The Skeptics Annotated Bible (663 page)

8 And by
the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be
the offering which ye shall offer of
five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts
, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it.

(48.8)
“The border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be … five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts.”

9
The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth.

(48.9) “The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth.”

10 And for them, even
for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length
: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof.

(48.10)
“For the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length.”

11 It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.

12 And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites.

13 And over against the border of the priests
the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand.

(48.13) “The Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand.”

14 And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD.

15 And
the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city
, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof.

(48.15) “The five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city.”

16 And these shall be the measures thereof
; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred
.

(48.16) “The north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred.”

17 And
the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty.

(48.17)
“The suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty.”

18 And
the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion
; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city.

(48.18)
“The residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion.”

19 And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel.

20 All
the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare
, with the possession of the city.

(48.20) “The oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare.”

21 And
the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince
: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof.

(48.21)
“The residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince.”

22 Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince’s, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince.

23 As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion.

24 And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion.

25 And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion.

26 And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion.

27 And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion.

28 And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.

29 This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD.

(48.30) “These are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.”

30 And
these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.

31 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi.

32 And
at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates
; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.

(48.32) “At the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates.”

33 And
at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates
; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun.

(48.33) “At the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates.”

34
At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates
; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.

(48.34)
“At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates.”

35
It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there
.

(48.35) “It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.”

The king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces.
—
Daniel 6.24

Although the book of Daniel was supposedly written during the Babylonian Exile by an official of King Nebuchadnezzar, modern scholars date its writing to the second century BCE. The reasons for this include:

• It is listed in the Writings of the Jewish canon, rather than the Prophets. This indicates that Daniel was written after the collection of prophetic books had been closed (sometime after 300 BCE).
  
• Parts of the book (2.4-7.28) were written in Aramaic, which suggests a later date when Aramaic had become the common language.
  
• The author of Daniel used Persian and Greek words that would not have been known to residents of Babylon in the 6th century BCE.
  
• The book contains numerous historical inaccuracies when dealing with 6th century BCE Babylonian history. Such mistakes would not have been made by an important official of King Nebuchadnezzar.
  
• Daniel is the only book in the Old Testament in which angels are given names (such as Gabriel in 8.16 and 9.21 and Michael in 10.13, 10.21, and 12.1 ). Elsewhere in the Bible, names for angels only appear in the in the Apocrypha and the New Testament.
  
• The absence of Daniel’s name in the list of Israel’s great men in Ecclesiasticus.
  
• Nebuchadrezzar is spelled Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel, which is the way the king’s name was spelled, under Greek influence, at a later time.
  
• In 2.2 the king’s wise men are called “Chaldeans.” But at the time of Nebuchadrezzar, “Chaldean” would have referred to a nationality. It was only centuries later that this word came to mean sorcerer or astrologer.
  

Modern historians and bible scholars generally agree on the proper interpretation of the dreams in the book of Daniel. Fundamentalists, however, adamantly disagree with them and with each other. Since I am neither fundamentalist nor scholar, I will make no attempt to interpret Daniel’s bizarre dreams.

Daniel Highlights:

• Nebuchadnezzar decrees that anyone who says anything against the Hebrew god “shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall become a dunghill.”
  3.29
  
• Nebuchadnezzar eats grass, grows hair like eagle feathers, and has nails like bird claws.
  4.33
  
• A detached hand writes upon a wall.
  5.5-6
  
• Nebuchadnezzar orders those who accused Daniel (including their wives and children) to be cast into the lions den.
  6.24
  

1
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

(1.1)
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.”
The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim would be 606 BCE, at which time Nebuchadnezzar was not yet king of Babylon. It was 597 BCE that Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem for the first time (without actually destroying it). By that time Jehohiakim was dead and his son, Jehoiachin, was ruling.

2 And
the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand
, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

(1.2)
“The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his
[Nebuchadnezzar’s]
hand.”

3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;

4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

7 Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.