In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, [and] told the sum of the matters.
Ver. 1. In the first year of Belshazzar.] Here beginneth, to speak properly, the prophecy of Daniel, or rather the second part of Daniel's works, which is concerning visions exhibited of God by divine revelations, not to others, but to himself. This vision is the subject and groundwork of the rest that follow to the end of the prophecy. One not unfitly compareth it to a general map of the whole world; the rest to particular tables of various countries.
Daniel had a dream and visions of his head.] God renewed unto him the same thing by vision which he had exhibited before by dream, in recompense of his religious care to know the matter and to record it for the Church's comfort. a
Then he wrote the dream.] It was God's will the visions of the prophets should be written Isa 30:10 and published to the Church. Isa 30:30
a Jun.