Welcome back to my study/review of The Book of Daniel. If you missed the previous parts of this study, you can find them HERE.
Daniel 2:20-25
20 Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
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This is an interesting section of verses, with the portion of verses 20 through 23 that are a prayer/blessing taking on a different textual format. We’ll dive right in with the note from The Pulpit Commentaries on verse 20:
And Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the Name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his. The Septuagint, having practically given the beginning of this verse as the end of verse19. omits it now: hence it renders, “Blessed be the Name of the great Lord for ever, because the wisdom and the greatness are his.” The fact that מִן־עָלְמָא (min‛ālmā), “from eternity,” is not rendered in this version, and that the adjective “great” is added in its place, indicates a difference of reading. Probably there was a transposition of מברךְ and מן־עלמא and the מן omitted. Then עלמא would be regarded as status emphaticus of the adjective עלּים (allim) This is not likely to be a correct reading, as allim means “robust,”—possessing the vigour of youth.” Theodotion differs somewhat more from the Massoretic text than is his custom, “And he said, Be the Name of God blessed from eternity to eternity, for (the) wisdom and (the) understanding are his.” This is shorter; the omission of the pleonastic formula, “answered and said,” has an appearance of genuineness that is impressive. It would seem as if Theodotion had בינְתָא (beenetha), “understanding,” instead of גְבוּרָה (geboorah), “might.” The Peshitta and the Vulgate do not differ from the Massoretic text. The first, word of the Hebrew text of this song of thanksgiving has an interest for us, as throwing light on the question of the original language, לְהֶוֵא has the appearance of an infinitive, but it is the third person plural of the imperfect; לis here the preformative of the third person singular and plural as in Eastern Aramaic as distinct from Western. This preformative is found occasionally in the Aramaic of the Babylonian Talmud, along with ,נ the preformative we find regularly in Syriac. In Biblical Aramaic this pre-formative is found only with the substantive verb; the reason of this, however, we have considered in regard to the language. Suffice it that we regard this as an evidence that Daniel was originally written in Eastern Aramaic. Professor Bevan’s explanation, that the phenomenon is due to the likeness these parts of this verb have to the Divine Name, is of force to afford a reason why, in the midst of the general process of Occidentalizing the Aramaic, they shrank from applying it to this verb. That they had no scruple in writing it first hand, we find in the Targums; thus Onkelos, Genesis 18:18, יֶהֲוֵי. We might refer to ether examples in the later Aramaic of the Talmud and other Rabbinic works. The Name of God. Later Judaism, to avoid using the sacred covenant name of God, was accustomed to use the “Name,” in this sense. This may be noted that throughout this whole book, “Jehovah” occurs only in Genesis 9:1-29. This may be due to something of that reverence which has led the Jews for centuries to avoid pronouncing the sacred name, and to use instead, Adonai, “Lord.“ It is to be observed that all through Daniel the Septuagint has Κύριος, the Greek equivalent for Jehovah, while Theodotion follows the Massoretic in having Θεός. For ever and ever. This is not an accurate translation, although it appears not only in the Authorized, but also in the Revised Version. The sound of the phrase impresses us with a sense of grandeur, perhaps due to the music with which it has been associated. When we think of the meaning we really give to the phrase, or of its actual grammatical sense, it only conveys to us the idea of unending future duration; it does not at all imply unbeginning duration. More correct is Luther’s “veto Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit.” The Greek of Theodotion conveys this also, ἀπό τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Jerome renders, “a saeculo et usque in saeculum.” The true rendering is, “from eternity to eternity.” It is quite true that the עָלְמָא means primarily “an age,” as does also αἰών and saculum: it is also quite true that it is improbable that in ancient days man had definite ideas of eternity; even at the present time, when men strive after definiteness, they have no real conception of unending existence, still less of existence unbeginning. Still, it was used as having that meaning so far as men were able to apprehend it. As αἰών, it is used for “world.” For wisdom and might are his. Wisdom is the Divine quality of which they have had proof now, but “might” is united with it as really one in thought. The fact that the usual combination is “wisdom and understanding” (see Exodus 31:3; Isaiah 11:2; Ezekiel 28:4) has led the scribe, whose text Theodotion used, to replace “might” by “understanding.” He might feel himself confirmed in his emendation by the fact that, while God’s wisdom and, it might be said, his understanding were exhibited in thus revealing to Daniel the royal dream, there was no place for “might.” What was in the mind of Daniel and his friends was that they were in the hands of a great Monarch, who was practically omnipotent. They now make known their recognition of the glorious truth that not only does the wisdom of the wise belong to God, but also the might of the strong. Further, there is another thought here which is present in all Scripture—that wisdom and might are really two sides of one and the same thing; hence a truth is proved by a miracle, a work of power.
It is worth reminding anyone who follows along that the assumption of the commentary above is that the Masoretic Text is more accurate than the Septuagint. That was a belief commonly held by Protestants after the Reformation until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1940s. The commentary above was written prior to that time, so it also makes this assumption. After that time, the reflexive assumption is that all of the available texts should be consulted to inform the best and most likely answer as to the original wording of the text. Sometimes the MT got it most correct. Other times, the Dead Sea Scrolls indicate that the Septuagint got it right and that the MT was likely changed (intentionally or not) at some point in the millennium after the Septuagint was translated.
Amazingly though, the differences in the translations are nearly always small transcription errors, without hard to the meaning of the text, and generally concern themselves with things like whether the word “greatness” should be used or “from eternity” instead. In any case though, we now have texts from the time of Jesus and before which can be consulted when making translations. The Bible is thus the most well-preserved ancient text of all time, and it’s not particularly close. Continuing on to the next verse, still in TPC:
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. In regard to this verse, Theodotion and the Septuagint only differ in this from the Massoretic text, that they omit the repetition of the word “kings.” The Peshitta has a different sense in the middle clause. “He maketh (Peshitta, ma’bed) kings and confirmeth (Peshitta, maqeem) kings” The Syriac translators have evidently read מְחֲעְדֵה (meha‛deh), “to remove,” as מְהַעְבֵד (meha‛bēd), “to make” The utter want of contrast in this reading condemns it. In regard to the Aramaic of this passage, the carrying on of the preformative ,ה the sign of the haphel conjugation, is a proof of the early date of the Aramaic. In later Aramaic, הgives place to ,א and אdisappears after the other preformative as יַקְטֵל, not יִאֲקְטֵל. Changeth times and seasons. Nebuchadnezzar was anxious lest the time in which he might make advantageous use of the information conveyed by the dream should pass away, and a new “time” be established. Not improbably Nebuchadnezzar, like most heathens, imagined that his gods were limited by some unseen power like the Greek Fate, and, however wishful they might be to be propitious to their worshippers only in certain collocations of the heavenly bodies could they carry out their wish. God, the God of heaven, the God of the despised Hebrews, he it was who arranged the times and the seasons, he made the sun to rise, he makes summer and winter, he leads out the host of the stars, alike the star of Nebo and the star of Marduk. The two words “time” and “season” are nearly synonymous. Perhaps the first is more indefinite than the other. Our own opinion is that the first has more the idea of space of time, and the latter more of point of time; but really they are almost synonymous. He removeth kings, and setteth up kings. In this there seems to be a special reference to the contents of the vision, which showed that in the time to come, not only kings but dynasties were to be set up and overthrown. The former clause regarded God as the God of nature. This looks u pen him as the God of providence, by whom “kings reign, and princes decree .justice.” He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understand-lag. This address to God goes further. Daniel sees in the faculties and mental acquirements of men the manifestation of God. It is the inspiration of the Almighty that giveth understanding. All the power man has of acquiring knowledge, all the faculty he has for using that knowledge aright, all come from God.
The note gives a really great explanation for the way that Daniel sets his God apart form the gods of other nations. See also the following on Daniel’s blessing from Ellicott’s Bible Commentary:
(21) Changeth times—i.e., He orders the events which occur at different times and seasons. Daniel refers to the dream which had been recently revealed to him, in which the changes of future times and seasons were depicted in so marvellous a way. “Times” are opposed to “seasons,” as circumstances of time may be contrasted with epochs of time. (Comp. Daniel 7:12.)
He removeth.—Comp. 1 Samuel 2:8.
Wisdom . . .—Comp. Jeremiah 32:19.
The wise—i.e., wise men generally. Wise men become what they are, not through their own study and natural ability, but by the grace and mercy of God.
(22) He revealeth.—Comp. Job 12:22.
He knoweth.—Comp. Psalms 139:12.
The light dwelleth.—Perhaps “illumination” rather than “light” expresses the actual meaning. Man himself requires illumination from an external source. This source is God, the “sun of man’s soul,” in Whom light dwells as if He were a palace, and in “His light do we see light” (Psalms 36:9).
(23) Who hast given me.—The Hebrew perfect represents what has already occurred and still continues. (See Jeremiah 2:2.) The wisdom spoken of here does not refer to the dream, but to the same subjects as in Daniel 1:7.
God of my fathers.—Comp. 1 Kings 18:36, Psalms 105:0 God dealt gloriously with Israel of old. He continues to be faithful to His promises to Israel by blessing Daniel’s education in secular subjects, and finally by the dream. Observe that to Daniel each appears alike supernatural, his proficiency in Chaldean wisdom, and his skill in interpreting dreams.
Daniel praises his God and credits Him with a lack of limitations. It’s important to remember that what he is saying here about God is fundamentally different than what worshippers of other gods say about them. We might reflexively attribute omnipotence or omniscience with the word “God” in the West, however, pagan god were flawed and capricious, though also exceedingly powerful. Continuing on, once again in TPC:
Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch. whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation. The differences in the versions from this are slight. The LXX.has ἔκαστα instead of σύγκρισιν, as if reading כֹל instead of פִשְׂרָא, an emendation due to the fact that the king had demanded from the wise men, not merely the interpretation, which, given the dream, they were willing enough to give, but the dream itself; only the more natural emendation would have been to have interpolated הֶלְמָא, (ḥel’ma), “dream,” be fore “interpretation.” Both the Septuagint and Theodotion omit the word representing the second “went.” It is to be observed that “went in” and “went” are different words in the original, as in the Peshitta Version. The verbs עֲלַל (‛alal) and אזל (‘azal) have different ideas connected with them. The first means “to enter,” of a place with a preposition; the latter has the notion of simple going. If we can imagine the body-guard of the king quartered in some part of the huge palace, then Daniel “went in” first to the quarters of the guard, and then, having got a mission, “went” up to Arioch, who was probably endeavouring to occupy as much time as possible to delay the horrible exe cution, or perhaps escape the necessity altogether. It would seem as if Arioch had heard nothing of the petition which Daniel had presented to the king, and only knew that his delay had not been found fault with. It might seem by the introductory word “therefore” (kol-qebēl-denah) that the hymn has been an interpolation. It is quite true that it would most naturally immediately follow verse 19. Yet we must bear in mind that the consecution of one part to another, which we have in our Western languages, is not so carefully observed in Eastern tongues. It may be doubted, more over, whether כָּל־קְבֵל־דְנָה (kol-qebēl-denah) has so much a logical , as a local or temporal significance. “‘Thereupon” would, perhaps, more correctly render this connective here. After he had finished offering up his praise and thanks to God, Daniel went to Arioch. As we have already said, it would seem that Arioch had a reluctance to set about the fulfilment of this horrible order, not that mere slaughter was a thing specially repugnant to him—he had taken part in too many campaigns for that to impress him much; but this was a massacre of the priests. All the reverence of his nature that during his lifetime had associated itself with those who had solemnly sacrificed before each campaign, and taken the auguries, protested against this sudden and wholesale massacre. He has determined to fritter away time, in order to give his master opportunity to bethink himself The mere political ill will that would be roused by such an attempt was formidable. We know that the Babylonian monarch Nabunahid really rather fell before the intrigines of the priests and augurs than before the arms of Cyrus. To him, thus waiting and procrastinating, comes Daniel. Although there is nothing said of it in the narrative, Daniel may have given him to understand that he hoped to be able to satisfy the demands of the king. The power Daniel had of gaining the favour and confidence of those with whom he came in contacts led to his being buoyed up by a certain hope in his procrastination, which would be strengthened by the fact that the fiery young king made no inquiry whether his order was being fulfilled. Still, it must have been with joy he saw Daniel appearing, and heard him say, “Destroy not the wise men of Babylon,” especially when followed by the request to be brought into the presence of the king; thus he knew that Daniel could answer the king’s question and tell him his dream, as well as the promised interpretation. If we take the Septuagint rendering as representing the original text, Daniel promised to tell the king “everything.”
Imagine what a relief it was to Arioch that someone might be able to keep his entire order from being killed. Was there also likely to be jealousy or envy later, given that Daniel was able to do what the rest of them kind of pretended to be able to do? Sure. But in this moment, I imagine he felt a sense of glorious relief.
Even if Arioch did not completely believe Daniel would be able to perform as requested, at a bare minimum, this attempt was going to buy the rest of them some time. It seems likely though that he did believe given his decision to immediately take Daniel to the King. Continuing now to the end of the section:
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. Save that the Septuagint has again ἕκαστα instead of σύγκρισιν or σύγκριμα, and Paulus Tellensis adds the adjective “wise” as a description of the man who had thus professed to satisfy the king, the versions agree with the Massoretic text. In regard to the Aramaic here, the use of the Eastern form of the haphel is to be noted—han‛ēl instead of ha‛el. These are to be looked upon as archaisms or Orientalisms, that have survived modernizing efforts of the pre-Massoretic scribes. We have already remarked on this as an Eastern peculiarity which survives in the Mandaitic and in the Babylonian Talmud. The careful way in which the Septuagint renders the particular דִי, ὅτι, omitted in the other old versions save the Peshitta, ought to be noted as a sign of the extreme carefulness of the Septuagint translator, and a reason why we should regard divergences from the Massoretic as generally evidences of a different text. It has been remarked by Archdeacon Rose that Arioch claims too much when he asserts that he had “found Daniel.” This is not exactly met by Professor Fuller’s assertion that it was a mode of the court to ignore all “these captives,” with something of the contempt with which the European in India regards those whom he without qualification denotes as “niggers.” This, however, does not meet the case if the ordinary interpretation of the circumstances is right; then Nebuchadnezzar had not only seen Daniel in connection with this matter, but further, Arioch knew of it. The case of Abner and David before Saul, in 1 Samuel 17:35 should not be brought in in comparison with 1 Samuel 16:21, as the latter does not occur in the Septuagint. Unless there has been interpolation, the explanation seems to be that Arioch was not aware that Daniel had petitioned. It may be that Arioch wishes to disarm the king’s wrath by not saying anything of Daniel being one of “the wise men” against whom the king’s sentence had gone out; but it may also be regarded as a proof that Daniel and his companions had not yet passed out of the class of pupils into that of wise men. He says he is “of the sons of the captivity of Judah.” The haste with which Arioch brings Daniel into the king’s presence may be due to his own delight at having escaped a piece of employment he had no heart for. There may have been an element of anxiety—he had procrastinated, and the young king had made no inquiries; but it was not the custom of the conqueror to give orders and not to see that they were carried out, and disobedience to the orders of Nebuchadnezzar would mean instant death, possibly with torture. Every moment was fraught with danger, so Arioch’s hastening of Daniel may have been due to his own sense of relief at escape from an impending danger. But more, this haste would give the appearance of eager diligence, if not in slaughtering the wise men of Babylon, at least in searching for one who could make good to the king their lack of service toward him. His haste might be intended to give the look at once of eagerness and diligence. All the motives may have combined.
This now sets up Daniel’s big moment before the king, which strongly parallels the one Joseph had with Pharaoh in Genesis. The author of the Book of Daniel seems to be very aware of these parallels also, and has presented them both as similar, but also with Daniel surpassing Joseph.
Next we will see Daniel present himself before the King of Babylon.
