Darius the Median. Through not noting the fact that "Darius" was an appellative denoting "the Maintainer", and used by Xerxes and others, modern critics have denied the existence of such. king. ASTYAGES was called "Darius". CYRUS (his son) was co-regent. His general GOBRYAS took the city in the name of CYRUS. See Isaiah 45:1. Compare Jeremiah 51:30; Jeremiah 51:31. See notes there. Consult App-57.
took. Chaldee. k ebal. to take from another. Compare Daniel 7:18. Not the same word as in verses: Daniel 5:5; Daniel 5:2; Daniel 5:3, which is nephak. to take out; or Daniel 5:20, which is 'adah. remove.
threescore and two. Born 488 B.C. Herodotus states that CYRUS was about forty years of age at the taking of Babylon (in 426 B. c). At that age his father ASTYAGES ("Darius the Median") was about "threescore and two years old" (Daniel 5:31). Cyrus would therefore be just forty, according to the chronology of App-60, having been born in 466 B.C.