Dan. xi. 37: “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all."

The motive of Antiochus in this great persecution will not really be to spread the worship of his fathers, but to gratify his own vanity. Conceit will be the chief feature of his character. "And thus he that a little afore thought he might command the waves of the sea (so proud was he beyond the condition of man) and weigh the high mountains in a balance, was now cast on the ground." 2 Macc. ix. 8.

Ver. 38: "But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: (Mahuzzim, or Gods protectors*): and a God whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things."

Antiochus commanded the temple at Jerusalem to be called the temple of Jupiter Olympius,† and the one at Gerizim, the temple of Jupiter the protector of strangers, or Xenius.

Ver. 39: "Thus shall he do in the most strongholds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain."

1 Macc. ii. 15: "The king's officers, such as compelled the people to revolt, came into the city Modin, to make them sacrifice." iii. 45: "The sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold." iii.

* According to Bishop Newton, the saints and angels worshiped by the Greek and Latin churches.

† Baalsemen summus Phonicum deus, quem Græci appellant Air Oruption, quasi translato nomine. Id verum esse apparet ex Dii historia Phœni, ubi τε Ολυμπια Διος το ἱερον Tyri dicitur. Item ex Philone Byblio in versione Sanchoniathonis, "hunc enim solum Deum existimabant cœli dominum, Beelsemen eum appellantes, qui est Phoenicibus Saturnus, Jupiter vero Græcis." Rectè Macedonibus ignotum, quia neque nomine isto Beelsemen, neque eo habitu et potestate quisquam erat in Græcis Deus.-Grot. Annot.

32-36. "So he left Lysias.... that he should place strangers in all their (the Jews') quarters, and divide their land by lot."

Dan. xi. 40: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the South push at him and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow, and pass over. 41: He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42: He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43: But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps."

Here is a difficulty; because we have no account of any further expedition of Antiochus into Egypt. Porphyry, indeed, said that he invaded Egypt again in the last year of his reign, and is not contradicted by his opponent Jerome; but he is not supported by any histories extant of Antiochus. The description, however, agrees very well with the conquests in Egypt recorded in Maccabees. We must suppose, either that the writer of the prophecy has, by a slip of memory, misplaced these transactions in Egypt, which it was very easy to do even for one living near the times, since Antiochus made several expeditions into Egypt during his oppressions of the Jews; or, that the historians have not accurately distinguished the dates of the expeditions. It is clear that the author of the first book of Maccabees only intended to allude briefly, and once for all, to the conquests in Egypt; and the author of the second book seems hardly more careful on this point. The difficulty, however, does not seem to be sufficient to invalidate the supposition that the king of the north is still Antiochus.*

* According to Bishop Newton, the king of the North means the Turks, and the king of the South the Saracens. Diss. xvii. pt. 2.

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Dan. xi. 44: "But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away with many."

The Parthians in the east, and Armenia in the north, revolted; Antiochus proceeded with a large army to subdue them."

Ver. 45: "And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palaces (aphedno) between the seas in the glorious holy mountain: yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him."

According to Theodotion, "He shall fix his tent in Aphedano, between the seas:" which agrees with the versions of Porphyry, Jerome, Houbigant, &c. The 2d book of Maccabees says that Antiochus died of a disease in the mountains, when journeying from Ecbatana. According to Polybius, he was forced to put in at a town called Tabæ, lying in the mountains of Paratæcene, in the confines of Persia and Babylonia. Though several particulars remain thus unexplained, the verse applies in the main to Antiochus.

Dan. xii. 1: “ And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."

The protection of Michael, the tutelary angel of Israel, will be seen in the deliverance effected by Judas Maccabæus. But even after the death of Epiphanes, the Jews will be for several years miserably harassed before their liberty be fully established. 2 Macc. x. 10: "Now will we declare the acts of Antiochus Eupator, who was the son of this wicked man (Epiphanes), gathering briefly the calamities of the wars." 1 Macc. ix. 27: "So was there great affliction in Israel, the like whereof was not since the time that a prophet was not seen amongst them."

* Prid. Connect., pt. ii. book 3.

Dan. xii. 2: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3: And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever."

In all ages, some men have been willing to believe the end of the world and the resurrection at hand. The writer of this prophecy ventures to predict that the deliverance of his nation will be followed by a resurrection of the dead. He thereby endeavours to console the friends of those Jews who had died faithful to the law, and to alarm the apostates. The resurrection of the dead is thus spoken of, 2 Macc. xii. 43-45: "Judas sent to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in that he was mindful of the resurrection (for if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead); and also in that he perceived that there was great favour laid up for those that died godly. (It was an holy and good thought.)"

Ver. 4: "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 5: Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 6: And one said to the man

clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7: And I heard the man which was clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand, and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever, that it shall be for a time, times, and a half (or part); and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished."

Commentators agree that a time means a year, and therefore that a time, times, and a half, are three years and a half. Counting from the setting up of the idol altar, 25th Casleu, 145, to the cleansing of the sanctuary, there were exactly three years. Antiochus died soon after; but we have not the exact date of his death.

The

additional half year would therefore seem to be sufficient to reach to the end, which was supposed to be approaching.

Ver. 8: "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9: And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10: Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”

2 Macc. vi. 12: "Now I beseech those that read this book, that they be not discouraged for these calamities; but that they judge these punishments not to be for destruction, but for a chastening of our nation."

Ver. 11: "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days."

This is nearly a repetition of the seventh verse; for 1290 days are 3 years and 195 days.* It seems likely that these 1290 days are calculated to the death of Antiochus, since the next verse mentions 45 additional days, which appear to be intended to reach to the "end of the wonders." The phrase time, times, and a half (or part), might very well be used to express 1335 days, or 3 years and 240 days.

Ver. 12: "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days."

Since we have not the exact dates, it is impossible to ascertain whether the writer alludes to a real occurrence.

* The Jews used the lunar year of twelve lunar months, of twenty-nine days and a half each, and added the intercalary days every two or three years. But in reckoning many years together, they appear to have counted by solar years of 365 days each. See Sir I. Newton on the Prophecies; Michaelis on Seventy Weeks, pp. 199, 203. According to Africanus, the Jews added three intercalary months at the end of every eight years.Hieron. in Dan. ix.