Daniel Chapter 1

Daniel

chapter 1: Exiled to Babylon

As the book of Daniel opens, we see how this young man of faith deals with the first challenges of his new pagan environment. His example is one that should be an inspiration to all of us.

Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nabopolassar the king and at this time the military general of Babylon, has just defeated the Assyrians and sent the Egyptians retreating. He now turns his attention on Jerusalem. Jeremiah records that God called Nebuchadnezzar, the king of a hostile pagan nation, "His servant" and gave command of the wild animals to this king. Daniel 2:38 adds that even the birds of the air were under his command.

"Now I will give your countries to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who is my servant. I have put everything, even the wild animals, under his control."
-- Jeremiah 27:6 (NLT)

We don't know how much awareness Nebuchadnezzar had of his power over wild beasts, but we do know that he had a blazing temper and a massive ego. His officers were terrified of disappointing him in any way. In these early chapters of Daniel we see the impact of his character flaws.

Daniel, on the other hand, is a sharp contrast to the impulsive arrogance of the king. He is steadfast, trustworthy, humble and completely committed to a power greater than himself: the God of the Hebrews. Despite the turmoil and upheaval of the actions that brought these Jews of noble background into Babylon hundreds of miles from home, Daniel is determined to follow God. He refuses to lose his focus or be distracted by events. He remains steadfast in his commitment to his faith.

Danel 1:1

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

The Babylonians measured a king's reign from the first full year, beginning with the start of the year. The partial year prior to that is called "the year of ascension" or "the year he became king." The Jews (those of the southern kingdom of Judah) measured a king's reign from the day he became king. This explains why Daniel (writing from Babylon) says it was the third year of Jehoiakim when Jeremiah says it was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim.

Daniel 1:2

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. He carried them into the land of Shinar [Babylon] to the house of his god and he took the vessels to the treasure house of his god.

When a king would conquer a nation it was common practice to take the most sacred things from that country to his own land and place them in the temple of his gods. This was a visible symbol of power and control over a people group. Nebuchadnezzar's "treasure house of his god" was just north of his palace in Babylon. The Babylonians honored many gods. The names of their gods were associated with people's names, street names, and almost every other naming convention used.

The chief god of Babylon was Marduk, a dragon-shaped god. There were others treated with almost as much reverence, including Ishtar the goddess of fertility. The worship of Ishtar (a practice that included a golden egg as part of the symbolism) remained with the world for hundreds of years. It was eventually converted into the Christian celebration of Easter (the name originates from the name Ishtar) to remove this pagan celebration, explaining why rabbits and eggs are part of the symbolism associated with Easter.

From the beginning, Daniel goes out of his way to make it clear that God is the one who calls the shots in life. He attributes the power of kings, a person's intelligence, wisdom or the ability to interpret dreams entirely to God. He gives God credit for everything, even the loss of Jehoiakim's kingdom.

The temple objects taken will play a role in the final destruction of Babylon when co-regent Belshazzar calls for them as part of a defiant party.

Daniel 1:3-5

And the king spoke to Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring in some of the sons of Israel, of the royal line and of the nobles;

youths in whom was no blemish, but handsome, skillful in all wisdom, having knowledge and understanding science, young men who had the ability to stand in the king's palace; and that he should teach them the knowledge and language of the Chaldeans.

And the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king's food, and of the wine which he drank. He ordered that they should be nourished three years, and that at the end of the three years they should be presented before the king.

Some scholars interpret the reference to sons as "children," which is accurate enough provided you don't assume they are young children. It is clear from the emphasis on this passage that physical attributes play a large role in this selection process. Children do not have well-developed physiques.

Ashpenaz, the chief of the royal officials, was charged both with selecting and training candidates. Punishment for failure was harsh, so these officers took their responsibilities very seriously.

The Hebrew word "saris" translated by some Bibles as "eunuch" (the NIV more accurately interprets this as "chief of the court officials") does not necessarily mean a castrated male as we commonly use that term (which came from the Greek). Joseph's boss Potiphar was also a "saris" and he was married, so he was clearly not a eunuch as we understand that term. The word simply refers to an officer of the palace, though some --specifically those working in the harem -- were castrated to ensure that they were not tempted.

It should not be assumed that these young men actually ate at the king's table. The phrase simply means that they ate ordinary food that came from the royal storehouse and paid for from the king's budget, although it would be food that would be offered to idols before being prepared or served.

Daniel and his friends would be learning the Akkadian language (cuneiform script) as well as some of the highly detailed scientific knowledge that Babylon was known for. It should never be assumed that he was taught magical arts or other pagan practices as Daniel would never have allowed himself to learn such things. This perception comes from a misunderstanding of the origin of the word "magi" or "magician." The word interpreted "magicians" in many Bibles comes from the root word "stylus" which was the instrument used to create the complex Akkadian cuneiform wedge-shaped script.

A society of winged gods

The Assyrian Empire that preceded Nabopolassar's Chaldean empire had many symbols of animals with wings, sometimes with human faces. This winged bull, or Lamassu, guarded an Assyrian king's tomb.

A nearly identical sculpture was of a regal winged lion, adopted by Nebuchadnezzar as a major symbol of Babylon. It played prominently throughout the culture and was used as the metaphor for the Chaldean Empire in the vision given to Daniel recorded in Chapter 8.