Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_300.lzh/6_313.TXT

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and this, as well as being above them, drew the envy
of them on him, and put them upon the following
scheme.
Ver. 4..Then the presidents and princes sought to ilrid
occasion ag, ainst Dan'iel concerning the kingdom, &c.]
Concerning the management of the affairs of the king-
dom, he being prime minister of state; the presidents
and princes joined together in this inquir. y; the princes,
because Daniel was so strict and exact m looking into
their accounts, that no fraudulent measures were taken
to cheat the king of his revenue; and the presidents, be-
cause he was preferred above them: but they could find
none occasion nor fault ; or corruption {}, that he had
been              any real-administration, or any corrupt
practices:forasmuch as he was .faithful, neither was
there any error or fault found in him; no mistake in his
accounts; no bitruder in Iris management of things;
nothing done amiss, neither wilfully, nor through ig-
norance, negligence, or inadvertence; so faithful and
upright, so prudent and discreet, so exact anti carerid,
that the most watchful observers of him, and these en-
Vious, and his most implacable enemies, could find no
fault in him, or any thing, or the colour of it, toground
an accusation upon.
Ver. 5. Then said these men, &c.] To one another:
we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel; whom
they speak of with great disdain and contempt, calling
him this Daniel, this fellow, though in the highest post
in the kingdom: except we find it against him concern-
ing the law of his God; about his religion; not that
they thought he would be prevailed upon to break the
law of his God in any respect; but they knew he was
tenacious of the Jewish religion, and of all the laws,
rites, and ceremonies of it; if therefore they could get
an act passed, and signed by the king, which would
any ways affect his religion, or any branch of it, or pro-
hibit the performance of it for any time, they hoped
to get an advantage of him, knowing that he would not
on any consideration forsake or neglect that; which
being said by his enemies was greatly to his honour.
Ver. 6. Then these presidents and princes assembled
together to the king, &c.] Having consulted the mat-
ter, and agreed upon and formed a scheme among them-
selves, and drawn up a bill or decree in form, ready to
be signed by the king, whom they hoped to persuade
to it; and for that end they got together, and. went in
a body to him. The word {b} signifies to assemble in a
tumultuous and noisy way; they thought, by their
number and noise, their bustle and bluster, to carry
their point. Ben Melech compares it with Psal. ii. c2:
and said thus unto him, 0 King Darius, live for ever;
this they said as courtiers, professing subjection to
him, and affection for him, wishing him health, long
life, and happiness.
Vet. 7o All the presidents of the kingdom, the gover-
nors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains,
&c.] There were but three presidents, and Daniel
was one of them, so that these a/./were but two; they
made the most of it they could; and very probably not
all and .every- one of the other officers mentioned were
present; but they were willing to make 'their request
appear as general as they could, in order that it might
have the greater weight with the king: have consulted
together to establish a royal statute, and to malce a firm
decree; that is, they had met together, and had drawn
up a bill that might be passed into a law by having the
royal assent, and be made sure and firm by the king's
signlUg it; which is as follows: that whosoever shall
ask a petition of any god or man .for thirty days, save oJ'
thee, 0 king, he shall be cast into the den of lions; by
which law all invocation of their own gods was prohi-/
bited for a month, as well as of the living and true
God; but this they stuck not at, provided they could
gain their point against Daniel; and they were obliged
to express it. in this general Way, to cover their designs;
tbr had they mentioned a particular deity, as the God
of the Jews,. or the God of Daniel, their views would
have been seen into by the king; and not only religious
invocation is here forbidden, but all civil requests are
prohibited: servants might not ask any thing of their
masters, nor children of their parents, nor wives of
their husbands, nor one neighbout of another; for this
seems not to be limited to asking any thing of a man
worshippeal as a god; though Sandlab says there were
some in l)arius's kingdom that believed in, worshipped,
and prayed to a man; but all men are excluded, ex-
cept Darius himself, of whom only any thing was to
he asked tbr thirty days; which was not only a deifying
him, but exalting him above all gods and men; and.
suggesting as if it was in his power to answer all the
exigencies of his subjects, and supply all their wants,
many of which it was impossible tbr him to do. Jose-
phus {} mentions this law in a different manner; as if
the design of it Was to give the people an intermission
from devot, ion for such a time, and that they Were
neither to pray to Darius, nor any of the gods, during
it; whereas the exception is express, save of thee, 0
king. The sanction or penalty of it is, casting into the
den of lions; the king's den of lions, as Jarchi, Where
his lions were kept; as it is usual with princes: this
very probably was a punishment common in the east-
ern nations, as casting the Christians to the lions was
usual with the Romans.
Vet. 8. Now, 0 king, establish the decree, and sign
the writing, &c.] For they had not only agreed upon
it among themselves what to propose, as to the sub-
stance of it; but they had drawn it up in writing,
ready to be signed, which they urge to have done im-
mediately: that it be not changed, according 'to the law
of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not;. when
once signed by the king: mention being made of both
the Medes and Persians, shews that these two nations
were now united in one government; that Darius and
Cyrus were partners in the empire; and it is easy to
account for it why the Medes are mentioned first; be.,
cause Darius was the Mede, and Cyrus the PerSian;
the one the uncle, the other the nephew; but after-
wards, when a Persian only was on the throne, then the
Persian is mentioned first, Esth. i. 19.
Ver. 9. Wherefore King Darius signed the writing

{a} \^htyxv\^ corruptela, Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Michaelis;
corruptionem, Gejerus.
{b} \^wvgrh\^ tumultuarie convenerunt, Montanus; cum tumultu accur-
rerent, De Dieu; convenerunt gregatim & cum strepitu, Gejerus.
{c} Antiqu. 1.10. c. 11. sect. 5.