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among the wild beasts; and that when he had lived in this manner in the desert for seven years,† he should recover his dominion again. When he had seen this dream, he called the magicians together again; and inquired of them about it, desiring them to tell him what it signified. But when none of them could find out the meaning of the dream, nor discover it to the king, Daniel was the only person that explained it. And as he foretold, so it came to pass. For after he had continued in the wilderness the aforementioned interval of time, while no one durst attempt to seize his kingdom, during those seven years; he prayed to God that he might recover his throne; and be returned to it. But let no one blame me for writing down every thing of this nature, as I find it in our ancient books. For as to that matter, I have plainly assured those that think me defective in any such point, that I intended to do no more than to translate the Hebrew books into the Greek language, and promised to explain those facts, without adding any thing to them of my own, or taking any thing away from them.

* God delayed the execution of his threats against this prince, and gave him a whole year's reprieve, chap. iv. 29. to see if he would repent, and turn unto him; but perceiving that he still persisted in his crimes, as soon as the measure of his iniquity was full, he smote and reduced him to the condition of a beast. This is Theodoret's notion of the matter; but St. Jerome rather thinks, that this king being terrified with the threats, and touched with the exhortations of the prophet, began to set about his reformation, and by acts of charity and mercy, to reconcile bimself to God, for which he obtained a delay of his punishment for a year's space; but that instead of persevering in these good purposes, he suffered himself to fall into pride, upon the contemplation of the mighty works he had done, and so, by his vanity, lost what he had gained by his charity. Bonum misericordiæ perdidit malo superbiæ. Calmet's Commentary. B.

+ Since Josephus here explains the seven prophetic times which were to pass over Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel iv. 16. to be seven years, we thence learn how he most probably must have understood those other parallel phrases, of a time, times, and a half, VII. 25. and XII. 9. of so many prophetic years also. Though he lets us know, by his hint at the interpretation of the seventy weeks, as belonging to the fourth monarchy, and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, in the days of Josephus, chap. 2. that he did not think those years to be bare years; but rather days for years; by which reckoning, and by which alone, could seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety days, reach to the age of Josephus. But as to the truth of those seven years' banishment of Nebuchadnezzar from men, and his living so long among the beasts, the very small remains we have any where else of this Nebuchadnezzar, prevent our expectation of any other full account of it. So far we know by Ptolemy's Canon, a contemporary record, as well as by Josephus's presently, that he reigned in all forty-three years: that is eight years after we meet

CHAP. XI.

OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR, AND HIS SUCCEssors; the DISSOLUTION OF THEIR GovernmenT BY THE PERSIANS, THE AFFAIRS OF DANIEL, AND THE PROPHECies he delivERED IN MEDIA.

NOW when king Nebuchadnezzar had reigned forty-three years,* he ended his life.† He was an active man, and more fortunate than the kings were before him. Berosus makes mention of his actions in the third book of his Chaldaic history, where he says, "When his father Nabuchodonosor [Nabopol lassar] heard that the governor whom he had set over Egypt, and the places about Cœle Syria and Phœnicia, had revolted from him, while he was not himself able any longer to undergo the hardships of war; he committed to his son Nebuchadnezzar, who was still but a youth, some parts of his army; and sent him against them. So when Nebuchadnezzar had given battle, and fought with the rebel, he defeated him, and reduced the country under subjection; and made it a branch of his own

with any account of his actions. One of the last of which was the thirteen years' siege of Tyre, XI. 11. where yet the old Latin has three years and ten months. Yet were his actions before so remarkable, both in sacred and profane authors, that such a vacuity of eight years at the least, at the latter end of his reign, must be allowed to agree very well with Daniel's accounts; that after a brutal life of seven years' duration, he might return to his reason, and to the exercise of his royal authority for one whole year at least before his death.

* These forty-three years for the duration of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar are, as I have just observed, the same number as that in Ptolemy's Canon. Moses Chorenensis also confirms this captivity of the Jews under Nebuchadnezzar; and adds, what is very remarkable, that one of those Jews that were carried by him into captivity, got away into Armenia; and raised the great family of the Bagratidæ there. See page 1, 58, 91, 98, 100, 109, 123, 124, 136, 180, 184.

+ This prince died in the year of the world 3442, and before Christ 562; after he had reigned, from the death of his father, according to the Babylonish account, three and forty years. He was certainly one of the greatest princes that had appeared in the east for many ages before him, and according to Megasthenes, (as he is cited by Josephus, Antiq. lib. X. c. 11.) both for his enterprises and performances, far excelled even Hercules himself. The same historian, (as he is quoted by Eusebius, Præp lib. IX. c. 41.) informs us, that a little before his death he foretold his subjects of the coming of the Persians, and their subduing the kingdom of Babylon; but this be might gather from the prophet Daniel, and especially from the interpretation of his dreams. Prideaux's Connection, anno. 562. B.

kingdom. But about that time it happened that his father fell ill, and ended his life in the city Babylon; when he had reigned twenty-one years.* And when he was made sensible that his father was dead, he settled the affairs of Egypt, and other countries, as also those that concerned the captive Jews, Phoenicians, Syrians, and those of the Egyptian nations; and having committed the conveyance of them to Babylon to certain of his friends, together with the body of his army, and the rest of their ammunition and provisions; he went himself hastily, accompanied with a few others, over the desert, and came to Babylon. So he took upon him the management of the public affairs and of the kingdom, which had been kept for him by one that was the principle of the Chaldeans; and he received the entire dominions of his father; and appointed, that, when the captives came, they should be placed as colonies, in the most proper parts of Babylonia. He then adorned the temple of Belus, and the rest of the temples, in a magnificent manner with the spoils he had taken in the war. He also added another city to that which was there of old, and rebuilt it: that such as would besiege it hereafter might no more turn the course of the river, and thereby attack the city itself. He therefore built three walls round about the inner city, and three others about that which was the outer; and this he did with burnt brick. And after he had walled the city, and adorned its gates, he built another palace before his father's palace; but so that they joined to it: to describe whose vast height and immense riches it would perhaps be too much for me to attempt. Yet as large and lofty as they were, they were completed† in fifteen days. He also erected elevated places for walking, of stone;

These twenty-one years here ascribed to Nabopollassar, the father of the great Nebuchadnezzar, are the same with those given him in Ptolemy's Canon. And note here, that what Dr. Prideaux says, Connection, at the year612, that Nebuchadnezzar must have been a common name of other kings of Babylon besides the great Nebuchadnezzar himself, is a groundless mistake of some modern chronologers only, and destitute of all proper original authority.

These fifteen days for finishing such vast buildings at Babylon, in Josephus's copy of Berosus, would seem too absurd to be supposed to be the true number; were it not for the same testimony extant also in the first book against Apion, with the same number. It thence indeed appears, that Josephus's copy of Berosus had this small number; but that it is the true number, I still doubt. Josephus assures us, that the walls of so much a smaller city as Jerusalem were two years and four

and made it resemble mountains; and built it so that it might be planted with all sorts of trees. He also erected what was called a pensile paradise : because his wife was desirous to have things like her own country; she having been bred up in the palaces of Media." Megasthenes also, in his fourth book of his Accounts of India, makes mention of these things; and thereby endeavours to shew that this king, Nebuchadnezzar, exceeded Hercules in fortitude, and in the greatness of his actions. For he saith, that "he conquered great part of Libya and Iberia." Diocles also, in the second book of the Accounts of Persia, mentions this king. As does Philostratus, in his accounts both of India and of Phoenicia say, that "this king besieged Tyre thirteen years: while at the same time Ethbaal reigned at Tyre." These are all the histories that I have met with concerning this king.

After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach his son succeeded in the kingdom; who immediately set Jechoniah at liberty, and esteemed him among his most intimate friends. He also gave him many presents, and made him honourable above the rest of the kings that were in Babylon. For his father had not kept his faith with Jechoniah, when he voluntarily delivered up himself to him, with his wives and children, and his whole kindred, for the sake of his country: that it might not be taken by siege, and utterly destroyed; as we said before. When Evil-Merodach was dead, after a reign of eighteen* years, Niglissar his son took the government, and retained it forty years: and then ended his life. And after him the succession in the kingdom came to his son Labosordacus, who continued in it, in all, but nine months, and when he was dead, it came to Baltasar ;‡ who by the Babylonians was called Nabo

months in building by Nehemiah, who yet hastened the work all he could; XI. 6. I should think one hundred and fifteen days, or a year and twenty days, much more proportionable to so great a work.

→ Two years.

+ Four years.

It is here remarkable, that Josephus, without the knowledge of Ptolemy's Canon, should call the same king, whom he himself here, Baruch i. 11. and Daniel v. 1, 2, 9, 12, 22, 29, 30. styles Baltasar, or Belshazzar, from the Babylonian god Bel; Naboandelus also; and in another place from the same citation out of Bero. sus, Nabonnedon; from the Babylonian god Nabo, or Nebo. This last is not re

andelus. Against him did Cyrus, king of Persia, and Darius, king of Media, make war. And when he was besieged in Babylon, there happened a wonderful and prodigious vision, He set down at supper in a large room, and there were a great many vessels of silver, such as were made for royal entertainments; and he had with him his concubines, and his friends. Whereupon he commanded that those vessels of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of Jerusalem, and had not made use of, but had put them into his own temple, should be brought out of that temple. He also grew so haughty, as to proceed to use them in the midst of his cups, drinking out of them, and blaspheming against God. In the mean time he saw a hand proceed out of the wall, and writing certain syllables.* At this sight he was disturbed, and called the magicians and Chaldeans together, and all that sort of men that were among these barbarians, and were able to interpret, signs and dreams, that they might explain the writing to him. But when the

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mote from the original Babylonian pronunciation in Ptolemy's Canon, Nabonadius. For both the place of this king in that Canon, as the last of the Assyrian or Babylonian kings, and the number of years of his reign, seventeen, the same in both, demonstrate that it is one and the same king that is meant by them all. It is also worth nothing, that Josephus knew that Darius, the partner of Cyrus, was the son of Astyages, and was called by another name among the Greeks: though it does not appear he knew what that name was; as having never seen the best history of this period, which is Xenophon's Kugs wad. But then, what Josephus's present copies say presently, that it was only within no long time after the hand-writing on the wall that Baltasar was slain, does not so well agree with our copies of Daniel; which say it was the same night; Daniel v. 30. But then it must be observed, that Theodoret directly quotes Josephus for the confirmation of our copies of Daniel, and particularly for affirming that he was slain the same night also. Whose testimony is here set down at large By Dr. Hudson.

* Daniel v. 5.

+ The writing very probably might be in a character unknown to the Chaldeans, as the old Hebrew, Phoenician, and Samaritan were; or if they were acquainted with the character, yet such is the genius of most of the oriental languages, where so little use is made of vowels, and where the pronunciation and sequel of the dis. course generally determine the signification of the letters, that a man may be a perfect master of a language, and yet not able to read and comprehend a word, when it stands alone, and without any context, as it is in the case of Mene. Tekel. Upharsin. A man, for instance, that understands the Hebrew tongue ever so well, were he to meet dbr standing alone, would have much ado to read them, because, according to the manner that we pronounce them, the letters will admit of many different significations; and it is much the same in the Chaldee language, wherein the words we are now speaking of were wrote. Calmet's Commentary on Daniel v. 7. B.

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