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 12:1-4
12 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
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It’s probably worth going back to re-read the end of Daniel 11, if you don’t have it at the forefront of your mind.
Daniel 11: 40 “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. 41 He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. 44 But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. 45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.
At the time of the end (11:40) when the King of the North has done the above, then “shall arise Michael.” As we covered previously, the connection between these verses and Antiochus Epiphanes is present, but more attenuated than earlier in chapter 11. As a result, many view the end of chapter 11 and chapter 12 as a time jump forward into the End Times. We’ll look at that here, starting with Ellicott’s Bible Commentary:
(1) At that time—i.e., in the times spoken of in Daniel 11:45, previous to the overthrow of the king. During the tribulation which precedes his overthrow, Michael (see Daniel 10:13) comes to stand up in aid of the people.
A time of trouble.—This is the tribulation spoken of in Matt. in Matthew 24:21-22, which follows, as it does in the Book of Daniel, the wars, rumours of wars, and uprisings of sundry nations. (See Matthew 24:6-7.) It should be observed that the mere presence of Michael does not avert the times of trouble. He helps God’s people during the time of their trouble. On the mode in which the intensity of the tribulation is described, comp. Jeremiah 30:7.
The note here ascribes the verses from Daniel to the same events described by Jesus in the Book of Matthew. It should be pointed out that some believe the events described by Jesus were the Roman attack on and then destruction of Jerusalem from 63 AD to 70 AD. And the other interpretations argue that both Daniel and Jesus were referring to events shortly before The Day of the Lord and the judgment of the world. The Pulpit Commentaries has a note for verse 1 that is also worth reading, in our effort to get a picture of what’s going on here.
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standsth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. The rendering of the Septuagint is “And unto that place shall come Michael the archangel, who standeth over (ἐπὶ) the children of thy people; that day shall be a day of affliction, such as was not from the day when they were [presumably the Jews as a nation] till that day, and in that day every people shall be exalted whose name is found written in the book,” reading עם כֹל instead of עמּךָ כֹל־. Theodotion’s rendering is, “In that time shall stand up Michael, the great prince that standeth for the children of thy people, and it shall be a time of affliction such as there has not been since there was a nation upon the earth till that time: in that time shall thy people be saved, every one who is written in the book.” The Peshitta rendering is, “At that time shall stand up Michael, the great angel who is overseer over the children of thy people, and it shall be a time of affliction such as has not been from the days of eternity; there shall be delivered of the children of thy people every one who is found written in the book.” The rendering of the Vulgate is in close agreement with the Massoretic text. The difference in the first clause between the text of the Septuagint and that represented by the Massoretic text and that of the versions which follow it is of importance. It is hardly possible to suggest any Hebrew word for the place which can have been suggested by עֵת, the word used here for “time.” Both versions of the clause look like attempts to supply a link of connection which was awanting in the text before them. This supports our idea that the eleventh chapter is mainly an interpolation. It would seem that the Septuagint translator had before him a text having some derivative possibly of סלל, perhaps in the passive of the pilpel, which has no extant example. And at that time. The connection would naturally imply the time of the destruction of the oppressor—the king of the south. When he was cut off “without a helper” would be a time one would expect of joy, not of affliction. It may refer to the coming of the oppressor from Egypt with “great rage.” If that produced the great affliction, what is the result of Michael’s standing up? It seems as if the connection here were hopelessly broken; some dislocation has occurred. Michael the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people (see Daniel 10:21). “Thy people,” this pronominal suffix only occurs once in the previous chapter, in the fourteenth verse, in a clause that does not harmonize with the context—a clause that we think is a portion of the missing vision of Daniel. Shall stand up. This, taken in connection with his function, means he shall come for the help of Israel. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation. This is certainly not what might be expected to result from Michael arising for the deliverance of the people of God. It certainly may be intended to explain the fact that Michael does “stand up.” But in the succeeding verses we have no account of special deliverance being given to Israel. The natural meaning of this would be that from the time that Israel began to be a nation there had not been such affliction. It might mean that never since there were nations had there been such a persecution. Father of these interpretations would be true. Never in the history of Israel had there been such a persecution, because the attempt to force the people to worship Jupiter was met by a far fiercer resistance than that which met Jezebel’s attempt to make Israel worshippers of Baal. The people were not then so permeated with love and honour to Jehovah as they were now. Further, there was more kindred between Baal-worship and that of Jehovah originally than between the latter and the worship of Jupiter. Baal means simply” Lord,” and Jehovah seems to have been worshipped under that title (Hosea 2:16). A collateral proof of this is the fact that Saul named one of his sons after “Baal”—Eshbaal (equivalent to Ishbosheth), 1 Chronicles 8:3.1 Chronicles 8:3; and Jonathan also named his son from Baal—Meribaal (equivalent to Mephibesheth), 1 Chronicles 8:34. The plea might thus be advanced that Baal-worship was a revival of an ancient cult. Hence the persecution, severe as it was, would not be so severe as tinder Antiochus. Yet, again, the Greek intellect, keen and polished as it was, could persecute in a way more thorough and complete. If fiercer persecution for religious views could not have been at any earlier time in Jewish history, in no other country would there have been any persecution at all, because there would have been no resist-ante to the will of the monarch. Our Lord, in Matthew 24:21, has this passage in mind, and uses terms borrowed from it to describe the sufferings to be endured by the Jews at the hands of the Romans. when Jerusalem shall be besieged and taken. It is to be observed that while in Daniel the comparison is only with the past, in Matthew there is added a reference to the future, “No, nor ever shall be.” Nothing, then, shall equal the appalling horrors of the siege and sack of Jerusalem. And at that time thy people shall be delivered. The mere fact of deliverance is mentioned, but the nature of the deliverance is not indicated there; cessation of persecution would not be deliverance, for only Israel was persecuted. The application of the phrases of our Lord have a totally different reference—the Jews perished, the Christians were delivered. There is here another evidence of dislocation. Every one that shall be found written in the book. There seems to be a faint reminiscence of this in Philippians 4:3, and a clearer in Revelation 13:8. Although “books” is here referred to, and referred to also in Daniel 10:21, yet the “books” are different. The “book” in the tenth chapter contains presumably an account beforehand of all that is to happen. This book is, so to speak, a register of the names of those who should stand through the fiery trial that was to try them and maintain their faithfulness. It is to be noted that the Septuagint makes this refer not to individuals, but to nations whose names shall be found written in the book. There seems nothing to justify such a reading.
The note above thus makes a pretty compelling argument for the events of Daniel 10-12 referring to the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes. However, it does not overtly exclude the verses also referring to subsequent events. So just keep all of that in mind.
This seems like a good spot to do an overview of the Archangel Michael (via wiki)
Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch, is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second-century BC Jewish works, often but not always apocalyptic, where he is the chief of the angels and archangels, and he is the guardian prince of Israel and is responsible for the care of the people of Israel. Christianity conserved nearly all the Jewish traditions concerning him, and he is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7–12, where he does battle with Satan, and in the Epistle of Jude, where the archangel and the devil dispute over the body of Moses.
Old Testament and Apocrypha
The Book of Enoch lists Michael as one of seven archangels (the remaining names are Uriel, Raguel, Raphael, Sariel, Gabriel, and Remiel), who in the Book of Tobit “stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord”. The fact that Michael is introduced implies the knowledge of him and the other named angels. He is mentioned again in the last chapters of the Book of Daniel, a Jewish apocalypse composed in the second century BC and set in the sixth, in which a man clothed in linen (never identified, but matching a description given to John in Revelation regarding the Alpha and Omega) tells Daniel that he and “Michael, your prince” are engaged in a battle with the “prince of Persia“, after which, at the end-time, “Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise”.
Enoch was instrumental in establishing the pre-eminent place of Michael among the angels and archangels, and in later Jewish works, he is said to be their chief, mediating the Torah (the Law of God), and standing at the right hand of the throne of God. In the traditions of the Qumran community, he defends or leads the people of God in the eschatological (i.e., end-time) battle. In other writings, he is responsible for the care of Israel (and he may be the “one like a son of man” mentioned in Daniel 7:13–14) and the commander of the heavenly armies; he is Israel’s advocate contesting Satan’s claim to the body of Moses; he intercedes between God and humanity and serves as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary; and he accompanies the souls of the righteous dead to Paradise.
New Testament
The seven archangels (or four, as traditions differ but always include Michael) were associated with the branches of the menorah, the sacred seven-branched lampstand in the Temple as the seven spirits before the throne of God, and this is reflected in the Book of Revelation 4:5 (“From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God” – ESV). Michael is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7–12, where he does battle with Satan and casts him out of heaven so that he no longer has access to God as accuser (his formal role in the Old Testament). The fall of Satan at the coming of Jesus marks the separation of the New Testament from Judaism. In Luke 22:31, Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked God for permission to “sift” the disciples, the goal being to accuse them, but the accusation is opposed by Jesus, who thus takes on the role played by angels, and especially by Michael, in Judaism.
Michael is mentioned by name for the second time in the Epistle of Jude, which is an impassioned plea for the believers to engage in battle against the incursion of the error. In verses 9–10, the author denounces the heretics by contrasting them with the archangel Michael, who, in disputing with Satan over the body of Moses, “did not presume to pronounce the verdict of ‘slander’ but said, ‘The Lᴏʀᴅ punish you!’”
According to rabbinic tradition, Michael acted as the advocate of Israel, and sometimes had to fight with the princes of the other nations (Daniel 10:13) and particularly with the angel Samael, Israel’s accuser. Their enmity dates from the time Samael was thrown from heaven and tried to drag Michael down with him, necessitating God’s intervention.
The idea that Michael was the advocate of the Jews became so prevalent that in spite of the rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries between God and his people, he held a place in the Jewish liturgy: “When a man is in need he must pray directly to God, and neither to Michael nor to Gabriel.” Jeremiah addresses a prayer to him.
The rabbis declare that Michael entered into his role of defender at the time of the biblical patriarchs. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob said he rescued Abraham from the furnace into which he had been thrown by Nimrod (Midrash Genesis Rabbah xliv. 16). Some say he was the “one that had escaped” (Genesis 14:13), who told Abraham that Lot had been taken captive (Midrash Pirke R. El.), and who protected Sarah from defilement by Abimelech.
Michael prevented Isaac from sacrifice by his father by substituting a ram in his place. He saved Jacob, while yet in his mother’s womb, from death by Samael. He later prevented Laban from harming Jacob.(Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, xxxvi).
St. Michael weighing souls during the Last Judgement, Antiphonale Cisterciense (15th century), Abbey Bibliotheca, Rein Abbey, Austria
Michael was venerated as a healer in Phrygia (modern-day Turkey).
The earliest and most famous sanctuary to Michael in the ancient Near East was the Michaelion, also associated with healing waters. It was built in the early fourth century by Constantine the Great probably at Sosthenion (Modern Istinye on the European Shore of Bosphorus), on the site of an earlier temple called Apollo or less probably Hermes.(Chronographia,Ed.L.DINDORF.CSHB,Bonn,s.78,7-79,9)
Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310 – c. 320 – 403) in his Coptic-Arabic Hexaemeron referred to Michael as a replacement of Satan. Accordingly, after Satan fell, Michael was appointed to the function Satan served when he was still one of the noble angels.
I don’t know if you picked up on it in the wiki article, but it is assumed in the article that the Book of Daniel is a 2nd century BC work, rather than a 6th century BC work. However, as we’ve discussed in this study, that is a debate nowhere near settled, with a lot of evidence pointing in both directions. If we accept the older dating of Daniel, then the article’s assertion that “Michael” emerged in the 3rd and 2nd century needs to be pushed back a few hundred years.
Continuing on in chapter 12, verse 2, again in Ellicott:
(2) Many . . . that sleep in the dust.—Literally, Many sleepers in the land of dust. The word “sleep” is applied to death (Jeremiah 51:39; comp. 1 Thessalonians 4:14); while “dust” is used for the grave (Psalms 22:29). Some difficulty is presented by the use of the word “many” where “all” would have been expected. Theodoret explains it from Romans 5:15, where he observes “many” stands for “all.” It is, however, more in accordance with the language to suppose that by the word “many” some contrast is implied, which is apparently between the many who sleep in the dust and the comparatively small number of those who “are alive and remain.” (See John 5:28, &c.) It should be noted that this passage not only teaches the doctrine of a general resurrection, which had already been incidentally revealed by Daniel’s contemporary, Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1-4), but also the facts of eternal life, and a resurrection of the unjust as well as of the just.
Shame and everlasting contempt.—The latter word occurs only in this passage and Isaiah 66:24, where see the Note. For the use of the word “shame,” comp. Jeremiah 23:40.
This verse – and the interpretation given to it here by Ellicott – strongly imply events occurring well after the 2nd century BC. As TPC tends to be more defensive of the 2nd century BC designation for these verses, we’ll see how it interprets this one:
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. The Septuagint rendering is, “And many that sleep in the breadth (πλάτει) of the earth shall arise, some to life eternal, and some to reproach, some to dispersion (διασπορὰν) and eternal shame.” These terms, “reproach” and “dispersion,” are different attempts to render חֲרָפוֹת (haraphoth),“reproaches.” The differences between the above and Theodotion are merely verbal; “dispersion” is omitted, χώματι,“dust,” is instead of πλάτει, The rendering of the Peshitta is, “And many of those that sleep in the dust shall awake, some to life everlasting, and some to destruction and contempt of their friends for ever.” The Vulgate has a somewhat singular version of the last clause, “And many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to life eternal, and some to contempt, in order that they may always see it (ut videant semper).“ Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth. Sleep, as a symbol of death, is frequent, both in the Old Testament and the New: Psalms 13:3; Job 3:13; for the New Testament, Acts 7:20; 1 Corinthians 15:6. “Dust” is a common phrase for the grave: Job 7:21; Psalms 22:30; Psalms 30:10; Genesis 3:19. The reference here is to those who are not only dead, but buried. The phrase translated, “dust of the earth,” literally means “earth of dust.” The phrase is so singular that Professor Robertson Smith has suggested that instead of reading ‘admath ‛aphar,we should read ‘armath ‛aphar—aram in Arabic meaning a “cairn” or “mound.” There is, however, as Professor Bevan remarks, no instance in Hebrew or Aramaic of such a word being in use. It is assumed that the reference here (Behrmann, etc.) is to the Jews alone; but for this assumption there is no justification. While, on the one hand, one cannot prove from this that others besides Israel shall partake in the resurrection; on the other, as little can we assert that “the Jews,” at the period when this verse was written, excluded all but Jews. We cannot deduce that” many” here excludes “all.” The idea suggested is rather multitudinousness. Shall awake, sores to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. This is a distinct reference to the resurrection of the body; it is those that “sleep in the dust” that shall thus “awake.” It is to be noted that at the resurrection the condition of each is fixed frailly—it is to “everlasting life” and “over-lasting contempt” This resurrection is individual, not national, as shown by the contrasted fates. The doctrine of the resurrection is thus clearly stated. There is no need to examine how much the Jews of the time of the Maccabees understood of this doctrine. Isaiah 26:14-19, as clearly as does this passage, proclaims the same belief. Ezekiel 37:1-14 shows that resurrection was to the Israelites not such an incongruous or impossible idea as it was to the Greeks. But when is this? We might be led by the juxtaposition of this to the account of the sufferings of the Jews under Antiochus, to think that the writer believed the end of the world would take place immediately on the fall of Antiochus. But in the first place we must remember that we have not the vision given to Daniel; it has been replaced by the eleventh chapter. Further, the method of prophecy must be borne in mind. The future was made known in vision. If, as seems probable, distance in space from the apparent standpoint of the prophet represented distance in time from his actual or assumed chronological position, then, if the description of the vision proceeded from one side of the picture to the other, those things would be in close juxtaposition which were to be far removed from each other chronologically. Thus an astronomer may place in the same constellation stars inconceivably distant from each other—nay, may even unite as one binary star two suns, the one nearer the earth than the other by thousands of millions of miles. So our Lord correlates the destruction of Jerusalem with the end of the world. Moreover, the misery endured by the Jewish saints under Antiochus was a type of the sufferings of the people of God of every age.
The author of the note above concedes that this resurrection seems to describe events at the end of time, but suggests that it is not necessarily badly juxtaposed with a description of events from the 2nd century BC from God’s perspective.
In the alternative, though, we might look at the 1st century AD as well. The rising of Lazarus from the dead is among the more well-documented events in Church history. Less well noted, though, is the description given from Matthew 27:
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
The implications of this are significant. It stands to reason, that in the lead up to the destruction of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem, and in the lead up to the most significant persecution of Jews ever recorded (by the Romans) there were resurrected dead who bore witness to these events. Does that fit with the description given here in Daniel? To some degree it does. However, it also seems to lack the scale as implied by Daniel.
Perhaps then we might view the scene described in Daniel as a kind of teaser trailer for what would follow at the end of the Church age? (Many have debated this topic for centuries.) Continuing then to verse 3, again in Ellicott:
(3) They that be wise.—Comp. Matthew 13:43, Notes. “The wise” are the same as “those that understand” who were spoken of in Daniel 11:33, meaning those who by their own righteousness—that is, by their faithfulness to their covenant with God—had set a bright example to the others, as in Daniel 11:35. Such is the consolation held out for the support of those who shall witness the tribulation of the last days. (See Notes on Matthew 24:0 and the parallel passages.)
To the extent that any of this is straight-forward, this verse is the most so. The righteous and faithful will shine brightly – metaphorically, literally, or both – and the implication here is that they will be saved and lead others to being saved.
We’ll finish this section looking at the TPC note for verse 4:
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. The Septuagint rendering in the last portion of the verse is totally different from the Masserotic recension, which is correctly rendered in our English version, “And thou, Daniel, hide the commands and seal the book till the time of the end, till many shall rave violently (ἀπομανῶσιν) and the earth be filled with unrighteousness.” It is possible that יְשֻׁגּעוּ (yeshoogg‛oo), “were mad,” was read instead of יִּשׂטְטוּ (yishoṭetoo),“ran to and fro.” In the older script .מ was not unlike .ע Professor Bevan has suggested that instead of הַדָּעַת (hadda‛th),“the knowledge,” the Septuagint translator has read הָרָעֹת (hara‛oth),“the evils,” and thinks that this gives the Septuagint Greek. Were one, however, to render the Greek back into Hebrew, that would not be the form the words would take. It may, however, be regarded as a paraphrase. Theodotion’s version is closer to the Massoretic, “And thou, Daniel, shalt guard (ἕμφραζον, (‘make a fence round’) the words, and seal the book till the time of the end, till many shall be taught, and knowledge shall be fulfilled.” Theodotion here takes שיט as meaning, not “run to and fro,” but “peruse carefully.” The last clause somewhat justifies Professor Bevan’s suggestion: רָבָה used to mean “fulfil” or “fill out.” The Peshitta renders, “And thou, then, Daniel, seal these commands, render silent, and seal this book till the time of the end, and many shall inquire, and knowledge shall be increased.” The Vulgate agrees on the whole with the Massoretic text. Shut up the words. The exact rendering of the words is “close up;” hence Theodotion’s rendering “put a rampart round,” the סָתַם (satham), means generally “to stop up a well;” e.g. 2 Kings 3:19; 2 Chronicles 32:30; Genesis 26:15. In Nehemiah 4:1 (7) it is used of stopping the breaches in the wall; only in Ezekiel 28:3 and Psalms 8:1-9 (6) is the word rendered, even in the English versions, “hidden;” but even in these cases that is not the necessary or even the natural meaning of the woful. These remarks apply also to Daniel 8:26. Seal the book. There is a question as to the force of this phrase. Does it mean, as Hitzig, Bevan, and the critical school generally maintain it means, that the book was to be hidden and concealed? This view, if correct, would certainly give a plausibility to the contention that the book of Daniel is the work of a falsarisu. We have seen, however, that the real meaning of the verb translated “shut up” is not “conceal,” but “to shut up” with the view certainly of hindering access to them, but not at all with the intention of concealment. So the “sealing” here does not necessarily indicate concealment, but rather the conclusion of the matter with further idea of confirmation. The oracles of God are regarded as a spring of water; if we follow the figure implied in the first word used, the flow is stopped now; so far as this message is concerned, nothing more is to be drawn from the fountain. But a fountain may also be sealed (see So Daniel 4:12, “A garden enclosed, a fountain sealed”). In that case there is no idea of concealment. The book, then, of the prophecy is to be sealed against any change or addition. Even take the view of the critics, there is here no elaborate directions as to the concealment of the vision as we find in the case of the ‘Assumption of Moses.’ But further, we have no account of the finding of the book. Daniel was not like the ‘Assumption of Moses,’ the esoteric possession of a single sect, it was on the critical hypothesis soon known all over Palestine and Egypt. We know that the finding of the book of the Law in the reign of Josiah is narrated in 2 Kings 22:1-20. and 2 Chronicles 34:1-33.; but neither 1 Maccabees nor 2 Maccabees says a word about the finding of the Book of Daniel. Josephus also has no word of the discovery of Daniel, although he relates the finding of the book of the Law in the days of Josiah. There must have been no tradition of such a thing taking place, yet two centuries was not so long as to obliterate tradition. The sealing had metaphorical meaning—a book sealed, though it was visible to the eye, and was not hidden away—could not be read. If the key by which to interpret it is not granted, a book in cipher cannot be read (comp. Isaiah 29:11, Isaiah 29:12, “And the vision of all is become unto you as a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.” If the book were sealed that it could not be opened, the delivering of the book and the request to read it would be meaningless). Prophecy was delivered frequently in enigmatic language, and the meaning of it could only be grasped when circumstance supplied the key. To the time of the end. The end is not the end of the persecution of the days of Antiochus—that is already past; we have now reached the consummation of all things. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. This is to be looked upon as a description of the last time, when circumstance shall remove the seal from the book. The translator of the Septuagint has been led away by the idea of the time as one of sorrow. The verb, however, translated “going to and fro” may be rendered, as it is by Ewald, as “to peruse.” The veil then shall be removed, the seals broken when men peruse the prophecy carefully, and knowledge is increased.
The note here does a pretty thorough job of explaining what the text means here by “seal the book” and the history with respect to the publication of the Book of Daniel. There’s little or no evidence that the Book was ever literally sealed away from the public (especially if one believes in the later dating of the book.)
I think the interpretation of these words as meaning metaphorically that the accurate interpretation will not be revealed to readers until such a time as the understanding is necessary makes some more sense. That still leaves us without clarity as to whether the verses apply to the 2nd century BC revolt against the Greeks, the 1st century AD revolt against the Romans, or some as yet to occur moment. It could also be that the text refers to all three, with the first two being a Type of the 3rd and final events.
We’ll take a look at chapters 10-12 as a whole when we finish chapter 12.
