Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 1

1:1–6:28 The first half of Daniel, in describing the experiences and wisdom of Daniel and his three Hebrew friends, demonstrates that God is the ruler of the world and that God’s people need to be faithful and live and act wisely in every situation in which they find themselves.

1:1-21 God fulfilled his prophetic word by sending his rebellious people into exile (see Jer 25:11-12; 29:10). God also extended his grace to a remnant in exile, and he protected and prospered Daniel and three other young Hebrew captives. These young men received the best training of the time in the Babylonian king’s court and were thus well equipped to be God’s witnesses in Babylon. They made the God of Israel known even in exile.

1:1-2 These verses explain how it was that Daniel and his friends were in Babylon and succinctly give the setting in which Daniel lived during the years of exile.

1:1 Prior to this siege, Jehoiakim (609–598 BC) had been a vassal of Egypt; his reign in Judah was exceedingly wicked (2 Kgs 23:36–24:6; 2 Chr 36:5-8; Jer 25). The exile and captivity of Daniel and his friends in 605 BC prefigure the exile of the rest of the nation in 597 and 586 BC (see 2 Kgs 24:1–25:21). The Lord employed King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon as his unwitting servant to accomplish his ends (cp. Jer 25:9; 27:6).

Verse 2

1:2 The Lord, who is sovereign over history, gave the victory to Nebuchadnezzar; it was not accomplished by the king’s might or the power of his god Marduk, the high god of the Babylonian pantheon. The Lord used the Exile to judge and discipline his people, as had been threatened in the Law (e.g., Deut 28:64) and by the prophets (e.g., Jer 25:8-14). • The sacred objects had been dedicated and set aside for use in the Temple of God built by Solomon. After spending nearly seventy years in the treasure-house of Marduk, these vessels were further defiled by Belshazzar in 539 BC (Dan 5:1-4); they were later returned to the rebuilt Temple in Ezra’s time (Ezra 1:7-11; 5:13-16). • the land of Babylonia: Israel’s rebellion led them back to where rebellious humanity had constructed the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:2).

Verse 3

1:3-7 The Lord fulfilled his threat to make sons of the royal family serve in Babylon (Isa 39:7) despite their being heirs to the promises of Davidic kingship. Nebuchadnezzar made a powerful attempt to proselytize them by education, social and religious pressure, and name changes. Instead, their impact upon their pagan surroundings became the outstanding feature of their stay at the king’s palace and court.

1:3 staff: Though often translated “eunuchs” (cp. Isa 39:7), in this case the Hebrew term (saris) likely means that Ashpenaz and those under his authority were high government officials (see 2 Kgs 8:6).

Verse 4

1:4 strong, healthy: They had no defect or blemish that would disqualify them; the Lord had the same requirements for Israel’s priests (Lev 21:16-24; 22:17-25). These youths had the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and character needed to function at the highest levels of government. • The literature of Babylon was immense and included wisdom and esoteric literature, creation stories, magic incantations, theogonies (origins and genealogies of the gods), legal corpora, ancient histories, letters, dream journals, vision manuals, and mathematical and astrological materials. The education of these young men—all in a foreign language—rivaled that of Moses in Egypt.

Verse 5

1:5 The king attempted to create a bond of dependence, gratitude, and loyalty by giving them food and wine from his own kitchens.

Verse 6

1:6-7 Their new Babylonian names were to help enculturate the Hebrews into the pagan Babylonian society. Daniel (“God is my Judge” or “God has judged”) became Belteshazzar (“Bel [a Babylonian god] protects his life”). Hananiah (“the Lord is grace”) became Shadrach (possibly meaning “command of Aku,” another Babylonian god). Mishael (“who is God?”) became Meshach (“who is Aku?”). Azariah (“the Lord helps”) became Abednego (“servant of Nego/Nebo,” another Babylonian god).

Verse 8

1:8-14 Daniel determined not to defile himself with the king’s food and wine or to yield his religious and moral independence to the king. He gave God the opportunity to demonstrate his loving kindness and care toward his trustworthy servants. This strong reliance upon God by Daniel and his friends is a significant motif throughout the book (see also 2:16-23; 3:16-18; 6:16).

1:8 Daniel was determined not to defile himself: The meat and wine from Nebuchadnezzar’s table were probably unclean by Jewish standards. The Babylonians used unclean meats such as pork (see Lev 11:1-23; Deut 14:1-21), and their meat and wine had probably been dedicated to Babylonian gods. The other young Hebrews agreed with Daniel (Dan 1:12-16). They trusted God and obeyed his commands, and God blessed them (cp. Deut 28:1-14).

Verse 9

1:9 God worked on Daniel’s behalf by influencing Ashpenaz’s attitude (cp. Exod 11:3).

Verse 10

1:10 Ashpenaz was understandably afraid of the king.

Verse 11

1:11-13 Daniel found a wise solution that would protect his spiritual integrity and Ashpenaz’s head.

Verse 12

1:12 vegetables and water: Such a diet would steer clear of offensive foods (1:8) and, as a kind of fast, would demonstrate mourning over their exile in a foreign land.

Verse 13

1:13-14 make your decision: Daniel’s exemplary wisdom, prudence, and courtesy are seen in his respectful stance toward his attendant, who responded favorably.

Verse 15

1:15-21 In their training, Daniel and his friends completed a tough curriculum in the context of the most threatening pagan culture of the day, yet they remained faithful to the Lord. As they mastered language, literature, and science, they pursued excellence and honored God, who added many gifts to their skills and learning.

Verse 17

1:17 All four young men were outstanding students. God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret . . . visions and dreams, which were often prophetic (cp. Joseph, Gen 37:5-11).

Verse 19

1:19 The king talked with all the young men who were trained, not just Daniel and his three friends. This was a thorough oral examination and discussion of things that were most important to the king. God arranged for the four young men to be his witnesses among the nations, and they were greatly honored by being appointed to positions of power, responsibility, and opportunity (cp. Gen 41:37-40; 45:5; Exod 2:1-10).

Verse 20

1:20 The magicians were a class of soothsayer priests who could also interpret dreams (cp. Gen 44:1-15) and do wonders (cp. Exod 7:11). The term enchanters (Hebrew ’ashap), found only in Daniel, comes from an Akkadian term for people who uttered spells.

Verse 21

1:21 the first year of the reign of King Cyrus: Cyrus the Great ruled over Persia (559–530 BC), Media (from 549 BC), and Babylon (from 539 BC). He thus created the Persian Empire (539–331 BC; see study notes on 5:30, 31; cp. Isa 45:1-2).