The book of daniel is often read for its contribution to our understanding of endtimes events, but sometimes christians have been so obsessed with this that we have missed its main message. The book of daniel covers his life from a teenager to his death as a captive in babylon. Made thee ruler he hath given thee absolute dominion of all creatures, men and beasts within the bounds of thy vast kingdom thou he was first in order, as the head is before the other parts, and the vision began in him, and descended downwards to the other three monarchies. The captivity of israel is drawing to a close, so it has been about seventy years since daniel left israel as a youth. Like ezekiel, the book of daniel contains a number of enigmatic prophecies. That framework is a nested parallelism structure in technical terms, a chiasm. Daniel refused to do anything that would, in anyones mind, think he was denying god. Chapter eight, for instance, has several parallels.
Watch our overview video on the book of daniel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Collins situates the old testament in its historical context and offers a full explanation of the text, especially its religious imagery. In the first 6 chapters, we read about daniel and his friends. Daniel 2 bible commentary wesleys explanatory notes. It was the first prophecy giving a consecutive history of the world from that time to the end. For his rank and comeliness he was trained for palace service. As it happens, the book of daniel offers a readymade framework for unpacking its meaning in the workplace. It is intended to help you better understand some of. The big picture of the book of daniel bible commentary. Internet archive contributor princeton theological seminary library. A commentary on the book of daniel internet archive.
Library the father william most theological collection. Daniel the book of daniel is another book of the old testament that documents the various trials that members of the jewish faith are forced to endure at the hands of nonbelievers, this time focusing on the titular individual. Nov 21, 2014 daniel a commentary proceeds linearly through all twelve chapters of the book of daniel. Each section of commentary begins with a chapter from the bible and then a versebyverse analysis follows. His commentary on daniel is a remarkable book, in that it deals with the wider picturenot just the book itself. Daniel a commentary proceeds linearly through all twelve chapters of the book of daniel. There is uncertainty as to when the story may have taken place, but most scholars contend that its stories occurred in the second century bce. Daniel chapter 4 commentary northwest college of the bible. Although it does not actually claim to have been written in the sixth century bce, the book of daniel gives clear internal dates such as the third year of the reign of. In any case, daniel, like revelation the other booklength apocalypse in the bible provides much valuable material relevant to work. A commentary on the book of daniel by pastor galen l. The postexilic prophets did not know it, for the four horns to which israels enemies are compared in zech. Daniels prophecies are in many respects the most remarkable of any in the sacred record and is the most comprehensive. It located the most of its predictions within well defined prophetic periods, though reaching many centuries into the future.
Publication date 1850 topics bible publisher boston, mass. In that night, when his heart was merry with wine, the besiegers broke into the city, aimed at the palace. The book of daniel is a target of critics who doubt that the daniel described in the book actually wrote the book, especially in light of the books amazing prophecies. Daniel 12 commentary john gills exposition on the whole bible. He ends up taking back the cream of the crop, the most elite and noble israelites, to serve at his court in babylon. Daniel explained a commentary on the book of daniel overview. The book opens with the exile of daniel and his contemporaries from the holy land to babylonia. Its prophecies of worldruling empires are closely related to revelation. This book records the prophecies, visions, and public ministry of daniel who was along with. Daniel 12 commentary john gills exposition on the whole. Goldingay holds that the prophecies had immediate meaning for the jews and yet can be applied to future events as well. Daniel overview james burton coffman commentaries on the. Lance james henriksen born may 5, 1940 is an american actor, voice actor and artist. Daniel commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole.
Daniel explainedone of the most extensively researched commentaries on the book of daniel ever writtenoffers a thorough treatment of both the dramatic episodes and the prophetic visions. Millers commentary on daniel is based on a thorough but reverent analysis of the hebrew and aramaic text. Daniel overview james burton coffman commentaries on the bible. Publication date 1927 topics bible publisher new york. Daniel, as many other authors of the antiquity and the bible, writes of himself in the third person throughout the first part of the book. This seems like a climactic, rewarding vision, given to him in his old age to explain these future events.
Daniel introduction scofield reference bible commentary. Daniel s prophecies are in many respects the most remarkable of any in the sacred record and is the most comprehensive. The lords power exceeds that of the worlds greatest empires, and his loving care for his people is unmatched on earth. Daniel explained one of the most extensively researched commentaries on the book of daniel ever writtenoffers a thorough treatment of both the dramatic episodes and the prophetic visions. In the other 6 chapters, we read about daniels dreams. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history with an eschatology cosmic in scope and political in focus. And like ezekiel, the difficult nature of these prophecies has resulted in a wide variety of conflicting interpretations. Other articles where commentary on daniel is discussed. Verses 59 in the same hour came forth the fingers of a mans hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the kings palace. The most important single work produced by the church fathers on any of the prophetic writings of the old testament, commenting upon the original hebrew text, and showing a complete mastery of all the literature of the church on the subjects touched upon to the time of composition, is without question st. List of books and articles about book of daniel online.
Daniels friends shadrach, meshach and abednego served as advisers to king nebuchadnezzar of babylon. Much of the book is even written in aramaic, the language that was spoken in babylonia during the seventy years of exile following the destruction of the first beit hamikdash. Daniel 5 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of daniel by montgomery, james a. The book of daniel, a book of the old testament found in the ketuvim writings, the third section of the jewish canon, but placed among the. Daniel, like ezekiel was a jewish captive in babylon. He is best known for his roles in science fiction, action and horror films, such as that of bishop in the alien film franchise, and frank black in fox television series millennium. In the polluted atmosphere of an oriental court he lived a life of singular piety and usefulness. The purpose of the book of daniel in the book of daniel the scriptures foretell how the lord will deal with the people of daniel the jews and the gentile nations. A commentary on the book of daniel by cooper abrams.
God had shown himself to nebuchadnezzar earlier through. It is intended to help you better understand some of the background and issues in daniels prophecy. In the second half of the book daniel names himself speaking in first person as the one receiving the revelations, and he is ordered to preserve the book in which these words are found 12. He was the head of gold, because of the vast riches wherein this monarchy abounded, and because it stood. The book of daniel focuses on the sovereign hand of god in human history. Commentary on the book of daniel by matthew henry old. Reason enough he had to tremble, for he was just falling into the hands of the king of terrors, v. The most comprehensive englishlanguage commentary on daniel in 65 years. This commentary is based upon my personal devotional notes and reflections on the book of daniel. Page 20 in the third year of the reign of jehoiakim king of judah came nebuchadnezzar king of babylon unto jerusalem, and besieged it. It has scholarly depth but is also rich with practical application and homiletical. The book is written in a mixture of hebrew and aramaic. Daniel and his friendsshadrach, meshach, and abednegohave to navigate between the demands nebuchadnezzar is putting on them and.
An examination of the best commentaries can be helpful in sorting through the. The book of daniel chapter four the humbling of nebuchadnezzar. The book of daniel claims to be written by daniel himself, and the fact that it is written mostly in the third person does not contradict that claim. This chapter begins with an account of a time of exceeding great trouble to the people of god, who are comforted with the consideration of michael the great prince being on their side, and with a promise of deliverance, with the resurrection of the dead, and the glorious state of wise and good men upon that, daniel 12. Through a series of dreams and visions and their interpretations daniel is shown an outline of future kingdoms of the world.
Deuteronomy deuteronomy is the fifth book of the jewish torah and the christian bible. The lack of consensus presents a challenge for the reader, but it is not necessarily an insurmountable one. Thus, the challenge for any commentator is to understand the book as a whole and to explain its rich and variegated view of the gospel and the savior. Quotation given in full when space permits corresponding quotations from daniel. Like the book of daniel itself, the first half of the book is easier to understand and more engaging. Commentary on daniel work by hippolytus britannica. There is little in history, secular or sacred, to corroborate this chapter.
Daniel certainly knew of jeremiahs prophecies about the destruction and restoration of israel. I wonder if the message is given in the book of daniel as one of the earlier visions. Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth. Daniel was born to the royal family and of noble birth dan. Concise presentation notes by charles dailey black underlined words match words in the bible text. For each story about daniel and his friends, it fills in the historical background and develops spiritual applications. The book of daniel begins with king nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of babylon, ransacking jerusalem. A noble jewish youth of jerusalem, he is taken into captivity by nebuchadnezzar of babylon and serves the king. While the narratives about daniel and his fellow judeans appear simple belying a rich theological complexity, the visions at the end of the book seem extraordinarily complicated. Read daniel commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. The second half anything by james jordan is well worth reading.
Jan 21, 2016 it is the vision that occupies the rest of the book. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of daniel. Daniel is the only prophet who mentions the prince of persia and the prince of greece. A commentary on the book of daniel by stuart, moses, 17801852. Goldingay holds that the prophecies had immediate meaning for the. God is in control, no matter how things look, and his kingdom will one day fill the earth. They are only in greek, though it is quite possible that the greek is a rather free cf. Before the formal commentary begins, there is a sizable section devoted to the books literary, historical and social considerations. The book of daniel was not written immediately after the exile. Daniel is the story of the people of israel in exile, longing to return to the land of israel. In addition, the captivating prophecy, imagery, and symbolism make the book of daniel one of the.
With an introduction to apocalyptic literature forms of the old testament literature fotl. His exegesis interpretive method is primarily typologicali. The book of daniel is one of the most significant prophetic books in the bible. The book of daniel, one of the volumes of the bible, is found in the section of scriptures. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament.
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