Daniel1
New American Standard
1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2And the Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.
3Then the king told Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles,
4youths in whom there was no impairment, who were good-looking, suitable for instruction in every kind of expertise, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability to serve in the king’s court; and he ordered Ashpenaz to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
5The king also allotted for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and ordered that they be educated for three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service.
6Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach, and to Azariah Abed-nego.
8But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.
9Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials.
10The commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has allotted your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking gaunt in comparison to the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.”
11But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12“Please put your servants to the test for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13Then let our appearance be examined in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
14So he listened to them in this matter, and put them to the test for ten days.
15And at the end of ten days their appearance seemed better, and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food.
16So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.
17And as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every kind of literature and expertise; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.
18Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar.
19And the king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service.
20As for every matter of expertise and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the soothsayer priests and conjurers who were in all his realm.
21And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Daniel 1.
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.