DANIEL 1 — FAITHFULNESS IN BABYLON AND WISDOM GIVEN BY GOD

Daniel identifies himself as a Judean exile taken to Babylon during Nebuchadnezzar's reign. The first deportation is associated with 605 BC, after Babylon defeated Egypt at Carchemish and asserted control over Judah. Daniel served through successive Babylonian and Persian administrations into the reign of Cyrus. The book combines court narratives in chapters 1–6 with Daniel's visions in chapters 7–12. The book uses two languages. Daniel 1:1–2:4a and chapters 8–12 are in Hebrew; 2:4b–7:28 is in Aramaic, the international language of much of the ancient Near East. The Aramaic section forms a literary unit centered on God's rule over Gentile kingdoms. The shift is intentional and does not require multiple unrelated books. This commentary favors a sixth-century setting and Daniel's essential authorship, as the book presents and as Jesus' reference to “Daniel the prophet” supports (Matthew 24:15). A common critical view dates the final form to the second century BC during Antiochus IV Epiphanes, arguing that chapter 11 describes events up to that period with unusual precision and that the book belongs to later apocalyptic literature. The sixth-century view responds that predictive prophecy is intrinsic to the book, that its Babylonian and Persian court details are substantial, and that early manuscript evidence presupposes an already respected work. Some historical and linguistic questions remain debated, and responsible defense should not overstate evidence. Daniel in the Protestant canon contains twelve chapters. Greek versions preserve additional stories and prayers—The Prayer of Azariah, Song of the Three, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon—received as deuterocanonical by some traditions. This commentary follows the Hebrew-Aramaic form reflected in the Protestant Old Testament while treating other traditions respectfully.

Babylonian policy commonly relocated elite youths and trained administrators from conquered peoples. Daniel's setting therefore fits known imperial practice. The chapter also preserves Babylonian concerns with court sages and omen literature while consistently locating true revelation in Israel's God.