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    A Private Commentary On the Bible: Daniel
    A Private Commentary On the Bible: Daniel
    A Private Commentary On the Bible: Daniel
    Ebook436 pages7 hours

    A Private Commentary On the Bible: Daniel

    By James D. Quiggle

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    The commentary is in two parts. Part one is a discussion of Daniel’s faith in a pagan land separated from temple and sacrifices, persevering in his faith by faith alone. Part two is a explanation of the prophecies Daniel received during the times of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires. Some of the the prophecies explain Israel’s future up to the time of their independence in 164 BC. Other prophecies explain the future history of the biblical world, Christ’s advents, the Antichrist, and the Tribulation. The commentary uses Dispensational theology to explain the eschatological prophecies.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJames D. Quiggle
    Release dateFeb 11, 2014
    ISBN9781310245824
    A Private Commentary On the Bible: Daniel
    Author

    James D. Quiggle

    James D. Quiggle was born in 1952 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He grew up in Kansas and the Texas Panhandle. In the early 1970s he joined the United States Air Force. At his first permanent assignment in Indian Springs, Nevada in a small Baptist church, the pastor introduced him to Jesus and soon after he was saved. Over the next ten years those he met in churches from the East Coast to the West Coast, mature Christian men, poured themselves into mentoring him. In the 1970s he was gifted with the Scofield Bible Course from Moody Bible Institute. As he completed his studies his spiritual gift of teaching became even more apparent. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Bethany Bible College during the 1980s while still in the Air Force. Between 2006–2008, after his career in the Air Force and with his children grown up, he decided to continue his education. He enrolled in Bethany Divinity College and Seminary and earned a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Theological Studies.As an extension of his spiritual gift of teaching, he was prompted by the Holy Spirit to begin writing books. James Quiggle is now a Christian author with over fifty commentaries on Bible books and doctrines. He is an editor for the Evangelical Dispensational Quarterly Journal published by Scofield Biblical Institute and Theological Seminary.He continues to write and has a vibrant teaching ministry through social media.

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      A Private Commentary On the Bible - James D. Quiggle

      A Private Commentary

      on the Bible

      DANIEL

      James D. Quiggle

      A Private Commentary on the Bible: Daniel

      Copyright© 2014, James D. Quiggle

      Smashwords Edition

      Published by James D. Quiggle, 2014

      Chapter 9:25 revised December 2017

      Translation of the book of Daniel by James D. Quiggle

      Other Scripture translations are by James D. Quiggle unless annotated from:

      Authorized (King James) Version. Public Domain.

      American Standard Version (ASV). Public Domain.

      New American Standard Bible (NASB) 8 The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. All rights reserved. Used by Permission.

      New King James Version (NKJV)7. Copyright 8 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      The Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV), Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

      Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) of the Holy Bible. Public Domain.

      Quotations from the Septuagint and Old Testament Apocrypha are from The Septuagint with Apocrypha: English, Sir Lancelot C. L. Brenton. (See Sources for bibliographic data.)

      Contents

      Preface

      Introduction

      Part One

      Daniel One

      Daniel Two

      Daniel Three

      Daniel Four

      Daniel Five

      Daniel Six

      Part Two

      Daniel Seven

      Daniel Eight

      Daniel Nine

      Daniel Ten

      Daniel Eleven

      Daniel Twelve

      Appendix One, The Chronology of the Seventy Years

      Sources

      Preface

      The Private Commentary on the Old and New Testaments is my interpretation of the Bible, neither more nor less. I am responsible for the use made of all quoted and cited material.

      The scope of the Private Commentary series is to bring the reader to a practical understanding of the scriptures. I explain and discuss each verse, idea, theme, and biblical truth as discovered in turn during the course of the exposition. My target audience is the Bible college/seminary student, Bible study/small group leader, Sunday School teacher, and local church Pastor. My point of view is a conservative theology. Other opinions concerning the Scripture are presented and discussed as I believe will profit the target audience. Bible students who desire to understand and apply the scriptures are invited to study the book with me and come to their own conclusions.

      This material is copyrighted to prevent misuse or abuse. Those persons using this material in their teaching/preaching ministry may copy and distribute individual pages (e.g., an excursus, a table/list, or an appendix) for distribution to one’s students or auditors. The entire book may not be copied and/or distributed, nor large portions of the book, such as a chapter or extended comments on Scripture passages. The cost of this work has been kept as low as possible so every interested teacher, preacher, and student may afford a personal copy.

      My thanks to Lee Riley, friend and fellow teacher at Southwest Baptist church, for reviewing the manuscript and making valuable suggestions for improvement.

      Introduction

      OVERVIEW OF DANIEL

      The book of Daniel is properly the story of an Israeli man of noble birth during the many years of his expatriation in the heart of the Babylonian and Persian Empires. The background to the story is the capture and destruction of the nation of Israel by the Babylonians. Seventy years after Daniel’s deportation the Babylonians are conquered by the Medes and Persians. Daniel spends his adult life serving as a government official in these two empires. Although most people want to know and understand the prophetic visions Daniel experienced, his story is also one of physical survival, spiritual growth, and the consistent practice of faith in a religious and secular environment hostile to genuine faith.

      The book of Daniel was written by Daniel. The story he tells encompasses approximately seventy years (see appendix one). Babylonian rule began late 609 BC (all dates are BC). By 605 the Babylonian Empire had conquered Egyptian-controlled territories, including Israel. Daniel was taken to Babylon during the first forced emigration in mid-605. Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah were the Kings of Judah from the beginning of Daniel’s captivity until Jerusalem and the temple were razed in 587. During Daniel’s lifetime the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel ministered to the expatriate Jews. The Medo-Persians (the Medes and Persians) conquered Babylon in 539. The Jews were allowed to return to their native land in 538 (Daniel was by then too old to make the journey). Daniel died about 536.

      Daniel served under the Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar (605–562), Evil-Merodach (562–560), Neriglissar (560–556), Labashi (556), Nabonidus (556–539), and Belshazzar (553–539), and under the Median-Persian kings Darius the Mede (539–525) and Cyrus (550–530). Of these only Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Cyrus, and Darius are mentioned in the book of Daniel. In 538 (about two years before Daniel’s death) over 49,000 Jews (Ezra 2:64–65) returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel the prince and Joshua the high priest.

      Rebuilding the temple began about the year of Daniel’s death, and with many starts and stops it was finally completed about 516. The events of Daniel take place 606–536. Ezra 1–6 takes place from 538–516. The history of Esther takes place 483–473. Ezra 7–10 takes place about 448–445. The events of Nehemiah take place from about 445–420. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah ministered during the time of Zerubbabel (538–516), and Malachi prophesied during Nehemiah’s lifetime, about 435–415.

      Jeremiah had prophesied seventy years of Babylonian rule, Jeremiah 25:11–12; 29:10. Seventy years of desolation were also prophesied for the temple, Leviticus 26:27, 34-35; 2 Chronicles 36:20–21; Zechariah 1:12; 7:5. The seventy years of Babylonian rule extended from late 609 BC to October 539 BC. The seventy years for the desolation of the temple extended from August, 587 BC to 517 BC. Work on the temple had begun shortly after the first return under Zerubbabel in 538, but proceeded in stops and starts as described in Ezra. Construction resumed and the foundation was laid December, 520 BC. The temple reconstruction was completed March 515 BC. Haggai and Zechariah prophesied in part to encourage the returned exiles to finish the temple.

      Returning to the book of Daniel, chapters 1–6 tell of Daniel’s life in the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires. In chapters 7–12 Daniel reveals certain visions and prophesies he received during his time in Babylon.

      AUTHENTICITY, ACCURACY, CREDIBILITY

      The book of Daniel is the production of the Holy Spirit superintending the human author, Daniel. Unlike many commentators, both ancient and modern, I do not believe the book was the product of several authors. I do not believe the book contains fact and fiction. I do not believe the book or the prophecies were written 300 years after the events came to pass. I believe in the inspiration of Scripture: its authenticity, accuracy, and credibility. The book is authentically the work of Daniel the prophet, recounting certain historical events and prophesies from approximately 605–536 BC. All the words are accurately reported just as Daniel wrote them. The words of Daniel are credible as the product of the human author superintended by the Holy Spirit.

      Daniel presents a history of certain events occurring during his lifetime. Scripture presents an accurate and credible history of God’s people as the outworking of God’s purpose, plans, and processes. Once these things are doubted, Scripture becomes a human production one is free to disregard. For believers it does matter (contra Goldingay) whether the stories are history or fiction, the visions actual prophecy or quasi–prophecy, written by Daniel or by someone else, in the sixth century BC, the second, or somewhere in between [Goldingay, xl]. Either the book is the handiwork of God reflecting earthly and spiritual realities, or one may as well study the works of mere men for better profit—at least the works of men do not claim to be from the mouth of God. A biblical commentator’s decision to disbelieve the plain testimony of Scripture devalues the worth of his works.

      Objections to the authenticity of the book as the production of the historical Daniel are derived from various historical and philological considerations. Alleged historical inaccuracies regarding the accession year of Nebuchadnezzar, the identification of Belshazzar as king, and the existence of Darius the Mede are easily answered by the findings of archaeology, history, and literature. The book is written in two languages, Aramaic (1:1–7:28) and Hebrew (8:1–12:13), and contains some Greek words. The argument is that certain words and forms of these languages are from later than the 6th century BC. In answer, recent scholarship has shown that the Aramaic of Daniel was the Imperial Aramaic of the Persian Empire, and that the Greek words are technical names for musical instruments. These scientific findings fit well into a 6th century dating of the book.

      The real objection, however, to the 6th century date, is to the prophecies in chapters 7–12. The Skeptics and Critics will say that the prophecies are too accurate to be prophecy (if prophecy is inaccurate is it prophecy?); that they must be history masquerading as prophecy, the attempt of an unknown 2nd century BC writer to encourage his countrymen during the terror of a ruler named Antiochus IV Ephiphanes. In this instance, one either believes, or denies, the ability of God to communicate the future through a chosen man. The book of Daniel is especially fitted to be a battleground between faith and unbelief. It admits of no halfway measures. It is either inspired by God, or it is an imposture [Boice, 13]. I choose to walk in the way of faith and believe it was inspired: an accurate, authentic, and credible account of Daniel’s life and the prophecies he received.

      The various spellings of Nebuchadnezzar in biblical and historical documents are the result of the translations of the Babylonian name, Nabu–kudurri–usur [Baldwin, 78], into various languages (e.g., Hebrew, Greek). I will use the spelling Nebuchadnezzar.

      MY TRANSLATION

      A translation is an attempt to reproduce the original language, in this case Hebrew and Aramaic, in the target language, in this case American English. To do so most translations will change an expression in the original language to an equivalent expression in the target language. The intent is to express the thoughts and emotions of one language in the thoughts and emotions of another, so that the reader may read what a speaker in their language might have written, if he or she was writing the book. Translation also extends to punctuation. In general, punctuation is not part of the inspired text but a matter of translation preferences.

      The difference between a more literal translation and one less literal is illustrated by two versions of 1 Samuel 15:33. The NKJV translates, Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. The NIV translates, Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal. The Hebrew text reads and Samuel hewed in pieces Agag before the Lord in Gilgal. My preference, if I were translating that verse, would be the more literal version: and Samuel hewed in pieces Agag before the Lord in Gilgal.

      Augustine wrote, In reading Scripture, men seek nothing more than to find out the thought and will of those by whom it was written, and through these to find out the will of God [Schaff, 2:536–537]. My translation of Daniel is more literal than some, uses the word order of the Hebrew or Aramaic text more than others, and tends to use vocabulary definitions (from the Harris et al., lexicon) rather than English equivalents or synonyms. My translation tends to follow the sense quite as much as the words. Other translations—some of which follow the sense, others the words, and some both—have been diligently compared so I might clearly express Daniel’s meaning as I understand it. My translation may not always be the best English version of a verse, but my intent is to let the reader see what Daniel wrote in the way that he wrote it. Translation notes are used throughout to help the reader understand my choices.

      The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words reproduced in the commentary are transliterations of the vocabulary form, not the grammatical form, of the Daniel Hebrew text.

      PART ONE

      A HISTORY OF DANIEL AND OTHER JEWS

      DURING THEIR CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON

      FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF

      NEBUCHADNEZZAR KING OF BABYLON

      TO THE

      FIRST YEAR OF DARIUS THE MEDE

      Daniel One

      1 The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem and besieged, because

      2 the Lord gave into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah. Some of the vessels of the house of God Nebuchadnezzar brought to the land of Shinar to the house of his god; he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

      Translation notes. Modern chapter and verse divisions were created in the 1500s by the French printer Robert Estienne (aka Robert Stephanus). The divisions are not always agreeable to the biblical text. These two verses provide an instructive example. In the Aramaic text these two verses are one sentence. When the one sentence was divided into two verses, the ‘al [Harris, s. v. 1624p], because, was left in v. 1. Most versions will move ‘al to v. 2 to help the English reader. In v. 2 the reading Nebuchadnezzar brought to the land, the name Nebuchadnezzar is not in the text. The translator must supply a noun or pronoun to perform the action of the verb. The same is true for the second occurrence of brought. Punctuation, of course, is a result of translation, not inspiration, as reference to the many translations will reveal. The abrupt opening of v. 1 reflects the Aramaic text, which most versions smooth out for readability.

      A great deal of ancient history underlies the opening verses. Three great empires, the Assyrian, the Egyptian, and the Babylonian fought for control of the lands lying between Egypt and Babylon: north along the Mediterranean coast from Egypt, then following the Euphrates River—the fertile crescent area of the Middle East—to Babylon.

      In 612 BC the Babylonians, under Nabopolassar (Nebuchadnezzar’s father), defeated the Assyrians at Nineveh and razed the city, eliminating them as a world-class power in the region. In 609 BC the Egyptian king Pharaoh Necho fought against Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish.

      Carchemish was the eastern capital of the ancient Hittite empire. It was a highly strategic military and commercial center of Northern Syria for many centuries, under one ruler or another. It lay on the Euphrates River, about 65 miles northeast of Aleppo [Syria]. There were several battles fought at Carchemish, the most decisive of which is the so-called ‘Battle of Carchemish,’ in which the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians, who were led by Pharaoh Necho. Assyria had lost its capital at Nineveh to the Babylonians in 612 BC. The capital was moved to Haran, but the Babylonians captured that city in 610 BC, forcing the Assyrians to set up another headquarters in Carchemish, about 35 miles east of Haran. Pharaoh Necho was allied with the Assyrians. He was on his way to Carchemish to help them fight the Babylonians when the Israeli king Josiah moved the Jewish army into his path at Megiddo as a delaying action. Josiah was killed in the battle of Megiddo (2 Chronicles 35:20). Necho’s army was delayed again at Riblah (2 Kings 23:31), and when he finally approached Carchemish, he was too late. Nebuchadnezzar had surprised the Assyrians and had captured Carchemish. He turned on the Egyptians and thoroughly defeated them. He pursued them to Hamath and killed almost all of the Egyptian combatants. The Battle of Carchemish was the end of the Assyrian Empire, and Egypt was reduced to a second-rate power. Babylon was master of the Middle East.

      [http://www.gracenotes.info/documents/TOPICS_DOC/Carchemish.doc].

      Israel, however, remained under Egyptian control, and Pharaoh Necho put one of Josiah’s sons, Eliakim, on the throne and renamed him Jehoiakim, 2 Chronicles 36:4, early in 609 BC. In 605 BC the second battle of Carchemish took place. Pharaoh Necho and his armies were defeated, resulting in Babylonian control of the Egyptian territories, from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates (2 Kings 24:7).

      The Brook of Egypt is not the River Nile, but is the Wadi el ‘Arish. The writer’s perspective in 2 Kings 24:7 is the nation Israel, specifically the geographical extant of the Kingdom as it was in the time of David and Solomon. The southern boundary of Solomon’s ancient kingdom was Gaza, according to 1 Kings 4:24. If the ancient historian in 1 Kings 4:24 meant the Philistine city of Gaza, then Wadi el ‘Arish is about twenty-five miles south of the city, forming the southern border between Solomon’s Israel and Egypt. If the historian meant the Philistine territory of which Gaza was the capital, then from Solomon’s time to the present-day, Wadi el ‘Arish forms the border between Egypt and Gaza [Aharoni, plate 105]. What had been Solomon’s kingdom, between the River Euphrates and the Wadi el ‘Arish, and had become an Egyptian tributary, was now controlled by Babylon.

      Israel had split into two kingdoms after Solomon’s death, being Israel/Samaria in the north and Judah in the south. Israel/Samaria had been ended as a political entity by the Assyrians in 722 BC. Over the next two hundred years Assyria and Egypt had struggled for control over the territories of Israel/Samaria and Judah. At the time when the book of Daniel begins, the time of Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar, the area was controlled by Egypt.

      At the end of the second battle of Carchemish, Nebuchadnezzar learned of his father’s death and hurried home to become king. It is at this point that Daniel’s story begins (2 Kings 24, 25; 2 Chronicles 35, 36; Jeremiah 25, 46). In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar’s armies captured Jerusalem and took many people from Israel to the city of Babylon, including Daniel. In 601 BC Jehoiakim stopped paying tribute to Babylon. He died in 598 BC and his son, Jehoiachin became king. Three months later, in 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and captured the city. Many more Jews were taken to Babylon, including the soon-to-be-prophet Ezekiel. Nebuchadnezzar installed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah as king and changed his name to Zedekiah.

      About 588 BC Zedekiah stopped paying tribute and Nebuchadnezzar invaded Israel, besieged Jerusalem, and captured the city in July 587 BC. In August 587 he razed the city and destroyed the temple. Zedekiah and more Jews were taken to Babylon. Many of the remaining Israelis fled to Egypt, taking the prophet Jeremiah with them.

      Events in the bible often appear to overlap or not quite meet. Daniel 1:1 says that Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem in the third year of the reign of Jehioakim. Jeremiah 46:2 says this event took place in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. How are these conflicting dates resolved?

      One of the confusing problems in biblical chronology involves how the years of the reign of a king were counted. Some countries counted any part of the year a king began to reign as the first year of his reign. Others counted that part of the year when he ascended to the throne as the accession year and counted the first full year following as the first year of his reign. In a case where two people shared the Kingship, such as a father and son (the son would be the vice-regent), some began counting the son’s reign from the time he became co-ruler; others counted from the time the father died and the son became the sole ruler. Nations also began their calendar year at different times of the solar year.

      The date in Daniel, naturally enough, seems to be dated according to the Babylonian methods. Jeremiah’s dating appears to depend upon Palestinian methods. When carefully compared it appears from the Babylonian dating method (Daniel 1:1), that Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem just at the end of Jehioakim’s third year, while from Palestinian reckoning the same event occurred just at the beginning of his fourth year.

      Rightly understood, there is no discrepancy. The Palestinian method of reckoning counts the months between the King’s accession and the new year as a complete year, whereas the method most usual in Babylon called those months the accession year and began to date the years of the King’s reign from the first new year . . . Whether or not the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar could be described as taking place in the third year of Jehoiakim depends on the period of the year when the New Year was celebrated, and on the time of year when Jehoiakim came to the throne. On the accession year system and with an autumnal New Year, his first year would run from September 608 to September 607, his second 607–605, his third September 605–October 605. This last would just accommodate the statement of Daniel 1:1 [Baldwin, 21; Thiele, 43]. Daniel and Jeremiah understood their particular chronological reference. Therefore, one can accept their joint testimony as accurate.

      because the Lord gave into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah. Some of the vessels of the house of God Nebuchadnezzar brought to the land of Shinar to the house of his god; he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

      The Lord throughout the book of Daniel is ‘adôn (Lord, master, sir) not YHWH (God’s personal name), with the exception of 9:2, 4, 8, 10, 13, 14, 20. The Lord is not merely YHWH the God of Israel. He is the God of all peoples, the ‘adôn, master and owner, of all. The Lord is sovereignly in control. Daniel also uses ‘êlohm, a general word for deity, at 1:23. By using ‘adôn and ‘êlohm Daniel made his message accessible to all readers of the book, not just to the Jews to whom God was YHWH.

      The Lord giving Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand is Daniel’s brief synopsis of the historical circumstances. As prophesied (Jeremiah 25:11–12; 29:10), Israel became a vassal state of Babylon.

      Shinar is an ancient name for Babylonia, first found in Genesis 10:10, and there is probably an intended association between Babel and Babylon. The deported Jews were deep into pagan territory, far away from the land, culture, and religion of their ancestors. They were in a place where the Lord was opposed, wickedness was at home, and righteousness unexpected. The vessels of the house of God, i.e., vessels from Solomon’s temple, were not from its destruction (which took place about 18 years after Daniel was carried off to Babylon), but were simply the spoils of war. Nebuchadnezzar understood the value of the temple vessels and artifacts as religious objects, for he placed them, no doubt with great ceremony, into the temple of his god. The vessels from the temple were of religious significance, being the nearest things to images. Removing them was a sign Nebuchadnezzar and his god had been victorious over the Israelite king and YHWH. Wars were fought in a god’s name, and a portion of the captured goods belonged to the god who had conquered.

      In the short view, then, the book of Daniel is about the survival and prosperity of the Jews in a foreign land. In the larger context it is about the sovereignty of God over Jew and Gentile. The mention of the temple artifacts supports this view. Who, then, is in control? YHWH is in control. The Lord gave into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand Jehoiakim king of Judah. Did Nebuchadnezzar defeat the Lord? Of course not.

      In this case, as in so many other historical situations, appearances were deceiving. Actually, the Lord was as much in charge of the overthrow of Jerusalem as he had been many times earlier in its defense. In fact, it was the Lord who had brought on the destruction, sending it as punishment for the people’s sins. Now, in spite of the fact that he had ‘delivered Jehoiakim into [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand,’ God was going to show that he was sovereign [Boice, 15].

      From the very beginning of this record, it is made clear that Nebuchadnezzar’s success was not through his prowess alone; it was the work of the one true God, who brought about the complete collapse of the Judean monarchy and the deportation of the people of Jerusalem into exile. Thus the theme of God’s absolute sovereignty is here implied. It continues to dominate the entire Book of Daniel, along with the accompanying theme of God’s unwavering purpose to bring his people back to repentance through disciplinary suffering, so equipping them spiritually for restoration to the Land of Promise. The divine motive behind all this dreadful humiliation, suffering, and loss was redemptive and altogether in harmony with God’s promises given to the generation of Moses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; cf. also 2 Chronicles 36:14–21). Precisely because it was Yahweh who gave over the Jews into Nebuchadnezzar’s power, it was Yahweh’s hand that could again snatch them away from their foreign bondage, once they were ready to renew their covenant fellowship with him and carry out their part in his program of redemption [Archer, in loco].

      3 The King commanded Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring some of the sons of Israel of the royal family, and of the nobility,

      4 young men in whom was not any physical defect, pleasant in appearance, wise in all wisdom, knowing knowledge, understanding, learning, and who are able to serve in the King’s court—to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

      Ashpenaz was chief of the sarîs [Harris, s. v. 1545], a word meaning court official. Because men holding official positions in royal government were often castrated, the word came to mean eunuch. Potiphar, who had a wife, is referred to as sarîs, Genesis 37:36; 39:7. Daniel’s text does not say Ashpenaz was a eunuch. In modern terms the sarîs were government civil servants. Saris does not imply that all or even some of the men taken from Israel were to be castrated. If some were found not suitable for administrative training they would be diverted to some other duty, such as guarding the women’s quarters, that might require castration (cf. Isaiah 39:7).

      Some of the people to be taken to Babylon were to be young men, yeled, generally used for young children but could also refer to adolescents and sometimes to young adults. Daniel lived in Babylon for seventy years, so he was probably about fifteen years old when taken to Babylon. They were to be from the sons of Israel i.e., from the nobility. People of varied ethnic origins lived within the Israeli kingdom, but Nebuchadnezzar wanted only those of Jacob’s race. The meaning may be even more precise. Keil [9:535], Young [39] and others understand sons of Israel in a theocratic (Keil) or theological (Goldingay [15]) sense to mean members of YHWH’s people. From the royal family meant they must be from the family of David. From the nobles is partemîm a loan word from the old Persian language, found only in Esther 1:3; 6:9, Daniel 1:3 [Harris, s. v. 1839]. The nobles would be other families working in the royal government.

      These young men were not to have any obvious physical defect and were to be good-looking or handsome. Physical beauty is often equated with good character, morality, spirituality, and intelligence, so these young men were to be good-looking as the culture defined such beauty.

      Ashpenaz was to prove their intelligence before bringing them to Babylon. He would test them to ensure they had already received an education. In this context education would indicate not only a general education, but one that had been suited to their position as members of the royalty and nobility: an emphasis on political and diplomatic knowledge. They must also demonstrate an aptitude for learning, so they could be taught to serve in the King’s palace.

      Why did Nebuchadnezzar bring Israelis into Babylon? He was selecting the future leaders of his kingdom so naturally he had some prerequisites concerning their qualifications. This is during his first contact with Jerusalem, when he was attempting to control the city (as part of his rule over Egypt) and receive tribute (taxes) from Israel. The intent was to train them in Babylonian ways for political and propaganda purposes [Longman, 47].

      Nebuchadnezzar adopted an enlightened policy of enlisting the most promising young men of his new empire into government service, whatever their nationality. Rather than reserving leadership for the Chaldeans alone, or even for the ethnic Babylonians whose cultural traditions reached back to the age of Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar resolved to pool the best brains and abilities discoverable in the ranks of the nations he had conquered. Since the hostages from Judah included the finest of the royalty and nobility, it was reasonable to open up special opportunities for gifted young Jews at the royal academy in Babylon [Archer, in loco].

      They would grow up to become friends of Babylon, thus decreasing the chance of rebellion, while forming a multi-cultural government to rule an ethnically diverse population. Some would return to the provinces. Their loyalty would be to Babylonia and their leadership skills would lead the local populace to be loyal to the Babylonian empire.

      These young men would be attending the University of Babylon to learn the oral and written language of the Babylonians, as well as becoming versed in the literature and learning of the Kingdom. One need not limit the nature of this literature, except to note, as Daniel does, that the language, learning, and literature of the Chaldeans was of special emphasis. What the language was no one can say for certain. In 2:4 Daniel makes a point of saying that the Chaldeans spoke to the King in Aramaic. This implies that the native language of the Chaldeans was other than Aramaic. Their native language may have been Akkadian, a dialect of which was the language of Babylon. More likely, the Chaldean language was very old, as much of their learning was handed down to each generation from ages past.

      The word Chaldeans was often used by non-Babylonians as a general term for the Babylonians. However, no one can say for sure the origin of the Chaldeans. The first reference is in Genesis 11:28 as an existing people group in the time of Abraham. Going back a little further in history, the descendants of Noah’s son Cush, through Ham and Nimrod, founded the cities in the land of Shinar, Genesis 10:10. The Chaldeans may have been descendants of Cush, although some think they were descendants of Shem [Keil, 9:536–537]. Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, was of the Kaldu people, thus a Chaldean, and therefore the word could have been specifically used to refer to the ruling class or caste in power during the time of the exile.

      However, the most common use of the term Chaldean was by those who were not of Babylonian origin, as a name for the wise men of Babylon. They were the guardians of the sacred traditional lore developed and preserved in Mesopotamia over centuries, covering natural history, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, myth, and chronicle. Much of this learning had a practical purpose, being designed to be applied to life by means of astrology, oneirology (study of dreams and their content), hepatoscopy (divination by inspecting an animal’s liver), and the study of other organs, rites of purification, sacrifice, incantation, exorcism, and other forms of divination and magic [Goldingay, 16].

      In the book of Daniel divination is the main practice of the Chaldeans, i.e., of the wise men of the Kingdom (cf. Isaiah 47). Some of the Israelis, Daniel and his friends among their number, were to be trained as Babylonian wise men. Would Daniel learn to be a Chaldean magician, a diviner of the future? No. He would learn all the knowledge he could, but he would not cross the line and violate the Mosaic Law. I am not implying that Daniel escaped the misconceptions and errors of the day. He was a man of his times, and the limited scientific knowledge of those times was Daniel’s knowledge (the Holy Spirit protected Scripture from errors of fact). However, he would not have violated the Mosaic Law in learning the Chaldean practices of divination and magic. As shall be seen, God honored Daniel’s consistency in his faith.

      5 The King appointed for them an amount, day by day, of the King’s portion of food, and wine he drank, to grow for three years, that at the end they may stand before the King.

      Translation Notes

      The word before, qŏdam [Harris, s. v. 2966a], has the sense of face to face, or in the presence of, in most of its forty-two uses in Scripture (four in Ezra; thirty-eight in Daniel). At the end of their training, Daniel and friends (and all the youth from Judea) would stand before the King, i.e., they would come into his presence for a brief interview.

      Day by day is the translation of yôm yôm [Harris, s. v. 852]. he word yôm means day. Used together they translate to a daily a daily and indicate a daily portion of food. The word amount is dabar [Harris, s. v. 399a], a noun translated eighty-five different ways by the KJV. Its meanings are word, speaking, speech, thing, etc. Here some thing is associated with the King’s portion of food and drink, in context an amount of food and drink. Others have translated dabar as provision, portion, or rate. The King’s portion is a word used only here and 11:26, but it clearly means that part of the agricultural product of the nation (including animal husbandry) which came to the King for his household and government officials, compare 1 Samuel 8:11–15.

      To grow for three years is otherwise translated training, trained, nourish, or nourishing in the other versions. The word is gadal [Harris, s. v. 315], which means grow up, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, do great things. The best use in this context seems to be grow up. Some translations interpret gadal as nourish; others interpret gadal in the sense of educate. Daniel’s point is that the young men from Israel will be given three years to grow physically and mentally. Interpretation is also necessary to translate the text stand king face to take one’s stand. At the end of the three years they would be evaluated by the King and then enter the King’s service.

      Explanation of Daniel 1:5

      During their growing up and training the Hebrews would be supported out of the King’s household. Implied is that they would live in the palace. Goldingay (quoting Oppenheim, Mesopotamia, 104–105) wrote, the palace included ‘the large throne room in which the King received ambassadors and other visitors, the large courtyard in front of it, and a special hall, perhaps used for official banquets . . . Living quarters for the King and his entourage, as well as storage rooms, were built around these principle areas . . . From its storehouses had to be fed and clad, according to their status, the members of the royal family, the administrative officials of country and palace, the personnel of the royal household, the standing army and a host of serfs, slaves, and others who depended on the palace for their living’ [Goldingay, 17].

      Since Daniel and his fellow expatriates were to be trained that they might serve in the king’s government, one may assume they were housed, fed, and clothed under that general classification of administrative officials of country and palace.

      6 It happened of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

      One must wonder why the Lord allowed Daniel and his friends to be taken from their homeland to far away pagan Babylon. As their story reveals, they were dedicated to the Lord in every way. Why bring them to Babylon, why not allow them to remain in their land where their faith

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