Daniel 1:3
“Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem”Daniel 1:1–7
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Bible text: King James Version with Strong's numbers · Public domain
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible · Public domain
Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain
Bible text: World English Bible, Messianic edition · Public domain
Bible text: Geneva Bible (1599) · Public domain
Bible text: Young's Literal Translation · Public domain
- וַיֹּאמֶרvai·Yo·merand he saidH559Conj-w ¦ V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3msVerb Qal Consecutive Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculineוַandיֹּאמֶרhe said
- הַמֶּלֶךְha·Me·lekhthe kingH4428Art ¦ N-msNoun Singular Masculine Absoluteהַtheמֶּלֶךְking
- לְאַשְׁפְּנַזle·'ash·pe·Nazto AshpenazH828Prep-l ¦ N-proper-mNoun Proper MasculineלְtoאַשְׁפְּנַזAshpenaz
- רַבrav[the] chief ofH7227N-mscNoun Singular Masculine Construct
- סָרִיסָיוsa·ri·Savhis officialsH5631N-mpc ¦ 3msNoun Plural Masculine Construct with suffixסָרִיסָיofficialsוhis
- לְהָבִיאle·ha·Vi'to bringH935Prep-l ¦ V-Hiphil-InfVerb Hiphil Infinitive Constructלְtoהָבִיאbring
- מִבְּנֵיmi·be·Neisome of [the] people ofH1121Prep-m ¦ N-mpcNoun Plural Masculine Constructמִsome ofבְּנֵי[the] people of
- יִשְׂרָאֵלYis·ra·'ElIsraelH3478N-properNoun Proper Location
- וּמִזֶּרַעu·mi·Ze·ra'and some of [the] offspring ofH2233Conj-w ¦ Prep-m ¦ N-mscNoun Singular Masculine Constructוּandמִsome ofזֶּרַע[the] offspring of
- הַמְּלוּכָהha·me·lu·Khah[the] royaltyH4410Art ¦ N-fsNoun Singular Feminine Absoluteהַ[the]מְּלוּכָהroyalty
- וּמִןu·minand some ofH4480Conj-w ¦ PrepPrepositionוּandמִןsome of
- הַפַּרְתְּמִיםHa·par·te·Mimthe noblesH6579Art ¦ N-mpNoun Plural Masculine Absoluteהַtheפַּרְתְּמִיםnobles
English is a literal word-by-word gloss of the Hebrew, not the KJV's wording. Why?
This is the original text the KJV's translators worked from — each Hebrew word with its own literal English meaning in this verse, prepared by scholars at Tyndale House, Cambridge. The KJV translates whole sentences, not word by word, so its wording differs: one Hebrew word can become several English words, and the KJV may choose “the LORD” where the gloss reads “Yahweh”. Both are faithful — they answer different questions. For the KJV's own rendering, switch to the KJV text.
Words in [ ] are added by the English.
- seed (KJV) / family (BSB) זֶרַע
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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry wrote on whole passages, and this entry covers Daniel 1:1–7. He set out his notes in a four-level outline, kept here as he numbered it.
We have in these verses an account,
I.Of the first descent which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, made upon Judah and Jerusalem, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, and his success in that expedition (Daniel 1:1, Daniel 1:2.): He besieged Jerusalem, soon made himself master of it, seized the king, took whom he pleased and what he pleased away with him, and then left Jehoiakim to reign as tributary to him, which he did about eight years longer, but then rebelled, and it was his ruin. Now from this first captivity most interpreters think the seventy years are to be dated, though Jerusalem was not destroyed, nor the captivity completed, till about nineteen years after, In that first year Daniel was carried to Babylon, and there continued the whole seventy years (see Daniel 1:21), during which time all nations shall serve Nebuchadnezzar, and his son, and his son's son, Jeremiah 25:11. This one prophet therefore saw within the compass of his own time the rise, reign, and ruin of that monarchy; so that it was res unius aetatis - the affair of a single age, such short-lived things are the kingdoms of the earth; but the kingdom of heaven is everlasting. The righteous, that see them taking root, shall see their fall, Job 5:3; Proverbs 29:16. Mr. Broughton observes the proportion of times in God's government since the coming out of Egypt: thence to their entering Canaan forty years, thence seven years to the dividing of the land, thence seven Jubilees to the first year of Samuel, in whom prophecy began, thence to this first year of the captivity seven seventies of years, 490 (ten Jubilees), thence to the return one seventy, thence to the death of Christ seven seventies more, thence to the destruction of Jerusalem forty years.
II.The improvement he made of this success.
He did not destroy the city or kingdom, but did that which just accomplished the first threatening of mischief by Babylon. It was denounced against Hezekiah, for showing his treasures to the king of Babylon's ambassadors (Isaiah 39:6, Isaiah 39:7), that the treasures and the children should be carried away, and, if they had been humbled and reformed by this, hitherto the king of Babylon's power and success should have gone, but no further. If less judgments do the work, God will not send greater; but, if not, he will heat the furnace seven times hotter. Let us see what was now done.
1.The vessels of the sanctuary were carried away, part of them, Daniel 1:2. They fondly trusted to the temple to defend them, though they went on in their iniquity. And now, to show them the vanity of that confidence, the temple is first plundered. Many of the holy vessels which used to be employed in the service of God were taken away by the king of Babylon, those of them, it is likely, which were most valuable, and he brought them as trophies of victory to the house of his god, to whom, with a blind devotion, he gave praise of his success; and having appropriated these vessels, in token of gratitude, to his god, he put them in the treasury of his temple. See the righteousness of God; his people had brought the images of other gods into his temple, and now he suffers the vessels of the temple to be carried into the treasuries of those other gods. Note, When men profane the vessels of the sanctuary with their sins it is just with God to profane them by his judgments. It is probable that the treasures of the king's house were rifled, as was foretold, but particular mention is made of the taking away of the vessels of the sanctuary because we shall find afterwards that the profanation of them was that which filled up the measure of the Chaldeans' iniquity, Daniel 5:3. But observe, It was only part of them that went now; some were left them yet upon trial, to see if they would take the right course to prevent the carrying away of the remainder. See Jeremiah 27:18.
2.The children and young men, especially such as were of noble or royal extraction, that were sightly and promising, and of good natural parts, were carried away. Thus was the iniquity of the fathers visited upon the children. These were taken away by Nebuchadnezzar,
(1.)As trophies, to be made a show of for the evidencing and magnifying of his success.
(2.)As hostages for the fidelity of their parents in their own land, who would be concerned to conduct themselves well that their children might have the better treatment.
(3.)As a seed to serve him. He took them away to train them up for employments and preferments under him, either out of an unaccountable affectation, which great men often have, to be attended by foreigners, though they be blacks, rather than by those of their own nation, or because he knew that there were no such witty, sprightly, ingenious young men to be found among his Chaldeans as abounded among the youth of Israel; and, if that were so, it was much for the honour of the Jewish nation, as of an uncommon genius above other people, and a fruit of the blessing. But it was a shame that a people who had so much wit should have so little wisdom and grace. Now observe,
[1.]The directions which the king of Babylon gave for the choice of these youths, Daniel 1:4. They must not choose such as were deformed in body, but comely and well-favoured, whose countenances were indexes of ingenuity and good humour. But that is not enough; they must be skilful in all wisdom, and cunning, or well-seen in knowledge, and understanding science, such as were quick and sharp, and could give a ready and intelligent account of their own country and of the learning they had hitherto been brought up in. He chose such as were young, because they would be pliable and tractable, would forget their own people and incorporate with the Chaldeans. He had an eye to what he designed them for; they must be such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, not only to attend his royal person, but to preside in his affairs. This is an instance of the policy of this rising monarch, now in the beginning of his reign, and was a good omen of his prosperity, that he was in care to raise up a succession of persons fit for public business. He did not, like Ahasuerus, appoint them to choose him out young women for the service of his government. It is the interest of princes to have wise men employed under them; it is therefore their wisdom to take care for the finding out and training up of such. It is the misery of this world that so many who are fit for public stations are buried in obscurity, and so many who are unfit for them are preferred to them.
[2.]The care which he took concerning them. First, For their education. He ordered that they should be taught the learning and tongue of the Chaldeans. They are supposed to be wise and knowing young men, and yet they must be further taught. Give instructions to a wise man and he will increase in learning. Note, Those that would do good in the world when they grow up must learn when they are young. That is the learning age; if that time be lost, it will hardly be redeemed. It does not appear that Nebuchadnezzar designed they should learn the unlawful arts that were used among the Chaldeans, magic and divination; if he did, Daniel and his fellows would not defile themselves with them. Nay, we do not find that he ordered them to be taught the religion of the Chaldeans, by which it appears That he was at this time no bigot; if men were skilful and faithful, and fit for his business, it was not material to him what religion they were of, provided they had but some religion. They must be trained up in the language and laws of the country, in history, philosophy, and mathematics, in the arts of husbandry, war, and navigation, in such learning as might qualify them to serve their generation. Note, It is real service to the public to provide for the good education of the youth. Secondly, For their maintenance. He provided for them three years, not only necessaries, but dainties for their encouragement in their studies. They had daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank, Daniel 1:5. This was an instance of his generosity and humanity; though they were captives, he considered their birth and quality, their spirit and genius, and treated them honourably, and studied to make their captivity easy to them. There is a respect due to those who are well-born and bred when they have fallen into distress. With a liberal education there should be a liberal maintenance.
III.A particular account of Daniel and his fellows.
They were of the children of Judah, the royal tribe, and probably of the house of David, which had grown a numerous family; and God told Hezekiah that of the children that should issue from him some should be taken and made eunuchs, or chamberlains, in the palace of the king of Babylon. The prince of the eunuchs changed the names of Daniel and his fellows, partly to show his authority over them and their subjection to him, and partly in token of their being naturalized and made Chaldeans. Their Hebrew names, which they received at their circumcision, had something of God, or Jah, in them: Daniel - God is my Judge; Hananiah - The grace of the Lord; Mishael - He that is the strong God; Azariah - The Lord is a help. To make them forget the God of their fathers, the guide of their youth, they give them names that savour of the Chaldean idolatry. Belteshazzar signifies the keeper of the hidden treasures of Bel; Shadrach - The inspiration of the sun, which the Chaldeans worshipped; Meshach - Of the goddess Shach, under which name Venus was worshipped; Abed-nego, The servant of the shining fire, which they worshipped also. Thus, though they would not force them from the religion of their fathers to that of their conquerors, yet they did what they could by fair means insensibly to wean them from the former and instil the latter into them. Yet see how comfortably they were provided for; though they suffered for their fathers' sins they were preferred for their own merits, and the land of their captivity was made more comfortable to them than the land of their nativity at this time would have been.
Historical interpretation
Historical reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
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Verse 3. "And the king said to Ashpenaz the overseer of his eunuchs, that he should out of the number of the children of Israel and, of the royal seed and (the seed of) the rulers bring in some young lads who were free from all blemish." Instead of Ashpenaz ("Asphanez") I found Abriesdri written in the Vulgate edition. For the word phorlhommin which Theodotion uses, the Septuagint and Aquila translated "the chosen ones," whereas Symmachus rendered "Parthians," understanding it as the name of a nation instead of a common noun. This is in disagreement with the Hebrew edition as it is accurately read; I have translated it as "rulers," especially because it is preceded by the words "of the seed royal." From this passage the Hebrews think that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were eunuchs, thus fulfilling that prophecy which is spoken by Isaiah regarding Hezekiah: "And they shall take of thy seed and make eunuchs of them in the house of the king of Babylon" (Isaiah 39:7). If however they were of the seed royal, there is no doubt but what they were of the line of David. But perhaps the following words are opposed to this interpretation: "...lads, or youths, who were free from all blemish, in order that he might teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans." Philo supposes that Chaldee is the same thing as the Hebrew language, because Abraham came from the Chaldeans. But if we accept this we must ask how the Hebrew lads could now be bidden to be taught a language which they already knew; unless, perchance, we should say, as some believe, that Abraham was acquainted with two languages.
And so the God of all makes evident the foolishness, infirmity and loathsome ways of the world in order to put to shame its power and wisdom. People who care for bodily things and seek beauty, greatness and great bodily strength know nothing of divine wisdom but rather only a false and artificial sort of eloquence. And thus is the distance between humanity and God. The false pretense of the king is shown as he wished not only the other captives be servants but also that they be descendents from kings. Now all this happened just as Isaiah had predicted to Hezekiah …: “And some of your own sons will become slaves, yes eunuchs, in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
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This verse
Nebuchadnezzar orders Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring him young men of Israel from the royal family and the nobility.
“And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs,”
A royal command to a high official responsible for the king’s household and for training new servants.
“that he should bring certain of the children of Israel,”
A hand-picked few from among the captives, chosen for their quality and promise.
“and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;”
“Seed” stands for descendants, so the first group is the royal family and the second the nobility.
Passage studyDaniel 1:1–7
God’s Hand in Judah’s Exile
Summary
In the third year of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon besieges Jerusalem, and Daniel tells us at once who stands behind it: “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand.” The king of Babylon carries part of the temple vessels to the house of his god. Then he orders the best of Judah’s young nobles brought to his court, fed from his table, taught the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans, and given new names. Among them are Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These seven verses tell how Daniel came to be in Babylon, and they set out the truth the whole book teaches: the kingdoms of men rise and conquer, and the God of Israel rules over every one of them, with his faithful servants placed in the middle of it all.
The Lord gave Jerusalem into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand
Verse 1 tells the event as the world saw it. The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. Verse 2 tells who was at work in it: “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand.” Babylon’s army surrounded the city, and God handed the city over.
The name for God in verse 2 is ʼĂdônây, “the Lord”, an emphatic form of the word for master that is used as a name of God alone. It speaks of his authority as Master over all, the kings of the earth included. “Gave” is nâthan, the ordinary verb for giving, and “into his hand” uses yâd, the hand as the sign of power and control. Jehoiakim came under Nebuchadnezzar’s power because the Lord put him there. Proverbs says of every ruler, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). Isaiah shows God calling and directing another foreign king, Cyrus, for his own ends (Isaiah 45:1–7), and a psalm says that God turns the wrath of man to his praise (Psalm 76:10). Lamentations, written over the ruined city, says what verse 2 says, that the Lord himself brought the destruction on Jerusalem (Lamentations 2:1–7).
This is the theme of the whole book of Daniel. God rules over nations and kings, and his kingdom outlasts every human empire. The book opens with it at the very hour when God’s people look beaten.
When did Nebuchadnezzar besiege Jerusalem?
“The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim” is about 605 BC. Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled Babylon from 605 to 562 BC, had just defeated Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish. Judah had been serving Egypt, and now it faced the rising power of Babylon. Jehoiakim had been put on the throne by Pharaoh Neco II and reigned from 609 to 598 BC.
“Besieged” translates tsûwr, to cramp or confine, and here it is the hostile encircling of a city in order to take it. This first siege brought Judah under Babylon and began the first of three major deportations, and Jehoiakim became Nebuchadnezzar’s servant (2 Kings 24:1–2). Jerusalem stood for some years more, until its final siege and destruction in 586 BC (2 Kings 25:1–10), and Lamentations mourns its desolation (Lamentations 1:1–3).
The king’s name, Nᵉbûwkadneʼtstsar, is a foreign one, and throughout Daniel the man who bears it stands for the power of earthly empire, set over against the kingdom of God.
Why did Jerusalem fall?
Jerusalem fell because God was judging Judah for its long idolatry and unfaithfulness to his covenant. Jehoiakim’s name, Yᵉhôwyâqîym, means “the LORD will raise”, a sad irony for this king. His father Josiah had led a great reform (2 Kings 23:1–25), and Jehoiakim reversed it. Scripture records that he did evil in the sight of the LORD (2 Kings 23:37), and he defied the prophets God sent, Jeremiah among them.
God had warned of exactly this. Moses told Israel that if they turned from the LORD, they and their king would be carried away to a foreign nation (Deuteronomy 28:36), a nation God would bring against them from far off (Deuteronomy 28:49–50). Jeremiah said that because Judah refused to hear, God would send for Nebuchadnezzar, and the nations would serve the king of Babylon seventy years (Jeremiah 25:8–11). Verse 1 marks the start of that captivity.
Why did God let the temple vessels be taken?
God gave the vessels into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand as part of his judgment, together with the king. Verse 2 puts both under the one verb: “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God”. The word for vessels, kᵉlîy, covers any prepared article, from a tool or utensil to a vessel, and these were the holy things used in the worship of the temple. Their removal showed how low the nation had sunk, and that God had lifted his protecting hand from it for a time.
Nebuchadnezzar carried them “to the house of his god”, probably Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, and put them in its treasure house. Conquerors of that day commonly took the sacred objects of a defeated people, both to fill their treasuries and to show that their own god had beaten the god of the defeated. In Babylon’s eyes, the vessels of the LORD lying in Marduk’s treasury meant that Marduk had won. Verse 2 has already answered that, because the Lord is the one who gave them. The Hebrew uses the same word, ʼĕlôhîym, for the God of Israel in “the house of God” and for Nebuchadnezzar’s god in “the house of his god”, and the verse sets the two houses side by side.
God was also preparing to show his power in that foreign land. Years later Belshazzar drank from the vessels of the temple at his feast, and God’s judgment fell on him swiftly (Daniel 5). God’s holiness was vindicated in the very city that had boasted over him, and the exile itself served his purpose of purifying his people and preparing them for restoration.
What was the land of Shinar?
“The land of Shinar” is the plain of Babylonia. The name reaches back to Genesis, where men settled in a plain in the land of Shinar and built the tower of Babel in rebellion against God (Genesis 11:2). “Babylon” in verse 1 is Bâbel, the same name as Babel. So the vessels of God’s house went to the land long associated with rebellion against him.
Nebuchadnezzar’s plan for Judah’s young nobles
With Jerusalem subdued, the king turned to its people. “The king”, melek, is Nebuchadnezzar, and what he says is an order. “Spake” is ʼâmar, the everyday verb for saying, which here carries a command, as “that he should bring” shows. The man who receives it is ʼAshpᵉnaz, Ashpenaz, a Babylonian court official with a foreign name. “Bring” is bôwʼ, to come or go, the same verb that lies behind “came” in verse 1 and “carried” and “brought” in verse 2. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem, carried the vessels to his god, and now has the young men brought to him.
Ashpenaz was “the master of his eunuchs”. “Master” is rab, great or chief, and “eunuchs” is çârîyç, from a root meaning to castrate. In the royal courts of that day the word was also used more widely for high officials and ministers of state, whatever their physical condition. As chief over them, Ashpenaz held great trust and authority over the king’s household and the training of new servants. In verse 7 he is called “the prince of the eunuchs”, where “prince” is sar, a chief, ruler or official holding a rank of authority.
The king wanted “certain of the children of Israel”. “Children” is bên, son, a word used widely of descendants and of the members of a people, and Yisrâʼêl, Israel, is the name of Jacob and of the nation that came from him. “Certain” marks a careful selection of a chosen few, and they came from the top of Judah’s society. “The king’s seed” joins mᵉlûwkâh, which means something ruled, a realm, and is rendered “king’s” or “royal”, with zeraʻ, seed or offspring, so these were young men of the royal family. “The princes” are the partam, a word of Persian origin for nobles or grandees.
Why did Babylon take Judah’s best young men?
Taking the young elite of a conquered nation was a common policy of the empires of that day, and it served Nebuchadnezzar in several ways. It removed the men who might one day lead a rebellion in Judah. It brought gifted, well-educated people into his service and strengthened his court. It schooled them in Babylon’s culture, language and religion, so that their loyalty would pass to him. And it displayed his power, because even the finest of a conquered people now served the king of Babylon.
God was at work in the same events. He was placing his faithful servants in the heart of a pagan empire, where he would make his power and wisdom known to its rulers through them, beginning when Daniel tells and interprets the king’s dream (Daniel 2). What the king meant for his own ends, God used for his. Joseph said the same of his own captivity: “ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:20). Paul writes that all things work together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28), and through Jeremiah God told the exiles in Babylon that his thoughts toward them were for their good and their future (Jeremiah 29:10–11).
What kind of young men did the king want?
He wanted young men who were sound and handsome, quick and well taught, and fit for life at court. “Children” in verse 4 is yeled, something born, a child, lad or youth. These were young men, probably in their teens or a little older.
They were to be “Children in whom was no blemish”. mʼûwm is a blemish or defect, of body or of character, and here it means they were whole in body with nothing to mar their appearance. Among the nations of that time, physical wholeness was thought fitting for those who would serve near the king. Israel’s law asked the same of the Passover lamb, which had to be “without blemish” (Exodus 12:5). “Well favoured” means good-looking, pleasant to see, because those who served close to the king reflected on him.
Then comes the mind. “Skilful in all wisdom” pairs sâkal, to be circumspect and so intelligent, with chokmâh, wisdom in the good sense: skill, prudence and sound judgment that can put knowledge to use. Ancient courts prized it for giving counsel and governing well. “Cunning in knowledge” uses yâdaʻ, to know, and the older English “cunning” means skilled or expert. “Understanding science” means having insight into learning, and Babylon was renowned for its wisdom traditions, its astronomy and its mathematics. Scripture says that wisdom is better than rubies (Proverbs 8:11) and that the LORD is the one who gives it (Proverbs 2:6).
They needed “ability in them to stand in the king’s palace”. kôach is strength or capacity, and here it means the strength of mind and the bearing to serve in a demanding royal court. And they had to be teachable, men “whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.” That schooling probably took in Akkadian, the formal language of the empire, and Aramaic, the common language of the day, together with Babylonian literature, history, astrology and religion.
The king’s table and the three years of training
“The king appointed them a daily provision”. “Appointed” is mânâh, to weigh out, and so to allot or assign officially. “Daily” renders the word for day, yôwm, said over again, a day’s portion for each day. “Provision” is dâbâr, which means a word and also a matter or thing, here the thing allotted. “The king’s meat” is pathbag, a word of Persian origin for a dainty, the choice food of the royal table, and “the wine which he drank” joins yayin, wine, with mishteh, drinking or a banquet. The young men were to eat and drink what the king himself had. It was a mark of high status, and it carried the expectation of loyalty to the king who gave it.
“So nourishing them three years”: gâdal means to grow or become great, and in its causative sense to make grow or bring up. The king meant to raise these young men for his service. “Three” is shâlôwsh, the same number word that gives “third” in verse 1, and “years” is shâneh. “At the end thereof” uses qᵉtsâth, an end, the word that verse 2 renders “part”, since it can mean both an end and a portion. Then “they might stand before the king”: ʻâmad is to stand, and pânîym is the face, so they would stand in the king’s presence, ready to serve him as attendants and counsellors.
Why was the king’s food a problem?
The king’s food put faithful Israelites in danger of defiling themselves in two ways. Much of it would have been unclean under the law of Moses, which sets out which animals Israel may eat (Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14), and its slaughter and preparation would have followed other rules. Food and drink at pagan courts were also commonly offered to idols before they were eaten, and the LORD had warned Israel against eating the sacrifices of other gods (Exodus 34:15). Paul writes that what the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils” (1 Corinthians 10:20–21). The first psalm blesses the man “that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly” (Psalm 1:1). Verse 5 sets up the test of Daniel 1:8, where “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat”.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah
From the chosen group, verse 6 names the four young men whose faithfulness carries the early chapters of the book. They were of the children (bên) of Judah (Yᵉhûwdâh), a name meaning “celebrated”, from the word for praise. Judah was the tribe of David’s royal line and of the promise of a coming King, and these four belonged to it.
Each of their names honours the God of Israel, and each contains a form of God’s name, El or Yah. Dânîyêʼl, Daniel, joins the words for “judge” and “God”: “God is my judge”. It fits the man who would stand before kings and declare God’s judgments and revelations. Chănanyâh, Hananiah, means “the LORD has been gracious”, or “Jah has favoured”, and these exiles would know God’s grace and favour in their captivity. Mîyshâʼêl, Mishael, is a question, “Who is what God is?”, often rendered “Who is like God?”, and it confesses that the God of Israel is beyond compare. ʻĂzaryâh, Azariah, means “the LORD has helped”, and God’s help would carry them through the trials to come.
Why were Daniel and his friends given new names?
The new names claimed the young men for Babylon and tied them to its gods. Conquerors of that day commonly renamed captives, to assert ownership and to wipe out their former identity, loyalty and faith. “The prince of the eunuchs gave names”, and “gave” here is sûwm, to put or set, a different verb from “gave” in verse 2. The word for name, shêm, is a mark of who a person is, and it carries the ideas of honour, authority and character. In Scripture a name often speaks of a person’s character, reputation or allegiance, which made renaming a pointed act.
The meanings of the Babylonian names are uncertain, and they are generally linked with Babylon’s gods. Bêlṭᵉshaʼtstsar, Belteshazzar, is explained as “Bel protect his life”, honouring Bel, that is Marduk, the chief god of Babylon. Shadrak, Shadrach, may mean “command of Aku” and be linked with the moon god. Mêyshak, Meshach, may mean “Who is like Aku?”, which turns Mishael’s confession of the one God into a question about a pagan one. ʻĂbêd Nᵉgôw, Abednego, means “servant of Nabu”, a god of writing and wisdom counted as the son of Bel. Azariah, “the LORD has helped”, was renamed the servant of an idol.
Babylon could change what these men were called, and they still belonged to the God their first names confessed. Under the new names they kept faith with him, from the king’s table (Daniel 1:8) to the fiery furnace (Daniel 3) and the den of lions (Daniel 6).
Scripture also tells of names that God gives. He renamed Abram as Abraham with a covenant promise (Genesis 17:5), he promises Zion a new name (Isaiah 62:2), and Christ promises a new name to the one who overcomes (Revelation 2:17). Babylon gave names to master these men, and God gives names out of love.
Christ, the King over every kingdom
Nebuchadnezzar’s victory over Jerusalem was real, and it was temporary, like every earthly kingdom. The God who gave Jerusalem into his hand has given all power in heaven and in earth to Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18), who upholds all things by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3) and is King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). The day is coming when “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord” (Revelation 11:15), the hope the whole book of Daniel looks toward.
The exile of these young men is a picture of our own state. Sin carries humanity into exile from God, and Christ the true King delivers us from the power of darkness and brings us into the kingdom of his dear Son (Colossians 1:13). The Lord gave Jehoiakim into Babylon’s hand in judgment, and in love God gave his only begotten Son into the hands of sinful men to save us (John 3:16). The temple whose vessels were carried off would one day be destroyed, and Jesus spoke of his own body as the temple, to be destroyed and raised in three days (John 2:19–21). God’s people are now themselves “vessels of mercy” (Romans 9:23) who have “this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Babylon claimed a victory for its god over the LORD, and Christ by his cross spoiled principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly (Colossians 2:15).
The young men of verses 3 and 4 were chosen for royal service by birth and gifts. God chooses his people by grace through faith and makes them “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), and in Christ they are one people, whatever their birth or nation (Galatians 3:28). Christ himself is the one truly without blemish, the Lamb whose precious blood redeems us (1 Peter 1:18–19), and in him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2–3). Babylon taught the learning of the Chaldeans, and Jesus promised his disciples, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist” (Luke 21:15). The young men trained three years to stand before Nebuchadnezzar, and Christ stands in the presence of the Father, where he ever lives to make intercession for his people (Hebrews 7:25). Through him “we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand” (Romans 5:2).
The king’s table offered food that could defile. Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me” (John 4:34), and he gives himself as the bread of life (John 6:35) and gives living water (John 4:10). He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8). Through him we are born again (John 3:3), given power to become the sons of God (John 1:12), and made heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). He sends his people into all nations with the gospel (Matthew 28:19–20), and he will gather a great multitude from every nation, kindred, people and tongue before his throne (Revelation 7:9–10).
God’s rule in the hour of exile
At the darkest point of Judah’s history, with the city besieged, the temple vessels in an idol’s treasury and the young men of the royal house taken from their home, their language and their names, Scripture says “the Lord gave”. Babylon’s whole plan for these young men ran inside God’s purpose. He judged his people for their sin, and in the same events he placed four faithful young men where he would use them, with the gifts he had given them and names that confessed him. Those first names still tell us who God is: he is our judge, he is gracious, he is beyond compare, and he helps.
The pressure Babylon put on them, through its food, its learning and its names, is the pressure Paul has in view when he writes, “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). The chapters that follow show how God kept these men faithful in a king’s court. The God who ruled over Nebuchadnezzar rules today, and the people to whom he has given a new name in Christ are as safe in his hand as Daniel was in Babylon.
Daniel 1:1
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah”
“Third” is shâlôwsh, the number three, which can also count in order, and “year” is shâneh. The date ties the book to a real moment, about 605 BC, under a king remembered for his unrighteousness.
“came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem,”
The king of Babylon, the rising power of the day, moves against Judah’s capital, the city of God’s temple. A new and hard era for Judah begins with his arrival.
“and besieged it.”
The first of several sieges, which would end in the city’s destruction and the temple’s ruin.
Daniel 1:2
“And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand,”
The key to the whole book. What looks like a purely human triumph is God’s own act of judgment on an unfaithful king and people.
“with part of the vessels of the house of God:”
Only part of the vessels went at this time. They were consecrated for God’s worship, and their loss marked the severity of the judgment.
“which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god;”
Shinar is Babylonia, and the house of his god is probably the temple of Marduk.
“and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.”
“Treasure” is ʼôwtsâr, a storehouse or treasury. The vessels became spoils of war, displayed as proof of the Babylonian god’s power.
Daniel 1:3 This verse
“And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs,”
A royal command to a high official responsible for the king’s household and for training new servants.
“that he should bring certain of the children of Israel,”
A hand-picked few from among the captives, chosen for their quality and promise.
“and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;”
“Seed” stands for descendants, so the first group is the royal family and the second the nobility.
Daniel 1:4
“Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured,”
Behind “well favoured” are ṭôwb, good, and marʼeh, appearance, so the phrase means good-looking.
“and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science,”
The list moves from body to mind. “Knowledge” here is daʻath, and “science” is maddâʻ, knowledge or thought, so all three phrases describe a broad and capable intellect.
“and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace,”
“Stand” is ʻâmad, as in verse 5. “Palace” is hêykâl, a large public building, a word used both for a palace and for a temple.
“and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.”
They were chosen for what they could still learn as well as for what they already had. “Learning” is çêpher, writing, and “tongue” is lâshôwn, the tongue and so a language.
Daniel 1:5
“And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat,”
An official, regular allotment from the royal table, given by the king himself.
“and of the wine which he drank:”
The same wine the king drank, a sign of their privileged place at court.
“so nourishing them three years,”
A long and costly investment of time and resources by the Babylonian court.
“that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.”
The goal of the whole programme was readiness to serve in the king’s presence, in attendance and in counsel.
Daniel 1:6
“Now among these were”
These four belonged to the select group of verses 3 to 5, set apart for the king’s service.
“of the children of Judah,”
Their tribe and nation, the heritage that would anchor their faithfulness in a foreign land.
“Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:”
The four who carry the early chapters of the book. Their Hebrew names prepare for the contrast with the names they receive in the next verse.
Daniel 1:7
“Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names:”
Ashpenaz of verse 3 gives the names as official policy of the Babylonian court.
“for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar;”
“God is my judge” gives way to a name honouring Bel.
“and to Hananiah, of Shadrach;”
“The LORD has been gracious” gives way to a name probably linked with the moon god.
“and to Mishael, of Meshach;”
“Who is what God is?” gives way to a name of uncertain Babylonian origin.
“and to Azariah, of Abednego.”
“The LORD has helped” gives way to “servant of Nabu”.
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