw in visions my head on my bed, and behold, the Watchful and Holy One descended from heaven. And he cried out aloud, and said, "Cut down this tree, cut off its branches, shake off the leaves from it, and scatter its fruit; let the beasts depart from under it, and the birds from its branches; but let his chief root be left in the earth, and let him be watered with the dew of heaven in chains of iron and brass among the grass of the field, and let his part be with the animals in the grass of the earth. The heart of man will be taken away from him, and the heart of a beast will be given to him, and seven times will pass over him. By the command of those who watch, this is ordained, and by the judgment of the Saints, that the living may know that the Most High has dominion over the kingdom of men, and gives it to whom he will, and sets over it one who is despised among men" (vv. 10-14). And behold, the Vigilant and Holy One came down from heaven, so that He terrified him. And he cried out aloud, and said, Cut down this tree, but leave its chief root in the ground. But since this branch is easily damaged, then, he says, leave it as if in bonds of iron and brass. And seven times will pass over him, he says, and the heart of the beast will be given to him. And that this referred to man is evident from what follows. And he will be given, he says, a beastly heart. According to the saying of Ira, the word (there are no words in the Russian translation), i.e., the word itself cannot be clear, but has the need for an interpreter. And according to the sentence, he says, the Saints have been appointed, that is, the saints will also be able to say so. Either this he understands, or that they will be able to propose a question and show the reason why this happens, which is revealed by the answer. In order that the living may know, he says that the Most High has dominion over the kingdom of men. Here's the reason. Do you see how God cares for people, how His power was not limited to the Jews? Such a dream I had, King Nebuchadnezzar; and thou, Belshazzar, tell me the meaning of it, for none of the wise men in my kingdom could explain its meaning, but thou can, because the spirit of the holy God is in thee, v. 15. Because none of the wise men in my kingdom could explain. He knew that Daniel would be pleased when everyone would admit that they were defeated, not for his glory, but for the power of God to be revealed again. And you can, he says, tell me. Why can you? Because the spirit of the holy God is in you. Look: with this he began his speech, and with this he ended. The tree which thou seest, which was great and strong, reaching to the heavens in height, and was visible all over the earth, on which the leaves were fair, and abundant fruit, and food for all, under which dwelt the beasts of the field, and in the branches of which the birds of the air nested, this is thou, O king, who was exalted and strengthened, and thy majesty was increased, and reached unto the heavens; and your power is to the ends of the earth. And that the king saw the Vigilant and Holy One coming down from heaven, Who said, "Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave its chief root in the ground, and let it be watered with the dew of heaven in fetters of iron and brass, among the grass of the field, and let there be a part of it with the beasts of the field, until seven times have passed over it," — this is the meaning of this, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which shall come upon my lord the king: You shall be cut off from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. With grass they shall feed thee like an ox, with the dew of heaven thou shalt be watered, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou knowest that the Most High has dominion over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whom he willeth. And that it was commanded to leave the chief root of the tree, that is, that thy kingdom shall remain with thee, when thou knowest the power of heaven, v. 17-23. What does he say next? What will be the end of the tribulation? Therefore, O king, may my counsel be pleasing to thee: atone for thy sins with righteousness, and thy iniquities with mercy to the poor; This is how your peace may endure, v. 24. Why do you say, "Redeem," and do you question the power of healing? I did not say, "Atone for my doubts," but I wish to inspire him with fear, and to show him that he had sinned beyond all medicine and all forgiveness. If even after such words he was not freed from madness, how much more so if no doubt had been expressed. God has the same purpose in mind in other places, when, for example, He says through the prophet: "Though thou wash thyself with soap and use much lye upon thyself, thy wickedness is marked before Me, saith the Lord God" (Jeremiah 2:22); and again: Can the Ethiopian change his skin, and the leopard his spots? (Jeremiah 13:23). Just as there he does not allow repentance to be rejected not in order to frighten more, so here He said: atone, desiring to show the abyss of sins. And why did he not say: humble yourself, acknowledge God? If the king suffers for this, as he himself says, then why do you advise otherwise? He said, The Most High has dominion over the kingdom of men. Am I punished in order that others may understand? No, not wishing to reveal clearly in a dream, God said, "That the living may know," and Daniel says, "The Most High has dominion over the kingdom of man, and gives it to whom He will." Do you see how humility is spoken of here? In a dream, he says, such a medicine is offered, and I will point out something else. This happens, for example, when a commander is angry, he himself does not say anything, and one of his retinue, approaching the guilty person, says: do this and that, give money, and more than once, and we can save you from threatening disasters. While this speech was still in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven: "They say to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall separate thee from men, and thou shalt dwell with the beasts of the field; And the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was cut off from men, and he ate grass like an ox, and his body was watered with the dew of heaven, so that his hair grew like that of a lion. and his nails are like those of a bird (vv. 28-30). This is the decree from above that comprehended Nebuchadnezzar himself. And everything came true to the end. You did not appreciate, he says, human nobility, so you fell to the baseness of beasts. Nothing could be more shameful than that, not if God had made him poor, or a prisoner, or anything like that. However, He did not deprive him of his natural nobility, did not make his body bestial, but that which distinguishes man from the dumb, He brought to a brutal state. And he did it in such a way that others could know it by his food, by his appearance. What do we learn from this? By the fact that, even if nothing of the kind happens to us, we are no better than dumb people, if we fall into pride, or into some other bestial passion. Even now, like Nebuchadnezzar, many have the soul of a beast. Listen to Matthew, who says: "Serpents are the offspring of vipers" (Matt. 23:33); and the prophet says: fattened horses: each of them neighs at the wife of the other (Jeremiah 5:8); another says, "They are all dumb dogs, unable to bark" (Isaiah 56:10); some call people foxes (Ezek. 13:4), others asps and basilisks (Psalm 90:13). But it is much worse to go to brutality in ordinary life than to experience what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. In him the soul did not suffer in the least; but we, accumulating so many sins, have become much worse, as has already been said. The pagan sages, they say, turned people into beasts. But this is a fable, and this is the truth. Why did they turn them? Without any purpose; and the Scriptures also give the reason: that the living may know that the Most High has dominion over the kingdom of men. Do you see how all things are possible for God, to make beasts out of men, and to change their minds? Imagine how amazing it was to see a man who had lived in such splendor before, living naked with the beasts. He did not change his appearance; Otherwise, there would be nothing wrong with it. To receive the heart of a beast does not mean that he lost his mind, but that having a human soul he felt his position. If he had turned into a beast, he would not have been aware of what had happened. What does it mean: the heart of a beast will be given to him? That is, he became savage and did not want to be with people, or was afraid to be with people, or was afraid of people like beasts. What was higher than him, and what is lower than him now? And he was excommunicated from the people. His power did not protect him in the least. He did not become a carnivorous beast, but ate grass, and was like a dumb animal. You will eat grass as a habitual food. How did the animals not eat him? How could his body endure such food? How did he not die? And a lot of time has passed. He walked, presenting to everyone an example of humiliation, wearing the signs of punishment, as if he had been branded. Perhaps it will be said that it would be better for him to endure this by remaining with people; but this was not permitted to increase his punishment; but the admonition still succeeded, since everyone told about what had happened to him, and, perhaps, they themselves saw him outside (the city); it was much more horrible to see. Moreover, not a little time passed, but a whole seven. Until seven seasons pass over him, he says, three years and a half. And at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I have blessed the Most High, and I have praised and glorified the Ever-Bringer, whose dominion is everlasting dominion, and whose kingdom is for generations and generations. And all that dwell on the earth mean nothing; by His will He acts both in the heavenly host and among those who dwell on earth; and there is none that can resist His hand, and say to Him, What hast Thou done? (vv. 31, 32) He lifted up my eyes, he said, to heaven, that is, he turned to God and prayed to Him, and asked Him for help. Although time had passed, he did not rely on it. Just as he himself had the power to prevent the fulfillment of the event, so now, if after a certain time he remained incorrigible, this determination would not be of any use to him, because God's decree is fulfilled not out of necessity, but in relation to our condition. In the same way, Daniel, although the time has already been fulfilled, does not pray in vain that with the continuation of wickedness, it will not continue (Dan. 9:4). As it happens in the pardon, for example, of Hezekiah (2 Kings ch. 20), so in the punishment, for example, of the Jews: God wanted to bring them into Palestine soon, but they added forty years to themselves by their wickedness. See how the king runs to God. I looked, he says, to heaven, and became a man again. And my mind returned to me. Just as his human form changed, but did not turn into an animal, so did his mind. What's next? He praised and glorified. In what terms? The Most High, he says, He praised and glorified the Ever-Bringer. Nothing is more worthy of God than permanent existence. Whose dominion is everlasting dominion, and whose kingdom is for generations and generations. In this way man is especially different from Him, and this was considered by people to be the highest bliss. Whose dominion, eternal dominion, exists at all times. Without food, he says, he fed me; Without clothes and without anything else, my body did not perish. Imagine what he became when he returned from the wilderness to the kingdom. At that time my understanding returned to me, and to the glory of my kingdom my dignity and my former form returned to me; Then my counsellors and my nobles sought me, and I was restored to my kingdom, and my majesty was exalted still more, v. 33. Then my counsellors and my nobles, who had driven out the ruler and the king, sought me, by God's commandment. That is why the time is determined, so that you do not think that something happens by chance. Whose kingdom is for generations and generations. And all that dwell on earth mean nothing. If I, who have dominion over all, have been imputed to nothing, how much more have all the rest. He who has deprived such a strong man of the kingdom, how much more will (deprive all) of those who are subject. By His will, He acts both in the heavenly host and among those who dwell on earth. The expression, "They mean nothing," does not mean that, God despises them, not at all, it means that He is powerful, and that He disposes of them as He wills. The following words express the same: according to His will, He acts both in the heavenly host and among those who dwell on earth. So be it; Of the earth thou knowest, but of heaven thou didst learn? From a dream. He commanded, and they obeyed. From the fire of the furnace. And there is no one who can resist His hand and say to Him, What have You done? Not only will he say, he will not resist, but he will not even say a word. He rules over all; He himself is everything. At that time my understanding returned to me. At that time, at what time? In the ordained by God. Why did they return him to the throne? They overthrew him, so strong, how did they raise him up again, who had become weak? To the glory of my kingdom my dignity and my former appearance have returned to me; then my counsellors and my nobles sought me, and I was restored to my kingdom, and my majesty was exalted still more. Do you see how God can both establish and destroy the kingdom? This should have been confirmed from previous experiences, but since he was not convinced, God destroyed his kingdom, and restored it again. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and magnify the King of heaven, whom all works are true and the ways are righteous, and who is able to humble them that walk proudly, v. 34. It cannot be said that He has power, but it is unjust; no, and his truth is great. And Who is able to humble those who walk proudly. He did not say, "He humbles" to show you His long-suffering, and that you might know that He does not do this out of weakness, but through one He admonishes others also. Do you see His power? Do you see the truth? Do you see philanthropy? Do you see how the barbarian's mouth pronounces this? Who spoke so wisely? Those who were brought up by the prophets did not say anything of the kind; on the contrary, they said: "The Lord does neither good nor evil" (Zeph. 1:12); And again: Have we not gained power for ourselves by our own strength? (Amos 6:13). And again: everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He is pleased with such (Malachi 2:17); and again, "The service of God is in vain, and what profit is it that we have kept His statutes" (Mal. 3:14). Do you see the satanic teaching in Palestine? Do you see prophetic wisdom in the barbarian land? These are types of the grace which the Gentiles had to receive, types of that which the latter had to precede the former. Further, it is narrated how Belshazzar, drunk during the feast, commands the vessels (of the temple) to be brought, as if boasting of his father's victory, or, rather, being mad from drunkenness; or perhaps because the Jews were spectators of what was happening, in order to eradicate in them the reverence they had for God. This was due to pride and drunkenness. Let us beware of drunkenness, beloved. A lot of reckless things come from him. Drunkenness also rules over great people; for Belshazzar had commanded it when he had drunk wine. His father, having taken away the vessels, spared them, and having taken the city, did not dare to use them for human service; but this one not only used them himself, but gave them for the use of his nobles and concubines, and those who sat at table with him.

Chapter 5.

Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and drank wine before the eyes of a thousand. And when Belshazzar had tasted the wine, he commanded that the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought out of the temple of Jerusalem, that the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought golden vessels, which were taken from the sanctuary of the house of God in Jerusalem; And the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines, drank of them. They drank wine, and glorified the gods of gold and silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, vv. 1-4. You see that the vessels have been taken. But look at their power even after they were taken and laid in the temple of idols. The king treats them according to his own will. Why is that? They were taken for the sins (of the Jews), who were punished. How did it all end after the sign? Why did the nobles suffer nothing, but only the king? Because he ordered, he was the culprit. And they glorified the gods of gold and silver, of copper, of iron, of wood and stone. Why did they have such a distinction between gods? The devil, wishing to deprive them of all justification, often inspired them to make wooden gods, so that they would not have justification even in the preciousness of matter. They glorified them. See, God never starts, but acts after. Why did the judgment follow immediately and at the same hour? In order that what had been done by the former miracles should not be destroyed; insulting God by the use of vessels, the emperor wanted to offend people as well. And look what's happening. He coveted the vessels, and in the same hour he was punished. Why is not a prophet sent with a rebuke, but the fingers of the hand? In order to make the rebuke more striking. At that very hour the fingers of a man's hand went out, and wrote against the lamp on the lime of the walls of the king's palace, and the king saw the hand that was writing, v. 5. Notice that it was evening. It was necessary to tame the arrogance resulting from drunkenness, it was necessary for all those present to know that the king was being punished. Why did God not immediately send lightning from heaven? Then, so that his servant may also be glorified again, so that they may hear from him why the king endures this. Daniel, having entered, not only explained what was written, but made a long speech, and an exhortatory one at that, not in order to benefit the king, but to make others better. Then Daniel was brought before the king, and the king began to speak and said to Daniel, "Are you Daniel, one of the captive sons of Judah, whom my father the king brought out of Judah?  (v. 13). He says this, as if wishing to frighten and oppress Daniel. But when he said, "Whom my father the king brought from Judea," he brought these words against himself: therefore he himself needs these captives! I have heard of you that the Spirit of God is in you, and the light and the understanding, and the high wisdom is found in you. Behold, wise men and charmers were brought to me to read this writing, and to explain to me its meaning; but they could not explain it to me. And of you I have heard that you can explain the meaning and resolve knots; Therefore, if you can read these things and explain to me the meaning of them, you will be clothed in scarlet, and a gold chain will be around your neck, and you will be the third ruler in the kingdom (vv. 14-16). He acknowledges his wise men as vanquished and says, "Say it and receive it." But look at the prophet: before his father he was troubled in spirit (Dan. 4:16), and now he does not feel any confusion. What does he say? Then Daniel answered, and said to the king, "Let your gifts remain with you, and give honor to another; but what is written I will read to the king, and I will explain the meaning to him, v. 17. Why does he refuse gifts? So that you know that he is not speaking for them. He says this without anger, and therefore adds: "But I will read what is written to the king, and I will explain the meaning to him." Do you see how he is above riches, above honors, and does not need anything royal? Such should be those who proclaim the works of God. (He refuses) and so that the king does not think that he has won him over with gifts, or that there is something human in what he has said. What does he say? Before explaining what he wrote, he offers advice, reminding him of what happened to his father, from the very beginning. Tsar! The Most High God has given your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, majesty, honor, and glory. At the greatness which He gave him, all peoples, nations, and tongues trembled and feared him: whom he willed, he killed, and whom he wanted, he let live; whom he wanted, he exalted, and whom he wanted, he humiliated. But when his heart was haughty, and his spirit hardened to the point of insolence, he was cast down from his royal throne, and deprived of his glory, and was excommunicated from the sons of men, and his heart was like that of a beast, and he dwelt with wild asses; they fed him with grass like an ox, and his body was watered with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God had dominion over the kingdom of man, and set over it whom he will, v. 18-21. If, he says, he was not worthy of forgiveness, then, tell me, what are you worthy of, who have not reformed after such an example? And you cannot justify yourself by ignorance.

For this reason the hand was sent from Him, and this scripture was inscribed. And this is what is inscribed: mene, mene, tekel, uparsin. This is the meaning of the words: "Mene" — God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it; Tekel — you are weighed in the balances and found very light; Peres, thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians (vv. 22-28). God has numbered thy kingdom, saith he, and hath put an end to it. And the fact that it was divided and did not remain intact was done as a punishment. So it was with Solomon. Not only did Belshazzar's son not receive the kingdom, but it was also divided. See how God is right before him; See how guilty he is. God, in Whose hand, he says, is thy breath, and with Whom all thy ways are, thou hast not glorified. Could he not have killed you immediately? But he is long-suffering. Who would not be frightened by such a punishment, and such a punishment at that? Do you see that God is sovereign in both? Tell me, what do you deserve forgiveness? You are a son, I will not even say a descendant, of Nebuchadnezzar – how did you not know all this? The ruling is written as in a judgment seat; and Daniel explains what is written. How did it occur to the king to honor Daniel? It seems to me that he wished to avoid the condemnation of those present, perhaps he hoped to receive deliverance for this.

Chapter 6.

Daniel surpassed the other princes and satraps, because he had a high spirit, and the king was already thinking of placing him over the whole kingdom. Then the princes and satraps began to look for a pretext to accuse Daniel of governing the kingdom; but no pretext or fault could be found, because he was faithful, and there was no fault or fault in him (v. 3, 4), that is, he was well disposed towards the king. Or perhaps the words: he was faithful mean: he trusted in God, Who governs everything; and when God governs, what danger can there be? What's next? And these men said, "We shall not find a pretext against Daniel, unless we find him against him in the law of his God," v. 5. It is impossible, they say, to find anything. Why? Isn't he a man? Did he not sin in anything? The future is unknown; How do you guarantee the future? We learned about this, they say, from experience. Unless we find him against him in the law of his God. But there he is even more impeccable. God allows temptation to be tested. Could He not tame their malice? But in order to teach you and to arouse your amazement at the podvig, He does not deprive His servants of the crown. Then these princes and satraps came to the king and said to him, "King Darius! live forever! All the princes of the kingdom, the governors, the satraps, the counsellors, and the generals of the army agreed among themselves that a royal decree should be made, and a decree should be issued, that whosoever within thirty days should ask any god or man but thee, O king, to be cast into the lions' den. Therefore, O king, confirm this decree and sign the decree that it may not be changed, like the law of Media and Persia, and that it may not be violated. King Darius signed the decree and this command (vv. 6-9). See what they do, how they try to establish a foolish law, and earnestly ask for it. Was it reasonable to say: to ask for any god or man? They try to find the justification for their request in the brevity of time. But what is this pretext? Why are you asking for this? They agreed, they answered; all of us who were assembled resolved to ask only you for thirty days. Oh, barbaric request! Oh, obsequiousness, full of great madness, which dishonors him whom it seems to honor! For if it is good, it should always be done; but if it is not good, it should not be for thirty days. And then, if this is good, why point to the multitude? And without this, the tsar had to agree. And if this is not good, then even if the whole universe commands, one should not obey. The king did not notice the treachery, as can be seen from what follows. He decreed, and they confirmed this decree by decree, that the king would not have time to revoke it, even if he wished to do so later. What does Daniel say when he hears this? He was not embarrassed, and did not change his life in any way. See how a virtuous person always lives evenly, looking at everything as at some fleeting flowers, both in joy and in sorrow, as at shadows. If he had been steadfast in the beginning, how much more so now that he had received the crowns of victory in so many feats. Why did he not come (to the king)? Why was he not indignant, using such influence with the king? He wanted to act not by word, but by deed. We see that on other occasions, when necessary, he was always in a hurry to appear. And Daniel, having learned that such a decree had been signed, went to his house; and the windows of his upper room were open against Jerusalem, and he knelt three times a day, and prayed to his God, and glorified him, as he had done before, v. 10. Why does Scripture remind us that the doors were open to Jerusalem? The Jews had a strong love for him, and just as he whose beloved is absent loves the path that leads to her, so it was with Daniel. Others loved Jerusalem for the sake of sensual goods, but he for the glory of God. And that this is so is evident from the fact that he did not want to return to Jerusalem, when he waited for the desired time. That is why we, too, as the fathers commanded us, pray, looking to the east; we also aspire to the ancient city and fatherland; and it is quite worthy of it. Why do we turn to the east, if God is everywhere, and the prophet says: sing to God, sing to His name, prepare the way for Him who goes westward (Psalm 67:5)? There, in the east, there was, as it were, a hospital in ancient times. But you didn't resort to it, did you? Think about it; for we also live in captivity, but only until the coming of Christ. Why then did he kneel only at three o'clock in the day? What then? Isn't that amazing? He was a man burdened with so many cares, and who had not the slightest rest. See how the apostolic saying was fulfilled: "In every place men said prayers, lifting up clean hands" (1 Timothy 2:8). And what Christ commanded, they fulfilled. Having shut your door, it is said, "Pray to your Father" (Matt. 6:6). Then they answered and said to the king, that Daniel, who is one of the captive sons of Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree signed by you, but prays his prayers three times a day. The king, hearing this, was greatly grieved and resolved in his heart to save Daniel, and even before the setting of the sun he strove strenuously to deliver him. But those men came to the king and said to him, "Know, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no decree or decree approved by the king can be changed." Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and threw him into the lions' den; and the king said to Daniel, "Your God, whom you serve unfailingly, he will save you!"  (vv. 13-16). Perhaps some of you will say, Could not the king deliver him? Of course, God could have made the king firmer, but He led the fighter to podvig. He knew the end of events. And the king would not have argued if he had known how it would end; but he could not know. He is worthy of praise for his diligence, worthy of forgiveness for his efforts. Daniel was so kind to him! But envious people do not allow you to see the good, or, better, allow you to see, but not with such eyes. It is not to be allowed, they say, that your decisions should be so uncertain and our laws so weak; all the people are offended. Daniel is cast into the pit; a stone is imposed. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and threw him into the lions' den; and the king said to Daniel, "Your God, whom you serve unfailingly, he will save you!" And a stone was brought, and laid in the mouth of the pit, and the king sealed it with his ring, and with the ring of his nobles, that nothing should be altered in the disposition concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, went to bed without supper, and did not even order food to be brought to him, and sleep fled from him (vv. 16-18).  Remember the tomb of Christ, when the Jews put a seal on it. If it were not for this, they would say that the deed was done by magic. But whatever is done by our enemies, it is for our benefit. This was done in order to deprive the slanderers of any pretext for justification: and the king puts a seal so that they may not be able to do anything or pull Daniel out and refer to the lions, and they put a seal so that the king cannot deliver him, and so that the decision of the matter will be impartial. And the king did not supper, they say, and did not sleep. Look how great his love is. What happened? At first he encouraged Daniel, saying, "Could your God, whom you always serve, save you from the lions," v. 20. Again he says exactly what could encourage his soul. Maybe he'd heard about it before. Then he comes, pronouncing the doxology. Then the king rejoiced exceedingly over him and commanded Daniel to be lifted up from the pit; And Daniel was lifted up out of the pit, and no injury was done to him, because he believed in his God. And the king commanded, and the men who had accused Daniel were brought in, and they were cast into the lions' den, both themselves and their children and their wives; and they had not reached the bottom of the den when the lions took possession of them, and broke all their bones, v. 23, 24. Why are children and wives exterminated? In what have they sinned? Perhaps they also participated in this matter. Do you see the punishment of the wicked? Do you see the reward of the righteous? Learn to all, edify all. Do you see how God, even if He leaves a person, does it for good? He overcame fire, overcame beasts. After that, do not ask why lions, leopards and other wild animals exist. They, like some executioners, stood on Daniel's sides, as if at some divine and terrible judgment seat, and did not dare to tear the ribs of the righteous man, because they did not hear the command of the Judge. But when they threw others to them, they, by the command of God, destroyed them. And they broke, they say, all their bones. Who bridled their mouths? Who commanded to abstain from the food offered? What wise man is so restrained that, tormented by hunger and seeing before him the means to satisfy it, he would not want to get rid of it? Again decrees, again divine preaching, again proofs in practice.

Chapter 7.

In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and prophetic visions of his head on his bed. Then he wrote down this dream, setting forth the essence of the matter. Beginning his speech, Daniel said, "I saw in my night vision, and behold, four winds of heaven were fighting on the great sea, and four great beasts came up out of the sea, unlike one another. The first is like a lion, but it has eagle wings; I looked until his wings were torn out, and he was lifted up from the ground, and stood on his feet like a man, and the heart of man was given to him. And behold, another beast, like a bear, stood on one side, and three fangs in his mouth, between his teeth; Then I saw, behold, another beast like a leopard; On his back he had four birds' wings, and the beast had four heads, and power was given to him. After this I saw in night visions, and behold, the fourth beast, terrible and terrible, and very strong; he has large iron teeth; he devours and crushes, but the remnants he tramples underfoot; he was different from all the former beasts, and he had ten horns. I looked at these horns, and behold, another little horn came out among them, and three of the former horns were uprooted before him, and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth that spoke haughtily (vv. 1-8). Why is it not said that he saw women? When it was necessary to present punishment and curse, then the Scriptures used images of women; and when there are kingdoms, then beasts. Here the subject of the speech is the kingdom; it is given a sensual image. And this is very good. Since the properties of kingdoms are especially clearly manifested in beasts, they were necessary for the prophet. He wanted to show luxury combined with ferocity, and introduced a lioness; he wanted to show slowness, and introduced a bear; He wanted to show the speed and ease and destruction of all powers by means of wars, and introduced the lynx. See how good it is that he first of all contemplated the sea, i.e. the entire universe. It is so full of confusion and so agitated, as if it were inhabited by fish and not by people. In the same way, Christ explains that real life is the sea, when He says: "The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, and swallowed up fish of all kinds" (Matt. 13:47). And behold, the four winds of heaven fought on the great sea. Explaining that the beasts came out of there, he shows the swiftness of God's providence. In the same way, when we speak of speed, we point to the wind. The winds rushed, he says, to the sea, and the beasts came out of the sea. And our leaders have our own nature. So often the Scriptures call the king a lion, wishing to show the royal dignity combined with brutal morals. The four winds are spoken of because there is an east wind, there is a north wind, and there is also a south wind; This is like saying: they have stirred up the sea, stirred it up to the sky. Four large beasts came out of the sea, unlike one another. The first is like a lion — so he appeared in a dream; In reality, it was not. Two images denote royal dignity. Some say that (the king of Babylon) overcame the Assyrian, and therefore two images are used. But he has eagle wings; I looked until his wings were torn out, that is, power, and he was lifted up from the ground, and stood on his feet like a man, and the heart of man was given to him. A ferocious animal! On both sides it had organs for rapid movement: wings on top, legs below; but both were taken away: the wings were broken and no longer visible, and the legs turned into weak human ones. And the human heart is given to him. Great was the arrogance of this animal; but now, he says, this king has become humble, meek, tame. And behold, another beast, like a bear, stood on one side, and three fangs in his mouth, between his teeth; he was told thus: "Get up, eat much meat!" Under the dominion of the Medes and Persians there are three fangs, i.e. the countries or kingdoms that they united. It was said to him, "Get up, eat much meat!" because they took Babylon and caused much trouble. Then I saw, behold, another beast, like a leopard; On his back he had four birds' wings, and the beast had four heads, and power was given to him. Then, to say, the leopard, i.e. Alexander, the king of Macedonia, who ran through the whole world, since there was no one faster and faster than he; He was strong and fast like this beast. Four, he says, birds' wings over him, i.e. he seized all power for himself, so dividing the Persians into thirteen provinces, he subdued them all. Do you see his swiftness? It is depicted both by the properties of the beast and by its wings. He went through the entire universe. And this beast had four heads, and authority was given to him. Further, the prophet speaks of the appearance of a beast with diverse and heterogeneous properties, to which he cannot give an image: so changeable was this beast. He conquered all those kingdoms. Others had strength in swiftness, but this one had strength in teeth, because they were made of iron. And the remnants he tramples underfoot. There are many wars spoken of here. What are the ten kings? What does the little horn mean? I affirm that it is the Antichrist who appears among several kings. Eyes like the eyes of men, and lips that speak arrogantly. For what can be more arrogant than the mouth of one who exalts himself above all that is called God or holiness (2 Thess. 2:4)? Do not be surprised that he has human eyes, for it is also said of him that he is a man of sin, the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Why is it small, and not great from the beginning? However, after that, he will grow up and defeat several kings. What then? It is no longer followed by another kingdom, but God Himself destroys it. At last I saw that thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days sat down; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like a pure wave; His throne is like a flame of fire, His wheels are a blazing fire. A river of fire went out and passed before Him; thousands of thousands served Him, and thousands of thousands stood before Him; The judges sat down, and the books were opened, v. 9, 10. Let us increase our attention, beloved, because we are not talking about unimportant things. Thrones, he says, are set up, and the Ancient of Days is seated. Who is he? As when you heard of the bear, you did not understand the bear, and when you heard of the lion, you did not understand it, but the kingdom, and when you heard of the sea, you did not understand the sea, but the world, and so on, so it is now. Who is this Ancient of Days? He was like a certain old man. God takes upon Himself images at the request of the circumstances under which He appears, and (here) shows that judgment should be entrusted to the elders. When you hear about the throne, you will not understand the seat; how can one understand someone ordinary by sitting, when in one place He appears armed (Wis. 5:18), in another — bloodied (Isaiah 63:3)? Here the prophet wants to express that the time of judgment has come. His garment was as white as snow. Why? Because the time has come not only for judgment, but also for retribution; because everyone needs to stand before Him; for My judgment, as the prophet says, is like the rising light (Hosea 6:5). Then the altars were set up. Are not the thrones of which Christ says: "Ye also shall sit on twelve thrones" (Matt. 19:28)? And the hair of His head is like a pure wave. Fire did not destroy anything, it was harmless. Do you see here the image of the state and the people? The throne was terrible, because it had a lot of fire, and not just fire, but like a flame of fire. Lest you think that it is used for comparison, the prophet also indicated its effect, saying that it was not mere fire, but like a flame of fire. A river of fire went out and passed before Him; thousands of thousands served Him, and thousands of thousands stood before Him, the judges sat down, that is, He came to execute judgment. And the books opened. What do you say? Does God have need of books, Who knew all things before he was (Dan. 13:42), made their hearts one by one, and delves into all their works (Psalm 32:15)? No, this is said in relation to the custom of the rulers, just as we use records. As with us the records are read not only so that the ruler may know the matter, but so that the justice of the judgment may be seen, so it is here: although the righteous Judge knows, he opens the books. For what? What do you mean? And why does he not speak of honors? He said, "Thrones were set up, as a sign that God had also ordained honors; but since we did not obey, He appointed punishment and torment. Did not Christ make such an appeal to us? From that time, says the Evangelist, Jesus began to preach and say: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). Do not understand here, beloved, anything bodily, and do not think that the infinite God is encompassed by a throne. If in His hand are all the ends of the earth (Psalm 94:4), if He weighed the mountains in the balances, if the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are counted as a speck of dust in the scales, as He Himself says (Isaiah 40:12,15), then what place can encompass Him all? No, He was not encompassed by a throne. But if He had a garment, how did the fire not destroy it? What is the name of the Ancient of Days He Who exists before all ages? How can He be old? And Thou, saith the Psalmist, art the same (Psalm 101:28). How can He be old? And Thy years, it is said, shall not fail (Psalm 101:28). How could the Infinite and the Incorporeal have clothes? And to His greatness, says the Psalmist, there is no end (Psalm 144:3); and again: "If I ascend into heaven, Thou art there, and if I descend into hell, Thou art there" (Psalm 138:8). How was He clothed in human clothing and fire did not destroy it? However, the prophet could see many other things. How did the hair not burn in the fire? Wherefore the prophet added, His throne is like a flame of fire. And the books were opened, so that whoever is condemned is condemned through his own fault. I saw then that because of the haughty words that the horn spoke, the beast was slain in my eyes, and his body was broken (v. 11) because of his arrogance, although Alexander worshipped God.  And it was given over to be burned by fire. And from the rest of the beasts their power was taken away, and the continuation of life was given to them only for a time and a time, v. 12. Although their power ended, life remained. The beast was slain in my sight, and his body was broken, and given over to be burned with fire. This expresses complete destruction. I saw in the night visions, behold, one as the Son of man walked with the clouds of heaven (v. 13). Who doesn't know this? Who can fail to see this? Is it not the same, O Jew, says Peter or Paul? He came to the Ancient of Days and was brought to Him. From this it can be seen that they have equal honor.  He was brought to Him, v. 18. In order that you, when you see that the kingdom is given to Him, do not understand the word, "Humanly given," the prophet says, "With the clouds of heaven." By the clouds of the Scriptures you usually designate the heavens. And to Him was given power, glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and tongues should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed, v. 14. What, tell me, could be clearer than this? All nations, he says, nations and tongues served Him. See how the prophet embraced all the nations of the world. See how (the Son of man) also received the power of judgment. And lest you think that this is only for a time, he says, His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed, but stands and remains. But if you do not believe this, then be convinced by your works. Do you see His equality with the Father? Since He appeared after the Father, the prophet says that He came with the clouds. And that He was before is evident from the fact that He comes with clouds. And He was given authority, that is, the authority that He had. That all peoples, nations, and tongues may serve Him. He had power before and then he took the same power that he had. In what sense you understand the hair of the Father and so on, understand this also. When you hear, "Dana," and the like, think not of the Son anything human or base. As when you see the Ancient of Days, you do not understand the elder, so understand the rest. Do not seek clarity in prophecies, where there are shadows and divination, just as in lightning you do not seek constant light, but are content with the fact that it only shines. My spirit trembled in me, Daniel, in my body, and the visions of my head troubled me, v. 15. Of course, he was embarrassed by what he was contemplating. He was the first and alone to see the Father and the Son, as if in a vision. What can the Jews say to this? Since the impending coming of the Son was already near, the wondrous visions are just. I went to one of those who stood by, and asked him the true meaning of all this, and he spoke to me, and explained to me the meaning of what he had said, v. 16. He asks what he has seen means, and learns about the Antichrist, and learns about the kingdom that has no end.  These, he says, are great beasts, of which there are four, signify that four kings will rise from the earth. Then the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess the kingdom forever and ever. Then I desired an exact explanation of the fourth beast, which was different from all and very terrible, with teeth of iron and claws of brass, devouring and crushing, and trampling the remnants under foot, and of the ten horns which were on his head, and of the other that came out again, before which three fell out, the same horn which had eyes and mouth; who speak haughtily, and who in appearance has become greater than the rest. I saw this horn wage war with the saints, and prevail over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to take possession of the kingdom. Of this he said, "The fourth beast, the fourth kingdom will be on the earth, different from all kingdoms, which will devour the whole earth, trampling it down, and crushing it. And the ten horns signify that ten kings will arise from this kingdom, and after them there will arise another, different from the former, and will humiliate the three kings, and will speak words against the Most High, and oppress the saints of the Most High; He will even dream of abolishing the feast times and the law from them, and they will be delivered into his hand until a time, and times, and half a time. Then the judges will sit down and take away from him the power to destroy and destroy to the end. And the kingdom and the royal power and majesty in all the heavens will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey him. Here is the end of the word. I, Daniel, was greatly troubled by my thoughts, and my face was changed on me; but I have kept the word in my heart (vv. 17-28). Why didn't you, O man, say this word? Because this did not apply to the Jews in the least; on the contrary, in words God communicated it secretly, but preserved it in the heart of the prophet. So also at the end he says, "These words are hidden and sealed until the time of the end" (Dan. 12:9), and he wishes that they should remain obscure. Christ Himself does the same when He speaks in parables. See how the prophet exalts this kingdom in every way, so that you do not understand anything human. People, even if they have mastered the whole earth, cannot (possess) always and for an infinite time. Let no one tell me that the prophet means a short time here. What is the meaning of the words, "This kingdom shall not be handed over to another people" (Dan. 2:44)? Look at the things that were in the time of Darius and the Macedonians. Who was it for? For the Jews. Wherefore Alexander, as they say, bowed down to the temple when he saw the book of Daniel, and the pagans marveled at the power of his prediction. No one spoke about it, except this one prophet.

Chapter 8.

In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me before. And I saw in a vision, and when I saw, I was in Shushan the throne city in the province of Elam, and I saw in a vision, as if I were by the river Ulai. I lifted up my eyes, and saw, behold, a ram was standing by the river; he has two horns, and the horns are high, but one is higher than the other, and the highest rose afterwards. I saw this ram butting to the west, and to the north, and to the south, and no beast could stand against it, and no one could save from it; he did what he wanted, and boasted himself. I looked at it attentively, and behold, from the west a goat walked over the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground; This goat had a prominent horn between its eyes. He went against the ram with horns, which I saw standing by the river, and rushed at him in his great rage. And I saw how he approached the ram, and was angry with him, and smote the ram, and broke both his horns; And the ram was not strong enough to stand against him, and he threw him to the ground, and trampled him down, and there was no one to save the ram from him. Then the goat became exceedingly magnified; but when it became stronger, the great horn was broken, and in its place came four turned to the four winds of heaven. From one of them came out a small horn, which grew exceedingly to the south and to the east, and to the beautiful country, and ascended to the army of heaven, and cast down to the earth a part of this host and the stars, and trampled them down, and even ascended against the leader of this army, and the daily sacrifice was taken away from him, and the place of his holiness was desecrated. And the army was betrayed together with the daily sacrifice for wickedness, and he, casting the truth to the ground, acted and succeeded. And I heard a certain saint speaking, and this saint said to someone who asked, "How long will this vision of the daily sacrifice and of the devastating wickedness last, when holiness and the host shall be trampled underfoot?" and then the sanctuary will be cleansed." And it came to pass, that when I, Daniel, saw this vision, and sought the meaning of it, behold, he stood before me as the form of a man. And I heard from the midst of Ulai a man's voice, which called and said, "Gabriel! And he came to the place where I stood, and when he came, I was terrified, and fell on my face; And he said to me, Know, son of man, that the vision is to the end of time, and as he spoke to me, I lay senseless with my face on the ground. But he touched me, and set me in my place, and said, Behold, I reveal unto thee what shall be in the last days of wrath; for it refers to the end of a certain time. The ram that you saw with two horns is the kings of the Medes and the kings of Persia. And the shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the great horn that is between his eyes is its first king; He was broken, and in his place came forth four others: these are the four kingdoms that will arise out of this people, but not with their power. But at the end of their kingdom, when the apostates have fulfilled the measure of their iniquities, there will arise a king who is insolent and skilled in deceit; and his strength shall be strengthened, though not by his power, and he shall wrought wonderful desolation, and shall succeed, and act, and destroy the mighty and the holy people, and with his mind and deceit shall prosper in his hand, and in his heart he shall be exalted, and in the midst of the world he shall destroy many, and he shall rise up against the Lord of lords, but he shall be crushed, not by his hand. But the vision of the evening and the morning, of which it is spoken, is true; but hide this vision, for it belongs to distant times" (vv. 1-26).   The voice of man, which called and said, it is said, Gabriel! Explain this vision to him. Look at the duties of angels and archangels. Is there another great force? And he came, says the prophet, to the place where I stood, and when he came, I was terrified and fell on my face. Where are those who speak evil of the angels? The angel did nothing of his own. Do you see that they are also divided into many ranks and types? In the first vision, the prophet says: "He went up to one of those who were waiting and asked" (Dan. 7:16); But this is not the case. And I heard a certain saint speaking; asks the other, as if not knowing, so that Daniel may know. And he said, he says. And at the end of their kingdom, when the apostates have fulfilled the measure of their iniquities, there will arise a king who is insolent and skilled in deceit. See how the prophet shows the Jews that they are to blame; but he does not state this plainly, lest they intentionally remain evil: for if they remained so when nothing of the kind was said, how much more would they remain if it had been clearly expressed; also that you may know that the Spirit has power everywhere, that God foresees all things, and that He, although He knew of their future sins, nevertheless brought them out (from captivity). And note that if he had indicated the years, the time would have seemed short, so he counts the days in order to frighten them with a multitude of them, and moreover he counts not only the days, but also the nights. He dwells at length on the sad events of Antiochus, in order to frighten at least in this way. And his strength will be strengthened, that is, God could have stopped him, but He allowed him to do so for the sins of the Jews, and not just for their sins, but because the measure was fulfilled. Is there any measure of sins? For the measure of iniquity, says God, the Amorites have not yet been filled (Gen. 15:16). And note: it is no longer the burning that is predicted, but individual cases of murder. Since some will be kinder and better than their fathers, the punishment is less. This is said so that they, being proud of the victories that took place under Zerubbabel, would not become careless. And see how he does not indicate anything bright after the times of Antiochus, but speaks only of the cessation of the calamities and of the time that embraces them. What then? Did he not foretell of this captivity? He predicted, but it is not very clear. That is why Christ also said: "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken through the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place" (Matt. 24:15). Disasters will come, he says, but as if he had not foretold. However, some say that this was not rightly predicted, since this captivity did not have a definite time. A tomb with evildoers was assigned to Him, says the prophet, but He was buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9). But hide this vision, for it belongs to remote times, i.e., preserve it, so that it does not become distorted by long time. See how God has always spared the Jews. They came into Egypt and became evil; He did not depart from them, but led them out into the wilderness. They remained in wickedness; He did not depart from them, but led them into the promised land. Under Antiochus he brought them out again, and again they remained the same. In Christ's time they were the same again; but even then He did not depart from them, but constantly cares for them. As the natural qualities given to us by nature do not leave us, no matter what happens, so is God; or rather, they may leave us, but God never forsakes His providence and care. Will a woman forget her suckling child, He says, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? but if she also had forgotten, I would not forget you (Isaiah 49:15). Just as a mother does not look at whether her children are good, but fulfills the law of nature, so, and even more, God is constantly careful, never forsook, always acts in the same measure. And I, Daniel, was faint, and was sick for several days; then he got up and began to attend to the king's affairs; I was amazed at this vision, and did not understand it, v. 27. Why did he become exhausted? Perhaps from sorrow at the contemplation of future calamities, while the present ones have not ended. And yet, he says, so many disasters! Or: I have not yet reconciled God to them, and they themselves are again arming Him against themselves.  And then he got up and began to engage in royal affairs, i.e. he served. And I was amazed at this vision, and did not understand it. Sorrow is especially strong when it is impossible to share it with anyone; or because they were wicked. And he began to engage in the king's affairs, that is, I did not omit anything, but did my own business.

Chapter 9.

In the first year of Darius, the son of Assyria, of the family of the Medes, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldees, in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, discerned from the books the number of years of which the word of the Lord was to Jeremiah the prophet, that seventy years would be fulfilled over the desolation of Jerusalem. And I turned my face to the Lord God with prayer and supplication, in fasting and sackcloth and ashes (vv. 1-3). This is Darius the Mede. By the first year the prophet does not mean the first year of his reign, since he did not say, in the first year of his reign, but in the first year of his reign, so that it may also be called the first year in which, as king, he may perhaps have taken captive the adherents of Belshazzar. I, Daniel, calculated from the books the number of years, that is, the time of the murder of Belshazzar, and pondered. See how he did not dare to approach the Lord before a certain time. Three youths also entered the furnaces; But in the ditch he did not do so. What then? Did they do badly, or did he? Neither they nor he. They expressed their love, and he expressed their understanding of the time they were experiencing. And so, did he not read the prophecies with understanding? I think that he does not count from the capture of the city, but perhaps from the captivity of Israel; wars can justly be called the desolation of Jerusalem. Note that here too there is a sevenfold number. As before he changed four hundred and thirty years (Exodus 12:40) into two hundred and fifteen, so now, I think, it is reduced. Of whom was the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, that seventy years shall be fulfilled over the desolation of Jerusalem. And I turned my face to the Lord God with prayer and supplication, in fasting and sackcloth and ashes. Look at his piety. And I turned my face, he says, that is, before, to the point of humiliation, I was ashamed, but now I turned my face, in other words, I dared. If he had asked for what was due, he would not have said, "I have turned my face, as if the matter were connected with danger." But if he cares so much for others, if, enjoying such favor with God and with the king, he does not delight in it in the least, but grieves more than those who are in need, as if he himself were exposed to calamities, then how can he not be properly amazed? See how, even after these calamities, he does not dare to approach God until he sees that the time has been fulfilled. What will happen to us unfortunate? What say thou, Daniel? You are among good things, you enjoy honor from God and from people; Why do you care about others? Moses did the same. And what does he say? In fasting and sackcloth and ashes he asked for what was due. Why, if it was due? Because he feared that the Jews would be unworthy of this. There is no need for God; It is above the laws. And I turned my face to the Lord God, he said, with prayer and supplication. First of all, he asks for this. Will God, he says, allow me to pray for them? For he heard that it was said to Jeremiah, "Thou shalt not pray for this people, nor offer up prayers or petitions for them" (Jeremiah 7:16). In spite of the fact that the captivity, the coming of the time, his own virtue, and his innumerable sufferings were intercessors for him, he does not feel courage in himself, but sprinkles himself with ashes and covers himself with sackcloth, and thus prays. What will we, the careless, do? We must imitate him. In order that no one may say that the other prophets did this out of poverty, he who has been most honored humbles himself the most. He came from a royal family and enjoyed so many blessings. Thus it is necessary to mourn one's own misfortunes; so one should feel sorry for one's neighbors; Such is the compassion of the prophets. See how he was especially distinguished by this. Moses said, "Forgive them their sin, and if not, blot me also out of Thy book" (Exodus 32:32). And Daniel was constantly in fasting and tears. And Paul was constantly in tears and ready to go to hell itself. None of them enjoyed their own blessings; but as the eye in the body, though beautiful, cannot feel its beauty when the feet are damaged and rotting, so it was with them. What is the ashes for? It reminded him of his own nature. What is sackcloth for? It humbles with its coarseness. What is fasting for? And it reminds us of what happened in paradise. This is the custom (of the pious): they seek that which causes sorrow. I am not worthy, he says, of land, or clothing, or other gifts of nature, but I deserve the most grievous punishment, although I am clothed in Persian cloth and wear a Persian tiara. And what else does he say? Let us listen to his confession. And I prayed to the Lord my God, v. 4. Look at his love for the Lord. To my God, he says. The one whom he did not dare to ask, he calls his God. And while I was still speaking, and praying, and confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel, and I made my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen before in the vision, quickly flew in, touched me about the time of the evening sacrifice and admonished me, spoke to me and said: "Daniel! now I have come down to teach you understanding. At the beginning of thy supplication a word went forth, and I have come to declare it unto thee, for thou art a man of desires; Therefore give heed to the word, and understand the vision (vv. 20-23). If the Jews say to us, Why is it that in the time of Isaiah, when the son of Uzziah feared war and the invasion of two kings, the prophet went out and gave them a sign, which was to be fulfilled many years later? — then we also say to them: Why, when Daniel prayed for the return and wanted to hear something about it, did the angel who came not announce anything about it, but pointed out the works that were to be done after a long time? As there the question is fully resolved, so it is here. The restoration of the city is made very certain when it is announced that it will be taken again. What then? Did He not wish to grieve the prophet by doing this? No, He wanted to inspire greater fear in the Jews. And not once or twice, but many times, He does this, because the prosperity that lies ahead could easily fill their souls with pride, since the city was not only to be rebuilt, but also built by the hands of the barbarians, the very hands of the barbarians who destroyed it. Isaiah also speaks of this, showing that God is omnipotent, that He can do and change everything (Isaiah 49:17). The Jews were afterwards restored the blessings of their fatherland, and granted brilliant and frequent victories, of which the prophets proclaim, e.g., Ezekiel says that the weapons of those who shall be taken captive shall be burned for seven years (Ezekiel 39:9), and others have often said the same; In order that they, being proud of this, should not become worse than before, God, by the fear of prediction and the repeated repetition of the same thing, as it were, makes them unavoidably obliged not to be corrupted, even if they wish. Therefore He did not reveal time clearly; And what was the use of discovering it? And notice, when is the prophecy reported? On their very return, when their circumstances were favorable and flourishing. Moses, intending to lead them into the promised land, at the very moment of receiving the blessings, foretells of the coming calamities, saying: "I bear witness to you today in heaven and earth" (Deuteronomy 4:26): to the insensibility that comes from prosperity, he opposes the threat of punishment, — so Daniel restrains them with fear. That is why Zechariah dwells on this at length and speaks about it because there is nothing less useful for human nature than prosperity and tranquility. While I was still praying, he said, the man Gabriel, who used to appear to him, whom I had seen before in a vision, quickly flew in and touched me about the time of the evening sacrifice, either so that he would not be frightened by the vision, or in order that he might understand what was said. Since it could not be clearly revealed in the presence of others, he touches it. And he admonished me, he said, he spoke to me, and said, Daniel! now I have come down to teach you understanding. At the beginning of thy supplication a word went forth, and I have come to declare it unto thee, for thou art a man of desires; Therefore, heed the word and understand the vision. Consider, he says, what will be said. When someone asks for one thing and hears about another, then great attention is needed. And the people will return, and the streets and walls will be built, v. 25. Some understand here the wall which Agrippa built. Therefore know and understand: from the time when the command for the rebuilding of Jerusalem is issued, until Christ the Lord, there are seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; and the people will return, and the streets and walls will be built, but in difficult times. And at the end of sixty-two weeks Christ shall be put to death, and shall not be; but the city and the sanctuary will be destroyed by the people of the leader who is coming, and the end thereof will be like a flood, and there will be desolation until the end of the war. And one week shall confirm the covenant for many, and in the middle of the week the sacrifice and the offering shall cease, and the abomination of desolation shall be upon the wing of the sanctuary, and the final predestined destruction shall come upon the destroyer" (vv. 25-27). See how amazingly he speaks of disasters! And one week shall confirm the covenant for many, and in the middle of the week the sacrifice and offering shall cease, and on the wing of the sanctuary shall be the abomination of desolation, and the final predestined destruction shall come upon the desolator, v. 27. See how he ended his speech with sorrowful events, but he did not speak clearly about the favorable ones, the latter are indicated in the words: "He will confirm the covenant for many one week; but he speaks often and much about sorrowful things. And the abomination of desolation, i.e., Adrian's. Zechariah speaks more clearly about this; He also speaks of favorable circumstances for those who remain. And in Egypt the Jews lived so many years, and yet they were not exterminated; And now you no longer expect this (their salvation)! Look at other circumstances as well. The Jews do not enter their city as they once did, and who can even speak of their return? No one.

Chapter 10.