The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917], at sacred-texts.com
Daniel Chapter 2
Chaldeans
That is, the men having the ancient wisdom; the learned; Chaldeans par excellence (Dan 2:13). "wise"
Syriack [Syriac]
From (Dan 2:4); (Dan 7:28) the Book of Daniel is written in Aramaic, the ancient language of Syria, and substantially identical with Chaldaic, the language of ancient Babylonia. Upon this fact, together with the occurrence of fifteen Persian, and three Greek words has been based an argument against the historicity of Daniel, and in favour of a date after the conquest of Palestine by Alexander (B.C. 332). It has, however, seemed, with some modern exceptions, to the Hebrew and Christian scholarship of the ages an unanswerable proof rather of the Danielic authorship of the book that, living from boyhood in a land the language of which was Chaldaic, a great part of his writing should be in that tongue. It has often been pointed out that the Chaldaic of Daniel is of high antiquity, as is shown by comparison with that of the Targums. The few words of Persian and Greek in like manner confirm the writer's residence at a court constantly visited by emissaries from those peoples. It is noteworthy that the Aramaic section is precisely that part of Daniel which most concerned the peoples amongst whom he lived, and to whom a prophecy written in Hebrew would have been unintelligible. The language returns to Hebrew in the predictive portions which have to do with the future of Israel.
"The Hebrew of Daniel is closely related to that of Ezekiel." -- Delitzsch.
captain
Or, executioner, (Dan 2:24).
revealeth
See margin reference, (Gen 41:45).
(See Scofield) - (Gen 41:45); (Dan 4:9); (Job 15:8); (Psa 25:14); (Pro 3:32); (Mat 6:6).
what should come
Times (of the Gentiles)
(Dan 2:29-45); (Rev 16:19); (Luk 21:24).
great image
The monarchy-vision. Nebuchadnezzar's dream, as interpreted by Daniel, gives the course and end of "the times of the Gentiles" (Luk 21:24).
(See Scofield) - (Rev 16:19)
That is, of Gentile world-empire. The four metals composing the image are explained as symbolizing (Dan 2:38-40) four empires, not necessarily possessing the inhabited earth, but able to do so (Dan 2:38), and fulfilled in Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece (under Alexander), and Rome. The latter power is seen divided, first into two (the legs), fulfilled in the Eastern and Western Roman empires, and then into ten (the toes)
(See Scofield) - (Dan 7:26).
As a whole, the image gives the imposing outward greatness and splendour of the Gentile world-power.
The smiting Stone (Dan 2:34); (Dan 2:35) destroys the Gentile world-system (in its final form) by a sudden and irremediable blow, not by the gradual processes of conversion and assimilation; and then, and not before, does the Stone become a mountain which fills "the whole earth."
(Compare (Dan 7:26); (Dan 7:27).
Such a destruction of the Gentile monarchy-system did not occur at the first advent of Christ. On the contrary, He was put to death by the sentence of an officer of the fourth empire, which was then at the zenith of its power. Since the crucifixion the Roman empire has followed the course marked out in the vision, but Gentile world dominion still continues, and the crushing blow is still suspended. The detail of the end-time is given in (Dan 7:1-28); and Revelation 13-19. It is important to see
(1) that Gentile world-power is to end in a sudden catastrophic judgment
(see "Armageddon," (Rev 16:14); (Rev 19:21).
(2) that it is immediately followed by the kingdom of heaven, and that the God of the heavens does not set up His kingdom till after the destruction of the Gentile world-system. It is noteworthy that Gentile world-dominion begins and ends with a great image. (Dan 2:31); (Rev 13:14); (Rev 13:15).
mountain
A mountain is one of the bibical symbols of a kingdom.
(See Scofield) - (Isa 2:2).
wheresoever the children
This is universal dominion. It was never fully realized, but power was given for it.
but there shall be
From the "head of gold" (Dan 2:38) to the "iron" of the "fourth kingdom" (Rome) there is deterioration in fineness, but increase of strength (Dan 2:40). Then comes the deterioration of the "fourth kingdom" in that very quality, strength.
(1) Deterioration by division: The kingdom is divided into two, the legs (Eastern and Western empires), and these are again divided into kingdoms, the number of which when the Stone smites the image will be ten toes, (Dan 2:42); Compare (Dan 7:23); (Dan 7:24).
(2) Deterioration by admixture; the iron of the Roman imperium mixed with the clay of the popular will, fickle and easily moulded. This is precisely what has come to pass in the constitutional monarchies which, the Republic of France and the despotism of Turkey, cover the sphere of ancient Roman rule.
and in the days
The passage fixes authoritatively the time relative to other predicted events, when the kingdom of the heavens will be set up. It will be "in the days of those kings," that is, the days of the ten kings (compare (Dan 7:24-27) symbolized by the toes of the image. That condition did not exist at the advent of Messiah, nor was it even possible until the dissolution of the Roman empire, and the rise of the present national world system.
See "Kingdom (Old Testament)"; (Gen 1:26); (Zac 12:8).
"Kingdom (New Testament)"; (Luk 1:31-33); (Co1 15:28);
(See Scofield) - (Mat 3:2)
note (defining "kingdom of heaven"). Verse 45 repeats the method by which the kingdom will be set up.
(See Scofield) - (Dan 2:31); (Psa 2:5); (Psa 2:6); (Zac 14:1-8); (Zac 14:9).
Daniel
Compare (Gen 19:1) Lot the compromiser with Daniel the inflexible.