Daniel 1:14

¹³Then compare our appearances with those of the young men who are eating the royal food, and deal with your servants according to what you see.”¹⁴So he consented to this and tested them for ten days.¹⁵And at the end of ten days, they looked healthier and better nourished than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.

Summary

In Daniel 1:14, we see Daniel and his friends choosing to follow a diet that honors God's laws, even though it goes against the king's orders. This decision reflects their commitment to remain faithful to their beliefs and not defile themselves with the king's food and wine. By prioritizing obedience to God over earthly temptations, Daniel and his companions demonstrate their trust in God's provision and their desire to live in accordance with His will. This act of faith sets the stage for God's favor upon them, as we later see in the chapter when they are found to be healthier and wiser than all the others.

Commentary

John Gill

John Gill Bible Commentary

So he consented to them in all this matter,.... Or, "hearkened to them" (e); being convinced that it was a very reasonable request, and the matter was fairly put; and especially as he saw, if it succeeded to their wish, it would be to his profit; since the meat and drink of these four persons would be his perquisite, and fetch him money; pulse and water being to be obtained at an easy rate: and proved them ten days; tried the experiment, by giving them pulse and water only during this time, in order to see how it would agree with them; and whether any visible alteration could be discerned in their countenances, so as to bring him or his master into suspicion and danger. (e) "auscultans eis", Junius & Tremellius, Broughtonus; "auscultavit eis", Pisator, Cocceius.