Daniel 8:11-12

8:11 It also acted arrogantly against the Prince of the army, ¹  from whom ²  the daily sacrifice was removed and whose sanctuary ³  was thrown down. 8:12 The army was given over, ⁴  along with the daily sacrifice, in the course of his sinful rebellion. ⁵  It hurled ⁶  truth ⁷  to the ground and enjoyed success. ⁸ 

Daniel 8:25

8:25 By his treachery ⁹  he will succeed through deceit. ¹⁰  He will have an arrogant attitude, ¹¹  and he will destroy many who are unaware of his schemes. ¹²  He will rise up against the Prince of princes, yet he will be broken apart – but not by human agency. ¹³ 

[8:11]  ¹ sn The prince of the army may refer to God (cf. “whose sanctuary” later in the verse) or to the angel Michael (cf. 12:1).

[8:11]  ² tn Or perhaps “and by him,” referring to Antiochus rather than to God.

[8:11]  ³ sn Here the sanctuary is a reference to the temple of God in Jerusalem.

[8:12]  ⁴ tc The present translation reads וּצְבָאָהּ נִתַּן (utsÿva’ah nittan) for the MT וְצָבָא תִּנָּתֵן (vÿtsava’ tinnaten). The context suggests a perfect rather than an imperfect verb.

[8:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “in (the course of) rebellion.” The meaning of the phrase is difficult to determine. It could mean “due to rebellion,” referring to the failures of the Jews, but this is not likely since it is not a point made elsewhere in the book. The phrase more probably refers to the rebellion against God and the atrocities against the Jews epitomized by Antiochus.

[8:12]  ⁶ tc Two medieval Hebrew MSS and the LXX have a passive verb here: “truth was hurled to the ground” (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV).

[8:12]  ⁷ sn Truth here probably refers to the Torah. According to 1 Macc 1:56, Antiochus initiated destruction of the sacred books of the Jews.

[8:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “it acted and prospered.”

[8:25]  ⁹ 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.

[8:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he will cause deceit to succeed by his hand.”

[8:25]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in his heart he will act arrogantly.”

[8:25]  ¹² 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.

[8:25]  ¹³ tn Heb “with nothingness of hand.”