Verse 1. Guest. It seems most probable that the king here spoken of was Evilmerodac, the son and successor of Nabuchodonosor, and a great favourer of the Jews; ( Challoner. Worthington.) or it might be Darius, (Houbig.) or Cyrus, under whose reign S. Irenæus (iv. 11.) and others place this history. Calmet.—The more correct Greek editions begin with the preceding verse. Menochius.—Septuagint read, “Prophecy of Abaum, son of Juda, of the tribe of Levi. There was a priest, Daniel, son of Abda, who was a guest of the king of Babylon,” and so forth See Pref. Bible.
Daniel
Verse 19. Angry. Cappel thinks the priests would not be so easily caught, or that such an imposture would not be so long concealed. But it was their interest to keep the secret, particularly if the king furnished the provisions; and in the night time they would not perceive the small ashes. Houbig.—The pagans stupidly believed ( Calmet.) that the idols eat. Aristoph. Plutus. iii. 2.—All the objections against this history are refuted by Jeremiah 51:5. Houbigant.—It is wonderful that so learned a man as Cappel should urge so many. Bible.
Daniel
Verse 22. Dragon. The devil had seduced our first parents in the form of a serpent, and caused most nations to adore it. Calmet.—They expected benefit, or to be preserved from harm. Valer. i. 8. Saint Augustine de Civ. Dei. xiv. 11. Worthington.
Daniel
Verse 26. Asunder, being choked, and not poisoned. Vales. 81. Menochius.—The throat is narrow. Solin. 43.
Daniel
Verse 27. Jew, or “a Jew is king;” Daniel governs all. Grot.
Daniel
Verse 28. House. Religion is daring. Darius was weak, and only a sort of viceroy, left by Cyrus. Houbig.
Daniel
Verse 30. The den of lions. Daniel was twice cast into the den of lions: once under Darius, the Mede, because he had transgressed the king’s edict, by praying three times a day; and another time under Evilmerodac, by a sedition of the people. This time he remained six days in the lions’ den; the other time only one night. Challoner.
Daniel
Verse 31. Carcasses: people condemned, ( Calmet.) or dead. Houbig.
Daniel
Verse 32. Habacuc. The same, as some think, whose prophecy is found among the lesser prophets: but others believe him to be different. Challoner.—About twenty years before there was no prophet in Judea. Calmet. 3:38. Habacuc, the eighth of the minor prophets, lived before the Babylonian monarchy was formed. Calmet. 1:6. Worthington.—Yet he might still survive. If this had not been a true history, such an extraordinary mode of conveyance would not have been mentioned. Cappel imagines it was an allusion to Philip, the deacon, and fabricated by some Christian. But Theodotion found it in Hebrew (Houbig.) and he was no friend to Christianity when he wrote; though he had once followed Tatian, and the Marcionites. Bible.
Daniel
Verse 39. Seventh. He had not come before, supposing he was dead, till at last a rumour got to his ears, notwithstanding the precautions of the Babylonians, who hoped that Daniel would be starved to death. Houbigant, Proleg. p. 2. p. 425 which end here.
Daniel
Verse 40. Daniel. Greek adds, “besides thee there is no other.” Bible.
Daniel
Verse 41. Den, by the law of retaliation. Calmet. 6:24. Menochius.
Daniel
Verse 42. Then, and so forth is not in Greek nor in the ancient MSS. of S. Jerom. The verse may be taken from Calmet. 2:26. Calmet.
OSEE
THE PROPHECY OF OSEE
Daniel
Bel and the Dragon is translated from chapter 14 of Daniel in the Greek Septuagint. It is not found in the traditional Hebrew text of Daniel. Bel and the Dragon is recognized as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Russian Orthodox Churches.