Texts in Conversation
Daniel 8:23 echoes Genesis 15:16 by portraying judgment as withheld until wrongdoing can no longer be ignored. Both passages use this idea to explain divine patience, connecting Abraham’s promised return with the later fall of oppressive powers. The theme of measured sin became a common pattern used in many Jewish traditions.
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Genesis 15:16
Hebrew Bible
15 But as for you, you will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch passed between the animal parts.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Daniel 8:23
Hebrew Bible
22 The horn that was broken and in whose place there arose four others stands for four kingdoms that will arise from his nation, though they will not have his strength. 23 Toward the end of their rule, when rebellious acts are complete, a rash and deceitful king will arise. 24 His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will cause terrible destruction. He will be successful in what he undertakes. He will destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones.
Date: 2nd Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Daniel 8:23 ... when crimes reach their full measure. Literally, 'when crimes are complete' For the same sense, compare 9:24: 'until crime is stopped and sins brought to full measure' and also 2 Maccabees 6:14: 'The Lord waits patiently to punish the other nations until they have reached the full measure of their sins.' This concept was traditional in Israel, from Genesis 15:16 ('The iniquity of the Amorites will not have run its course until then') to Matthew 20:32 ('You fill up the measure of your fathers'). Therefore, the reading of the Syriac and Vulgate (compare LXX and Theodotian) is preferable to the reading of the Masoretic text ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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