8. The book has two parts: I. The history of Daniel and his companions under the Kings Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius (Daniel 1-6). II. The prophetic visions of Daniel under Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus (Daniel 7-12). A Synoptic Table of the book, and its Interpreters, ancient, Reformed, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Hebrew.
But, since in this book, First, the history of certain Kings, and also of Daniel and his companions (Daniel 1-6), and, Second, illustrious visions (Daniel 7-12), are woven together, a two part division of the whole shall be in readiness, which it is now agreeable to pursue.
I. The history of Daniel and his companions, under Kings, both Nebuchadnezzars, Belshazzar, and Darius, Chapters 1-6. See:
1. A summary of the History, wherein is narrated both the expedition of Nebuchadnezzar against Jehoiakim and the deportation of the vessels (verses 1, 2); and the selection of Daniel and his companions for the education of those to be chosen among the Royal Ministers (verses 3-7); and in the time of education their frugal living and their progress in letters (verses 8-17); and their selection among the Royal Ministers, and their wisdom most highly approved to the King (verses 18-20); and, finally, the life of Daniel extended all the way to Cyrus (verse 21): chapter 1.
2. The history of Daniel and his companions under the latter Nebuchadnezzar: chapters 2-4. See:
a. The dream of Nebuchadnezzar, wonderful in mystery, which he first vainly asks of the Magicians to repeat and interpret (verses 1-13); Daniel then, offering himself to Arioch, with the grace of GOD humbly implored (verse 14-23), and having been brought before the King, and by way of preface speaking some things concerning the true GOD, prescient of future things, and the anxiety of the King (verses 24-30), without hesitation recites the dream (verses 31-35), and successfully interprets it, demonstrating in the Colossus the succession of four kingdoms (verses 36-45), with Nebuchadnezzar hence proclaiming the glory of God, and giving Daniel great gifts, honors, and authority, and also promoting his companions (verses 46-49): chapter 2.
b. A trial, fiery, or πύρωσιν, by fire, of Daniel’s companions, who, with a most unbecoming idolatry commanded by Nebuchadnezzar (verses 1-7), refusing to adore the King’s statue, established as guilty by the royal edict, having been bound by the feet, are cast into the midst of the flames of the burning furnace (verses 8-22), with the flames devouring the ministers of this abominable work, but not even touching Daniel’s companions, with whom, even singing in the furnace, an Angel is seen to join himself (verse 23-27), with the King greatly admiring the Divine virtue in the present matter, and promulgating by edict the worship of the true GOD alone (verses 28-30): chapter 3.
c. A new dream of Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up to the highest degree of glory, and being overly haughty, whereby he is upset, and in vain seeks its interpretation from the Chaldean Magicians (verses 1-7); he reveals it to Daniel (verses 8-18), who, unfolding the mystery of the tree seen, exhorts the King to repentance after the punishment of pride declared to him (verses 19-27), with the event then proving the truth of the prediction of the humbling of Nebuchadnezzar, removed from all fellowship with men, but then repenting (verses 28-37): chapter 4.
3. The history of Daniel under Belshazzar, whose impious deed is narrated, bringing forth the sacred vessels, taken from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and stored in the treasury, unto the sumptuousness and licentiousness of a Royal feast (verses 1-4), whence suddenly he sees fingers writing on the wall, the writing of which, when the Chaldean Astrologers were not able to read it (verses 5-9), Daniel, brought upon the advise of the Queen, reads and interprets, that destruction hangs over the King, dishonoring the sacred vessels, and his Kingdom is given to the Medo-Persians (verses 10-28), with Daniel presented with purple and exalted, but the King killed on the same night (verses 29-31): chapter 5.
4. The history of Daniel under Darius the Mede, from whom by calumny his Nobles obtain, that Daniel, whom he had made Exarch, not praying to the King alone, is cast into the den of lions in order to be torn (verses 1-17); who, nevertheless, is divinely preserved, with the mouth of the lions shut, and is brought forth from the den by Darius (verses 18-23), with his calumniators, together with their wives and children, cast down into the den, and torn by the lions (verse 24), but with Darius himself promulgating an edict concerning reverencing Daniel’s God (verses 25-27), and with Daniel acting prosperously in the kingdom of Darius and Cyrus (verse 28): chapter 6.
II. The Prophetic Visions of Daniel under Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus, Chapters 7-12. See:
1. Two visions of Daniel under Belshazzar: chapters 7; 8. See:
a. The first vision, in the first year of Belshazzar, concerning four Kingdoms, appearing in the world before the granting of the Kingdom and all power to the people of the saints, under the type of a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a frightful beast, having great iron teeth and ten horns (verses 1-7), among all which one little horn was arising (verse 8), with the Ancient of Days then sitting for judgment and slaying that fourth beast (verses 9-12), with the Son of man afterwards approaching to the Ancient of Days and taking hold of the Kingdom (verses 13-15), which vision one of those standing by afterwards explains to Daniel ἀνὰ μέρος, by turns (verses 16-28): chapter 7.
b. The vision in the third year of Belshazzar concerning the things immediately preceding the advent of Christ: in which is then shown to Daniel both an appearance of a ram (verse 4), and of a he-goat, with his great horn rushing upon the ram, and casting him down, with four other horns succeeding the broken horn of the he-goat, of which one was surpassing the others in malignity (verses 5-14); and by Gabriel, thus commanded by a voicing crying from the Ulai, the fates of the Kingdoms of Persia, Macedonia, and Seleucia: and also the calamities to come upon the Jews by Antiochus are set forth (verses 15-27): chapter 8.
2. A vision seen in the first year of Darius, wherein Daniel, with the end of period of seventy years from the book of Jeremiah observed (verses 1, 2), and most ardently supplicating for the restoration of the people (verses 3-19), by Gabriel is rendered more certain of the hearing of his prayers, with seventy weeks determined for the repression of defection, the end of sins, expiation of wickedness, the bringing in of eternal righteousness, the sealing of the vision, and the anointing of the holy of holies: of the destruction of the people through the Romans, unto the consummation, going to be distilled upon the one astounded (verses 20-27): chapter 9.
3. A vision see in the third year of Cyrus, wherein the Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires, and in that the destiny of the Church, are unfolded: chapters 10-12. In which:
a. Daniel, bitterly lamenting the calamities of his countrymen returned to Judah and the worship halted by adversaries (verses 1-3), is rendered more certain by an Angel concerning his own help and that of the Archangel Michael in leading back and protecting against the King of Persian, and the coming happenings of the Church soon to be revealed to him (verse 4-15); and is strengthen against fear, with his lips also touched (verses 16-21): chapter 10.
b. The Angel reveals to Daniel, that the Greeks were going to succeed the Persians (verses 1-3), and in Syria and Egypt aggressive Kings were going to succeed one another (verses 4-9); and that Antiochus the Great was going to manage all things with cruelty, violate the very sanctuary, and put an end to the continual sacrifice, yet he himself was also going to be put to an end by the people of GOD conducting the matter successfully (verses 10-32); and that in the succeeding time the prudent were going to teach others, the Church was going to undergo new persecutions, but then also to be raised up with a little help, many were going to act with that flattery, and the faithful were afterwards going to be refined (verses 33-35); until a certain King come, whose outrageous crimes, and in those his society with the foreign God of Mauzim,[1] and so his multifaceted destiny is described (verses 36-45): chapter 11.
c. The same Angel, weaving the web of his narration, unfolds the straits about to come upon the Church from the above mentioned King, the deliverance of those of them that were written in the book, the awakening of many from those sleeping, and the glory of those teaching and justifying others (verses 1-3), and then orders the sealing of the book until the time of the end (verse 4), when also this very thing is further explained to Daniel in a vision together with marks indicating the times (verses 5-13): chapter 12.
[1] Daniel 11:38: “But the God of forces (וְלֶאֱלֹ֙הַּ֙ מָֽעֻזִּ֔ים) shall he honour in his estate: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.”