John Calvin Commentary Daniel 8:13-14

"Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one who spake, How long shall be the vision [concerning] the continual [burnt-offering], and the transgression that maketh desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings [and] mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." — Daniel 8:13-14 (ASV)

Here he expresses more clearly what I previously stated, unfolding God’s intention of consoling and soothing the sorrows of the pious, so that they would not sink under the severity of their trials at the sight of an impious tyrant domineering in the sanctuary of God. Besides, the place God had promised would be His perpetual dwelling-place was exposed to impious superstitions, for the idol of Jupiter Olympius was erected there, as the history of the Maccabees informs us .

God therefore wished to uphold His servants, so that too severe a temptation would not overwhelm them, and so that trial in so many forms would not cause them to yield and become deficient in piety through lack of courage. But while Daniel is stupefied by astonishment, God provides for his weakness through an angel.

Daniel himself, without doubt, inquired about the vision, as we will see he did later. But here God desired to meet him, as He saw the holy man so overcome by fear that he scarcely dared to make any inquiry. God, therefore, here provides remarkable proof of His fatherly goodness and care, by intervening and sending His angel to make inquiries in the Prophet’s name.

He says, then, he heard a holy one, meaning an angel. For, although God condescends to call the faithful by this honorable title while they are dwelling in the world, yet the superior purity of angels is familiar to us, as they are altogether free from the lusts of the flesh.

But we, alas, are detained in this prison-house; we are bound down in slavery to sin and are polluted by much corruption. The holiness of angels, however, is far greater than that of mortals, and thus this attribute of holiness is properly applied to them. When Daniel was caught up by the prophetic spirit, he was separated from human society and was admitted to that of angels.

An angel then, said to the wonderful one. The Hebrews often use this expression when they mean “whoever it may be”—ploni almoni—and apply it to places as well as persons. They also use it for any place unknown or concealed to them. They treat the noun as compounded of two words, and many interpret it as “anyone unknown,” but I think the word is more emphatic than this.

Daniel here brings forward an angel speaking and adds dignity to his description by calling him holy. Without doubt, then, the person of whom the angel asked the question was his superior; it is not likely that he would be called a certain one, while the angel is termed a holy one.

Reason, then, requires the expression to be applied to some angel whose glory was incomprehensible, or at least far superior to ordinary ones. For, as Daniel calls one angel holy, so he would have called the rest, as we will see later. When treating, however, of a distinct being, he uses the word פלמוני, palmoni, and its etymology guides us to its sense, as meaning something mysterious and incomprehensible.

Then, who does not see that Christ is denoted, who is the chief of angels and far superior to them all? In Isaiah 9:6, He is called פלא, pela, “wonderful.” The word in the text is a compound one, as we have said, but as פלא, pela, signifies “hidden” in Hebrew, as Christ is so called, and as in Judges 3:1, God claims this name as peculiarly His own, all these points agree well together.

The sense then is, an angel comes to Christ for the sake of Daniel and of the whole Church, and seeks from Him, as from the supreme teacher and master, the meaning of the declarations that we have just heard. We need not feel surprise at angels inquiring about eternity, as if it were unknown to them.

It is the prerogative of God alone to know all things, while the knowledge of angels is necessarily limited. Paul teaches us to wonder at the Church being gathered out of Gentile and alienated people; this was a mystery hidden from angels themselves, before God truly revealed Himself as the Father of the whole world (Ephesians 3:10).

Hence, there is no absurdity in supposing angels to inquire into mysteries, as ignorance is not necessarily deserving of blame, and as God has not raised His creatures to His own level. It is His distinct domain to know all things and to have everything under His eye.

The angel desires to understand this mystery, not so much for his own sake as for the sake of the whole Church, for we know them to be our ministers, according to the clear testimony of the Apostle (Hebrews 1:14). As they keep watch over us so carefully, it does not surprise us to find the angel inquiring so anxiously about this vision, and thus benefiting the whole Church through Daniel.

Meanwhile, we must notice that Christ is the chief of angels and also their instructor, because He is the eternal Wisdom of God. Angels, therefore, must draw all the light of their intelligence from that single fountain. Thus, angels draw us to Christ by their example and induce us to devote ourselves to Him through the conviction that this is the supreme and only wisdom.

If we are His disciples—being obedient, humble, and teachable—we will desire to know only what He will reveal to us. But the angel asks, What is the meaning of the vision of the perpetual sacrifice, and of the sin? That is, what is the object of the vision concerning the abrogation of the perpetual sacrifice, and concerning the sin that lays waste?

As to the second point, we explained yesterday the various opinions of interpreters, some applying it to Antiochus, who impiously dared to violate God’s temple, and others to the priests. But we said the people were intended, so that many, as they are accustomed, would not blame the Almighty for so heavily afflicting the Church.

But God wished to testify that this devastation originated from the sins of the people. It is just as if the angel had said, How long will the sacrifices cease? How long will this vengeance, by which God will chastise the wickedness of His people, endure? For the sin is called devastating because it is the cause of that calamity.

It is afterwards added, how long will the sanctuary and the army be trodden down? That is, how long will the worship of God, true piety, and the people themselves be trodden down under this cruel tyranny of Antiochus?

But this question has far more impact than if the Prophet had said, as we saw yesterday, that the punishment should be consistent and temporary. It was now necessary to explain what had already been stated more clearly. Thus, this question was interposed to make Daniel more attentive and to stir up the people through this narrative to pursue learning. For it is no common event when angels approach Christ for our sakes and inquire about events concerning the state and safety of the Church. Therefore, as angels discharge this duty, we must be worse than stone if we are not urged to eagerness and care in pursuing divine knowledge. We see, then, why this passage concerning the angel is interposed.

The phrase, And he said to me, now follows. This ought to be referred not to the angel inquiring, but to the Wonderful One. From this we rather gather the great anxiety of the angel concerning the interpretation of the prophecy, not for his own sake, but for the common benefit of the pious.

Respecting this Wonderful One, though I am persuaded He was the Son of God, yet whoever He was, He certainly does not reject the angel’s request. Why then does He address Daniel rather than the angel? Because the angel was not seeking his own benefit, but took up the cause of the whole Church, as we have shown how angels are occupied in our salvation.

Thus also we see how the angel notices the Prophet’s astonishment, when he was almost dead, and had not thought of inquiring for himself, or at least did not dare to break forth at once; for he afterwards recovered himself and was raised up by the angel’s hand, as we will soon perceive. The Wonderful One said to me—that is, the incomprehensible or the mysterious one said to me—for two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings, then the sanctuary shall be justified. Here, Hebrew interpreters disagree whether they should understand the number of years or of months; but it is surprising to perceive how grossly they are mistaken in such a clear matter.

The expression, to evening and morning, is not doubtful, since Christ clearly means two thousand three hundred days; for what else can the phrase, morning and evening, signify? It cannot be used of either years or months. Evidently, we should understand natural days here, consisting of twenty-four hours each.

Those who interpret it as years and months are wretchedly mistaken, and even ridiculous in their calculations. For some begin to calculate the time from Samuel; they next descend to the reign of Saul, and next to that of David. Thus they foolishly trifle because they do not understand the intention of Christ, who wished His Church to be forewarned of the coming empires and slaughters, to make the faithful invincible, however severely they might be oppressed on all sides.

Christ therefore wished to hold up a light to direct all the elect through the approaching darkness under the tyranny of Antiochus, and to assure them that in its very depths they would not be deserted by the favor of God. Hope would thus elevate their minds and all their senses toward the promised end.

To what purpose, then, do those interpreters speak of the reigns of Saul and David? We see this to be altogether foreign and adverse to the mind of Christ, and to the use of this prophecy. No less absurd is the guess of those who talk foolishly about months. Their refutation would occupy three or four hours and would be a waste of time, entirely unprofitable.

It is sufficient to gather this simple meaning from the words—Christ does not speak here of years or months, but of days. We must now seek the true interpretation of the passage from the whole context. We have shown how impossible it is to explain this prophecy in any other way than by referring it to Antiochus: the event itself proves this to be its meaning.

Blind indeed must be those who do not hold this principle—the small horn sprang from one of those remarkable and illustrious persons who came forth in place of one very large horn. Even boys know this by reading the accepted history of those times. As Christ here alluded to the tyranny of Antiochus, we must observe how His words accord with the facts.

Christ numbers 2300 days for the pollution of the sanctuary, and this period comprehends six years and about four months. We know the Jews used lunar years as well as months. They afterwards used intercalary periods, since twelve lunar months did not correspond with the sun’s course. The same custom prevailed among both Greeks and Romans.

Julius Caesar first arranged for us the solar year and supplied the defect by intercalary days, so that the months might accord with the sun’s course. But however that was, these days, as I have said, fill up six years and three months and a half. Now, if we compare the testimony of history, and especially of the book of Maccabees, with this prophecy, we shall find that suffering people oppressed for six years under the tyranny of Antiochus.

The idol of Olympian Jove did not remain in the temple for six continuous years, but the commencement of the pollution occurred at the first attack, as if he would insult the very face of God. No wonder then if Daniel understood this vision of six years and about a third, because Antiochus then insulted the worship of God and the Law; and when he indiscriminately shed innocent blood, no one dared openly to resist him.

As, therefore, religion was then laid prostrate, until the cleansing of the temple, we see how very clearly the prophecy and the history agree, as far as this narrative is concerned. Again, it is clear the purifying of the temple could not have been at the end of the sixth current year, but in the month כסלו, Keslu, answering to October or November, as learned men prudently decide, it was profaned.

For this month among the Jews begins sometimes in the middle of October, and sometimes at the end, according to the course of the moon; for we said the months and years were lunar. In the month Keslu the temple was polluted; in the month אדר, Ader, about three months afterwards, near its close, the Maccabees purged it .

Thus the history confirms in every way what Daniel had predicted many ages previously—indeed, nearly three hundred years before it happened. For this occurred a hundred and fifty years after the death of Alexander. Some time also had already elapsed, as there were eight or ten kings of Persia between the deaths of Cyrus and Darius.

I do not remember any but the chief events just now, and it should be sufficient for us to perceive how Daniel’s predictions were fulfilled in their due time, as historians clearly narrate. Without the slightest doubt, Christ predicted the profanation of the temple, and this would depress the spirits of the pious as if God had betrayed them, had abandoned all care for His temple, and had entirely given up His election and His covenant.

Christ therefore wished to support the spirits of the faithful by this prediction, thereby informing them how fully they deserved these future evils as a consequence of their provoking God’s wrath; and yet their punishment should be temporary, because the very God who announced its approach promised at the same time a favorable outcome.

Respecting the phrase, the sanctuary shall be justified, some translate it—“Then the sanctuary shall be expiated;” but I prefer retaining the proper sense of the word. We know how usually the Hebrews use the word justify when they speak of rights. When their own rights are restored to those who have been deprived of them—when a slave has been blessed with his liberty—when he who has been unjustly oppressed obtains his cause, the Hebrews use this word justified. As God’s sanctuary was subject to infamy by the image of Olympian Jove being exhibited there, all respect for it had passed away; for we know how the glory of the temple sprang from the worship of God. As the temple had been defiled by so great disgrace, it was then justified when God established His own sacrifices again and restored His pure worship as prescribed by the Law. The sanctuary, therefore, shall be justified; that is, vindicated from that disgrace to which for a time it had been subject. It follows: —