Daniel Lesson #1: Introduction

Daniel

Lesson #1: Introduction, Outline: ;

Daniel 1:1–5 KJV 1900

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. 3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; 4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

(1) - Daniel's father was an aristocrat from the tribe of Judah.

Daniel's father and mother were believers. His parents led him to the Lord at a very early age, and they taught him the Word of God on a consistent basis. So that by the time Daniel was in his teens he was a spiritually mature believer. Daniel was one of a very few believers in history to have developed spiritual maturity before he developed physical maturity.

(2) - With all of his fantastic background and training, and his great spiritual development, Daniel was ready to assume a leadership role.

But not leadership in his own country, because his country would be destroyed shortly. So Daniel, a Jew, will not rule in Israel. Daniel, a Jew, will rule over two great empires. Daniel will be the surviving ruler of the great Chaldean Empire, and he will be the number one ruler in his area in the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great.

(3) - Two of the greatest rulers of all time who actually handled the business of organization and administration of great empires were Joseph and Daniel.

Both Joseph and Daniel got their start with Bible doctrine early in life. From his early youth Daniel learned and applied the Word of God. He never compromised his stand on Bible doctrine no matter what the price.

(4) - The book of Daniel begins in the year 606 BC with Judah in apostasy and rebellion against God.

(5) - The events leading up to our first verse in Daniel chapter one are:

(A) - The Battle of Carchemish, in which the Pharoah of Egypt along with the remnant of the Assyrian army fought against the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar.

(B) - Nebuchadnezzar, in his pursuit of the Egyptians came upon Jerusalem, laid seige to it and conquered it. Judah had been a vassal under the Pharoah of Egypt before this.

(C) - Nebuchadnezzar's father, Nabopolassar, died, and Nebuchadnezzar went back to Babylon, where he was crowned king. (D) - When Nebuchadzezzar left Jerusalem, he took with him hostages in order to keep Judah in line. These hostages were taken from the families of the aristocrats or leaders of Judah, and Daniel was one of them.

(C) - Nebuchadnezzar's father, Nabopolassar, died, and Nebuchadnezzar went back to Babylon, where he was crowned king.

(D) - When Nebuchadzezzar left Jerusalem, he took with him hostages in order to keep Judah in line. These hostages were taken from the families of the aristocrats or leaders of Judah, and Daniel was one of them.

(6) - The book of Daniel reveals God's care and faithfulness for born-again Jews who were spiritually mature, and it emphasizes the importance of knowing the Word of God.

(7) - The book of Daniel emphasizes spiritual factors which led to the Golden Age of Judah after their captivity in Babylon. The Golden Age began in 516 BC and continued to the time of Alexander the Great in 323 BC.

All national prosperity is based upon believers who are functioning daily in their learning and application of the Word of God and whose minds are completely filled with a frame of reference information of divine viewpoint obtained from the knowledge of the Word of God.

(8) - The book of Daniel will answer a lot questions spiritually, historically, and prophetically. Therefore, the book of Daniel is broken down into three areas:

(A) - Historical application, which will be the divine viewpoint of history.

B) - Spiritual application, which will deal with the spiritual life of Daniel, with applications for us. (C) - Prophetical application, which deals with future events.

(B) - Spiritual application, which will deal with the spiritual life of Daniel, with applications for us.

(C) - Prophetical application, which deals with future events.

Historical Background to Chapter One

The background of the book of Daniel is the rise of the Chaldean Empire.

(1) - The Chaldeans are not Babylonians. Technically, the Jews did not go into the Babylonian captivity, they went into the Chaldean captivity. The Chaldeans ruled in Babylon. The Babylonians and Chaldeans were two different races. The Babylonians were a conquered people at the time of Daniel.

(2) - The Chaldean Empire was founded by Nabopalassar in 625 BC. In 625 BC he took over the Babylonian Empire and formed the Neo-Babylonian Empire called Chaldea. He then revolted against the Assyrians. He had four sons, one of them was Nebuchadnezzar.

(3) - In 612 BC, he formed an alliance with the Medes and the Sythians and completely destroyed what was left of the Assyrian Empire.

(4) - begins in the year 606 BC when Nebuchadnezzar as the commander of the Chaldean army confronted Pharoah Necho of Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish.

Daniel 1:1 KJV 1900

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

The Chaldean army soundly defeated the Egyptian army and began to pursue them.

The Chaldeans pursued the Egyptians right through Palestine. But when they came close to Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar saw the city and was very impressed with its beauty.

So he stopped the pursuit of the Egyptians and laid seige to Jerusalem which he conquered in a very short time.

Jerusalem was an Egyptian vassal at that time. Sometime during all this action Nebuchadnezzar's father, Nabopalassar, died.

Nebuchadnezzar was then summond back to Babylon. To make sure that the Jews would stay loyal to him, he took about 50 hostages from the royal family of Israel, and Daniel was one of them.

(5) - Who were the kings of Israel at this time? Josiah was the last of the great kings in Judah. He died in 609 BC while fighting Pharoah Necho in the Battle of Meggido. Josiah reigned from 640 - 609 BC. He had three sons who survivded him.

(A) - Jehoahaz - Also called Shallum in ; ; . He reigned in 609 BC for about six months. Jehoahaz was the oldest son of Josiah. Pharoah Necho killed Josiah at the Battle of Meggido, then he came back to Jerusalem and placed Josiah's son, Jehoahaz on the throne of Judah as a puppet king. After a very short time Jehoahaz began to give Pharoah Necho some difficulty. So he was taken off of the throne, taken to Egypt and killed.

2 Kings 23:30–34 KJV 1900

30 And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s stead. 31 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh-nechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh-nechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.

2 Chronicles 36:1–4 KJV 1900

1 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

Jeremiah 22:10–12 KJV 1900

10 Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: But weep sore for him that goeth away: For he shall return no more, Nor see his native country. 11 For thus saith the Lord touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more: 12 But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.

(B) - Jehoiakim - Also called Eliakim. He was the second son of Josiah, and he was placed on the throne of Judah by Pharoah Necho in 609 BC after Jehoahaz was removed. Jehoiakim ruled from 609 - 598 BC. After the Battle of Carchemish in 606 BC Jehoiakim became a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar. In other words, Jehoiakim was left on the throne of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. But to make sure that Jehoiakim behaved himself and would not go back to the Egyptian Alliance, Nebuchadnezzar took some hostages to Babylon. At that time in Judah there were two lines of political thought. One line favored staying loyal to Nebuchadnezzar, and the other line favored renewing the old alliance with Egypt and throwing off the yoke of Chaldea. For a long time Jeremiah's preaching kept everything on an even course. Jeremiah, through his preaching actually stopped the pro-Egyptian thought from succeeding. But eventually, in spite of Jeremiah's preaching, Jehoiakim revolted against Nebuchadnezzar in 598 BC. During the seige of 598 BC, Jehoiakim died and his son Jehoiachin took over as king.

(C) - Jehoiachin - Also called Jechoniah and Coniah. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and . Jehoiachin ruled for about 100 days before he was forced to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army. But during his 100 day reign, Jechoiachin did more evil and more wickedness than what most people could do in a hundred years. Jechoiachin or Coniah was one of the reasons for the necessity of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. In Jeremiah's prophecy Coniah, because of his intense evil, was told that he would never be included in the Davidic covenant, even though he was a descendant of David. (). After taking the city in 598 BC Nebuchadnezzar decided to take hostages again. But this time, instead of taking hostages from the royal family, he decided to take hostages from the spiritual leaders, and one of them was Ezekiel. When Nebuchadnezzar took over Jerualem in 598 BC, he took Jehoiachin captive and placed him in prison in Babylon. But he allowed Ezekiel to have freedom in Babylon.

Jeremiah 22:24–30 KJV 1900

24 As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; 25 And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. 27 But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return. 28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? 29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. 30 Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

2 Kings 24:6–17 KJV 1900

6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. 7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt. 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done. 10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. 12 And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. 13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had said. 14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. 15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. 17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

2 Kings 25:27–30 KJV 1900

27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; 28 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; 29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. 30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.

1 Chronicles 3:16–17 KJV 1900

16 And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. 17 And the sons of Jeconiah; Assir, Salathiel his son,

2 Chronicles 36:8–9 KJV 1900

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. 9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Esther 2:6 KJV 1900

6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.

Jeremiah 22:24–28 KJV 1900

24 As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; 25 And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. 27 But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return. 28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?

Jeremiah 24:1 KJV 1900

1 The Lord shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.

Jeremiah 37:1 KJV 1900

1 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

Jeremiah 52:31 KJV 1900

31 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,

Ezekiel 1:2 KJV 1900

2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity,

(D) - Zedekiah - Also known as Mattaniah, ruled from 598 BC - 586 BC. In 598 BC when Nebuchadnezzar took Jersualem and imprisoned Jechoiachin (Coniah) he placed Zedekiah, the youngest son of Josiah on the throne. Zedekiah also ignored all of the prophecies concerning "going to Egypt for help." Jeremiah kept warning him until he put Jeremiah in prison. Zedekiah expelled all Chaldean diplomats and began to negotiate a new alliance with Egypt. Then in 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar returned the third time to Jerusalem, and this time his patience had worn out, so he totally destroyed the city and the temple, and took everyone into captivity. This is the background of and This is the death march crowd.

Psalm 119 KJV 1900

1 ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, And that seek him with the whole heart. 3 They also do no iniquity: They walk in his ways. 4 Thou hast commanded us To keep thy precepts diligently. 5 O that my ways were directed To keep thy statutes! 6 Then shall I not be ashamed, When I have respect unto all thy commandments. 7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, When I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. 9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee. 12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: Teach me thy statutes. 13 With my lips have I declared All the judgments of thy mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, As much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, And have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. 17 GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, And keep thy word. 18 Open thou mine eyes, That I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 19 I am a stranger in the earth: Hide not thy commandments from me. 20 My soul breaketh for the longing That it hath unto thy judgments at all times. 21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, Which do err from thy commandments. 22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; For I have kept thy testimonies. 23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: But thy servant did meditate in thy statutes. 24 Thy testimonies also are my delight And my counsellers. 25 DALETH. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: Quicken thou me according to thy word. 26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: Teach me thy statutes. 27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: So shall I talk of thy wondrous works. 28 My soul melteth for heaviness: Strengthen thou me according unto thy word. 29 Remove from me the way of lying: And grant me thy law graciously. 30 I have chosen the way of truth: Thy judgments have I laid before me. 31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O Lord, put me not to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, When thou shalt enlarge my heart. 33 HE. Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; And I shall keep it unto the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. 35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; For therein do I delight. 36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, And not to covetousness. 37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; And quicken thou me in thy way. 38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, Who is devoted to thy fear. 39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: For thy judgments are good. 40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: Quicken me in thy righteousness. 41 VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, Even thy salvation, according to thy word. 42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: For I trust in thy word. 43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; For I have hoped in thy judgments. 44 So shall I keep thy law continually For ever and ever. 45 And I will walk at liberty: For I seek thy precepts. 46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed. 47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, Which I have loved. 48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; And I will meditate in thy statutes. 49 ZAIN. Remember the word unto thy servant, Upon which thou hast caused me to hope. 50 This is my comfort in my affliction: For thy word hath quickened me. 51 The proud have had me greatly in derision: Yet have I not declined from thy law. 52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; And have comforted myself. 53 Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked That forsake thy law. 54 Thy statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage. 55 I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, And have kept thy law. 56 This I had, Because I kept thy precepts. 57 CHETH. Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words. 58 I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: Be merciful unto me according to thy word. 59 I thought on my ways, And turned my feet unto thy testimonies. 60 I made haste, and delayed not To keep thy commandments. 61 The bands of the wicked have robbed me: But I have not forgotten thy law. 62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee Because of thy righteous judgments. 63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee, And of them that keep thy precepts. 64 The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy: Teach me thy statutes. 65 TETH. Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word. 66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: For I have believed thy commandments. 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: But now have I kept thy word. 68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. 69 The proud have forged a lie against me: But I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart. 70 Their heart is as fat as grease; But I delight in thy law. 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; That I might learn thy statutes. 72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me Than thousands of gold and silver. 73 JOD. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments. 74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; Because I have hoped in thy word. 75 I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, And that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. 76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, According to thy word unto thy servant. 77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: For thy law is my delight. 78 Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: But I will meditate in thy precepts. 79 Let those that fear thee turn unto me, And those that have known thy testimonies. 80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; That I be not ashamed. 81 CAPH. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: But I hope in thy word. 82 Mine eyes fail for thy word, Saying, When wilt thou comfort me? 83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; Yet do I not forget thy statutes. 84 How many are the days of thy servant? When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me? 85 The proud have digged pits for me, Which are not after thy law. 86 All thy commandments are faithful: They persecute me wrongfully; help thou me. 87 They had almost consumed me upon earth; But I forsook not thy precepts. 88 Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; So shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth. 89 LAMED. For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. 90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. 91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances: For all are thy servants. 92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction. 93 I will never forget thy precepts: For with them thou hast quickened me. 94 I am thine, save me; For I have sought thy precepts. 95 The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: But I will consider thy testimonies. 96 I have seen an end of all perfection: But thy commandment is exceeding broad. 97 MEM. O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: For they are ever with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: For thy testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep thy precepts. 101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, That I might keep thy word. 102 I have not departed from thy judgments: For thou hast taught me. 103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: Therefore I hate every false way. 105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path. 106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, That I will keep thy righteous judgments. 107 I am afflicted very much: Quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word. 108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, And teach me thy judgments. 109 My soul is continually in my hand: Yet do I not forget thy law. 110 The wicked have laid a snare for me: Yet I erred not from thy precepts. 111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: For they are the rejoicing of my heart. 112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes Alway, even unto the end. 113 SAMECH. I hate vain thoughts: But thy law do I love. 114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. 115 Depart from me, ye evildoers: For I will keep the commandments of my God. 116 Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: And let me not be ashamed of my hope. 117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: And I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. 118 Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: For their deceit is falsehood. 119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: Therefore I love thy testimonies. 120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; And I am afraid of thy judgments. 121 AIN. I have done judgment and justice: Leave me not to mine oppressors. 122 Be surety for thy servant for good: Let not the proud oppress me. 123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, And for the word of thy righteousness. 124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, And teach me thy statutes. 125 I am thy servant; give me understanding, That I may know thy testimonies. 126 It is time for thee, Lord, to work: For they have made void thy law. 127 Therefore I love thy commandments Above gold; yea, above fine gold. 128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; And I hate every false way. 129 PE. Thy testimonies are wonderful: Therefore doth my soul keep them. 130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; It giveth understanding unto the simple. 131 I opened my mouth, and panted: For I longed for thy commandments. 132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, As thou usest to do unto those that love thy name. 133 Order my steps in thy word: And let not any iniquity have dominion over me. 134 Deliver me from the oppression of man: So will I keep thy precepts. 135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; And teach me thy statutes. 136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, Because they keep not thy law. 137 TZADDI. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. 138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous And very faithful. 139 My zeal hath consumed me, Because mine enemies have forgotten thy words. 140 Thy word is very pure: Therefore thy servant loveth it. 141 I am small and despised: Yet do not I forget thy precepts. 142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And thy law is the truth. 143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: Yet thy commandments are my delights. 144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: Give me understanding, and I shall live. 145 KOPH. I cried with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes. 146 I cried unto thee; save me, And I shall keep thy testimonies. 147 I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word. 148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches, That I might meditate in thy word. 149 Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment. 150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief: They are far from thy law. 151 Thou art near, O Lord; And all thy commandments are truth. 152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old That thou hast founded them for ever. 153 RESH. Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: For I do not forget thy law. 154 Plead my cause, and deliver me: Quicken me according to thy word. 155 Salvation is far from the wicked: For they seek not thy statutes. 156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord: Quicken me according to thy judgments. 157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; Yet do I not decline from thy testimonies. 158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; Because they kept not thy word. 159 Consider how I love thy precepts: Quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness. 160 Thy word is true from the beginning: And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. 161 SCHIN. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: But my heart standeth in awe of thy word. 162 I rejoice at thy word, As one that findeth great spoil. 163 I hate and abhor lying: But thy law do I love. 164 Seven times a day do I praise thee Because of thy righteous judgments. 165 Great peace have they which love thy law: And nothing shall offend them. 166 Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, And done thy commandments. 167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies; And I love them exceedingly. 168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: For all my ways are before thee. 169 TAU. Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: Give me understanding according to thy word. 170 Let my supplication come before thee: Deliver me according to thy word. 171 My lips shall utter praise, When thou hast taught me thy statutes. 172 My tongue shall speak of thy word: For all thy commandments are righteousness. 173 Let thine hand help me; For I have chosen thy precepts. 174 I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; And thy law is my delight. 175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; And let thy judgments help me. 176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; For I do not forget thy commandments.

Lamentations 3 KJV 1900

1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. 3 Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. 4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. 5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. 6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. 7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. 8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. 9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. 10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. 11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. 14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. 15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. 16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. 17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. 18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: 19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. 29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. 30 He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. 31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever: 32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. 33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. 34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, 35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, 36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. 37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? 38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? 39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. 41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. 42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. 43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. 44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. 45 Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. 46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. 47 Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. 48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49 Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, 50 Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven. 51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. 52 Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. 53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. 54 Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. 55 I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. 56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. 57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. 58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. 59 O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause. 60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. 61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me; 62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. 63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick. 64 Render unto them a recompence, O Lord, according to the work of their hands. 65 Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. 66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord.

(6) - In Daniel's day they had the liberals and the conservatives. Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah were all followers of the conservative party. It was the liberals who were always convincing the leaders of Judah to go to Egypt for help. The liberals have always been opposed to the Word of God, while conservatives have always favored the Word of God. Political and theological Liberalism always destroys nations. Political and theological conservatism always strengthens nations. This is one of the great principles that is found in the book of Daniel.

Basic Outline of the Book of Daniel

(1) - The taking of Daniel and some of his frineds to Babylon. It also includes their Chaldean education, and their spiritual test. Daniel Chapter One.

(2) - Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the metallic man, and Daniel's interpretation of that dream. Daniel's interpretation actually gives the over all picture of the great empires down through history, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean Empire, and ending with coming of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah to set up His kingdom on the earth. Daniel chapter two.

(3) - Nebechadnezzar's construction of a large golden image, and his requirement that all were to worship it, or be thrown into a fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three Jewish friends of Daniel, refused to bow the image and were thown into the fire, but were delivered through the fire. Daniel Chapter three.

(4) - Nebuchadnezzar's vision of a tree, and his mental insanity. Daniel Chapter Four.

(5) - The feast of Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, Belshazzar in 539 BC. The miraculous handwriting on the wall, and Daniel's intrepretation of it. The fall of Bablylon to the Persians, and Darius the Mede becomes the king. Daniel Chapter five.

(6) - The plot against Daniel. Daniel in the lion's den. Daniel Chapter Six.

(7) - Daniel's vision of the four beasts: the lion, the bear, the leopard, and a dreadful and terrible beast without name. The interpretation of Daniel's vision. Daniel Chapter Seven.

(8) - Daniel's vision of the ram and the goat, and the interpretation of it. Daniel Chapter Eight.

(9) - Daniel's prayer for his people, and the vision of the seventy weeks. Daniel Chapter Nine.

(10) - Daniel's visions by the great river called Hiddekel. Daniel Chapter Ten.

(11) - Daniel's prophecy of the king of the south and the king of the north. Daniel Chapter Eleven.

(12) - Daniel's prophecy of the end time. Daniel Chapter Twelve.

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Daniel 1:1 KJV 1900

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

VS 1: - In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and beseiged it.

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah -

This is 606 BC. We know from our background study that Jehoiakim replaced his brother Jehoahaz after he had only reigned for six months in the year 609 BC. Jehoiakim was placed on the throne of Judah by Pharoah Necho of Egypt in the year 609 BC. Beginning in that year Judah became an Egyptian vassal. Therefore, we know that "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim" was 606 BC.

King of Judah -

According to , it says that David ruled the tribe of Judah for seven and a half years, and then after the civil war, and the resistence from the house of Saul ended, David captured the Jebusite city of Jerusalem, made that the capital and became king over all Israel. During David's reign of 33 years he united all of the Jewish tribes and actually formed the United kingdom of Israel. After David's death in 1015 BC his son, Solomon maitained the United Kingdom of Israel until his death in 975 BC.

2 Samuel 5:15 KJV 1900

15 Ibhar also, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia,

When Solomon's son Rehoboam took over the throne of Israel there was much discention and the kingdom split. The Northern Kingdom of ten tribes called Israel with its captial in Samaria, and the Southern Kingdom of two tribes called Judah with its capital in Jerusalem.

The survival of these two rival kingdoms was due mainly to the spiritual factor. In other words, because of such men as Elijah and Hosea in the Northern Kingdom, and Amos and Isaiah in the Southern Kingdom. God spared these kingdoms from disaster because of the positive volition of belivers in both kingdoms. But when negative volition toward God became consitely intense God destroyed the Northern Kingdom in 721 BC by the powerful Assyrian army.

Positive volition lasted a little longer in the Southern Kingdom. But eventually negative volition became quite consistent, and in 609 BC, with the death of King Josiah of Judah at the hands of Pharoah Necho of Egypt, Judah moved into the God's cycles of national discipline and became a vassal to Egypt. This brings us up to our passage in .

Literally, "In the third year of the reign of of Jehoiakim king of Judah (606 BC)."

Came Nebuchadnezzar -

Nebuchadnezzar was not coming specifically to take Jerusalem. He was actually in pursuit of the Egyptian army after he had defeated them at the Battle of Carchemish on the Euphrates River. But when he came upon Jerusalem, he stopped the pursuit and layed siege to the city.

King of Babylon -

Nebuchadnezar was actually king of the Chaldean Empire whose headquarters and capital was in Babylon.

Unto Jerusalem, and besieged it -

The siege did not last very long. Possibly a week to ten days at the most. Remember that Judah was a vassel to Egypt and Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army had just defeated the armies of the Egyptian Empire. So after all this, what could Judah ever hope to accomplish in fighting the Chaldeans?

EXPANDED TRANSLATION VERSE 1: "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah (606 BC), came Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon (pursuing the Egyptians after the Battle of Carchemish) to Jerusalem and laid siege to it." (1)

- And the Lord gave Jehoiakim the king of Judah into his hands, with a part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

Daniel 2 KJV 1900

1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. 2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. 6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. 7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. 8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof. 10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. 12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. 14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: 15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: For wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, And knowledge to them that know understanding: 22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness, And the light dwelleth with him. 23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, Who hast given me wisdom and might, And hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: For thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter. 24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. 25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; 28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. 31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. 46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. 47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. 48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand -

In other words, Nebuchadnezzar took over Jerusalem, Judah and Jehoiakim with them. This was simply another phase of God's national discipline upon Israel because of her negative attitude toward God and His Word. After Nebuchadnezzar took over the kingdom of Judah and its king, Jehoiakim, he placed Jehoiakim back on the throne of Judah as a vassal to the Chaldean Empire in Babylon.

Literally, "And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into Nebuchadnezzar's hand."

With part of the vessels of the house of God -

The word "part" refers to "a portion, or some of" the "vessels," referring to "utensils, instruments, furniture, or items" used in "the house of God," referring to the Temple that Solomon built about 400 years before. We will see these items from the Temple used in a drunken party in Daniel chapter five. The chapter that centers on "the handwriting on the wall" incident.

Literally, "And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into Nebuchadnezzar's hand, along with a portion of the items from the house of God (the Temple)."

Which he carried into the land of Shinar -

This refers to the southern part of the land of Mesopotamia. The land between the rivers (the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers). This was where Babylon was located.

To the house of his god - "The house of his god"

refers to the Babylonian Pantheon where all of the statues of the Chaldean gods were housed. The Chaldeans had four basic gods, and we will see them later on in our study.

And brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god -

The treasure house is that part of the heathen temple where items of value were kept and guarded.

EXPANDED TRANSLATION VERSE 2: "And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into Nebuchadnezzar's hand, with some of the items from the house of God (the Temple), which he carried back to the land of Shinar and Babylon to the house of his god, and he brought the items of the Temple of Jerusalem to the treasure room of his god."

Beginning in verse 3 the scene moves to Babylon and that is where it stays through chapter five.

- And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;

Daniel 1:3 KJV 1900

3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;

And the king spake unto Asphenaz the master of his eunuchs -

This refers to King Nebuchadnezzar "commanding Asphenaz," the "prince, officer or master" "of the eunuchs." The word "eunuchs" is a translation of the Hebrew word CARIC meaning, "to castrate, to make a minister of the state." Because of the statement "no blemish" in verse four, the definition of "eunuchs" in verse three would be "minister of state." This is because castration would be a blemish on physical beauty.

Literally, "And King Nebuchadnezzar commanded Asphenas the prince of the eunuchs."

That he should bring certain of the children of Israel

This refers to "certain one" from the hostages taken from Israel.

This refers to "certain one" from the hostages taken from Israel.

And of the king's seed and of the princes -

This refers to the royal family of Israel. the family of David.

Isaiah foretold this in , "And of the sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shall beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."

Isaiah 39:7 KJV 1900

7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

EXPANDED TRANSLATION VERSE 3: "And king Nebuchadnezzar commanded Asphenaz the prince of the eunuchs, that he should bring with him certain ones from the children of Israel, ones from the king's family, and ones from the family of the princes."

- Children in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

Daniel 1:4 KJV 1900

4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

Chilren in whom was no blemish -

The Hebrew word for "children" is JELED meaning, "a lad, a child," and refers to a child who is actually a young teen-ager. The phrase "in whom was no blemish" is actually a Hebrew idiom referring to physical beauty. This means that they had to free from scars, birth-marks, or deformaties.

But well favored This means "well favored"

in the sense of "handsome or good looking." In other words, their physical features had to be perfect and they had to be handsom and good looking.

Skillful in all wisdom -

This means that they had to be superior intellectually. Their previous education as royal children was a big factor.

Cunning in knowledge - This means that they had to be able to apply the "wisdom" they possessed.

Understanding science -

This refers to the ability to understand technical and mechanical things.

And such as had ability in them -

This refers to all those who passed the requirements just listed.

To stand in the king's palace -

In other words, those who were selected would serve in the administration of the king's government.

And whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans -

This refers to teaching them the Chaldean culture and the Chaldean language.

EXPANDED TRANSLATION VERSE 4: "Teenager who have outstanding physical beauty, good looking in appearance, superior intellectually, able to apply skills in all areas of learning, and those who have such abilities in them, choose them to work in the administration of the king's government, and these also should be taught the culture and the language of the Chaldeans."

- And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourshing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

Daniel 1:5 KJV 1900

5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

Although an education such as this did not in itself violate the religious standards of these Jewish youths, their environment and circumstances they found themselves soon presented them with some real challenges.

And the king appointed a daily provision of the king's meat and of the wine which he drank -

This means that Nebuchadnezzar "assigned or designated" a "daily porition" of his own best food for these captives from Judah. The phrase "the king's meat" refers to "the king's food." These Jewish captives were to have the same food that the king had, which was the best food and the best wine available.

So nourshing them three years -

This was how long the brainwashing school was to last.

That at the end thereof they might stand before the king -

This means that at the end of their three year brainwashing course, they would function in the king's administration with royal duties and royal responsibilities.

EXPANDED TRANSLATION VERSE 5: "And the king provided a daily portion of food and wine from his own table nourishing them for three years, at which time they would stand before the king with royal responsibilitie and duties." (2)