Theodoret of Cyrus

In his own words on Daniel

• Daniel 1:1

  Naturally, at the outset, the king who ruled is revealed and the year made clear, when the capture first occurred. And so by calling to mind the king that reigned at that point, he [Daniel] demonstrates … that he is a prophet. For other prophets begin in the very same way.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 1:1

• Daniel 1:3-4

  And so the God of all makes evident the foolishness, infirmity and loathsome ways of the world in order to put to shame its power and wisdom. People who care for bodily things and seek beauty, greatness and great bodily strength know nothing of divine wisdom but rather only a false and artificial sort of eloquence. And thus is the distance between humanity and God. The false pretense of the king is shown as he wished not only the other captives be servants but also that they be descendents from kings. Now all this happened just as Isaiah had predicted to Hezekiah …: "And some of your own sons will become slaves, yes eunuchs, in the palace of the king of Babylon."

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 1:3-4

• Daniel 1:5-6

  So here he informs us of the king's generosity in providing them with nourishment that was not of an ordinary kind fit for captives and slaves; instead, he gave orders for them to share in the king's table. Shortly afterward he mentions their self-control and sound values, not indulging in self-glorification but proposing a beneficial lesson to those prepared to accept benefit. It is possible to see also the moderation in his thinking: after mentioning above that the king ordered young men of royal birth to be chosen, fair to behold and of becoming stature, and citing at this point the persons' names, he simply referred to the tribe of Judah and concealed their royal connections.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 1:5-6

• Daniel 1:8

  For those who love God do not seek after the God of all in just one place, but even in the midst of this misfortune they worshiped as if in the house of the Creator. In that place there are many wondrous moments to be found. For having been reared on the teachings of the Jews and having learned the customary service to God, they now were dwelling in a foreign land and were being forced into slavery exactly at the prime of their life. They were forced to abide under the foreign customs. But having seen the Babylonians offer defiled meat to the idols and the polluted libations at the temple, they took heed and, neglecting their own safety, rejected the king's banquet, beseeching the chief eunuch to allow them to be excused from partaking of the king's food.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 1:8

• Daniel 1:10

  This pointless objection of the eunuch was cowardly. He [the eunuch] was a man whose spirit did not know grace but took pleasure in his own sensuality. Of this man and human morality, take heed as there is the opinion that sumptuous feeding on nutritious foods provides for the body nourishment enough for it to flourish. In fact, it is not with such indulgence that you should chance your life, for it was with a small portion and by way of self-control that they [Daniel and his friends] flourished.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 1:10

• Daniel 2:1

  We learned earlier that at the beginning of his [Nebuchadnezzar's] reign, he advanced with the army to Judea in the third year of the reign of Joachim.… So most blessed Daniel, recalling the first year after the capture of the Jews, … now adds, "in the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream." He [Daniel] added this not without reason but that we should know the time with precision. This is like the divine ways of the prophets, noting the facts related to the kings, a sure reference to the number of years.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:1

• Daniel 2:2

  The providential plan is unveiled to the wise. The dream was made known to the prophet and so making evident that which he willed to be accomplished, that in turn [the prophet's] good and saving counsel would be readily received. The king was frightened by the dream, and yet he also feared that he would forget the dream. That which the God of all foreknows is made known to those who are faithful, as is likewise the foolishness of the king. For surely it is foolish to ask others to recall the dream.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:2

• Daniel 2:3

  And having summoned them, they were given the request by that one whom they serve, and foolishly they promised. For human wisdom is incapable of knowing the divine mysteries without assistance from above.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:3-4

• Daniel 2:8

  While the demand in these words was high-handed and insane, the accusation was very true: You want to learn what the dream was, he is saying, so as to hatch in common some false interpretation and trick me as usual, using the lapse in time as an advantage and waiting for the moment of fulfillment.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:8-9

• Daniel 2:11

  The Chaldeans responded, Wherefore it is not possible to know precisely what you [the king] thought. What is humanly possible, they said, you may require from us, but not that which is beyond our nature. You who govern the greatest of all kingdoms must act justly in the governance of that kingdom and require from your subjects that which is possible. That which is now requested is by no mean just. Such knowledge does not belong to human beings.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:11

• Daniel 2:18

  Truly, much that is true is found in the midst of the lies. Those who seek God are the friends of truth, while those who depend on human reason alone are wicked and in all they say and do attempt to seduce people. But the friends of truth adhere to nothing apart from that which comes from on high. They call on the One who rules over all, taking heed to depend on prayer, standing steadfast, not distressed, not at this moment or in this place, but standing against the onslaught of human reason. And through the testimony of blessed Daniel, we see the beloved youth given straightaway the revelation concerning the dream, not because of his calculations but simply because it was proper time to hand over to the one who prays. He alone was of great courage, but at the same time his companions jointly took up the prayer. For none had abandoned the hope.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:17-18

• Daniel 2:20

  In everything he reveals his gratitude, not only composing the hymn but also making the discovery of the dream the theme of the composition. It is proper, he is saying, constantly to sing praises of God, who is eternal and everlasting, fount of wisdom and understanding as he is, governing everything correctly and beneficently.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:19-22

• Daniel 2:22

  Such is the life of the devout, acknowledging that God is the source of understanding. He was the One who met Daniel's needs at the right moment and assured him a safe harbor. And after being well supplied with that which was the best, Daniel did not prove forgetful of the gifts but sang praises in response to his holy benefactor.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:23

• Daniel 2:32

  The second element, silver, signifies the Persian kingdom and the Medes. Cyrus, by way of his own success and marriage, created from the Medes the kingdom of Persia.… He speaks of a chest and arms to show that he knows there were two peoples, each limb a founder, that are joined together.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:31-33

• Daniel 2:44

  Clearly, this teaches about that which will occur at the end, that is, the coming of the kingdom of heaven that is without end. For the kingdom of iron having been brought alongside the weaker element and the composite vessel having been wrought, then shall appear "the stone cut without hand." … The stone that was cut without hands and grew into a great mountain and fills the whole earth is the second advent, and it will strike against the feet of the vessel … and all kingdoms will be destroyed and delivered up to oblivion, and the kingdom without end will be established.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:44-45

• Daniel 2:48

  This is itself divine guidance. It is most fitting that the subjects benefit from the piety of the ruler: so also at one point God had done the same with Joseph.… He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold as a slave.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:48

• Daniel 2:49

  Truly this holy prophet loved God with all his heart, all his soul, all his strength, all his power. And having loved so fervently, he genuinely trusted, and he believed deeply, expecting that help would come from him. And it was as he had expected. And so also one is taught about the love of a neighbor, as it happened that the companions were also accepted. "For all the ancient Scriptures were written for our instruction and that through fortitude and the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have faith in Jesus Christ," who is the glory for the Father with the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 2:49

• Daniel 3:1

  Our Lord is good and loves humankind, so the creator and ruler desires "all to be saved and to know the truth" and "does not seek the death of the wicked but that they should turn and live." Indeed, for that reason he died for our salvation. So truly he [the king] acts like a fool; being enslaved to arrogance, he derives no benefit from the divine remedy, but like the one who lives with illness, he rejects the cure from those who practice medicine. Thus, the awful disease tends to grow day by day. Such a man is this boastful king, who the God of all bestowed on him kindness without bounds, applying the cure for countless transgressions and acts of impiety. So also God revealed that the bringing of peace is fragile and passing, as he held aloft the ones made captive by war and who bore by compulsion the yoke of slavery. They shined splendidly and steadfastly and were admired for the wisdom of their prophecy. And thereby the God of all was indeed confessed to be the true God. But after a short time, the king came back into his true nature, just "as a dog returns to his vomit."

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 3:1

• Daniel 3:18

  Far from serving our Lord for payment, we are motivated by affection and longing, and at the same time we prefer the service of our God to everything. Hence, instead of asking for relief from the troubles unconditionally, we embrace the Lord's planning and providence; and without knowledge of what will be of benefit, we leave the helm to the pilot, no matter what he wishes, understanding clearly that he is able to free us from the threatened evils. Whether he wishes to do so, we do not know; but we leave it to him, wise governor as he is, and accept his verdict, confident that it is to our benefit. Whether he rescues us or not, therefore, we shun worship of your statue and your gods.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 3:18

• Daniel 4:4

  It was not without purpose that he cited his own name: it was to confirm his name in word; since he was very famous as having control of everyone throughout Asia, Egypt and Ethiopia, he cited his name at the beginning as sufficient confirmation of what was said. He meant, I was at the height of good fortune and surrounded continually with countless good things.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:7-8

• Daniel 4:4

  Nebuchadnezzar was in control of the whole of Asia, had brought Egypt under his control and had subjugated the Ethiopians living near Egypt. Nevertheless he treated his subjects very harshly and had reached such a state of arrogance as to think that he was greater and more powerful than not only the so-called gods but even the true God.… [But] nothing of what was done by him would have happened without God's permitting it and wanting to call to account for impiety those who had suffered this from him. Hence he was right to add, "Surely an axe will not be glorified apart from the one wielding it? Or the saw exalted apart from the one pulling it? Likewise for anyone holding rod or staff." As it is impossible, he is saying, for axe or saw or rod to move of itself (each of these operating when someone chooses to move them by using their hand), so too you did what you did, when my providence allowed you, on account of the lawlessness of the victims. So do not think you achieved this by your own wisdom and power. If, however, you are not prepared to learn this lesson in a sensible fashion and put an end to your lofty arrogance, you will learn by experience that this is the way things are.… [So] God struck that arrogant mind that had dreamed of preternatural things with insanity and dementia. Then, when he became wildly enraged, he caused him to be driven out and live in the desert for a long time. He next caused him to gain an appreciation of the fate that had befallen him; after all, it was impossible for one who lacked all sense and feeling to reap any benefit. Thus, after refusing to do so, that fellow acknowledged the rapid changes in his life, wept and wailed for his own stupidity and confessed God's kingdom to be without succession, lasting for all ages. Learning this from experience, he once more through God's ineffable loving kindness returned to his own kingdom. In the belief, however, that it would be an injustice to all people if he were to conceal God's providence, he recounted in a letter to all his subjects throughout the world his former prosperity and the misfortune that befell him, then the repentance by which he won the Lord over. While this is the theme of the letter, then, I developed it at length, in my wish … to make clear the care of the God of all for everyone.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:1

• Daniel 4:6-7

  He did not give these details casually: it was in parallel so as to make clear to everyone the prophet's wisdom by comparison—hence his listing the nationalities of the wise men of Babylon so as to highlight the fact that whereas they understood absolutely nothing, he was illuminated by the divine Spirit.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:7-8

• Daniel 4:9

  Good fortune often causes the general run of people to forget their benefactors, whereas it is necessity that recalls to mind those who have treated us well; and while the person in good health does not keep in mind the physician's competence, on falling ill he or she remembers having that complaint before and returning to good health thanks to such and such a physician. So too Nebuchadnezzar: when he consigned those holy people to the fire, he did not remember Daniel's favor; but when he later had a dream and felt alarm in his soul, he remembered Daniel's wisdom and his recall and interpretation of the previous dream. Hence he said he had God's Spirit and was capable of interpreting every mystery, and he requested him to make clear to him this dream as well, obscure as it was.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:9-10

• Daniel 4:10

  By the tree blessed Daniel said [Nebuchadnezzar] personally was depicted, and he said its height reached to heaven to suggest not the real tree but his thoughts and imaginings.… His [conceited attitude] is the reason he sees the height of the tree reaching to heaven; but since, so to say, he even had control of the whole world, he sees the tree trunk—that is, the extent of its breadth—expanding as far as the ends of the earth.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:10-11

• Daniel 4:12

  Barbarians lived a wild life, whereas more reasonable and civilized people, rapid and uplifted in their thinking, continued to pass their life under his authority.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:12

• Daniel 4:12

  By "foliage" he refers to the visible splendor in apparel, throne, palace, warriors bearing shields and javelins, and foot soldiers, and by "fruit" to the tribute offered from all quarters.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:12

• Daniel 4:13

  By eir he refers to the watcher, the meaning in Greek. By watcher he means an angel, thus bringing out its bodiless form: what is clad in a body is subject to sleeping, whereas what is rid of a body is superior to the need for sleeping. So he means, I saw an angel, bodiless in nature, who descended from heaven.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:13

• Daniel 4:17

  This is what the angel means, that the fate of the tree will come to pass for this purpose, for everyone to know through this that there is one God, Lord and King, who appoints kings on the earth and entrusts the kingdom to whomever he wishes. In fact, to bring out his own authority, he appoints as king the one who is at one time the most insignificant and thought to be of no value and makes those of greatest rank obey him.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:17

• Daniel 4:20

  Daniel's wisdom is worth admiring: he did not say simply, the big tree, but grown to great size and strength—in other words, instead of being great from the beginning, you became great gradually, and instead of having strength from the outset, you gradually acquired it. Hence he goes further, "Because you have grown great and strong, your greatness has increased, you reach to heaven and your lordship to the ends of the earth." It was very fitting and appropriate for him to relate these things to heaven and earth: he said his lordship had reached the ends of the earth, that is, his authority, whereas it was not yet his lordship that had reached to heaven but his imaginings.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:20-22

• Daniel 4:24

  At this point it is possible to learn the value of the apostolic teaching, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities"; blessed Daniel, note, calls the impious king "lord" and, influenced by the norm of authority, he adopts the appropriate titles, and he gives a glimpse of the truth of the dream, distressing though it is.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:23-24

• Daniel 4:25

  God will take from you even human reason and will make you resemble the beasts so that you may learn from experience what is human and what is God, what is human fortune and what is divine kingship, and the fact that it is impossible to attain it unless God wishes.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:25

• Daniel 4:25

  Now, while some commentators claimed the "seven times" are seven years, others said three and a half. The divine Scripture, in fact, divides the year not into four seasons but into two more generic parts, winter and summer; so seven divisions of that kind amount to three and a half years. You will spend such a length of time in misfortune.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:25

• Daniel 4:26

  Having foretold the future in this way, [Daniel] offers exhortation and excellent advice and applies a remedy suited to the wound … "compassion for the poor." In this he implies the insatiable cruelty with which [Nebuchadnezzar] treated his subjects. Do you wish, he asks, to receive lovingkindness? Give evidence of it to those who share the same nature as you; this is the way you will persuade the judge to cancel his threat and leave it unfulfilled.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:26, 27

• Daniel 4:29

  The text then conveys also the span of divine longsuffering: after the passage of twelve months the threat in the prophecy reached its factual conclusion. Though given such a length of time to repent, he failed to meet the deadline for repentance; it would be of him that blessed Paul spoke, "Do you despise the riches of his kindness, forbearance and longsuffering? Are you unaware that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? In your hard and impenitent heart, however, you are storing up wrath for yourselves on the day of wrath, revelation and right judgment by God, who will render to everyone according to each one's works: eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, while anger and wrath will come to those who in self-seeking do not obey the truth but obey iniquity. There will be tribulation and distress for every person guilty of evildoing."

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:27

• Daniel 4:31

  Since he dreamed of going up to heaven, he received the verdict from there; and since he was not satisfied with the palace here below, and instead at the same time he insanely hankered after one on high, he was deprived of the one here below; in his wish to snatch heaven he was driven also from earth.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:31

• Daniel 4:33

  By all this it suggested his condition of neglect and carelessness: bereft of divine providence, he was not even a recipient of care from his own—wife, children and family; instead, like a wild animal he kept frequenting uninhabited places, filling his stomach with the food of brute beasts.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:33

• Daniel 4:35

  Up to the present I [Nebuchadnezzar] thought myself very great and elevated, whereas now I know clearly that all human nature is nothing compared with God. Having sought a term for insignificance and not found one suitable, he used "nothing," which gives a sufficient clue to the instability and impermanence of nature; while calling God "Most High, Lord, living and eternal king," he spoke of all human beings as "nothing." In similar fashion also blessed Isaiah in comparing the divine nature with the idols focused on human nature: "If all the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as a turn of the scale and will be accounted as spittle, while Lebanon is not sufficient for burning, and all its animals not sufficient for a burnt offering, and all the nations are nothing and were reckoned as nothing in comparison with him, to what will you compare the Lord? and with what analogy compare him?"

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:35

• Daniel 4:35

  He says, "There is no one who will oppose his hand or say to him, 'Why did you do that?' " to bring out the invincibility of God's power. One must accept gladly what is done by him, whether it is pleasing or distressing: resisting or criticizing what is wisely ordained by him is a rash endeavor.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:35

• Daniel 4:36

  Squalid and dirty, in all likelihood, unkempt and with nails grown long, he washed away the dirt, and thanks to divine grace he was recognized as the person who previously had administered the mighty kingdom. "My rulers and my nobility sought me out": they put aside their hatred and adopted a friendly attitude toward me.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:36

• Daniel 4:37

  Having had experience of misfortune and then being rid of it, I sing the praises of the one who to my advantage brought on me one condition and the other in his great wisdom. I know he is the King of heaven and Lord of all, acting in truth, governing everything justly and capable of humbling those behaving haughtily.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 4:37

• Daniel 5:1

  This man was the son of Nebuchadnezzar but did not directly succeed him.… After Nebuchadnezzar, then, Evil-merodach ruled, and after him Belshazzar. The most divine Daniel, however, omitted mention of the former man, since he was composing not history pure and simple but prophecy—hence his not recording everything done by Nebuchadnezzar, either, but only those things of which mention was required with a view to bringing benefit. So since also in the time of Belshazzar God gave evidence of a wonderful miracle capable of instilling reverence and dread not only in the people of that time but also in those of any later time and of leading them to the true religion, he did not think it right to conceal in silence such a great act of kindness, judging it instead a holy thing to put it in writing and leave for everyone a record of the teaching.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:1

• Daniel 5:2-3

  In other words, intoxication confused his thinking, and intemperance gave rise to this insane action against God: the vessels consecrated to the worship of God, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had seized when God surrendered them but had honored in the way he thought fit and had kept from human use, this man presumed to use like ordinary vessels, not only giving the order but giving effect to the order.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:2

• Daniel 5:5

  Since, you see, he had sung the praises of the idols, deprived as they were of any power to move, and had scorned the God of all, the Lord of all gives him a lesson in his invisible and incorporeal nature by letting him see only fingers writing, the purpose being to instruct him that he would not even see them were it not that he personally had provided the occasion of need.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:5

• Daniel 5:9

  From this it is clear that the Lord was concerned for the welfare of the others and did not take the king's life on the spot, instead giving a glimpse of the writer's fingers. But having startled him by this and instilled fear, he caused the wise men of the Chaldeans to be summoned and showed up their falsity and weakness while producing the need for Daniel's wisdom so as through his tongue to accredit him and benefit the others, and with this happening to inflict punishment at that stage on the impious king.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:9

• Daniel 5:10

  This was probably an introduction offered at that time to kings by their subjects; even to this day this custom prevails.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:10

• Daniel 5:10

  "Amid the king's and his nobles' words the queen entered the banqueting hall," that is, with them pondering what should be done and various people making various suggestions under pressure of fear, the queen entered. Now, in my view, this lady was his mother: the wives were attending the banquet along with the concubines, and drinking from the gold and silver vessels was himself and his nobles, his wives—that is, his spouses—and his concubines, partners of his not by law but in lust. Now, this lady entered after the hubbub, and being old she probably was not a party at that stage to the drunkenness and antics or dancing.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:10

• Daniel 5:11

  Now, by "alertness" she referred to vigilance of soul, and by "understanding" to a grasp of hidden things and an insight into what escaped many. "Your father King Nebuchadnezzar," she went on, "made him chief of magicians, soothsayers, astrologers, and fortune tellers," adding the reason, "because an extraordinary spirit was in him," that is, he has the surpassing grace of the Spirit.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:11

• Daniel 5:12

  Daniel, having become a receptacle of the divine Spirit, gives wise advice on everything, makes intelligent utterances on everything, clarifies riddles in dreams, removes the obscurity from what is hidden in some obscurity and by setting free what is held in bondage in secret recesses, as it were.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:12

• Daniel 5:18

  Do not think it was by relying on his own strength that your father subjected the whole world and brought under one kingdom the countless races of the nations speaking various tongues. It was, in fact, the Lord of all, maker of everything, wise governor of all things, who gave him the kingdom, and it was as a result of the divine decree that fear of your father possessed his subjects.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:18-19

• Daniel 5:20

  "He was deposed from the throne of his kingdom: just as he elevated those he wanted and humbled those he wanted," doing so not altogether by a right decision, so the King and Lord of all gave your father the kingdom as he wanted, but on perceiving him giving vent to an overweening sense of his own importance, running the kingdom in an arrogant and conceited manner, a victim of haughtiness, he deprived him of the royal throne and stripped him of the honor paid him by everyone. Instead of divesting him only of the kingdom, however, he drove him also from normal association, gave him over to insanity and derangement and caused him to live with wild asses and savage beasts, taking on the life of the animals whose ferocity he had imitated.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:20

• Daniel 5:23

  Now, [Daniel] did well and showed much wisdom in putting in parallel the idols and the God of all with a view to the benefit felt by the hearers; after emphasizing that the former neither see nor hear, instead of proceeding to say in regard to the God of all that he sees and hears and knows, he cited the more powerful fact of all, your life and your ways are in his hand, since providing life to others and in turn removing it at will is more important than having life. He brought out, then, that while the idols are deprived of life and all sensation, the Lord God of all is the source of all life and both gives it and takes it, governing as he wills. Nevertheless, [Daniel] is saying, despite his being of this stature, so great, with power of life and death, appointing kings and removing them, you not only did not sing his praises but rather even persisted in your drunken behavior, making fun of vessels dedicated to him.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:23

• Daniel 5:23

  He did well to instruct those present to worship not visible things but their Creator and Lord. At the same time he also convicts the king of conceit and teaches him that the highest heaven has for its creator the unseen God. You, he is saying, made your heart more elevated not than heaven but than the God of heaven, the Lord of all creation; if you were not guilty of such awful conceit, you would not have ordered the vessels of his house to be brought in.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:23

• Daniel 5:26

  By "interpretation," he refers to the meaning. "Mane: God has measured your kingdom and brought it to an end," that is, he has seen you are unworthy of kingship, and he decided to leave you bereft of it. "Thekel: he was weighed in the balance and found wanting." In this the prophet taught not only him but also us the lesson that nothing goes unweighed by God; instead, mercy and longsuffering are shown to people according to a certain measure and weight. Since, then, [Daniel] is saying, you exceeded the limit of lovingkindness, receive the divine sentence. "Phares: your kingdom has been divided and has been given to the Medes and Persians."

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:25-28

• Daniel 5:30

  Now, it is necessary to inquire why on earth the God of all corrected Nebuchadnezzar and in turn restored him to his kingdom but forthwith deprived this man of both kingdom and life. On consideration, then, we find, first, that Nebuchadnezzar had not observed another person paying the penalty for impiety, and hence God's just sentence granted him pardon, whereas this other man, though observing his father's heavy penalty, gained nothing from it. The just judge was therefore within his rights in confining punishment of the former to a specified time, whereas he granted the latter no pardon. In particular, God foresees all future events and thus knows them clearly as if already in the past; so he knew ahead of time the repentance of the former and arranged for his fate accordingly, whereas he knew ahead of time the latter's incorrigible impiety and put a stop to the increase in impiety with death.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:28

• Daniel 6:2

  Normally, in fact, those entrusted with kingship or any other rule confide least in the people closest to their predecessors; but Daniel enjoyed the same trust from all, receiving equal privileges and being entrusted with the same governance—hence, of course, his becoming one of the three supervisors under Darius. Now, by "supervisors" I think there is reference to what are now called viceroys, and by "satraps" to the governors of the nations, Daniel being one of the supervisors.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 6:1-2

• Daniel 6:3

  [Daniel] had received from God a greater and more abundant grace. Now, from this we learn that to those also who are entrusted with conduct of earthly affairs, even if unsympathetic to religion, a grace of wisdom is given from God for their management of those they rule. Blessed Daniel implied as much in saying, "Because there was an extraordinary spirit in him," that is, he had received the grace in keeping with his religious sentiments.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 6:3

• Daniel 6:7

  Nothing is more repugnant than envy: it pressured them into committing impiety and caused an impious decree to be published forbidding those intent on offering prayers to God; they prevented not only themselves from doing it but also all others subject to royal control.… In surrendering their mind's eye to envy, they did not understand that the king could not supply everything to petitioners, like health, life, fathering children, abundance of rain and anything else that we receive when we ask it of God. Losing their senses, however, they ascribed to the king what belongs to God and persuaded the foolish king to reach the same verdict and ratify their request.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 6:6-9

• Daniel 6:10

  Note how much this verse implied in a few words in mentioning the piety and courage of blessed Daniel. First, when Daniel learned that the decision has been reached, "he went into his house"—that is, when he got news of the passing of the law, he had great scorn for it and continued openly doing the opposite. It next mentions a further detail that reveals his courage: the windows were open, it says—in other words, he said his prayers not in secret but openly, with everyone watching, not for vainglory but in scorn for the impiety of the law.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 6:10

• Daniel 6:10

  When blessed Daniel in Babylon prayed, he opened the windows facing Jerusalem, not under the impression that God was confined there but from his knowledge that the divine manifestation occurred there.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALM 28:2

• Daniel 6:10

  He did this not only to provoke his accusers but also to fulfill an ancient law: when Solomon built that famous temple and celebrated the festival of consecration, he prayed a prayer of supplication for divine grace and implored that the temple be filled with it, adding this in addition to other things, "If you surrender your people to their foes, and they take them as captives to a land distant or near, and they have a change of heart in the land where they are transported and pray to you in their exile in the words, We sinned, we did wrong, we broke the law, and they turn back to you with their whole heart and with their whole soul in the land of their foes where you transferred them, and they pray to you toward their land which you gave their ancestors, and the city that you chose and the house that I built to your name, may you hearken from heaven, forthwith from your dwelling place, and forgive their sins by which they have sinned against you and all the transgressions they have committed against you, and show them pity before their captors." Instructed in this, Daniel faced Jerusalem in praying.

  COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 6:10