Daniel 1:6-7

Now among these were, of the sons of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

And the prince of the eunuchs gave new names to them: to Daniel he gave the name of Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, the name of Shadrach; to Mishael, he gave the name of Meshach; and to Azariah, the name of Abed-nego.

It was common practice to give new names to captives as a final sign of domination over them. Imagine that your nation has just been subdued by a hostile force and you've been taken captive. The only thing you have left is your name. Taking that from you is designed to strip you of any remaining allegiance to your former citizenship or nationalistic association. In the case of Daniel and his friends, their Hebrew meanings were simply distorted to reflect the gods of the Babylonians instead of their previous relation to Jehovah, the God of the Jews.

Daniel 1:8-10

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's food, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself in this way.

Now God caused the prince of the eunuchs to find kindness and compassion towards Daniel.

And the prince of the eunuchs said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink. Why should he see your faces worse looking than the other youths that are your age? The king would then have my head because of you."

Note how Daniel always gives the credit to God. He indicates that it was God who granted favor to Daniel in his relationship with the guards, not Daniel's personal charm or wisdom.

Although the Jews were required to follow strict dietary laws (see Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14), it is possible that the bigger concern for Daniel was the likelihood that the food served would have been offered to idols before being served. Since wine is specified in Daniel's objection but was not a scriptural restriction, the difficulty Daniel had went much deeper than the kind of food involved.

Daniel 1:11-13

Then Daniel said to the steward whom the prince of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

"Test your servants, I ask you, for ten days. Let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.

Then look upon us, and compare our appearance to that of the youths that eat of the king's delicacies; and as you see fit, deal with your servants."

Daniel offered a test for ten days, allowing the guy in charge to draw his own conclusion. He would then accept whatever decision was made at that time. Not only does this demonstrate enormous faith in God, it reflects wisdom and grace. This is an interesting test, because the diet he suggested is similar to what modern bodybuilding competitors use to quickly reduce water retention, making their muscles "pop out" more prominently.

Daniel 1:14-16

So he agreed to this, and tested them ten days.

At the end of ten days their appearance was better, and they looked more physically developed, than all the youths that ate the king's food.

So the steward took away their food, and the wine that they should drink, and gave them vegetables.

This passage is often misunderstood because of less-than-ideal translations. Some English Bibles interpret the Hebrew word "bawri" as "fatter" which is a poor translation. The word refers to increased appearance of flesh, but doesn't necessarily mean fat. Bawri can just as accurately be interpreted as "more muscular." The Babylonians were interested in physique; they wanted these guys to look muscular and powerful. In this context, the word clearly means that the young men had the appearance of being more muscular, a common result of reduced water retention following a diet of this type. It's a common short-term diet used by fitness competitors for exactly that reason.

Daniel 1:17-20

Now as for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding of visions and dreams.

At the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the prince of the palace staff brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.

The king talked with them; and among them all were found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore they were brought before the king to serve him.

And in every area of wisdom and understanding which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire realm.

Notice again how Daniel attributes any skills, knowledge or wisdom he has to God.

It is hard to know whether the end of the time set by the king for having the trainees presented before him was the end of the full three years of the training program. The king does not seem to know Daniel yet, suggesting that this took place before the events of chapter 2. The interview may have been within the first few months or even weeks since the training program began. The concern given over their physical appearance suggests that there wasn't enough time for the officers in charge to correct a potential problem with physical condition before the interview with the king would happen. On the other hand, the passage refers to the men entering the king's service which suggests that they were interviewed at the very end of their training program. This may mean that part of their training program was an apprenticeship -- on the job training.

The king finds them "ten times better" than all the other wise men in the country. This is an interesting insight into Nebuchadnezzar's impulsive nature and tendency to exaggerate. Obviously God had made these men vastly superior to others, but it would be impossible to measure them as "ten times" better. Their many qualities are combined, but as an example consider just intelligence quotient. If the smartest man in the land had an IQ of merely 140 (in reality given the higher intellect of those days it would have been much higher), a ten-fold increase would require Daniel and his friends to have an IQ of 1,400 which is an impossible figure. We will see more of Nebuchadnezzar's impulsive nature in the next few chapters.

Daniel 1:21

And Daniel continued there until the first year of King Cyrus.

The final verse of Chapter 1 indicates Daniel's term of service. He would serve the entire remaining period of the 70-year Babylonian captivity, since the captives were released from Babylon in the first year of the reign of Cyrus. Brought to Babylon as a teenager and beginning his service some three years later, he would serve at least 69 years, making him well into his 80's by the time he retired.

next: The Man of Metal

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