{"id":21959,"date":"2022-09-24T09:16:27","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T14:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-daniel-715\/"},"modified":"2022-09-24T09:16:27","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T14:16:27","slug":"exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-daniel-715","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-daniel-715\/","title":{"rendered":"Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 7:15"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 align='center'><b><i> I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me. <\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p> <strong> 15<\/strong>. <strong> As for me<\/strong> <em> Daniel<\/em>, <strong> my spirit<\/strong> was <strong> pained<\/strong> ] or <strong> distressed<\/strong>: in modern English we should not say &lsquo;grieved&rsquo; in such a connexion.<\/p>\n<p><em> in the midst of<\/em> <strong> the sheath<\/strong> ] or, with a change of punctuation, <strong> its sheath<\/strong>, fig. for the body, as the soul&rsquo;s <em> sheath<\/em>, or receptacle. The word is of Persian origin ( <em> nidna<\/em>, &lsquo;vessel,&rsquo; &lsquo;receptacle&rsquo;): it occurs once again in late Heb., <span class='bible'>1Ch 21:27<\/span>, of the sheath of a sword; and (in the form <em> lidneh<\/em> for <em> nidneh<\/em>) several times in the Targums (e.g. <span class='bible'>Eze 21:8<\/span>) in the same sense. Levy quotes two passages from the later Jewish literature where it is used in the same application as here: <em> Sanh<\/em>. 108 a &lsquo;that their soul should not return to <em> its sheath<\/em>,&rsquo; and <em> B&rsquo;rshith Rabb<\/em>  26 (p. 118 in Wnsche&rsquo;s transl.) &lsquo;in the hour (viz. of resurrection) when I bring back the spirit to its sheath, I do not bring back their spirits to their sheaths.&rsquo; The usage is nevertheless a singular one; and these two passages may be simply based upon this one of Daniel. The emendation <em> on this account<\/em> (   for   ) has been proposed (Weiss, Buhl, Marti); and LXX. (   ) may partly support it: it is, however, some objection to it that  , though found in the Palest. Targums, does not otherwise occur in Biblical Aramaic [271] .<\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:3em'> [271] Nestle would read simply &lsquo;in my body&rsquo; (  , or  ).<\/p>\n<p><em> troubled<\/em> ] <strong> alarmed<\/strong> (<span class='bible'>Dan 4:5<\/span>). <em> Visions of my head<\/em>, as <span class='bible'><em> Dan 7:1<\/em><\/span> and <span class='bible'>Dan 4:5<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> 15 28<\/strong>. The explanation of the vision.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\"><B>I Daniel was grieved in my spirit &#8211; <\/B>That is, I was troubled; or my heart was made heavy and sad. This was probably in part because he did not fully understand the meaning of the vision, and partly on account of the fearful and momentous nature of what was indicated by it. So the apostle John <span class='bible'>Rev 5:4<\/span> says, And I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book.<\/P> <P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\"><B>In the midst of my body &#8211; <\/B>Margin, as in the Chaldee, sheath. The body is undoubtedly referred to, and is so called as the envelope of the mind &#8211; or as that in which the soul is inserted, as the sword is in the sheath, and from which it is drawn out by death. The same metaphor is employed by Pliny: Donec cremato co inimici remeanti animae velut vaginam ademerint. So, too, a certain philosopher, who was slighted by Alexander the Great on account of his ugly face, is said to have replied, Corpus hominis nil est nisi vagina gladii in qua anima reconditur. &#8211; Gesenius. Compare Lengerke, <I>in loc<\/I>. See also <span class='bible'>Job 27:8<\/span>, When God taketh away his soul; or rather draws out his soul, as a sword is drawn out of the sheath. Compare the note at that place. See also Buxtorfs Lexicon Tal. p. 1307. The meaning here is plain &#8211; that Daniel felt sad and troubled in mind, and that this produced a sensible effect on his body.<\/P> <P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\"><B>And the visions of my head troubled me &#8211; <\/B>The head is here regarded as the seat of the intellect, and he speaks of these visions as if they were seen by the head. That is, they seemed to pass before his eyes.<\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Albert Barnes&#8217; Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P> Verse 15. <I><B>I Daniel was grieved, &amp;c.<\/B><\/I>] The words in the original are uncommonly emphatic. <I>My spirit was grieved<\/I>, or <I>sickened<\/I>,   bego nidneh, within its sheath or <I>scabbard<\/I>. Which I think proves,<\/P> <P> 1. That the human <I>spirit<\/I> is different from the <I>body<\/I>.<\/P> <P> 2. That it has a proper subsistence independently of the body, which is only its <I>sheath<\/I> for a certain time.<\/P> <P> 3. That the spirit may exist independently of its body, as the <I>sword<\/I> does independently of its <I>sheath<\/I>.<\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Adam Clarke&#8217;s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P> I was transported even to astonishment with the vision, it was so strange, surprising, and terrible to me. <\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P><B>15. body<\/B>literally, &#8220;sheath&#8221;:the body being the &#8220;sheath&#8221; of the soul.<\/P><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown&#8217;s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong>I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body<\/strong>,&#8230;. Or &#8220;sheath&#8221; a; the soul being in the body as a sword in its scabbard; where it was &#8220;cut&#8221; b and pierced, as the word signifies; and was wounded, distressed, and grieved at the vision seen; not at the sight of the Son of man, and the glorious and everlasting kingdom given to him; but of the four beasts, and especially the last, and more particularly the little horn, and the look, and words, and actions of that, as well as the awful scene of judgment presented to his view:<\/p>\n<p><strong>and the visions of my head troubled me<\/strong>; the things he saw, which appeared to his fancy as real things, gave him a great deal of uneasiness, and chiefly because he did not understand the meaning of them; it was not so much the things themselves, as ignorance of them, that cut him to the heart, and grieved and troubled him; for what is more so to an inquisitive mind, that has got a hint of something great and useful to be known, but cannot as yet come to the knowledge of it?<\/p>\n<p>a   &#8220;in medio vaginae&#8221;, Montanus; &#8220;intra vaginam&#8221;, Munster, Vatablus. b  &#8220;transfixus est&#8221;, Junius Tremellius, Polanus &#8220;succisus, [vel] excisus est&#8221;, Munster.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Gill&#8217;s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><em> The interpretation of the vision<\/em>. &#8211; <span class='bible'>Dan 7:14<\/span> concludes the account of the contents of the vision, but not the vision itself. That continues to the end of the chapter. <span class='bible'>Dan 7:15<\/span>. The things which Daniel saw made a deep impression on his mind. His spirit was troubled within him; the sight filled him with terror. It was not the mystery of the images, nor the fact that all was not clear before his sight, that troubled and disquieted him; for <span class='bible'>Dan 7:28<\/span> shows that the disquietude did not subside when an angel explained the images he had seen. It was the things themselves as they passed in vision before him &#8211; the momentous events, the calamities which the people of God would have to endure till the time of the completion of the everlasting kingdom of God &#8211; which filled him with anxiety and terror.  stands for the Hebr.  , and   is in apposition to the suffix in  , for the suffix is repeated with emphasis by the pronoun, <span class='bible'>Dan 8:1<\/span>, <span class='bible'>Dan 8:15<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Ezr 7:21<\/span>, and more frequently also in the Hebr.; cf. Winer, <em> Chald. Gram<\/em>. 40, 4; Ges. <em> Hebr. Gram<\/em>. 121, 3. The emphatic bringing forward of the person of the prophet corresponds to the significance of the vision, which made so deep an impression on him; cf. also <span class='bible'>Dan 10:1<\/span>, <span class='bible'>Dan 10:7<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Dan 12:1-13<\/span>:15. In this there is no trace of anxiety on the part of the speaker to make known that he is Daniel, as Hitzig supposes. The figure here used, &ldquo;<em> in the sheath<\/em> &rdquo; (E. V. &ldquo;in the midst of my body&rdquo;), by which the body is likened to a sheath for the soul, which as a sword in its sheath is concealed by it, is found also in <span class='bible'>Job 27:8<\/span>, and in the writings of the rabbis (cf. Buxt. <em> Lex. talm. s.v.<\/em>). It is used also by Pliny, vii. 52. On &ldquo;<em> visions of my head<\/em>,&rdquo; cf. <span class='bible'>Dan 7:1<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:16<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> Daniel turned himself towards an angel who stood by, with a request for an explanation of these things. <em> One of them that stood by<\/em> refers to those mentioned in <span class='bible'>Dan 7:10<\/span>, who stood around the throne of God; whence it is obvious that the vision is still continued.  is not the preterite, <em> I asked him<\/em>, but the subjunctive, <em> that<\/em> (  ) <em> I might ask<\/em>. So also  is to be taken with the  going before: <em> he spake to me, that he informed me<\/em>, namely by his speaking.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:17-19<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> In <span class='bible'>Dan 7:17-27<\/span> the angel gives the wished-for explanation. In <span class='bible'>Dan 7:17<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Dan 7:18<\/span> he gives first a general interpretation of the vision. The words, <em> these great beasts<\/em>, of which there were four, form an absolute nominal clause: &ldquo;as for the beasts;&rdquo; as concerning their meaning, it is this: &ldquo;they represent four kings.&rdquo; The kings are named as founders and representatives of world-kingdoms. Four kingdoms are meant, as <span class='bible'>Dan 7:23<\/span> shows, where the fourth beast is explained as  , &ldquo;dominion,&rdquo; &ldquo;kingdom.&rdquo; Compare also <span class='bible'>Dan 8:20<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Dan 8:21<\/span>, where in like manner kings are named and kingdoms are meant. From the future  (<em> shall arise<\/em>) Hitzig concludes that the first kingdom was yet future, and therefore, that since Daniel had the vision under Belshazzar, the first king could only be Belshazzar, but could not represent the Chaldean monarchy. But if from the words <em> shall arise<\/em> it follows that the vision is only of kings who arise in the future, then, since Daniel saw the vision in the first year of Belshazzar, it cannot of course be Belshazzar who is represented by the first beast; and if Belshazzar was, as Hitzig thinks, the last king of Chaldea, than the entire Chaldean monarchy is excluded from the number of the four great beasts. Kranichfeld therefore understands this word as modal, and interprets it <em> should arise<\/em>. This was the divine decree by which also the duration of their kingdoms was determined (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:12<\/span>, <span class='bible'>Dan 7:25<\/span>). But the modal interpretation does not agree with <span class='bible'>Dan 7:16<\/span>, according to which the angel wishes to make known the meaning of the matter to Daniel, not to show what was determined in the divine counsel, but what God had revealed to him by the beasts rising up out of the sea. The future, <em> shall arise<\/em>, is rather (Ros., v. Leng., Maur., Klief., etc.) for the purpose of declaring that the vision represents the development of the world-power as a whole, as it would unfold itself in four successive phases; whereupon the angel so summarily interprets the vision to the prophet, that, dating from the time of their origin, he points out the first world-kingdom as arising along with the rest, notwithstanding that it had already come into existence, and only its last stages were then future. The thought of this summary interpretation is manifestly nothing else than this: &ldquo;Four kingdoms shall arise on the earth, and shall again disappear; but the saints of God shall receive the kingdom which shall have an everlasting duration.&rdquo;  , <em> receive<\/em>; not found and establish by their own might, but receive through the Son of man, to whom God (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:14<\/span>) has given it.  (cf. <span class='bible'>Dan 7:22<\/span>, <span class='bible'>Dan 7:25<\/span>, <span class='bible'>Dan 7:27<\/span>) is the name of God, <em> the Most High<\/em>, analogous to the plur. forms  ,  . &ldquo;The saints of the Most High,&rdquo; or briefly &ldquo;the saints&rdquo; (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:21<\/span>, <span class='bible'>Dan 7:22<\/span>), are neither the Jews, who are accustomed to call themselves &ldquo;saints,&rdquo; in contrast with the heathen (v. Leng., Maur., Hitzig, etc.), nor the converted Israel of the millennium (Hofmann and other chiliasts), but, as we argue from <span class='bible'>Exo 19:6<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Deu 7:6<\/span>, the true members of the covenant nation, the New Testament Israel of God, i.e., the congregation of the New Covenant, consisting of Israel and the faithful of all nations; for the kingdom which God gives to the Son of man will, according to <span class='bible'>Dan 7:14<\/span>, comprehend those that are redeemed from among all the nations of the earth. The idea of the everlasting duration of their kingdom is, by the words   (<em> for ever and ever<\/em>), raised to the superlative degree.<\/p>\n<p> The angel does not here give further explanations regarding the first three kingdoms. Since the second chapter treats of them, and the eighth also gives further description of the second and third, it is enough here to state that the first three beasts represent those kingdoms that are mentioned in Daniel 2. The form of the fourth beast, however, comprehends much more regarding the fourth world-kingdom that the dream-image of Nebuchadnezzar did. Therefore Daniel asks the angel further for certain information (certainty) regarding the dreadful form of this beast, and consequently the principal outlines of the representation before given of it are repeated by him in <span class='bible'>Dan 7:19-21<\/span>, and are completed by certain circumstances there omitted. Thus <span class='bible'>Dan 7:19<\/span> presents the addition, that the beast had, along with iron teeth, also claws of brass, with which it stamped to pieces what it could not devour; and <span class='bible'>Dan 7:20<\/span>, that the little horn became greater than its fellows, made war against the people of God and overcame them, till the judgment brought its dominion to an end.   , <em> I wished or sure knowledge<\/em>, i.e., to experience certainty regarding it.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:20<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> In <span class='bible'>Dan 7:20<\/span>, from  (<em> fell down<\/em>) the relative connection of the passage is broken, and the direct description is continued.   (<em> and that horn<\/em>) is an absolute idea, which is then explained by the <em> Vav<\/em> epexegetic.  , the appearance which is presented, i.e., its <em> aspect<\/em>.   (<em> above his fellows<\/em>), for    (<em> above the aspect of his fellows<\/em>), see under <span class='bible'>Dan 1:10<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:21<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong>  (without the article), although used in a definite sense of the saints already mentioned, appertains to the elevated solemn style of speech, in which also in the Hebr. The article is frequently wanting in definite names; cf. Ewald&#8217;s <em> Lehrb<\/em>. 277.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:22<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> As compared with <span class='bible'>Dan 7:13<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Dan 7:14<\/span>, this verse says nothing new regarding the judgment. For   is not to be rendered, as Hengstenberg thinks (<em> Beitr<\/em>. i. p. 274), by a reference to <span class='bible'>1Co 6:2<\/span>: &ldquo;to the saints of the Most High the judgment is given,&rdquo; i.e., the function of the judge. This interpretation is opposed to the context, according to which it is God Himself who executes judgment, and by that judgment justice is done to the people of God, i.e., they are delivered from the unrighteous oppression of the beast, and receive the kingdom.  is <em> justice<\/em> procured by the judgment, corresponding to the Hebrew word  , <span class='bible'>Deu 10:18<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:23-24<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> Daniel receives the following explanation regarding the fourth beast. It signifies a fourth kingdom, which would be different from all the preceding, and would eat up and destroy the whole earth. &ldquo;The whole earth is the  ,&rdquo; the expression, without any hyperbole, for the &ldquo;whole circle of the historical nations&rdquo; (Kliefoth). The ten horns which the beast had signify ten kings who shall arise out of that kingdom.   , <em> from it, the kingdom<\/em>, i.e., <em> from this very kingdom<\/em>. Since the ten horns all exist at the same time together on the head of the beast, the ten kings that arise out of the fourth kingdom are to be regarded as contemporary. In this manner the division or dismemberment of this kingdom into ten principalities or kingdoms is symbolized. For the ten contemporaneous kings imply the existence at the same time of ten kingdoms. Hitzig&#8217;s objections against this view are of no weight. That  and  are in this verse used as distinct from each other proves nothing, because in the whole vision king and kingdom are congruent ideas. But that the horn, <span class='bible'>Dan 7:8<\/span>, <em> unmistakeably<\/em> denotes a person, is only so far right, as things are said of the horn which are <em> in abstracto <\/em> not suitable to a kingdom, but they can only be applicable to the bearer of royal power. But <span class='bible'>Dan 8:20<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Dan 8:21<\/span>, to which Hitzig further refers, furnishes no foundation for his view, but on the contrary confutes it. For although in <span class='bible'>Dan 8:21<\/span> the great horn of the goat is interpreted as the first king of Javan, yet the four horns springing up immediately (<span class='bible'>Dan 8:22<\/span>) in the place of this one which was broken, are interpreted as four kingdoms (not kings), in distinct proof not only that in Daniel&#8217;s vision king and kingdom are not &ldquo;separate from each other,&rdquo; but also that the further assertion, that &ldquo;horn&rdquo; is less fitted than &ldquo;head&rdquo; to represent a kingdom, is untenable.<\/p>\n<p> After those ten kingdoms another shall arise which shall be different from the previous ten, and shall overthrow three of them.  , in contrast with  (cf. <span class='bible'>Dan 2:21<\/span>), signifies <em> to overthrow, to deprive of the sovereignty<\/em>. But the king coming after them can only overthrow three of the ten kingdoms when he himself has established and possesses a kingdom or empire of his own. According to this, the king arising after the ten is not an isolated ruler, but the monarch of a kingdom which has destroyed three of the kingdoms already in existence.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:25<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:25<\/span> refers to the same king, and says that he shall speak against the Most High.  means, properly, <em> against or at the side of<\/em>, and is more expressive than  . It denotes that he would use language by which he would set God aside, regard and give himself out as God; cf. <span class='bible'>2Th 2:4<\/span>. Making himself like God, he will destroy the saints of God.  , <em> Pa<\/em>., not &ldquo;make unfortunate&rdquo; (Hitzig), but consume, afflict, like the Hebr.  , <span class='bible'>1Ch 17:9<\/span>, and Targ. Jes. <span class='bible'>Dan 3:15<\/span>. These passages show that the assertion that  , in the sense of to destroy, never takes after it the accusative of the person (Hitz.), is false. Finally, &ldquo;he thinks to change times and laws.&rdquo; &ldquo;To change times&rdquo; belongs to the all-perfect power of God (cf. <span class='bible'>Dan 2:21<\/span>), the creator and ordainer of times (<span class='bible'>Gen 1:14<\/span>). There is no ground for supposing that  is to be specially understood of &ldquo;festival or sacred times,&rdquo; since the word, like the corresponding Hebr.  , does not throughout signify merely &ldquo;festival times;&rdquo; cf. <span class='bible'>Gen 1:14<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 17:21<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 18:14<\/span>, etc. The annexed  does not point to arrangements of divine worship, but denotes &ldquo;law&rdquo; or &ldquo;ordinance&rdquo; in general, human as well as divine law; cf. <span class='bible'>Dan 2:13<\/span>, <span class='bible'>Dan 2:15<\/span> with <span class='bible'>Dan 6:6<\/span>, <span class='bible'>Dan 6:9<\/span>. &ldquo;Times and laws&rdquo; are the foundations and main conditions, emanating from God, of the life and actions of men in the world. The sin of the king in placing himself with God, therefore, as Kliefoth rightly remarks, &ldquo;consists in this, that in these ordinances he does not regard the fundamental conditions given by God, but so changes the laws of human life that he puts his own pleasure in the place of the divine arrangements.&rdquo; Thus shall he do with the ordinances of life, not only of God&#8217;s people, but of all men. &ldquo;But it is to be confessed that the people of God are most affected thereby, because they hold their ordinances of life most according to the divine plan; and therefore the otherwise general passage stands between two expressions affecting the conduct of the horn in its relation to the people of God.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> This tyranny God&#8217;s people will suffer &ldquo;till, i.e., during, a time, (two) times, and half a time.&rdquo; By these specifications of time the duration of the last phase of the world-power is more definitely declared, as a period in its whole course measured by God; <span class='bible'>Dan 7:12<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Dan 7:22<\/span>. The plural word  (<em> times<\/em>) standing between time and half a time can only designate the simple plural, i.e., <em> two times<\/em> used in the dual sense, since in the Chaldee the plural is often used to denote a pair where the dual is used in Hebrew; cf. Winer, <em> Chald. Gr<\/em>. 55, 3. Three and a half times are the half of seven times (<span class='bible'>Dan 4:13<\/span>). The greater number of the older as well as of the more recent interpreters take <em> imte<\/em> (  ) as representing the space of a year, thus three and a half times as three and a half years; and they base this view partly on <span class='bible'>Dan 4:13<\/span>, where seven times must mean seven years, partly on <span class='bible'>Dan 12:7<\/span>, where the corresponding expression is found in Hebrew, partly on <span class='bible'>Rev 13:5<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Rev 11:2-3<\/span>, where forty-two months and 1260 days are used interchangeably. But none of these passages supplies a proof that will stand the test. The supposition that in <span class='bible'>Dan 4:13<\/span> the seven times represent seven years, neither is nor can be proved. As regards the <em> time<\/em> and <em> times<\/em> in <span class='bible'>Dan 12:7<\/span>, and the periods named in the passages of the Rev. referred to, it is very questionable whether the weeks and the days represent the ordinary weeks of the year and days of the week, and whether these periods of time are to be taken chronologically. Still less can any explanation as to this designation of time be derived from the 2300 days (evening-mornings) in <span class='bible'>Dan 8:14<\/span>, since the periods do not agree, nor do both passages treat of the same event. The choice of the chronologically indefinite expression  , <em> time<\/em>, shows that a chronological determination of the period is not in view, but that the designation of time is to be understood symbolically. We have thus to inquire after the symbolical meaning of the statement. This is not to be sought, with Hofmann (<em> Weiss<\/em>. i. 289), in the supposition that as three and a half years are the half of a Sabbath-period, it is thus announced that Israel would be oppressed during half a Sabbath-period by Antichrist. For, apart from the unwarrantable identification of <em> time<\/em> with <em> year<\/em>, one does not perceive what Sabbath-periods and the oppression of the people of God have in common. This much is beyond doubt, that three and a half times are the half of seven times. The meaning of this half, however, is not to be derived, with Kranichfeld, from <span class='bible'>Dan 4:13<\/span>, where &ldquo;<em> seven times<\/em> &rdquo; is an expression used for a long continuance of divinely-ordained suffering. It is not hence to be supposed that the dividing of this period into two designates only a proportionally short time of severest oppression endured by the people of God at the hands of the heathen. For the humbling of the haughty ruler Nebuchadnezzar (<span class='bible'>Dan 4:13<\/span>) does not stand in any inner connection with the elevation of the world-power over the people of God, in such a way that we could explain the three and a half times of this passage after the seven times of <span class='bible'>Dan 4:13<\/span>. In general, the question may be asked, Whether the meaning of the three and a half times is to be derived merely from the symbolical signification of the number seven, or whether, with Lmmert, we must not much rather go back, in order to ascertain the import of this measure of time, to the divine judgments under Elias, when the heavens were shut for three years and six months; <span class='bible'>Luk 4:25<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Jam 5:17<\/span>. &ldquo;As Ahab did more to provoke God to anger than all the kings who were before him, so this king, <span class='bible'>Dan 7:24<\/span>, in a way altogether different from those who went before him, spake words against the Most High and persecuted His saints, etc.&rdquo; But should this reference also not be established, and the three and a half times be regarded as only the half of seven times, yet the seven does not here come into view as the time of God&#8217;s works, so that it could be said the oppression of the people of God by the little horn will last (Kliefoth) only half as long as a work of God; but according to the symbolical interpretation of the seven times, the three and a half, as the period of the duration of the circumstances into which the people of God are brought by the world-power through the divine permission, indicate &ldquo;a testing period, a period of judgment which will (<span class='bible'>Mat 24:22<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Pro 10:27<\/span>), for the elect&#8217;s sake, be interrupted and shortened (<em> septenarius truncus <\/em>).&rdquo; Leyrer in Herz.&#8217;s Real. Enc. xviii. 369. Besides, it is to be considered how this space of time is described, not as three and a half, but a time, two times, and half a time. Ebrard (<em> Offenb<\/em>. p. 49) well remarks regarding this, that &ldquo;it appears as if his tyranny would extend itself always the longer and longer: first a time, then the doubled time, then the fourfold &#8211; this would be a seven times; but it does not go that length; suddenly it comes to an end in the midst of the seven times, so that instead of the fourfold time there is only half a time.&rdquo; &ldquo;The proper analysis of the three and a half times,&rdquo; Kliefoth further remarks, &ldquo;in that the periods first mount up by doubling them, and then suddenly decline, shows that the power of the horn and its oppression of the people of God would first quickly manifest itself, in order then to come to a sudden end by the interposition of the divine judgment (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:26<\/span>).&rdquo; For, a thing which is not here to be overlooked, the three and a half times present not the whole duration of the existence of the little horn, but, as the half of a week, only the latter half of its time, in which dominion over the saints of God is given to it (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:21<\/span>), and at the expiry of which it falls before the judgment. See under <span class='bible'>Dan 12:7<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:26-27<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> In <span class='bible'>Dan 7:26<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Dan 7:27<\/span> this judgment is described (cf. <span class='bible'>Dan 7:10<\/span>), but only as to its consequences for the world-power. The dominion of the horn in which the power of the fourth beast culminates is taken away and altogether annihilated. The destruction of the beast is here passed by, inasmuch as it is already mentioned in <span class='bible'>Dan 7:11<\/span>; while, on the other hand, that which is said (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:12<\/span>) about the taking away of its power and its dominion is strengthened by the <em> inf<\/em>.  (<em> to destroy<\/em>),  (<em> and to consume<\/em>), being added to  (<em> they shall take away<\/em>), to which  (<em> his dominion<\/em>) is to be repeated as the object.   , <em> to the end<\/em>, i.e., not absolutely, but, as in <span class='bible'>Dan 6:27<\/span>, to the end of the days, i.e., for ever.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:27<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> After the destruction of the beast, the kingdom and the dominion, which hitherto comprehended the kingdom under the whole heaven, are given to the people of God, i.e., under the reign of the Son of man, as is to be supplied from <span class='bible'>Dan 7:14<\/span>. As in <span class='bible'>Dan 7:26<\/span> nothing is further said of the fate of the horn, because all that was necessary regarding it had been already said (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:11<\/span>), so also all that was to be said of the Son of man was already mentioned in <span class='bible'>Dan 7:13<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Dan 7:14<\/span>; and according to the representation of the Scripture, the kingdom of the people of the saints without the Son of man as king is not a conceivable idea.   (<em> of the kingdom<\/em>) is a subjective genitive, which is required by the idea of the intransitive  (<em> the greatness<\/em>) preceding it. The meaning is thus not &ldquo;power over all kingdoms,&rdquo; but &ldquo;the power which the kingdoms under the whole heaven had.&rdquo; With regard to <span class='bible'>Dan 7:27<\/span>, cf. <span class='bible'>Dan 7:14<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Dan 7:18<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> <span class='bible'>Dan 7:28<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> In <span class='bible'>Dan 7:28<\/span> the end of the vision is stated, and the impression which it left on Daniel. <em> Hitherto<\/em>, to this point, was the end of the history; i.e., thus far the history, or, with this the matter is at an end.  , <em> the matter<\/em>, is not merely the interpretation of the angel, but the whole revelation, the vision together with its interpretation. Daniel was greatly moved by the event (cf. <span class='bible'>Dan 5:9<\/span>), and kept it in his heart.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Keil &amp; Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><TABLE BORDER=\"0\" CELLPADDING=\"1\" CELLSPACING=\"0\"> <TR> <TD> <P ALIGN=\"LEFT\" STYLE=\"background: transparent;border: none;padding: 0in;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: none\"> <span style='font-size:1.25em;line-height:1em'><I><SPAN STYLE=\"background: transparent\"><SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\">The Vision of the Four Beasts.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> <TD> <P ALIGN=\"RIGHT\" STYLE=\"background: transparent;border: none;padding: 0in\"> <SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\"><FONT SIZE=\"1\" STYLE=\"font-size: 8pt\"><SPAN STYLE=\"font-style: normal\"><SPAN STYLE=\"font-weight: normal\"><SPAN STYLE=\"background: transparent\"><SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\">B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\"><SPAN STYLE=\"font-style: normal\"><SPAN STYLE=\"font-weight: normal\"><SPAN STYLE=\"background: transparent\"><SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\"> 555.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR>  <\/TABLE> <P>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of <I>my<\/I> body, and the visions of my head troubled me. &nbsp; 16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. &nbsp; 17 These great beasts, which are four, <I>are<\/I> four kings, <I>which<\/I> shall arise out of the earth. &nbsp; 18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. &nbsp; 19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth <I>were of<\/I> iron, and his nails <I>of<\/I> brass; <I>which<\/I> devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; &nbsp; 20 And of the ten horns that <I>were<\/I> in his head, and <I>of<\/I> the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even <I>of<\/I> that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look <I>was<\/I> more stout than his fellows. &nbsp; 21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; &nbsp; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. &nbsp; 23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. &nbsp; 24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom <I>are<\/I> ten kings <I>that<\/I> shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. &nbsp; 25 And he shall speak <I>great<\/I> words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. &nbsp; 26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy <I>it<\/I> unto the end. &nbsp; 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom <I>is<\/I> an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. &nbsp; 28 Hitherto <I>is<\/I> the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.<\/P> <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Here we have, I. The deep impressions which these visions made upon the prophet. God in them put honour upon him, and gave him satisfaction, yet not without a great allay of pain and perplexity (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 15<\/span>): <I>I Daniel was grieved in my spirit, in the midst of my body.<\/I> The word here used for the <I>body<\/I> properly signifies a <I>sheath<\/I> or <I>scabbard,<\/I> for the body is no more to the soul; that is the weapon; it is that which we are principally to take care of. The <I>visions of my head troubled me,<\/I> an again (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 28<\/span>), <I>my cogitations much troubled me.<\/I> The manner in which these things were discovered to him quite overwhelmed him, and put his thoughts so much to the stretch that his spirits failed him, and the trance he was in tired him and made him faint. The things themselves that were discovered amazed and astonished him, and put him into a confusion, till by degrees he recollected and conquered himself, and set the comforts of the vision over against the terrors of it.<\/P> <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; II. His earnest desire to understand the meaning of them (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 16<\/span>): <I>I came near to one of those that stood by, to<\/I> one of the angels that appeared attending the <I>Son of man<\/I> in his glory, and <I>asked him the truth<\/I> (the true intent and meaning) <I>of all this.<\/I> Note, It is a very desirable thing to take the right and full sense of what we see and hear from God; and those that would know must ask by faithful and fervent prayer and by <I>accomplishing a diligent search.<\/I><\/P> <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; III. The key that was given him, to let him into the understanding of this vision. The angel <I>told him,<\/I> and told him so plainly that he made him <I>know the interpretation of the thing,<\/I> and so made him somewhat more easy.<\/P> <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1. <I>The great beasts<\/I> are great <I>kings<\/I> and their kingdoms, great monarchs and their monarchies, <I>which shall arise out of the earth,<\/I> as those beasts did <I>out of the sea,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 17<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. They are but <I>terrfilii&#8211;from beneath;<\/I> they savour of the earth, and their foundation is <I>in the dust;<\/I> they are of the earth earthy, and they are written in the dust, and to the dust they shall return.<\/P> <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2. Daniel pretty well understands the first three beasts, but concerning the fourth he desires to be better informed, because it differed so much from the rest, and was <I>exceedingly dreadful,<\/I> and not only so, but very mischievous, or it <I>devoured and broke in pieces,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 19<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. Perhaps it was this that put Daniel into such a fright, and this part of the visions of his head troubled him more than any of the rest. But especially he desired to know what the <I>little horn<\/I> was, that <I>had eyes,<\/I> and a <I>mouth that spoke very great things,<\/I> and whose countenance was more fearless and formidable than that of <I>any of his fellows,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 20<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. And this he was most inquisitive about because it was this horn that <I>made war with the saints, and prevailed against them,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 21<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. While no more is intimated than that the children of men make war with one another, and prevail against one another, the prophet does not show himself so much concerned (<I>let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth,<\/I> and be dashed in pieces one against another); but when they <I>make war with the saints,<\/I> when the <I>precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold,<\/I> are broken as <I>earthen pitchers,<\/I> it is time to ask, &#8220;What is the meaning of this? Will the Lord cast off his people? Will he suffer their enemies to trample upon them and triumph over them? What is this same horn that shall prevail so far against the saints?&#8221; To this his interpreter answers (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 23-25<\/span>) that this <I>fourth beast<\/I> is a <I>fourth kingdom,<\/I> that <I>shall devour the whole earth,<\/I> or (as it may be read) <I>the whole land.<\/I> That the <I>ten horns are ten kings,<\/I> and the <I>little horn<\/I> is another king that shall subdue three kings, and shall be very abusive to God and his people, shall act, (1.) Very impiously towards God. He shall <I>speak great words against the Most High,<\/I> setting him, and his authority and justice, at defiance. (2.) Very imperiously towards the people of God. He shall <I>wear out the saints of the Most High;<\/I> he will not cut them off at once, but wear them out by long oppressions and a constant course of hardships put upon them, ruining their estates and weakening their families. The design of Satan has been to <I>wear out the saints of the Most High,<\/I> that they may be no more in remembrance; but the attempt is vain, for while the world stands God will have a church in it. He shall <I>think to change times and laws,<\/I> to abolish all the ordinances and institutions of religion, and to bring every body to say and do just as he would have them. He shall trample upon laws and customs, human and divine. <I>Diruit, dificut, mutat quadrata rotundis&#8211;He pulls down, he builds, he changes square into round,<\/I> as if he meant to alter even the ordinances of heaven themselves. And in these daring attempts he shall for a time prosper and have success; they shall be given into his hand <I>until time, times, and half a time<\/I> (that is, for three years and a half), that famous prophetical measure of time which we meet with in the Revelation, which is sometimes called forty-two months, sometimes 1260 days, which come all to one. But at the end of that time the <I>judgment shall sit and take away his dominion<\/I> (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 26<\/span>), which he expounds (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 11<\/span>) of the beast being <I>slain and his body destroyed.<\/I> And (as Mr. Mede reads <span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 12<\/span>) <I>as to the rest of the beast,<\/I> the ten horns, especially the little <I>ruffling<\/I> horn (as he calls it), they had their dominion taken away. Now the question is, Who is this enemy, whose rise, reign, and ruin, are foretold? Interpreters are not agreed. Some will have the fourth kingdom to be that of the Seleucid, and the little horn to be Antiochus, and show the accomplishment of all this in the history of the Maccabees; so Junius, Piscator, Polanus, Broughton, and many others: but others will have the fourth kingdom to be that of the Romans, and the <I>little horn<\/I> to be Julius Csar, and the succeeding emperors (says Calvin), the antichrist, the papal kingdom (says Mr. Joseph Mede), that <I>wicked one,<\/I> which, as this <I>little horn,<\/I> is to be consumed by the <I>brightness of Christ&#8217;s second coming.<\/I> The pope assumes a power to <I>change times and laws, potestas<\/I><I><B> autokratorike<\/B><\/I>&#8212;<I>an absolute and despotic power,<\/I> as he calls it. Others make the <I>little horn<\/I> to be the <I>Turkish empire;<\/I> so Luther, Vatablus, and others. Now I cannot prove either side to be wrong; and therefore, since prophecies sometimes have many fulfillings, and we ought to give scripture its full latitude (in this as in many other controversies), I am willing to allow that they are both in the right, and that this prophecy has primary reference to the Syrian empire, and was intended for the encouragement of the Jews who suffered under Antiochus, that they might see even these melancholy times foretold, but might foresee a glorious issue of them at last, and the final overthrow of their proud oppressors; and, which is best of all, might foresee, not long after, the setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah in the world, with the hopes of which it was usual with the former prophets to comfort the people of God in their distresses. But yet it has a further reference, and foretels the like persecuting power and rage in Rome heathen, and no less in Rome papal, against the Christian religion, that was in Antiochus against the pious Jews and their religion. And St. John, in his visions and prophecies, which point primarily at Rome, has plain reference, in many particulars, to these visions of Daniel.<\/P> <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3. He has a joyful prospect given him of the prevalency of God&#8217;s kingdom among men, and its victory over all opposition at last. And it is very observable that in the midst of the predictions of the force and fury of the enemies this is brought in abruptly (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:18<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Dan 7:22<\/span>), before it comes, in the course of the vision, to be interpreted, <span class='bible'>Dan 7:26<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Dan 7:27<\/span>. And this also refers, (1.) To the prosperous days of the Jewish church, after it had weathered the storm under Antiochus, and the power which the Maccabees obtained over their enemies. (2.) To the setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah in the world by the preaching of his gospel. <I>For judgment Christ comes into this world,<\/I> to rule by his Spirit, and to make all his saints <I>kings and priests to their God.<\/I> (3.) To the second coming of Jesus Christ, when the saints shall judge the world, shall sit down with him on his throne and triumph in the complete downfall of the devil&#8217;s kingdom. Let us see what is here foretold. [1.] <I>The Ancient of days shall come,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 22<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. God shall judge the world by his Son, to whom he has <I>committed all judgment,<\/I> and, as an earnest of that, he <I>comes<\/I> for the deliverance of his oppressed people, comes for the setting up of his kingdom in the world. [2.] <I>The judgment shall sit,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 26<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. God will make it appear that he <I>judges in the earth,<\/I> and will, both in wisdom and in equity, plead his people&#8217;s righteous cause. At the great day he will <I>judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained.<\/I> [3.] The <I>dominion<\/I> of the enemy shall be <I>taken away,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 26<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. All Christ&#8217;s enemies shall be made his footstool, and shall be <I>consumed and destroyed<\/I> to the end: these were the apostle uses concerning the man of sin, <span class='bible'>2 Thess. ii. 8<\/span>. He shall be <I>consumed<\/I> with the <I>spirit of Christ&#8217;s mouth<\/I> and <I>destroyed with the brightness of his coming.<\/I> [4.] <I>Judgment is given to the saints of the Most High.<\/I> The apostles are entrusted with the preaching of a gospel by which the <I>world shall be judged.<\/I> All the saints by their faith and obedience condemn an unbelieving disobedient world; in Christ their head they shall judge the world, shall <I>judge the twelve tribes of Israel,<\/I><span class='bible'><I> Matt. xix. 28<\/I><\/span>. See what reason we have to honour those that fear the Lord; how mean and despicable soever the saints now appear in the eye of the world, and how much contempt soever is poured upon them; they are the <I>saints of the Most High;<\/I> they are near and dear to God, and he owns them for his, and <I>judgment<\/I> is <I>given to them.<\/I> [5.] That which is most insisted upon is that <I>the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 18<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. And again (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 22<\/span>), The <I>time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.<\/I> And again (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 27<\/span>), The <I>kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.<\/I> Far be it from us to infer hence that dominion is founded on grace, or that this will warrant any, under pretence of saintship, to usurp kingship. No; <I>Christ&#8217;s kingdom is not of this world;<\/I> but this intimates the spiritual dominion of the saints over their own lusts and corruptions, their victories over Satan and his temptations, and the triumphs of the martyrs over death and its terrors. It likewise promises that the gospel kingdom shall be set up, a kingdom of grace, the privileges and comforts of which now, <I>under the heavens,<\/I> shall be the earnest and first-fruits of the kingdom of <I>glory in the heavens.<\/I> When the empire became Christian, and princes used their power for the defence and advancement of Christianity, then the <I>saints possessed the kingdom.<\/I> The saints rule by the Spirit&#8217;s ruling in them (and <I>this is the victory overcoming the world, even their faith<\/I>) and by making the kingdoms of this world to become Christ&#8217;s kingdom. But the full accomplishment of this will be in the everlasting happiness of the saints, the kingdom that cannot be moved, which we, according to his promise, look for (that is the <I>greatness of the kingdom<\/I>), the crown of glory that fades not away&#8211;that is the <I>everlasting kingdom.<\/I> See what an emphasis is laid upon this (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 18<\/span>): The saints shall possess the kingdom <I>for ever, even for ever and ever;<\/I> and the reason is because he whose saints they are is the <I>Most High<\/I> and <I>his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 27<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. He is so, and therefore theirs shall be so. <I>Because I live, you shall live also,<\/I><span class='bible'><I> John xiv. 19<\/I><\/span>. His kingdom is theirs; they reckon themselves exalted in his exaltation, and desire no greater honour and satisfaction to themselves than that <I>all dominions<\/I> should <I>serve and obey him,<\/I> as they shall do, <span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 27<\/span>. They shall either be brought into subjection to his golden sceptre or brought to destruction by his iron rod.<\/P> <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Daniel, in the close, when he ends that matter, tells us what impressions this vision made upon him; it overwhelmed his spirits to such a degree that his <I>countenance<\/I> was <I>changed,<\/I> and it made him look pale; but he <I>kept the matter in his heart.<\/I> Note, The heart must be the treasury and store-house of divine things; there we must hide God&#8217;s word, as the Virgin Mary kept the sayings of Christ, <span class='bible'>Luke ii. 51<\/span>. Daniel kept <I>the matter in his heart,<\/I> with a design, not to keep it from the church, but to keep it for the church, that what he had received from the Lord he might fully and faithfully deliver to the people. Note, It concerns God&#8217;s prophets and ministers to treasure up the things of God in their minds, and there to digest them well. If we would have God&#8217;s word ready in our mouths when we have occasion for it, we must keep it in our hearts at all times.<\/P><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Matthew Henry&#8217;s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p style='margin-left:4.15em'><strong>DEFINITIVE MEANING OF THE BEAST VISION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Verses 15-28:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Verses 15, 16 testify <\/strong>that Daniel was grieved in his spirit, in the very sheath or dwelling place of his soul; In this state, because of what he had seen in the visions, his head troubled him. His mind was confused over what he had seen in these visions, v. 1-14. Then Daniel approached one of those ministers of God that stood near him and asked him to explain the meaning of all things, as he also did later, <span class='bible'>Dan 12:6<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Dan 12:8<\/span>. Then the heavenly messenger explained the meaning of the visions, causing him to understand them, as more clearly stated below, <span class='bible'>2Ti 2:15<\/span>; Daniel 12; Daniel 10 b; <span class='bible'>1Th 5:1<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Th 5:4<\/span><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Verse 17 explains that the four one-world-beasts (v. 4-7) are four kings or absolute rulers of the four one world Gentile Empires, even of 1) Babylon, 2) Medo-Persia, 3) Greece, 4) Rome. These had and were to arise out of the earth. The fourth, the Roman Empire, embracing all Gentile or heathen governments (in disarray, since the tower of Babel) is to rise up again under the Son of Perdition at the end of this age, <span class='bible'>Gen 11:1-9<\/span>; Our Lord is to destroy this one, at His coming, <span class='bible'>Luk 21:24<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 16:19<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 18 affirms <\/strong>that &#8220;the saints of the most High,&#8221; (Israel and the church), with the &#8220;twelve apostles,&#8221; sitting on 12 thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, in that great millennial era and giving glory to God, in the church, by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, <span class='bible'>Luk 22:28-30<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eph 3:21<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Luk 1:32-33<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 4:4<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 4:9-11<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 5:8-10<\/span>; <span class='bible'>2Th 1:10<\/span>; See also <span class='bible'>Rom 8:17<\/span>; <span class='bible'>2Ti 2:10-12<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Pe 2:9<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 1:6<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 3:21<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 5:8-10<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 20:4-6<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 19 recounts <\/strong>that Daniel requested a <strong>second <\/strong>time to know the truth concerning the <strong>fourth <\/strong>beast, v. 16, 17. The <strong>fourth <\/strong>beast, living animal (v. 7; <span class='bible'>Dan 2:40-43<\/span>) was again described as exceeding dreadful or horrible in appearance, very different from the other three with iron teeth and brass toe nails and it trampled under its feet and devoured all that moved in its path. Note, Gentile or heathen nations are always symbolized as beasts or birds of prey, carnivorous beasts or birds, devouring the flesh of their victims, even from the first Gentile kingdom, <span class='bible'>Gen 10:8-10<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 13:1-13<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 20 relates <\/strong>Daniel&#8217;s desire also to know the meaning of the ten horns that were upon the head of this monstrous and dreadful beast, as well as that of the other &#8220;little horn&#8221; that came up upon the head, before which three of the ten horns fell. This eleventh or &#8220;little horn&#8221;, with intelligent or penetrating eyes, that had a mouth more powerful, demanding, stronger than that of any of the other ten v. 7, 8. Let is be recalled that Daniel prophesied primarily to the Gentiles in the palace of kings of Babylon and Persia. And his prophecies foretell their judgment and final doom in their rebellion against and oppression of the Jewish people and nation whom God will eventually fully deliver from them, cause to rule over the Gentiles. It is to be understood that this &#8220;little horn&#8221; is yet to rise out of Gentile governments in disarray, <strong>signified by the number 10. <\/strong>This &#8220;little horn&#8221;, eleventh horn, heathen Gentile ruler is to be the antichrist, more cruel than Antioch Epiphanes, signified <span class='bible'>Dan 8:9<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Dan 8:12-25<\/span>; <span class='bible'>2Th 2:4-10<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 19:20<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verses 21, 22 <\/strong>declare that Daniel glued his eyes on this 11 horned beast, in stunned wonder, as he saw this &#8220;little horn,&#8221; with a loud mouth and penetrating eyes, like the serpent in Eden, launch a war against the saints (Israel regathered in her land); and he prevailed against them, oppressed them, or brought them to their knees, &#8220;until the Ancient of days came,&#8221; Jesus Christ as King of kings, and Lord of lords, to put down &#8220;The tribulation the great,&#8221; at the end of the 70th week, <span class='bible'>Dan 9:25-27<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 19:16<\/span>. He also watched until he saw judgment and rule taken from the &#8220;little horn&#8221; and given to the &#8220;saints of the most High,&#8221; until the time came that &#8220;the saints,&#8221; Israel and the church possessed the kingdom or government of the whole world. Let it be considered well that God is not through with Israel (His wife), called the saints and elect of the Jews, or with the church, called His saints, who were and are called from among the Gentiles by our Lord into His church, to be His bride in this and succeeding ages. <strong>Only Israel and those of the church are referred to as saints <\/strong>in the Bible. No Gentile believer, unaligned with Israel&#8217;s worship, or outside the church of Jesus Christ, in this age, though saved, <strong>is ever referred to as a saint; <\/strong>While one receives a holy nature in regeneration, it is without scriptural sanction to refer to anyone as a saint (though a believer), until and unless he is aligned by baptism and fellowship and service with a New Testament church, <span class='bible'>1Co 1:1-3<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eph 1:1<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eph 2:19-22<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eph 3:21<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eph 4:12<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eph 4:16<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verses 23, 24 relate <\/strong>that the fourth beast (one world government) shall be or exist as the fourth kingdom upon or over the earth, with world-wide dominion. It was to overrun and subdue, break down, ravage, take booty of warfare from and devour the whole earth, with unsettling fear. The ten horns out of this Gentile World Empire (the Roman) was to have an eleventh to arise (Antioch Epiphanes) to destroy ten of the ten horns; satellite powers of the Roman Government to start its disintegration until the end of the Gentile age, <span class='bible'>Rev 17:12<\/span>. At the end of this age when 10 Gentile powers or a multitude of Gentile, heathen governments in disarray, shall arise; from them shall arise another &#8220;Little Horn,&#8221; the antichrist, Son of Perdition, the Devil incarnate, <strong>to oppose God, Israel, and the church<\/strong>. He will meet his &#8220;waterloo,&#8221; at the coming of Jesus to the earth, in power and great glory, after the Lord has raised the righteous dead, been married to His church, assigned positions of service honor, and rewards to the saints, for His rule and reign with them on the earth, <span class='bible'>1Th 4:13-18<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 19:5-9<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Th 1:6-10<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 25 declares <\/strong>that he (the little horn ruler) will defy God and wear out &#8220;the saints,&#8221; which refers to Israel regathered in her land; He will think or purpose to change &#8220;laws and times,&#8221; and &#8220;they,&#8221; the &#8220;Jewish saints,&#8221; shall &#8220;be given into his hand,&#8221; for persecution for a &#8220;time and times and an half time,&#8221; the last 42 months of Daniel&#8217;s 70th week, called the tribulation the great, after he has broken a covenant he made with them, and kept from the first half of the week only, <span class='bible'>Dan 9:26-27<\/span>; <span class='bible'>2Th 2:4-9<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 12:7-14<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 13:1-8<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 17:13<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 26 declares <\/strong>that this &#8220;little horn&#8221; (eleventh horn), one world Gentile ruler, who rails against God and persecutes &#8220;the saints&#8221; then on earth, (Israel regathered) will inevitably be brought to a judgment of crashing defeat at the hands of the Ancient of days, Jesus Christ who shall come, <span class='bible'>Dan 2:35<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Dan 2:45<\/span>; <span class='bible'>2Th 2:3-8<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 16:13-14<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 16:16<\/span>. All Gentile nations are to be scattered, weakened, have their government powers of oppression subjected by Jesus Christ in His coming; When He comes to rule and reign over the earth, with regathered Israel and His bride, during the golden millennial era of the restitution of all things and regeneration of the earth, <span class='bible'>Luk 1:32-33<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Act 3:22<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Co 15:23-28<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 5:8-10<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 27 certifies <\/strong>that the kingdom, dominion, in expanded form, under the entire canopy of heaven shall be given (doled out) to &#8220;the saints&#8221; of the most High One, the Son of the living God, whose kingdom is (exists as) an everlasting or unending kingdom. And then and thereafter, without cessation, all dominions (of men and angels) shall <strong>serve and obey <\/strong>Him! What a day of triumph, peace, joy, and glory! <span class='bible'>2Sa 7:16<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Psa 89:35-37<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Isa 60:12<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Dan 7:13-14<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Luk 1:32-33<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rom 8:17<\/span>; <span class='bible'>2Ti 2:10-12<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 28 concludes <\/strong>that this is the end of the matter of the visions and dreams and interpretations given to Daniel upon his bed, v. 1-8. Daniel then asserted that, regarding these visions and dreams his cogitations (reflections over the meanings) troubled him very much, <span class='bible'>1Pe 1:11-12<\/span>. They even caused his countenance to change in him, but he guarded the matter in his heart until ordered of the Lord to write the account, <span class='bible'>1Pe 1:20-21<\/span>; <span class='bible'>2Ti 3:16-17<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 37:10<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Mar 9:19<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Luk 2:19<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> Daniel says, his spirit was either cut off or vanished, as if he suffered some mental deficiency. In this way God wished to communicate to his servant the magnitude of the vision. And he inspires us also with reverence for this vision, lest we should treat it coldly and commonly. But we ought to understand how God opens up to Daniel, his servant, and to us by his assistance and ministry, these mysteries which meaning; be otherwise comprehended by our human senses. For if Daniel, whom we know to have been a remarkable Prophet, felt his spirit to be so deficient and nearly vanishing away, surely we who as yet know so little of God&#8217;s mysteries, nay, who have scarcely tasted their first rudiments, never can attain so great a height, unless we overcome the world and shake off all human sensations. For these things cannot be perceived by us unless our minds are clear and completely purified. <\/p>\n<p> He says, therefore, in the first place,  his spirit was cut off,  or vanished,  in the midst of his body;  as if he had said he was almost lifeless and nearly dead. And he added, as reason,  the visions of his head had frightened him  No one can faint away &#8212; an event which sometimes happens &#8212; with-out a cause. When that terror called a panic seizes upon some persons, we observe how they become deprived of self-possession, and lie almost lifeless. But Daniel, to shew himself separate from such persons, says  he was frightened  or disturbed  by visions of his head; as if he had said, he was not disturbed without occasion, but it was caused by the mystery of which the vision had been offered to him.  He came to one of those standing by.  He had said a short time before, ten thousand times ten thousand were at the right hand of the tribunal of God. Without the slightest doubt, the Prophet asked one of these angels. And here we must notice his modesty and docility in flying to some instructor, because he was conscious of his own ignorance and found no other remedy. At the same time, we are taught by the Prophet&#8217;s example not to reject all visions, but to seek their interpretation from God himself. Although God in these days does not address us by visions, yet he wishes us to be content with his Law and Gospel, while angels do not appear to us, and do not openly and conspicuously descend from heaven; but, since Scripture is obscure to us, through the darkness in which we are involved, let us learn not to reject whatever surpasses our capacity, even when some dark veil envelops it, but let us fly to the remedy which Daniel used, not to seek the understanding of God&#8217;s word from angels, who do not appear to us, but from Christ himself, who in these days teaches us familiarly by means of pastors and ministers of the gospel. Now, as a supreme and only Master has been given us from the Father, so also he exercises the office of teacher by his own ministers whom he set over us. (<span class='bible'>Mat 23:8<\/span>.) Therefore, as Daniel approached the angel who was near him, so we are daily commanded to approach those who have been entrusted with the gift of interpretation and who can faithfully explain to us things otherwise obscure. Our confidence, too, ought to be increased by what follows directly:  The angel spoke, and opened the interpretation of the words.  Daniel here shews his modesty and humility not to have been in vain, as God commanded the angel to explain all obscurities. So, without doubt, Christ will at this time satisfy our prayers, if we are truly his disciples; that is, if, after those mysteries which surpass and absorb all our senses have terrified us, we fly to that order which he has prescribed for us, and seen from faithful ministers and teachers the interpretation of those things which are difficult and obscure, and entirely concealed from us. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Calvin&#8217;s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>(15) <strong>Midst.<\/strong>See margin. The body was regarded as the <em>sheath<\/em> of the soul.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Ellicott&#8217;s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> 15, 16<\/strong>. <strong> <\/strong> Daniel being unable to understand the vision asks one of Jehovah&rsquo;s attendants (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:10<\/span>) to explain it to him. Marti, by a slight change of text, reads, &ldquo;on account of that&rdquo; instead of <strong> in the midst of my body <\/strong> (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:15<\/span>).<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Whedon&#8217;s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> Daniel Is Concerned About The Meaning Of His Vision (<span class='bible'><strong> Dan 7:15-16<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <strong> ).<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'>&lsquo;As for me, Daniel, my spirit was grieved in the midst of my body (literally &lsquo;my sheath&rsquo;), and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me that he would make me to know the interpretations of the things.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p> Meanwhile Daniel was concerned over what he had seen, indeed greatly troubled. What could all this mean? And such was the vividness of his dream that in it he approached one of the heavenly beings to ask him what the truth was about his visions. And the heavenly being promised to give him his answer, and to interpret the dream for him.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> The Interpretation of Daniel&rsquo;s Vision <\/strong> In <span class='bible'>Dan 7:15-28<\/span> Daniel is given the interpretation of his vision, which parallels many aspects of the book of Revelation. This interpretation can as well be applied to the fulfillment of <span class='bible'>Psalms 2<\/span> in which God crushes the rebellion of the nations and sets His Son upon the throne. [110]<\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:3em'> [110] John E. Goldingay, <em> Daniel, <\/em> in <em> Word Biblical Commentary: 58 Volumes on CD-Rom, <\/em> vol. 30, eds. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word Inc., 2002), in <em> Libronix Digital Library System<\/em>, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), 149.<\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> Dan 7:22<\/strong><\/span> <strong> Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.<\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> Dan 7:22<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <strong> &ldquo;Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High&rdquo; <\/strong> <strong><em> Comments &#8211; <\/em><\/strong> Some translations read, &ldquo;and judgment was given in behalf of the saints&rdquo; Thus, some scholars suggest that this phrase is a reference to Christ&rsquo;s first coming when He was offered in judgment on Calvary in behalf of mankind.<\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'><em> NIV<\/em>, &ldquo;until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> Dan 7:22<\/strong><\/span> <strong> <\/strong> <strong><em> Comments &#8211; <span class='bible'>Dan 7:22<\/span><\/em><\/strong> refers to the time of Jesus&rsquo; Second Coming when He shall judge those who have persecuted the Church and the saints shall enter in the Millennial Reign with Him and shall rule and reign with Christ forever.<\/p>\n<p> We find a similar description of the thrones being set up at the Great White Throne Judgment and judgment given to the saints in <span class='bible'>Rev 20:4<\/span>, &ldquo;And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> Dan 7:25<\/strong><\/span> <strong> And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.<\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> Dan 7:25<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <strong> &ldquo;and think to change times and laws&rdquo; <\/strong> <strong><em> Comments <\/em><\/strong> The times refers to seasons of God&rsquo;s plan of redemption for mankind. During the last two thousand years, the world has been on a Roman calendar. The antichrist, also called the son of perdition, will attempt to change the times on this calendar that the world now follows. The Tribulation Period will culminate with the world being ushered into the thousand-year Millennial Reign of Christ on Earth and the times and laws will be changed. At that time God Himself will take the world into a new era and change the times and laws; for only God can do what the antichrist will attempt to do (<span class='bible'>Dan 2:21<\/span>). The antichrist will attempt to do the same because he senses the change in seasons on the earth.<\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'> <span class='bible'>Dan 2:21<\/span>, &ldquo;And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> Dan 7:28<\/strong><\/span> <strong> Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.<\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> Dan 7:28<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <strong> <\/strong> <strong><em> Comments &#8211; <\/em><\/strong> Daniel 1-6 emphasizes Daniel&rsquo;s ministry to the kings of Babylon and Media. But the visions recorded in Daniel 7-12 were not for the kings. Rather, they are a collection of private visions that Daniel received from the Lord regarding the Time of the Gentiles and the Last Days. Thus, he writes in <span class='bible'>Dan 7:28<\/span> that he kept this vision in his heart.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Everett&#8217;s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> The Interpretation of the Vision<strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 15. I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body,<\/strong> for the body contains the spirit as the scabbard contains the sword, <strong> and the visions of my head troubled me,<\/strong> he felt apprehensive concerning them. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 16. I came near unto one of them that stood by,<\/strong> one of those engaged in the service of God, <strong> and asked him the truth of all this,<\/strong> the true explanation of the judgment scene which was here enacted. <strong> So he told me and made me know the interpretation of the things,<\/strong> so that Daniel understood the vision in all its parts. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 17. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings,<\/strong> the heads of mighty empires, each one the founder of a dynasty, <strong> which shall arise out of the earth,<\/strong> from the surface of the earth, of the earth, earthy. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 18. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom,<\/strong> receiving it as a gift from above, <strong> and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. <\/strong> The true members of the covenant nation, the believers of the New Testament, the congregation of the Lord, gathered from the elect of all nations, are, by virtue of their faith in the Messiah, possessors of the kingdom of God, they enjoy all the blessings of the Lord in this relationship to the Messiah and to their heavenly Father here in time and hereafter in eternity. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 19. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast,<\/strong> that is, Daniel was anxious to know, he desired to be informed, about this beast also, <strong> which was diverse from all the others,<\/strong> so utterly different from them, <strong> exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron and his nails of brass,<\/strong> the feature of the brazen claws being added in this description; <strong> which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; <\/p>\n<p>v. 20. and of the ten horns that were in his head and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell, even of that horn that had eyes and a mouth that spake very great things,<\/strong> in boastful blasphemy, <strong> whose look was more stout than his fellows,<\/strong> that is, his appearance was such as to inspire terror. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them,<\/strong> this being apart of its campaign of destruction, it involved a temporary defeat of the forces of the Lord, <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 22. until the Ancient of Days came,<\/strong> the true and only God coming to judgment upon His enemies, <strong> and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High,<\/strong> for the Lord took their part and effected their deliverance from the oppression of the beast; <strong> and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom,<\/strong> the Church holding the blessings of the Lord even here in time, in spite of all hostility of Satan and his evil forces, and entering into undisturbed possession of them in the Kingdom of Glory. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 23. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,<\/strong> following the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, and the Greek empire, respectively, <strong> which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces,<\/strong> the general effect of its rule being decidedly destructive. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise,<\/strong> that is, the Roman Empire, upon its disintegration, would be resolved into a number of smaller states, all of which would, however, carryon the traditions of the mother state and still be one in spirit with her; <strong> and another shall rise after them,<\/strong> a ruler wielding a great deal of power, <strong> and he shall be diverse from the first,<\/strong> differing from his predecessors, <strong> and he shall subdue three kings,<\/strong> causing them completely to lose their identity. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 25. And he shall speak great words against the Most High,<\/strong> in blasphemies of an unusually vicious character, <strong> and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change times and laws,<\/strong> setting aside human and divine laws at will; <strong> and they shall be given into his hand,<\/strong> for him practically to work his will as he chose, <strong> until a time and times and the dividing of time,<\/strong> the entire length of time, divided into three distinct periods, being figured in terms of God&#8217;s time. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 26. But the judgment shall sit,<\/strong> the sentence will be carried out, <strong> and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end,<\/strong> so that its final destruction is not to be expected before the end of the world. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 27. And the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,<\/strong> throughout the world, <strong> shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High,<\/strong> so that the Church of the Lord would finally be victorious, <strong> whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. <\/strong> Cf <span class='bible'>Eph 1:21-22<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Col 1:16<\/span>. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 28. Hitherto is the end of the matter,<\/strong> this is the gist of the vision. <strong> As for me, Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me,<\/strong> namely, after he awoke from his dream, <strong> and my countenance changed in me,<\/strong> his face showed the effect of his worry over the matter; <strong> but I kept the matter in my heart,<\/strong> he did not make it known, did not discuss it with others. <\/p>\n<p>The interpretation of this vision may briefly be given as follows. The lion with the eagle&#8217;s wings was the Babylonian Empire, whose victorious progress was halted about the time that Nebuchadnezzar was stricken with the peculiar madness, which caused him to seek the fellowship of beasts, which, however, later received at least some understanding of the true God. The bear which raised himself up on one side is the Medo-Persian Empire, whose warlike nature is testified to in secular accounts. The leopard upon whose back wings appeared is the Grecian Empire, which, under Alexander the Great, spread over the world with great rapidity. The fourth beast is the Roman Empire with its insatiable fierceness and love of conquest, whose spiritual descendant and successor is the kingdom of Antichrist, of the Pope at Rome, just as delineated in the Book of Revelation. The ancient empire indeed came to an end, but it was revived in the empire of Charles the Great, and the political power of the Pope is felt in practically every nation of the earth today. Practically every feature of the description fits the rule of the Roman Antichrist from the very start. The kingdom of the Pope grew up like a horn, exerting its political power very gradually, but none the less surely. From small beginnings it developed until it reached a station in which it practically controlled the fate of nations. The Popes have, in many cases, made use of the highest wisdom, together with an almost diabolical cunning, to further their cause. By dint of their cunning they made their authority felt in the counsels of nations; they have impressed people with their power far above the real status of affairs. The kingdom of the Pope is unlike every other kingdom, since he exerts political power under the guise of spreading the kingdom of God. Time and again the Pope of Rome has spoken blasphemous words against the one true God. History records numerous instances of persecutions carried on by Popes and their millions, as during the terrible inquisitions. Popes have altered the Word of God to suit their own convenience and to serve their selfish interests. In spite of the reverses which the kingdom of Antichrist has suffered in the past, as when Emperor Otto I deposed Pope John XII, when the councils of the fifteenth century tried to effect at least an outward reformation, and, above all, when Martin Luther carried the fight into the enemy&#8217;s ranks, the kingdom of Antichrist will remain till the end of time. Cf 2 Thessalonians 2; Revelation 17. The prophecy of Daniel was fulfilled and is being fulfilled in a most remarkable manner, a fact which tends to strengthen our faith in every word of the Bible. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> To the mind of Daniel, in a period so remote as he lived from the advent of Christ, and especially in a character like Daniel, evidently inspired and appointed to be a Prophet in the Church, in the awful times in which he lived; all that is here said of his grief, and the earnestness of his inquiry to be informed concerning the vision, was very highly proper and praise-worthy. But, I beg the Reader, rather to wait and watch the Lord&#8217;s explanation of this and all other the prophetical parts of scripture, yet remaining to be fully made known, than presume to be wise above what is written. It is enough to make a truly awakened child of God to tremble, in beholding what unhallowed hands have written, and unregenerated hearts have suggested, concerning the Prophecies of God in the several ages of the Church. Reader! let you and I rest in what is here said concerning our Redeemer&#8217;s kingdom, fully satisfied, for it is enough, and more we cannot need. Christ is here said to possess a kingdom, which shall be forever and ever. This is one precious truth. And there is another like it, with which indeed it is connected, and the one included in the other: namely, the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, which shall be forever. Here then is enough for every child of God to know, and to rest in. To presume to go further, and to point to persons and things in the present day, to the compliment of one, and to the reproach of another, is to limit, in my humble opinion, the Holy One of Israel, and to hazard the divine displeasure. The Lord grant that his faithful ones may be kept faithful among that little handful of the saints of the Most High, as they are here called, which are now in the earth. It is to be exceedingly feared by what we behold in the present day, that it is indeed but a little handful, and much less than too many suppose. everyone that loves our Lord Jesus in sincerity and truth, may well be alarmed for the present awful times, and seriously ponder that alarming question of Jesus: when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? <span class='bible'>Luk 18:8<\/span> .<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Hawker&#8217;s Poor Man&#8217;s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> Dan 7:15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me.<\/p>\n<p> Ver. 15. <strong> I Daniel was grieved in my spirit.<\/strong> ] Chald., My spirit was scabbed through, so that my body became as an empty sheath or scabbard. Oh, the terror of that last judgment, when such a man as Daniel was so frightened to see the manner of it in vision only! &#8220;If the righteous scarcely be saved,&#8221; &amp;c. <\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/p>\n<p> In the midst of my body.<\/strong> ] Chald., Of my sheath: the body is but the soul&rsquo;s sheath (Pliny, <em> a<\/em> in the history of Hermotinus Clazomenius, maketh use of the same metaphor), and compared to the soul it is but as a clay wall that encompasseth a treasure, as a wooden box of a jeweller, as a coarse case to a rich instrument, or as a mask to a beautiful face. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><em> a<\/em> Lib. vii. cap. 52.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Trapp&#8217;s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Dan 7:15-18<\/p>\n<p> 15As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. 16I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17 These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. 18But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Dan 7:15-28 This is the angelic interpretation of Daniel&#8217;s vision. The same literary pattern is in the vision of Dan 8:1-14 and the interpretation in Dan 8:15-27.<\/p>\n<p>Dan 7:15 These powerful visions of God&#8217;s power and human evil distressed Daniel (cf. Dan 4:19; Dan 7:28; Dan 8:27).<\/p>\n<p> within me The marginal note of NASB, in the midst of its sheath (BDB 1102) is a Semitic idiom that later translators did not understand. Daniel had both a spirit of the holy gods (cf. Dan 4:8-9; Dan 4:18; Dan 5:11; Dan 5:14), as well as an anxious human spirit.<\/p>\n<p>Dan 7:16 One characteristic of apocalyptic literature is interpreting angels (e.g., Dan 8:16-17; Dan 9:22; Zec 1:9; Zec 1:19; Zec 2:2-3; Zec 4:4-5; Zec 4:13; Zec 6:4; Rev 5:5; Rev 7:13). This is another way to show God&#8217;s sovereignty. No human can know the true interpretation without heaven&#8217;s help! These visions and dreams are given to communicate inspired truths from God, but they are still under God&#8217;s control. Only some understand (cf. Isa 6:9-10; Isa 43:8; Jer 5:21; Eze 12:2; Mat 11:15; Mat 13:9; Mat 13:43; Mar 4:9; Mar 4:23; Luk 8:8; Luk 14:35; Act 7:51; Act 28:27; Rev 2:7; Rev 2:11; Rev 2:29; Rev 3:6; Rev 3:13; Rev 3:22; Rev 13:9). This is revelation for God&#8217;s people!<\/p>\n<p>Dan 7:17 these great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth This is the angel&#8217;s interpretation of the successive nature of the kingdoms mentioned in the vision. The first had already come (i.e., Nebuchadnezzar).<\/p>\n<p>Dan 7:18 But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever for all ages to come This shows the fluidity of this chapter as well as apocalyptic literature between the Highest One (cf. Dan 7:27), the Messiah (cf. Dan 7:13) and His people (cf. Dan 7:18; Dan 7:22; Dan 7:27). Notice again the emphasis on the eternal nature of the kingdom (cf. Dan 7:27; Dan 12:2-3). This cannot refer to a millennial kingdom unless it, itself, is a metaphor of the eternal kingdom!<\/p>\n<p>The identification of the Aramaic phrase saints or the holy ones (BDB 1110) has been disputed.<\/p>\n<p>1. angels<\/p>\n<p>a. the Hebrew counterpart phrase almost always refers to angels (cf. Dan 4:13; Dan 4:17; Dan 4:23; Dan 8:13; Job 5:1; Psa 89:5; Psa 89:7)<\/p>\n<p>b. the term people in Dan 7:27 can mean hosts of, which would remind one of the common OT angelic description the hosts of YHWH<\/p>\n<p>2. believers<\/p>\n<p>a. in the OT they are rarely called saints or holy ones (cf. Dan 8:24; Psa 16:3; Psa 34:9). The designation probably comes from Exo 19:5-6; Deu 14:21; Deu 26:19.<\/p>\n<p>b. they receive the eternal kingdom (cf. Dan 7:18; Dan 7:22; Dan 7:27)<\/p>\n<p>c. they suffer persecution and defeat (cf. Dan 7:21; Dan 7:25)<\/p>\n<p>3. the real problem is the GENITIVE phrase used with people in v. 27, to the people of the saints of the Highest One. This looks like people and saints are distinct groups.<\/p>\n<p>Also notice the Aramaic ADJECTIVE Most High is PLURAL in Dan 7:18; Dan 7:22; Dan 7:25; Dan 7:27, while the SINGULAR is in Dan. 3:26,32; Dan 4:21-22; Dan 4:29; Dan 4:31; Dan 5:18; Dan 5:21. Notice in Dan 7:25 both forms occur as a title for God. This same fluctuation is found with the Hebrew ADJECTIVE. This does not relate to polytheism, but probably to the Semitic grammatical feature called the PLURAL OF MAJESTY.<\/p>\n<p>NASBforever, for all ages to come<\/p>\n<p>TEVforever and ever<\/p>\n<p>This phrase is the threefold use of &#8216;olam (BDB 1106) with the PREPOSITION until (twice) used of time (BDB 1105, cf. Dan 2:20; Dan 6:15; Dan 6:27; Dan 7:18; Dan 7:26). It is an Aramaic superlative! The concept of eternal future is expressed often in Daniel using &#8216;olam (and in other ways also, cf. Dan 6:26) in its various forms and phrases (cf. R. B. Girldestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament, pp. 316-317).<\/p>\n<p>1. everlasting kingdom, Dan 4:3; Dan 7:27<\/p>\n<p>2. forever, for all the ages to come, Dan 7:18<\/p>\n<p>3. forever and ever, Dan 2:20<\/p>\n<p>4. live forever (Nebuchadnezzar), Dan 2:4; Dan 3:9 (Belshazzar), Dan 5:10; (Darius), Dan 6:6; Dan 6:21, lives forever (YHWH), Dan 4:34<\/p>\n<p>5. which will never be destroyed, Dan 2:44 a; Dan 7:18<\/p>\n<p>6. endure forever, Dan 2:44 c; Dan 6:26<\/p>\n<p>7. everlasting dominion, Dan 4:34; Dan 7:14<\/p>\n<p>SPECIAL TOPIC: FOREVER (&#8216;olam) <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>grieved. Because he did not understand. Therefore Dan 7could not be identical with Dan 2, because he had interpreted that already to Nebuchadnezzar. <\/p>\n<p>my spirit = myself. Chaldee. ruach. App-9. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Dan 7:15<\/p>\n<p>Dan 7:15  IH576 DanielH1841 was grievedH3735 in my spiritH7308 in the midstH1459 of my body,H5085 and the visionsH2376 of my headH7217 troubledH927 me. <\/p>\n<p>Dan 7:15<\/p>\n<p>I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.<\/p>\n<p>There is no wonder at Daniel&#8217;s grief. He had seen a vision of Lions, bears, leopards and other beasts who being judged by fire, were being toppled, overthrown and destroyed.  This was a dream of world calamity.  He saw horns which spoke and horns which were plucked up by the roots.  Daniel&#8217;s vision was a dreadful indication of terrifying times in store for the races of men.  Not the least of which are his own countrymen in captivity right there in Babylon.  This dream of his at this point would be more correctly described as a nightmare.  And he can&#8217;t wake up from it. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>was grieved: Dan 7:28, Dan 8:27, Jer 15:17, Jer 15:18, Jer 17:16, Hab 3:16, Luk 19:41-44, Rom 9:2, Rom 9:3, Rev 10:9-11 <\/p>\n<p>body: Chal, sheath, 2Pe 1:14 <\/p>\n<p>the visions: Dan 2:1, Dan 2:3, Dan 4:5, Gen 40:7, Gen 40:8, Gen 41:8 <\/p>\n<p>Reciprocal: Jer 4:19 &#8211; My bowels Dan 7:1 &#8211; visions Dan 8:1 &#8211; me Daniel Dan 10:16 &#8211; my sorrows<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Dan 7:15. Up to this verse the chapter is describing the dream or vision that Daniel had. The interpretations and comments that I have been giving on the verses are not those of the prophet, for he had not known them himself as yet, but is soon to learn them through another. My comments are based partly on some of the statements of one of them that stood by (verse 16), and partly on the facts and truths of history as quoted. We may note here that Daniel was not given the interpretation of his dream along with the vision itself, as was done in other cases, but he must obtain that information from another. So it is another instance of the divers manners&#8221; spoken of in Heb 1:1. After having this vision, the prophet was grieved and troubled because he did not know what it meant. However, upon awaking he recalled it and made a record of it, &#8220;wrote the dream, and also told the sum of it (verse 1),<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Dan 7:15-18. I Daniel was grieved in my spirit  Upon account of the extraordinary changes which seemed to be signified by the vision, the particulars of which troubled me, though I had not a perfect apprehension of their meaning. I came near unto one of them that stood by  Namely, to one of the angels who were attending as ministering spirits. And asked him the truth, &amp;c.  Desired him to give me a clear understanding of all this. So he told me, &amp;c.  Explained to me the true and plain meaning of these things. These great beasts are four kings  Four kingdoms, or monarchies. So the word king is used Isa 23:15. Which shall arise out of the earth  Which shall raise themselves merely upon carnal, worldly grounds and considerations, and that by wars and troubles, and which shall think of and concern themselves with only earthly things; whereas the kingdom of Christ is described, in the next verse, as a heavenly, spiritual kingdom, fitting men for heaven. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom  When the earthly kingdom shall be destroyed, the heavenly, or spiritual kingdom of the saints shall commence; they shall enter upon it on earth, but shall retain it in heaven for ever. The Chaldee word , rendered Most High, is literally high ones, as it is translated in the margin: and these saints are indeed high ones, being children and heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. Sometimes, however, the one true God is spoken of in the plural number by way of eminence, as Jos 24:19, where it is in the Hebrew, He is the holy Gods. The expression may therefore mean as we have it rendered.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>7:15 I Daniel was {d} grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me.<\/p>\n<p>(d) Because of the strangeness of the vision.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:bold;text-decoration:underline\">4. The interpretation of the four beasts 7:15-18<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Even though Daniel understood all kinds of visions and dreams (Dan 1:17), much of what he had just seen baffled and alarmed him (cf. Dan 7:28). He now saw himself participating in the events of his vision. He evidently addressed his question to an angel (cf. Dan 8:16; Dan 9:21). The fourth beast, and particularly the little horn, were the parts of the vision that he could not understand and most interested him.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 15. As for me Daniel, my spirit was pained ] or distressed: in modern English we should not say &lsquo;grieved&rsquo; in such a connexion. in the midst of the sheath ] or, with a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-daniel-715\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 7:15&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21959\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}