7:25 He will speak words against the Most High.
He will harass 13 the holy ones of the Most High continually.
His intention 14 will be to change times established by law. 15
They will be delivered into his hand
For a time, times, 16 and half a time.
11:36 “Then the king 25 will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the time of 26 wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must occur. 27 11:37 He will not respect 28 the gods of his fathers – not even the god loved by women. 29 He will not respect any god; he will elevate himself above them all. 11:38 What he will honor is a god of fortresses – a god his fathers did not acknowledge he will honor with gold, silver, valuable stones, and treasured commodities. 11:39 He will attack 30 mighty fortresses, aided by 31 a foreign deity. To those who recognize him he will grant considerable honor. He will place them in authority over many people, and he will parcel out land for a price. 32
12:1 “At that time Michael,
the great prince who watches over your people, 33
will arise. 34
There will be a time of distress
unlike any other from the nation’s beginning 35
up to that time.
But at that time your own people,
all those whose names are 36 found written in the book,
will escape.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn Or “be victorious over”; traditionally, “overcome.”
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the woman’s escape.
4 tn Grk “her seed” (an idiom for offspring, children, or descendants).
5 tn Or “who obey.”
6 tn Grk “and having.”
7 tn Grk “the testimony of Jesus,” which may involve a subjective genitive (“Jesus’ testimony”) or, more likely, an objective genitive (“testimony about Jesus”).
8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tc Grk ἐστάθη (estaqh, “he stood”). The reading followed by the translation is attested by the better
10 tn Or “sandy beach” (L&N 1.64).
11 sn The standard critical texts of the Greek NT, NA27 and UBS4, both include this sentence as 12:18, as do the RSV and NRSV. Other modern translations like the NASB and NIV include the sentence at the beginning of 13:1; in these versions chap. 12 has only 17 verses.
12 tn Aram “prevailing against” (KJV and ASV both similar); NASB “overpowering them”; TEV “conquered them.”
13 tn Aram “wear out” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB, NLT “wear down.” The word is a hapax legomenon in biblical Aramaic, but in biblical Hebrew it especially refers to wearing out such things as garments. Here it is translated “harass…continually.”
14 tn Aram “he will think.”
15 tn Aram “times and law.” The present translation is based on the understanding that the expression is a hendiadys.
16 sn Although the word times is vocalized in the MT as a plural, it probably should be regarded as a dual. The Masoretes may have been influenced here by the fact that in late Aramaic (and Syriac) the dual forms fall out of use. The meaning would thus be three and a half “times.”
17 tn Heb “extraordinarily he will destroy.”
18 tn Heb “he will succeed and act.”
19 tn See the corresponding Aramaic expression in 7:27. If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. One could translate, “people belonging to (i.e., protected by) the holy ones.” If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” One could translate simply “holy people.” For examples of a plural appositional genitive after “people,” see 11:15, 32. Because either interpretation is possible, the translation has deliberately preserved the ambiguity of the Hebrew grammar here.
20 tn The Hebrew term has a primary meaning of “skill, insight,” but here it has the connotation “cunning, treachery.” See BDB 968 s.v. שֵׂכֶל, שֶׂכֶל.
21 tn Heb “he will cause deceit to succeed by his hand.”
22 tn Heb “in his heart he will act arrogantly.”
23 tn Heb “in peace.” The Hebrew word used here is difficult. It may refer to the security felt by those who did not realize the danger of imminent attack, or it may refer to the condition of being unaware of the impending danger. The latter idea is reflected in the present translation. See further, BDB 1017 s.v. שַׁלְוָה.
24 tn Heb “with nothingness of hand.”
25 sn The identity of this king is problematic. If vv. 36-45 continue the description of Antiochus Epiphanes, the account must be viewed as erroneous, since the details do not match what is known of Antiochus’ latter days. Most modern scholars take this view, concluding that this section was written just shortly before the death of Antiochus and that the writer erred on several key points as he tried to predict what would follow the events of his own day. Conservative scholars, however, usually understand the reference to shift at this point to an eschatological figure, viz., the Antichrist. The chronological gap that this would presuppose to be in the narrative is not necessarily a problem, since by all accounts there are many chronological gaps throughout the chapter, as the historical figures intended by such expressions as “king of the north” and “king of the south” repeatedly shift.
26 tn The words “the time of” are added in the translation for clarification.
27 tn Heb “has been done.” The Hebrew verb used here is the perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of fulfillment.
28 tn Heb “consider.”
29 tn Heb “[the one] desired by women.” The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
30 tn Heb “act against.”
31 tn Heb “with.”
32 tn Or perhaps “for a reward.”
33 tn Heb “stands over the sons of your people.”
34 tn Heb “will stand up.”
35 tn Or “from the beginning of a nation.”
36 tn The words “whose names are” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.