“On the north side it will run from the Great Sea by the Hethlon road^† past Lebo^[150] Hamath to Zedad, ¹⁶Berothah^{[151] †} and Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath),^† as far as Hazer Hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. ¹⁷The boundary will extend from the sea to Hazar Enan,^[152] along the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This will be the north boundary.^†

¹⁸“On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar.^[153] This will be the east boundary.

¹⁹“On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh,^† then along the Wadi [of Egypt]^† to the Great Sea.^† This will be the south boundary.

²⁰“On the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo^[154] Hamath.^† This will be the west boundary.^†

²¹“You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. ²²You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens^† who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.^{† 23}In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance,” declares the Sovereign LORD.

Ezekiel 48

The Division of the Land

¹“These are the tribes, listed by name: At the northern frontier, Dan^† will have one portion; it will follow the Hethlon road^† to Lebo^[155] Hamath;^† Hazar Enan and the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath will be part of its border from the east side to the west side.

²“Asher^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Dan from east to west.

³“Naphtali^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Asher from east to west.

⁴“Manasseh^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Naphtali from east to west.

⁵“Ephraim^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Manasseh^† from east to west.^†

⁶“Reuben^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west.

⁷“Judah^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Reuben from east to west.

⁸“Bordering the territory of Judah from east to west will be the portion you are to present as a special gift. It will be 25,000 cubits^[156] wide, and its length from east to west will equal one of the tribal portions; the sanctuary will be in the center of it.^†

⁹“The special portion you are to offer to the LORD will be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits^[157] wide.^{† 10}This will be the sacred portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center of it will be the sanctuary of the LORD.^{† 11}This will be for the consecrated priests, the Zadokites,^† who were faithful in serving me^† and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.^{† 12}It will be a special gift to them from the sacred portion of the land, a most holy portion, bordering the territory of the Levites.

¹³“Alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. Its total length will be 25,000 cubits and its width 10,000 cubits.^{† 14}They must not sell or exchange any of it. This is the best of the land and must not pass into other hands, because it is holy to the LORD.^†

¹⁵“The remaining area, 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, will be for the common use of the city, for houses and for pastureland. The city will be in the center of it ¹⁶and will have these measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500 cubits, the east side 4,500 cubits, and the west side 4,500 cubits.^{† 17}The pastureland for the city will be 250 cubits on the north, 250 cubits on the south, 250 cubits on the east, and 250 cubits on the west. ¹⁸What remains of the area, bordering on the sacred portion and running the length of it, will be 10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000 cubits on the west side. Its produce will supply food for the workers of the city.^{† 19}The workers from the city who farm it will come from all the tribes of Israel. ²⁰The entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cubits on each side. As a special gift you will set aside the sacred portion, along with the property of the city.

²¹“What remains on both sides of the area formed by the sacred portion and the city property will belong to the prince. It will extend eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the sacred portion to the eastern border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the western border. Both these areas running the length of the tribal portions will belong to the prince, and the sacred portion with the temple sanctuary will be in the center of them.^{† 22}So the property of the Levites and the property of the city will lie in the center of the area that belongs to the prince. The area belonging to the prince will lie between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin.

²³“As for the rest of the tribes: Benjamin^† will have one portion; it will extend from the east side to the west side.

²⁴“Simeon^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Benjamin from east to west.

²⁵“Issachar^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Simeon from east to west.

²⁶“Zebulun^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Issachar from east to west.

²⁷“Gad^† will have one portion; it will border the territory of Zebulun from east to west.

²⁸“The southern boundary of Gad will run south from Tamar^† to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi [of Egypt] to the Great Sea.^{[158] †}

²⁹“This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Sovereign LORD.

The Gates of the City

³⁰“These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which is 4,500 cubits long, ³¹the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi.

³²“On the east side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the gate of Dan.

³³“On the south side, which measures 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar and the gate of Zebulun.

³⁴“On the west side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate of Naphtali.

³⁵“The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits.

“And the name of the city from that time on will be:

THE LORD IS THERE.^† ”

DANIEL

Author, Place and Date of Writing

The book of Daniel gives the Bible interpreter two clear alternatives: Either it was recounted by Daniel himself or by a person close to him and is historically trustworthy, or it was written by a religious zealot during the Maccabean revolt and is pure fiction.

The question of authorship is essentially dependent upon the issue of when the book was written. The supposition that it was recorded by Daniel or an associate from Babylon and later Persia implies a date of approximately 530 B.C. The suggestion that it was instead composed during the Maccabean wars places the date of writing at approximately 165 B.C. The arguments for either side are complex, but there is good reason for considering Daniel to be historically trustworthy and written early in the Persian period (see “When Was Daniel Written?”).

Audience

Based upon the assumption of an early date of composition (530 B.C.), Daniel wrote to his fellow Jewish exiles in Babylon to remind them of God’s sovereign control over world history and to encourage them with God’s promises of restoration.

Cultural Facts and Highlights

Advocates of a late date of composition (c. 165 B.C.) argue that the book was intended essentially to encourage Jews locked at that time in conflict with the ruthless Seleucid king Antiochus IV (see “Antiochus IV Epiphanes”). From the perspective of scholars holding to this view, Daniel was meant to persuade the struggling Jews of that much later time that there were historical examples of godly Jews having overcome pagan kings and their persecutions of God’s people (Da 3–6). In addition, these researchers argue, the prophecies of chapters 2, 7, 8 and 11 were intended to encourage the people that all of the troubles they were enduring under Antiochus had been foreseen and that the fullness of the kingdom of God would come immediately after Antiochus’s downfall. Intrinsic to this interpretation is the presupposition that all of these historical examples and prophecies were in fact aspects of a pious fraud.

Against this, and apart from the fact that the inclusion of a “pious fraud” in the Bible would be, to say the least, theologically troublesome, it may be helpful to note that the pagan kings in Daniel are at times portrayed in positive terms (4:1–3, 36–37; 6:19–28). If the historical context of Daniel were the much later Jewish war against Antiochus IV, a man who set up an image to Zeus and sacrificed pigs (ritually unclean animals) at the Jerusalem temple—a man who in fact tried to eradicate Judaism—this positive portrayal of pagan kings by a zealous Jewish combatant would be inexplicable.

But what is the purpose of Daniel if it is understood to be a historical document from 530 B.C.? Evidently the book was intended to encourage Jews of the exile and Diaspora to remain faithful in the face of a prolonged period during which Israel would remain at best an obscure, subservient nation under the rule of a series of Gentile world powers. Some Gentile rulers would be harsh and oppressive, while others would be tolerant and even supportive of the Jews. Yet through it all, generations of Daniel’s readers could take heart in the fact that God had foreseen their trouble and would go on to see them through it.

Timeline

As You Read

The riveting narratives in chapters 1–6 will easily hold the reader’s attention. Look for examples of uncompromising faith in the face of the worst possible odds—that is, without God’s sovereignty taken into account.

As you tackle the apocalyptic literature found in the rest of the book, you might find an in-depth Bible commentary a welcome companion. A well-researched commentary will no doubt point out and discuss similarities between this highly symbolic portion of Daniel and the book of Revelation at the end of the New Testament.

Did You Know?

• Daniel had been carried off to Babylon as part of a deportation in 605 B.C., but he was still there in 539 B.C. and still alive when the first exiles returned to Jerusalem (Da 1:1).
• Belshazzar, Nabonidus’s son, was coregent with his father and ruled Babylon during Nabonidus’s ten-year absence from the capital city (5:1).
• The identity of “King Darius” is puzzling. In this instance, “Darius” was evidently a throne name for someone ruling on orders from Cyrus or else Cyrus’s throne name in Babylon (6:1).

Themes

Daniel’s themes include:

1. God’s sovereignty. The narratives in Daniel emphasize God’s faithfulness and absolute autonomy over world history (2:47; 3:17–18; 4:28–37; 5:18–31). Despite appearances, God is in control over global events, kingdoms and governments (5:21).
2. Faithfulness to God. God rewards those who are sincerely devoted to him and acknowledge him (cf. 1:8 with 1:15–20; 2:17–18 with 2:19; 2:27–28 with 2:48–49; 3:12, 16–18 with 3:26–30; 5:16–18 with 5:29; 6:7–12 with 6:19–24). The book reveals that it is possible for God’s oppressed people to survive and even thrive in a culture hostile to their faith.
3. Prophecies of future events. Daniel’s four visions contain predictions of future periods of persecution, as well as of the return of the triumphant Christ (7:11, 26–27; 8:25; 9:27; 11:45; 12:13). Daniel’s visions encourage God’s faithful people who are living under oppression and persecution by offering a divine perspective upon reality that differs from the purely visible: God will ultimately win the victory, so believers of any era can live their lives in the expectation of final triumph (2:44; 7:27; Rev 11:15).

Outline

I. The Captivity, Faithfulness and Elevation of Daniel and His Three Friends (1)

II. The Destinies of the Nations (2–7)

A. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Statue (2)

B. Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Image and Its Worship (3)

C. Nebuchadnezzar’s Vision of a Large Tree (4)

D. Belshazzar’s and Babylon’s Downfall (5)

E. Daniel’s Deliverance From the Lions’ Den (6)

F. Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts (7)

III. Israel’s Destiny (8–12)

A. Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat (8)

B. Daniel’s Prayer and His Vision of the 70 “Sevens” (9)

C. Daniel’s Vision of Israel’s Future (10–12)

Daniel 1

Daniel’s Training in Babylon

¹In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar^† king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.^{† 2}And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia^[1] and put in the treasure house of his god.^†

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When Was Daniel Written?

Daniel 1 The dating of Daniel is controversial (see also the book introduction). Traditional scholarship holds that the book was composed in the sixth century B.C., concurrent with the historical information it provides. But common arguments for dating Daniel in the second century B.C. are as follows:

• Jesus ben Sirach (Sir 44–50),¹ writing in approximately 180 B.C., cited numerous Old Testament heroes—but not Daniel.

• Belshazzar is called “king” of Babylon² in Daniel 5; the actual king was Nabonidus.

• Darius the Mede (5:31 and ch. 6) is otherwise unknown.

• The stories of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity³ and of the fiery furnace read like pious legends—far-fetched miracle stories common in intertestamental Jewish texts.

• Half of Daniel was written in Aramaic,⁴ a language Jews spoke during the intertestamental period. Daniel 3 also includes three Greek words—suggesting that the book was written after Greek culture had invaded the Near East.

• But this evidence is not as strong as it appears:

• Ben Sirach also omits mention of other famous Israelites, including Ezra. Also, Sirach may himself have been influenced by Daniel. In Sirach 36:10 he prayed, “Hasten the day, and remember the appointed time”—verbiage resembling Daniel 11:27, 35. It may be that ben Sirach offhandedly cited Daniel, which of course implies that the book already existed in his lifetime.

• The book demonstrates familiarity with the history and culture of the seventh and sixth centuries B.C. Daniel rightly portrays the position of Belshazzar, coregent with Nabonidus. He could have appropriately been called “king” (5:1), but in 5:16 Belshazzar offered to make the one who could interpret the writing on the wall “the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” As Belshazzar was himself the second ruler,⁵ this was the highest honor he could confer.

• Darius the Mede is not mentioned by that name outside the Bible.⁶ This is the kind of historical puzzle scholars frequently encounter in ancient texts. In contrast, intertestamental Jewish works of religious fiction lack historical credibility in a way that has no parallel in historical works. The Apocryphal book of Judith, for example, written during the reign of Antiochus IV, contains absurd historical blunders and is altogether unlike Daniel.

• The miracles of Daniel are outside the ability of history or archaeology to prove. Still, the following observations are pertinent:

Miracles do not prove that a work is fictional.

Nebuchadnezzar’s madness was a rare but authentic clinical condition called boanthropy. “Made-up” miracle stories contain outrageous elements with no clinical analogy (e.g., in Tb 2:9–10, another Apocryphal book, Tobit goes blind because of sparrow droppings in his eyes).

Basalt stela representing Nabonidus (555–539 B.C.), the last ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire

© Dr. James C. Martin; the British Museum; photographed by permission

• The fact that half of Daniel is written in Aramaic is a mystery with regard to any proposed reconstruction of its history.

But the Aramaic of Daniel is “official,” or “imperial”—the standardized Aramaic used in official correspondence when Aramaic was the lingua franca of the Near East (see 2Ki 18:26; Ezr 4:7; Da 2:4), not the colloquial, regional Aramaic of second-century B.C. Palestine, at which time the common language of the region was Greek.

All three of the Greek words of 3:5 are musical terms. Greek poets and musicians were renowned, so their musical vocabulary came into use early. What would be surprising is how little Greek appears in Daniel, if the book had been written in the second century B.C., when the world was thoroughly Hellenized.

The Persian words in Daniel are of an older, pre-Hellenistic Persian.

• The Dead Sea Scrolls have thrown new light on Daniel. Cave 1 at Qumran contained several fragments of the book (1QDan^a-b) in a script suggesting a second-century B.C. date. Other Daniel fragments from Cave 4 are in a style suggestive of a late Hasmonean or early Herodian date. It would be unlikely that such an unusual book, written as late as 165 B.C., would have been so quickly accepted and circulated as authoritative Scripture.

1. Sirach is an Apocryphal book; see “The Apocrypha.”

2. See Glossary for definitions of bolded words.

3. See “Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness.”

4. See “Languages of the Old Testament World.”

5. See “Nabonidus and Belshazzar.”

6. See “Darius the Mede.”

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³Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility^† — ⁴young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.^{[2] 5}The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine^† from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.^†

⁶Among these were some from Judah: Daniel,^† Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. ⁷The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar;^† to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.^†

⁸But Daniel resolved not to defile^† himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹Now God had caused the official to show favor^† and sympathy^† to Daniel, ¹⁰but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your^[3] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

¹¹Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹²“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” ¹⁴So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

¹⁵At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.^{† 16}So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.^†

¹⁷To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding^† of all kinds of literature and learning.^† And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.^†

¹⁸At the end of the time^† set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.^{† 20}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 in his whole kingdom.^†

²¹And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.^†

Daniel 2

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

¹In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams;^† his mind was troubled^† and he could not sleep.^{† 2}So the king summoned the magicians,^† enchanters, sorcerers^† and astrologers^{[4] †} to tell him what he had dreamed.^† When they came in and stood before the king, ³he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles^† me and I want to know what it means.^[5] ”

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The Kingdoms of Daniel’s Prophecies

Daniel 2 Daniel 2 and 7 together present a prophetic look at four kingdoms that would dominate the world. They are represented both by an image of four metals (ch. 2) and by a vision of four beasts (ch. 7). One interpretation holds that these kingdoms are Babylon, Media, Persia and Greece, respectively. However, Media never attained the status of a world power. Its independent period was contemporary with that of Babylon, but it was ruled as part of Persia after Babylon’s fall in 539 B.C. In approximately 550 B.C. Cyrus, the king of Persia, defeated the last king of Media, Astyages, and merged the two kingdoms.¹ In fact, the book of Daniel treats Media and Persia as a single power (cf. 5:28; 6:8, 12, 15; 8:20).

A more plausible interpretation holds that these kingdoms are Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Rome, according well with the symbolism and factual history of the kingdoms mentioned. The first kingdom is identified as Babylon (2:38),² the head of gold (v. 32) and winged lion (7:4). The lion was a recognized symbol of Babylonian royalty, as demonstrated by statues and reliefs of lions excavated from Babylon’s ruins. The plucking of wings and subsequent transformation into a man perhaps represents Nebuchadnezzar’s illness and restoration.³

The second, bear-like beast, “raised up on one of its sides” (7:5), corresponds to the Persian domination in the Medo-Persian Empire after the defeat of Astyages by Cyrus II (the fact that the bear is raised on one side symbolizes the ascendancy of the Persians over the Medes).⁴ Similarly, the ram of Daniel 8 is described as having two horns, one longer than the other, identified as the kings of Media and Persia (8:20). Under Cyrus and his son Cambyses three kingdoms were “chewed up,” as represented by the three ribs in the bear’s mouth (7:5). These kingdoms were Lydia (546 B.C.), the Chaldean Empire (539 B.C.) and Egypt (525 B.C.).

The third beast, a four-winged, four-headed leopard (7:6), represents the Greek Empire.⁵ The swiftness and agility of the leopard (cf. Hab 1:8 on Babylonia) symbolizes the speed of Alexander the Great, who conquered all the known world between 334 and 323 B.C. After his untimely death the kingdom was divided among four of his generals, as symbolized by the four heads of the leopard: (1) Cassander over Greece and Macedonia; (2) Lysimachus over Thrace and Asia Minor; (3) Seleucus over Syria and the Middle East;⁶ and (4) Ptolemy over Egypt.⁷ At the same time, the number four should probably not be pressed here; the Greek kingdoms after the death of Alexander were for some time quite unstable, and various dynasties rose and fell (Lysimachus, e.g., was slain in battle in 281 B.C., and no dynasty followed him). The number four is probably just representative of the several Greek kingdoms that at various times controlled parts of the Near East and, in particular, the Holy Land.

The final kingdom, “different from all the former beasts” (7:7), denotes Rome.⁸ The two iron legs of the image (2:33) may reflect that the empire could generally be characterized as having two major parts, one in the east (where Greek was the principal language) and the other in the west (where Latin dominated). The ten horns may represent the various rulers and dynasties who governed the Roman Empire (again, “ten” here represents a plurality and should not be pressed for ten specific historical counterparts). Throughout its history the empire was ruled by the republic, by various generals who seized power during the late republic (examples include Marius, Sulla and Julius Caesar) and by various dynasties that ruled after Augustus had consolidated power under himself. Vying for power through intrigue, assassination and outright civil war was a regular feature of Roman history, and this seems to be reflected in the diversity of the image (iron mixed with clay).

An interesting motif of the four kingdoms is that they become increasingly large, diverse, violent and unstable. Babylon is portrayed as highly unified, while Persia is in two parts (one dominant over the other). Greece has four heads and Rome has a multiplicity of divisions.

A flask in the form of a comic Greek actor

Preserving Bible Times; © Dr. James C. Martin; permission of The British Museum

1. See “Cyrus the Great.”

2. See “Babylon.”

3. See “Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness.”

4. See “Ancient Persian History Through Darius.”

5. See “Greece: From Independent City-states Through Alexander the Great.”

6. See “The Seleucids.”

7. See “The Ptolemies.”

8. See “Rome” and “The Roman Empire.”

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⁴Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic,^{[6] †} “O king, live forever!^† Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁵The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces^† and your houses turned into piles of rubble.^{† 6}But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.^† So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

⁷Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁸Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: ⁹If you do not tell me the dream, there is just one penalty^† for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”^†

¹⁰The astrologers answered the king, “There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.^{† 11}What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,^† and they do not live among men.”

¹²This made the king so angry and furious^† that he ordered the execution^† of all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.^†

¹⁴When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. ¹⁵He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. ¹⁶At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

¹⁷Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.^{† 18}He urged them to plead for mercy^† from the God of heaven concerning this mystery,^† so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹During the night the mystery^† was revealed to Daniel in a vision.^† Then Daniel praised the God of heaven ²⁰and said:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;^†

wisdom and power^† are his.

²¹He changes times and seasons;^†

he sets up kings and deposes^† them.

He gives wisdom^† to the wise

and knowledge to the discerning.

²²He reveals deep and hidden things;^†

he knows what lies in darkness,^†

and light^† dwells with him.

²³I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:^†

You have given me wisdom^† and power,

you have made known to me what we asked of you,

you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Daniel Interprets the Dream

²⁴Then Daniel went to Arioch,^† whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

²⁵Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah^† who can tell the king what his dream means.”

²⁶The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar),^† “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

²⁷Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,^{† 28}but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.^† He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.^† Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind^† as you lay on your bed are these:

²⁹“As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. ³⁰As for me, this mystery has been revealed^† to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

³¹“You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue,^† awesome in appearance. ³²The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, ³³its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. ³⁴While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands.^† It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.^{† 35}Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away^† without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain^† and filled the whole earth.

³⁶“This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. ³⁷You, O king, are the king of kings.^† The God of heaven has given you dominion^† and power and might and glory; ³⁸in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all.^† You are that head of gold.

³⁹“After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. ⁴⁰Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.^{† 41}Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. ⁴²As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. ⁴³And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

⁴⁴“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush^† all those kingdoms^† and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.^{† 45}This is the meaning of the vision of the rock^† cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands^† —a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.”

⁴⁶Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate^† before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering^† and incense be presented to him. ⁴⁷The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods^† and the Lord of kings^† and a revealer of mysteries,^† for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

⁴⁸Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.^{† 49}Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon,^† while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

Daniel 3

The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

¹King Nebuchadnezzar made an image^† of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet^[7] wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. ²He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials^† to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. ³So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

⁴Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language:^{† 5}As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.^{† 6}Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”^†

⁷Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.^†

⁸At this time some astrologers^{[8] †} came forward and denounced the Jews. ⁹They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever!^{† 10}You have issued a decree,^† O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold,^{† 11}and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. ¹²But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego^† —who pay no attention^† to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”^†

¹³Furious^† with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods^† or worship the image^† of gold I have set up? ¹⁵Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god^† will be able to rescue^† you from my hand?”

¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego^† replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save^† us from it, and he will rescue^† us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.^† ”

¹⁹Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven^† times hotter than usual ²⁰and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. ²¹So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. ²²The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,^{† 23}and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

²⁴Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, O king.”

²⁵He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

²⁶Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God,^† come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, ²⁷and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers^† crowded around them.^† They saw that the fire^† had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

²⁸Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel^† and rescued his servants! They trusted^† in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.^{† 29}Therefore I decree^† that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble,^† for no other god can save^† in this way.”

³⁰Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.^†

Daniel 4

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Tree

¹King Nebuchadnezzar,

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Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness

Daniel 4 Nebuchadnezzar reigned from 605–562 B.C. over Babylon at the peak of its power.¹ Inscriptions reveal his great pride over his achievements in building temples and greatly fortifying the city of Babylon. The book of Daniel records that God struck Nebuchadnezzar with a strange affliction in order to humble him. Extrabiblical records deal with his infirmity only obliquely. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus cited a report by the Babylonian priest Berossus that Nebuchadnezzar died following a period of weakness.² The Christian writer Eusebius preserved a tradition from the Greek historian Megasthenes (c. 300 B.C.) that Nebuchadnezzar, having ascended to the roof of his palace, became inspired by some god. (In antiquity insanity was looked upon as possession by a deity.)

Babylonian brick with inscription of Nebuchadnezzar

Preserving Bible Times; © Dr. James C. Martin; permission of The British Museum

The illness described in Daniel 4:22–34 appears to have been a delusional disorder. The typical onset for this kind of malady occurs in later life; it frequently lasts from months to years and remits spontaneously, often without subsequent relapse. Lycanthropy, in which patients imagine themselves to be wolves, is one such disorder. Nebuchadnezzar’s condition has been described as boanthropy, or cow-like behavior. However, the imagery implied by his behavior may be related to a figure of the Gilgamesh Epic. This myth, known from the library of Ashurbanipal (668–626 B.C.), tells of Enkidu, a savage, animal-like creature who was hairy, unclothed and ate grass until becoming civilized—the antithesis of what would be expected of a cultured, self-sufficient builder of cities like Nebuchadnezzar.³

Little is known of Nebuchadnezzar’s final years in power. The seven “times,” or periods (4:16, 23, 32), of the illness could represent years, months or various other units of time. If his illness lasted seven years, then its onset must have been toward the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, after the completion of his numerous building projects.

1. See “Nebuchadnezzar” and “Babylon.”

2. See “Historians in the Ancient World.”

3. For more on Gilgamesh, see “Ecclesiastes and the Epic of Gilgamesh.”

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To the peoples, nations and men of every language,^† who live in all the world:

May you prosper greatly!^†

²It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs^† and wonders that the Most High God^† has performed for me.

³How great are his signs,

how mighty his wonders!^†

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;

his dominion endures^† from generation to generation.

⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented^† and prosperous. ⁵I had a dream^† that made me afraid. As I was lying in my bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind^† terrified me. ⁶So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret^† the dream for me. ⁷When the magicians,^† enchanters, astrologers^[9] and diviners^† came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me.^{† 8}Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar,^† after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods^† is in him.)

⁹I said, “Belteshazzar, chief^† of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods^† is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. ¹⁰These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed:^† I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous.^{† 11}The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. ¹²Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches;^† from it every creature was fed.

¹³“In the visions I saw while lying in my bed,^† I looked, and there before me was a messenger,^[10] a holy one,^† coming down from heaven. ¹⁴He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches.^{† 15}But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field.

“ ‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. ¹⁶Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times^[11] pass by for him.^†

¹⁷“ ‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High^† is sovereign^† over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest^† of men.’

¹⁸“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me.^† But you can,^† because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”^†

Daniel Interprets the Dream

¹⁹Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified^† him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.”

Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! ²⁰The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, ²¹with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air— ²²you, O king, are that tree!^† You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.^†

²³“You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy one,^† coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’^†

²⁴“This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree^† the Most High has issued against my lord the king: ²⁵You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High^† is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.^{† 26}The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots^† means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.^{† 27}Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed.^† It may be that then your prosperity will continue.^† ”

The Dream Is Fulfilled

²⁸All this happened^† to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, ³⁰he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”^†

³¹The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. ³²You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”

³³Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.^†

³⁴At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.^†

His dominion is an eternal dominion;

his kingdom endures from generation to generation.^†

³⁵All the peoples of the earth

are regarded as nothing.^†

He does as he pleases^†

with the powers of heaven

and the peoples of the earth.

No one can hold back his hand

or say to him: “What have you done?”^†

³⁶At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom.^† My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just.^† And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.^†

Daniel 5

The Writing on the Wall

¹King Belshazzar gave a great banquet^† for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. ²While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets^† that Nebuchadnezzar his father^[12] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.^{† 3}So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.^†

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Nabonidus and Belshazzar

Daniel 5 Belshazzar (meaning “Bel protect the king”) was the son of the Babylonian king Nabonidus (r. 556–539 B.C.) and the principal monarch from approximately 550 to 540 B.C. Although Nabonidus claimed to be a rightful heir to Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, it is clear that he was not originally in line to become king. An inscription found in Harran indicates that Nabonidus’s mother, Adad-guppi, was responsible for his rise to power. Some suggest that she was a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar; hence Nebuchadnezzar would have been Belshazzar’s “(grand)father” or “ (fore)father” (Da 5:2). Others propose that Belshazzar may have played an active role in advancing his father to the throne—by murdering a man named Labasi-Marduk who had a better claim to succession.

A Babylonian text, the Verse Account of Nabonidus, relates that Nabonidus placed the military troops under Belshazzar’s command and entrusted the kingship to him before departing to the west. During the approximate ten-year reign of Belshazzar, Nabonidus remained on campaign in Tema (Arabia). Nabonidus also was apparently devoted to the god Sin; he had no interest in the worship of Marduk (the chief Babylonian god) and even ceased to observe the traditional New Year festival. He was thus despised as a heretical and negligent monarch. Curiously, Nabonidus seems to have been one of history’s first archaeologists, having carried out excavations at Agade, Uruk and Ur.

Though always referred to as “son of the king” in Assyrian sources, Belshazzar exercised all the functions of kingship, including receiving tribute, granting leases and attending to the upkeep of the temples, as attested in several business letters and contracts contemporary to his reign. He was apparently as impious as his father (seen in his lack of regard for the God of Israel), and ruthless as well. As “second” ruler, he promised Daniel the position of “third” ruler (v. 16). Little is known of Belshazzar’s final years in power. Babylon was well fortified when the Persians attacked in 539 B.C., but Cyrus is said to have diverted the waters of the Euphrates and opened an access into the city. Herodotus and Xenophon relate that Cyrus found the city in celebration and took it with relative ease.¹ Nabonidus returned to Babylon in 539 B.C. but was captured at Borsippa and exiled to Carmania in the east.²

1. See “Herodotus and the Fall of Babylon.”

2. See also “The Sippar Cylinder of Nabonidus” and “The Prayer of Nabonidus.”

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⁵Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. ⁶His face turned pale and he was so frightened^† that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.^†

⁷The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers^[13] and diviners^† to be brought and said to these wise^† men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck,^† and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”^†

⁸Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.^{† 9}So King Belshazzar became even more terrified^† and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

¹⁰The queen,^[14] hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “O king, live forever!”^† she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! ¹¹There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods^† in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom^† like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king, I say—appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.^{† 12}This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar,^† was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems.^† Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”

¹³So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?^{† 14}I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. ¹⁵The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. ¹⁶Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.^† Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.

¹⁸“O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.^{† 19}Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death;^† those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. ²⁰But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride,^† he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped^† of his glory.^{† 21}He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign^† over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.^†

²²“But you his son,^[15] O Belshazzar, have not humbled^† yourself, though you knew all this. ²³Instead, you have set yourself up against^† the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.^† But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life^† and all your ways.^{† 24}Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

²⁵“This is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN^[16]

²⁶“This is what these words mean:

Mene^[17]: God has numbered the days^† of your reign and brought it to an end.^†

²⁷Tekel^[18]: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.^†

²⁸Peres^[19]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes^† and Persians.”^†

²⁹Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰That very night Belshazzar,^† king of the Babylonians,^[20] was slain,^{† 31}and Darius^† the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

Daniel 6

Daniel in the Den of Lions

¹It pleased Darius^† to appoint 120 satraps^† to rule throughout the kingdom, ²with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel.^† The satraps were made accountable^† to them so that the king might not suffer loss. ³Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.^{† 4}At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. ⁵Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”^†

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Darius the Mede

Daniel 6 Daniel 6 informs us that after the Persian conquest of Babylon,¹ the city was ruled by a king called “Darius the Mede.” This statement poses a problem: There is no record of such an individual outside of the Bible—a fact that has brought the historicity and authorship of Daniel into question. Many believe that an unknown author wrote Daniel hundreds of years after the fall of Babylon and that the figure Darius the Mede, like most of Daniel, is pure fiction.² But is it appropriate to patently dismiss Darius the Mede on the assumption that he never existed?

• Darius the Mede cannot be the Persian king known as Darius I, since this later Darius was the successor of Cyrus, not his predecessor.³ Furthermore, Darius the Mede, who was purported to be sixty-two years old at the time of the fall of Babylon (5:31), was born in 601/600 B.C., whereas history indicates that Darius I only began to reign in 522 B.C. Those who believe that Daniel is not a historical book sometimes suggest that the author was simply confused about Persian history and thought that Darius I preceded Cyrus the Great. If this were the case, however, the author’s ignorance would truly be astounding; Cyrus the Great, the creator of the Persian Empire, is a prominent figure in the Old Testament. Also, Darius I is always presented as a Persian, but Darius the Mede is obviously asserted to be a Mede.

• Darius the Mede could have been Cyrus the Great.⁴ Daniel 6:28 might, according to this theory, be translated, “Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius, that is, in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” Normally, however, this would be translated simply, “and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (emphasis added), as most versions render it. Though a possibility, this interpretation is not persuasive.

• Darius the Mede could also have been a subordinate king appointed by Cyrus to rule over Babylon. The Hebrew of 9:1 supports this position, stating that Darius was made king, using a passive verb. Also, the Aramaic of Daniel 5:31 states that Darius “received the kingdom (NIV “took over the kingdom”).” Normally an author would not speak of a conqueror “receiving” a kingdom. Thus, it may be conjectured that Darius the Mede was not a “king” of the same standing as Cyrus but rather a subordinate. It is important to note that the book of Daniel never refers to this Darius as the king either of Persia or of the Medes but simply as the ruler of Babylon. Darius the Mede’s personal name might have been Gubaru, that of a governor appointed by Cyrus. Gubaru is mentioned in cuneiform documents, including the Nabonidus Chronicles.

1. See “Babylon.”

2. See “When Was Daniel Written?.”

3. See “Darius I.”

4. See “Cyrus the Great.”

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⁶So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: “O King Darius, live forever!^{† 7}The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors^† have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.^{† 8}Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”^{† 9}So King Darius put the decree in writing.

¹⁰Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward^† Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees^† and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.^{† 11}Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. ¹²So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”^†

¹³Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah,^† pays no attention^† to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” ¹⁴When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed;^† he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

¹⁵Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, “Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”^†

¹⁶So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den.^† The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue^† you!”

¹⁷A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed^† it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. ¹⁸Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating^† and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.^†

¹⁹At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁰When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”^†

²¹Daniel answered, “O king, live forever!^{† 22}My God sent his angel,^† and he shut the mouths of the lions.^† They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight.^† Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.”

²³The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound^† was found on him, because he had trusted^† in his God.

²⁴At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den,^† along with their wives and children.^† And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.^†

²⁵Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land:

“May you prosper greatly!^†

²⁶“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.^†

“For he is the living God

and he endures forever;

his kingdom will not be destroyed,

his dominion will never end.^†

²⁷He rescues and he saves;

he performs signs and wonders^†

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.”^†

²⁸So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus^{[21] †} the Persian.

Daniel 7

Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts

¹In the first year of Belshazzar^† king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind^† as he was lying on his bed. He wrote^† down the substance of his dream.

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The Ptolemies

Daniel 7 Daniel 7:6 describes a vision in which a kingdom is represented by a leopard with four wings and four heads. The wings represent great speed, but the heads signify that the kingdom was split into several domains. The leopard symbolizes the Greek kingdom of Alexander the Great, a kingdom that was established with lightning speed but that broke into several parts, ruled by various Greek dynasties, after his death.¹

The Ptolemies were a dynasty of Greek kings who ruled Egypt from just after the death of Alexander the Great to the time of the annexation of Egypt by Rome. Their history is closely connected to that of the region later known as Palestine in the third century B.C. (the Ptolemies ruled Palestine and thus also Jerusalem from 323–200 B.C.).² Important Ptolemaic rulers were as follows:

• Ptolemy I Soter (323/305–282 B.C.): Immediately after the death of Alexander in 323, his general Ptolemy headed to Egypt and seized control of the administration, assuming the title “king” in 305. Ptolemy was highly intelligent and, after having taken control of a wealthy and relatively isolated domain (Egypt), was able to begin a dynasty that would last for over two centuries. His capital, Alexandria, was a Greek city in Egypt.³ Ptolemy was the “king of the South” in 11:5.

• Ptolemy II Philadelphus (282–246 B.C.): The reign of this king was prosperous and marked by impressive building projects, such as the completion of the lighthouse of Pharos and the library of Alexandria. He was also engaged in wars with the Seleucids over control of Palestine and Anatolia. Ptolemy II did much to establish Greek culture and education in Egypt and elsewhere but offended his Greek subjects by marrying his full sister, Arsino‘.

• Ptolemy II Euergetes (246–222 B.C.): The reign of this king was marked by further wars with the Seleucids, brought about by the fact that the Seleucid king, Seleucus II, murdered Ptolemy’s sister Berenice and her son.⁴ Berenice was the “daughter of the king of the South” in 11:6.

• Ptolemy IV Philopator (222–205 B.C.): This king is often described as a weak ruler, although he did defeat Antiochus III of Syria at Raphia in 217 B.C. He deployed Egyptian troops in his army (instead of using exclusively Greek soldiers), and some believe that this sowed the seed for future native revolts by the Egyptians. He is the “king of the South” of 11:11.

• Ptolemy V Theos Epiphanes (204–180 B.C.): During the administration of this regent Palestine was lost to the Seleucid kingdom (200 B.C.). The Rosetta Stone commemorates his coronation.⁵

• Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–145 B.C.): During his reign Ptolemaic control of Egypt nearly collapsed. Antiochus IV fought his way to Memphis in Egypt in around 168 B.C. and no doubt would have taken control of the country had he not been forced out by a delegation from Rome.

• Thereafter, Ptolemaic power declined as members of the royal family struggled for control and as Rome began to take an increasingly important role in the affairs of Egypt. The last Ptolemy to rule Egypt was the famous Cleopatra VII (51–30 B.C.). Intelligent and resourceful (she was the only Ptolemy who gained the loyalty of Egyptians by learning to speak Egyptian, but she also murdered her brother, Ptolemy XIV, in order to secure the throne for herself), she used sexual relations with Julius Caesar and later with Mark Antony to better her political position in dealing with Rome. Her alliance with Antony proved her undoing, however. He was defeated by Octavian (Augustus) at Actium in 31 B.C.,⁶ and she committed suicide when she realized that Octavian was implacable toward her.

1. See “Greece: From the Independent City-states Through Alexander the Great.”

2. See “The History of the Holy Land.”

3. See “Alexandria.”

4. See “The Seleucids.”

5. See “The Rosetta Stone and the Deciphering of Hieroglyphs.”

6. See “Caesar Augustus, Emperor of Rome; the Census; and Quirinius, Governor of Syria.”

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²Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven^† churning up the great sea. ³Four great beasts,^† each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

⁴“The first was like a lion,^† and it had the wings of an eagle.^† I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.

⁵“And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’^†

⁶“After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.^† And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

⁷“After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron^† teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.^†

⁸“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little^† one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man^† and a mouth that spoke boastfully.^†

⁹“As I looked,

“thrones were set in place,

and the Ancient of Days took his seat.

His clothing was as white as snow;

the hair of his head was white like wool.^†

His throne was flaming with fire,

and its wheels^† were all ablaze.

¹⁰A river of fire^† was flowing,

coming out from before him.^†

Thousands upon thousands attended him;

ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

The court was seated,

and the books^† were opened.

¹¹“Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.^{† 12}(The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

¹³“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,^† coming with the clouds of heaven.^† He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴He was given authority,^† glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him.^† His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.^†

The Interpretation of the Dream

¹⁵“I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.^{† 16}I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this.

“So he told me and gave me the interpretation^† of these things: ¹⁷‘The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. ¹⁸But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’^†

¹⁹“Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. ²⁰I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. ²¹As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them,^{† 22}until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

²³“He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.^{† 24}The ten horns^† are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. ²⁵He will speak against the Most High^† and oppress his saints and try to change the set times^† and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.^{[22] †}

²⁶“ ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. ²⁷Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting^† kingdom, and all rulers will worship^† and obey him.’

²⁸“This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled^† by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

Daniel 8

Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat

¹In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. ²In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa^† in the province of Elam;^† in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. ³I looked up,^† and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. ⁴I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased^† and became great.

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The Prayer of Nabonidus

Daniel 8 Nabonidus was the father of King Belshazzar of Babylon, with whom he ruled as coregent for at least several years.¹ A Qumran scroll dating between 75 and 50 B.C., commonly called The Prayer of Nabonidus, or 4QprNab, is an Apocryphal account of a healing of Nabonidus that is probably based on Daniel 4. This text tells us that King Nabonidus was inflicted with a physical ailment for seven years, until a Jewish exorcist pardoned his sins. This Jewish man then encouraged Nabonidus to document the event and to give praise to God, who pardoned him. In the final section of the scroll Nabonidus declared that his prior supplications to the gods of the world concerning his ailment had gone unanswered.

The scroll suggests that Nabonidus journeyed to Tema, Arabia, and remained there for a number of years. This detail is accurate. In fact, it was during his stay in Tema that Belshazzar reigned in Babylon. Therefore, 8:1 refers to Belshazzar as king, for the Babylonians saw him as their ruling authority. Apart from that, however, there is little reason to regard The Prayer of Nabonidus as historical. It appears that the story is based on the Biblical account of the healing of Nebuchadnezzar.² Other Apocryphal books, such as Bel and the Dragon, are also popular legends that grew out of the canonical book of Daniel.³ As such, The Prayer of Nabonidus can neither confirm nor refute the historical reliability of the story of Daniel 4.

1. See “Nabonidus and Belshazzar.”

2. See “Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness.”

3. See “The Apocrypha.”

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⁵As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. ⁶He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. ⁷I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him,^† and none could rescue the ram from his power. ⁸The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off,^† and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.^†

⁹Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.^{† 10}It grew until it reached^† the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth^† and trampled^† on them. ¹¹It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host;^† it took away the daily sacrifice^† from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low.^{† 12}Because of rebellion, the host [of the saints]^[23] and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.

¹³Then I heard a holy one^† speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled^† —the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled^† underfoot?”

¹⁴He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”^†

The Interpretation of the Vision

¹⁵While I, Daniel, was watching the vision^† and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man.^{† 16}And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel,^† tell this man the meaning of the vision.”

¹⁷As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate.^† “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”^†

¹⁸While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.^† Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.^†

¹⁹He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.^{[24] † 20}The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹The shaggy goat is the king of Greece,^† and the large horn between his eyes is the first king.^{† 22}The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.

²³“In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. ²⁴He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people.^{† 25}He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes.^† Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.^†

²⁶“The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true,^† but seal^† up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”^†

²⁷I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business.^† I was appalled^† by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

Daniel 9

Daniel’s Prayer

¹In the first year of Darius^† son of Xerxes^[25] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian^[26] kingdom— ²in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy^† years. ³So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.^†

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The Chaldeans

Daniel 9 The Chaldeans were a seminomadic ethnic group first mentioned in ancient sources from the ninth century B.C. as a people from the land of Kaldu. Living in the southern frontier of Babylon, they were organized into tribal “houses,” each of which was headed by a tribal leader. As these tribes assimilated into the predominant culture and subsequently inherited the empire of Babylonia, the terms “Chaldean” and “Babylonian” became synonymous (Isa 47:1; Da 9:1).

The first notable Chaldean recorded in Scripture was Merodach-Baladan, king of Babylon, who sent envoys to Hezekiah of Judah for the purpose of forming an anti-Assyrian coalition (2Ki 20:12–19; Isa 39:1). Merodach-Baladan united the Chaldean tribes and, with Elamite assistance, managed to overthrow Assyrian dominance in the region and to rule for a decade before being driven out (c. 722–710 B.C.).¹ By 626 B.C., as Assyrian power declined, Chaldean power in Babylon experienced a resurgence during the reigns of Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar. This last dynasty of Babylon is thus known as the Chaldean, or Neo-Babylonian Empire.

The reign of the Chaldeans brought the greatest flowering and fame of the Babylonian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar, under whose rule the kingdom of Judah was conquered and exiled (Jer 52),² in addition to his military achievements is credited with the grandest rebuilding of Babylon’s cultural and religious life.³ The city came to be regarded as one of the wonders of the ancient world and was, in the prophet’s words, “Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride” (Isa 13:19).

Because Babylon was famed as a city of learning, the term “Chaldean” came to stand for priests, astrologers and the educated class (Da 2:10; 4:7; 5:7). This Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian period marked the beginning of accurate historical, economic and astronomical record keeping, as well as the rise of Aramaic as the lingua franca (common, commercial language) of the Near East (2:4).⁴ Ultimately the Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus of Persia,⁵ and the glory of Mesopotamia faded into history.

1. See “Sennacherib’s Campaign Against Merodach-Baladan.”

2. See “The Last Days of Jerusalem.”

3. See “Nebuchadnezzar.”

4. See “Languages of the Old Testament World.”

5. See “Cyrus the Great.”

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⁴I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:

“O Lord, the great and awesome God,^† who keeps his covenant of love^† with all who love him and obey his commands, ⁵we have sinned and done wrong.^† We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away^† from your commands and laws.^{† 6}We have not listened to your servants the prophets,^† who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

⁷“Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame^† —the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered^† us because of our unfaithfulness to you.^{† 8}O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. ⁹The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving,^† even though we have rebelled against him;^{† 10}we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.^{† 11}All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned^† against you. ¹²You have fulfilled^† the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.^{† 13}Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.^{† 14}The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster^† upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.^†

¹⁵“Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand^† and who made for yourself a name^† that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. ¹⁶O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts,^† turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem,^† your city, your holy hill.^† Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn^† to all those around us.

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Ancient Voices

The words of the prayer that Nabonidus, king of Babylon, the Great King, prayed when by divine decree he was afflicted with a foul ulcer while in Teiman: “I, Nabonidus, was afflicted with a foul ulcer for seven years, and because God laid it upon me, I sought him and he healed me, and a soothsayer forgave my sin. This soothsayer was a Jew, from the Jewish exile, and he said to me, ‘Proclaim this and write it down, in order to give honor and majesty to the name of the Most High God!’ And so I wrote this: ‘I was afflicted while in Teiman with a foul ulcer by a decree of the Most High God. For seven years I prayed before the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, stone and clay, because I supposed that they were gods …’ ” (the text is fragmentary and illegible at this point).

—The Prayer of Nabonidus

From the Dead Sea Scrolls, 4Q242, trans. by Duane Garrett

See “The Prayer of Nabonidus” article.

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¹⁷“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor^† on your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see^† the desolation of the city that bears your Name.^† We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive!^† O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

The Seventy “Sevens”

²⁰While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill^† — ²¹while I was still in prayer, Gabriel,^† the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.^{† 22}He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. ²³As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.^† Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:^†

²⁴“Seventy ‘sevens’^[27] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish^[28] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone^† for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,^† to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.^[29]

²⁵“Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree^[30] to restore and rebuild^† Jerusalem until the Anointed One,^{[31] †} the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. ²⁶After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off^† and will have nothing.^[32] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood:^† War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. ²⁷He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’^[33] In the middle of the ‘seven’^[34] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed^† is poured out on him.^[35] ”^[36]

Daniel 10

Daniel’s Vision of a Man

¹In the third year of Cyrus^† king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar).^† Its message was true^† and it concerned a great war.^[37] The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.

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Persepolis

Daniel 10 Persepolis (meaning “Persian city”) was a capital city of the Achaemenid kings. Its remains, known as Takht-i Jamshid, are located northeast of Shiraz, Iran, 140 miles (226 km) inland from the Persian Gulf. Trilingual inscriptions on the site report the building activities of several generations of Persian monarchs.¹ Darius I (522–486 B.C.)² began construction of the city after having created a platform of 33 acres, 40 feet (12.2 m) above the plain. He erected fortifications, a monumental stairway to the platform, a palace, an audience hall and other buildings. The audience hall, or Apadana, employed 72 stone columns, each 65 feet (20 m) in height, of which 13 still stand. Its eastern stairway was decorated with images of delegations of Persians, Medes, Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks and others bearing tribute and in their customary dress.

Xerxes I (r. 486–465 B.C.) added a larger palace, harem and treasury. He began the “throne-hall of 100 columns” and built the “Gate of All Nations,” ornamented with colossal winged and human-headed bulls. Thousands of Elamite tablets from the reigns of Darius, Xerxes and Artaxerxes I³ were recovered from the treasury, among which are featured a number of Jewish names, including Baruch, Zechariah, Abijah and Hezeki(ah). Artaxerxes I (465–425 B.C.) completed the throne-hall, and Artaxerxes III (359–338 B.C.) added a staircase to Darius’s palace. Alexander the Great destroyed the city in 330 B.C. as retribution for Xerxes’ destruction of Athens in 480 B.C.⁴ Tombs of the Achaemenid kings, cut into cliffs at Naqsh-i Rustam, are located 3.5 miles (5.7 km) north of the city.

1. See “Ancient Persian History Through Darius” and “Ancient Persian History From Xerxes Forward.”

2. See “Darius I.”

3. See “Artaxerxes I, King of Persia.”

4. See “Athens.”

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²At that time I, Daniel, mourned^† for three weeks. ³I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

⁴On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris,^{† 5}I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen,^† with a belt of the finest gold^† around his waist. ⁶His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning,^† his eyes like flaming torches,^† his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze,^† and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

⁷I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it,^† but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. ⁸So I was left alone,^† gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left,^† my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless.^{† 9}Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.^†

¹⁰A hand touched me^† and set me trembling on my hands and knees.^{† 11}He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed,^† consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up,^† for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

¹²Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble^† yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.^{† 13}But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael,^† one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. ¹⁴Now I have come to explain^† to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.^† ”

¹⁵While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless.^{† 16}Then one who looked like a man^[38] touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak.^† I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish^† because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. ¹⁷How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”^†

¹⁸Again the one who looked like a man touched^† me and gave me strength. ¹⁹“Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace!^† Be strong now; be strong.”^†

When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”^†

²⁰So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece^† will come; ²¹but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth.^† (No one supports me against them except Michael,^† your prince.

Daniel 11

¹And in the first year of Darius^† the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)