Daniel 8

Daniel 8

Henry: Defenders Study Bible. World Publishing). Once again, the reader can see the importance of doing his or her own observations of the text (see also inductive Bible study) so that they will be able to accurately comment on the commentaries! THE LITTLE HORN versus THE RATHER SMALL HORN CHAPTER Daniel 7 Daniel 8 KINGDOM OF ORIGIN Fourth Kingdom DT Beast "Revived" Rome Third Kingdom Greece Divided Stage HORN "NUMBER" From and After 10 Thus = "11th" Da 7:7, 20, 24 From One of the 4 Horns = "5th" TIME OF PERSECUTION OF ISRAEL Time, times, half a time 3.5 Years Da 7:25 2300 Mornings & Evenings 6+ Years MESSIANIC KINGDOM FOLLOWS DESTRUCTION Yes Da 7:14, 18, 22, 26, 27 No Gleason Archer offers an insightful comment that helps understand why there is so much detail concerning the RSH noting that his origin… from the third kingdom serves as a prototype of the little horn of the fourth kingdom. The crisis destined to confront God’s people in the time of the earlier little horn, Antiochus Epiphanes, will bear a strong similarity to the crisis that will befall them in the eschatological or final phase of the fourth kingdom in the last days (as Christ himself foresaw in the Olivet Discourse - Mt 24:15). Grew exceeding great - This speaks of the increasing power and conquests of other land by the RSH, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Toward the south… east… the Beautiful - From historical records we know that the RSH (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) made conquests in each of these directions (if we take Syria as his base of operations then the directions make perfect sense): South - Egypt, East - Persia, Parthia, Armenia; The Beautiful Land - Israel. If you look at a map of this region, you will note that "the Beautiful Land" is also South of Syria, and it is singled out because of the significant (evil) impact Antiochus would have on God's land and God's people. The Beautiful land (tsebiy/sebiy) - Signifies the land of Israel here and in the other two uses in Daniel (Da 11:16, Da 11:41). In Da 11:45 tsebiy/sebiy refers "to the beautiful Holy Mountain", Jerusalem. The beauty was not so much that it was physically beautiful but spoke of the spiritual beauty. God had chosen this tiny plot of otherwise non-descript land to be the center stage for His "beautiful" drama of redemption (Christ Crucifixion at Calvary) and the throne of the Beautiful One, Christ the King in the Millennium (In the Temple at Jerusalem). This Hebrew noun (tsebiy/sebiy) is the superlative of splendor. Depending on the context this noun can describe a gazelle or (as in this verse) something beautiful or glorious, such as the glorious land which God gave Israel, a land that flowed with milk and honey (Ezek 20:6, 15 = "glory") or "a delightful land" (Mal 3:12). It is notable that occasionally this noun is used to refer to God Himself (Isa 4:2-note = referring to the "Branch", the Messiah at the time of His reign in the Millennium; Isa 28:5). Miller explains why God gave Daniel this vision in Daniel 8 noting that… In the previous chapter God (Daniel 7) had given a preview of (Gentile) world history with emphasis on the end times, particularly the evil activities of the Antichrist (the "Little Horn", (cp "time, times and half a time" Da 7:25-note). God’s people (Jews) also needed to be warned of another crisis that would come in less than four hundred years after Daniel’s lifetime—the persecutions of a madman named Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164BC). It would be one of the most horrible periods in history for believers (Ed: Referring to believing Jews, also known as the believing remnant), a time when the very existence of the true religion (Judaism) and its adherents was threatened. God knew that for those brief—only a few years (Ed: 2300 days)—but extremely dark days His people would need a supernatural revelation to encourage them as they faced their “great tribulation.” (Ed: As horrible as this time was for Israel, it was but a foretaste of the endtimes Great Tribulation about which Jesus had warned His disciples in the Olivet Discourse in Mt 24-25) (Ibid) (Bolding and links added) Antiochus IV Epiphanes (AE) (compiled from various sources)… His name Epiphanes means Manifest, Conspicuous, Illustrious. The Jews mocked his name, calling him Antiochus Epimanes ("Madman") Of Grecian descent, and specifically a Syrian. He was born about 215 BC and died 164BC. He ruled the Seleucid Empire (East Division of Alexander the Great's empire) from 175-164 BC. Antiochus IV Epiphanes was singled out for a detailed description in Daniel 8 (also described in Da 11:21-35) because of his evil treatment of the Jews of Palestine, his opposition to God's Temple in Jerusalem and his attempts to get rid of God's Word of Truth, the Scriptures. AE was anti-Semitic to the core. He assaulted Jerusalem, murdering over 40,000 in three days, and selling an equal number into cruel slavery. It is thought that on September 6, 171 B.C., he began his evil actions toward the Temple. Notable events during the reign of Antiochus IV include his near-conquest of Egypt, which led to a confrontation that became an origin of the metaphorical phrase, "line in the sand" and the rebellion of the Jewish Maccabees. He assumed divine epithets, which no other Hellenistic king had done, such as Theos Epiphanes ("God Manifest") and after his defeat of Egypt, Nikephoros ("Bearer of Victory"). But his often eccentric behavior, capricious actions and possible insanity led some to call him Epimanes ("The Mad One"). He was the Son of Antiochus III who became king after his brother, Seleucus IV, was murdered. As a boy Antiochus lived at Rome as a hostage. The Pergamene monarchs, Eumenes and Attalus, succeeded in placing upon the throne the brother of Seleucus, although Heliodorus had wished to ascend the throne himself. The young king was even more enterprising than his father. He was called in to settle a quarrel between Onias III and his brother, Jason, the leader of the Hellenizing faction in Jerusalem, and Onias was driven out (2Macc 4:4, 5, 6). Jason became high priest in his stead (2Macc 4:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; 1Macc 1:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15). Antiochus himself afterward visited Jerusalem and was signally honored (2Macc 4:22). On the death of Ptolemy VI in 173, Antiochus laid claim to Coelesyria, Palestine and Phoenicia; whereupon war broke out between Syria and Egypt. In this war Antiochus was victorious. Ptolemy Philometor was taken prisoner, and Antiochus had himself crowned king of Egypt (171-167 BC) at Memphis; whereupon Alexandria revolted and chose Ptolemy's brother as their king. The Roman ambassador, Popilius Laenas, demanded the surrender of Egypt and the immediate withdrawal of its self-constituted king. Antiochus yielded; gave up Pelusium and withdrew his fleet from Cyprus, but retained Coelesyria, Palestine and Phoenicia. While Antiochus was on a second campaign in Egypt, he heard of the siege of Jerusalem. He returned immediately, slew many thousands of the inhabitants and robbed the temple of its treasures (1Macc 1:20, 21, 22, 23, 24; 2Macc 5:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21). By his prohibition of the Jewish worship and his introduction or substitution of the worship of the false "god" Zeus (1Macc 1:54; 2Macc 6:2) he brought about a revolt among the faithful remnant of Jews under the leadership of Judas Maccabees who fought against Antiochus IV Epiphanes during the years 167-164 BC. After this war Antiochus retired to the eastern provinces and died, after having failed in an attack on the temple of the Sun in Elymais, in Persia. All through Palestine altars to Jupiter were set up and the Jews were forced to sacrifice on them. But at a little Jewish town called Modin (seventeen miles northwest of Jerusalem) there lived a Jewish priest named Mattathias, of the House of Hasmon. He had five sons and this brave old man not only refused to worship Antiochus' idols, but boldly slew the king's religious ambassador. The Jewish revolt was on. One of his sons was named Judas and he was called the Maccabee, which means "the hammer''. For the next few years Judas successfully led an army of Jews against the Syrians. Their brave exploits are described in two Apocrypha books, first and second Maccabees. On December 25, 164/165BC, the Jewish patriots cleansed and rededicated the Temple Antiochus had defiled. One day’s supply of oil miraculously kept the golden lampstand burning for eight days. This cleansing has been celebrated by the Jews as the Feast of Dedication (Jn 10:22). Daniel 8:10 IT GREW UP TO THE HOST OF HEAVEN AND CAUSED SOME OF THE HOST AND SOME OF THE STARS TO FALL TO THE EARTH, AND IT TRAMPLED THEM DOWN: BGT Daniel 8:10 καὶ ὑψώθη ἕως τῶν ἀστέρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐρράχθη ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων καὶ ἀπὸ αὐτῶν κατεπατήθη --- Daniel (TH) 8:10 ἐμεγαλύνθη ἕως τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄστρων καὶ συνεπάτησεν αὐτά LXE Daniel 8:10 and it magnified itself to the host of heaven; and there fell to the earth some of the host of heaven and of the stars, and they trampled on them. KJV Daniel 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. NET Daniel 8:10 It grew so big it reached the army of heaven, and it brought about the fall of some of the army and some of the stars to the ground, where it trampled them. CSB Daniel 8:10 It grew as high as the heavenly host, made some of the stars and some of the host fall to the earth, and trampled them. ESV Daniel 8:10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. NIV Daniel 8:10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. NLT Daniel 8:10 Its power reached to the heavens, where it attacked the heavenly army, throwing some of the heavenly beings and some of the stars to the ground and trampling them. NRS Daniel 8:10 It grew as high as the host of heaven. It threw down to the earth some of the host and some of the stars, and trampled on them. NJB Daniel 8:10 It grew right up to the armies of heaven and flung armies and stars to the ground, and trampled them underfoot. NAB Daniel 8:10 Its power extended to the host of heaven, so that it cast down to earth some of the host and some of the stars and trampled on them. YLT Daniel 8:10 yea, it exerteth unto the host of the heavens, and causeth to fall to the earth of the host, and of the stars, and trampleth them down. GWN Daniel 8:10 It continued to gain power until it reached the army of heaven. It threw some of the army of heaven, the stars, down on the ground and trampled them. BBE Daniel 8:10 And it became great, even as high as the army of heaven, pulling down some of the army, even of the stars, to the earth and crushing them under its feet. RSV Daniel 8:10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them. NKJ Daniel 8:10 And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. ASV Daniel 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them. DBY Daniel 8:10 And it became great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and trampled upon them. BHT Daniel 8:10 waTTigDal `ad-cübä´ haššämäºyim waTTaPPël ´aºrcâ min-haccäbä´ ûmin-haKKôkäbîm wa|TTirmüsëm NIRV Daniel 8:10 It grew until it reached the stars in the sky. It threw some of them down to the earth. And it stomped on them. to the host: or, against the host, Da 8:24,25 11:28,30,33, 34, 35, 36 Trampled: Da 8:7 7:7 Daniel 8 Resources - multiple sermons and commentaries This is a difficult verse to interpret for it is filled with figurative language. The question clearly is what is the literal interpretation of host and stars? Are these angelic beings as some commentators maintain? Or are they human beings, and specifically are they Jews? Host (tsaba') primarily describes military service (and so an army, a military congregation to serve as a fighting unit) and came to mean service or labor (Nu 4:3, 23). Tsaba' was used to describe the heavenly realm of angels and stars (Ge 2:1 Ps 33:6 Isa 40:26) and part of one of the great names of God Jehovah Sabaoth, LORD of hosts (of armies). NET Note - Traditionally, “host.” The term refers to God’s heavenly angelic assembly, which he sometimes leads into battle as an army. Keeping the context in mind and noting specifically "It" refers to the RSH (Antiochus IV Epiphanes), it makes little sense to ascribe the meaning of angelic beings to either host and /or stars. Further, if one compares the use of host in Da 8:12 and Da 8:13, the reasonable interpretation is that host refers to the Jews. Constable agrees writing that Da 8:12 "… makes identification of the host as the Jews rather than angels almost certain." (Bolding added) In addition, the premise that host represents the Jews is substantiated by the fact that Israel is occasionally referred to elsewhere in Scripture as God's hosts (Ex 7:4, cp Ex 12:17, 41, Nu 33:1 where "armies" is same Hebrew word tsaba' translated "hosts"). If one examines the historical records of time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, there is clear documentation of the facts that (1) many of Jews transgressed the covenant motivated/coerced by the evil influence of Antiochus Epiphanes (which would be compatible with the phrase "the transgression of the host" in Da 8:12) and (2) many "non-compliant" Jews (probably either "orthodox" or actually genuine believers) were mercilessly slaughtered by Antiochus (compare this historical record with the phrase "host… trampled" in Da 8:13). Leupold - That stars should signify God’s holy people (the Jews) is not strange when one considers as a background the words that were spoken to Abraham concerning the numerical increase of the people of God, Ge 15:5; Ge 22:17. To this may be added Da 12:3, where a star like glory is held out to those who “turn many to righteousness.” (cp Mt 13:43)… (He adds) If the world calls those men and women stars who excel in one or another department of human activity, why should not a similar statement be still more appropriate with reference to God’s people? The stars - In addition to Leupold's insightful comment above, when we compare Revelation 12:1+, we observe that the "great sign" had "twelve stars" which in context most clearly describes the 12 sons of Jacob as described in Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9 (Click for more detailed discussion of this point) NET Note - In prescientific Israelite thinking the stars were associated with the angelic members of God’s heavenly assembly. See Judg 5:20; Job 38:7; Isa 40:26. In west Semitic mythology the stars were members of the high god’s divine assembly (see Isa 14:13).