504.

rage

For, firft, we find the clear outlines of the history of the most distinguished of Alexander's fuccefors; then a full account of the of Antiochus Epiphanes; then a clear account of a great Corruption of Religion, and of a formidable Ufurpation in the West; and then another account of a dreadful Power that fhould prevail over the greatest part of the reft of the Chriftian world in the East and South.

The verfes in the chapter that demand our attention more immediately, to illuftrate this, are the laft; and are thus rendered by the LXX.

Daniel, ch. xi. ver. 40-45

εν

40. Καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ πέρατι συγκερα τισθήσεται μετὰ τὸ βασιλέως τα νότα, καὶ συναχθήσεται ἐπ' αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς τῇ βορρά ἐν ἅρμασιν καὶ ἐν ἱππεῦσιν καὶ ἐν ναυσὶν πολλαῖς, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ συντρίψει, καὶ παρελεύσεται.

41. Καὶ εἰσελεύσε]αι εἰς τὴν γῆν τῇ Σαβαεὶμ, καὶ πολλοὶ ἀσθενήσεσιν· καὶ ἕτοι διασωθήσον]αι ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτῷ, Ἐδὲμ καὶ Μωαβ, καὶ ἀρχὴ ὑιῶν ̓Αμμών.

42. Kai

42. Καὶ ἐκλενε τὴν χειρα αὐτῇ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ γῆ Αἰγύπτε ἐκ ἔςαι εἰς σωτηρίαν. 43. Καὶ κυριεύσει ἐν τοῖς ἀποκρύφοις τε χρυσίε καὶ τῇ ἀργυρίε, καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν ἐπιθυμητοῖς Αἰγύπλε, καὶ Λιβίων, καὶ Αἰθιόπων ἐν τοῖς ὀχυρώμασιν αὐτῶν.

ηζει

44. Καὶ ἀκοαὶ καὶ σπεδαὶ ταράξεσιν αὐτὸν ἐξ ἀνατολῶν καὶ ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ· καὶ ἐν θυμῷ πολλῷ, τῇ ἀφανισαὶ, καὶ τὸ ἀναθεματίσαι πολλές.

45. Καὶ πήξει τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτῇ Ἐφα- 505. δανῶ, ἀναμέσον τῶν θαλασσῶν, εἰς ὄρος Σαβὼν ἅγιον, καὶ ἥξει ἕως μέρους [όρους] αὐτῶ, καὶ ἐκ ἔσιν ὁ ῥυόμενος αὐτόν.

This verfion is in feveral parts fomewhat different from what we have in our tranflation in the English Bible, and may be thus rendered:

40. And in the time, [about] the end of things, a King of the North fhall have conflict with the King of the South, and fhall be united with him, with chariots, and with horfemen,

and with many ships, and shall enter into THE land, and shall grind [and shake] it, and shall pass over.

41. And fhall enter into the land of SABAEIM, [the land of delight, well ornamented,] and many fhall be weakened [and debilitated]. But thefe fhall be faved out of his hand; Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

42. And he shall firetch forth his hand upon the [face of the] earth, and the land of Egypt fhall not be in fafety.

43. But he shall have dominion over the bidden treasures of gold and of filver, and over all the defirable things of Egypt; and over the Libyans, and over the Ethiopians [or Moors] in their fortreffes.

44. And tidings, and great exertions from the Eaft, and from the North, fhall trouble him. And he shall come forth with great wrath, to root out, and to devote many to deftru&ion.

45. And he ball pitch his tent illustriously [or gloriously] in the midst of the feas, upon a facred mountain* of the well-adorned land 506. yet he shall come to his defined lot, [or to his end,] and there fhall be none to help him.

*There is no article prefixed to opos ayiov, and therefore it is not the facred mountain, but a facred mountain.

There

There appear many moft fubftantial reasons for tranflating the 40th verfe in the manner it is here rendered, rather than as we find it in our version of the Bible.

For, in the first place, as at the 36th verfe there begins a defcription of a terrible and oppreffive power, which fhould prevail in the Weft at the latter end; (which defcription has plainly no connection with, nor is any part of what went before, and was predicted concerning the fucceffors of Antiochus and Ptolemy, or concerning Antiochus Epiphanes, but is a totally diftinct and fubfequent account of what should happen long after those events;) fo here, in the 40th verse, another new description is introduced, which plainly in all its circumstances relates to a dreadful dominion that fhould in the latter end take place in the Eaft, even that of the Saracens and Turks united. And this whole description, continuing to the end of the chapter, does not appear to have any neceffary or proper connection with any part of that preceding it; but both together contain a complete account of the ftate of things in the latter ages, previous to the fecond coming of the Meffiah: the one relating to the affairs of the Weft, and the other to the affairs of the East.

507.

And, in the next place it may be observed, that βασιλεὺς το βορρᾶ, a king of the North, may juft as well, and even with more propriety, be taken for the nominative case to the verb συγκερατισθήσεται, fall contend with, than an imaginary word aurès, be, which is fupplied ad libitum, and merely on a presumption (without authority) of fome reference to the perfon described in the preceding verses.

And, if we allow this, then further it is to be remarked, that, as there is no article prefixed to the word Baches, it should not be tranflated THE king of the North, as referring to any king or power mentioned before; but merely a king of the North, meaning only Some power that should come from the North.

And, laftly, we may obferve, that the verb is not merely κερατισθήσεται, Phall pulb at, or annoy ; but is συγκερατισθήσεται, fall mutually contend with, which implies equal opposition and fruggle on both fides. And συναχθήσεται is furely much rather shall be collected with, or gathered together with, or united with, than fhall be collected together against; especially as, by every means of interpretation, it must mean a collecting, or gathering together of fome