9 And from the one of them come forth hath a little horn, and it exerteth itself greatly toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the beauteous `land';
and concerning the ten horns that `are' in its heads, and of the other that came up, and before which three have fallen, even of that horn that hath eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and whose appearance `is' great above its companions. `I was seeing, and this horn is making war with the saints, and hath prevailed over them, till that the Ancient of Days hath come, and judgment is given to the saints of the Most High, and the time hath come, and the saints have strengthened the kingdom. `Thus he said: The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom in the earth, that is diverse from all kingdoms, and it consumeth all the earth, and treadeth it down, and breaketh it small. And the ten horns out of the kingdom `are' ten kings, they rise, and another doth rise after them, and it is diverse from the former, and three kings it humbleth; and words as an adversary of the Most High it doth speak, and the saints of the Most High it doth wear out, and it hopeth to change seasons and law; and they are given into its hand, till a time, and times, and a division of a time. `And the Judge is seated, and its dominion they cause to pass away, to cut off, and to destroy -- unto the end;
`And in the latter end of their kingdom, about the perfecting of the transgressors, stand up doth a king, fierce of face, and understanding hidden things; and his power hath been mighty, and not by his own power; and wonderful things he destroyeth, and he hath prospered, and wrought, and destroyed mighty ones, and the people of the Holy Ones.
`And he stirreth up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great force, and the king of the south stirreth himself up to battle with a very great and mighty force, and standeth not, for they devise devices against him, and those eating his portion of food destroy him, and his force overfloweth, and fallen have many wounded. `And both of the kings' hearts `are' to do evil, and at one table they speak lies, and it doth not prosper, for yet the end `is' at a time appointed. And he turneth back `to' his land with great substance, and his heart `is' against the holy covenant, and he hath wrought, and turned back to his land. At the appointed time he turneth back, and hath come against the south, and it is not as the former, and as the latter. And ships of Chittim have come in against him, and he hath been pained, and hath turned back, and hath been insolent toward the holy covenant, and hath wrought, and turned back, and he understandeth concerning those forsaking the holy covenant. And strong ones out of him stand up, and have polluted the sanctuary, the stronghold, and have turned aside the continual `sacrifice', and appointed the desolating abomination. And those acting wickedly `against' the covenant, he defileth by flatteries; and the people knowing their God are strong, and have wrought. And the teachers of the people give understanding to many; and they have stumbled by sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil -- days. And in their stumbling, they are helped -- a little help, and joined to them have been many with flatteries. And some of the teachers do stumble for refining by them, and for purifying, and for making white -- till the end of the time, for `it is' yet for a time appointed. `And the king hath done according to his will, and exalteth himself, and magnifieth himself against every god, and against the God of gods he speaketh wonderful things, and hath prospered till the indignation hath been completed, for that which is determined hath been done. And unto the God of his fathers he doth not attend, nor to the desire of women, yea, to any god he doth not attend, for against all he magnifieth himself. And to the god of strongholds, on his station, he giveth honour; yea, to a god whom his fathers knew not he giveth honour, with gold, and with silver, and with precious stone, and with desirable things. And he hath dealt in the fortresses of the strongholds with a strange god whom he hath acknowledged; he multiplieth honour, and hath caused them to rule over many, and the ground he apportioneth at a price. `And at the time of the end, push himself forward with him doth a king of the south, and storm against him doth a king of the north, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he hath come in to the lands, and hath overflowed, and passed over, and hath come into the desirable land, and many do stumble, and these escape from his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the sons of Ammon. `And he sendeth forth his hand upon the lands, and the land of Egypt is not for an escape; and he hath ruled over treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and Lubim and Cushim `are' at his steps. `And reports trouble him out of the east and out of the north, and he hath gone forth in great fury to destroy, and to devote many to destruction; and he planteth the tents of his palace between the seas and the holy desirable mountain, and hath come unto his end, and there is no helper to him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Daniel 8
Commentary on Daniel 8 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 8
The visions and prophecies of this chapter look only and entirely at the events that were then shortly to come to pass in the monarchies of Persia and Greece, and seem not to have any further reference at all. Nothing is here said of the Chaldean monarchy, for that was now just at its period; and therefore this chapter is written not in Chaldee, as the six foregoing chapters were, for the benefit of the Chaldeans, but in Hebrew, and so are the rest of the chapters to the end of the book, for the service of the Jews, that they might know what troubles were before them and what the issue of them would be, and might provide accordingly. In this chapter we have,
The Jewish church, from its beginning, had been all along, more or less, blessed with prophets, men divinely inspired to explain God's mind to them in his providences and give them some prospect of what was coming upon them; but, soon after Ezra's time, divine inspiration ceased, and there was no more any prophet till the gospel day dawned. And therefore the events of that time were here foretold by Daniel, and left upon record, that even then God might not leave himself without witness, nor them without a guide.
Dan 8:1-14
Here is,
Dan 8:15-27
Here we have,