Outline of Daniel

I. Daniel and the Three Friends in Nebuchadnezzar’s Court (1:1–21)

A. Jehoiakim Delivered Into Nebuchadnezzar’s Hand (1:1–2)

B. Training for Service (1:3–7)

C. Avoiding Defilement (1:8–16)

D. Success Given to Daniel and His Friends (1:17–20)

E. The Extent of Daniel’s Ministry (1:21)

II. The God of Wisdom Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream to Daniel (2:1–49)

A. The King and His Advisors (2:1–13)

B. God’s Revealing of the Mystery to Daniel (2:14–23)

C. The Dream and Its Interpretation (2:24–45)

D. The King’s Response (2:46–49)

III. God Saves the Three Friends from the Fiery Furnace (3:1–30)

A. Nebuchadnezzar’s Image of Gold (3:1–7)

B. The Accusation Against the Three Friends (3:8–12)

C. The Confrontation With Nebuchadnezzar (3:13–18)

D. The Miraculous Deliverance (3:19–27)

E. Nebuchadnezzar Worships God (3:28–30)

IV. Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride Takes a Fall (4:1–37)

A. Nebuchadnezzar’s Decree to Praise the Lord (4:1–3)

B. The Dream Report and the Search for an Interpreter (4:4–18)

C. The Dream Interpretation (4:19–27)

D. The Fulfillment of the Dream (4:28–33)

E. Healing and Concluding Doxology (4:34–37)

V. The Writing on the Wall (5:1–31)

A. The Profanation of the Holy Vessels (5:1–4)

B. The Enigmatic Writing on the Wall (5:5–12)

C. Daniel’s Interpretation of the Inscription (5:13–28)

D. Reward and Punishment (5:29–31)

VI. Daniel in the Lions’ Den (6:1–28)

A. The Plot Against Daniel (6:1–9)

B. The Trap and Reluctant Punishment (6:10–18)

C. Daniel’s Rescue and the Accusers’ Demise (6:19–24)

D. Darius’s Decree (6:25–28)

VII. The Vision of the Four Beasts (7:1–28)

A. Horror by the Sea (7:1–8)

B. Heavenly Power (7:9–14)

C. Divine Victory (7:15–28)

VIII. The Ram and the Goat (8:1–27)

A. The Vision of a Ram and a Goat (8:1–14)

B. The Interpretation of the Vision (8:15–27)

IX. Daniel’s Prayer of Repentance (9:1–27)

A. Preparation for Prayer (9:1–4a)

B. Invocation and Confession (9:4b–10)

C. God’s Punishment (9:11–14)

D. Appeal for Mercy (9:15–19)

E. The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (9:20–27)

X. The Vision of a Heavenly Messenger (10:1–11:1)

A. A Heavenly Vision (10:1–9)

B. A Conversation With a Supernatural Being (10:10–11:1)

XI. The Scope and End of History (11:2–12:13)

A. Persia and Greece (11:2–4)

B. Struggles Between the Kings of the North and the Kings of the South (11:5–20)

C. The Climactic King of the North (11:21–35)

D. The King Who Will Do As He Pleases (11:36–45)

E. The Salvation of God’s People (12:1–4)

F. Final Words (12:5–13)