Daniel 1:8

But Daniel purposed in his heart,.... It being proposed to him to be brought up in the manner before described, he revolved it in his mind; he well weighed it, and considered it with himself, and came to a resolution about it.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Ver. 8. There may be several weighty reasons assigned why Daniel did this. 1. Because many of those meats provided for the king’ s table were such as were forbidden by the Jews’ law, whereof Daniel made conscience, 2. Daniel knew these delicacies would too much gratify and pamper the flesh, and therefore he would prevent the defilements which too often do arise from delicious fare, ,15 Ezekiel 16:49 ; so that those who fare deliciously would practise this. 3. Daniel knew he should by this bait be taken with the hook which lay hid under it, and insensibly be drawn from the true to a false religion, by eating and drinking things consecrated to idols. 4. Daniel saw his people lie under God’ s displeasure by their captivity, and therefore could not but be sensible how unsuitable a courtly life would be in him to the afflicted state of God’ s people, . Therefore Daniel was herein a rare pattern of avoiding all the occasions of evil, which he did with purpose of heart, ; saith the text, he purposed in his heart to abstain.

Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’ s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.Ver. 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart.] The change of his name, though he utterly disliked, yet he could not help; but to show that he was still of the same religion, though he were but a child of twelve years old, or thereabouts, yet he purposeth first, and then performeth it, to keep himself pure and free from heathenish defilements. What if the vessels of the temple - by being brought into the treasure house of Nebuchadnezzar’ s god - were defiled, yet these elect vessels would not. So the primitive Christians chose rather to be thrown to lions without than left to lusts within. Yea, I had rather be cast pure and innocent into hell, saith an ancient, than go to heaven being polluted with the filth of sin. Daniel’ s greatest care is, ne contra legem Dei et conscientiam impuretur, he may not polute his conscience nor violate law of God, the lest he should be defiled in the least. Fall back, fall edge, as they say; he is fully resolved against that. So the Prince of Condi when, at the Parisian massacre, he was put to his choice by the French king, whether to go to mass, to suffer death, or to endure perpetual imprisonment, answered, As for the first, by the grace of God, I will never do it; and for the two last, I humbly submit to his majesty. Let him do with me what he pleaseth. That he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’ s meat.] That which Scaliger saith of Matthew Beroaldus, Vir doctus, et, quod familiam ducit, pius, that he was a learned man; but that which was his chief commendation, he was also a godly man, may be better said of the prophet Daniel. Godly he was early, and as a child, so was also his master Jeremiah, in whose works he was well read; Samuel; Timothy; Athanasius; Beza, who, among many other things, blessed God chiefly for this in his last will and testament, that at the age of sixteen years he had called him to the knowledge of the truth. Daniel had this happiness at twelve or thirteen. Neither was he like early fruit, that are soon rotten - Hermogenes was old in his childhood, and a child in his old age - but although he lived one hundred and ten years, as Isidor reckoneth, some say one hundred and thirty, yet he was best at last, and may very well pass for a martyr, though he came again safe out of the lions’ den, like as John the evangelist also did out of the cauldron of scalding oil, wherein he was cast by the command of Domitian, in contempt of Christianity.

(8) Daniel purposed in his heart.—He was cautious from the first. He feared that he might eat something that had been consecrated to idols. (See 1 Corinthians 8)

Verse 8. But Daniel - would not defile himself] I have spoken of this resolution in the introduction. The chief reasons why Daniel would not eat meat from the royal table were probably these three: - 1. Because they ate unclean beasts, which were forbidden by the Jewish law. 2. Because they ate, as did the heathens in general, beasts which had been strangled, or not properly blooded. 3. Because the animals that were eaten were first offered as victims to their gods. It is on this account that Athenaeus calls the beasts which here served up at the tables of the Persian kings, ιερια, victims, lib. iv. c. 10, p. 145.

8–16. The loyalty to their faith shewn by the four Jewish youths.

But Daniel purposed in his heart - Evidently in concurrence with the youths who had been selected with him. See Daniel 1:11-13.

8. Wesley suggests as reasons for Daniel’s action that many meats were forbidden by Jewish law: the meats of the royal table had been probably consecrated to idols; at any rate they would too greatly