1Michael shall deliver Israel out of trouble: the general resurrection and recompence of the just and unjust. 5Daniel heareth the times, but understandeth not: he is bid to wait the end, which shall be in his favour.
1AND 1at that time shall 2Michael 3stand up, the great prince which standeth 4for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people 5shall be delivered, every one that shall be found 6written in the book.
1 Namely, when Antiochus shall exceedingly vex and torment, afflict the Jews, and the antichrist the church of the New Testament.
2 See Dan. 10 on verse 13.
3 Or, get him up, to deliver his church, first from the persecutions of Antiochus, and lastly also from the persecution of the antichrist.
4 That is, who stands for the church of God, defending and protecting it against all her enemies.
5 That is, begin to be delivered, and the salvation of God shall come and at last be more and more accomplished by the Lord Christ until the resurrection of the dead.
6 That is, who is ordained in the immutable counsel of God to be partaker of this deliverance. It is a phrase taken from men, among whom it is usual that those who are admitted to be citizens in a city, their names are registered or recorded in a book. See Exod. 32 on verse 32; Psalm 69 on verse 28; Ezek. 13 on verse 9.
2And 7many of them that 8sleep 9in the dust of the earth shall awake, somea to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting 10contempt.
7 That is, the multitude, or, all, divided into two heaps, being in both heaps many, as is declared in the sequel. This must be understood of the general resurrection of the dead at the last day.
8 Namely, the sleep of death. See 1 Thes. 4:14, 16.
9 Hebr. in the earth of dust.
a Mat. 25:46; John 5:29.
10 Or, loathing, or, detestation. See the annotation at Isa. 66 on verse 24.
3And 11they that be wise shall 12shineb as the brightness 13of the firmament; and they that turn many 14to righteousness as the stars 15for ever and ever.
11 Or, the instructors, the understanding ones, they who make others wise. See Dan. 11:33.
12 Or, glister.
b Mat. 13:43.
13 That is, of heaven, of the firmament, of the stars of heaven. See Gen. 1 on verse 6.
14 Or, make many righteous, namely, by their doctrine and instruction. See the annotation at Ezek. 3 on verse 18.
15 The angel adds this for the comfort of the godly, who are subject here on earth to many afflictions and persecutions.
4But thou, O Daniel, 16shut up the words, and seal the book, even 17to the time of the end: many shall 18run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
16 See Dan. 8 on verse 26.
17 Hebr. to the time of the end, as verse 9; that is, till the time comes when it shall please God to reveal this more perfectly.
18 The Hebrew word signifies properly to run about, to go about, to run to and fro, to search diligently for a thing and to find it out. See Job 1 on verse 7. As if the angel said: Although there be few now who are desirous to know the future state of the church, yet the time will come that many shall endeavor to obtain knowledge of these holy things, and shall likewise increase in knowledge.
5¶Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood 19other two, the one on this side of the 20bank of the river, and the other on that side of the 21bank of the 22river.
19 Namely, angels, that were desirous to look into such things, 1 Peter 1:12. These two angels were other than that angel that hitherto had talked with Daniel; also other than that Angel of Whom is spoken in Dan. 10:5.
20 Hebr. lip.
21 Hebr. lip.
22 Namely, of the river Hiddekel. See Dan. 10:4.
6And 23one said to the 24man clothedc in linen, 25which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to 26the end of these wonders?
23 Namely, one of them, or both of them, one after another.
24 See Dan. 10:5.
c Dan. 10:5.
25 That is, who has power over all the Gentiles, for, by waters nations are often signified in Holy Scripture.
26 When shall these things, which are wonderful in our understanding, have an end?
7And Id heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever 27that it shall be for a time, times, and 28an half; and when 29he shall have accomplished 30to scatter 31the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
d Rev. 10:5, 6.
27 See the annotations at Dan. 7 on verse 25.
28 Or, a part, namely, of the appointed time.
29 Namely, God the Lord.
30 That is, shall have so humbled and weakened His people and church, that it shall seem to be almost utterly subdued and destroyed.
31 That is, all the power and strength of the people. Compare Deut. 32:36. Others understand here by the power that power whereby the holy people was oppressed, namely, the power of Antiochus Epiphanes, of his soldiers and of his posterity; that then those great persecutions would have come to the highest, compare Dan. 7:26, and that then God would arise to deliver His people. See verse 1. Compare Dan. 7:26.
8And I heard, but 32I understood not: then said I, O my 33Lord, what shall be 34the end of these things?
32 Namely, what it meant, for a time, times, and an half, etc.
33 Thus he calls Christ, with Whom he talked.
34 Hebr. the last. Daniel desires to know in plain terms when the church of God would be delivered from that grievous persecution, and the true worship of God would be restored.
9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for 35the words are closed up and sealed 36till the time of the end.
35 Compare Dan. 8 on verse 26.
36 Then shall this entire prophecy be open and clear, but before that time the right meaning thereof cannot be fully and certainly known in all the particulars thereof.
1037Many shall be 38purified, and made white, and tried; 39but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the 40wise shall understand.
37 A repetition of the prediction of the miseries, which shall befall the church of God. See Dan. 11:35.
38 Or, be cleansed. Our Lord Christ uses here three words by way of comparison. The first is taken from the cleansing of corn; as the corn is cleansed from the chaff by the fan, so are believers cleansed by the fan of persecution. The second word is taken from the fullers that by laundering make the sheets clean and white. The third similitude is taken from goldsmiths who refine the gold and the silver in their furnaces, purging out the dross. See Dan. 11:35.
39 The meaning is: The wicked shall revolt and go on in their wickedness, and shall not understand these mysteries, though they be so frequently and so plainly explained unto them. Compare Rev. 22:11.
40 Or, the teachers, as Dan. 11:33.
11And from the time that 41the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate 42set up, 43there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
41 See Dan. 11 on verse 31.
42 Of this see also Dan. 11 on verse 31.
43 Which makes three years, seven months and thirteen days, if this be understood of the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, and understand here natural or common days. But some among the learned take these days to be meant of year-days.
12Blessed is he that waiteth, and 44cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
44 Or, reacheth, attaineth, cometh to the thirteen hundred and thirty-five days. Here are forty-five days more than verse 11, and this is the sense, as some conceive, that the state of the people of the Jews shall be far better when there shall be yet elapse forty-five days more than the three years, seven months and thirteen days, for, then would they be altogether freed and discharged from that cruel tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes. He died in the beginning of the hundred forty-ninth year of the reign of Seleucus, his posterity, 1 Maccabees 6:8, 16.
13But go thou thy way 45till the end be: for thou shalt 46rest, and 47stand 48in thy lot 49at the end of the days.
45 Namely, till the end of thy life; order all thy affairs for it; set thy house in order, for thou shalt die ere it be long.
46 Namely, in the earth, after thy death thou shalt be freed and discharged from all trouble, and shalt rest from thy labor; thy soul shall be taken up into Abraham’s bosom.
47 Namely, at the resurrection of the dead at the last day.
48 That is, in thy portion, namely, in the portion of the heavenly inheritance, which is prepared and ordained for thee with all the elect children of God according to the good will and pleasure of God.
49 That is, at the end of the world, when thy soul, being united with thy body, shall be taken up into the joy of eternal life, for and through the merits of Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, Who is to be praised for ever; amen, Rom. 9:5.