(3) Abomination of the Egyptians. The third marked use of this word again occurs in Egypt. The king tells the Israelites to offer to their god the sacrifices which they desired, without going to the desert for that purpose. To which Moses objects, that they should have to sacrifice to the Lord 'the abomination of the Egyptians,' who would thereby be highly exasperated against them (Exod. viii :25, 26). A reference back to the first explanation shows that this 'abomination' was the cow, the only animal which all the Egyptians agreed in holding sacred ; whereas, in the great sacrifice which the Hebrews proposed to hold, not only would heifers be offered, but the people would feast upon their flesh.
(4) The Abomination of Desolation. In Dan. ix :27, literally, 'the abomination of the desolater,' which, without doubt, means the idol or idola trous apparatus which the desolater of Jerusalem should establish in the holy place. This appears to have been a prediction of the pollution of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes, who caused an idolatrous altar to be built on the altar of burnt offerings, whereon unclean things were offered to Jupiter Olympius, to whom the temple itself was dedicated. Josephus distinctly refers to this as the accomplishment of Daniel's prophecy, as does the author of the first book of Maccabees, in de claring that 'they set up the abomination of desola tion upon the altar'—emaoinio-au 76 Poeuenta 117 1pvacbcrews Fri rd Ovataarliptov (i Macc. i:59; vi:7; 2
Mace. vi:2-5; Joseph. xii:5, 4; xii:7, 6).
(5) Terms Quoted by Jesus. The phrase is quoted by Jesus in the form of 'the abomination of desolation' (Matt. xxiv :t5), and is applied by him to what was to take place at the advance of the Romans against Jerusalem. They who saw 'the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place' were enjoined to 'flee to the moun tains.' And this may with probability be re ferred to the advance of the Roman army against the city with their image-crowned standards, to which idolatrous honors were paid, and which the Jews regarded as idols.
(6) Later Appearance. Nor was this the last appearance of 'the abomination of desolation in the holy place,' for not only did Hadrian, with studied insult to the Jews, set up the figure of a boar over the Bethlehem gate of the city (2F.lia Capitolina), which rose upon the site and ruins of Jerusalem (Euseb. Chron, 1. i., p. 45, ed. 1658), but he erected a temple to Jupiter upon the site of the Jewish temple (Dion Cass. lxix :12), and caused an image of himself to be set up in the part which answered to the most holy place (Nice phorus Callist. :24). This was a consummation of all the abominations which the iniquities of the Jews brought upon their holy place.