Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/375



ABUCHODONOZOR had  a dream  which  terrified  him greatly. He saw  a large  statue ;  the  head  was  of  gold, the breast  and  arms  of  silver,  the  belly  and  thighs  of  brass,  the legs of  iron,  and  the  feet  part  iron  and  part  clay. Then he noticed  a stone  rolling  from  the  mountain,  which  struck  the statue on  the  feet  and  shattered  it;  and  behold,  the  stone  became a great  mountain  and  filled  the  whole  earth. None of  the wise men could  interpret  the  dream. Whereupon the  king passed sentence  of  death  upon  all  the  wise  men. Then Daniel came to  the  executioner,  saying:  Do  not  kill  the  wise  men,  but bring me  before  the  king,  and  I will  tell  him  the  solution  of  the dream. Daniel first  told  the  king  that  no  one  but  the  God  of heaven  and  earth  revealeth  mysteries,  and  then  proceeded  to  explain the  dream.

The whole  statue  signified  the  great  empires  of  the  world that would  succeed  each  other. The head  of  gold  betokened  the reign of  Nabuchodonozor  himself,  most  glorious  among  kings;  the breast and  the  arms  of  silver  represented  the  next  empire,  that of the  Medes  and  Persians;  the  belly  and  the  thighs  of  brass prefigured the  dominion  of  Alexander  the  Great;  the  legs  and