In Shushan the castle, by the stream Ulai, Daniel sees the second vision: the two-horned ram pushing westward and northward and southward, and the he-goat from the west that touches not the ground, with the conspicuous horn between its eyes. The great horn is broken; four rise toward the four winds; and out of one of them a little horn waxes exceeding great — toward the beauteous land — and from it the continual burnt-offering is taken away and the place of the sanctuary cast down. 'To two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be victorious.' Gabriel is told, 'make this man to understand the vision': the ram is Media and Persia, the goat is Greece, and at the end a king of fierce countenance shall stand up — 'but he shall be broken without hand. And you, shut up the vision; for it belongs to many days to come.'
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In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, even to me Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first.
verse value 4122
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Verse gematria: 4122 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "royalty" (לְמַלְכ֖וּת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: the·king, Daniel. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "the·appearing" (הַנִּרְאָ֥ה). The root ראה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "in·year·of" (root שנה, 38x in Daniel). First appearance of the root אל ("to·me") in Daniel. First appearance of the root תחלה ("in·the·beginning") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: בִּשְׁנַ֣ת [in·year·of] (752) + שָׁל֔וֹשׁ [three] (636) + לְמַלְכ֖וּת [royalty] (526) + בֵּלְאשַׁצַּ֣ר [Belshazzar] (623) + הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + חָז֞וֹן [vision] (71) + נִרְאָ֤ה [appeared] (256) + אֵלַי֙ [to·me] (41) + אֲנִ֣י [I] (61) + דָנִיֵּ֔אל [Daniel] (95) + אַחֲרֵ֛י [after] (219) + הַנִּרְאָ֥ה [the·appearing] (261) + אֵלַ֖י [to·me] (41) + בַּתְּחִלָּֽה [in·the·beginning] (445) = 4122.
Rashi
In the third year after the first vision that appeared to me in the beginning, i.e., the dream stated above (7:1), which appeared to him in the first year of Belshazzar.
Ibn Ezra
The second prophecy. In the [third] year; after that which appeared [to me at the first] — [the participle] ‘appeared,’ used here on its own [as a noun, without an explicit relative pronoun], is like [the construction in] ‘the raucous city’ [and] ‘[that] which walked with you.’
Metzudat David
After that which appeared to me at the first – After what had appeared to me previously, in the first year of Belshazzar.
Malbim
The questions: (1) The words ‘a vision appeared to me… after that which appeared to me at the first’ are superfluous — is it not already clear that the first vision was in year one of Belshazzar and the second in year three? In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar — Abarbanel explains that this second vision comes to complete the first vision. For in the first vision, Daniel knew the meaning of the first and fourth beasts — that the first beast was Babylon, which was then reigning, and the angel explained to him the meaning of the fourth beast — but the second and third beasts were not explained to him: who were the kingdoms that they signified. This is a second point: that he saw the downfall of the first and fourth beasts, but did not see the downfall of the second and third beasts, namely the bear and the leopard. This is a third point: that he did not know what the relationship of these two kingdoms would be toward Israel, whether for good or for bad — for regarding the first beast, he already knew that it was the first destroyer, and regarding the fourth beast, it was explained to him that it would wear away the holy ones of the Most High; but the dealings of the middle beasts with Israel remained obscure to him. He also did not understand the meaning of ‘a time, times, and half a time’ — whether this was to be reckoned by years, or by sabbatical cycles, or by jubilees, or by some other reckoning. Therefore this second vision came to explain the first, as it says, ‘a vision appeared to me, even to me Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first’ — meaning, that it is an explanation and elucidation of the first vision, in which he explained to him clearly that the name of the second and third kingdoms is Persia and Greece, and that they would be brought down only by the kingdom that would arise after them, and that they would not harm Israel — for the kings of Media and Persia treated Israel well, as is known, and Alexander too honored Simon the Just and did no harm in Jerusalem — until the ‘little horn,’ who is the wicked Antiochus, who alone brought harm to Israel. He therefore likened these two kingdoms in this vision to clean, domesticated animals — a ram and a he-goat — for this reflects their conduct toward Israel, that they would not harm or destroy. Whereas in the first vision he spoke of their reigns in relation to the greater kings of the nations whom they encountered, comparing them to a bear robbed of her cubs and a leopard lying in wait by the road. And it says, ‘appeared to me, Daniel’ — for the first vision, encompassing all four kingdoms in general, was seen even by Nebuchadnezzar before Daniel, and Ezekiel too saw them in the Account of the Chariot; but the particulars that he saw in this vision were his alone — he alone was singled out to see them.
Ibn Yahya
Ninth section: ‘In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, even to me Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first’—The text relates that a vision appeared to him after the one that had appeared to him at first. By this he informs us of the time when that vision appeared to him in person, and not by means of a messenger.
And I saw in the vision; now it was so, that when I saw, I was in Shushan the castle, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision, and I was by the stream Ulai.
verse value 3618
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. Verse gematria: 3618 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֖ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·province" (הַמְּדִינָ֑ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 213: and·I·saw, and·I·saw. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "in·Shushan" (בְּשׁוּשַׁ֣ן), "the·castle" (הַבִּירָ֔ה), "in·Elam" (בְּעֵילָ֣ם). The root ראה appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 40x in Daniel); "and·it·came·to·pass" (root היה, 23x in Daniel); "and·I" (root אני, 23x in Daniel). First appearance of the root אבל ("by·stream·of") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·province', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
beside the river Ulai beside the river named Ulai.
Ibn Ezra
And I saw — Yefet said: that in the vision he saw himself in Shushan the capital, which is [in] the kingdom of Persia, for from there the destroyer of Belshazzar’s kingdom would emerge; and it was as if he were by the river Ulai, just as Ezekiel [saw himself] by the river Chebar. And ‘Ulai’ is like ‘yuval’ (stream), as in ‘and by a stream it sends forth its roots’ (Jeremiah 17:8), [and] ‘like willows by the watercourses’ (Isaiah 44:4). And the aleph stands in place of a yod, for [the name] ‘Yishai’ is like ‘ishi’ (my husband), which is likewise written with an aleph; and [the form] ‘titimru’ [with a yod] corresponds to ‘yit’amru’ (they boast) with an aleph. And it was necessary to explain it this way, because Daniel was [physically] in Babylon when Belshazzar the king was slain. And Yefet said: it is the way of visions to speak so; and behold, it is only possible that Daniel went to Elam, and returned that same year to Babylon.
Metzudat David
Now it was so, that when I saw – At the time I saw that vision, I was then in Shushan the castle, etc. And I saw in the vision – I saw in the prophetic vision, as though I were standing by the stream Ulai.
Metzudat Zion
The castle — a term for a palace; likewise, 'the palace is not for man' (1 Chronicles 29); [Shushan] was a capital city, a place of palaces. Stream — [i.e.,] a river, from the language of 'streams of water' (Isaiah 30:25); the aleph stands in place of a yod, as with 'Yishai' and 'Ishai' (1 Chronicles 2). Ulai — this is simply the name of the river.
Malbim
The questions: (2–3) Why does it repeat itself — ‘and I saw in the vision,’ ‘and it was so, that when I saw,’ ‘and I saw in the vision,’ ‘and I lifted up my eyes, and saw’? Why did the first vision show him four kingdoms, while this vision showed him only two of them? Why, in the first, did he see them in the form of predatory beasts, but in this vision he saw them in the form of domesticated animals? And I saw in the vision — Here too it says ‘and I saw in the vision,’ ‘and it was so, that when I saw,’ ‘and I saw in the vision, and I was…’ and so on, ‘and I lifted up my eyes, and saw.’ His intent is that he saw three things that were yet future — that at the time of the vision did not yet exist in reality. (1) ‘I saw in the vision, and I was in Shushan the castle, which is in the province of Elam’ — at that time, in the third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Shushan was not yet the capital city; that came about only after the rise of Persia. Daniel saw in the vision that he was standing there, and that it was the capital of the province of Elam. (2) He saw in the vision that he was standing by an uval, a stream called the Ulai. It appears that the kings of Persia had dug a river, a water channel, in that province, just as the kings of Babylon had done in Babylon, as is known; and it was called ‘uval Ulai’ — uval from the same root as yivlei mayim (‘channels of water’), and its own name was Ulai. This too came about only after the rise of Persia and did not yet exist at that time, but Daniel saw it in the vision before it existed. (3) The vision itself, which it now goes on to describe.
Ibn Yahya
And I saw in the vision; now it was so, that when I saw, I was in Shushan the castle, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision, and I was by the stream Ulai—And furthermore the text relates the place where that vision appeared to him, and this is what it says: ‘And I saw in the vision, and it was, when I saw, that I was in Shushan the castle, which is in the province of Elam.’ For Elam was the name of the kingdom, and Shushan was its foremost city, the capital of that kingdom. It further relates the character of the vision, and this is what it says: ‘And I saw in the vision, and I was as it were by the stream (uval) Ulai.’ For, behold, a matter that is certain and true bears the name uval [‘indeed’], as when it says, ‘Aval [indeed], we are guilty’ (Genesis 42:21), meaning, we are certainly guilty; whereas a matter of doubt bears the name ulai [‘perhaps’], for ‘perhaps’ means it may be so or the opposite. And this perfect man, Daniel, who saw the Temple lying in ruins, was turning the matter over in his mind: whether it would be a certain and true (uval) thing that Hashem would restore the captivity of Zion, or whether it would be a doubtful matter, only a ‘perhaps’ (ulai), that He would not restore them, because of the greatness of their sin. And since prophetic influence is drawn down upon a person according to his own preparedness, immediately the secret of the whole future was revealed to him — of the building of the Second Temple, and of the building of the future Temple, which will be a certain (uval), enduring, and true building, standing forever. And this is the meaning of its saying, ‘And I saw in the vision’ — that is, my heart, in that I was turning my thoughts over between uval and ulai, which are two opposites.
And I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the stream a ram which had two horns; and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
verse value 4059
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֗ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "ram" (אַ֣יִל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·horns" (וְהַקְּרָנַ֣יִם, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "ram" (אַ֣יִל), "and·to·him" (וְל֣וֹ), "horns" (קְרָנָ֑יִם). The root גבה appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "standing" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "before" (root פנים, 31x in Daniel); "horns" (root קרן, 23x in Daniel). First appearance of the root הנה ("and·behold") in Daniel. First appearance of the root איל ("ram") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'horns', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
and it had horns symbolizing the kingdom of Persia and Media. and one was higher than the other symbolizing the kingdom of Persia, which was greater than the kingdom of Media, for the kingdom of Media existed for only one year, as it says (9:1): “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the seed of Media,” and we learned in Seder Olam (ch. 28): “We do not find any year ascribed to Media in the Holy Writ but this one only.” and the higher one sprouted last This symbolizes that the kingdom of Media will precede the kingdom of Persia.
Ibn Ezra
And I lifted up [my eyes] ... a ram — this is the kingdom of Persia. Which had two horns — Media and Persia are mighty nations. But one was higher — [meaning] that the kingdom of Persia was greater than the kingdom of Media; or [this refers] to Cyrus king of Persia, who was greater than Darius the Elder the Mede, for when Darius died, Babylon reverted to Cyrus. Thus it is written that ‘Cyrus reigned as king of Babylon,’ and not ‘Darius the Elder reigned’ — who reigned only one year — and Scripture speaks of both of them together, under the names of both Cyrus and Darius. I will explain this further.
Metzudat David
And the higher came up last – [It grew] last, from the ram's head.
Malbim
And I lifted up my eyes, And saw, And, behold — the ram is the kingdom of Media and Persia, and ‘it had horns,’ for two kingdoms shared in it; and ‘the two horns were high,’ for each of them was high and exalted in its own standing; and ‘one was higher than the other,’ for Cyrus was a greater warrior and man of war than Darius; and ‘the higher came up last,’ for Darius the Mede was the one who ‘received the kingdom’ first, and he reigned one year and died, and the entire kingdom fell to Cyrus, his son-in-law, and from then on the kingdom remained in the hands of Persia.
Ibn Yahya
And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw—The text relates the character of the vision. ‘And I lifted up my eyes’ — the eyes of discernment — ‘and saw, and behold, a ram’ — which alludes to the kingdom of Persia and Media, the second kingdom, in whose days the Second Temple was built. And this is the meaning of its saying ‘standing before the stream (uval)’: for the standing and existence of this ram, which built the Temple, occurred before — that is, prior to — the coming of the future time in which the enduring and certain (uval) building, which stands forever, will be built. That is to say, the building put up in the days of the ram would not be a certain (uval) building but only a doubtful, ‘perhaps’ (ulai) one, as we have in fact seen, since it was destroyed 420 years after it was built. ‘Which had horns’ — the minimum of a plural being two — alludes to the fact that this second kingdom was made up of two nations, namely Persia and Media. And its saying ‘high’ alludes to the fact that they would rise high and rule over everything. And its saying that one was higher than the other, and that the higher one came up last, alludes to the fact that although at first Persia and Media were a single people, the one who actually reigned was Darius the Mede; and after his death Cyrus the Persian reigned, and two Persian kings after him. Therefore the greater height is attributed to the kingdom of Persia, which is alluded to by the horn that rose higher than the other horn, that of the kingdom of Media.
I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; and no beasts could stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and magnified himself.
verse value 3446
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "westward" (יָ֨מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·beasts" (וְכׇל־חַיּוֹת֙, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "pushing" (מְנַגֵּ֩חַ֩), "westward" (יָ֨מָּה), "and·northward" (וְצָפ֜וֹנָה). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not·shall·stand" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "before·him" (root פנים, 31x in Daniel); "from·his·hand" (root יד, 26x in Daniel). First appearance of the root צפון ("and·northward") in Daniel. First appearance of the root נגב ("and·southward") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·his·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Ibn Ezra
I saw [the ram pushing] — goring, in three directions: west, north, and south. The west is called ‘yamah’ (seaward) because of the Great Sea, which lies on the western side of the Land of Israel, for [the text] speaks with the Land of Israel as its point of reference. And this ram gores in front of it, and to its right, and to its left, but not behind it, for it came from the east — and Scripture [elsewhere] speaks of one ‘calling a bird of prey from the east’ (Isaiah 46:11). And no beasts [could stand before him] — these are not the beasts mentioned in the first vision, but rather all the kings he encountered along the way as he advanced.
Metzudat David
Westward – On the western side, etc. Neither was there any that could deliver – No one had the power to rescue anything from his power. And magnified himself – He became great and powerful.
Metzudat Zion
Pushing — a term denoting striking and thrusting with the horn.
Malbim
I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward — for Darius, and after him Cyrus, and the kings who reigned after them, conquered many lands in all these three directions; and there was no need to mention the eastern direction, since Persia itself was situated to the east. ‘and no beasts could stand before him’ — for all of them submitted to him; even Philip, the father of Alexander, used to send tribute to Darius.
Ibn Yahya
I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; and no beasts could stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and magnified himself—This tells that this ram — that is, the kingdom of Persia and Media — went goring in every direction of the earth; that no beasts, which allude to the other kingdoms, could stand before him, and there was none to deliver out of his hand; and that he did as he pleased throughout the whole world, and magnified himself.
And as I was considering, behold, a he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.
verse value 4037
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "came" (בָּ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "he-goat·of·the·goats" (צְפִיר־הָֽעִזִּים֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 67: and·I, and·there·was·not. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "he-goat·of·the·goats" (צְפִיר־הָֽעִזִּים֙), "from·the·west" (מִן־הַֽמַּעֲרָב֙), "all·the·earth" (כׇל־הָאָ֔רֶץ). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "came" (root בוא, 42x in Daniel); "considering" (root בין, 32x in Daniel); "over·face·of" (root פנים, 31x in Daniel). First appearance of the root צפיר ("he-goat·of·the·goats") in Daniel. First appearance of the root ארץ ("all·the·earth") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
I was pondering I was contemplating it. a he goat Heb. צְפִיר. and it did not touch the ground He resembled one skipping in the air. a conspicuous horn Heb. קֶרֶן חָזוּת, a large horn visible to the eye.
Ibn Ezra
And as I [was considering] ... a he-goat — this is Alexander of Macedon, so the angel explained it. And he came from the west, for he was king of the west, and was born there. And the meaning of ‘touched not the ground’ is that it was as though he flew through the air in his onrush, and from the sheer speed of his advance he did not appear to touch the ground. And the he-goat (tzafir) — a male goat; so it is written, ‘u-tzefirei izim’ (he-goats), in the book of Ezra. A conspicuous horn — an intricate [form]; and thus the angel explained that this is the first king, who slew Artachshasta — [a word] in the Chaldean tongue. I will explain further.
Metzudat David
And as I was considering – I gazed at it with understanding and with focused attention of the heart. Over the face..., etc. – Meaning, as it went over the whole earth, it seemed as though it were leaping through the air, not touching the ground. A conspicuous horn – A horn great in appearance.
Metzudat Zion
He-goat — [meaning] a goat, as in 'he-goats for a sin-offering' (Ezra 8:35). Conspicuous — a term denoting sight and appearance [i.e., a horn notable to look at].
Malbim
And as I was considering — that is, pondering whether his success would continue — ‘behold, A HE-goat’ — this is the kingdom of Greece, called a ‘he-goat,’ a small kid, which is as nothing next to the mighty ram. ‘came from the west’ — for Greece lies west of Persia. ‘over the face of the whole earth’ — for the Greeks entered the province of Darius and all his territory. ‘And touched not the ground’ — meaning, they did not pause anywhere, but pressed straight onward until the very place where the king himself resided. ‘And the goat had A conspicuous horn between his eyes’ — this is Alexander the Macedonian, who was a great warrior, and the horn was between his eyes, for the eyes signify understanding and intellect — since all his deeds were done with wisdom and understanding.
Ibn Yahya
And as I was considering, behold, a he-goat came from the west—While I was considering and carefully discerning the matters of the ram and this second kingdom, ‘and behold’ [I saw] — for the earlier ‘and I saw’ (v. 3) carries over, serving both itself and what follows it. ‘And behold, a he-goat came from the west’ — this alludes to the third kingdom, Greece. And since Alexander, the first king of that kingdom, was conceived through the powers of demons and sorcery worked by Nectanebo, king of Egypt, his true father — who by these powers transformed himself into a serpent and lay with Ka’avyah [apparently Olympias, Alexander's mother — the name is unclear in the source], the chief queen, wife of Philip of Macedon — it was therefore likened to goats and goat-demons (se’irim), which belong to the domain of Samael. Whereas the kingdom of Persia, which built the Temple, was likened to a ram, a male animal, alluding to Isaac’s ram, which was offered up in that same place. And it called it a ‘he-goat’ (tzafir) because it was still young in years when it grew powerful in the world. ‘Came from the west’ — for Macedonia, his land, lies to the west of Persia, the land of the Persian ram. ‘Over the face of the whole earth’ — for he would come to conquer the entire world. ‘And touched not the ground’ — for all the kings gave him dominion, and not one of them touched the ground so as to reign over it, out of fear of him. This is because he had ‘a conspicuous horn between his eyes,’ meaning that at once, through his wisdom, he watched over and observed everything, and with his horn — his mighty kingdom — struck down whomever he raised his hand or foot against.
And he came to the ram that had the two horns, which I saw standing before the stream, and ran at him in the fury of his power.
verse value 2927
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "owner·of" (בַּ֣עַל, 3 letters) and the longest is "until·the·ram" (עַד־הָאַ֙יִל֙, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "until·the·ram" (עַד־הָאַ֙יִל֙), "and·he·ran" (וַיָּ֥רׇץ), "in·heat·of" (בַּחֲמַ֥ת). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "standing" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "and·he·came" (root בוא, 42x in Daniel); "that" (root אשר, 40x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·stream', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֗א [and·he·came] (19) + עַד־הָאַ֙יִל֙ [until·the·ram] (120) + בַּ֣עַל [owner·of] (102) + הַקְּרָנַ֔יִם [the·horns] (405) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + רָאִ֔יתִי [I·saw] (621) + עֹמֵ֖ד [standing] (114) + לִפְנֵ֣י [before] (170) + הָאֻבָ֑ל [the·stream] (38) + וַיָּ֥רׇץ [and·he·ran] (306) + אֵלָ֖יו [to·him] (47) + בַּחֲמַ֥ת [in·heat·of] (450) + כֹּחֽוֹ [his·strength] (34) = 2927.
Metzudat David
In the fury of his power – With great fury, with all his strength.
Malbim
And he came to the ram — he drew near to the royal capital. ‘which I saw standing before the stream’ — meaning, that Darius did not budge from his place to go out and meet him, for Alexander was as nothing in his eyes; instead he sent his general against him, commanding that he be brought before him bound in chains. ‘And ran at him in the fury of his power’ — for he defeated [Darius’s] general in battle, and then ran at him in person. And then—
Ibn Yahya
'And he came to the ram that had the two horns' etc. — this alludes to Alexander's coming in secret to Darius's court, disguising himself as a stranger, in order to learn all his comings and goings. 'And ran at him in the fury of his power' — this alludes to when he later returned to confront him with a massive army for battle.
And I saw him come close to the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and broke his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him; but he cast him down to the ground, and trampled upon him; and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
verse value 6160
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 111 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֣ךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "strength" (כֹ֛חַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·cast·him" (וַיַּשְׁלִיכֵ֤הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 57: and·not·was, and·not·was. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·I·saw·him" (וּרְאִיתִ֞יו), "coming·close" (מַגִּ֣יעַ), "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֣ךְ). The root איל appears 4 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·stand" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "before·him" (root פנים, 31x in Daniel); "from·his·hand" (root יד, 26x in Daniel). First appearance of the root אצל ("beside") in Daniel. First appearance of the root שבר ("and·he·broke") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 7 words.
Rashi
and it fought with it Heb. וַיִתְמַרְמַר אֵלָיו, and it fought with it. That is an expression of bitter (מַר) anger.
Metzudat David
He was moved with choler – He fought against him with bitterness and great cruelty.
Malbim
And I saw him come close to the ram — for he fought with Darius himself, face to face. ‘And he was moved with choler against him’ — meaning, he hardened himself against him — for Darius sought peace and wished to give him silver and gold and concubines, and his daughter in marriage, but [Alexander] would not make peace with him. ‘And smote the ram, And broke his two horns’ — meaning, he subdued Media and Persia. ‘And trampled upon him’ — for Darius died at that time. ‘And there was none that could deliver’ — for none of the kings who were his allies were able to save him.
Ibn Yahya
'And I saw him come close to the ram' etc. — I saw that as soon as he reached the ram, and before any fierce battle had even been fought, the ram grew weak and became crushed, bitter, and lowly compared to the goat, because it did not wage a strong war against him, holding back to protect itself on account of its own weakness. That is why the Greek goat immediately struck the Persian ram and broke both its horns — alluding to the humbling of the two nations Media and Persia, whose horn, that is, their kingdom, had been united as one. Now, sometimes when a kingdom is broken in a first battle it can still recover its strength and stand up again against its adversary, returning to its former might; but the text relates that the kingdom of Persia did not do so. For once the ram had absorbed that first blow, it no longer had strength to stand before the goat, because he struck it a mighty blow, cast it to the ground, and then trampled it — for there was no one to save the ram from his hand, neither from the other kings nor from its own people, so that it might rise to fight again.
And the he-goat magnified himself exceedingly; and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and instead of it there came up the appearance of four horns toward the four winds of heaven.
verse value 5276
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "the·horn" (הַקֶּ֣רֶן, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·when·he·was·strong" (וּכְעׇצְמ֗וֹ, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·he-goat·of" (וּצְפִ֥יר), "the·goats" (הָעִזִּ֖ים), "and·when·he·was·strong" (וּכְעׇצְמ֗וֹ). The root ארבע appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·horn" (root קרן, 23x in Daniel). First appearance of the root עצם ("and·when·he·was·strong") in Daniel. First appearance of the root גדול ("the·great") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'until·very', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 11 words.
Rashi
an appearance of four an appearance of four horns.
Ibn Ezra
And the he-goat ... and when he was strong — because Alexander died at the height of his power, in the days of his youth; he died at about thirty years of age. There came up the appearance [of four horns] — horns in appearance; meaning that his kingdom was divided among four kings. Toward the four winds of heaven — this is [the same as] ‘and the beast had four heads’ (Daniel 7:6). [As for] the seat of the kingdom for each of them: the first was Aram, the second was Egypt, the third the Land of Israel, and the fourth the land of Persia; so it is written in the books of the kings.
Metzudat David
And when he was strong – And when he became extremely strong. The appearance of four horns – Four horns, great in appearance, grew up in place of the great horn, and they faced the four winds of heaven, one toward each direction.
Malbim
And the he-goat magnified himself exceedingly — the kingdom of Greece extended its rule over the entire world. And when he was strong, the great horn was broken — for Alexander died of natural causes, cut off in the middle of his days. And instead of it there came up the appearance of four horns — for after his death his kingdom was divided into four heads, toward the four winds of heaven: Ptolemy the First reigned in Egypt, to the south; Seleucus reigned over Asia and Babylon, to the north, and from his line came the wicked Antiochus; Antiochus the First reigned over Persia and the kingdom of Asia, to the east; and Philip, Alexander's brother, reigned in Greece, to the west — for it was these who rose to power after his death.
Ibn Yahya
'And the he-goat' — Alexander — 'magnified himself exceedingly' and conquered the entire world. 'And when he was strong, the great horn was broken' etc. — the text relates that after Alexander of Macedon reached the very peak of might and greatness, the horn — that is, his great kingdom — was broken, for he died outside his own land from a deadly poison they gave him to drink. 'And instead of it there came up the appearance of four horns toward the four winds of heaven' — these are the four kings among whom he divided the kingdom during his own lifetime: namely, Romanus in Rome, Alexander in Alexandria, Orodus in Akko, and Antiochus in Antioch.
And out of one of them a little horn came forth, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the beauteous land.
verse value 3455
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "from·them" (מֵהֶ֔ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·it·grew·exceedingly" (וַתִּגְדַּל־יֶ֛תֶר, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·from·the·one" (וּמִן־הָאַחַ֣ת), "horn·one" (קֶֽרֶן־אַחַ֖ת), "from·little" (מִצְּעִירָ֑ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·them" (root מן, 32x in Daniel); "horn·one" (root קרן, 23x in Daniel). First appearance of the root יצא ("came·forth") in Daniel. First appearance of the root צבי ("and·to·the·beauty") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·little', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּמִן־הָאַחַ֣ת [and·from·the·one] (510) + מֵהֶ֔ם [from·them] (85) + יָצָ֥א [came·forth] (101) + קֶֽרֶן־אַחַ֖ת [horn·one] (759) + מִצְּעִירָ֑ה [from·little] (415) + וַתִּגְדַּל־יֶ֛תֶר [and·it·grew·exceedingly] (1053) + אֶל־הַנֶּ֥גֶב [to·the·south] (91) + וְאֶל־הַמִּזְרָ֖ח [and·to·the·east] (297) + וְאֶל־הַצֶּֽבִי [and·to·the·beauty] (144) = 3455.
Rashi
And from one of them and from one of these kingdoms. emerged a...horn The kingdom of Titus emerged from it. small A small and despised kingdom, as he calls it above one small horn, and that is in the manner of (Obad. 1:2): “...you are very despised.” and it became very great Heb. וַתִּגְדַּל מְאֹד. to the south That is Egypt, which is to the south of the land of Israel. and to the coveted land Heb. הַצְבִי The land of Israel, called אֶרֶץ הַצְבִי, the coveted land [or the land of beauty] after the manner of (Jer. 3:19): “an inheritance of the beauty of hosts of nations.”
Ibn Ezra
And out of [one of them] — the meaning is: out of one of these kingdoms came forth a small horn, small in the number of its host, and it arose in the Land of Israel, in Antioch — that is, Antiochus. And it grew great over the kingdom of Egypt, [which lies] south of the Land of Israel, for the latitude of Egypt from the equator is twenty-nine degrees, and the latitude of Jerusalem is thirty-three; therefore it lies within the [central band of the] inhabited world, whose full extent reaches sixty-six degrees from the equator, since the ecliptic is inclined twenty-four degrees from the celestial equator. And ‘the east’ means the land of Persia. And toward the beauteous land (tzvi) — the whole Land of Israel is a ‘tzvi’ [a glory] relative to all [other] lands.
Metzudat David
And out of one of them – From within one of these horns there emerged yet another, small horn. Which waxed exceeding great – It grew and prevailed exceedingly toward the south, etc. And toward the beauteous land – This is the Land of Israel, of which it is said, ‘It is the glory of all lands’ (Ezekiel 20:6), meaning, precious and magnificent.
Metzudat Zion
Little — [meaning] small, as in 'and it is a little one' (Genesis 19). The beauteous [land] — [meaning] the cherished [land], as in 'a beauteous heritage' (Jeremiah 3).
Malbim
And out of one of them A little horn came forth — this is the wicked Antiochus Epiphanes. For Seleucus the First, whom Alexander had set as king in the north over Assyria and Babylon, fathered Antiochus the Great; and after Antiochus, his son Seleucus (called Gidilikoy) reigned. This Seleucus had two sons, the younger of whom was named Antiochus. Now while his elder brother was at war with the king of Egypt and had summoned him to his aid, he handed his brother over into the hand of an oppressor, and he himself took the kingdom. He, in turn, left two sons — Seleucus, the elder, and the younger, who was the wicked Antiochus [Epiphanes]. Seleucus died and left a young son, and Antiochus took the kingdom away from him. Thus he was “young/junior” in his own right, since the kingship was not due to come to him at all but to the son of his elder brother; and he was “young/junior” also on his grandfather's side, since his grandfather likewise had no rightful claim to the kingship — so Abarbanel writes. On this basis he explains “mitz'irah” [in the verse] as derived from “the young one,” its root meaning one who is junior and unfit for the kingship, and it is for this reason that the tzadi carries a dagesh. He also offers, following Radak's view, that it is a feminine form from the root meaning “small/diminished,” with the dagesh in the tzadi serving as a euphonic embellishment — meaning that he himself was young and contemptible. which waxed exceeding great, toward the south — for he warred with the king of Egypt and took his land out of his hand as far as Alexandria, except that the Romans drove him back. And toward the east — that is, the land of Persia. And toward the beauteous land — that is, the land of Israel.
Ibn Yahya
'And out of one of them' — that is, from the youngest of the horns, namely the kingdom of Antioch — 'a little horn came forth': a king who was not content with his own share. 'And it waxed exceeding great, toward the south' — that is, Egypt, which Antiochus conquered; 'and toward the east' — that is, Persia; 'and toward the beauteous land' — that is, the land of Israel, the beauty and splendor of all lands.
And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them.
verse value 2950
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 2950 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "and·cast·down" (וַתַּפֵּ֥ל, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·from·the·stars" (וּמִן־הַכּוֹכָבִ֖ים, 10 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·grew" (וַתִּגְדַּ֖ל), "to·host·of" (עַד־צְבָ֣א), "and·cast·down" (וַתַּפֵּ֥ל). The root צבא appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root צבא ("to·host·of") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·heaven', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַתִּגְדַּ֖ל [and·grew] (443) + עַד־צְבָ֣א [to·host·of] (167) + הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם [the·heaven] (395) + וַתַּפֵּ֥ל [and·cast·down] (516) + אַ֛רְצָה [to·the·ground] (296) + מִן־הַצָּבָ֥א [from·the·host] (188) + וּמִן־הַכּוֹכָבִ֖ים [and·from·the·stars] (199) + וַֽתִּרְמְסֵֽם [and·trampled·them] (746) = 2950.
Rashi
until the host of heaven They are Israel, who were compared to the stars.
Ibn Ezra
And it waxed great — Gabriel explained this; and likewise, ‘even to the host of heaven’ [refers to] the prince of the host, who is Michael. Do you not see [that it is written], ‘and the Ancient of Days sat’ (Daniel 7:9)? And it is also written, ‘and at that time Michael shall stand up’ (Daniel 12:1).
Metzudat David
And it waxed great – It grew exceedingly great, until it came to make war against the host of heaven — these being the children of Israel, who are likened to the stars of heaven. And even though [the text] already said ‘and toward the beauteous land’ [in the previous verse], it repeats [the same idea] here for further clarification. Cast down to the ground – Meaning, it overpowered them and trampled them. Some of the host and of the stars – These are one and the same, doubled using synonymous terms, like ‘dust of the earth’ below (ch. 12).
Malbim
And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven — that is, against Israel, inasmuch as they are “the host of heaven” — meaning, with respect to their faith, for he sought to make them transgress their Torah, something no king of the earlier kingdoms had ever done. And some of the host... It cast down to the ground — he cast them down from heaven to earth, so that they would no longer be the host of heaven and a holy nation, but would become like all the peoples of the lands who worship foreign gods. He also cast down some of “the stars” — these are the priests of Hashem and those who bring merit to the multitude, who are like stars. And trampled upon them — for he killed the pious of Hashem and trampled them.
Ibn Yahya
'And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven' — that is, the people of Israel, who are a portion of heaven, for, as Scripture says, 'the portion of Hashem is His people' (Deuteronomy 32:9). 'And [some] of the host... it cast down to the ground' — this alludes to the great multitude of Israel whom Antiochus killed; 'and of the stars' — this alludes to his killing their officers, their priests, and their elders. 'And trampled upon them' — this alludes to the harsh, crushing servitude he imposed on them.
Indeed, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and from him the continual burnt-offering was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
verse value 2764
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "and·to" (וְעַ֥ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "prince·of·the·host" (שַֽׂר־הַצָּבָ֖א, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "prince·of·the·host" (שַֽׂר־הַצָּבָ֖א), "and·from·him" (וּמִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙), "was·taken·away" (הוּרַ֣ם). The root רום appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·from·him" (root מן, 32x in Daniel); "and·to" (root עד, 21x in Daniel). First appearance of the root תמיד ("the·continual·burnt-offering") in Daniel. First appearance of the root קדש ("his·sanctuary") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'magnified·itself', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words.
Rashi
And until the Prince of the host That is the Temple, which is the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, the Prince of the host. He blasphemed the Holy One, blessed be He. and through him the daily sacrifice was removed And through his troops and his armies, which he sent to Jerusalem, the daily sacrifice was abolished, for he sent there Nero Caesar, his general, as our Rabbis relate in Gittin (56a) and in Gorion.
Metzudat David
Indeed, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host – It magnified itself so as to blaspheme the One on High, who is the prince of the host of Israel. And from him the continual burnt-offering was taken away – Through his armies and troops the continual offering was removed, so that it would no longer be offered on the altar of Hashem. And the place of his sanctuary was cast down – Through him, the site of the sanctuary of the prince of the host was cast down, meaning, it was burned with fire.
Metzudat Zion
Was taken away — from the language of lifting up and removal. Place — from the language of a base and foundation.
Malbim
Indeed, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host — meaning, all this went on until the prince of the host grew great: this is Mattathias the priest and his sons the Maccabees, who was the prince of Israel in this respect, that they are “the host of Hashem.” It magnified itself against him, but he defeated it. and from him the continual burnt-offering was taken away — that is, “from this prince of the host”: meaning, on his account the continual offering was raised up again — for the continual offering, which had been suspended until then by the Greeks, was reinstated through the strength of the Hasmoneans, and by his merit the service of Hashem was restored to its place. and the place of his sanctuary was cast down — this is a separate vision: he heard, in a vision, that after the continual offering had been reinstated and the Temple had been reestablished in its place in the days of the Hasmoneans, the site of its sanctuary would once again be cast down, and it would once again be abolished — by the Romans, at the time of the destruction.
Ibn Yahya
'Indeed, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host' — this alludes to his growing arrogant against Hashem, who is the God of Israel and its Prince. 'And from him the continual burnt-offering was taken away' — meaning the continual offering to Him, may He be blessed, which Israel used to bring up morning and evening, he took away and stopped. 'And the place of his sanctuary was cast down' — for he devastated the Temple many times over.
And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it wrought, and prospered.
verse value 4438
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "truth" (אֱמֶת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "together·with·the·continual·burnt-offering" (עַל־הַתָּמִ֖יד, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "was·given" (תִּנָּתֵ֥ן), "together·with·the·continual·burnt-offering" (עַל־הַתָּמִ֖יד), "in·transgression" (בְּפָ֑שַׁע). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·wrought" (root עשה, 24x in Daniel); "was·given" (root נתן, 21x in Daniel). First appearance of the root פשע ("in·transgression") in Daniel. First appearance of the root אמת ("truth") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·transgression', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְצָבָ֛א [and·host] (99) + תִּנָּתֵ֥ן [was·given] (900) + עַל־הַתָּמִ֖יד [together·with·the·continual·burnt-offering] (559) + בְּפָ֑שַׁע [in·transgression] (452) + וְתַשְׁלֵ֤ךְ [and·cast·down] (756) + אֱמֶת֙ [truth] (441) + אַ֔רְצָה [to·the·ground] (296) + וְעָשְׂתָ֖ה [and·wrought] (781) + וְהִצְלִֽיחָה [and·prospered] (154) = 4438.
Rashi
And a time will be given for the daily sacrifice A set time will be given for the daily sacrifice to be discontinued because of transgression. And a time Heb. וְצָבָא, time, like (Job 7:1): “Is not man on earth for a limited time (צָבָא)”? and it will cast truth to the earth It humbled the Torah of truth.
Ibn Ezra
And it cast down truth to the ground — that he annulled the Torah and [Israel’s ability] to keep the commandments, as [Scripture] will explain.
Metzudat David
And the host was given over to it – For a fixed period of time, dominion shall be given over the continual offering, causing it to be removed, on account of the transgression — [the idolatrous cult] — that is set in its place in Jerusalem (idolatry is called ‘transgression,’ because it causes people to transgress). It cast down truth to the ground – It cast the Torah of truth down to the ground. It wrought, and prospered – It did all that it desired, and succeeded.
Metzudat Zion
The host — [the word can denote] a set period [of service], as in 'is not man's life a term of service upon earth' (Job 7:1).
Malbim
And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering — he heard in the vision that at that time the host — that is, Israel — would be given over together with the continual offering; both of them would be handed over into the hand of an oppressor. (The word “al” [“together with”] is used here as in “he shall offer it besides the continual burnt-offering,” and “the men came in together with the women” — in both cases meaning “together with.”) through transgression — this would come about through the transgressions committed by the lawless in the days of the Second Temple. And it cast down truth to the ground — the kingdom of Rome would cast down the truth — that is, the religion of Israel and the Torah of truth — to the ground, through the many decrees and persecutions they would issue to abolish the faith. And it wrought, And prospered — for it would not fall into a pit as the Greeks did, but would carry out its designs and prosper for many days.
Ibn Yahya
'And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering' etc. — this alludes to the wicked apostates of Israel, who belonged to that same host mentioned above, and who counseled that transgression be brought upon the continual offering — that a pig be slaughtered and offered up on the altar — and 'that truth be cast to the ground,' that is, the Torah scroll in the Sanctuary, called the 'Torah of truth' — that it be cast to the ground and an idol set up in the Sanctuary in its place. And that host of apostates, through their own counsel, carried out all these evil deeds, 'and prospered.'
Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who spoke: ‘How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt-offering, and the transgression that causes appalment, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?’
verse value 5817
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֨ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·give" (תֵּ֛ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "one·holy" (אֶֽחָד־קָד֖וֹשׁ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 410: holy, and·sanctuary. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·I·heard" (וָאֶשְׁמְעָ֥ה), "one·holy" (אֶֽחָד־קָד֖וֹשׁ), "holy" (קָד֜וֹשׁ). The root קדוש appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "speaking" (root דבר, 40x in Daniel); "and·I·heard" (root שמע, 24x in Daniel). First appearance of the root קדוש ("one·holy") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'speaking', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 14 words.
Rashi
one holy one one of the angels. and...said that angel. to the anonymous Heb. לַפַּלְמוֹנִי. This word is like two: פְּלוֹנִי אַלְמוֹנִי, and Jonathan ben Uziel translated it in the Book of Samuel (I 21: 3): “covered and hidden,” like (Deut. 17:8): “If a matter be hidden (יִפָּלֵא) from you.” אַלְמוֹנִי means a widower (אַלְמָן) without a name, [i.e., bereft of a name] for he [the angel] did not explain to him what he was and what his name was. to the anonymous one who was speaking to the angel who was speaking and issuing decrees, viz. “And a set time will be given for the daily sacrifice because of transgression.” How long will be the vision this [vision] which concerns the daily sacrifice, that it should be discontinued, and the silent abomination will be placed in its stead. The silent abomination is an idol worshipped by the pagans, which was like a mute stone, and so it is called in this Book in many places, as it says (12:11): “And from the time the daily sacrifice was removed and the silent abomination placed.” mute Heb. שֹּׁמֵם, an expression of being mute and silenced, like (4:16): “was bewildered (אֶשְּׁתּוֹמַם) for awhile;” (Ezek. 3:15): “and I sat there seven days bewildered (מַשְּׁמִים) among them,” like one who is dumb. permitting the Sanctuary and the host to be trampled to make the base of the Sanctuary and the host of heaven, which he cast down to the earth, to be a trampling for his feet, as is stated above (verse 10): “and it cast down to the ground some of the host and some of the stars.” the Sanctuary and the host Heb. וְקֹדֶשּׁ וְצָבָא. The “vav” [of וְקֹדֶשּׁ] is superfluous, and there are many such instances in Scripture, e.g. (Ps. 76:7): “chariot (וָרֶכֶב) and horse were stunned,” and also, in the language of people, some speak that way.
Ibn Ezra
Then I heard a holy one [speaking] — [that is,] an angel; and [the word] ‘one’ (echad) is used here [in a general, indefinite sense] rather than as a strict numeral, similar to [the phrase] ‘all peoples.’ To that certain one (la-palmoni) — a compound word, for Daniel did not yet know his [the angel’s] name; ‘palmoni’ is from the same root as ‘wondrous’ (pil’i), and ‘[al]moni’ is from the root of ‘mute’ (ilem). And here Daniel spoke tersely, in the manner of one who poses a riddle. And the meaning of ‘the continual [offering]’ — that is, [as in] ‘and from it the continual [offering] was taken away’ (Daniel 8:11); he sought to know how many days this would last. And to give (ve-tet) — this is [equivalent to] ‘to be given’ (tinaten). And the sanctuary (kodesh) — the site of His sanctuary. And the host (tzava) — [as in] ‘and it cast down to the ground some of the host’ (Daniel 8:10); and ‘to be trampled’ — [as in] ‘and it trampled them’ (Daniel 8:10).
Metzudat David
A holy one – One holy angel. To that certain one who spoke – Meaning, to the angel who was speaking these words. The vision concerning the continual burnt-offering – Meaning, how long will this vision last, in which the continual offering is removed and the idol — mute as a silent stone — is set up in its place? To give both the sanctuary and the host – How long will the holy people and the host of heaven be given over to be trampled underfoot?
Metzudat Zion
To that certain one — this is a compound word from 'pele' (hidden) and 'ilem' (unspoken); 'pele' denotes something concealed, as in 'if a matter is too hidden for you' (Deuteronomy 17:8), and 'ilem' means it is not spoken of; and because [the angel's] name was hidden from him, he called him 'that certain one' (peloni almoni). Causes appalment — [meaning] stunned into silence, as in 'appalled among them' (Ezekiel 3). And the sanctuary — the [prefixed] vav ('and') is superfluous.
Malbim
Then I heard a holy one speaking — this refers back to what came before: all of it, he now says, he heard spoken by a holy one. For the ram and the he-goat, down to the horn that came forth from “the young one” and the casting of some of the host to the ground — all this he saw in the vision itself. But what is said from “even to the prince of the host it magnified itself, and from him the continual burnt-offering was raised up” onward, he did not see in the vision; rather, he heard it from a certain holy being, one of the angels through whom prophecy is conveyed, who spoke all this and made it known to him by way of prophecy — hence, “and [one] said.” And then he heard that a[nother] holy one said to that unnamed angel who had spoken the vision just described, and asked him: How long shall be the vision — meaning, how long will the vision you have spoken of extend? This is the vision concerning the continual offering — namely, what he had seen: that the continual offering would first be raised up again in the days of the Hasmoneans through the prince of the host of Israel; and afterward the transgression that causes appalment would come; and afterward that transgression would render it desolate; and the holy place (that is, the Temple) would be trampled — as stated, that the place of its sanctuary would be cast down, and the host together with the continual offering would be given over (into the hand of enemies) through transgression. How long would this last?
Ibn Yahya
'Then I heard a holy one speaking' etc. — the text relates that Daniel was greatly astonished at this evil and longed to know its end; and in the midst of this he heard that a certain holy one, one of the holy angels, was speaking, imparting understanding to those who applied their own minds to it. Then 'another holy one' spoke — this is Daniel's own divine soul — addressing that certain unnamed, lofty angel, the aforementioned speaker who imparts understanding: 'How long will the details of this vision persist — the continual offering left desolate while the transgression grows ever stronger, and the holy place' — that is, the Temple — 'and the host of Israel given over to be trampled underfoot?'
And he said to me: ‘To two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be victorious.’
verse value 2844
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 37 letters. Verse gematria: 2844 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "until" (עַ֚ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמֶר, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "evening" (עֶ֣רֶב), "morning" (בֹּ֔קֶר), "and·three" (וּשְׁלֹ֣שׁ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "until" (root עד, 21x in Daniel). First appearance of the root צדק ("and·shall·be·victorious") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hundred', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלַ֔י [to·me] (41) + עַ֚ד [until] (74) + עֶ֣רֶב [evening] (272) + בֹּ֔קֶר [morning] (302) + אַלְפַּ֖יִם [two·thousand] (161) + וּשְׁלֹ֣שׁ [and·three] (636) + מֵא֑וֹת [hundred] (447) + וְנִצְדַּ֖ק [and·shall·be·victorious] (250) + קֹֽדֶשׁ [sanctuary] (404) = 2844.
Rashi
Until evening and morning, one thousand and three hundred I saw an interpretation in the name of Rav Saadia Gaon for this matter, but it has already passed, and he interpreted further “until evening and morning,” that evening about which it says (Zech. 14:7): “and it shall come to pass that at eventide it shall be light,” and we are confident that our God’s word will stand forever; it will not be nullified. I say, however, that the עֶרֶב and בֹּקֶר stated here are a gematria, and there is support for this matter from two reasons: 1) that this computation should coincide with the other computation at the end of the Book, and 2) that Gabriel said to Daniel later on in this chapter (verse 26): “And the vision of the evening and the morning is true.” Now, if he had not hinted that the computation was doubtful, why did he repeat it to say that it was true? And the seer was commanded to close up and to seal the matter, and to him, too, the matter was revealed in a closed and sealed expression, but we will hope for the promise of our king for end after end, and when the end passes, it will be known that the expounder has erred in his interpretation, and the one who comes after him will search and expound in another manner. This can be interpreted [as follows]: namely, that עֶרֶב בֹּקֶר has the numerical value of 574, ע = 70; ר = 200; ב = 2; ב = 2; ק = 100; ר = 200. Added together, this equals 574; plus 2,300, we have 2,874. and the holy ones shall be exonerated The iniquity of Israel shall be expiated to bring an end to the decrees of their being trodden upon and crumbled since they were exiled in their first exile to Egypt, until they will be redeemed and saved with a perpetual salvation by our king Messiah, and this computation terminates at the end of 1,290 years from the day the daily sacrifice was removed, and that is what is stated at the end of the Book (12:11): “And from the time the daily sacrifice is removed, and the silent abomination placed, will be 1,290 years,” and no more, for our king Messiah will come and remove the silent abomination. The daily sacrifice was removed six years before the destruction of the Second Temple, and an image was set up in the Heichal. Now that was the seventeenth day of Tammuz, when Apostomos burned the Torah, put an end to the daily sacrifice, and set up an image in the Heichal, as we learned in Tractate Ta’anith (26b), but for the six years that I mentioned, I have no explicit proof, but there is proof that the daily sacrifice was abolished less than a complete shemittah cycle before the destruction, for so did Daniel prophesy about Titus (9:27): “...and half the week of years [shemittah cycle] he will curtail sacrifice and meal-offering,” meaning that a part of the week of years before the destruction, sacrifices will be abolished. So it is explained below in this section. Let us return to the earlier matters, how the computation of “evening and morning, two thousand and three hundred,” fits exactly with the time commencing from the descent to Egypt to terminate at the end of 1,290 years until the day that the daily sacrifice was abolished: 210 years they were in Egypt. 480 years transpired from the Exodus until the building of the Temple. 410 years the Temple existed. 70 years was the Babylonian exile. 420 years the Second Temple stood. 1,290 should be added until the end of days, totaling: 2,880. Subtract six years that the daily sacrifice was removed before the destruction, for Scripture counted 1,290 years only from the time that the daily sacrifice was removed. Here you have the computation of “evening and morning, and 2,300” added to the computation. Fortunate is he who waits and reaches the end of days 45 years over 1,290 [years]. We may say that the king Messiah will come according to the first computation, and he will subsequently be concealed from them for forty-five years. Rabbi Elazar HaKalir established (in the concluding poem of the portion dealing with the month of Nissan): in the foundation of his song: six weeks of years, totaling 42. We may say that the three years that did not total a week of years he did not count. And I found it so in Midrash Ruth that the king Messiah is destined to be concealed for forty-five years after he reveals himself, and proof is brought from these verses.
Ibn Ezra
And he said [to me] ... to [two thousand and three hundred] evenings and mornings — I will explain this further. Then shall the sanctuary be victorious (ve-nitzdak kodesh) — [meaning] that the sanctuary will be restored to a state of justice; and [we know this] because it goes on to say ‘like the appearance of a man’ (Daniel 8:15), who is called Gabriel (Daniel 8:16).
Metzudat David
And he said to me – Even though it was the angel who had asked the question, he directed his reply to me, saying: ‘until evening-morning’ — meaning, until the evening of which it is said, ‘and at evening time there shall be light’ (Zechariah 14:7). Two thousand and three hundred – This will occur in the year 2,300; but we do not know from what point the reckoning begins, for it is sealed and closed. When the Messiah comes, speedily in our days, we will then know with certainty the true sense of the matter alluded to here — from what time this reckoning begins — as is stated at the end of the book, ‘the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end.’ Then shall the sanctuary be victorious – Then the holy people will find righteousness and kindness, and the promised good will come.
Malbim
And he said to me — the respondent turned back in his answer to me (for the essential point of the answer was so that Daniel would know). To two thousand And three hundred evenings And mornings — the time until there would be an ‘evening,’ meaning until the destruction that would come by the hand of the Romans, and until there would be a second ‘morning,’ meaning until the future redemption, would extend two thousand three hundred years. then shall the sanctuary be victorious [ve-nitzdak kodesh] — the sanctuary will be restored to its rightful state as of old, namely the Temple and the holiness of Israel. This may also be explained to mean that then the transgression will be atoned for and the holiness of Israel will be vindicated — that from then on all the nations will recognize their righteousness and will know that they were right in their Torah and their faith, and ‘many nations shall join themselves to Hashem on that day.’ Now, if we reckon this time from the first destruction, which was in the year 3338 [from creation], the time comes out to the year 5638. However, since he stated it without qualification and did not mention that the reckoning begins from the time of the destruction, it is evident that the reckoning begins from the day the angel spoke with him — that is, from the third year of Belshazzar, when he saw this vision, which was the year 3388 — and he said that from that year until the destruction, and after it the redemption, would extend two thousand three hundred years, so that the redemption would arrive no later than the year 5688. We have already explained that the reckoning of ‘a time, times, and half a time’ comes out to the year 5673, which is fifteen years earlier — because from the cessation of the rule of the small horn spoken of above, until the building of the Temple and the offering of the daily sacrifice spoken of here, there will be an interval of fifteen years. For it has already been explained by our sages that the days of the coming of the son of David will extend one ‘week’ [of years], and the days of Gog and Magog will likewise extend one ‘week,’ as is explained in the Jerusalem Talmud, tractate Sheviit — that makes fourteen years until the building of the Temple.
Ibn Yahya
Then the unnamed speaker answered me, pouring forth understanding: ‘To two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be victorious.’ — Ibn Yahya said: The charge that Hashem gave His people in the days of Cyrus — to give them bread, the Torah, and the Temple — was a weak charge, commensurate with their own readiness; for the great men of Israel did not wish to go up out of the exile, and did not go up with Ezra — only the empty ones among them went up, just as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Ezra did not go up from Babylonia until he had rendered it like fine, pure flour. And since wickedness comes forth from the wicked, they sinned in the Second Temple period, and Hashem punished them time after time, yet they did not return to Him; therefore in the end His House was destroyed, His Sanctuary burned, and Israel exiled among the nations.
Now, Daniel's question here to the angel who was speaking, about knowing the end of the exile and the destruction of the Temple, was not about the particular trouble from Antiochus — for they were delivered from that, by the hand of the Hasmoneans, after a short time, so that the statement 'but you, close up the vision, for it concerns many days' could not apply to so brief a period — but rather about knowledge of the final end, for there Israel's troubles will come to an end, and all the troubles of Israel will cease and they will never again return to sin and receive punishment; and that will be at the time of the coming of the Messiah.
Then the angel answered him that the reckoning would continue from the time of that vision until the evening — that is, the night — and from the morning — that is, the day — a span of two thousand and three hundred years, at the end of which the sanctuary shall be victorious forever and for all time.
Now, from the creation of the world until Cyrus the Persian arose was three thousand three hundred and ninety-one years, for it was then, in those days — and a little earlier, in the days of Belshazzar and Darius — that Daniel saw these visions. It follows, then, that at the end of approximately five thousand seven hundred years from the creation of the world — whether a little before or a little after — our end will come, with Hashem's help, so that the Children of Israel will be able to dwell securely on their land for about three hundred years within the sixth millennium — so that it will be plain to every eye that the truth is with them, and they will enjoy this world in body and soul, in place of having been punished under the yoke of exile among the nations in body and soul. And the span is fixed at three hundred years, because at that number a firm presumption is established, and the matter is proven not to be a matter of chance, through its persisting for that fixed span.
And afterward, in the seventh millennium, the world will revert to chaos, as it was in the beginning — for 'the world will exist six thousand years, and one thousand will be laid waste' — that being the sabbatical year of the millennia.
And one should not blame the One on High for the length of the exile in this world, nor for the brevity of the good of the redemption after the resurrection of the dead. For this present world, which comes into being and perishes, belongs to the idol-worshippers, who are themselves perishable, while the eternal world belongs to Israel, who possess eternal, divine souls. And even though Israel were punished under the yoke of exile, even the emptiest among them will enjoy the goodness of the physical Garden of Eden and the spiritual World to Come. And that small measure of good from this world which will be given to them at the end of the sixth millennium is a sign and proof that they are people of great spiritual stature. And the whole world, all the inhabitants of the earth, will see their own former folly and Israel's true stature, and will infer, from Israel's physical good, the spiritual good that the children of the exile will inherit after death, forever and ever; and thus reward will be given also to the physical body, which bore its punishment in exile.
And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
verse value 2506
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "like·appearance·of·a·man" (כְּמַרְאֵה־גָֽבֶר, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "the·vision" (אֶת־הֶחָז֑וֹן), "and·I·sought" (וָאֲבַקְשָׁ֣ה), "like·appearance·of·a·man" (כְּמַרְאֵה־גָֽבֶר). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "standing" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "understanding" (root בין, 32x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·vision', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·came·to·pass] (31) + בִּרְאֹתִ֛י [when·I·saw] (613) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + דָנִיֵּ֖אל [Daniel] (95) + אֶת־הֶחָז֑וֹן [the·vision] (477) + וָאֲבַקְשָׁ֣ה [and·I·sought] (414) + בִינָ֔ה [understanding] (67) + וְהִנֵּ֛ה [and·behold] (66) + עֹמֵ֥ד [standing] (114) + לְנֶגְדִּ֖י [before·me] (97) + כְּמַרְאֵה־גָֽבֶר [like·appearance·of·a·man] (471) = 2506.
Rashi
that I sought understanding I was longing that they should enable me to understand [the vision] from heaven.
Metzudat David
I sought to understand it – I sought to understand the meaning of the vision. As the appearance of a man – Like the appearance of a man; this was Gabriel, mentioned in the verse that follows.
Malbim
And it came to pass, when I … had seen — for regarding the vision that he heard, which runs from verse 11 onward, he did not seek understanding, since he had already understood those matters with his own mind: that the horn growing from the small one would become great, reaching up to the prince of the host — that is, the High Priest — and would abolish the daily offering; that afterward the Temple would be destroyed; and that the length of time stated for this, which was a specific period, would extend so long. But the vision itself that he saw he did not understand — namely, who the ram and the he-goat were, and the other things he saw in the vision — and it was concerning this that he sought understanding. And there appeared before his eyes ‘something like the appearance of a man,’ who was Gabriel.
Ibn Yahya
And it came to pass, when I had seen the vision, etc. — he relates that after he had seen the vision, he sought to understand it: 'and, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man' — meaning that One was watching over me whose appearance was like the appearance of a man, and it was the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself.
And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, who called, and said: ‘Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.’
verse value 2308
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "between" (בֵּ֣ין, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·vision" (אֶת־הַמַּרְאֶֽה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "voice·of·a·man" (קוֹל־אָדָ֖ם), "to·this·one" (לְהַלָּ֖ז). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "between" (root בין, 32x in Daniel); "and·I·heard" (root שמע, 24x in Daniel). First appearance of the root קול ("voice·of·a·man") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ulai', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וָאֶשְׁמַ֥ע [and·I·heard] (417) + קוֹל־אָדָ֖ם [voice·of·a·man] (181) + בֵּ֣ין [between] (62) + אוּלָ֑י [Ulai] (47) + וַיִּקְרָא֙ [and·called] (317) + וַיֹּאמַ֔ר [and·said] (257) + גַּבְרִיאֵ֕ל [Gabriel] (246) + הָבֵ֥ן [make·understand] (57) + לְהַלָּ֖ז [to·this·one] (72) + אֶת־הַמַּרְאֶֽה [the·vision] (652) = 2308.
Rashi
in the midst of the Ulai in the midst of the river. and he called i.e., the man. and said to the angel, “You, Gabriel.” enable this one to understand the vision explain the vision to this one. this one Heb. לְהַלָּז, an expression of esteem, as he called him חֲמוּדוֹת, one of desirable qualities. Wherever it says הַלָז it refers to a person of form, and from here they learned in the Aggadah: Isaac resembled his father in form and in likeness, for he is called הָאִישּׁ הַלָז in the section commencing, “Now it came to pass when Isaac was old.” (Gen. 39:6): “...and Joseph was fair in form and fair in appearance.” This is the beauty enumerated among the five things that a father merits for his son.
Metzudat David
Between the banks of Ulai – The voice came from between the waters of the river Ulai, and it said, ‘You, Gabriel, make this one understand the vision’ — meaning, [make] Daniel [understand].
Metzudat Zion
This man — [meaning] 'this one,' as in 'this Shunammite woman' (2 Kings 4).
Malbim
And I heard — he has already stated that the speech spoken in that vision, from verse 11 onward, was the words of ‘a certain holy one’ [an unnamed figure]. Our sages disagreed as to who this was. In Midrash [Bereishit] Rabbah it is explained that it was the Holy One Himself, blessed be He, as it says there: ‘And I heard a certain holy one speaking’ — I heard the Holy One, blessed be He, decreeing decrees upon Israel. It further says in Bereishit Rabbah: ‘Great is the power of the prophets, who liken the form to its Maker,’ for it says, ‘And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai’ [applying a human image to the divine voice]. And in the Tanchuma it says: ‘“And I heard a certain holy one speaking” — this is Michael,’ for in their view Michael ranks higher than Gabriel, as it says in tractate Berachot (5): ‘Michael [arrives] in one [flight], Gabriel in two,’ since it is written, ‘and one of the seraphim flew to me’ [Isaiah 6:6]. And how do we know that that ‘one’ was Michael? Because it is written, ‘and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me’ [Daniel 10:13] — showing that Michael is one of the chief princes, who has influence over Gabriel, since Gabriel ranks below him. Therefore he heard ‘the voice of a man’ — this was the unnamed speaker mentioned above, who directs Gabriel; but Daniel did not see him, for he was hidden and unnamed — he only heard his voice from between the river, from a distance, commanding Gabriel to give him understanding of the vision.
Ibn Yahya
I heard this voice — the one with the appearance of a man who was watching over me — as I stood between Ulai and between my own uncertainties, struggling to understand the vision; it called to Gabriel and said to him: 'Make this man understand the vision.'
So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was terrified, and fell upon my face; but he said to me: ‘Understand, O son of man; for the vision belongs to the time of the end.’
verse value 2423
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·when·he·came" (וּבְבֹא֣וֹ, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·when·he·came" (וּבְבֹא֣וֹ), "I·was·terrified" (נִבְעַ֔תִּי), "and·I·fell" (וָאֶפְּלָ֖ה). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "my·standing-place" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "and·came" (root בוא, 42x in Daniel). First appearance of the root כי ("for") in Daniel. First appearance of the root עת ("to·time·of·end") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·my·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹא֙ [and·came] (19) + אֵ֣צֶל [near] (121) + עׇמְדִ֔י [my·standing-place] (124) + וּבְבֹא֣וֹ [and·when·he·came] (17) + נִבְעַ֔תִּי [I·was·terrified] (532) + וָאֶפְּלָ֖ה [and·I·fell] (122) + עַל־פָּנָ֑י [upon·my·face] (240) + וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלַי֙ [to·me] (41) + הָבֵ֣ן [understand] (57) + בֶּן־אָדָ֔ם [son·of·man] (97) + כִּ֖י [for] (30) + לְעֶת־קֵ֥ץ [to·time·of·end] (690) + הֶחָזֽוֹן [the·vision] (76) = 2423.
Rashi
to the time of the end. For many days this vision will come about.
Ibn Ezra
So he came [near where I stood] — the reason it says ‘son of man’ is that in the vision of prophecy he stood among the holy angels; and so too with Ezekiel the prophet [who is addressed the same way]. And he said to me, understand (haven) — [direct] your soul, son of man, or your heart, [to understand]. And the meaning of ‘for the vision belongs to the time of the end’ — [it refers] to a distant end, similar to [the phrase] ‘men of stature’ (Numbers 13:32).
Metzudat David
So he came near where I stood – Gabriel came to the place where I stood, and when he came, I was terrified and fell upon my face from the intensity of my terror. Understand, O son of man – You, son of man, apply your mind to understand the words of the vision, which pertains to the time of the end — meaning, at the end of the days of the exile.
Metzudat Zion
I was terrified — from the language of terror and dread. For [the vision belongs] to the time of the end — [the word 'ki' here means] 'which pertains to' the time of the end.
Malbim
So he came near where I stood — then Gabriel drew near to him; and when he came, I was terrified, and fell upon my face. but he said to me: Understand, O son of man; for the vision belongs to the time of the end — he informed him that this was a vision for many days and for distant times, and that the more distant a matter is in time, the more hidden it is from the eye of the seer, and the more understanding it requires.
Ibn Yahya
So he came near where I stood — this alludes to his having begun to impart understanding to him, which, owing to the weakness of his intellect, terrified him, and he fell upon his face, as happens to many of the prophets. And he called to me: 'Understand, O son of man' — for this vision is exceedingly precious, since it is knowledge of the time of the end.
Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me, and set me upright.
verse value 2105
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "with·me" (עִמִּ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·set·me·upright" (וַיַּֽעֲמִידֵ֖נִי, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "I·fell·into·a·deep·sleep" (נִרְדַּ֥מְתִּי), "and·set·me·upright" (וַיַּֽעֲמִידֵ֖נִי), "upon·my·standing-place" (עַל־עׇמְדִֽי). The root עמד appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·set·me·upright" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "and·as·he·was·speaking" (root דבר, 40x in Daniel); "upon·my·face" (root פנים, 31x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'toward·the·ground', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבְדַבְּר֣וֹ [and·as·he·was·speaking] (220) + עִמִּ֔י [with·me] (120) + נִרְדַּ֥מְתִּי [I·fell·into·a·deep·sleep] (704) + עַל־פָּנַ֖י [upon·my·face] (240) + אָ֑רְצָה [toward·the·ground] (296) + וַיִּ֨גַּע־בִּ֔י [and·touched·me] (101) + וַיַּֽעֲמִידֵ֖נִי [and·set·me·upright] (200) + עַל־עׇמְדִֽי [upon·my·standing-place] (224) = 2105.
Rashi
I fell into a sound sleep An expression of slumber and bewilderment. and stood me up where I had been standing Where my feet were standing.
Metzudat David
I fell into a deep sleep – In a trance brought on by fear. With my face toward the ground – Lying with my face to the ground. But he touched me – Like a person touching his fellow to rouse him from sleep. And set me upright – He strengthened me with words to stand upright — meaning, as I had been standing before.
Metzudat Zion
I fell into a deep sleep — from the language of deep slumber and sleep.
Ibn Yahya
Even though he was helping me by speaking with me, I nevertheless fell into a deep sleep, prostrate on the ground, until he helped me by touch: 'and he touched me, and set me upright.'
And he said: ‘Behold, I will make you know what shall be in the latter time of the indignation; for it belongs to the appointed time of the end.
verse value 2567
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·shall·be" (אֲשֶׁר־יִהְיֶ֖ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 150: making·known·you, to·appointed·time·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "behold·I" (הִנְנִ֣י), "making·known·you" (מוֹדִֽיעֲךָ֔), "that·shall·be" (אֲשֶׁר־יִהְיֶ֖ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "making·known·you" (root ידע, 43x in Daniel); "that·shall·be" (root היה, 23x in Daniel). First appearance of the root אחרית ("in·end·of") in Daniel. First appearance of the root זעם ("the·indignation") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·indignation', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words.
Rashi
for it is the end of the time for it is at the time of the end of many days.
Ibn Ezra
In the latter time of the indignation — [Scripture] relates Hashem’s indignation against Israel in the days of Greece and in the days of Antiochus, until the Hasmoneans purified the Temple; and this is [the meaning of] ‘then shall the sanctuary be victorious.’ And here [the text] returns to explain that the first king, who is Alexander, is the horn that was quickly broken; and it goes on to explain the four kingdoms. And the meaning of ‘from the nation’ (Daniel 8:22) is that all four kings were from the nation of Greece, and not one of them had power like Alexander.
Metzudat David
In the latter time of the indignation – At the end of the days of indignation, which are the days of the exile. For it belongs to the appointed time of the end – For the appointed time of the exile there will be an end, and He will not be angry forever.
Malbim
In the latter time of the indignation — that is, the end of the days of wrath. for it belongs to the appointed time of the end — earlier he said, ‘for the vision belongs to the time of the end,’ and there is a difference between ‘time’ [et] and ‘appointed time’ [mo’ed]: the et is the natural time, which comes about of itself, whereas the mo’ed is the time appointed by whoever has set it — such as a fixed calendar occasion, or a time that the prophets have designated. At first he explained to him that the natural order of time itself required all this, and that all these matters follow in sequence within the general scheme [of history], from the days of creation until the time of the world’s rectification, and the end will come at the time proper to it by virtue of the natural order. But now, after the angel had explained the matters to him in prophecy, it is also bound to occur by virtue of the prophetic decree; therefore he said, ‘for it belongs to the appointed time of the end.’ And there is a difference between the two: that which is required by natural timing, Hashem may sometimes change, if the people’s conduct turns for the worse; but a favorable decree that He has pronounced through prophecy and for which He has fixed a time cannot be changed, and it must come to pass when the appointed time arrives.
Ibn Yahya
'And he said to me: Behold, I will make you know what shall be in the latter time of the indignation' — that is, of the final exile — 'for it belongs to the appointed time of the end': for the appointed term of that exile, which was set for Israel because of their sins, has an end, since the evil and the indignation against Israel will not continue forever. And he explained to him the parable of the ram that he had seen in the vision, and the parable of the rough he-goat.
The ram which you saw having the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia.
verse value 2165
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "owner·of" (בַּ֣עַל, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·you·saw" (אֲשֶׁר־רָאִ֖יתָ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "that·you·saw" (אֲשֶׁר־רָאִ֖יתָ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "kings·of" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "the·horns" (root קרן, 23x in Daniel); "that·you·saw" (root ראה, 22x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·horns', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הָאַ֥יִל [the·ram] (46) + אֲשֶׁר־רָאִ֖יתָ [that·you·saw] (1112) + בַּ֣עַל [owner·of] (102) + הַקְּרָנָ֑יִם [the·horns] (405) + מַלְכֵ֖י [kings·of] (100) + מָדַ֥י [Media] (54) + וּפָרָֽס [and·Persia] (346) = 2165.
Rashi
The kings of Media and Persia The two horns represent two ruling nations, as I explained above.
Metzudat David
Having the horns – That is, possessing two horns. The kings of – That is, it alludes to two kingdoms, namely Media and Persia. The fact that one horn was higher than the other indicates that the kingdom of Persia would be greater than the kingdom of Media, for Media ruled only one year; that is why the higher horn came up last — because Persia would rule after Media. And what is stated above (verse 4), ‘goring westward, and northward,’ etc., without mentioning eastward, is because the ram itself came from the east, as it says of him, ‘calling a bird of prey from the east’ (Isaiah 46:11); and ‘all the beasts,’ etc. alludes to all the kings of the earth [being unable to stand before him].
Malbim
The ram — he explained to him the vision he had seen, namely the ram and the he-goat. And where it says ‘king of Greece,’ it means the kingdom of Greece; and he calls Alexander ‘the first king’ — that is, the first king of the general, unified kingdom that ruled over the whole, for kings of Greece had already existed before him.
And the rough he-goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
verse value 2924
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. Verse gematria: 2924 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "king·of" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "between·his·eyes" (בֵּין־עֵינָ֔יו, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "the·rough" (הַשָּׂעִ֖יר), "and·the·horn" (וְהַקֶּ֤רֶן), "the·great" (הַגְּדוֹלָה֙). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root אשר, 40x in Daniel); "between·his·eyes" (root בין, 32x in Daniel). First appearance of the root יון ("Greece") in Daniel. First appearance of the root ראשון ("the·first") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Greece', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְהַצָּפִ֥יר [and·the·he-goat] (391) + הַשָּׂעִ֖יר [the·rough] (585) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king·of] (90) + יָוָ֑ן [Greece] (66) + וְהַקֶּ֤רֶן [and·the·horn] (361) + הַגְּדוֹלָה֙ [the·great] (53) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + בֵּין־עֵינָ֔יו [between·his·eyes] (208) + ה֖וּא [he] (12) + הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + הָרִאשֽׁוֹן [the·first] (562) = 2924.
Rashi
the first king He is Alexander of Macedon who slew Darius, the son of Esther, as we find in the book of Josiphon (ch. 9).
Metzudat David
The king of Greece – That is, it alludes to a king. Is the first king – It alludes to the first king, who is Alexander of Macedon; for he came from the west, grew exceedingly powerful in the course of his march, conquered many kings with great speed, and came as far as Media and Persia, overpowered them, and killed their king.
Metzudat Zion
The rough he-goat — the word is doubled with synonymous terms for added clarity.
And as for that which was broken, in the place of which four stood up, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not with his power.
verse value 3724
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "in·his·strength" (בְכֹחֽוֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·broken" (וְהַ֨נִּשְׁבֶּ֔רֶת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 273: four, four. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·the·broken" (וְהַ֨נִּשְׁבֶּ֔רֶת), "and·they·stood·up" (וַתַּֽעֲמֹ֥דְנָה), "kingdoms" (מַלְכֻי֛וֹת). The root עמד appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel); "and·they·stood·up" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'instead·of·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהַ֨נִּשְׁבֶּ֔רֶת [and·the·broken] (963) + וַתַּֽעֲמֹ֥דְנָה [and·they·stood·up] (575) + אַרְבַּ֖ע [four] (273) + תַּחְתֶּ֑יהָ [instead·of·her] (823) + אַרְבַּ֧ע [four] (273) + מַלְכֻי֛וֹת [kingdoms] (506) + מִגּ֥וֹי [from·nation] (59) + יַעֲמֹ֖דְנָה [shall·stand·up] (179) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + בְכֹחֽוֹ [in·his·strength] (36) = 3724.
Rashi
And the broken one that you saw being broken. in whose stead stood four as is written in the narration of the dream above (verse 8), [there] are four kingdoms which will arise from that nation, for Alexander of Macedon divided his kingdom upon his death [into parts for] four youths, and Joseph called them four heads of a leopard in his book, and they were not the sons of the king. but not with its strength The last ones will not be as strong as the first king, but they will be weaker than him.
Metzudat David
And as for that which was broken – What you saw, that the great horn broke and four stood up in its place, alludes to the fact that just as Alexander grows exceedingly powerful he will die, and in his place four kingdoms will arise in the four directions, namely Rome, Egypt, the Land of Israel, and Persia, as mentioned above. Shall stand up out of the nation – The kings of those lands will be from among his own people. But not with his power – They will not grow strong through Alexander's power so as to become mighty as he was; or, alternatively, it means that those kings will not be from among his own sons, for sons are called ‘strength,’ as it says, ‘my strength and the first of my vigor’ (Genesis 49:3).
Malbim
But not with his power — meaning that they will not be his sons or hereditary heirs, but rather these kingdoms will establish themselves afterward on their own, for this occurred many days after his death.
Ibn Yahya
'And as for that which was broken,' etc. — that is, after the horn of the he-goat was broken, the four kingdoms among which Alexander's kingdom was divided would arise; but they would not have Alexander's power, for they would not be at his level or possess his strength.
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have completed their transgression, there shall stand up a king of fierce countenance, and understanding stratagems.
verse value 3140
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֥לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·end·of" (וּֽבְאַחֲרִית֙, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·in·end·of" (וּֽבְאַחֲרִית֙), "their·kingdom" (מַלְכוּתָ֔ם), "when·complete" (כְּהָתֵ֖ם). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "shall·stand·up" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "and·understanding" (root בין, 32x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·transgressors', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּֽבְאַחֲרִית֙ [and·in·end·of] (627) + מַלְכוּתָ֔ם [their·kingdom] (536) + כְּהָתֵ֖ם [when·complete] (465) + הַפֹּשְׁעִ֑ים [the·transgressors] (505) + יַעֲמֹ֛ד [shall·stand·up] (124) + מֶ֥לֶךְ [king] (90) + עַז־פָּנִ֖ים [fierce·of·face] (257) + וּמֵבִ֥ין [and·understanding] (108) + חִידֽוֹת [riddles] (428) = 3140.
Rashi
And at the end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have been destroyed When the end arrives, and the wicked of Israel in the Second Temple will be finished. a brazen-faced person will rise he is Titus.
Ibn Ezra
And in the latter time of their kingdom — [i.e., their dominion] over Israel. When the transgressors have completed their transgression — the meaning is that, because the transgressors of Israel were so numerous, they were therefore handed over into the hand of the Greeks. A king of fierce countenance — this was Antiochus, and his commander was Galinus. And there are some of the Geonim who say that the ‘king of fierce countenance’ is the Kedarite [i.e., the Arab ruler] who arose in the year 4,354, and that the prophet is [elsewhere] speaking of one of the four kings who ruled in Alexander’s place; and so he explains further in the fourth prophecy, ‘and a mighty king shall stand up’ — that is, Alexander — and it says, ‘and when he has stood, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven.’ But that is not what [Scripture] is speaking of here.
Metzudat David
When the transgressors have completed their transgression – When the time arrives to complete and finish off the transgressors of Israel, when the measure [of sin] becomes full. There shall stand up – Then there will arise from among them a king of fierce countenance, one who understands stratagems, for he will possess great wisdom; this is Titus, who came from Rome. He is alluded to by the one small horn, as it says of Edom, ‘Behold, I have made you small among the nations’ (Obadiah 1:2); and this is said of Rome, because many of the descendants of Edom settled there and reigned within it. And what is stated, ‘and it grew exceedingly,’ etc. — for he grew exceedingly powerful over Egypt, which is south of the Land of Israel, and over Persia, which is east of the Land of Israel.
Metzudat Zion
Have completed — from the language of completion and finishing. Fierce countenance — [meaning] insolent, brazen.
Malbim
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have completed their transgression — when the transgressors of Israel come to an end, which was after the destruction [of the Temple]. Of fierce countenance — meaning that he will prevail not by sword and might, but by sheer insolence, as was seen in the previous vision: ‘and behold, this horn had eyes like the eyes of a man’ (cf. Daniel 7:8). And understanding stratagems — for they will be great sages, skilled in understanding the subtleties of the holy writings.
Ibn Yahya
'And in the latter time of their kingdom' — when Hashem wishes to bring to an end and destroy the transgressors of Israel, to punish them for their sin — there shall stand up Antiochus, 'a king of fierce countenance, and understanding stratagems'; it appears from this that he was a great expert in the wisdom of sorcery and astrology. Indeed, his wisdom stood him in good stead to be made king over all others, and had it not been for Hashem's mercy, which humbled him, no nation or tongue could have prevailed against him.
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and do; and he shall destroy those who are mighty and the people of the saints.
verse value 3699
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "in·his·strength" (בְכֹח֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "his·strength" (כֹּחוֹ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·people·of·saints" (וְעַם־קְדֹשִֽׁים, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·wondrously" (וְנִפְלָא֥וֹת), "and·shall·destroy" (וְהִשְׁחִ֥ית), "mighty" (עֲצוּמִ֖ים). The root כח appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel); "and·shall·do" (root עשה, 24x in Daniel). First appearance of the root פלא ("and·wondrously") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·shall·do', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. 7 of the verse's 11 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וְעָצַ֤ם [and·shall·be·mighty] (206) + כֹּחוֹ֙ [his·strength] (34) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + בְכֹח֔וֹ [in·his·strength] (36) + וְנִפְלָא֥וֹת [and·wondrously] (573) + יַשְׁחִ֖ית [shall·destroy] (728) + וְהִצְלִ֣יחַ [and·shall·prosper] (149) + וְעָשָׂ֑ה [and·shall·do] (381) + וְהִשְׁחִ֥ית [and·shall·destroy] (729) + עֲצוּמִ֖ים [mighty] (256) + וְעַם־קְדֹשִֽׁים [and·people·of·saints] (570) = 3699.
Rashi
And his power will become strong and not with might but with smooth talk, as is explained at the end of the Book (11:21). and he will destroy wondrously and with wonder upon wonder, he will destroy. and he will prosper and accomplish his desire. and he will destroy the mighty many nations. and the people of the holy ones Israel, who believe in the Torah.
Ibn Ezra
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power — [meaning] only because of Israel's sin, for Hashem to chastise them [through him]. And he shall destroy those who are mighty — this is the meaning of [the earlier verse] ‘and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them’ [8:10] — that is, he destroyed many from Israel. And the meaning of ‘yea, it magnified itself, even against the prince of the host’ [8:11] — that is [the angelic prince] Michael, the chief of the [heavenly] princes, for he is the great prince, and beneath him are [lesser] princes — I will say more of this elsewhere. And he [the fierce king] abolished the continual offering and destroyed the [Temple] House — this is [the meaning of] ‘and the place of his sanctuary was cast down’ [8:11]. And do not be puzzled that it calls it the sanctuary of Michael, for the Sanctuary of the glorious Name may [likewise] be called by another's name — just as [the Torah, though God's, is called] ‘the Torah of Moses,’ and [Moses's staff, though his own, is called] ‘the staff of God.’
Metzudat David
And his power shall be mighty – At every turn his power will grow, but not because of his own great strength — rather, through the smoothness of his words and his schemes, as it says of him, ‘he shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries’ (Daniel 11:21, below). And he shall destroy wonderfully – He will wreak wondrous destruction, and will succeed in his deeds, and accomplish all he desires, and will destroy mighty kings. And the people of the saints – That is, Israel.
Malbim
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power — meaning that he will have great power, but this will not come through strength and might in war, but rather through his mouth. And with this he will destroy the true wonders found in the Torah and those that the prophets performed for the preservation of the faith. And shall prosper And do — and by this he will succeed, until he destroys the mighty and the people of the holy ones.
Ibn Yahya
'And his power shall be mighty' — but he will not attain the level of Alexander's power; for neither Antiochus, who prevailed over his brothers, nor the four kings together who reigned after him, reached the power of Alexander. 'And he shall destroy wonderfully' — this refers to the important matters of the Temple, which were, to them, wonders; and for all his sinning in this, he succeeded and did even greater harm, for 'he shall destroy those who are mighty' — that is, Israel, a great and mighty nation — 'and the people of the saints' — that is, the sons of Aaron, the holy priests of Hashem.
And through his cunning he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and in time of security shall he destroy many; he shall also stand up against the prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
verse value 4307
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "hand" (יָ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·through·his·cunning" (וְעַל־שִׂכְל֗וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 149: and·shall·prosper, and·without. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·through·his·cunning" (וְעַל־שִׂכְל֗וֹ), "and·in·his·heart" (וּבִלְבָב֣וֹ), "shall·magnify·himself" (יַגְדִּ֔יל). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·against" (root על, 64x in Daniel); "shall·stand·up" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "many" (root רב, 34x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'many', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
And through his intellect, he will cause the deceit in his hand to prosper And because he is clever wherever he turns and [because] he will prosper, he will hold onto deceit with his hand. and in his heart he will become proud Heb. יַגְדִּיל, lit, he will grow larger. and in tranquility he will destroy many With guile and with smooth talk he will destroy many who dwell with him with a covenant and in peace. and over the Prince of princes he will stand He will speak blasphemously about Heaven. This is the meaning of the dream written above (verse 11): [“And until the Prince of the host it grew.”] and without strength he will be broken And without strength he will be broken, through a mosquito, the weakest of creatures, which entered his nose, as we learned in Tractate Gittin (56b).
Ibn Ezra
But he shall be broken without hand — for it is known that Antiochus fell from a roof and was broken and died. Rav Saadia Gaon said that the ‘two thousand three hundred’ [evenings and mornings, 8:14] are years, counted from the beginning of the Egyptian exile. But what reason is there to begin from there? And further, how does he treat ‘evening and morning’ [as amounting to a full year]? For by his reckoning, the appointed time had already passed many years before [Daniel's own day]. And the correct view, in my opinion, is that Israel endured six years and some months of great distress in the days of Antiochus, as is written in the Book of Greece — so this number [2,300] refers to days. And the meaning of ‘two thousand three hundred mornings’ is: six years by the solar reckoning, and three months and some days more by the lunar reckoning — nearly six and a half years. That is why the angel said, ‘and the vision of the evenings and mornings that has been told is true’ [8:26] — meaning that it is to be understood literally, evening and morning. And had we not found this number already written and already fulfilled, no one could have understood this number. That is why Daniel said, ‘and I was appalled at the vision, and there was none that understood it’ [8:27] — for indeed the matters of the time of the [final] redemption are sealed and closed up; even Daniel himself did not know the end, for so he said, ‘and I heard, but did not understand’ [12:8]. And so he says at the end, ‘and the book is closed up until the time of the end’ [12:9] — and the wise will understand, once the end arrives, from the words of the angel.
Metzudat David
And through his cunning – Because of his great cunning, the deceit in his hand will succeed. And he shall magnify himself in his heart – Because of this he will grow proud in his heart, and will destroy many who dwell with him in peace and under a treaty. He shall also stand up against the prince of princes – He will rise up against the prince who is over all the princes, meaning that he blasphemed against Heaven, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. But he shall be broken without hand – He will die without the hand of man, for his death came about through a gnat that entered his nose, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said.
Malbim
And through his cunning — everything he does, he will do through his own cunning and his stratagems, not through prophecy or the holy spirit; the wonders that he attributes to himself will come about through the invention of his own mind. And with all this he will succeed in his hand, until his heart grows so haughty that he says, ‘I am, and there is none else besides me.’ ‘And in time of security shall he destroy many’ — without waging war at all, but merely by the utterance of his mouth he will destroy all who rise up against him and do not submit to his commands. ‘He shall also stand up against the prince of princes’ — he will stand for many days above the officials. ‘But he shall be broken without hand’ — but afterward his strength will come to an end, and then he will be broken and the power of his rule will cease. Here he speaks briefly, for this has already been explained at length in the previous vision.
Ibn Yahya
'And through his cunning,' etc. — that is, according to his own understanding, and according to what he supposed would succeed, deceit would be in his hand — meaning that he would be crafty — and because of this he would grow very haughty and magnify himself in his heart. 'And in time of security shall he destroy many' — for human beings were as insignificant as grasshoppers before him; while they were at peace with him, having done him no violence, he would destroy them. And his arrogance would incite him to stand up even against 'the prince of princes' — that is, Hashem, the King of kings, may He be blessed — inasmuch as he would abolish the daily offering, circumcision, and the Sabbath. Therefore 'he shall be broken without hand' — for Hashem would put him to death without force and without a human hand, just as indeed happened: he was stricken, by Divine providence, with a grievous illness, and at the trumpeting of a single elephant his chariot was overturned and he fell to the ground, and his bones were broken.
And the vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; but you, shut up the vision; for it belongs to many days to come.’
verse value 3487
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·vision·of" (וּמַרְאֵ֨ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 252: and·vision·of, many. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "the·evening" (הָעֶ֧רֶב), "and·the·morning" (וְהַבֹּ֛קֶר). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "that" (root אשר, 40x in Daniel); "many" (root רב, 34x in Daniel). First appearance of the root סתם ("shut·up") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּמַרְאֵ֨ה [and·vision·of] (252) + הָעֶ֧רֶב [the·evening] (277) + וְהַבֹּ֛קֶר [and·the·morning] (313) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + נֶאֱמַ֖ר [was·said] (291) + אֱמֶ֣ת [truth] (441) + ה֑וּא [he] (12) + וְאַתָּה֙ [and·you] (412) + סְתֹ֣ם [shut·up] (500) + הֶֽחָז֔וֹן [the·vision] (76) + כִּ֖י [for] (30) + לְיָמִ֥ים [to·days] (130) + רַבִּֽים [many] (252) = 3487.
Rashi
And the vision of the evening and the morning which was said to you in the preceding dream, is true. and you close up the vision Do not explain it, but close it up in your heart, for it will come about in many days.
Metzudat David
And the vision, etc. – And what was told to you in the vision, ‘of the evenings and mornings,’ is true, for so it shall be. Shut up the vision – That is, whatever part of the prophecy pertains to the distant future, seal it up in your heart, and do not reveal even the little that you know.
Metzudat Zion
For it belongs to many days [to come] — [the word 'ki' here means] 'which pertains to' many days to come.
Malbim
And the vision of the evenings And mornings which has been told — this refers to what was stated at the end of the vision: that there would be yet another evening [that is, another exile] followed by a morning, which is the redemption that comes after it; and he set a fixed term for it. [It says “which has been told” because everything he had interpreted up to now was his interpretation of the vision that had been shown to him as an image, as above at verse 15.] ‘Is true’ — that is to say, this requires no further interpretation, for it is true according to its plain sense: the evening, and the morning that follows it, will extend for two thousand three hundred years from the day of the vision. ‘But you, shut up the vision’ — so that you not reveal it — ‘for it belongs to many days to come’; for when they hear that the exile will last so long, they will despair of the redemption and stumble in their exile.
Ibn Yahya
And the vision of the evenings and mornings, etc. – After the angel had explained to him all the details of the vision, he still withheld from him the explanation of the timing of that harm, by saying, 'and the vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true' — meaning, this is a matter entrusted to Hashem, the true God, and no one but Him knows it. Therefore the vision remains sealed as far as knowledge of this point is concerned, and one is not to seek it out, for it is a matter that pertains to many days to come and must not be revealed. But the matters that will occur within a short time regarding these kingdoms I have already explained to you. This is why I, the one speaking [i.e., the commentator], venture to declare that Daniel himself, even though the appointed end was revealed to him in a parable, never truly knew the meaning of what that parable represented; and everything the earlier commentators said about it, and what I myself have said, and what those who come after will say, is like the twittering of the swift and the crane — for so do we too chirp — we have no true knowledge of it at all. And even if some great man of a given generation should happen to understand the true meaning represented by the appointed end, the Creator, may He be blessed, keeps him from committing it to writing — just as happened with our father Jacob, as he said, 'Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what shall befall you in the end of days.' Our Sages said that Jacob wished to reveal the end to his sons, but it was hidden from him, so instead he began to rebuke and bless them, as he said, 'Reuben, you are my firstborn,' etc.
And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; then I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was appalled at the vision, but understood it not.
verse value 4096
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 69 letters. Verse gematria: 4096 = 64². The shortest word is "and·I" (וַאֲנִ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·I·was·sick" (וְנֶֽחֱלֵ֙יתִי֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: Daniel, the·king. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "I·was" (נִהְיֵ֤יתִי), "and·I·was·sick" (וְנֶֽחֱלֵ֙יתִי֙), "and·I·arose" (וָאָק֕וּם). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "and·I·arose" (root קום, 36x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַאֲנִ֣י [and·I] (67) + דָנִיֵּ֗אל [Daniel] (95) + נִהְיֵ֤יתִי [I·was] (485) + וְנֶֽחֱלֵ֙יתִי֙ [and·I·was·sick] (514) + יָמִ֔ים [days] (100) + וָאָק֕וּם [and·I·arose] (153) + וָאֶֽעֱשֶׂ֖ה [and·I·did] (382) + אֶת־מְלֶ֣אכֶת [business·of] (892) + הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + וָאֶשְׁתּוֹמֵ֥ם [and·I·was·appalled] (793) + עַל־הַמַּרְאֶ֖ה [at·the·vision] (351) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·none] (67) + מֵבִֽין [understanding] (102) = 4096.
Rashi
became broken Heb. נִהְיֵיתִי, an expression of calamity (הוָה) and breach; i.e., I was pained because of this trouble and I was depressed. the king’s work for I was appointed over the assignment of the work of the government of Belshazzar’s kingdom, for Nebuchadnezzar his father had appointed him, as is written in the beginning of the Book (2:48): “...and gave him dominion over all the capital cities of Babylon.” and I was terrified about the vision Heb. וָאֶשְׁתּוֹמֵם עַל הַמַרְאֶה. but no one realized that I was terrified because I restrained myself before the princes.
Metzudat David
I fainted – I was broken and became ill for several days from the intensity of my terror; nevertheless I arose and carried out the king's business that had been placed upon me ever since Nebuchadnezzar appointed me, as stated above. And I was appalled – I was struck silent and astonished because of that vision, yet none of the king's officers understood the matter, for I mastered myself in front of them so that they would not notice anything about me.
Metzudat Zion
Fainted — [meaning] I was overcome, as in 'and his sleep overcame him' (above, Daniel 2).
Malbim
And I Daniel fainted, And was sick certain days — after this he fell ill on account of the terrors of the vision. ‘Then I rose up’ — that is, after I had recovered from my illness — ‘and did the king’s business’ — this refers to the episode of Belshazzar, which took place in that same year, when he was summoned before the king to interpret the writing, and he carried out this task. ‘And I was appalled at the vision’ — he was still appalled by the vision he had seen, for the substance of the vision was fulfilled at once: at once the ram with the horns took its stand [that is, the events it foretold began coming to pass]. That is why Daniel was able to interpret the vision of the writing, TEKEL and parsin — that the kingdom would be given over into the hand of Persia — for he already knew this from the vision. ‘But understood it not’ — meaning, that besides him, no one could possibly have understood this; only Daniel knew it, because he had seen it beforehand in the vision.
Ibn Yahya
And I Daniel, etc. – He relates that he grew faint and was sick for many days, his physical constitution breaking down from the overpowering surge his intellect underwent during that vision. Yet nonetheless, 'I rose up and did the king's business,' though I remained constantly bewildered by the vision — that is, by that portion of the vision concerning knowledge of the appointed end, which the angel did not explain, and which no one understands, for it was given even to the great men of Israel to interpret, and they were unable.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Metzudat David
Malbim
Ibn Yahya