Page 220 - Daniel

recurs in historical sections dealing with the Persian Empire (Neh. 1:1;
Esth. 1:2, 5; 2:3, 5). Susa the capital, nevertheless, was destined in the
Persian Empire to become the capital rather than Babylon. This was
unknown at the time of Daniel’s vision, although Susa had served as the
capital of the Elamites in antiquity. Conservative scholars find a genuine

prophetic prediction in this reference to Susa.
Daniel found it necessary to define in particular the location of this

city, something a second-century pseudo-Daniel would not have had to
do. Some critics have attempted to prove that Daniel was in error
because Elam was probably not a province of Babylon at that time;
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however, Daniel did not literally say that it was. It is possible that Susa
was a province of Media when Daniel had his vision. 9

Daniel was by the “Ulai canal,” which Montgomery says “can best be
identified with an artificial canal which connected the rivers Choastes
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and Coprates and ran close by Susa.” Archer notes that the canal was
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not too far from the city itself. The fact that Daniel was standing
beside the canal, and not inside the palace, suggests that birah is better
translated as “capital” than “citadel” in verse 2.
In a word, Daniel found himself projected in vision to a canal beside a
town little known at that time and unsuspected for future grandeur, yet

destined to be the important capital of Persia, the home of Esther, and
the city from which Nehemiah came to Jerusalem. Beginning in 1884,
the site of ancient Susa, then a large mound, has been explored and has
divulged many archeological treasures. The code of Hammurabi was
found there in 1901. The famous palace there was begun by Darius I and

enlarged by later kings. Remains of its magnificence can still be seen
near the modern village of Shush. This unusual setting described in
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detail by Daniel became the stage on which a great drama was portrayed
in symbol, describing the conquests of the second and third empires.

THE RAM WITH THE TWO HORNS (8:3–4)

8:3–4 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the
bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one
was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the