In this chapter the angel makes good his promise to
Daniel, that he would show him what was written in
the Scripture of truth, concerning the monarchies of
the earth, and what would befall his people the Jews in
the latter days; and after he had observed that he had
strengthened and confirmed Darius the Mode, who
was the first king of the then present flourishing mon-
archy, ver. 1. he forelois the number of the kings of
Persia, and particularly describes the fourth, vet.
predicts tile rise of the Grecian monarchy under Alex-
ander the great, and the disposition of it after his
death, yet. 3, 4. and then proceeds to give an ac-
cotrot of the two principal kingdoms of that monarchy,
into which it was divided, the Seleucidae and Lagidae;
and of their kings, the king of Egypt, and the king of
Syria, under the names of the king of the south, and
the king of the north, and of their power and agree-
ment, ver. 5, 6. and then of their various wars between
themselves and others, and the success of them, ver.
7--20. and particularly of Antiochus, his character
and manner of coming to the kingdom, and of his
wars witll the king of Egypt, and the issue of them,
ver. 21--c29. and of his persecution of the Jews, and
the distress he should bring on them, and the use it
should be of to the godly among them, ver. 30--35.
and then his antitype, antichrist, is described; the
veestern antichrist, his character and actions, vet.
36--39. then the eastern, his power, wealth and riches,
hll and rain, ver. 40--45.
Vet. 1. Also I, in the first year of Darius the Mode,
&c.] These words more properly belong to the pre-
ceding chapter, and should have concluded that, and
the eleventh chapter should have begun in the next
verse; and they are not the words of Daniel, as Jerom
and others; but of the angel telling Daniel, not only
what he had been lately doing, and would do in the
court of Persia for his people; but what he had done
in the beginning of that monarchy, the very first year
that Darius the Mode became king of Babylon, and
head or' the whole monarchy; see ch. v. 30, 31. the
Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, in the first
year of Cyrus; which was the same time; for Darius
and Cyrtis reigned together. Even I, stood to confirm
and to streng then him; not Michael your Prince, as
Jarchi; for he being no other than the Son of God, an
increated Angel, needed not the help and assistance of
a created one, nor could receive any strength and con-
firmation from such an one; unless this is to be under-
stood, not with respect to Michael himself abstractly
considered, but as in relation to the people of the
Jews, on whose side Michael was; and so this angel
took part with him and them, and as his minister served
them both, in defending themn, and taking care of their
r, fthirs at this time; so Jacchiades paraphrases it, to
confirm and strengthen Israel: but it seems rather to
design Darius, anti the sense to be, that this angel
strengthened Darius and Cyrus in their good intentions
to let the people of Israel go fro% and give them full
liberty and encouragement to go into their own land,
and rebuild their city and temple; about which some
doubts and hesitations might arise in their minds, and
objections be made by sotrio of their nobles and
courtiers to it, being moved and influenced by an evil
spirit, the adversary of this good angel; but he at-
tended them so closely, and so strongly suggested to
them what they should do in this case, that he carried
his point on behalf of the Jews; for this respects not
so much the destruction of the Chaldean monarch. y,
and the establishing the Persian monarchy on the ruins
of it, and settling Darius on the throne, and strengthen-
ing his kingdom and interest, as the confirmation of
him and Cyrus in their designs in favour of the Jews.
The Syriac version is, from the first year of Darius the
Mode, he rose up to help me, and assist me; as if the
angel was still speaking of Michael, who came to his
help against the prince of Persia, and was the only one
that held with him, and had done sofrom the beginning
of the Persian empire; but the Hebrew text will not
admit of such a translation.
Ver. 2. And now will [shew thee the truth, &c.]
And nothing but the truth; what will most certainly
come to pass, and may be depended on, even what is
written in the book of God's decrees, the Scripture of
truth, and which would appear in Providence in after-
times; and this he proposed to deliver to him, not in
-figurative, dark, and obscure expressions, but clearly
and plainly, in language easy to be understood: behold,
there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; which were
Cyrus, who reigned alone after the death of Darius the
Mede, his uncle; Cambyses, the son of Cyrus; and Darius
Hystaspes. There was another between Cambyses and
Darius, called Smerdis the magician, who reigned but
seven months, and being an impostor is left out, as he
is in Ptolemy's canon; not that these were all the kings
of Persia after Darius the Mede; for, according to the
above canon, there reigned six more after them; but
because these kings had a connexion with the Jews,
and under them their affairs had different turns and
changes, respecting their restoration and settlement,
and the building of their city and temple; as also be-
cause these kings stood, and the monarchy under them
was strong and fiourishing, whereas afterwards it began
to decline; and chiefly it is for the sake of the fourth
king that these are observed, who laid the foundation
of the destruction of the Persian monarchy by the
Grecians. And the fourth shall be.far richer than they
all:'this is Xerxes, who exceeded his predecessors in
wealth and riches; enjoying what they by their con-
quests, or otherwise, had amassed together, to which
he greatly added; Cyrus had collected a vast deal of
riches from various nations, especially from Babylon :
God gave him the treasures of darkness, and hidden
riches of secret places, Isa. xiv. 3, Cambyses increased
the store by his victories, and the plunder of temples
wherever he came; out of the flames of which were
saved 300 talents of gold, and 2300 talents of silver,