18<\/strong>. And<\/strong> at the end of the days that the king had<\/em> appointed<\/strong> ( Dan 1:5<\/em><\/span>) for bringing<\/strong> them in<\/em> (R.V.)] viz. to attend upon the king. ‘Appointed’ is lit. said<\/em>, i.e. commanded, decreed, a common use in late Hebrew: cf. Dan 1:3<\/em><\/span>. As Dan 1:19<\/em><\/span> (‘among them all,’ &c.) shews, the pron. them<\/em> refers, not as the connexion with Dan 1:17<\/em><\/span> might suggest, to the four Hebrew lads alone, but to the whole number of youths mentioned in Dan 1:3-4<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n Now at the end of the days … – <\/B>After three years. See Dan 1:5<\/span>.<\/P> The prince of the eunuchs brought them in – <\/B>Daniel, his three friends, and the others who had been selected and trained for the same purpose.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 18. Now at the end of the days<\/B><\/I>] That is, at the end of three years, Da 1:5<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n At the three years end, according to the kings command, which Melzar punctually observed, and brought them in before the king. <\/P> <\/p>\n 18. brought them in<\/B>that is,not only Daniel and his three friends, but other youths (Dan 1:3<\/span>;Dan 1:19<\/span>, “among themall<\/I>“).<\/P><\/p>\n Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in,…. That is, at the end of three years; which was the time appointed for their education, and when they were to be brought before the king for his examination and approbation:<\/p>\n then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar<\/strong>; even all the young men that were taken from among the children of Israel and Judah, as well as the four children before and after mentioned, appears by what follows. This was done by Asphenaz, and not Melzar.<\/p>\n Now, Daniel relates how he and his companions were brought forward at a fixed time, since three years was appointed by the king for their instruction in all the science of the Chaldees and on that account the prefect of the eunuchs produces them. He shews how he and his companions were approved by the king, and were preferred to all the rest. By these words he confirms my remark, that the Lord through a long interval had adorned them with much favor, by rendering them conspicuous throughout the royal palace, while the king himself acknowledged something uncommon in them. He, as well as the courtiers, ought all to entertain such an opinion concerning these four youths, as should express his sincere reverence for them. Then God wished to illustrate his own glory, since without doubt the king was compelled to wonder how they could surpass all the Chaldeans. This monarch had spared no expense on his own people, and had not neglected to instruct them; but when he saw foreigners and captives so superior, a spirit of rivalry would naturally spring up within him. But, as I have already said, God wished to extol himself in the person of his servants, so that the king might be compelled to acknowledge something divine in these young men. Whence, then, was this superiority? for the Chaldeans boasted of their wisdom from their birth, and esteemed other nations as barbarians. The Jews, they would argue, are eminent beyond all others; verily the God whom they worship distributes at his will talent and perception, since no one is naturally gifted unless he receives this grace from heaven. God, therefore, must necessarily be glorified, because Daniel and his comrades very far surpassed the Chaldeans. Thus God usually causes his enemies to gaze with wonder on his power, even when they most completely shun the light. For what did King Nebuchadnezzar propose, but to extinguish the very remembrance of God? For he wished to have about him Jews of noble family, who should oppose the very religion in which they were born. But God frustrated this plan of the tyrant’s, and took care to make his own name more illustrious. It now follows. <\/p>\n (18) At the end of the days,<\/strong> i.e.,<\/em> the three years specified in Dan. 1:5<\/span>. Before the conclusion of this time, it appears (Dan. 2:1<\/span>), Daniel was enabled to give a proof of his wisdom. (See Dan. 2:28<\/span>.)<\/p>\n 18-20<\/strong>. <\/strong> At the end of a three years’ course of study (Dan 1:5<\/span>) the examination not only showed the fitness of these youths to stand before the king <\/strong> (Dan 1:19<\/span>), that is, as royal attendants (Bevan); but when questions were propounded on dark subjects their answers showed more insight than those of the king’s most aged and learned counselors. This statement probably has reference to the events related in chap. 2. This verse is so changed in various translations that Thomson would drop it out altogether as a later interpolation. Wyclif’s translation, though not of critical value, is curious enough to quote: “And eche word of Wysdam and vndirstondyng, that the Kyng axide of him, he fonde in him the tenthe folde ouer alle dyvynours and witch is that everen in alle the rewme of hym.”<\/p>\n ‘And at the completion of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them before him, the prince of the chief officers brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king had discussions with them and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Misahel and Azariah. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.’<\/p>\n The final test came when they were all brought in before the king. He was not so concerned with how they looked but with what they had learned. And as he listened to the four he was impressed by their knowledge and wisdom. ‘Ten times better’ must clearly not be taken too literally. It is a typical exaggeration.<\/p>\n The point is probably twofold. Firstly that their remarkable wisdom and understanding shone through, so that as Nebuchadnezzar listened to them, their breadth of knowledge, and their discernment and ability to seize on what was most important, and interpret it, impressed him. He felt as he heard their answers that he had never met the like, even among his own magicians and enchanters, those men with their seeming knowledge of mysterious arts.<\/p>\n And secondly that in fact his opinion of his own enchanters and magicians was not very high. He thought of them sceptically as men with limited vision and understanding. There is here the very definite suggestion that they did not impress him, as will come out in the next chapter.<\/p>\n Dan 1:18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.<\/p>\n Ver. 18. Now at the end of the days,<\/strong> ] i.e., <\/em> After three years’ time of studying. See on Dan 1:5<\/span> . Account is to be exacted of time and profiting. Pliny a<\/em> said to his nephew, when he saw him walk out some hours without studying, Poteras has horas non perdere,<\/em> You might have spent these hours better. Ignatius, when he heard a clock strike, would say, Here is one hour more now past that I have to answer for. Archbishop Ussher, b<\/em> on his death bed, begged hard of God to pardon his omissions, who yet was never known to omit an hour, but ever employed in his Master’s business, reading, writing, preaching, resolving doubts, &c. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n a<\/em> Plin. Epist.<\/em> <\/p>\n b<\/em> His Life by Dr Bernard.<\/p>\n NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Dan 1:18-21<\/p>\n 18Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service. 20As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. 21And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.<\/p>\n Dan 1:18 at the end of the days This refers to Dan 1:5.<\/p>\n Dan 1:20 The Hebrew youths in their conversations with Nebuchadnezzar, proved to be much (the idiomatic use of ten) better than (1) the other youths from other conquered countries who studied with them and (2) even all the established counselors (magicians and conjurers).<\/p>\n ten times better Eastern literature uses many figures of speech, metaphors, and hyperboles. It also uses numbers in symbolic ways (see Biblical Numerology: A Basic Study of the Use of Numbers in the Bible, by John J. Davis). Ten is the number of completeness (cf. Gen 31:7; Gen 31:41; Exo 34:28; Lev 26:26; Num 14:22; 1Sa 1:8; 1Sa 25:38; 2Sa 19:43; 1 Kings 6-7; 1Ki 11:31; 1Ki 11:35; 2Ki 20:9-11; 2Ki 25:25; 2 Chronicles 4; Neh 4:12; Job 19:3; Ecc 7:19; Jeremiah 41; Ezekiel 45; Ezekiel 48; Dan 1:12; Dan 1:14-15; Dan 1:20; Zec 8:23, the Aramaic form of the Hebrew word in Dan 7:7; Dan 7:20; Dan 7:24. Also notice Rev 2:10; Rev 12:3; Rev 13:1; Rev 17:3; Rev 17:7; Rev 17:12; Rev 17:16). To miss the symbolic nature of Dan 1:1; Dan 1:4; Dan 1:6-7; Dan 1:10; Dan 1:12 is to miss a basic literary technique of eastern literature.<\/p>\n This recognition of the Hebrew youths’ superiority (cf. Daniel 1, 2, 4, 5) over all the other Chaldean wise men will cause great jealousy (cf. chapters 3 & 6).<\/p>\n SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE <\/p>\n NASB, NKJV,<\/p>\n NRSV, NJB,<\/p>\n JPS, NIVmagicians<\/p>\n TEVfortuneteller<\/p>\n This type of counselor, magician, is used (1) in Egypt (cf. Gen 41:8; Gen 41:24; Exo 7:11; Exo 7:22; Exo 8:15; Exo 9:11; Isa 19:11-12); (2) in Babylon (cf. Dan 1:20; Dan 2:2; Isa 44:25; Jer 50:35; Jer 51:57); and also (3) in Persia (cf. Est 1:13; Est 6:13).<\/p>\n The Hebrew term (BDB 355) is chartummim, which is from charath, an engraving tool from an Egyptian loan word (cf. Gen 41:8; Gen 41:24; Exo 7:11; Exo 7:22; Exo 8:7; Exo 8:18-19; Exo 9:11). This probably refers to the magical texts and charms found in cuneiform tablets.<\/p>\n For Israel these things and their practitioners are condemned (cf. Deu 18:9-11). This is one reason why the book of Daniel was not popular with the rabbis because Daniel was involved in and identified with this type of activity. See Special Topic: Magic .<\/p>\n NASBconjurers<\/p>\n NKJVastrologers<\/p>\n NRSVenchanters<\/p>\n TEVmagicians<\/p>\n NJBsoothsayers<\/p>\n Brown, Driver, and Briggs (BDB 80) call this a Babylonian loan word, which denotes conjuring or necromancing. In the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, vol. 1, p. 556, it lists the possible derivation.<\/p>\n 1. Babylonian and Aramaic – conjurer<\/p>\n 2. Akkadian – exorcist<\/p>\n This type of person attempted to receive information from the dead.<\/p>\n Dan 1:21 first year of Cyrus This seems to contradict Dan 10:1, but the meaning is that Daniel lived during the entire exilic period and into the reign of Cyrus II, the Great (cf. Dan 6:28). Daniel fully lived out Jeremiah’s prophecy (cf. Jer 25:11-12; Jer 29:10).<\/p>\n DISCUSSION QUESTIONS<\/p>\n This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.<\/p>\n These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.<\/p>\n 1. Why would God allow such a horrible thing to happen to His people?<\/p>\n 2. List the theological pressures imposed on the four Hebrew youths.<\/p>\n 3. List the tactful ways in which Daniel dealt with the problem of food.<\/p>\n 4. Why did God want to reveal prophecies to pagan kings?<\/p>\n 5. In what way does chapter 1 set the theological stage for understanding the rest of the book?<\/p>\n Dan 1:18-20<\/p>\n Dan 1:18 Now at the endH4480 H7117 of the daysH3117 thatH834 the kingH4428 had saidH559 he should bring them in,H935 then the princeH8269 of the eunuchsH5631 brought them inH935 beforeH6440 Nebuchadnezzar.H5019 <\/p>\n Dan 1:19 And the kingH4428 communedH1696 withH854 them; and among them allH4480 H3605 was foundH4672 noneH3808 like Daniel,H1840 Hananiah,H2608 Mishael,H4332 and Azariah:H5838 therefore stoodH5975 they beforeH6440 the king.H4428 <\/p>\n Dan 1:20 And in allH3605 mattersH1697 of wisdomH2451 and understanding,H998 thatH834 the kingH4428 enquiredH1245 ofH4480 them, he foundH4672 them tenH6235 timesH3027 better thanH5921 allH3605 the magiciansH2748 and astrologersH825 thatH834 were in allH3605 his realm.H4438 <\/p>\n Dan 1:18-20<\/p>\n Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.<\/p>\n When their training was complete, all of the captives were brought before king Nebuchadnezzar for inspection. Not only did these four young men outshine their fellow captives, they were found to be considerably brighter and more knowledgeable that even the magicians and astrologers of the empire. These young men were outstanding among their peers and as we will learn later eventually found themselves in highly trusted and authoritative positions within the empire. Nebuchadnezzar had found an extraordinary treasure in his captives from Judah and he was wise enough to recognize it and use it to his own advantage. <\/p>\n Reciprocal: 1Sa 8:15 – officers 1Ki 22:9 – officer Est 1:10 – chamberlains Dan 2:16 – and desired<\/p>\n Dan 1:18. End of the days means after three years (verse 5). It was then time for the prince of the eunuchs to act. since he was next to the king with regard to his rank as a servant. Accordingly he brought Daniel and his three companions before Nebuchadnezzar for his official “review.<\/p>\n Dan 1:18-20. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in At the end of three years, see Dan 1:5, the prince of the eunuchs brought them in According to the kings command. And the king communed with them To try their proficiency. This shows the kings ability and judgment, without which he could not have discerned their fitness for his service, and their excellence above others. He examined all candidates that applied, and preferred those that outstripped the rest. Therefore stood they before the king They were in continual attendance in the kings court. The same expression is used of Elijah and Jeremiah, as Gods servants and messengers, 1Ki 17:1; Jer 15:19. And the Levites are said to stand before the congregation to minister to them, Num 16:9. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding In a general knowledge of things; that the king inquired of them This is a further confirmation of the kings noble endowments, and of his great care to choose only proper persons to be in offices of trust, namely, persons well qualified to serve him in the great affairs of the kingdom. He found them ten times better, &c. Hebrew, , ten hands above, all the magicians and astrologers that were in his realm The words may be understood of those that employed themselves in the lawful search of natural causes and effects, and of the regular motions of the heavenly bodies. For, inasmuch as Daniel made intercession to the captain of the guard, that the wise men of Babylon might not be slain, Dan 2:24, we cannot suppose that all of them were such as studied unlawful arts and sciences, especially as he himself was afterward made master, or head, over them. These names are evidently to be taken in a good sense, as the magi, Mat 2:1; and the astrologers were then nearly, if not altogether, the same as astronomers with us. In short, the words seem to comprehend those persons in general, that were distinguished in the several kinds of learning cultivated among the Chaldees. It cannot, therefore, be collected from these words, that Daniel applied himself to the study of what are called magic arts, but to the sciences of the Chaldees; in the same manner as Moses had, long before, applied himself to the study of the wisdom of Egypt. And in giving Nebuchadnezzar proof that Daniel excelled all the wise men in his realm in these branches of knowledge and wisdom, God poured contempt on the pride of the Chaldeans, and put honour on the low estate of his people.<\/p>\n 1:18 Now at the {t} end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.<\/p>\n (t) Of the three years mentioned above as in Dan 1:5 .<\/p>\n At the end of their three-year curriculum, the four faithful friends received a final examination that included an oral testing by the king himself (cf. Pro 22:29). They passed at the head of their class (cf. 1Sa 2:30). They were probably close to 20 years old at this time. [Note: See Walvoord, p. 41.] <\/span> Nebuchadnezzar proceeded to give them positions of significant government responsibility, which their education had equipped them for. In these positions they proved far superior to any of the other officials. "Ten times better" (Dan 1:20) seems to be a hyperbolic idiom meaning many times better (cf. Gen 31:7; Gen 31:41; Num 14:22; Neh 4:12; Job 19:3).<\/p>\n The fact that Daniel called these other officials magicians (Heb. hartummim<\/span>, astrological diviners) and conjurers (Heb. assapim<\/span>, enchanters, NIV) has raised questions about whether the four Hebrew youths practiced occult arts. If they refused to eat non-kosher food because of religious conviction, they presumably would not have participated in divination and magic, which the Mosaic Law also expressly forbade (Deu 18:10-12). Probably we should understand that they excelled in the matter of offering wise advice to their king.<\/p>\n Daniel also received insight into the future from the Lord (Dan 1:17), so he would have had better knowledge of the future than the Chaldean astrologers. Chapters 2, 4, 5, and 7-12 validate this claim. There we read of no pagan divining but straightforward prophetic revelation, some in direct answer to prayer. Daniel could write this of himself without boasting, because he credited God with giving him his abilities.<\/p>\n Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 18. And at the end of the days that the king had appointed ( Dan 1:5) for bringing them in (R.V.)] viz. to attend upon the king. … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 1:18”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21766\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"