With the Clouds of Heaven: The Book of Daniel in Biblical Theology

New Studies in Biblical Theology #32

by James M. Hamilton Jr.

And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom." (Daniel 7:13-14 ESV). Perceiving a hole in evangelical biblical theology that should be filled with a robust treatment of the book of Daniel, James Hamilton takes this chance to delve into the book's rich contribution to the Bible's unfolding redemptive-historical storyline. By setting Daniel in the broader context of biblical theology, this canonical study helps move us toward a clearer understanding of how we should live today in response to its message. First, Hamilton shows how the book's literary structure contributes to its meaning, and then addresses key questions and issues, concluding by examining typological patterns. This New Studies in Biblical Theology volume argues that the four kingdoms prophesied by Daniel are both historical and symbolic that the "one like a son of man" seen by Daniel is identified with and distinguished from the Ancient of Days in a way that would be mysterious until Jesus came as both the son of David and God incarnate. He elaborates that the interpretations of Daniel in early Jewish literature attest to strategies similar to those employed by New Testament authors and exposes that those authors provide a Spirit-inspired interpretation of Daniel that was learned from Jesus. He also highlights how the book of Revelation uses Daniel's language, imitates his structure, points to the fulfillment of his prophecies and clarifies the meaning of his "seventieth week." Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Christian, Biblical, Academic, Reference

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2014

About the author

James M. Hamilton Jr. (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of biblical theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and preaching pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church. He is the author of God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment and the Revelation volume in the Preaching the Word commentary series.

Reviews

[Chase Riebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamilton cranked out a certified biblical-theological BANGER with this bad boy. Especially helpful to my study of Daniel were Chapters 3, 4, 6, and 9. From the standpoint of teaching Daniel, I found these chapters to be quite applicable to how I presented the book to the students. It's in these chapters that Hamilton draws arguments for the literary structure of the book, the identity of the "one like the son of man," the usage of Daniel in the New Testament, and the arguments for the four kingdoms in the latter chapters of Daniel. And, there have been so many good questions from the students pertaining to these subjects that were able to be answered with Hamilton's logic! For that reason, this book was indispensable. Not only that, but it was so refreshing diving back into some rigorous biblical resources again.

Snag this!

[Tim Sheppard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful reflection on lots of Daniel. James M Hamilton Jr has done a great job of exploring this rich prophet in order to share its treasures, and I was very grateful for many of his observations.

I enjoyed various moments where he explained his approach - especially his deeply held evangelical convictions, and his determination to honour authorial intent and recognise where Bible books come in the context of salvation history. Chapter 1's uninspiring title ("Preliminaries") undersells the excellent principles it unfolds, and similar lines later in the book express his commitment to a compelling methodology (e.g. "Thus, when we work back from the gospels to the Old Testament, we should not expect to find Chalcedonian Christology"). Even as the rest of the book traced through the themes of Daniel without steadily working through, Hamilton has drawn together the big lessons of the prophet in a way that helpfully tied them together, and seemed to honour the Daniel's message. Furthermore, there are moments when his writing is simply enjoyable to read (where his prose is almost lyrical, despite being a deliberately academic book).

Of course, there are exceptions to all that! The illustration with which he opened Ch8 felt confusing rather than illustrative. At moments I had to re-read paragraphs several times just to understand what was being said. And there were (perhaps inevitably with a book on Daniel) moments when I definitely disagreed with what he said. Hamilton's rigid chiastic structure to Daniel self-consciously failed to account for the structural implications of the Aramaic/Hebrew split (though not without raising intriguing options); his perspective on 'the millennium' in Revelation 20 also led to different conclusions from those I would draw (conclusions which influence much of the latter half of the book!).

Yet he was so clear in how he'd reached those conclusions, I was able to see what I disagreed with, and why I did - and had enough to go away and evaluate whether I should change my mind. I have been left with stuff to chew on, and I'm really grateful for that.

Perhaps my biggest criticism is that the later part of the book felt like 'assorted ideas about how this links to the rest of the Bible', rather than the culmination of all that we've seen. Where books like Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? conclude with a sense of 'drawing threads together', the final 3 chapters of the book fell slightly short of that. Yes, he connected Daniel to the wider context of the Bible... but in what felt more like an index than the climax of a novel. Beautiful paragraphs that spanned from Daniel to Jesus could have soared, but instead they were tantalising over what could have been.

Nonetheless a great resource for anyone wanting to give Daniel a deep dive.

[Jonathan Ginn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful monograph to situate myself as I prepare to preach through Daniel in 2025. I really enjoyed the first few chapters of the book. Some of the later chapters felt a little less integral to the overall work.

[Brian Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as I taught on Daniel at my church in Brazil. It contains a wealth of material on Daniel from a biblical theological perspective. I'm not sure the book had a central thesis (it felt more like a collection of essays), but Hamilton succeeds at demonstrating his approach to BT using Daniel as a test case.

Even though Dan 2-7 is clearly a chiasm, I'm not sure I agree with Hamilton's chiastic structure of the whole book. But his treatment (ch. 3) is full of insightful connections within the book of Daniel. Very helpful.

His treatment of the kingdoms (ch. 4) and 70 weeks (ch. 5) could have been better organized, in my opinion. I would have benefited from a more deductive approach, thesis statements, and clear timelines. (I'm also unconvinced that we should not read Daniel's 70 weeks literally; I find Gentry's approach more helpful.)

I was captivated by his final chapter, proposing that Daniel saw himself as a new Joseph. "If Daniel was a new Joseph, following on his heels would be (after perhaps a new Egyptian oppression/enslavement) a new exodus led by a new Moses who would mediate a new covenant for the enjoyment of a new Eden conquered by a new Joshua replete with the reign of a new David" (p. 224). Among other similarities, Joseph and Daniel were both deported to a foreign land ahead of their brothers so they would be ready to receive them and speak to the king on their behalf. He also notes that if Cyrus = Darius (which I'm inclined to believe), then Daniel might have been in power for such a time as this to help Cyrus write the decree to return the exiles to their homeland.

[Lindsay John Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The full review can be read here: http://mydigitalseminary.com/with-the...

I can certainly recommend With the Clouds of Heaven as an introduction to Daniel, its literary features, and its place within the canon. This would serve as an excellent textbook for a Daniel class, but any reader would benefit from looking at Daniel through such a wide-angle lens. Hamilton offers a fresh evangelical contribution to the vast literature on Daniel. It’s unavoidable in a book on Daniel that the author’s idiosyncrasies will reveal themselves, but being exposed to differing views and rethinking one’s own can be a very healthy and sharpening experience!

Many thanks to IVP UK for providing a copy of this book in exchange for review. Their generosity did not affect my review.

[Brian Collins]

I found much to appreciate in Hamilton's biblical theology of Daniel. Hamilton forthrightly holds to the early date for the book and defends the necessity of this understanding for right interpretation of the book. Hamilton also has his eye on both the theology of Daniel and how that theology connects to the rest of the canon. Finally, I found the book full of exegetical insights. For instance, I thought his treatment of the parallels between various visions well-done.

I have three criticisms, however. First, I do not find Hamilton's chiastic structure for the book compelling. I rarely find chiastic structures for books compelling. Too often the sections are unbalanced and the parallels created by the author's wording rather than by the text. This is the case with Hamilton's structure of Daniel. For instance, Hamilton labels chapter 1 "Exile to the unclean realm of the dead." Yet chapter 1 does not clearly identify Babylon as the realm of the dead. The parallel closing section, 10-12, Hamilton labels "Return from exile and resurrection from the dead." This label works for chapter 12, but it doesn't really work for chapters 10-11.

Second, I find Hamilton's approach typology to be somewhat over-imaginative. For instance, I see the parallels that Hamilton draws between Joseph and Daniel, but whether that makes Joseph a type of Daniel is unclear to me. What is more I think it is a stretch to use these parallels to connect Daniel to the New Exodus theme.

Third, I find Hamilton's interpretation of Daniel's 70 sevens unconvincing. One of my motivations for reading Hamilton was to examine alternatives to the dispensational approach to this passage in which the first 69 sevens stretch from a decree of a Persian monarch related to the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the first coming of Christ and in which the 70th seven awaits a future fulfillment. Hamilton takes the first seven weeks to refer to the "time between the revelation of these things to Daniel and the conclusion of Malachi's prophetic ministry." The troubled sixty-two weeks are the intertestamental period. The seventieth week extends from the establishment of the church to the return of Christ, the last half of the week being the time of Antichrist (131-32; 215-16).

Hamilton begins by discounting the literal nature of Jeremiah's 70 year prophecy. Hamilton says, "If Daniel counted from the time of his own exile to Babylon in 605 BC, the first year of Darius in 539/538 BC would be roughly seventy years." He concludes from this "Daniel seems to take the seventy years as a round number that broadly corresponds to an individual's lifespan" (123). This leads to another conclusion, in turn. Since the 70 years of Jeremiah were not literal years, "I do not think Daniel intended the seventy weeks to be understood literally either" (124). But there are several weak links in this chain of reasoning. First, even if one does not adopt one of the interpretations that finds Jeremiah's prophecy fulfilled precisely (Hamilton calls these interpretations "strained" but fails to engage with them), the years may still be literal rather than figurative. As Hamilton notes, the time span was "roughly seventy years." A "round number," as Hamilton designates Jeremiah's seventy years, is not necessarily a figurative number. In fact, if the number is a round number it would seem that it is not merely a symbolic number. Furthermore, if the number is a round number that is fulfilled in roughly seventy years rather than in exactly seventy years, why would Daniel conclude that the number is symbolic of a lifespan? Hamilton appeals to Isaiah 23:15 and Psalm 90:10 as evidence that the Bible uses 70 symbolically for a lifespan. But even if Isaiah 23:15 is referring to an idealized period of time with regard to Tyre, this does not mean that Jeremiah is doing so with regard to Israel. Second Chronicles 36:20 says that the exile was for seventy years so that the land would enjoy its Sabbaths. This would be an inspired indication that the 70 years for Israel should be taken more literally than that for Tyre. Furthermore, understanding the seventy years for Tyre literally is not beyond the realm of possibility. Erlandsson notes that "between the years 700 and 630 . . . Assyria did not permit Tyre to engage in any business activity." S. Erlandsson, The Burden of Babylon: A Study of Isaiah 13:2-14:23 (Lund: Gleerup, 1970), 102 as cited in Geoffrey Gorgan, "Isaiah," Expositor's Bible Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), 6:147.

Hamilton also argues that the 70 sevens of Daniel 9 are not to be taken as actual years because Ezekiel speaks of differing period: a 430 year period of judgment (430 years being symbolic of the sojourn in Egypt) (124-25). The comparison between Ezekiel 4 and Daniel 9 is far from apt. Ezekiel is obviously working with symbols throughout Ezekiel 4, so for his numbers to symbolically represent exile in Egypt/Mesopotamia is understandable. However, the prophecy of the seventy sevens follows on a prophecy of seventy years that was fulfilled in "roughly seventy years." We would expect then the seventy sevens to follow to be actual years rather than merely symbolic years unless there is some compelling reason to the contrary.

The only other reason that Hamilton gives for taking the 70 sevens as symbolic is that 490 amounts to a tenfold jubilee. This is interesting in light of the fact that Jeremiah's 70 year prophecy dealt with giving the land its Sabbath rest. I'm not entirely convinced in light of the in fact that 9:24 provides readers with the purposes for the seventy sevens prophecy and does not raise mention the jubilee. In any event, granting the symbolism does not eliminate the possibility of literal years. Hamilton would likely grant two literal trees stood in the Garden of Eden from one of which Adam and Eve literally ate fruit. Yet at the same time these trees bore a profound symbolic significance.

I found Hamilton's reasons for rejecting a literal 490 years view similarly dissatisfying. He writes: "Questions multiply for those who would take the 490 years literally, involving both the date from which to count (from 538, 458, or 445 BC?) and the event that marks completion (until the birth of Jesus, until his triumphal entry, until the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, or until his return?) And do we factor in a 'parenthesis' that is the church age, leaving a literal seventieth week, or do we switch from a literal understanding of the first sixty-nine weeks to a symbolic understanding of the seventieth? In addition to these would seem to be an additional question: How are Daniel's 490 years to be harmonized with Ezekiel's 430?" (126, n. 13) This is one of the few places where I thought Hamilton was actually unfair to his opponents. Of course, historical questions multiply if a text is understood historically rather than merely symbolically. But this is true throughout the whole book. Questions multiply for those who believe Daniel to be a historical figure who wrote in the reigns of the kings mentioned in the book that don't arise if he were merely a symbolical character created by an author in Maccabean times. Nonetheless, Hamilton rightly mounts a strong defense of the historicity of Daniel. The questions of terminus ad quo and terminus ad quem should not prejudice interpreters against a historical understanding of the 490 years. Similarly, if one understands the exodus as a historical event, "questions multiply": several dates are possible and several attempts at harmonizing biblical and Egyptian chronology have been proposed. The fact that these multiple proposals exist doesn't invalidate the historicity of the event.

There are several ways by which 69 sevens can be seen to extend from a decree of a Persian monarch related to rebuilding the city to the life of the Messiah prior to his crucifixion. The fact that these calculations can be made in a number of different ways (that is, from different starting points, using solar years or 360 day years, etc.) should not obscure the amazing fact these years at the very least roughly span the period of time from decrees to rebuild to the time of Christ. In fact the timing is so close that I find it odd, then, to dismiss a literal interpretation of these years. What is more, one does not have to be a dispensationalist to understand these years literally. Hamilton's colleague Peter Gentry does so in Kingdom through Covenant. Gentry, contrary to a dispensational view, locates the seventieth week within the ministry of Christ. Hamilton, however, makes cogent arguments against Gentry that the seventieth is eschatological. Of course if the years are literal, and if the sixty-ninth year terminates sometime in Jesus's ministry, and if the seventieth week is still future, the means that there is a lengthy gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth years. Personally, I don’t find that troublesome as there are numerous Old Testament prophecies that are fulfilled partially in the first come and partially in the second.

The lengthy critique of Hamilton's position on Daniel 9 should not detract however from my recommendation of this book. Disagreements aside, I filled my notes on Daniel with many helpful observations from this book.

[Mike Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamilton, in my opinion, is one of the best OT exegetes among conservative evangelical scholars. This book is well worth a read to any preacher or Christian trying to get a better grasp of the book of Daniel. Hamilton makes convincing arguments of how Daniel interprets itself, and he is excellent at showing connections with other OT scriptures.

There are some points of interpretation I wish he spent more time on, but he was incredibly thorough in his presentation on the 70 weeks. The book is worth it for that presentation alone. Hamilton loves himself some chiasms, so expect there to be a good amount of talk about them in sections on literary structure.

[Collin Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great biblical theology! Hamilton always does so well to put out meaning from literary structure in each book of the Bible. He is so technical with the text that it makes anything he’s arguing for, hard to argue with.

[Brandon Sickling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on interpretation of Daniel. Highly recommend this book!

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good theological treatment of the book of Daniel. Hamilton places it in the larger context of the development of biblical thought, from Abraham through Revelation. I don't agree with everything he has written here, but it is one of the best things I've read on Daniel. I particularly appreciate the fact that he defends the traditional date and authorship of the book.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A true study of the biblical theology of Daniel, including its structure, key themes, how the book influences both early Jewish literature and the New Testament, and how it connects to key themes throughout scripture.

In this book, James M. Hamilton, Jr. sets out to give us an evangelical biblical theology of the book of Daniel. He begins by assuming a canonical approach to the book of Daniel, that Daniel would have had access to most of the works that preceded his, and he contends, against a significant part of the scholarly community for dating Daniel in the exile, and not in the Maccabean period of the second century B.C.

Working from these assumptions then, Hamilton sets out first to consider Daniel's contribution to the Old Testament picture of the history and future of the world, which is one that reflects the literary structure of exile and return, with the critical piece of the four kingdoms, the coming of the Son of Man, and the end of days including the 70 weeks. He considers the visions of Daniel 2-4, 7-8, and 10-12 and their meaning, the beastly powers that attempt to stamp out the people of God against which the faithful are to stand in hope. He then discusses the seventy weeks, with the persecution of the faithful and the ultimate victory of the son of man. With that he turns to the various heavenly figures throughout Daniel and considers which may be equated with the son of man, and actually determines that none can be definitively equated with him.

Chapters 7 to 9 then explore how the book of Daniel influenced early Jewish literature, the New Testament other than Revelation, and finally the use of and fulfillment of Daniel in Revelation. Hamilton argues that not only the language but also the structure of Revelation parallels that of Daniel.

I thought the final chapter the most interesting as Hamilton considers Daniel as part of the big story of all of scripture, considering the parallels of Daniel with Joseph in Egypt, Nehemiah, Esther, Jehoiachin, and finally Jesus. Daniel's life is a type as intercessor, one who "rises from the dead" and his message with the four kingdoms, during the last of which the kingdom of the son of man comes, in the sixty ninth week, as it were. Hamilton sees the seventieth week as divided into the first half, a long period of growth and witness, and a final tribulation the last three and a half days (a shorter time he argues) before the final victory of the son of man and the resurrection of the dead.

Whether or not one agrees with all of Hamilton's conclusions, what is most valuable in this book is the careful work in the structure and theology of Daniel, the appropriation of Daniel in later literature, and the place of Daniel within the canon of Scripture. Furthermore, Hamilton draws out Daniel's vision of history that is of great encouragement to faithfulness as kingdom advance is met with beastly resistance and brutal opposition. Daniel's faithful witness and prophetic word call us to a faithful witness that looks one way or the other to the Lord for deliverance from the lion's mouth, and for the final restoration of all things.

This is a wonderful resource for the student of scripture who wants to understand more deeply the inter-textual connections between Daniel and the rest of scripture. It is a valuable resource to those who would teach or preach this book and a good complement to any commentary in understanding the "big picture" of Daniel.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a canonical biblical theological study of Daniel Hamilton's book is a very helpful aide that fills a hole in evangelical scholarship. The book is most helpful in placing Daniel within the larger biblical story. It's particularly valuable in showing how the book draws on OT imagery and narrative and then showing how the NT writers draw on Daniel. If I were preaching through Daniel I'd want this book at hand for this material. The book isn't an exhaustive study and I suppose it succeeds in doing what it sets out to do, but I was disappointed that Hamilton interacts so little with alternative and opposing viewpoints. I was attracted to the book because of Hamilton's aim to read Daniel in light of an early date of composition. A fair bit of how one interprets Daniel hinges on whether one holds to an early or a late date. Hamilton offers some good evidence for an early date, but offers almost no interaction with the evidence for a late date and resorts to what I would consider "well poisoning" when it comes to a late date: essentially that if the book was written after the exile the author was a liar and offers only a false hope while encouraging the saints to persevere. This is shallow and unfair and, I think, intellectually dishonest. I was also disappointed with Hamilton's futurist interpretation, which essentially adheres to an historical premillennialist view. As a result he pretty much ignore some of the most obvious connections between Daniel's Son of Man vision and the Ascension of Jesus. He also ignores the obvious connections between Daniel and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Again, it's a good and very helpful book, but the milage one gets out of it will depend on whether or not one agrees with Hamilton's futurist eschatology.

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book and content overall, just really hard to read and therefore not very enjoyable. Definitely useful for preparing sermon or study on Daniel though.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the Clouds of Heaven: The Book of Daniel in Biblical Theology by James M. Hamilton is one of the newer volumes in the longstanding series New Studies In Biblical Theology by IVP Academic Publishing. This admirable series is edited by D.A. Carson is renowned for its impeccable research, its engagement with current scholarship, and conformity to the basic tenants of orthodoxy. The book of Holy Scripture which this volume focuses on is on the book of Daniel.

Now Daniel is a short narrative of scripture with lots of prophecy, one which has intrigued and fascinated Pastors and Scholars alike. Furthermore the book of Daniel has a long and broad history of interpretation. With the Clouds of Heaven, strives to explore the vast landscape of various Biblical Theological interpretations of Daniel while evaluating which interpretations are sound with some advice on which interpretive methods to take.

In regard to the text of the book itself, there are 10 various studies in Daniel throughout the book. One of the most important one is the study of typology in the book of Daniel examining how Daniel is a type of Abraham, Joseph, Esther, and Christ. Typology is an important study yet it is one that needs to be taken with care, let one strays into heresy. Hamilton has done a fantastic job in this.

In the end I would wholeheartedly recommend, With the Clouds of Heaven, to any Pastor, Bible Teacher, or Sunday School teacher who is preparing for a long in-depth exposition of the book of Daniel. I only regret that that this book was not already published last time I was teaching through Daniel for it would have been a helpful addition to my preparation.

This book was provided to me free of charge from IVP Academic Publishers in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

With the Clouds of Heaven: The Book of Daniel in Biblical Theology

© 2014 by James M. Hamilton

Publisher: IVP Academic

Page Count: 272 Pages

ISBN-13: 978-0830826339

[Pig Rieke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Hamilton’s biblical theology of Daniel seeks to examine the canonical and redemptive setting of Daniel, the structure of the book, provide some theological answers, and look at how Daniel informs the New Testament. To be clear, the book is not a commentary on Daniel nor a commentary on the use of Daniel elsewhere, it is an evaluation of how Daniel adds to the narrative of Scripture and reforms what came afterward.

In terms of the quality of the work, ironically the chapters directly dealing with Daniel were the most difficult to read while those dealing with preliminaries, redemptive history, Daniels use elsewhere, and typology proved to be the most informative and helpful. For this reason and for the cumbersome writing style at times, I feel compelled to give it a mixed review.

[Brent McDaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this Book for my Old Testament II class which was taught by Hamilton. After reading some other books by him, I knew this one was probably going to be great. If you are like me (maybe you’re not) I have always been a bit hesitant when reading books about the end times. However, for my class I chose to do a book review on this book and also wrote a paper on the 4th beast in Daniel 7. This book made all of Daniel come together and also how it fit into the rest of the Canon. I would recommend this book to anyone who is studying Daniel. The only advice I would give is to read Daniel from beginning to end at least a couple times before reading this book. Hamilton seems to assume that the reader is well acquainted with Daniel in his writing.

[Kelle Craft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful. Some of Hamilton’s arguments get a bit lost in the weeds, and some of them are a bit overstated, but overall I’ve found this to be an essential read as I prepare for my preaching series on Daniel.

I do wish he would’ve spent more time expounding upon the way the book and theology of Daniel teach of Christ, I feel like his “fulfillment in Christ” section in the final chapter (which was only 3 short paragraphs) was just a tacked add-on. But don’t let these slight criticisms detract from the great scholarship and use that this book affords to those seeking to better understand what can at times be a complicated book.

[Kyle Halleck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I interact with Hamilton’s work I grow in appreciation for him. He is thorough and biblical and still very readable. The book was less of a commentary than I was hoping for but walked through the themes of the book of Daniel that both grew my understanding and made me realize there is much left for me to learn.
Hamilton goes through Scripture to show Daniel’s use in other books of the Bible and how it corresponds to the whole overarching redemptive storyline.
I highly recommend this for anyone wanting to do a deeper dive on the book of Daniel, Hamilton does a great job.

[Matthew Le Croissette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a little dry compared to some others in the NSBT series. Each part felt like a useful resource in itself, but the book lacked a sense of progression - more like chapters in a reference work than a unified book. There were some real gems scattered throughout, and I’ll definitely come back to specific chapters and pages I’ve folded over.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hamilton wrote this book because he was teaching a class on Daniel in seminary and didn't have a textbook to give his students for Daniel's "place" in the canon, how it fits with the other books of the Bible. He talks a lot about how Daniel fits with other prophecy. He also discusses the structure of Daniel as a book a lot, comparing different approaches to how its organized. Good resource.

[Joshua Reichard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful book on how Daniel fits into the over all arching story of the Bible. Not a book to read if you are not familiar with Daniel but a good one if you are ready to be challenged and ready to think hard about biblical truths.

[Jonathan Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a bit challenging, but definitely a fascinating read. The book of Daniel is so much more than moralistic stories. This book helped me to see and learn things that I never knew until now. Please read it.

[William T. Brittain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Wow! Wow!

This book opens up biblical themes that explain much that has been confusing to me over the hears. It is amazing to see how these strands are woven together in such intricate detail.

[Jesse Fenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid installment from the New Studies in Biblical Theology series. Jim Hamilton convincingly demonstrates Daniels contribution to unfolding drama of redemption and reminds us that Bible tells one story.

[Samuel Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the meaning of Daniel in Biblical Theology. Few have Dr. Hamilton's grasp of the language and structure of the Old Testament which allows him to trace and present Daniel's use of the Old Testament to give hope of a new Exodus.

[Ramendra Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice book every Christian should read this book.

[Judson Marvel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful resource, as well as a good discussion on the dating of Daniel and Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch

[Liam Chilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit premillennial in places for my liking but worth it just for page 83 which outlines the structure of Daniel and sums up the message in one sentence. What a page!

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! Helpful breakdown of Daniel and put into Bible context. Great to not skip over the tricky details.

[Brent Loveless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I do not agree with all of his eschatological details, Carson does a good job of showing how the book of Daniel fits within the entirety of the Scriptures.