Daniel

The Dream Comes True (4:28-37). One year later, Nebuchadnezzar's dream was fulfilled. As he proudly looked about the great city of Babylon, a voice from heaven announced to him that he was about to be humbled. He began acting like an animal, and his hair and nails grew exceedingly long. Finally, God restored his sanity, causing Nebuchadnezzar to praise Him publicly and warn others of the consequences of pride.

Babylon Falls (5:1-31). The events of chapter 5 occurred in 539 b.c., twenty-three years after Nebuchadnezzar's death. Belshazzar was now ruling Babylon in the absence of his father, Nabonidus (see introduction).

A Mysterious Message on a Wall (5:1-12). Belshazzar held a great banquet for all his nobles and their wives. He ordered that wine be served in the golden and silver goblets Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Lord's temple in Jerusalem years before. While Belshazzar and his guests drank from the goblets, a hand appeared in thin air and wrote a mysterious message on one of the palace walls. The frightened king sent for his wise men and diviners and decreed that whoever was able to interpret the message would be elevated to third in the kingdom. (Technically speaking Nabonidus was still the king, with Belshazzar being his vice-regent.) When they were unable to decipher the message, the queen (or queen mother) reminded Belshazzar of Daniel, who years before had gained a reputation as a skillful interpreter of dreams and riddles.

Daniel Interprets the Message (5:13-31). When summoned by the king, Daniel agreed to interpret the writing, though he declined the king's gifts. Before interpreting the message, however, he reminded Belshazzar of how God had humbled proud Nebuchadnezzar. He also denounced the king for his arrogance and for his disrespect for the temple vessels. Finally, Daniel turned to the cryptic message, which read, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin." He interpreted the message as being an ominous warning of impending judgment on Belshazzar's kingdom. "Mene," meaning mina (fifty shekels), sounds like a related word meaning numbered. Belshazzar's days were numbered and his reign about to come to an end. In similar fashion "tekel," meaning shekel, was a play on a related word meaning weighed. Belshazzar had been weighed like a shekel on the scales of divine justice and had been found lacking. "Parsin," meaning half-shekels (in 5:28 the singular form "peres" is used) was taken as a play on a related word meaning divided. Furthermore, it sounds like Persian. Belshazzar's kingdom would be divided between the Medes and Persians. This prophecy of Belshazzar's demise was fulfilled that very night.

Daniel Delivered (6:1-28). Daniel Defies the King's Decree (6:1-15). Daniel continued to prosper under Persian rule. Darius the Mede made him one of three administrators over the 120 districts within his jurisdiction. Daniel was so successful that he aroused the jealousy of other administrators and officials. Knowing that Daniel was loyal to his God, they devised a plot by which they hoped to have him executed for treason. Appealing to Darius's vanity, they convinced the king to issue a decree commanding his subjects to worship him exclusively for one month. Violators would be thrown to the lions. When Daniel defied the decree and openly prayed to the Lord, the conspirators reported him to the king. Realizing he had been tricked, Darius tried to absolve Daniel of guilt; but Daniel's enemies reminded the king that royal decrees could not be altered.

Daniel in the Lion's Den (6:16-28). Darius had no other alternative than to throw Daniel to the lions. A stone was placed over the entrance to the den, and the king sealed it with his own ring so that it might not be disturbed. After a long, restless night Darius returned to the den in the morning. To his amazement Daniel was still alive. Daniel explained that the Lord had miraculously preserved him by closing the lions' mouths. The king ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den and his accusers thrown in. Darius then issued an official statement praising Daniel's God as the sovereign Lord of the universe, who miraculously delivers His servants.

Four Beasts (7:1-28). The vision recorded in this chapter occurred in Belshazzar's first year of coregency (about 556-553 b.c.), prior to the events recorded in chapters 5-6.

Daniel Reports the Vision (7:1-14). Daniel saw four beasts emerge in succession from the churning sea. The first resembled a lion but also had the wings of an eagle. As Daniel watched, the creature's wings were torn off, and it stood on two feet like a human. It also was given a heart like that of a person. The second beast resembled a bear with three ribs in its mouth. The third beast looked like a leopard with four wings and four heads. The fourth beast, the most terrifying of all, had iron teeth with which it ripped its victims to bits. It also possessed ten horns, three of which were uprooted before another horn that sprouted up among them. This other horn had human eyes and spoke arrogant words.

In this vision Daniel also saw God, called the "Ancient of Days," seated on His throne with thousands of His servants attending Him. His clothing and hair were white, and His throne, a flame of fire. Books were opened as God prepared to sit in judgment on the fourth beast. The beast, along with its boastful little horn, were cast into the fire and destroyed. A human figure, called "one like a son of man," then appeared in the clouds and approached the divine throne, where he was granted authority to rule the world.

The Interpretation of the Vision (7:15-28). One of the heavenly attendants explained the significance of the vision to Daniel. The four beasts, like the statue seen in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Dan. 2), represented four successive empires that would rule the earth. The ten horns of the fourth beast, which was of particular interest to Daniel, represented ten kings who would arise from the fourth empire. The little horn symbolized another ruler, who would supplant three of the ten. This little horn would oppose God and persecute His people for a specified period of time (perhaps three and a half years; compare "a time, times and half a time," 7:25). After this the Lord would destroy this ruler and establish His kingdom.

As in chapter 2, interpreters differ about the identification of the four kingdoms. On analogy with chapter 2, the lion probably represents Babylon. The bear is often associated with the Medo-Persian Empire, with the three ribs understood as symbols of its three major victims, Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt. The leopard may very well represent Greece, its four heads reflecting the fourfold division of Alexander's kingdom after his death (8:8,21-22). The final beast may represent Rome, with its ten horns symbolizing a later manifestation of this empire prior to the coming of God's kingdom. In this case the little horn may be equated with the New Testament figure of the Antichrist. However, as with chapter 2, others identify the successive kingdoms as Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece, with the little horn being associated with Antiochus Epiphanes (see Dan. 8; 11).

The identification of the "one like a son of man" has also occasioned much debate. Many see the title as messianic. Others understand the figure to represent humanity, God's chosen people, or angelic beings (with Michael sometimes being specified as the angel in view).

A Ram and Goat (8:1-27). This vision, like that of chapter 7, came during the reign of Belshazzar.

Daniel Reports the Vision (8:1-14). Daniel saw a vision of a ram with two horns of unequal length, the longer of which grew up after the other. The ram charged westward, northward, and southward, conquering all who opposed it. However, a goat with a long horn then came from the west, shattered the ram's two horns, and trampled the ram into the ground. None could stand before the goat, but at the height of his power his horn was broken and replaced by four small horns. From one of these horns grew another horn that became increasingly strong and extended its power southward and eastward. It challenged the hosts of heaven, oppressed God's people, and disrupted the sacrifices in the Lord's temple.

The Interpretation of the Vision (8:15-27). The angel Gabriel revealed the interpretation of the vision to Daniel. The two-horned ram represented the Medo-Persian empire, and the goat, the Greek empire (of Alexander). The four horns reflected the fourfold division of Alexander's empire following his untimely death. The little horn represented Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian ruler (about 175-164 b.c.) who opposed God's people and desecrated the temple.

Seventy Sevens (9:1-27). Daniel's Intercessory Prayer (9:1-19). In 539-538 b.c., immediately after the Persian conquest of Babylon, Daniel prayed to the Lord on behalf of exiled Israel. Daniel realized that the seventy-year period of Judah's desolation prophesied in Jeremiah 25:11-12 was soon approaching its end. (The prophecy is dated to 605 b.c. [see Jer. 25:1], the year when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem for the first time and carried away the first group of exiles to Babylon. If one assumes that the seventy-year period began in that year, then it would be over in 535 b.c.)

Addressing God as Israel's faithful covenant Lord, Daniel confessed the nation's sinful and rebellious condition and acknowledged that they had justly suffered the covenant curses threatened by Moses. He then asked the Lord to forgive the nation's sins and once again look with favor on desolate Jerusalem.

Gabriel Reveals and Interprets the Vision (9:20-27). While Daniel prayed, Gabriel appeared to him and announced that "seventy sevens" (490 years according to many) were decreed for Israel and Jerusalem, after which time atonement would be made for their sins. He then explained the chronology of these "seventy sevens." Sixty-nine sevens would separate the time of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah ("Anointed One"). Sometime after this the Messiah would be "cut off" and the city destroyed by the "people of the ruler who will come." During the seventieth seven this ruler would make a covenant with God's people, which he would then violate halfway through the period.

Understandably this somewhat cryptic vision poses several difficulties and has been interpreted in a variety of ways. Some view the numbers as symbolic, while others take them quite literally and produce elaborate mathematical explanations of their fulfillment. Among the latter, some even contend that this prophecy pinpoints the date of Christ's crucifixion.

Gabriel's Appearance (10:1-12:13). Daniel's Vision of the Angel (10:1-11:1). In 536 b.c. Daniel received his final vision. While standing by the Tigris River, he saw a radiant angelic being whose voice thundered. Totally overwhelmed by the vision, Daniel fell into a deep trance. The angel told Daniel to stand up and encouraged him not to fear. He then explained that he had been delayed in coming by the "prince of Persia," apparently a reference to an angel who exercised jurisdiction over the nation Persia. After a three-week struggle, Michael intervened, allowing this angel to come to Daniel. He would soon be off again to fight against the prince of Persia, but before leaving he revealed to Daniel certain future events.

The Angel Outlines Future Events (11:2-12:4). Daniel 11:2-35 outlines the course of Palestinian history from Daniel's time to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. Verse 2 refers to the four Persian rulers who would succeed Cyrus: Cambyses (530-522 b.c.), Pseudo-Smerdis (522), Darius I (522-486), and Xerxes (486-465). It alludes to Xerxes' campaign against Greece. Verses 3-4 then refer to Alexander the Great (336-323) and the division of his kingdom. Verses 5-20 outline the relationship between the Seleucids ("the king of the North"), who ruled Syria, and the Ptolemies ("the king of the South"), who ruled Egypt during the period 321-175. Verses 21-35 focus on the career of Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164), mentioning among other things his Egyptian campaigns and mistreatment of the Jews. Verses 32-35 anticipate the Maccabean revolt against Antiochus.

Most of the details of verses 36-45 do not correspond to Antiochus's career. For example, Antiochus died in Persia, not Palestine (see v. 45). Consequently, some scholars label these verses as unfulfilled "prophecy" and understand the preceding verses (vv. 1-35) as "prophecy" after the fact (see introduction). Others understand a switch in perspective beginning in verse 36. The description merges into a portrayal of the Antichrist, whose hostility to God and His people was foreshadowed in the career of Antiochus.

The final verses of this section (12:1-4) anticipate a time of crisis for Israel in which Michael, the nation's guardian angel, would intervene on their behalf. Reference is made to a general resurrection of the righteous and evil.

Daniel's Final Vision and Instructions (12:4-13). The angel instructed Daniel to seal up the revelation until the end times. Daniel then saw two other angelic beings standing by the river, both of whom were clothed in linen. One asked how long it would be before the revelation was fulfilled. The other responded that "a time, times, and a half a time" (probably three and a half years) would pass between the breaking of Israel's power and the fulfillment of the vision. Verse 11 apparently gives a more exact measurement of this period (1,290 days). The significance of the figure given in verse 12 (1,335 days) is unclear. In conjunction with verse 11, it implies that there would be an additional forty-five-day period before the complete fulfillment of the vision.

Theological and Ethical Significance. Daniel stresses God's sovereignty over world history. History unfolds as part of God's plans and is moving toward God's predetermined goals. Earthly des-pots wield their cruel power for only a short time. God is in control, and He has set an end to the time His people have to suffer. God's goals for human history include the deliverance of His people from oppression, the resurrection, judgment, and the establishment of His everlasting kingdom. Daniel thus calls God's people of every time to perseverance and hope. Like Daniel and his friends, today's believers are tempted to compromise their values and worship that which is not God. Daniel calls Christians to live out their faith in a hostile world whatever the cost.

Archer, G. L., Jr. "Daniel." The Expositor's Bible Commentary. Vol. 7. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985.

Baldwin, J. G. Daniel. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1978.

Miller, Stephen. Daniel. New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994.

Wood, L. A Commentary on Daniel. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973.

Young, E. J. The Prophecy of Daniel. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949.