Daniel1
English Standard Version
Tap any underlined word for the original Hebrew or Greek.
1 In the of the of of , of to and .
2 And the of into his , of the of the of . And he to the of , to the of his , and the in the of his .
3 Then the , his , to of the of , both the and the ,
4 , of and in , with , , and to in the , and to them the and of the .
5 The them a the that the ate, and of the that he . They were to be for , the of that time they were to the .
6 Among these were , , , and the of .
7 And the of the them : he , he , he , and he .
8 But he would himself with the , or with the that he . Therefore he the of the to him to .
9 And and in the of the of the ,
10 and the of the to , my the , your and your ; should he that were in the are of your own ? So you would my with the .
11 Then to the the of the had , , , and ,
12 your for ; let us be to and to .
13 Then let our and the of the who the be by , and your according to you .
14 So he to them in , and them for .
15 the of it was that they were in and in the who the .
16 So the took their and the they were to , and them .
17 As for , them and in and , and had in and .
18 At the of the , the had that they should be , the of the in .
19 And the with them, and of them was like , , , and . Therefore they the .
20 And in of and about the of them, he them the and were in his .
21 And was there the of .
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Daniel 1Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Daniel 1. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The captivity of Daniel and his companions. (1-7). Their refusal to eat the king's meat. (8-16). Their improvement in wisdom. (17-21).
vv1-7
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, took Jerusalem, and carried whom and what he pleased away. From this first captivity, most think the seventy years are to be dated. It is the interest of princes to employ wise men; and it is their wisdom to find out and train up such. Nebuchadnezzar ordered that these chosen youths should be taught. All their Hebrew names had something of God in them; but to make them forget the God of their fathers, the Guide of their youth, the heathen gave them names that savoured of idolatry. It is painful to reflect how often public education tends to corrupt the principles and morals.
vv8-16
The interest we think we make for ourselves, we must acknowledge to be God's gift. Daniel was still firm to his religion. Whatever they called him, he still held fast the spirit of an Israelite. These youths scrupled concerning the meat, lest it should be sinful. When God's people are in Babylon they need take special care that they partake not of her sins. It is much to the praise of young people, not to covet or seek the delights of sense. Those who would excel in wisdom and piety, must learn betimes to keep the body under. Daniel avoided defiling himself with sin; and we should more fear that than any outward trouble. It is easier to keep temptation at a distance, than to resist it when near. And we cannot better improve our interest in any with whom we have found favour, than to use it to keep us from sin. People will not believe the benefit of avoiding excess, and of a spare diet, nor how much they contribute to the health of the body, unless they try. Conscientious temperance will always do more, even for the comfort of this life, than sinful indulgence.
vv17-21
Daniel and his fellows kept to their religion; and God rewarded them with eminence in learning. Pious young persons should endeavour to do better than their fellows in useful things; not for the praise of man, but for the honour of the gospel, and that they may be qualified for usefulness. And it is well for a country, and for the honour of a prince, when he is able to judge who are best fitted to serve him, and prefers them on that account. Let young men steadily attend to this chapter; and let all remember that God will honour those who honour him, but those who despise him shall be lightly esteemed.
Key Words
שָׁלוֹשׁ: three; occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multiple) thrice
שָׁנֶה: a year (as a revolution of time)
מַלְכוּת: a rule; concretely, a dominion
יְהוֹיָקִים: Jehojakim, a Jewish king
מֶלֶךְ: a king
יְהוּדָה: Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר: Nebukadnetstsar (or -retstsar, or -retstsor), king of Babylon
בָּבֶל: Babel (i.e. Babylon), including Babylonia and the Babylonian empire
בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם: Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine
Cross References
Daniel 1Directly fulfills Isaiah's prophecy to Hezekiah that his descendants would be eunuchs in Babylon's palace.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel instance of a pagan monarch changing a Hebrew captive's name to reflect local deities.
Supported by JFB
Like Joseph, Daniel receives divine favor and mercy in the eyes of his pagan keeper.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Historical account of Nebuchadnezzar binding Jehoiakim and carrying off temple vessels.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Explains the chronological harmonization of Jehoiakim's third year with Nebuchadnezzar's first.
Supported by JFB
Moses was likewise trained in pagan lore without compromising his faithfulness to God.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Ezekiel's contemporary proverb mocks the prince of Tyre by comparison to Daniel's renowned wisdom.
Sets up the desecration of these exact temple vessels later by Belshazzar.
Pagan physical perfection requirements for royal service mirror God's blameless standard for priests.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Ezekiel similarly protests against eating defiled food during exile, echoing Daniel's devotion.
Fulfills the promise that God would make His captive people pitied by their captors.
Establishes the span of Daniel's lifelong ministry through the entire Babylonian exile.
The ultimate return of these temple vessels under Cyrus, completing the cycle.
Supported by JFB
Hosea's prophecy that Israel would eat unclean food in the land of Assyria.
God-given wisdom that vastly excels the famed wisdom of all eastern sages.