1 6 The _first_part of the book, describing the experiences of Daniel and his three companions under Nebuchadnezzar (chs. 1 4), Belshazzar (ch. 5), and Darius the Mede (ch. 6). CHAP. 1. INTRODUCTION Chap. 1 describes how Daniel and his three companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, came to be... [ Continue Reading ]
_In the third year_&c. Whether this is historically correct is doubtful. Jehoiakim's reign lasted eleven years (b.c. 608 597); and the Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:1) equates his _fourth_year with the first year of Nebuchadnezzar. Early in the same year (if the date in Jeremiah 46:2 is correct [171... [ Continue Reading ]
_gave_ INTO HIS HAND JEHOIAKIM, _king of Judah_, AND _part_, &c. To -give into the hand" as Judges 3:10; Jeremiah 20:4; Jeremiah 21:7; Jeremiah 22:25, and frequently. The expression is a strong one, and seems to imply that the writer had in view a defeat, and not merely a timely submission. _the hou... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ashpenaz_ No satisfactory explanation of this name has yet been found. _Açp_in old Persian means a _horse_(Sansk. _açpa_); but the name as a whole, in its present form, is not explicable from either Persian or Babylonian. LXX. has Αβιεσδρι. The word is not improbably a corrupt form (like -Holophern... [ Continue Reading ]
Nebuchadnezzar's purpose to have certain noble and promising youths educated for the king's service.... [ Continue Reading ]
_children_ YOUTHS (R.V.). _blemish_ here of physical imperfection, as Leviticus 21:17-18, &c. _well favoured_ An archaistic English expression for _good-looking_: so Genesis 29:17; Genesis 39:6; Genesis 41:2 _al._As Mr Wright (_Bible Word-Book_, s. v. Favour) shews, -favour" in old English meant _f... [ Continue Reading ]
_a daily_ PORTION _of the king's_ DELICACIES] Superior food, such as was served at the table of the king himself, was to be provided for the selected youths. It was a compliment to send anyone a portion of food from the table of a king or great man (Genesis 43:34, in Egypt; 2 Samuel 11:8, in Israel:... [ Continue Reading ]
_Mishael_ -Who is what God is?" (cf. Michael, -Who is like God?"), a name found also in Exodus 6:22; Leviticus 10:4 (of a cousin of Moses"); and in Nehemiah 8:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
Among the noble youths thus selected were four belonging to the tribe of Judah, who are named specially as forming the subject of the following narratives.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND _the prince of the eunuchs_ GAVE NAMES UNTO THEM: UNTO DANIEL HE GAVE, &c. as R.V. -Prince" (Heb. _sar_, i.e. here, governor, superintendent, 1 Kings 9:22 [-rulers"], 1 Kings 22:26) is a synonym of the _rab_of Daniel 1:3 (cf. Genesis 37:36 with Jeremiah 39:9). The practice of giving a person a... [ Continue Reading ]
Daniel and his companions crave to be allowed not to use the provision supplied from the royal table. The meat might be that of animals not slaughtered in the proper manner (Deuteronomy 12:23-24), or of animals prohibited to the Jews as food (Leviticus 11:4-7; Leviticus 11:10-12; Leviticus 13-19, Le... [ Continue Reading ]
The loyalty to their faith shewn by the four Jewish youths.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND _God_ MADE _Daniel_ TO FIND KINDNESS _and_ COMPASSION IN THE SIGHT _of_, &c. lit. - _gave_Daniel _to_kindness and compassion _before_": exactly the same idiom which occurs (without -kindness and") in 1 Kings 8:50 (whence Psalms 106:46). The pluperfect (-had brought") is grammatically incorrect:... [ Continue Reading ]
_for why should_ i.e. -lest," which would in fact be the better rendering. The expression is the translation into Hebrew of the ordinary Aramaic idiom for -lest" (cf. Theod. μή ποτε). _worse liking_ An old English expression for -in worse condition." Cf. -well-liking" in Psalms 92:13, P. B. V.; pro... [ Continue Reading ]
_Melzar_ THE MELẒAR, -melẓar" being the title of some officer, or attendant, of the court. What officer is intended is, however, uncertain, as the word has not hitherto been satisfactorily explained. Friedr. Delitzsch thinks that _melẓar_may be the Ass. _maẓẓaru_, -keeper" (as in _maẓẓar bâbi_, -kee... [ Continue Reading ]
From the answer given by the chief of the eunuchs, Daniel gathers that he does not view his request unfavourably, though he declines the responsibility of acceding to it himself. He therefore applies to the subordinate officer who has the immediate charge of himself and his companions, and induces h... [ Continue Reading ]
_ten days_ a round number of days (cf. Genesis 24:55; Genesis 31:7), sufficiently long to test the effects of the proposed diet. _let them_ i.e. the people appointed for the purpose. A Hebrew idiom, the force of which would here be better expressed in English by the passive, -let there be given us... [ Continue Reading ]
_of the_ YOUTHS THAT EAT _the king's_ DELICACIES] as Daniel 1:5_; Daniel 1:8_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_consented_ HEARKENED (R.V.), the expression exactly as 1 Samuel 30:24.... [ Continue Reading ]
_and_(they were) _falter in fleshy_&c. the expression as Genesis 41:2; Genesis 41:18 (of the kine) -fat-fleshed." _the children_, &c. _the_ YOUTHS _which did eat the king's_ DELICACIES.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE MELẒAR CONTINUED TAKING _away their_ DELICACIES, … _and_ GIVING THEM VEGETABLE FOOD] The Heb. idiom employed implies that the treatment which they received was now continuous.... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW _as for these four_ YOUTHS, _God gave them knowledge_(the word rendered _science_in Daniel 1:4), _and_ INTELLIGENCE (cf. _intelligent, Daniel 1:4) in all_ LITERATURE (Daniel 1:4) _and wisdom_ -Wisdom" is used here, in a concrete sense, of an intelligently arranged body of principles, or, as we... [ Continue Reading ]
At the end of the three years (Daniel 1:5), Daniel and his three companions are brought before the king; and being found by him to be the most proficient of all whom he had directed to be educated, are promoted to a place among his personal attendants.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND _at the end of the days that the king had_ APPOINTED (Daniel 1:5) FOR BRINGING _them in_(R.V.)] viz. to attend upon the king. -Appointed" is lit. _said_, i.e. commanded, decreed, a common use in late Hebrew: cf. Daniel 1:3. As Daniel 1:19 (-among them all," &c.) shews, the pron. _them_refers, n... [ Continue Reading ]
_communed_ TALKED. The Heb. word is the usual one for -speak," or -talk"; and nothing different from ordinary conversation is meant. -Commune" occurs elsewhere in A.V., R.V., for the same Heb. word, and with exactly the same meaning; as Genesis 18:33; Genesis 23:8; Genesis 34:6; Exodus 25:22; Exo 31... [ Continue Reading ]
The king found further, upon putting to them difficult questions, that in a knowledge of the technicalities of their science the four Jewish youths excelled even the wise men of Babylon themselves. _and in_ EVERY PARTICULAR _of_ REASONED WISDOM] lit. _wisdom of understanding_, i.e. wisdom determine... [ Continue Reading ]
A remark on the long continuance of Daniel with the reputation, it is understood, implied in Daniel 1:20 in Babylon. The first year of Cyrus (b.c. 538) would be nearly 70 years after the date of Daniel's captivity (Daniel 1:1), so that he would then be quite an aged man. _continued_even _unto_ lit.... [ Continue Reading ]