on the other. V. 8. Then said He unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, the term used designating the entire valley of the Jordan, and go down into the desert, a word used of the steppes of Southeastern Judea, and go into the sea, here the Dead Sea; which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed, its deadly saltness being relieved so that it could again be inhabited by fishes. V. 9. And it shall come to pass that everything that liveth, which moveth, literally, "every living soul that creepeth," which had the breath of life in itself, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live, on account of the fulness of life borne by them; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither, their freshness enabling the fishes to live and to multiply most abundantly, for they, the waters of the Dead Sea, shall be healed; and everything shall live whither the river cometh, being endowed with a miraculous vitality by coming into contact with it. V. 10. And it shall come to pass that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi, on its western shore, where David had once found refuge, even unto Eneglaim, on the eastern shore, in the confines of Moab; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceeding many. V. 11. But the miry places thereof, the swamps formed by the natural recession of the waters, and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt, unfit for cultivation and for every living thing. V. 12. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, springing up and bearing the richest kind of food, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed; it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, fruit maturing every month, because their waters they issued out of the Sanctuary, and were thus filled with marvelous life; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat and the leaf thereof for medicine, its foliage for healing. Without attempting to give an interpretation of every detail of this picture, its general meaning is clear. The miraculous river pictures the spread of the Gospel, the gaining of new members for the Church, the increase of divine blessings in the Messianic era. The trees represent the wonderful blessings given through the ministry of the Word.

The fishermen of the Lord are busily engaged in bringing in the base-born and the noble, the rich and the poor, out of the sea of the world to the salvation earned by Jesus Christ. "Searching into the deep things of God, we find some easy to understand, others more difficult, others beyond our reach, of which we can only adore the depths." Where

the stream of the Gospel flows, the putrid and poisonous waters of this world are cleansed, but the swamps and morasses of men's hatred and enmity toward God are shut off, by their own fault, from His mercy. All this, and more, is indicated in Rev. 22, 1-6, where we also have a description of the final perfection of the Church of Christ.

THE BOUNDARIES OF THE NEW CANAAN. V. 13. Thus saith the Lord God, This shall be the border, the boundary of Canaan proper, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions, as in the first division of the land. Cp. Gen. 48, 5; 1 Chron. 5, 1. V. 14. And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another, every one an equal portion, concerning the which I lifted up Mine hand, in a solemn oath accompanying His promise, Gen. 12, 7; 13, 15; 15,7; 17, 8; 26, 3, to give it unto your fathers; and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. V. 15. And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the Great Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad, these two towns being on the northwestern border: v. 16. Hamath, the ancient northernmost point, Berothah, a city in Syria conquered by David, 2 Sam. 8, 8, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath, on the caravan road toward Palmyra; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran, a province on the east side of Jordan, south of Syria. V. 17. And the border from the sea, as one draws the northern border from the Mediterranean Sea to the beginning of its eastern boundary, shall be Hazar-enan, in the extreme northeastern corner, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath, the description indicating that this entire northeastern section was included. And this is the north side. V. 18. And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, from the extreme northeastern boundary of this section, and from Damascus, as indicating the limit of extent in that direction, and from Gilead, in the center east of Jordan, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, extending to the river along its whole length, from the border unto the East Sea, that is, the Dead Sea. And this is the east side, which therefore included Canaan proper only. V. 19. And the south side southward, along the southern boundary, from Tamar, probably south of the Dead Sea, even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, cp. Num. 20, near Kadesh-barnea, the river to the Great Sea, the Wady el Arish, whose brook flows into the Mediterranean Sea, the boundary toward the southwest being clearly defined. And this is the south side southward. V. 20. The west side also shall be the Great Sea from the

border, all along from the river of Egypt, till a man come over against Hamath, the Philistine coast thus being included in the Holy Land and the whole description being held along ideal lines. This is the west side. V. 21. So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel, this statement summarizing what has been said concerning the boundaries of Canaan. V. 22. And it shall come to pass that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you; for he who connects himself with the true

Church may enjoy the privileges and blessings of the true Church; and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel, as Hobab and his tribe did at the time of Moses; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. V. 23. And it shall come to pass that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord God. In the New Testament the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles has been fully removed, so that through Him they both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Cp. Eph. 2, 14—18.

The Allotment of the Land to the
Several Tribes.

THE DIVISION OF THE NEW CANAAN. - V. 1. Now, these are the names of the tribes, as they followed in the order of their allotment, the land being divided into portions of ideal exactness. From the north end, along the extreme northern boundary, to the coast of the way of Hethlon, on the northwest, as one goeth to Hamath, this being the northernmost point, Hazar-enan, on the northeast, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west, his possession with the boundaries fixed toward the east and toward the west: a portion for Dan, that is, so much should belong to Dan. V. 2. And by the border of Dan, immediately south of his portion, from the east side unto the west side, as all the sections are described, a portion for Asher. V. 3. And by the border of Asher, along its southern boundary, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali. V. 4. And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. V. 5. And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. V. 6. And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. The northern tribes thus retained their relative position in the distribution of the land, the portion of Reuben being added at this point because he had formerly had his allotment east of Jordan. V. 7. And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah, the tribe which had had the leadership in ancient Israel. V. 8. And by the border of Judah, adjoining it on the south, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer, the section set apart for the Sanctuary and its surroundings, of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side, between the

and the

Jordan and the Mediterranean; Sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. Cp. chap. 45, 1–6. V. 9. The oblation that ye shall offer unto the Lord shall be of five and twenty thousand in length and of ten thousand in breadth. The priest's portion, in whose midst the Temple was to be situated, was in the center of this consecrated portion. V. 10. And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation, to yield dwelling-places for them, toward the north five and twenty thousand in length and toward the west ten thousand in breadth and toward the east ten thousand in breadth and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length, these being the measurements toward the four points of the compass; and the Sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst thereof. V. 11. It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, chap. 44, 15, which have kept My charge, being loyal to the ordinances and commands of the Lord when others became guilty of faithlessness, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites, the tribe of Levi in general, went astray. Cp. chap. 44, 10. V. 12. And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy, a heave-portion from the oblation of the land, by the border of the Levites. V. 13. And over against the border of the priests, apparently along their southern boundary, the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length and ten thousand in breadth; all the length, or "the whole length," shall be five and twenty thousand and the breadth ten thousand, the two lengths and the two breadths thus being clearly defined. V. 14. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, since God is the real Landowner, nor alienate the first-fruits of the land, which likewise belonged to the Lord, Ex. 22, 29; for it is holy unto the Lord. V. 15. And the five thousand that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand,

after deducting the breadth of the priests' and of the Levites' portions, shall be a profane place for the city, common land, not used for sacred purposes, for dwelling, that is, for the erection of dwelling-houses, and for suburbs, for free use, for pasture and garden land; and the city shall be in the midst thereof. V. 16. And these shall be the measures thereof, of the city district: the north side four thousand and five hundred and the south side four thousand and five hundred and on the east side four thousand and five hundred and the west side four thousand and five hundred, thus forming a perfect square of four thousand five hundred on each side. V. 17. And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty and toward the south two hundred and fifty and toward the east two hundred and fifty and toward the west two hundred and fifty. The entire city district, with its suburbs, thus occupied a square with sides five thousand rods long, or one-fifth of the entire portion from east to west. V. 18. And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward and ten thousand westward; and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion, that is, as a part of it, although assigned neither to the priests nor to the levites nor to the city; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city, so that the workmen or laborers employed in the Temple city would derive their support from this land in the immediate vicinity. V. 19. And they that serve the city, the laboring classes, shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel, that is, people from the various tribes would form this class and derive their support in the manner indicated. V. 20. All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand, inclusive of the possession of the city; ye shall offer the holy oblation four-square, with the possession of the city, which was onefourth the portions of the priests and Levites. V. 21. And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, that is, bounding it and parallel to it, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince, whose portion would thus extend from north to south along the border of the holy territory; and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof, equally distant from the eastern and the western border. V. 22. Moreover, from the possession of the Levites, beginning at their boundary, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's,

which was located on either side, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, whose portions would be, respectively, north and south of the holy territory, shall be for the prince. V. 23. As for the rest of the tribes, those whose portion would be in the southern part of the New Canaan, from the east side unto the west side, extending through the breadth of the country, Benjamin shall have a portion. V. 24. And by the border of Benjamin, along its southern boundary, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion, designated here as a separate tribe, although formerly receiving his portion within the boundaries of Judah's territory, Deut. 33. V. 25. And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. V. 26. And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. V. 27. And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion, whose territory in ancient times had been east of Jordan. V. 28. And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, this being the boundary of the New Canaan, chap. 47, 19, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the Waters of Strife in Kadesh and to the river toward the Great Sea, the "river" being the so-called brook or river of Egypt, which flowed into the Mediterranean Sea. V. 29. This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord God. The immense areas indicated show that the Lord intended to have a large covenant people in Messianic times, who would be united in the communion of saints.

-

CONCERNING THE CAPITAL CITY. V. 30. And these are the goings out of the city, the extreme ends, or the gates, of the city, on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures, this being the extent of the wall with reference to its portals, inclusive of its gates, cp. v. 16. V. 31. And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel, bearing the names of the individual tribes: three gates northward, one gate of Reuben, as the first-born in point of time, one gate of Judah, as the first-born by virtue of the patriarchal blessing, one gate of Levi, as the one chosen to be the representative of all the first-born in Israel in the service of the Lord. V. 32. And at the east side four thousand and five hundred; and three gates: and one gate of Joseph, whose two tribes are here taken together, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. V. 33. And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures; and three gates: one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. V. 34. At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates: one gate

of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. The gates had a general relation to the location of every tribe's portion in the New Canaan. V. 35. It was round about eighteen thousand measures; and the name of the city from that day shall be "The Lord Is There," which is not a mere name, but expresses the fact that Jehovah, the God of the covenant, truly lives in the midst of His Church. The entire wonderful vision,

as stated at the beginning, is Messianic in character. Every attempt at interpreting the individual points of this great painting are both futile and foolish; but this one great fact stands out, namely, that the Lord, speaking in terms of Old Testament worship, intended to give the believers some idea of His great Temple of the New Testament, of the communion of saints, bound together by the true faith in Jesus, the Messiah.

Daniel, according to the testimony of this book and of various historical references, cp. Matt. 24, 15. 21; Mark 13, 19; 1 Pet. 1, 10. 11; 2 Thess. 2, 3. 4, its author, was a member of one of the foremost Jewish families, possibly even of kingly descent. Having been led away into captivity at one of the conquests of Jerusalem, about in the year 606 B. C., he was taken to Babylon and there, under the name Belteshazzar, trained for special service at the court of Nebuchadnezzar. Although surrounded by temptations of every kind, Daniel remained true to the religion of his fathers.

God en

dowed him with an extraordinary measure of wisdom, particularly with reference to the interpretation of dreams. Owing to the fact that he gave the correct explanation of a strange dream of the king, he was elevated to a high position in the kingdom, in which he was continued by some of Nebuchadnezzar's successors, such as Evil-merodach, Belshazzar, and later Darius. He was still living when Cyrus became the head of the empire, but did not return to Jerusalem with the other exiles. Cp. Ezra 1, 2. The fame of his wisdom and of his justice extended far beyond his immediate neighborhood and beyond the circle of his own people. Apparently Daniel reached an age of more than ninety years, but there is no authentic account of the time and manner of his death, although there is some apocryphal material concerning various incidents in his life. The Book of Daniel may readily be divided into two fairly equal parts, the first of which is chiefly historical, telling of various outstanding experiences in the life of Daniel, while the second gives an account of various visions which he had concerning the kingdoms of the world and Messiah, the King, the interpretation of the strange matters being given him by angels. There is a close inner connection between the two parts, a fact which emphasizes the unity of the book, which is further substantiated by the linguistic agreement. A feature of the book is the fact that all the

sections intended specifically for the Jewish people are written in Hebrew, while those pertaining to the whole world are written in Aramaic, which at that time was the language of the world.

The purpose of the book, which, with respect to its prophecies, is apocalyptic in character, is to show the Lord's people, who were at that time in the power of their enemies, that God is able to protect His children, who fear Him, even against the greatest and mightiest men of the earth, and to give them the comforting reassurance that all the machinations of the enemies of God must come to an end at His command, while the kingdom of the Lord remains forever.

As far as the character of Daniel's work is concerned, we may say: "Daniel and Ezekiel were contemporaries and lived in the same country, the kingdom of Babylon. But while Ezekiel labored among his captive countrymen on the banks of the Chebar, Daniel preached the name of God in the court of the king who had conquered the Jews. His preaching produced a profound impression. Nebuchadnezzar declared at different times that he was greatly moved by the words of Daniel (chap. 2, 47; 3, 29; 4, 33. 34). King Darius spoke in a similar vein (chap. 6, 26. 27). This does not imply, however, that these great kings became true believers of the Gospel; history shows that they did not experience a real change of heart; they continued to worship their heathen idols and died as idolaters. Due to the peculiar circumstances under which Daniel spoke, his style is also peculiar. He does not use the common prophetic expression, "Thus saith the Lord,' nor does he, as the prophets usually do, address the people of his time. His predictions are highly symbolical. Regarding the final revelation he writes: 'And I heard, but I understood not' (chap. 12, 8. 9).” 1)

1) Concordia Bible Class, May, 1919, 76-78; Fuerbringer, Einleitung in das Alte Testament, 74-78.

The Early History of Daniel. DANIEL AND HIS FRIENDS BROUGHT ΤΟ BABYLON.-V. 1. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, cp. 2 Kings 24, 1; 2 Chron. 36, 6. 7, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. This account, which has been declared to be untrue by unbelieving Bible critics, is abundantly supported and verified by secular accounts, as recent investigations have shown; for even if Nabopolassar was king of Babylon at the beginning of this year, his death took place while Nebuchadnezzar was in the midst of his expedition against Jerusalem, and so the latter was king in fact before the city was taken.2) V. 2. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, the rest being taken in later expeditions, 2 Kings 25, which he carried into the land of Shinar, the ancient name for Babylonia, to the house of his god, the temple of Bel, one of the chief deities of Babylon; and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god, the usual storage-place of vessels made of precious metals. The object of this expedition was merely to make Jerusalem and Judah tributary to the king of Babylon. Later expeditions increased the power of the world empire over Jerusalem, until it was finally subjugated and destroyed, some twenty years later. V. 3. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, the chief of all the officers of the court, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, of those who had been taken captive to Babylon, and of the king's seed and of the princes, 2 Kings 20, 17. 18, v. 4. children, young men of the middle adolescent period, between the ages of sixteen and twenty, in whom was no blemish, that is, no physical defect, so that they would be faultlessly handsome, but well favored, this being considered essential among Oriental nations in the case of those destined for court service, and skilful in all wisdom, with the evident talent to acquire knowledge and ability rapidly, and cunning in knowledge and understanding science, that is, with good, sound judgment and common sense in applying the knowledge which they possessed and gained, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, to become accustomed to the ways and manners of a king's court, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans, that of the learned classes of the Babylonian people. Their course of study would thus comprise all that was taught in the highest schools of the empire, and their training would be that of

2) Cp. Wilson, Studies in the Book of Daniel, 58.

the noblest youths of the empire. V. 5. And the king appointed them, namely, for those who were to be selected, a daily provision of the king's meat, of the food which was served on his own tables, and of the wine which he drank, literally, "of the wine of his drinking," or "banqueting," so nourishing them three years, their education and their physical development going hand in hand, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king, fully equipped for his service as courtiers and advisers, or in whatever capacity he might choose to use them. V. 6. Now, among these, among the youths selected in accordance with this royal order, were of the children of Judah, of the most prominent tribe of the Jewish people; Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, v. 7. unto whom the prince of the eunuchs, as being in charge of this entire experiment, gave names; for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah of Shadrach, and to Mishael of Meshach, and to Azariah of Abed-nego. "The changing of names as a sign of entrance into the condition of subjection to a ruler is a frequently attested custom of Oriental and classical antiquity." It is significant that all these names had definite meanings, a fact which it might be well for Christian parents to remember as they bring their children to Christ, their merciful King, in Holy Baptism. The giving of meaningless and heathen names ought certainly to be discouraged in all Christian congregations.

DANIEL FAITHFUL TO HIS RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS. — V. 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart, definitely made up his mind, that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat nor with the wine which he drank, chiefly because the heathen had the custom of consecrating their food and, in fact, their entire meals by offering a portion to their gods, cp. 1 Cor. 10, 18-20; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel's resolution to refrain from the king's food thus was due to the fact that he had the proper spiritual understanding of the Law, that he desired to be obedient to its spirit as well as to its letter. V. 9. Now, God, whose kind providence is brought out throughout the narrative, had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs, so that the latter was favorably disposed toward Daniel, was ready to grant him any reasonable request from the outset. V. 10. And the prince of the eunuchs, to whom Daniel promptly presented his petition, said unto Daniel, as he gave evidence of the favor. able mental attitude which he had toward the Jewish youth, I fear my lord, the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink, by a definite command; for why should he