Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
In the first year of Belshazzar, Daniel saw the vision of the preceding chapter about the four monarchies; here in the third year of Belshazzar he sees those things which are to come in the second and third monarchies. This vision therefore, although it is different, is nevertheless in reality part of the preceding prophecy: for it describes the he-goat with the ram, that is, Alexander with Darius, the Greeks contending with the Persians for empire. Secondly, at verse 9, it describes one horn of the he-goat, that is, one of Alexander's successors, namely Antiochus Epiphanes, and his power and impiety against the Jews. Thirdly, at verse 15, Gabriel in the manner I have already described interprets the vision for Daniel.
Vulgate Text: Daniel 8:1-27
1. In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me. I, Daniel, after that which I had seen in the beginning: 2. I saw in my vision, when I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the region of Elam: and I saw in the vision that I was above the gate of Ulai. 3. And I raised my eyes, and I saw: and behold, a ram stood before the marsh, having high horns, and one higher than the other and growing up. Then 4. I saw the ram pushing with its horns against the West, and against the North, and against the South, and no beasts could resist him, nor be delivered from his hand: and he did according to his will, and became great. 5. And I was considering: and behold, a he-goat of the goats came from the West over the face of the whole earth, and did not touch the ground: moreover the he-goat had a notable horn between his eyes. 6. And he came up to that horned ram, which I had seen standing before the gate, and ran at him in the fury of his strength. 7. And when he had come near the ram, he was enraged against him, and struck the ram; and broke his two horns, and the ram could not resist him: and when he had cast him to the ground, he trampled him, and no one could deliver the ram from his hand. 8. And the he-goat of the goats became exceedingly great: and when he had grown, the great horn was broken, and four horns arose in its place toward the four winds of heaven. 9. And out of one of them came forth one little horn: and it became great toward the South, and toward the East, and toward the strength. 10. And it was magnified even to the strength of heaven: and it cast down some of the strength, and of the stars, and trampled them. 11. And it was magnified even to the prince of the strength: and it took away from him the continual sacrifice, and cast down the place of his sanctuary. 12. And strength was given him against the continual sacrifice because of sins: and truth shall be cast down on the ground, and he shall do it, and shall prosper. 13. And I heard one of the Saints speaking: and one saint said to another, I know not whom, speaking: How long shall the vision and the continual sacrifice, and the sin of desolation, which has been made: and the sanctuary, and the strength be trampled? 14. And he said to him: Until evening and morning, two thousand three hundred days: and the sanctuary shall be cleansed. 15. And it came to pass, when I, Daniel, saw the vision, and sought understanding: behold, there stood before me the appearance of a man. 16. And I heard the voice of a man between Ulai: and he called out, and said: Gabriel, make this one understand the vision. 17. And he came, and stood near where I stood: and when he had come, I fell on my face in terror, and he said to me: Understand, son of man, for in the time of the end the vision shall be fulfilled. 18. And when he spoke to me, I fell prostrate on the ground: and he touched me, and set me upright. 19. And he said to me: I will show you what shall come to pass in the last time of the wrath: for the time has its appointed end. 20. The ram which you saw having horns is the king of the Medes and Persians. 21. And the he-goat of the goats is the king of the Greeks, and the great horn which was between his eyes is the first king. 22. And whereas when that horn was broken, four stood up in its place: four kings of his nation shall arise, but not with his strength. 23. And after their reign, when iniquities shall have increased, there shall arise a king of shameless face, and understanding dark sentences. 24. And his strength shall be made firm, but not by his own power: and beyond what can be believed, he shall lay waste all things, and shall prosper, and shall do. And he shall kill the mighty, and the people of the Saints 25. according to his will, and craft shall be directed in his hand: and his heart shall be puffed up, and in the abundance of all things he shall kill very many: and he shall rise up against the prince of princes, and shall be broken without hand. 26. And the vision of the evening and the morning, which was told, is true: therefore seal up the vision, for it shall come to pass after many days. 27. And I, Daniel, languished, and was sick for some days: and when I had risen up, I did the king's business, and I was astonished at the vision, and there was none to interpret it.
Verse 1: I, Daniel, after that which I had seen in the beginning
1. I, Daniel, after that which I had seen in the beginning, — as if to say: After the first vision of the four beasts, of which in the preceding chapter. He indicates that this vision belongs to, and as it were continues, the preceding one, as I said.
2. When I was in the citadel of Susa. — Daniel was not at Susa, but in Babylon with Belshazzar: but through the vision he seemed to himself to be at Susa. So Theodoret. Whence Vatablus translates from the Hebrew thus: And looking around in the vision, I seemed to myself to be in the citadel of Susa. So Ezekiel chapter 11:1, was in spirit in Jerusalem, and there saw many things. He seemed to himself to be at Susa: because from there Cyrus, who would capture Babylon and kill Belshazzar, was to come. For Susa was the royal city of the Persians. So from Aben-Ezra, Maldonatus.
Note: Susa is not a Greek word, as Aristobulus and Chares thought; but Hebrew, Chaldean, and Persian, so called from the fertility and abundance of lilies, as the Etymologicum Magnum has it. For Susan and Susanna in Hebrew mean lily, from the root שש sees, that is, six: for a lily is hexaphyllon, that is, it has six leaves. So Rhodes, that is, rose, the island was so called because it has the appearance of a rose.
Note secondly: Susa was a very great city, yet here it is called a citadel; because on all sides it was fortified with very strong walls and towers like a castle. So St. Jerome.
In Elam. — Elam is a region of Persia: whence the Elamites are so called. Our Antonius Fernandius answers more clearly in his tract On the Visions of the Old Testament, vision XXV, that in Daniel's time Susa was only a citadel: but afterward the fortunes of the Susanians were so much enlarged that Susa became the metropolis of Persia. Whence Pliny, book VI, chapter 27, separates the Susianians from the Elamites by the intervening river Eulaeus. Just as therefore at that time there was one province of Elam, so there was another of Susiana.
Above the gate of Ulai, — above the gate of the city of Susa, which was called Ulai. Vatablus and Pagninus translate, above, that is, near, the river Eulaeus: for this flows past Susa, concerning which Pliny book VI, chapter 27, and perhaps from this river the gate of the city was called Ulai; whence also Symmachus translates: Above the marsh of Ulai: and so our Interpreter translates at verse 3. Both are probable: for Daniel, placed above the gate, near the river, in spirit saw the he-goat fighting with the ram in the adjacent field. The Septuagint, Theodotion, and Aquila retain the Hebrew word, and translate: Above Ubal Ulai, as if Ubal were a proper name; whereas our translator renders it gate; others, river; the Greek Scholiast considers Ubal to be the name of a Persian mountain, to which Daniel was caught up in spirit.
Verse 3: Behold, one ram
3. Behold, one ram. — This is the king of the Medes and Persians, as the angel explains at verse 20. The reason is: First, because the ram, leader of the sheep, by his leadership and magnificent gait represents a leader and king. Whence the Wise Man says in Proverbs 30:29: 'There are three things that go well, and a fourth that walks happily. The lion, strongest of beasts, fears the encounter of none, the cock girt about the loins, and the ram: nor is there a king who can resist him.'
Secondly, because the ram represents the battles and wars of Cyrus and his successors. For the ram, as soon as his horns have grown, becomes most pugnacious. For this reason the Romans, when about to make war on someone, would send ahead a ram through a herald, to drive it into enemy territory, to charge and batter them as it were with head and horns. Hence also the war machine that used to shake walls was called a battering ram. For it was a beam having a curved iron on its head, in the shape of a ram's horn, which was driven against walls by force, and retreated in the manner of rams, so that with its momentum it would strike more violently, says Vegetius book IV, chapter 14.
Perhaps for this reason, says Pererius in Hieroglyphics 10, chapter 8, the celestial ram is dedicated to Mars; and if the planets have any power in the human body, the gall (which is the seat of both anger and bile) is said to be ruled by Mars. Whence Origen, on Leviticus chapter 11, teaches that the Hebrews sacrificed rams to God, so that through them they might signify that we ought to slay our anger. Hence Ammianus celebrates the adornment of King Sapor, fashioned with a golden figure of a ram's head: and the Belgians have the emblem of a military and noble fellowship, from Philip surnamed the Good, Duke of Burgundy, a golden ram's head. Whence it is commonly called l'Ordre de la Toison d'or, that is, the Order of the Golden Fleece, and of the ram's head.
Thirdly, and more aptly for this passage, the ram signifies Darius Codomannus and his kingdom: because, as Theodoret says, just as the ram is put to death both for its wool and for its flesh; so he himself, and with him the kingdom of the Persians, weighed down as it were by the excessive abundance of riches and luxuries, at last collapsed, and was seized by the Greeks. Darius's own envoy to Alexander admitted as much, as he tried to persuade him to make peace and to divide the empire with Darius: 'An overladen empire is dangerous,' he said, 'it is difficult to hold what you cannot grasp. Do you not see that ships which exceed their capacity cannot be steered? I wonder whether Darius lost so much precisely because excessive riches make room for great loss. It is easier to conquer certain things than to keep them.' So Curtius, book IV.
Moreover, Pliny teaches that riches are signified by wool, book IX, chapter 47; for the wealth of the ancients lay in sheep and their wool and fleeces, as is clear in Absalom, 2 Kings chapter 13:23, and in Job chapter 1:16, and in that prudent woman whom the Wise Man describes, Proverbs 31:13: 'She sought,' he says, 'wool and linen.' Fernandius adds, vision XXV, section II, that the ram signifies the Medes and Persians, because in those regions remarkable rams are bred, with very large and fat tails; and with legs so tall, and the whole body so stout and strong, that with saddles placed on them and bridles applied, boys ride upon them.
He stood before the marsh. — In Hebrew, he stood before האבל haubal, that is, before the gate, or before the river, where Daniel said he had been in the preceding verse.
Having high horns, and one higher than the other, and growing up. — The Hebrew: And one higher than the second, and the higher one was rising up last. So also the Septuagint: And what was higher rose up over the latter ones. This ram has two horns (as the Hebrew has, and is clear from what follows), that is, two founders, Darius the Mede, and Cyrus, who was the higher, says St. Jerome. Or, as Theodoret says, two royal families, namely one of Cyrus, which lasted until Cambyses; and another of Darius Hystaspes, which was greater and higher and lasted until the last Darius who was conquered by Alexander. Or rather, the two horns are the Medes and Persians; and the horn of the Persians, that is, their empire, was higher, and Alexander broke both, as is said at verse 7. So Pererius, Fernandius, and others.
Verse 4: Pushing against the West
4. Pushing against the West. — Because Cyrus and his successors waged wars in Babylonia, Asia Minor, Greece, and other regions to which Persia lies to the east: and to the north, because of the Pontic peoples: and to the south, because Cambyses and others invaded Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya.
Verse 5. The he-goat. — Note first, with St. Jerome and others throughout: This he-goat is the king of the Greeks, as is clear from verse 21, especially Alexander, who is also called the notable horn; for after him more, but lesser horns, that is, kings of the Greeks, reigned. For the he-goat, as it were the leader, goes before and leads the goats, just as the ram leads the sheep, namely 'the leader of the flock himself, the he-goat.'
Note secondly: He is called a he-goat, first, because the he-goat is stronger than the ram; so Alexander conquered Darius. Indeed the he-goat, shaggy with beard and hair, armed with long horns, head erect, brow fierce, eyes keen, vividly represents Alexander — spirited, fierce, shaggy, pugnacious, and armored. Hircipili, says Festus, is the name for men with thick hair. And Plautus in the Pseudolus: 'You god,' he says, 'who stand there with your goatish beard, answer what I ask.' Such a shaggy one was Alexander on account of his fervent and fiery constitution: for this makes not only the face and beard, but also the whole body hairy. Hermolaus, Gesnerus in his entry on the He-Goat, and others add that with goat's blood, being very hot, the hardness of a diamond, being cold and dry, can be softened, so that it can be cut and carved, although our jewelers consider this false and ridiculous: so there was nothing so strong and hard that Alexander did not break. For these reasons, they used to sacrifice a he-goat to heroes, as well as a bull and ram, as Giraldus and Gesnerus teach from Homer in their entry on the He-Goat. The he-goat therefore signifies Alexander, who was the hero and prince of heroes.
Secondly, Alexander is called a he-goat because he was the prince of the Greeks, who are compared to goats on account of their mental agility and shrewdness, and on account of their sharpness of intellect. For, as Pliny teaches, book VIII, chapter 50, goats are of keener intellect, sharper sight, and more agile in movement than sheep. Such were the Greeks compared to the Persians. Let one Aristotle alone, the apex of intellects, prove their sharpness, whom Pliny, book XVIII, chapter 34, calls a man of immense subtlety: 'The Greeks have an innate lightness of spirit, and a learned vanity,' says Cicero in his speech For Flaccus.
Thirdly, Alexander is called a he-goat on account of the stench of his drunkenness, and on account of the lust of the Greeks, says Rupert — of the Greeks, I mean, the successors of Alexander. For Alexander himself was not so much inclined to lust, because he was given to wine: and Athenaeus, book X, relates that Theophrastus said this. For Aristotle teaches that immoderate consumption of wine makes men unfit for love: because through it the seminal power is diluted, and the senses and appetites are overwhelmed and dulled. So Aristotle, in his Physical Problems, questions XI and XXXII, section III.
Fourthly, he is called a he-goat of the goats, partly because he was young, namely about twenty years old, when he began to reign: for the Hebrews customarily express young animals by the genitive of the mother. So the he-goat of the goats is called a kid, which still follows and suckles its mother goat. So they are called lambs of the ewes, that is, tender and young lambs. Partly, and more properly, because, just as the he-goat is the leader of the goats, so Alexander was the prince of the Greeks. And finally because 'he-goat of the goats' indicates Alexander's illegitimate birth, namely that he was born of an adulterous mother. For they used to call, and still call, a he-goat the man who has an adulterous wife. The he-goat therefore was Philip: but the he-goat of the goats, or the kid, was Alexander the illegitimate. Whence a proverb was current about illegitimate children, that if anyone asked about their father, they would reply that he was a son of his mother, like a goat; because he had a certain mother but an uncertain father. For the nature of she-goats is unstable, slippery, and very fickle, and they mate with various males: therefore a kid in the goat-pens can be known only by its mother. So Pierius, Hieroglyphics 40. For this reason Alexander, to bear off the name and disgrace of his adulterous father, or rather to turn it to glory, pretended to be the son of Jupiter Ammon.
Hence fifthly, Alexander is called a he-goat because he wished to be regarded and worshipped as the son of Ammon, who was represented in the form of a he-goat: for Ammon in Egyptian means he-goat. Whence also King Pyrrhus wore the horns of a he-goat on his helmet, as I shall say presently, because he too boasted of being the son of Jupiter Ammon. For although Diodorus Siculus, book IV, at the end, Servius on Aeneid IV, Herodotus, Festus, and others attribute to Ammon the form and horns of a ram (by which, Servius says, it was signified that his oracles were wrapped in obscurity); others nevertheless give him the appearance and horns of a he-goat, either because his horns were bent backward, not curved forward like a bull's, so that someone looking from afar could not distinguish whether they were goat horns or ram horns: or rather because the Egyptians worshipped their Jupiter, that is Ammon, as much in the form of a he-goat as of a ram: for they adored both the he-goat and the ram. For Ammon was consecrated as a god by shepherds who pastured both goats and sheep, as Pausanias testifies in his Messenian History. And so the Egyptians deified the he-goat, says Diodorus Siculus, who also adds that Ammon's wife was Amalthea, from whom the Proverb: 'The horn of Amalthea,' signifying a cornucopia, and abundance of things. Now this Amalthea was the she-goat that nursed Jupiter, as all the pagans assert. If Ammon's wife was a she-goat; then he himself was a he-goat, or at least assumed the form of a he-goat.
Hence sixthly, in the he-goat there is an allusion to Pan, the god of the Egyptians, who represented the entire machine of the world, as Giraldus teaches in his entry on Pan. For Pan was in the form of a he-goat, as Suidas, Herodotus, and Diodorus attest. For he was goat-footed, shaggy, and horned like a he-goat. Whence Propertius in Book Three:
The goat-footed Pans shall sing with gaping pipe.
And Ovid in the Fasti:
The Nymphs are to the eyes, and the half-goat god.
The he-goat therefore here signifies that Alexander, like Pan, would be lord of the world, and would be worshipped as a god.
Seventhly, the he-goat is short-lived; for before six years it grows old, because it exhausts its strength through lust, as Columella, Palladius, and from them Gesnerus in his entry on the He-Goat, relate: it therefore signifies the short life and short reign of Alexander. Furthermore, the eyes of he-goats, on account of lust, look sideways, and hence the he-goat received its name. For hirci or hirqui, as Suetonius, Isidore, and Gesnerus attest, is the name for the corners of the eyes. Whence Virgil: 'With he-goats looking sideways.' Alexander too had a sideways gaze, because his head was not straight, but inclined toward his left shoulder and looking upward, so that if he wished to look at someone standing before him, he had to look at him with sidelong and sideways eyes. So Plutarch, Curtius, and others. Whence we see that the ancient statue of Alexander at Rome on the Quirinal represents this posture of his.
Eighthly, the he-goat signifies Alexander's gluttony and greed both for drinking and for seizing and plundering nations and kingdoms. For he-goats and she-goats devour everything, and hence the he-goat is called in Greek τράγος from its voracity. For τρώγειν and τραγεῖν mean to eat. Hence Ovid, Fasti I:
Crop the vines, he-goat, yet when you stand at the altars, There will be something to pour upon your horns.
Which the Romans wittily and pungently transferred to the Emperor Domitian, as Suetonius testifies in his Life: 'Even if you eat me down to the root, I shall still produce enough wine to pour over you when you are sacrificed to Caesar.' For what the vine above threatened against the he-goat, the same it now threatens against the tyrant Domitian, who ordered the vines to be cut down. Hence also he-goats are called, as it were, carpi (pluckers), because they pluck everything. 'Capra (she-goat),' says Varro in his book On the Latin Language, 'is as it were carpa (plucker)': from which was written 'omnicarpae caprae' (all-plucking goats). Hence to Bacchus, the patron of wine, a he-goat was sacrificed as a destroyer of vines. Whence Virgil, Georgics II:
For no other crime is the he-goat slain to Bacchus At every altar.
Ninthly, he-goats are accustomed to butt with their horns and duel with rams, just as Alexander fought against Darius. Whoever therefore takes from this an example for dueling, let him know that he is a he-goat and is acting like one. Nor did Alexander enter a duel with Darius, but a war. Prudently and magnanimously Antigonus, king of Macedon, responded to King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who through a herald challenged him to single combat to decide the kingdom between them, that 'his decision was no more a matter of arms than of timing; if Pyrrhus were weary of life, many paths to destruction lay open.' Likewise Fabius Maximus Cunctator, challenged by Hannibal to battle, responded that he would engage in battle when it seemed expedient to himself, not to the enemy: that he gave the time for battle, not received it from the enemy. And Augustus Caesar responded to Antony who challenged him to a duel: 'If Antony wishes to die, he has quite enough ways to perish.' Let those answer the same who today are provoked to a duel by foolish duelists, and let them imitate these men. For these were prudent, noble, magnanimous, and masters of affairs, who by this prudent response broke and tripped up their enemy. The authority is Plutarch in their Lives.
Finally, Eusebius in his Chronicle, Olympiad 47, year of the world 4610: At this time, he says, 'a τράγος, that is, a he-goat, was given as a prize to those competing in the games; whence they say Tragedians were so named.' So also Alexander, contending with Darius and conquering him, received the name of he-goat as it were a prize or omen of victory.
Moreover, this he-goat came from the west; because Macedonia, whence Alexander came, lies to the west in relation to Persia and Asia, which he subjected to himself. Furthermore, 'he did not touch the ground,' that is, he used the utmost speed in completing his wars and victories, like lightning, which quickly penetrates from east to west, but also quickly disappears. I would praise no virtue of that king, says Curtius, book V, more than his speed. For in six years he conquered the Persians, Medes, Babylonians, Egyptians, and neighboring peoples; so that he could say, with Caesar, or rather before Caesar: 'I came, I saw, I conquered.'
Note: Just as an ox fixing its foot in the earth is a symbol of slowness, so not touching the earth is a symbol of agility. Hence Virgil, describing the swiftness of Camilla, sings thus:
And to outstrip the winds in the race of feet; She would fly over the tops of the untouched Corn-stalks, nor in her course would she harm the tender ears: Or through the midst of the sea, suspended on the swelling wave, She would make her way, nor wet her swift feet on the surface.
Homer uses the same expression, Iliad 20, to describe the speed of the horses of King Erichthonius. And Ovid sings thus of Atalanta, book X of the Metamorphoses:
The trumpet had given the signal, when from the starting-gate each Darts forward, and with swift foot skims the surface of the sand.
Solinus, chapter 7, relates a similar thing about Ladas the swift runner; to such a degree that he left no trace of footprints in the sand. Moreover, in Alexander that saying was true: 'What is done quickly, perishes quickly.' And that of Seneca in his Consolation to Marcia: 'Only slow-coming prosperity endures and reaches its end.' And rightly does Paulus Orosius call Alexander a great whirlpool of miseries, and the most atrocious hurricane of the entire East.
Moreover, the he-goat had a notable horn. — The he-goat collectively represents the kings of the Greeks: this horn specifically is Alexander. It was between the eyes, because one-horned animals have their horn between the eyes, and this signifies Alexander's intelligence, prudence, and shrewdness. So Theodoret.
Note: A horn was the emblem of kings; for kings wore a horn as a symbol of kingship. Hence Plutarch says of Pyrrhus: 'He was recognized,' he says, 'by his remarkable crest and goat horns.' So also Virgil, Aeneid XII, gives to Aeneas as king,
The sword and shield and horns of the red crest.
The image of Tryphon has a helmet with a horn fixed to it, as can be seen in the portrait published by Vilalpando in the Apparatus of the Temple, page 337. Hence in Psalm 132:17, it is said of King David: 'There I will make the horn of David to grow.' For a horn is a symbol of strength, and signifies the glory and majesty of a king. Hence that riddle (which Strabo mentions) of Demetrius of Phalerum to Philip, the father of this Alexander: 'With both horns you will hold the ox,' that is, you will seize two fortresses, namely Acrocorinth and Ithome; for with these seized, you will easily occupy the whole Peloponnese; he therefore called the two fortresses two horns, and the Peloponnese the ox.
Verse 6: In the fury of his strength
6. In the fury of his strength, — with a most mighty and vehement rush: in Hebrew it is בחמת כחו bechemat cocho, in the wrath of his strength, that is, in a robust and strong wrath, with wrath increasing strength, or with strength kindled by wrath.
Verse 7: And He Struck the Ram
7. And he struck the ram (Alexander killed Darius the king of the Persians), and broke his two horns (two kingdoms, namely of the Persians and the Medes). And he trampled him, — that is, he subjected and made them tributaries, as I said at the preceding chapter, verse 7.
8. He became great, — both in fact and in name; for from the glory of his deeds he was called Alexander the Great.
And when he had grown. — For Alexander died when he had reached the summit of his age and the strength of his empire, when he seemed unable either to die or to be conquered. For shortly before his death he was regarded as a god: for he had suborned the priests of Jupiter Ammon, so that when asked whose son Alexander was (for he was born of adultery) they would respond: the son of Jupiter Ammon. So Justin, book XI.
The great horn was broken. — The word 'broken' signifies the violent death of Alexander, because Alexander in the flower of his age, namely when he had lived 32 years and eight months, and had reigned 12 years and eight months in the greatest prosperity and glory, died a violent death at Babylon, either from drunken excess, as Athenaeus holds, or from poison, as others hold, in the first year of Olympiad 114, as Curtius, Josephus, and others teach.
Note: Alexander was born in the first year of Olympiad 106, and in the 393rd year from the founding of the city of Rome, on the 6th day of the month Hecatombaeon, the same day the temple of Diana at Ephesus burned down, and the magi prophesied that a great conflagration of Asia was born that day; that was Alexander.
Alexander, at the age of fifteen, was given by his father into the tutelage of Aristotle, and by him was trained for five years in letters and learning worthy of a king. When his father was killed, in his twentieth year, he assumed the throne.
In the first year of his reign, he completely subdued Illyricum, Thrace, and Greece.
In year 2, he fought his first battle with the generals of Darius at the river Granicus, and as victor seized the empire of Asia.
In year 3, he routed Darius himself with his army.
In year 4, he came to Phoenicia, Egypt, and Judea, stormed Tyre, and founded Alexandria. He also came to Jerusalem, and adored the high priest Jaddua, and sacrificed to God, and joyfully and gladly heard this prophecy of Daniel, issued about himself two hundred years earlier, namely that he would overthrow the empire of the Persians, and confident and certain of victory, he proceeded against Darius.
Hear Josephus, book XII, chapter 8: 'Alexander,' he says, 'approaching him (the high priest Jaddua) alone, adored that name (the tetragrammaton of God, which the high priest bore engraved on the plate affixed to his tiara), and was the first to salute the high priest. The kings of Syria and the rest were astonished; only Parmenio, approaching more closely, asked why, since he himself was adored by everyone, he now adored the high priest of the Jews? But he replied that he had not adored this man, but had shown that honor to God, whose high priest he was. For I saw this man, he said, previously in this very garment, when I was still at Dium in Macedonia, and he, when I was deliberating how I might subdue Asia, encouraged me to be of brave spirit, and to cross over with my army without delay: for under his guidance I would gain the empire of the Persians. Since therefore I now for the first time see such a garment, and recognizing this man, and mindful of the vision which urged me to this expedition, I believe that it is not without divine guidance that I lead my army against Darius, and that I shall shortly be victorious.'
Having said this to Parmenio, and kindly embracing the high priest, with the priests leading the way he entered the city; and when he had gone up to the temple, he sacrificed to God according to the priest's direction, and also showed due honor to the high priest.' He then adds concerning this prophecy of Daniel shown to him: 'And when the book of Daniel was shown to him, in which it was indicated that a certain Greek would conquer the Persians, interpreting that he himself was that person, he joyfully dismissed the crowd. On the following day, having summoned them, he ordered them to ask whatever they wished. When the high priest asked that they might be allowed to live by their ancestral laws, and that every seventh year they be granted exemption from tribute, he conceded everything. And when he had given them the opportunity, if any wished to follow his military service while keeping their own rites, many enlisted for that expedition.'
In the sixth year of his reign, Alexander in a third battle completely defeated Darius on the first of October, and when Darius was killed by his own men, he gained the empire of the Persians, and was hailed as Emperor of Asia. Here note with Rupert a striking example of how unstable the state of this world is, and how untrustworthy the confidence of worldly power: behold Darius, conquered and abandoned by his own people, indeed wounded to death, thirsty and dying, drank the water offered by a soldier, and sent that man to Alexander to report this to him: I have found you, my enemy, more fortunate than my kinsmen and relatives: for to my mother and children, life was given by you, my enemy, but from me it was snatched by my kinsmen, to whom I gave both life and kingdoms. When Alexander heard this, and saw the body of the deceased, he followed so unworthy a death for one of such high rank with tears, and ordered the body to be buried in royal fashion.
In the remaining six years of his reign and life, Alexander subjugated very many nations as far as the river Ganges and the Indian Ocean. So from Justin, Curtius, Diodorus, and others, Pererius.
Plutarch recounts the following omens of Alexander's death. First, the Chaldeans warned him to stay away from Babylon. Second, when he arrived at the walls of Babylon, he saw a flock of crows fighting and killing each other, some of which fell near him. Third, a soothsayer found truncated entrails in a sacrificial victim. Fourth, a domestic donkey attacked with its hoof and killed a very large and beautiful lion, one of those kept there. Fifth, they observed a man sitting silently on the throne, adorned with the diadem and royal garment, who when questioned for a long time gave no answer. At last with difficulty, when he had come to himself, he said he had been thus commanded by Serapis.
Justin, book XII, describes his death thus: 'At a banquet, having received a cup, in the middle of drinking, he suddenly groaned as if struck by a weapon. On the fourth day, sensing that death was certain, he said he recognized the fate of his ancestral house; for most of the Aeacidae had died before their thirtieth year. He then calmed the rioting soldiers, who suspected the king was dying from treachery, and extended his right hand to be kissed by those who were weeping. While all were weeping, he was not only without tears, but even without any sign of a saddened mind, so that he comforted some who were grieving too impatiently. To some he gave messages for their parents, so unconquerable was his spirit against death as against the enemy. Having dismissed the soldiers, he asked the friends standing around whether they thought they would find a king like himself? When all were silent, he said that while he did not know this, he did know and could prophesy, and almost see with his eyes, what great slaughters Macedonia would mourn at his death. Finally he ordered his body to be placed in the temple of Ammon. When his friends saw he was failing, they asked whom he would make heir to the empire. He answered: The most worthy. With this word, as if he had sounded a war trumpet among friends, or cast an apple of discord, all rose up in rivalry. On the sixth day, his voice having failed, he drew the ring from his finger and gave it to Perdiccas.'
Curtius has the same in book X, at the end, adding that he said to his grieving soldiers: 'When I have departed, you will find a king worthy of such men.' Again, when Perdiccas asked when he wished heavenly honors to be paid to him, he said he wished it when they themselves would be happy. This was the king's last word, and shortly after he expired. At first the whole palace resounded with weeping, and even voices of indignation were heard, that one so green and in the flower of age and fortune had been snatched from human affairs by the envy of the gods. He then adds the enormous lamentations of Darius's mother, wife, and daughters, indeed that the mother wasted herself away through starvation: 'A great proof indeed of Alexander's kindness toward her, who, though she had endured to live after Darius, was ashamed to survive Alexander. On the seventh day, at last, in the greatest heat, the friends had leisure to tend the lifeless body, and those who entered saw it corrupted by no decay or even lividity. Vigor too had not deserted the face. And so the Egyptians, ordered to tend the body, at first did not dare to lay hands on him as if he were still breathing. Then, having prayed that it might be lawful for mortals to handle him, they cleansed the body, and it was filled with spices. A golden throne was placed, and the insignia of his fortune were added to his head.'
See here in Alexander how true is that saying of the Wise Man: 'Every reign has a short life.' For he reigned only twelve years, extinguished in the very flower of his age and reign. 'How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who rose in the morning! you have fallen to the earth, you who wounded all nations!' He had, as also Solomon, his wealth, his pleasures, his loves, his victories, and whatever a mortal can desire; but for how brief a time! He now has his miseries, want, the worm and fire of hell; but for how long a time! He has had them now for two thousand years, he will have them for a hundred thousand, for a thousand million years, he will have them for all eternity. O how badly, how miserably was Alexander's lot divided! The lot of this life was happy for a moment; but that of the other life is most unhappy for eternity. See therefore, whoever here is rich, powerful, happy, and living in luxury, lest your lot of happiness be given you here, and in the future the other lot of unhappiness befall you, lest you hear that word of Abraham to the Rich Man: 'Son, remember that you received good things in your life, and Lazarus likewise evil things: but now he is comforted, and you are tormented.'
And there arose (in place of that notable horn now broken, as the Hebrew has) four horns beneath it, — namely four generals of Alexander: Antigonus, who ruled Asia; Philip or Aridaeus, who ruled Macedonia; Seleucus, who ruled Syria; Ptolemy, who ruled Egypt. For although Arrian and Curtius count ten successors of Alexander, these four were nevertheless the princes of all. So St. Jerome.
See here a new misery of Alexander, and the deceitfulness of the world. For by those whom he himself had nourished and elevated, his line was utterly destroyed. For Curtius, after relating that he was poisoned by Antipater, and his sons Cassander and Iollas, adds: 'However these things were handed down, the power of those whom rumor had accused soon extinguished the story. For Antipater seized the kingdom of Macedonia, and also invaded Greece. His offspring then followed, all being killed who had any connection, even distant, with Alexander.' Justin narrates this more clearly, who, after relating in book XII that poison was given to him by Cassander, tells in book XV that the same Cassander killed Alexander's mother Olympias, and his son Hercules, fourteen years old, as well as his other infant son with his mother Roxane. So the lust for power thinks to secure a kingdom by murders, but prepares its own destruction. For in like manner Cassander was killed by other rivals for the kingdom, namely:
To the son-in-law of Ceres (Pluto) without slaughter and blood few Kings descend, and few tyrants die a bloodless death.
Through the four winds of heaven, — through the four regions of the world.
9. And out of one of them (out of Seleucus) came forth one little horn. — This horn is Antiochus Epiphanes, who was eighth in descent from Seleucus.
Note: In the twelfth year after the death of Alexander, Seleucus placed upon himself the diadem of Syria, and consequently of Judea, and having conquered Antigonus, of all Asia. Hence from this year 12, which was the first of Seleucus, the author of the book of Maccabees reckons the years of the Greeks, or Seleucids, who more than others usurped rule over the Jews. Whence Judas, Jonathan, and Simon Maccabeus most bravely resisted them.
Moreover Antiochus Epiphanes is called a 'little horn'; because he was the younger son of Antiochus the Great, who fighting with Hannibal against the Romans, but conquered and routed, made peace with the Romans, and sent this son Antiochus Epiphanes as a hostage to the Romans. Shortly after, when his brother Seleucus Philopator, who had succeeded his father in the kingdom, died, he fled from Rome, expelled his brother's son Demetrius, and seized the kingdom of Syria by force, which happened in the year 150 after the death of Alexander. And so this Antiochus, called Epiphanes, that is, 'illustrious,' from the glory of his deeds, first conquered Artaxias king of Armenia to the east, then to the south routed Ptolemy Philometor king of Egypt, and besieged Alexandria, and would have taken it, had he not been compelled by the Romans to withdraw. For Popilius Laenas, sent by them, drew a circle around Antiochus with a staff, saying: 'You shall not leave this circle until you answer: The Roman people commands you to withdraw from Egypt, which is their ally.' Antiochus answered: 'I will obey'; whereupon, fuming and gnashing his teeth, he withdrew, and thereafter poured out all his wrath upon the neighboring Jews, as is evident from the books of Maccabees. Moreover, this Antiochus reigned about 12 years, as is clear from 1 Maccabees 1:11, compared with chapter 6, verse 15.
And it became great. — The Hebrew says, it grew mightily, or excellently; the Septuagint, ἐμεγαλώνθη περισσώς, it was magnified exceedingly.
And against the strength. — In Hebrew it is צבי tsebi, which our translator renders as 'strength'; and at verse 12, 'might'; but at chapter 11:16 and 41 he translates it as 'the glorious land.' Others translate it as 'army,' so that tsebi is the same as צבא tseba, that is, army. Properly, tsebi signifies something swollen, full, turgid, prominent, thick, rich, which draws others to love and desire it. Hence further, by catachresis, tsebi signifies what is beautiful, lovable, and illustrious, namely glory, renown, comeliness, pleasantness, delights, and a gazelle, which is a delight to man. Hence tsebi or tsebia, and in Syriac tabita, is called δορκάς, that is, a doe or gazelle; as that pious matron whom St. Peter raised from the dead was called, Acts 9:30. Tsebi therefore is an epithet of Judea and Jerusalem. The meaning therefore is, as if to say: Antiochus will fight against tsebi, that is, against Judea, which is a land lovable to God, beautiful, excellent, fertile, and desirable: and against Israel, who is tsebi, that is, a people outstanding and dear to the heavenly ones, and their glory and honor, and who is surrounded by the protection of God and His angels, and therefore is most strong. So St. Jerome.
Verse 10: And it was magnified even to the strength of heaven
10. And it was magnified even to the strength of heaven. — For 'strength' the Hebrew has not tsebi, but tseba, that is, army, host, military strength. In Hebrew, then, word for word it is: And it was magnified even to the host of heaven, that is, even to the Jews: they are called the host, or strength of heaven; because, with God invoked as their leader and helper, they waged wars successfully, as is clear from the books of Maccabees. Hence it could be said of them what Claudian sang of the Emperor Theodosius, conquering by the help of God:
O one too greatly beloved by God, for whom heaven fights, And the conspiring winds come at the trumpet's call!
Daniel therefore signifies that Antiochus conquered the Jews, and this because of their sins, who previously had been unconquerable; since Jerusalem on account of the temple was as it were the citadel of God, and the pillar of heaven.
And it cast down some of the strength. — In Hebrew, of the army, namely it struck down many of the Jews. This is a hyperbolic gradation in this passage, as if to say: Antiochus will not only prevail against tsebi, that is, against Jerusalem, most beautiful and most powerful; but also against tsaba, that is, armies not earthly but heavenly, and he will provoke and attack heaven itself and its host; he will cast down stars and luminaries, and trample them underfoot once cast down. Whence it follows:
And of the stars. — He calls 'stars' those Jews illustrious in nobility, learning, and piety, whom Antiochus either drew away from the ancestral law by threats, or killed those who were steadfast in it. So St. Jerome, Theodoret, Vatablus, and St. Gregory, Moralia XXXII, 12, where he explains this entire passage. Whence, alluding to this, St. John in Apocalypse chapter 12:4, says that the dragon, that is the devil, through the Antichrist (whose forerunner and type was this Antiochus) will draw after himself at the end of the world a third part of the stars, that is, of illustrious Saints, whom the Antichrist will cause to apostatize from Christ to himself, either through false miracles, or through promises of wealth and honors, or through torments and threats. So in chapter 12:3, we shall hear: 'Those who instruct many to justice' shall shine 'like stars for all eternity.' And in Apocalypse 1:16, it is said of Christ: 'He had in His right hand seven stars.' And in 1 Corinthians 15:41, Paul says: 'Star differs from star in brightness; so also shall be the resurrection of the dead.'
Verse 11: And even to the prince of the strength
11. And even to the prince of the strength. — Antiochus dared to fight against God Himself, and to assail Him with war, and as it were to challenge Him to a duel: God, I say, who was the prince of the host and strength of His Jewish people. For Antiochus placed an idol of Jupiter Olympius in the temple of Jerusalem, and wished it to be named after him, and so cast down God as it were from His place, and introduced another god into His possession: indeed he himself, out of pride, regarded himself as a god. For 'he seemed to himself to command the waves of the sea, and to weigh the heights of the mountains in a balance, and to touch the stars of heaven' (and for this reason he is said here to have cast down the stars), as is found in 2 Maccabees 9:8 and 10.
And he took away from Him the continual sacrifice. — He forbade the lamb to be sacrificed to God morning and evening, which was the continual sacrifice; under which he understands all the rest: for Antiochus abolished everything.
And he cast down the place of His sanctuary. — Antiochus did not burn down or destroy the temple: but he 'cast it down' from its rank and honor, so that it would not be the temple of God, because he profaned it and dedicated it to Jupiter: whence he ordered swine's flesh to be sacrificed on the altar, as an insult to the law and the Jews: he forbade circumcision, burned the sacred books, compelled the Jews to adopt the Greek religion; he killed Eleazar, the seven brothers, and others who refused. Hence Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 22, On the Maccabees, calls Antiochus a demon, and compares him to a demon who tempts young men and impels them to sins.
Verse 12: And Strength Was Given to Him
12. And strength was given to him (Antiochus was given power and an army, as the Hebrew has) against the continual sacrifice (not for his merits or strength, but) because of sins — of the Jews: for God chooses the place on account of the people, not the people on account of the place: whence even now He permits temples to be violated by heretics, and the holy Eucharist to be trampled, and this because of sins committed therein. Whence Vatablus here translates: The army (namely of the Jews, as is said at verse 13) was delivered to him (Antiochus) together with the continual sacrifice through wickedness; or: The army was delivered to him on account of the continual sacrifice because of iniquity, that is, because of the iniquities which the Israelites had committed against the continual sacrifice, they came into the power of Antiochus. And this is what the Septuagint seems to intend when they translate: ἐγεννήθη ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν ἁμαρτία, Sin was produced against the sacrifice. And a little before: The sacrifice was disturbed. Theodoret adds παραπτώματι, that is, by transgression, that is, because of the transgressions of the priests and the people. Moreover, our translator seems to have read tsebi in the Hebrew, about which see verse 9, or he took tsaba for tsebi: for the Hebrews often interchange quiescent letters. Or certainly by 'strength' he understands the army: for tsaba signifies this, and here it gives the king strength.
And truth shall be cast down on the ground. — 'Truth,' namely the true faith, worship, and religion of God: for Antiochus abolished these. The Septuagint for 'truth' translate 'justice': for when religion is trampled, justice too is trampled.
And he shall do it, and shall prosper. — Antiochus will do whatever he wishes, and with prosperous outcome. It is a hendiadys.
You will say: עשתה aseta, that is 'she shall do,' is feminine; therefore it does not refer to Antiochus, but to truth, as if to say: Truth, cast to the ground like seed, will bear fruit and be multiplied the more: for the blood of martyrs is the seed of the faithful, as Tertullian says. So Maldonatus and Fernandius explain. But I reply, aseta, that is 'she shall do,' refers to קרן keren, that is, horn, which is of feminine gender: for Antiochus is the little horn, which he has been discussing since verse 9; since therefore keren is feminine, he attributes a feminine verb to it here, and at verse 9. But because by keren he understands Antiochus, hence at verse 11, he uses masculine verbs.
Verse 13: And I heard one of the holy ones
13. And I heard one of the holy ones. — I heard one angel of a higher order, from among those who attend upon God, in the preceding chapter, verse 10.
To another, I know not whom, speaking, — to someone whose name I do not know, who was speaking: for in Hebrew it is פלוני palmoni, whom the Spanish call fulano, the French un quidam ('a certain one'). Hence Aquila, Theodotion, and the Septuagint retained the Hebrew word, and translated it phelmoni: which Eudoxius less correctly rendered as 'the most beloved,' or 'the chief guardian.' Daniel indicates that he saw, or rather heard, at least three angels. For he saw one speaking with another, and one other questioning the one who was speaking thus: 'How long shall the vision last?' From this it is clear that what St. Dionysius teaches in his book On the Celestial Hierarchy about the speech and illumination which the lower angels receive from the higher is true. See what I said at 1 Corinthians 13:1, where I discussed the language of angels. Whether these angels were different from those at verse 15, or the same, is not clear. For the one here speaking from afar could have immediately flown to Daniel at verse 15, and presented himself to him in the form of a man, and explained the vision. Whence our Fernandius, vision XXV, section 5, considers the one who speaks here, and is not named, to be that very one who at verse 16 is called Gabriel.
Whatever may be the case about this matter, it is certain that these angels spoke among themselves about the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, and wished for its end, to show that they were the presiding and guardian angels of the Jews, or the faithful, and the people of God, and that they cared for their affairs and held them at heart, and sympathized with and had compassion for their great calamity, and would put an end to it at the time appointed by God.
How long shall the vision last, and the continual sacrifice (and signifies, that is, as if to say: How long will the continual sacrifice which Daniel saw taken away by Antiochus remain taken away?), and the sin of desolation (that is, the desolation of the city) which (because of the sin of the Jews) has been done (that is, will be done) (repeat: how long, namely, will it last?), and the sanctuary (the temple), and the strength; — in Hebrew צבא tsaba, that is, the army and people of God, how long shall it be trampled?
Verse 14: And he said to him: Until evening and morning, two thousand three hundred days
14. And he said to him: Until evening and morning, two thousand three hundred days. — 'Until evening and morning,' that is, from sorrow to joy, says Theodoret, according to that in Psalm 30:6: 'In the evening weeping shall linger, and in the morning gladness.' But this is mystical.
Secondly, Maldonatus and Vatablus: 'Until evening and morning,' that is, according to the succession of nights and days, as if to say: The natural days (each of which consists of evening and morning, that is, night and day) of this desolation will be 2,300.
Thirdly and most aptly, Pererius and Pintus: 'Until evening and morning,' that is, until that day on which the desolation of Antiochus will end, there will be 2,300 days. For the natural day is described by evening and morning as by its end and beginning, in Genesis 1:5. Secondly, it alludes to the continual sacrifice, which he says will be restored on that day: for it was offered both in the evening and in the morning; therefore he says: 'Until evening and morning,' rather than 'until that day.'
Two thousand three hundred days, — that is, six years, four months, and 20 days; for this desolation of the Jews through Antiochus began in the year 143 of the Greeks, as is found in 1 Maccabees 1:21, and lasted until the year 149 in which Antiochus died, 1 Maccabees 6:16. For although in the preceding year 148, Judas Maccabeus cleansed the temple from the pollution of Antiochus, as is clear from 1 Maccabees 4:52; yet because Antiochus was still alive, the desolation and persecution had not yet ceased, the Jews could not yet freely act and sacrifice: but when he died in the following year 149, freed from all fear and persecution, they began freely and publicly and boldly to sacrifice and celebrate their feasts and sacred rites: whence the angel here marks that year as the restoration of liberty, sacrifice, and religion. Incorrectly, the Septuagint reads 2,400 days, and in others, according to St. Jerome, 2,200 days. For the Hebrew and Latin consistently have 2,300 days.
Verse 15: As the appearance of a man
15. As the appearance of a man. — This was an angel, appearing in the form of a man to Daniel, whom the Hebrews consider to have been Gabriel. For he is immediately commanded to explain the vision to Daniel: but the other angel who called out to him and ordered the vision to be explained, the ancient Hebrews consider to have been Michael, says St. Jerome, who also adds: 'Because the vision was about battles, and the contests of kings, indeed the successions of kingdoms, Gabriel, who is set over battles, is assigned to this office. For Gabriel in our language is translated strength, or mighty one of God. Whence also at the time when the Lord was to be born, and to declare war on demons, and to triumph over the world, Gabriel came to Zechariah and to Mary, Luke 1. And afterward in the Psalms we read of the Lord triumphing: Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty: the Lord mighty in battle, He is the King of glory. But wherever medicine and healing is needed, Raphael is sent, who is interpreted cure, or medicine of God: signifying by this interpretation of his name that in God is true medicine. Moreover, where prosperity is promised to the people, and σιλασμός (which we can call either propitiation or expiation) is needed, Michael is sent, who is interpreted: Who is like God? so that it may be understood that no one can bring propitiation or expiation except God.'
Between Ulai, — between the gates, or between the banks of the Ulai, where Daniel stood in spirit, as was said at verse 2.
17. In the time of the end (that is, at the time defined and appointed by God) the vision shall be fulfilled. — Whence from the Hebrew you may clearly translate thus: In the time (defined by God) shall be the end of the vision, that is, this vision shall be fulfilled. For thus he explains himself at verse 19, saying: 'I will show you what shall come to pass at the last time of the wrath,' that is, of the wrath of God, when namely the measure of sins, both of the Persians and of the Jews, has been filled, God will punish them through Alexander and through Antiochus. For what he adds there: 'For the time has its appointed end,' seems to be the same as what he says here: 'In the time of the end.' The time of the end therefore is the last stage of the curse, that is, of God's wrath. Hence secondly, by hypallage it can be explained thus: 'In the time of the end,' that is, at the end of the time, namely the time decreed and destined by God and God's wrath. So the Septuagint. Thirdly, Vatablus goes further, translating: The vision will come to pass after the end of the Babylonian captivity, as if the time of the end were that in which the 70 years of the Babylonian captivity would end. But no mention of this precedes here: and these things happened long after the captivity.
Fourthly, others explain it thus: 'In the time of the end,' namely when the persecution of Antiochus will end, this vision will be fulfilled, especially that part where he said at verse 14: 'Until evening and morning, two thousand three hundred days,' as if the angel were referring to that. But this is too narrow, nor does it sufficiently agree with verse 19, which says that these things are to come at the last stage of the curse, namely when Alexander reigns and Antiochus rages, as he explains in what follows, where he clearly teaches that this vision is to be completed and fulfilled through both these kings, one invading and crushing the Persians, the other the Jews. For although the Jews were already being afflicted and crushed by the Chaldeans, they were to be afflicted far more severely by Antiochus. For he destroyed not only bodies, as the Chaldeans did, but bodies and souls, compelling all to idolatry, and either abolishing or profaning all sacred things.
Fifthly, others say: 'In the time of the end,' that is, in a time that will shortly end: for it arouses the Prophet's attention, and at the same time confirms that the prophecy is so true that it is to be fulfilled in a short time. But verse 26 opposes this; for there he says it will be after many days: for the persecution of Antiochus occurred nearly 400 years after Daniel. For although this time may be short with respect to God and eternity, yet to us it is long, and at verse 26 it is called long: why then would he call it short here? For the Prophets usually speak in a consistent and uniform manner. Therefore Vatablus better explains it in the opposite sense thus: 'In the time of the end,' that is, in a time that will finally end, that is, after a long time this vision will be fulfilled.
Verse 18: I fell prostrate
18. I fell prostrate. — Hence it appears that Daniel fell to the ground twice, first at the presence, secondly at the voice of the angel. So Maldonatus.
19. What shall come to pass at the last time of the curse. — The Hebrew: What shall come to pass at the extreme point of wrath, when namely the wrath of God, which He has been restraining, provoked by the sins of the Persians and the Jews, shall have reached its summit, and shall burst forth in vengeance.
For the time has its appointed end, — that is, its own period, its own span, its own appointed age, predetermined and defined for it by God, so that in it there comes, and brings with it, all the things that are to be in that time, and which are here foreseen and foretold as future. See what was said at verse 17.
Verse 21: The he-goat
21. The he-goat. — In Hebrew there are two words הצפיר השעיר haltsaphir hassair, as if to say: The he-goat, the he-goat; but whom at verse 5 he called in Chaldean battsaphir, the same here, explaining in Hebrew, he calls hassair. For the he-goat is called in Chaldean tsaphir, in Hebrew sair, and this from the hairs and shaggy coat which it has in abundance, as Vatablus, Marinus of Brescia in his Lexicon, and others teach.
22. Four kings (whom I named at verse 8) shall arise from his nation (for they will be Greeks and Macedonians, as Alexander was), but not in his strength, — that is, they will by no means be equal to him in power. Truly Paulus Orosius, book III of his History, chapter 23: 'Alexander,' he says, 'for twelve years pressed the world trembling beneath him with the sword: but his princes for fourteen years tore it apart, and like eager cubs tore to pieces rich spoil brought down by a great lion, and broke one another in mutual strife provoked by rivalry for the prey.'
Verse 23: And after their reign
23. And after their reign, — of the first four, who immediately succeeded Alexander.
When iniquities shall have increased — of the Jews, so that when their measure is complete God will permit Antiochus to rage against the Jews. Concerning these sins see 1 Maccabees 1:12 ff.
There shall arise — not immediately, but remotely: for six intervening kings came between, and reigned for one hundred and six years.
A king of shameless face, — namely Antiochus Epiphanes, a most impious king, who will reverence neither God nor men: whence in many things he will be a type of the Antichrist. On this see St. Gregory, Moralia XXXII, 12.
And understanding dark sentences, — namely abstruse, and scarcely known to any man. In Hebrew חידות chidot, that is, riddles, stratagems, and cunning devices, as if to say: Antiochus will be sharp and crafty, shrewd and cunning. Others explain it thus: Understanding dark sentences, that is, making this prophecy about himself understood: for by his own deeds he will fulfill it, and thus make it conspicuous to all. But this seems too far-fetched and foreign.
Verse 24: Not by his own power
24. Not by his own power, — but by the permission of God, who wills to punish through him the sins of the Jews, as he said at verse 12.
And he shall do, — he shall accomplish the crimes which he plans in his mind, his hand will match his intellect, and his works will match his stratagems.
25. And in the abundance of all things, — when he will abound in all things needed for doing evil; for he will have an abundance of wealth, soldiers, arms, leaders, etc.
In Hebrew it is: And in peace he will kill many, that is, he will kill many innocent and peaceable people: for he will attack those who suspect nothing of the kind, living as they do in leisure: so Vatablus. Or, as Maldonatus says, in peace, that is, with impunity, without any loss to himself, he will kill them.
But 'peace' among the Hebrews signifies not only quiet, but also prosperity and abundance of things, which usually exists in peacetime. Hence our translator more fully renders it, 'in the abundance of things,' when namely both the Jews and the Greeks will abound in peace and prosperity: but the Jews will melt away in idleness and luxury, while the Greeks will use the same for arms and wars; then Epiphanes the Greek will kill many.
And against the prince of princes, — against God who is King of kings, and Lord of lords. See verse 11.
And he shall be broken without hand. — Antiochus Epiphanes, just as he fought with strength not so much his own as God's, so he will fall by a weapon not of men but of God, struck by Him with stench and worms in the twelfth year of his reign, so that in dying he may understand that he is punished not by the power of men, but by divine judgment. So Christ will slay the Antichrist with the breath of His mouth, 2 Thessalonians 2:8; for by His breath alone and by His command He will slay him without the clash of arms and soldiers. See what was said there. It is remarkable that the Septuagint translates: And he will crush them like eggs with his hand, namely Antiochus the Jews.
Note: Although various natural causes contributed to the sickness and death of Antiochus, and especially his severe grief and melancholy, conceived both from the news of the rout of his army in Judea, and from his shameful flight from Persia, nevertheless the principal cause was the vengeance of God, which pursued the blasphemer and the proud man, and afflicted him with the calamities already mentioned and others more severe. For this is clearly stated in 2 Maccabees chapter 9:5: 'The Lord God of Israel, who sees all things, struck him with an incurable and invisible plague. For as soon as he had finished this very speech (in which Antiochus had said he would make Jerusalem a heap of Jewish graves), first, a dire pain of the bowels seized him, and bitter internal torments: and indeed quite justly, since he had tormented the bowels of others with many and novel tortures'; secondly, raging with pride and anger against the Jews, when he ordered his chariot to be driven at full speed, 'it happened that as he went with impetus he fell from the chariot, and his limbs were racked by the heavy impact of his body. And he who had seemed to himself to command even the waves of the sea, filled with pride beyond human measure, and to weigh the heights of mountains in a balance, now humbled to the ground, was carried in a litter, bearing witness to the manifest power of God in himself'; thirdly, his limbs rotted; 'so that worms swarmed from the body of the impious man, and his flesh fell away while still living and in pain, and even the army was burdened by the stench and foulness of his odor: and he whom shortly before no one could carry because of the unbearable stench, had thought himself to touch the stars of heaven.'
Hence fourthly, 'brought down from his great pride, he began to come to self-knowledge, warned by the divine stroke, as his pains increased at every moment. And when he could no longer bear his own stench, he said: It is just to be subject to God, and for a mortal not to think himself equal to God. But this wicked man prayed to the Lord, from whom he was not to obtain mercy.' Let the proud and blasphemers set this example of Antiochus before their eyes, especially tyrants and persecutors of the Church and the faithful, and let them expect a similar divine vengeance, with heavenly judgment pressing upon them, unless they repent.
For these reasons, in the duel of the ram and the he-goat which is described in this chapter, this Antiochus is signified by the he-goat, just as much as Alexander. For the characteristics of the he-goat, which I enumerated at verse 5, apply to both. For Antiochus was crafty, arrogant, lustful, rapacious, pugnacious even against the ram (that is, against the Persians, as is clear from 2 Maccabees 9:1), short-lived in both life and reign, and foul-smelling in life and death like a he-goat. This will be more evident at chapter 11:20 ff.
Verse 26: And the Vision of the Evening and Morning
26. And the vision of the evening and morning (that is, of evening and morning time, or which shall be fulfilled in the evening and morning of day 2,300) is true, — as was said at verse 14.
Therefore seal up the vision, — keep it with you and note it down; for no one will yet fully understand it: for it will come to pass after a long time, namely after nearly 400 years. For this reason, when a prophecy is remote, God commands the Prophets to seal and close it. Secondly, Origen, homily 13 on Numbers: 'A book is said to be sealed,' he says, 'because it is tangled with figures and wrapped in riddles.' And Pineda, book V On the Affairs of Solomon, chapter 13, 'Seal,' he says, that is, write the prophecy in secret marks, as the Egyptians wrote by hieroglyphic marks and characters; as the Chinese still write. So the book shown to St. John was sealed, Apocalypse 5, with seven seals, as if with seven characters containing certain secret mysteries, which are opened and explained in chapter 6.
Verse 27: I languished and was sick
27. I languished and was sick, — struck and dismayed by the wonder of what I had seen, namely the angel speaking, and the desolation threatening my people, which the angel foretold.
There was none to interpret it, — in particular the names, time, and other circumstances of my vision, which concerned future things: for the angel had only interpreted it in general terms to Daniel, at verse 20.