References (72)
even if these three fragile men (Hebr. enósh) were there [in the land]—Noah, Daniel, and Job—they would only be able to save their own lives (souls—Hebr. nefesh) through their righteousness, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh).
[Jeremiah has already said "even if Moses and Samuel stood before me," see . Noah and Job lived long before Ezekiel became a prophet. The two were examples of men who only managed to save those closest to them. When the flood came, the whole earth was affected, but Noah and his family were saved. Job prayed for his children, but they were struck by misfortune; however, Job and his wife survived. Daniel may be the contemporary biblical Daniel who was taken captive to Babylon, or the legend of a Daniel in the Ugaritic saga of Aqhat (1300 BC). In that case, three non-Jews from history are mentioned. A Daniel is also mentioned in .]
even if these three fragile men—Noah, Daniel, and Job []—were in it (the land), as surely as I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), they would not be able to save sons and not daughters, they would only save their own souls with their righteousness.
Behold, you are wiser than Daniel [may refer to the biblical Daniel, see Ezekiel 14:14, or Daniel in the Ugaritic tale of Aqhat],
there is no secret that can be hidden from you.
Among these [which indicates that there were other captured youths there from other countries—the Jewish historian Josephus mentions Phoenicia, Egypt, and Syria] were the following from Judah:
Daniel [meaning "God is my judge"],
Hananiah [meaning "Yahweh is gracious"],
Mishael [meaning "Who is like God"] and
Azariah [meaning "Yahweh is a helper"]. [All four of these young men have God in their names. This shows that despite the apostasy in Israel, their parents had probably given them a godly upbringing, which meant that they did not stray from their faith in God, see .]
But the chief of the court officials [Aspenas] gave them new names. [The reason was to connect them to Babylonian gods instead of the God of Israel.]
He called Daniel Belteshazzar.
[Meaning "one who has Bel's favor," Bel was a general name for "lord" and probably referred to the greatest Babylonian god, Marduk, so Daniel was given a flattering name.]
He called Hananiah Shadrach.
[Meaning "illuminated by the sun god," which describes the polytheistic god Aku.]
He called Mishael Meshach.
[He gets a similar name. The last part is changed from "El," which means God, to "Aku," who is the Babylonian moon god. Mishael was literally "Who is like God?" His new name is "Who is like Aku?"]
Azariah he called Aved-Nego.
[Meaning "Servant of the shining Nebo, god of fire," a Babylonian god. In the Chaldean translation of , Lucifer is translated as Nebo.]
[They were given the best food that could be offered in Babylon, but] Daniel was determined (set his heart) not to defile himself with the king's food or the wine he drank [and break God's law by eating, for example, pork and food sacrificed to idols]. Therefore, he petitioned Hos, the chief of the court officials [Aspenas] to be spared from defiling himself.
God caused him [Aspenas] to show mercy (caring love) and compassion (infinite grace) to Daniel (he became friendly; gained trust and felt compassion).
But he [was under intense pressure from the king and] said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king. He is the one who has determined what you should eat and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished (weak) compared to the other young men your age? In that case, you would endanger my head (my life) before the king!"
[Aspenas' fear was justified. In the book of Daniel, there are several examples of Nebuchadnezzar's harshness and capriciousness, see , ; . Daniel used good judgment. Instead of refusing food or revolting, he is creative and comes up with a suggestion.]
Then Daniel said to the guard (supervisor, assistant) whom the chief of the eunuchs [Aspenas] had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
God gave these four young men knowledge, the ability to study and learn from the scriptures, and wisdom. Daniel [also had a supernatural gift; he] understood all kinds of visions and dreams. [Every good gift comes from God, see .]
The king spoke with them, and there was no one among them all who could compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were therefore allowed to serve the king.
Daniel remained there [continued to serve the kingdom] until the first year of King Cyrus' reign [and well into his reign].
[The name Cyrus is of Persian origin, meaning "like the sun." In modern Persian, the name is Kourosh. In ancient Elamite inscriptions, the name is "Kuras." From this name comes the Greek Kyrios, meaning "lord." The Latin form of the Greek has since become the English Cyrus. The Hebrew transliteration is Koresh, see ; .
Daniel was born around 620 BC in Jerusalem. As a teenager, he was taken to Babylon in 605 BC. He remained there for at least 69 years. He gained influence in two great powers. Kings came and went, but Daniel always played a prominent role. When the Persian king Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC, Daniel also found favor with him in the new Persian empire. Since Daniel had visions in the third year of Cyrus' reign, this means that he was in the country in 536 BC. At that time, he was over 80 years old. It is also at this advanced age that he is thrown into the lions' den, see Dan chapter 6. Although he is able to see the first group of Jews, led by Zerubbabel, return to Jerusalem, see Ezra 1:1-3, it is most likely that Daniel remained and died in Babylon. There are six different traditions about where he was buried: Babylon, Kirkuk and Miqdadiyah in Iraq, Susa and Malamir in Iran, and Samarkand in Uzbekistan.]
The order was proclaimed, and all the wise men were about to be executed. [The Aramaic verb is in the participle form, which indicates how imminent the events are.] They also searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them as well [since they were also counted among this group].
Then Daniel spoke with wise, well-chosen words to Arjoch, who was in charge of all the king's executioners and who had been sent to kill all the wise men in Babylon.
He said to Arjoch, the king's commander, "Why is the king's command so urgent (severe)?" Arjoch then explained the situation to Daniel.
Daniel went to the king [Nebuchadnezzar] and asked for time, so that he could tell him what the dream meant.
Then Daniel hurried home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened.
He urged them to pray to the God of heaven to show them mercy and help them understand the secret, so that he and his friends and all the other wise men in Babylon would not lose their lives.
Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of heaven.
Daniel said:
"Praise (bless) the name of God from eternity to eternity,
for he has wisdom and power!
Then Daniel went to Arjoch, who had been commissioned by the king [Nebuchadnezzar] to execute all the wise men in Babylon. Daniel said to him, "Do not kill the wise men in Babylon! Bring me to the king, and I will tell him what the dream means (give the interpretation)."
Arach immediately took Daniel to the king [Nebuchadnezzar] and said, "I have found a man among the Jewish captives who can interpret the dream!"
[Daniel's selflessness is evident when his first words to Arach are not to destroy "all the wise men of Babylon." This contrasts with Arjoch, who seems to want to take credit by saying that "he has found a man." However, one can sense his enthusiasm that the unpleasant task of executing all the wise men does not need to be carried out.]
The king replied to Daniel, who had been given the name Belteshazzar: "Can you tell me what I dreamed and also interpret the dream?"
Daniel answered the king:
"The secret the king asks to know is something that no wise men, enchanters, diviners (writers, from the word for pen) or astrologers (from the word to carve, decide and determine) can reveal.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel and worshipped him. Nebuchadnezzar commanded that a sacrifice be brought and incense be burned to him.
The king said to Daniel, "Your God is truly a God above other gods, a Lord above kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret."
Then the king gave Daniel many gifts and set him in a high position in his kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar made him lord over the whole province of Babylon and set him over all the wise men of Babylon.
At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to administer the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the king's court.
[Suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar's carefree life was shaken.] I had a dream that frightened me. The thoughts I had as I lay on my bed, and the vision I had in my mind, frightened me.
I ordered all the wise men of Babylon to come before me and give me the interpretation of the dream.
but leave the stump with its roots in the ground.
[Even though the tree is cut down, the life-giving root remains. This is an exact description of what will happen to Nebuchadnezzar when he goes mad and loses his kingdom, but regains it when he comes to his senses again. It also becomes very clear that the dream is about a person. From this point on, the tree and the stump are described as a human being with a heart and in terms of him and he.]
Bound with chains of iron and bronze,
surrounded by the grass of the field:
Let him be moistened by the dew of heaven.
Let his lot be with the beasts among the crops of the field.
Let his heart be changed from a human heart,
and let him have the heart of an animal [become confused, no longer behave humanly].
[There is a mental illness, lycanthropy, in which a person believes himself to be an animal.]
Let seven periods of time pass over him. [This probably refers to seven years.]
The man I am talking about is named Daniel, he was given the [Babylonian] name Belteshazzar []. He had an extraordinary spirit (a spiritual ability beyond the ordinary, see ), knowledge and ability to interpret dreams, solve riddles and solve complex problems (untangle knots). Call in Daniel. He can interpret (decipher) the writing on the wall."
So Daniel [now in his 80s] was brought before the king, and the king said to him, "You are Daniel, one of the Jewish captives whom my predecessor (father), the king, brought here from Judah!
Then Daniel answered the king:
"Keep your fine gifts for yourself or give them to someone else! But I will read the writing [on the wall] for you and tell you what it means (give the interpretation).
[Daniel's refusal to accept the king's gifts is probably not due to pride or rudeness, but rather because he wants to avoid any misunderstanding that God's gifts can be bargained for. Before interpreting the text, Daniel speaks some serious words to the king. He begins by reminding him of the consequences of pride in Babylon's greatest king, Nebuchadnezzar, in verses 18-21. He concludes by condemning Belshazzar's deliberate act of blasphemy against the Most High God in verses 22-24. In Nebuchadnezzar's case, God gave a 12-month grace period before judgment fell, see . For Belshazzar, who should have known better, it is a matter of hours before the words come true, see . The fact that God writes on the wall shows that he wants repentance.]
At Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple [given royal status], a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed to have the third highest position in the kingdom.
[Daniel knew that these were worthless gifts and titles in a kingdom that would fall in a few hours! It seems that Daniel nevertheless accepts the rewards that are foisted on him against his will, see . Perhaps protests in this situation would have led to him being accused of treason?]
He placed three ministers above them, one of whom was Daniel. [The ministers were probably responsible for 40 satraps each.] The satraps were to report to these three ministers so that the king would not suffer any loss.
[The Medo-Persian Empire is expanding, and the king appoints leaders and a new administration to maintain recently conquered areas and ensure that they pay taxes. The word "loss" is used in to refer to taxes, customs duties, and road tolls. Corruption at all levels was not uncommon. Customs officials and administrators often charged higher fees than stipulated and pocketed the surplus.]
This Dan distinguished himself (outshone, did a better job) compared to the other [two] ministers and [the 120] satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit (a spiritual ability beyond the ordinary, see ). The king thought (planned) to put Daniel over the whole kingdom.
[Daniel had high morals, he followed God's teachings and was honest and faithful. Daniel also had long experience working as an administrator for Babylon, having served nearly 40 years under Nebuchadnezzar, see . Daniel's intended promotion created jealousy, see . Here was a former Jewish slave who had served in the defeated Babylonian empire who was to become their superior!]
Then the other [two] ministers and [a group of] satraps tried to find something to accuse Daniel of in his official duties (in matters concerning the empire). However, they could not find anything that was wrong [any misconduct] or any corruption (moral wrongdoing), because he was faithful (had high morals and integrity), there was no negligence (carelessness) or corruption (moral wrongdoing).
Finally, the men said, "We will never find anything to accuse this Daniel of [in terms of how he performs his work]. Perhaps we can find something concerning the law of his God?"
[Daniel was now in his 80s. It had been a relatively short time since the new administration had taken over in Babylon. Daniel's faith in the God of Israel was probably still unknown to the king. However, faith permeated both Daniel's private and professional life. He was loyal, honest, and had a good work ethic.]
Even after Daniel found out that the new law had been enacted (signed and put into effect), he went to his house where he had a room on the roof with windows open toward Jerusalem. [Towards the west from Babylon.] There he knelt three times a day and thanked his God in the same way he always had.
[The custom of praying towards the temple in Jerusalem is based on Solomon's words, see , , , . Daniel continues his habit of praying three times a day. He obeys God more than people, see . David writes how he prays in the evening, morning, and middle of the day, see (evening prayer is mentioned first because the Jewish day begins at sunset). In the temple in Jerusalem, the times for prayer were 9, 12, and 15, see also ; ; ; ; .]
The men went there as a group (hurried, rushed in) and discovered Daniel praying for God's undeserved mercy (help).
Then they said to the king, "Daniel, one of the Jewish captives (literally 'one of the sons of the captives of Judah'), does not obey you or the decree you have signed. Three times a day he prays."
[They want to make Daniel look bad. They emphasize that Daniel is not one of them. The only reason to mention that he was a captive was to humiliate him and cast suspicion on Daniel's intentions. Secondly, they say that Daniel's actions were not only against the law, but against the king himself. Not only did Daniel go against the king and the law, he did so deliberately three times a day. It was not just a misunderstanding but a deliberate act.]
When the king heard this, he was very upset. The Aramaic word beesh is used here. It means "to smell bad" and is used figuratively to describe how "the whole situation stinks." What had happened was completely wrong, shameful, and unjust. The king understood how he had been deceived. He decided to do everything he could to save Daniel. Until sunset, he tried to find a way out.
Then the king [Darius] gave orders to bring Daniel and throw him into the lions' den, and the king said to Daniel, "Your God, whom you faithfully (constantly, regardless of circumstances) serve, he will save you!"
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own seal and with the seals of his nobles, so that nothing could be changed concerning the decision made against Daniel.
As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel with anxiety in his voice: "Daniel, servant of the living God! Has the God whom you faithfully (constantly, regardless of circumstances) worship been able to save you from the lions?"
Then Daniel spoke to the king: "Your Majesty, long live the king!
The king was very pleased and ordered Daniel to be lifted out of the pit. So Daniel was lifted out of the pit, and he was not the least bit injured, because he had trusted (believed) in his God.
Then the king ordered that the men who had accused Daniel (literally "eaten him alive") be brought and thrown into the lions' den. They, their wives, and their children were thrown into the den. The lions pounced on them before they reached the ground and tore them to pieces.
[Both thematically and textually, this passage in chapter 6 is related to chapter 3, where Daniel's three friends are thrown into the fiery furnace. The same unusual word for accuse is used in and . Just as Nebuchadnezzar wrote a letter, so does Darius, see and .]
I hereby issue a new decree that in my kingdom, Daniel's God shall be feared and revered.
For he is the living God,
who remains forever.
His kingdom will not perish,
and his dominion will last until the end.
He saves and delivers,
performs signs and wonders,
in heaven and on earth.
He is the one who saved Daniel from the power (hand) of the lions."
Daniel was successful (promoted, honored, wealthy, and powerful) during the reign of Darius and (also) during the reign of Cyrus (Hebr. Koresh) of Persia.
[The text can be read in two ways. Either it describes how Darius and Cyrus are two contemporary leaders. In that case, Darius is the governor whom Cyrus appointed over the city of Babylon, and who historically could be a general named Gubaru, see . The Hebrew conjunction vav is usually translated as "and," but can also be translated as "also." In that case, the second part becomes an explanation and clarification: "also, that is, during the reign of the Persian Cyrus." Dan then indicates that the Median Darius, see , is the same person as the Persian Cyrus. What complicates the interpretation is that the same people have different names in different regions, which also applies to Daniel and his friends, see . Hopefully, future archaeological finds mentioning Darius' name will help in the interpretation here.]
In the first year of Belshazzar's reign [around 550 BC], Daniel had a dream and saw visions in his mind (in his head) while lying on his bed.
[Belshazzar was Nabonidus' eldest son. Nabonidus came to the throne in 556 BC and reigned until 539 BC. The Nabonidus Scroll mentions that they reigned together in Nabonidus' seventh year of reign, which is 549 BC. However, there are no records for years four, five, and half of the sixth year. Belshazzar's first year of reign is therefore somewhere between 553 and 550 BC. It is just over ten years since Nebuchadnezzar's death, see . Daniel is about 60-70 years old when he has this vision.]
He wrote down the main points of the dream.
Here is the account:
I saw the vision at night. In the vision, the four winds of heaven were blowing [which may refer to God’s judgment on the world; see ], and the great sea [humanity] was stirred up.
[The great sea is often a reference to the Mediterranean Sea, which forms Israel’s western border (), but can also speak prophetically of peoples and nations in a state of unrest, chaos, and turmoil; see ; . Here, the meaning seems to be the political turmoil and the emergence of new kingdoms and superpowers. The Persian king Cyrus defeats the Medes in 550 B.C., and the emerging superpower of Medo-Persia takes shape—an event that will influence the entire course of world history. Interestingly, these momentous world events coincide with the time when Daniel has this vision.]
I, Daniel, became troubled (impatient) in my spirit within me (in my shell). The visions I had seen in my head frightened (terrified) me.
Here ends this account [of the dream and visions]. I, Daniel, was terrified by my thoughts [about what I had seen and understood would happen in the future], and my face turned pale (its radiance changed). But I kept all this [the dream and the angel's interpretation] in my heart (to myself).
[This dream has many parallels with Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the statue in . There, the four kingdoms are described from a human perspective – precious metals that are beautiful and shiny. God, on the other hand, sees their inner character and describes them as wild beasts; see also where Jesus describes false prophets as ravenous wolves. Structurally, these two visions also belong together in the chiastic pattern found in the Book of Daniel; see the introduction. Together, these visions provide several details. There are also earlier examples where two dreams underline the truth in the dream. Pharaoh had two dreams about the coming famine, see , . Joseph receives the explanation that the reason there were two dreams was because the event was "determined by God and would happen soon," see .]
[Chronologically, the visions in chapters 7 and 8 occur long before the events in chapter 5, which describes Belshazzar's feast. The fact that Daniel had had these visions more than ten years before that event helped him to interpret the writing on the wall. From chapter 8 until the end of the book, the text is written in Hebrew. The middle section, between 2:4 and 7:28, is written in Aramaic. The visions in chapters 2, 7, and 8 have several points of contact where the same kingdoms are described. The switch back to Hebrew, here in chapter 8, indicates that the vision here is directed specifically at the Jewish people. From dealing with general world events, it now describes in more detail how the great powers will affect Israel and the temple, see , .]
In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign [over Babylon, around 551-550 BC], I, Daniel, had another vision after the one I had seen before [two years earlier, see ].
While I, Daniel, was watching the vision, I tried to understand it. Suddenly, I saw someone who looked like a man (a mighty hero) standing in front of me.
I, Daniel, was completely exhausted. [The vision affected him both mentally and physically.] I was sick for several days [unable to get out of bed]. Then [when I regained my strength], I got up and returned to my service with the king [in Belshazzar's regime in Babylon]. I was terrified (astonished, helpless) by the vision, and no one could explain it. [Daniel had seen kings but no names and exact times.]
During Darius' first year as king, I, Daniel, read the scriptures [including Jeremiah, Isaiah, the Books of Moses, and the Psalms]. I noticed the Lord's words to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years Jerusalem would lie in ruins had been foretold. It was 70 years.
[The prophet Isaiah mentions Cyrus by name two hundred years earlier, see ; . Jeremiah had prophesied about the Jewish people's 70-year captivity in Babylon, see . The first prophecy came in 605 BC, the same year that Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon, see . Daniel had certainly seen and heard Jeremiah preaching in Jerusalem before he was deported to Babylon as a teenager.
Jer. remains in Jerusalem and writes several letters to his compatriots in Babylon. In one letter, probably written not long after Jerusalem was conquered in 597 BC, see , he reminds them that when 70 years have passed for Babylon, the Jews will be brought back to their land and that God wants to give them peace, a future, and hope, see . When Daniel reads these writings, he has been in Babylon for 66 years. Daniel realizes that there are only a few years left before what Jeremiah prophesied will come to pass. It turns out that in the same year that Daniel writes this, Cyrus will allow the Jews to return, and a first group will eventually travel back to rebuild the temple. The call to prayer in is one of the reasons why Daniel begins to pray when he reads this. Later, Zechariah will also refer to a 70-year period from the destruction of the temple in 586 BC until it was rebuilt and dedicated in 516 BC. It is interesting to see Daniel's view of the Scriptures. As early as the 500s BC, he refers to Jeremiah as the word of God. He also quotes from the Books of Moses and the Psalms in his prayer. See also 2 Chron. 36:20-22. Jeremiah had predicted 70 years of captivity, and Daniel believed in a literal fulfillment of the prophetic word.]
"But understand," he [the angel Gabriel] spoke to me and said, "Daniel, I have now come to make you wise and understand.
[Daniel is now in his 85th year. Two years earlier, the new Persian king Cyrus had given the Jews permission to return to Jerusalem, see . However, few Jews had left, and for those who did, the circumstances were difficult. The vision occurs when Daniel is away from the city of Babylon and is by the Tigris River. The text does not say why, perhaps he was there on administrative business or to urge the Jews to return?
The structure of the last part of the Book of Daniel is:
1. Prologue –
2. Revelation –
3. Epilogue – .]
In the third year of the reign of Cyrus (Koresh), king of Persia [536 BC], Daniel, also known as Belteshassar [the name he was given when he was taken captive ], received a message (word) revealed to him. [He sees another vision.] The message is true and concerns a great war (a difficult time, a great tribulation). He understood the message, and in the vision he gained insight into what it was about.
At that time, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three weeks [Literally "three sevens of days," probably to distinguish this time from the seventy sevens in the previous chapter.]
I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see it, but they were seized with great fear and ran to hide.
He [the man in the vision] said to me, "Daniel, you are greatly loved (precious). Pay attention to (understand) the words that I am about to speak to you. Get up, for now I have been sent to you." When he spoke these words to me, I got up but was still shaking.
Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prov has been heard. I have been sent because of what you have said (your prayer).
But you, Daniel, keep these words (do not write any more now, literally "finish the words") and seal this writing until the time of the end. Many shall go to and fro [may refer to increased travel, or that many shall search the book], and knowledge shall increase. []
When I, Daniel, looked up, behold, there were two others standing there, one on one bank of the river and one on the other bank.
Then he [the angel] said, "Go, Daniel, for these words are to be kept secret and sealed until the time of the end."
"When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation,' standing in the holy place
[the temple in Jerusalem] – the prophet
Daniel spoke of this
[in ], whoever reads it understands –
"When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation'
[as mentioned by the prophet Daniel, see , in ], standing
(standing, stepping forward) where it should not be
[in the temple of Jerusalem] – may the reader understand this – then those who are in
Judea should flee to the mountains.
