“Now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings will stand up in Persia. The fourth will be far richer than all of them. When he has grown strong through his riches, he will stir up all against the realm of Greece.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 2. Three, and so forth Cambyses, Smerdis magus, and Darius the son of Hystaspes. Challoner. Worthington.—Cyrus had been mentioned before. Calmet. 10:13. 20. Smerdis, or Artaxerxes, (1 Ezra 4:7) was the chief of the seven magi, and usurped the throne for six months after the death of Cambyses. Calmet.—He had been declared king before ( Bible.) by Patizites, his own brother. The news excited the fury of Cambyses, who mounting on horseback gave himself a mortal wound in the thigh. Herod. iii. 21. See Ezekiel 38:21. Bible.—Fourth: Xerxes. Challoner.—He invaded Greece with an immense army, forcing those on the road to join him. Just. i. 10. Herod. vii. and viii. Calmet.