Daniel

Notes

AUTHOR

CSB Study Bible: Notes Circumstances of Writing

traditional view maintains that Daniel the prophet did indeed write this book sometime shortly after the end of the Babylonian captivity (sixth century BC

CSB Study Bible: Notes Circumstances of Writing

Jesus Christ attributed the book of Daniel to Daniel himself (Mt 24:15; Mk 13:14).

BACKGROUND

Setting

CSB Study Bible: Notes Circumstances of Writing

The historical setting of the book of Daniel is the Babylonian captivity. The book opens after King Nebuchadnezzar’s first siege of Judah (605 BC) when he brought Daniel and his friends to Babylon along with other captives among the Judean nobility. Nebuchadnezzar assaulted Judah again in 597 and brought ten thousand captives back to Babylon. In 586 he once again besieged Jerusalem, this time destroying the city, the holy temple, and exiling the people of Judah to Babylon. Daniel’s ministry began in 605 when he arrived at Babylon with the first Jewish captives, extended throughout the Babylonian captivity (which ended in 539), and concluded sometime after the third year of Cyrus the Great, the Medo-Persian king who overthrew Babylonia (see Dn 1:21; 10:1).

Date

Daniel was written after the end of the Babylonian captivity in the late sixth century BC. We know this because he uses the Aramaic of Ezra and Nehemiah who wrote at that time. We know this because Daniel knew that Belshazzar was coregent with another king, Nabonidus, which was a fact unknown elsewhere until modern time.

The late sixth century BC date is called the late date, and those that reject it usually do so because they reject the supernatural prophecy in Daniel.

PURPOSE

Every writer has an aim, something he hopes to accomplish in his writing. Daniel hopes to encourage the people of God as they live under the rule of unbelievers. He does this by giving examples of those who lived faithfully during the exile. He does this by delivering prophecies of God’s future victory.

The main idea of Daniel actually comes from the mouth of King Nebuchadnezzar, “the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind,” (Dan. 5:21).

CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLE

Daniel proves that we can trust the prophecy of the Bible. It also provides the basis on which to build an understanding of the prophecy in the book of Revelation.

Most importantly it declares God to be King over the universe, the King over all other kingdoms, “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation,” (Dan. 4:34).

GENRE AND STRUCTURE

Daniel is a narrative, a true story, with history, prophecy, and apocalyptic visions—visions that pertain to the end of the world and the end of human history.

The book divides into three major sections:

Daniel 1:1-2:3 was originally written in Hebrew, Israel’s national language.

Daniel 2:4-7:28 was originally written in Aramaic, the international language of that time.

Daniel 8:1-12:13 switches back to Hebrew.

In every section, Daniel shows us YHWH as King of kings and Lord of lords.

King and Lord over the Hebrews, i.e., the Israelites.

King and Lord over all people in all places.

OUTLINE (from CSB SB)

CSB Study Bible: Notes (Outline)

I. The Godly Remnant in the Times of the Gentiles (1:1–21)

A. Daniel and his friends in the Babylonian captivity (1:1–7)

B. Daniel and the king’s food (1:8–16)

C. Daniel and the Lord’s reward (1:17–21)

II. God’s Sovereignty over the Times of the Gentiles (2:1–7:28)

A. Daniel and the king’s dream (2:1–49)

B. Daniel’s friends and the fiery furnace (3:1–30)

C. Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, madness, and repentance (4:1–37)

D. Belshazzar’s feast and the writing on the wall (5:1–30)

E. Daniel in the lions’ den (6:1–28)

F. Daniel’s vision of the four beasts, the Ancient of Days, and the Son of Man (7:1–28)

III. God’s People in the Times of the Gentiles (8:1–12:13)

A. Daniel’s vision of the ram and the male goat (8:1–27)

B. Daniel’s prayer and vision of the seventy weeks (9:1–27)

C. Daniel and his final visions (10:1–12:13)

In Daniel 1, we see Daniel as a youth and follow him throughout his career until about the age of 85.