| 5.1.3
Gender Identification in Verse 10. In verse 10, the subjects are all
verbal in nature and each one is feminine in form. Although it can be
argued that feminine verbal subjects refer to the horn from littleness
(inherently feminine), this logic would also require the verbal forms of
verse 11 to be feminine (it exalts itself); but the verbal form is
masculine (he exalts himself). Hence it is suggested that Daniel intended
a gender change from masculine in verse 9 to feminine in verse 10 to
indicate a distinct phase change in activity of the horn. The papal aspect
of the activity in verse 10 is readily apparent. According to Shea the
focus of the activity in verse 10 has a vertical dimension clearly
exhibiting a religious character with the horn attacking the host and
stars of heaven, symbolically the people of God.18
This religious persecution is described in Dn. 7:21 & 25 which is
explicitly related to the papal phase of Rome according to all historicist
expositors.
5.1.4
Gender Identification in Verse 11 |