Nebuchadnezzar’s First Dream
2: 1-49

ADONAI begins to reveal to Dani’el the initial revelation regarding the Times of the Gentiles (see Ao – The Times of the Gentiles). He provides an initial overview of the four empires that will govern this period. As the book progresses, God’s revelation becomes increasingly specific, reaching their climax in Chapter 12.

Most of us probably try to avoid beginning a sentence with a conjunction. And I don’t know why exactly, maybe someone along the way has told us it is bad form. Perhaps that is why our style-conscious modern English translations omit the conjunction at the beginning of 2:1. But it’s there in the Hebrew text, and some translations, like Kings James Bible, the American Standard Version, the English Revised Version, the Literal Standard Version, and the Jewish Publishing Society translation of the TaNaKh in 1917, pick it up. So my commentary reads: And in the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep (2:1). Not earth-shattering, but the tiny connective hints that Chapter One is not a detached event. It is the spring that gives life to the ongoing story. A little reflection proves this to be true, and quite beyond the simple conjunction linking Chapters 1 and 2. The Temple vessels of 1:2 will form the basis of the demise of Belshazzar in Chapter Five (to see link click Cn – Belshazzar’s Great Banquet); the here-I-must-draw-a-line-in-the-sand decision of 1:8, will be re-enacted in Chapter Three with the blazing furnace (see Bk – The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace), and in Chapter Six with Dani’el in the lion’s den (see Di – Dani’el in the Lion’s Den); and Dani’el’s skill in understanding dreams and visions (1:7) will be on full display in Chapter Two (see Ap – Dani’el’s Interpretations of Dreams) and in Chapter Seven (see Bx – Dani’el’s Vision of Four Beasts). Therefore, every one of the “stories” in the book of Dani’el has its roots in Chapter One. And this usually eliminated and in 2:1 bears its own faint witness to that.³⁹

Composed of forty-nine verses, Chapter Two is the longest chapter in the book, and can be broken down in this chiastic fashion, resulting in a mirror effect as the ideas are “reflected” back and forth in the passage: A to A, B to B, C to C, with D being the climax of the chiasm.

A. The Challenge to the Magi – 2:1-13 (As)

B. Dani’el’s Plea – 2:14-16 (At)

C. Dani’el’s Prayer – 2:17-23 (Au)

D. Dani’el’s Witness – 2:24-30 (Av)

C. The King’s Dream – 2:31-35 (Aw)

B. Dani’el Interprets the King’s Dream – 2:36-45 (Ax)

A. Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Dani’el – 2:46-49 (Bi)

In Chapter 7, Dani’el elaborated on the four Gentile kingdoms that were seen in the statue of Chapter 2. We can compare these chapters in three ways. First, they are visionary. In Chapter 2 the visionary was a pagan king, but in Chapter 7 the visionary was Dani’el himself. Secondly, we can compare the interpreters. Dani’el was the interpreter in Chapter 2, but the angel Gabri’el was the interpreter in Chapter 7. Thirdly, we can compare the two perspectives. Dani’el 2 gives us the perspective of the times of the Gentiles from a human viewpoint as something majestic, but Dani’el 7 gives us the perspective from God’s viewpoint as something dreadful.

Dani’el’s Interpretations of Dreams
2:1 to 4:27

ADONAI begins to reveal to Dani’el the initial revelation regarding the Times of the Gentiles (see Ao – The Times of the Gentiles). He provides an initial overview of the four empires that will govern this period. As the book progresses, God’s revelation becomes increasingly specific, reaching their climax in Chapter 12.

Only ADONAI’s wisdom can reveal the mysteries of life. In other words, it was not the content of the dream of the future that is primary, what is most important here is the fact that it was only Dani’el’s God that knew the future. And the LORD’s knowledge of the future was particularly important to the Israelites in exile and under some measure of oppression, because it implied that He controls history. Once again, therefore, we are reminded of the overall theme of this book. In spite of present appearances, God is in control. As we read Dani’el’s interpretations of dreams Genesis 41 comes quickly to mind. In Genesis, a pagan king, the Egyptian pharaoh, has an anxiety-producing dream (concerning seven lean and fat cows). When the wise men of Egypt couldn’t interpret the dream for him, his cupbearer (paralleling the role of Arioch in Dani’el Chapter 2) helps him discover a dream-interpreter, who turns out to be the imprisoned Joseph. Through God’s help, Joseph reveals the interpretation of the dream to pharaoh, resulting in his rise in status in the foreign court. Thus, we see that Dani’el is like Joseph, perhaps even a little better than Joseph, since he not only interprets the dream but, with ADONAI’s help, actually tells the king the contents of his dreams (to see link click Ax – Dani’el Interprets the King’s Dream) and (Bu – Dani’el’s Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream).³⁸

The Times of the Gentiles
2:1 to 7:28

At this point, ADONAI begins to reveal to Dani’el the first pieces of information regarding the Times of the Gentiles. He provides an initial overview of the four empires that will govern this period. But as the book progresses, God’s revelation becomes increasingly specific, reaching their climax in Chapter 12.

Understanding prophecy means understanding the times of the Gentiles. A definition of the times of the Gentiles can be gleaned from Luke 21:24 that says: They will fall by the sword and be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. The times of the Gentiles can best be described as that long period of time from the Babylonian captivity in 586 BC (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), to the Second Coming of Messiah at the end of the Great Tribulation, during which time the Gentiles will dominate the City of Jerusalem and the Jews. This does not rule out temporary Jewish control of the city, but all such Jewish control will be temporary until the Second Coming. Such temporary control was exercised during the Maccabean Period (164-163 BC), the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (AD 66-70), the Second Jewish Revolt (the Bar Cochba Revolt) against Rome (AD 132-135), and since 1967 as a result of the Six Day War. This, too, is temporary, as Gentiles will continue to trample Jerusalem down for at least another three-and-a-half years during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 11:1-2). As a result, any Jewish takeover of the city of Jerusalem before Messiah returns must be viewed as temporary and does not mean that the Times of the Gentiles have ended. There is no phasing out, but a sudden end once and for all. Thus, the Times of the Gentiles can only end with the climatic Second Coming of Yeshua Messiah.

To understand the course of the times of the Gentiles there are four passages in the book of Dani’el and two passages in the book of Revelation that need to be studied. In this section we will study Dani’el 2:31-45, 7:1-28, 8:1-25, and 11:3-45. But later, while we study the book of Revelation itself, we will look more closely at Revelation 13:1-10 and 17:7-14. There are several visions in Dani’el, but four visions specifically pertain to the times of the Gentiles. Each one of these visions builds and elaborates on the previous ones.

First, in Daniel 2:31-25, King Nebuchadnezzar had a vision that Dani’el successfully interpreted. Dani’el saw an awesome statue having a head of gold (Babylonian Empire), the breast and arms of silver (Medo-Persian Empire), the belly and thighs of brass (the Greek Empire), legs of iron (the Imperialists), ending with the feet and toes of part iron and clay (the Ten Kingdoms Stage). This passage provides a timeline of all that will follow.

Secondly, in Chapter 7, Dani’el elaborated on the four Gentile kingdoms that were seen in the statue of Chapter 2. We can compare these chapters in three ways. First, they are visionary. In Chapter 2 the visionary was a pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar, but in Chapter 7 the visionary was Dani’el himself. Secondly, we can compare the interpreters. Dani’el was the interpreter in Chapter 2, but an angel was the interpreter in Chapter 7. Thirdly, we can compare the two perspectives. Dani’el 2 gives us the perspective of the times of the Gentiles from a human viewpoint as something majestic, but Dani’el 7 gives us the perspective from God’s viewpoint as something dreadful. There were four kingdoms, pictured as four beasts.

Thirdly, in Chapter 8, Dani’el describes the second vision ADONAI gave him. The vision concerns a portion of the overall period of time symbolized in the first vision; namely, regarding Medo-Persia and Greece. Reference is made also to the antichrist of future time in the interpretation of the vision in this chapter. Once more, animals are used for symbolism, but in place of the bear and leopard that were used in the first vision, a two-horned ram and a one horned goat are used. In this vision also, a little horn appears. He would be a foreshadowing of the antichrist that will follow his pattern in the Great Tribulation of the future.

Lastly, in his third vision, Dani’el first describes the near historical future of the ensuing battle between the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria after Alexander’s death (Dani’el 11:5-35). Then he turns to the far eschatological future to give us a more detailed look at the antichrist (Dani’el 11:36-39). Daniel prophesies about the Ten Kingdoms that the antichrist will conquer to establish his absolute imperialism (Dani’el 11:40-44), and then Dani’el even goes on to describe his eventual death (Dani’el 11:45).

Thus, four Gentile Empires will control the times of the Gentiles before it is succeeded by the Messianic Kingdom (Dani’el 7:17-18). First would be the Babylonians (see Ay – The First Empire: A Head of Gold), second would be the Medo-Persians (see Az – The Second Empire: Chest and Arms of Silver), third would be the Greeks (see Ba – The Third Empire: Belly and Thighs of Bronze), and fourth would be the Imperialists (see Bb – The Fourth Empire: Imperialism). But, the last Empire, or more accurately, Kingdom, will crush all those kingdoms, and it will be the Messianic Kingdom (Bg – The Fifth Empire: The Messianic Kingdom).³⁷

The Significance of Dani’el Chapter 1
to the Times of the Gentiles

Luke describes this period of time when he wrote: They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (to see link click Ao – The Times of the Gentiles). This can best be defined as that long period of time from the Babylonian Captivity (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule) to the Second Coming of Messiah, during which time the Gentiles have complete dominance over Jerusalem. This does not rule out temporary Jewish control of the City until the Second Coming. Such temporary control was exercised during the Maccabbean Period (164-163 BC), the First Jewish Revolt against Rome in 66 AD, and the Second Jewish Revolt (the Bar Cochba Revolt) against Rome (132-135 AD), and since 1967 as a result of the Six Day War. This, too, was temporary, since Gentiles will trample down the holy City for at least another 1,260 days (see the commentary on Revelation Bx – The Tribulation Temple). Therefore, any Jewish takeover of the City of Jerusalem before the Second Coming must be viewed as temporary and does not mean that the Times of the Gentiles have ended. The Times of the Gentiles can only end when the Gentiles no longer trample down the City of Jerusalem.³⁶

As Arnold Fruchtenbaum teaches in his commentary on Dani’el, each of Dani’el’s historical chapters provides certain lessons for the main theme of the book, the time of the Gentiles. There are two lessons in Chapter 1. The first lesson is that there is always a believing remnant of Isra’el. The concept of a remnant is important when studying eschatological events. It began with Elijah (First Kings 19:18) and was primarily developed by Isaiah (for example, Isaiah 8:9-18, 10:20-23, and 28:5). The principle, however, is seen throughout the Scriptures: ADONAI always had a remnant among the Jewish people who believed in Him and were faithful to Him. Dani’el’s prophecies regarding the future of Isra’el confirm this concept. Today, Messianic Jewish believers in Yeshua Messiah form this remnant. One of the reasons for the Babylonian Captivity was Jewish disobedience to the Torah. The people were involved in the most wicked forms of idolatry. Yet, Dani’el, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were not guilty of this sin, nor did they wish to break any other mitzvot of the Torah. In summary, regardless of how far into sin the nation as a whole has gone, there is always a believing remnant of Isra’el.

The second lesson is that this believing remnant may not be guilty of the sins of the nation, but it still suffers divine punishment. In Jewish history, the only exception to this rule was the destruction of Jerusalem (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple Remembered on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD). That destruction and the subsequent Diaspora of the Jewish people were physical punishments for the national rejection of the Messiahship of Yeshua. It was a divine judgment. It was inevitable and deadly, but believers in Messiah had a chance to save their physical lives and leave their country before it was destroyed by the Romans during the First Jewish Revolt against Rome from 66 AD to 70 AD, when Jerusalem was destroyed. Consequently, there is not one account of a Jewish believer who died in 70 AD due to the Roman attack. At the same time, Jewish believers today are still living in the Diaspora because of Isra’el’s rejection of the Messiahship of Yeshua. Among the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, an estimated 250,000 were believers. Dani’el, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Ezeki’el were not guilty of idolatry. Yet, they still went into the Babylonian Captivity. The remnant suffers the fate of the whole nation.³⁶

The Blessing of Dani’el
1: 17-21

The Blessing of Dani’el DIG: Why did Dani’el and his three friends end up passing their oral examination and deemed to be superior to all the other magi of the kingdom in “wisdom and understanding?” How did Dani’el end up showing his true loyalty to ADONAI, and to his three fellows Israelites?

REFLECT: How has God blessed you this year? When have you realized that God enabled you to achieve far more than you could have humanly expected? How has the Lord shown His faithfulness to you? How do you react when He does? Do you tend to give the credit to Him, or do you tend to take credit for it yourself?

The focus of this chapter is not simply the faithfulness of Dani’el and his friends to God,
it is also points to God’s faithfulness to them.

God’s special blessing (1:17): The unseen hand of ADONAI directed the whole course of events and not only gave physical health to Dani’el and his three friends (to see link click Al – Dani’el’s Devotion to God), but also intellectual strength to His faithful servants. As ADONAI blessed Dani’el and his friends’ obedience not to defile themselves with unkosher food, He also blessed the education they received in Babylon. To these four young men God gave (Hebrew: nathan, meaning to give) knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Dani’el could understand visions and dreams of all kinds (1:17). This verse summarizes the development of the four Jewish captives during their three-year training period. Dani’el’s particular gift of understanding visions and dreams was especially appropriate to his need in a land where such was expected of magi, and the God who would be the Source of all knowledge would also give discernment to distinguish the true from the false. Thus, there was no need to fear that the study of the Babylonian or any other culture would result their conversion to an alien religion.

But far more was at stake than their personal reputation or even their personal faith. As representatives of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they needed to prove, in Babylon’s highly competitive setting, that the fear of ADONAI is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). High intelligence and hard work alone did not account for their success, but their wisdom was a gift from ADONAI (Colossians 1:9, 2:9-10). The specific gift given to Dani’el was to make him not only a trusted advisor to king Nebuchadnezzar, but also a channel of revelation, as the next chapter begins to prove.³³

The king’s examination (1:18-20): At the end of the three-year training period set by the king to bring them into his service, and Ashpenaz (1:3) presented them to Nebuchadnezzar (1:18). We don’t know how many students went through the entire course of study, but it’s interesting that Nebuchadnezzar himself took the time to examine them. Since the new graduates were to become his personal advisers, the king wanted to be sure he was getting the best. By adding exceptionally intelligent new men to his staff, the king would be assured of getting the best counsel available. He was familiar with the older advisers and possibly not too happy with all of them (2:5-13). Was he suspicious of a palace intrigue? As we shall see later, the addition and the promotion of these four Jewish young men created jealousy and resentment among the advisers and they tried to get rid of Dani’el (see Dk – The Plot of the Royal Administrators). As older men, they resented their youth; as Babylonians, they resented their race; and as experienced servants, they envied their great ability and knowledge.

The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Dani’el, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The king not only questioned the graduates, but he also compared one with another, and in this way ended up with the very best. So they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them. He found them ten times better than all the magi (Hebrew: chartom, refers to a magician or wise man, often associated with the practice of interpreting dreams, or performing magic), and enchanters (Hebrew: ashshaph, refers to a class or wise men who were often consulted for their ability to interpret dreams, signs, and omens, and as such, were key figures in the king’s advisory team) in his whole kingdom (1:19-20). Of course, both of these were forbidden by the Torah (Deuteronomy 18:9-13). Dani’el and his three friends had to work alongside those magi, enchanters, sorcerers (Hebrew: kashaph, refers to the use of drugs, potions, or spells and is associated with “sorcery” or “witchcraft”), and yet they remained pure and gave a powerful testimony for the LORD.³⁴

The extent of Dani’el’s ministry (1:21): And Dani’el remained there until the first year of Cyrus king of Persia (see the commentary on Dani’el Ag – Cyrus and Darius). It is important to note that Dani’el did not die or end his career at that time, but continued on until the Medo-Persian Empire was established. The first year of Cyrus was the year in which the decree was issued that enabled the Jews to return home (see the commentary on Ezra-Nehamiah Ai – The Decree of Cyrus), some seventy years after the time when Dani’el and his friends were taken into exile (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule). Thus, we are remined that the faithfulness of ADONAI proved sufficient for Dani’el throughout the entire time of the exile. Babylonian kings came and went. Indeed, the Babylonians themselves were replaced as the ruling world power by the Medo-Persians in the person of Cyrus (see Az – Second Empire: Chest and Arms of Silver), yet YHVH sustained His faithful servant the whole time. In the same way, He is able to preserve us throughout the trials and tribulations that we face, no matter how intense they may be or how long they may last. When the world does its worst, God does His best, and His faithfulness is enough to see us through.

God’s faithfulness in our own salvation: As Ian Duguid relates in his commentary on Dani’el, there is one final note that we must not miss in all of this. The reality for most of us is that when we look at our lives, we find we are not like Dani’el and his three friends. We are far more like the nameless multitude who were deported along with Dani’el, who adopted foreign names, ate the king’s food, and became thoroughly Babylonian. In many respects, we have been assimilated into the world system in which we live, and our futures are mortgaged to it. Therefore, if the message of this book is simply, “Be like Dani’el and all will turn out OK,” then we might as well stop reading right now. The more we get to know Dani’el, the more we come to realize that we are not like him at all.

The good news of the Gospel, however, is not simply that ADONAI is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. It is that a Savior has come to deliver faithless and compromised people like us. Our salvation rests not on our ability to remain undefiled by the world, but rather on the pure and undefiled offering that Yeshua has provided in our place. Messiah came voluntarily into this world, with all of its pains and trials. He endured far greater temptations and sufferings than Dani’el did, or more than we ever will (Hebrews 4:15). Yet He remained entirely faithful and pure until the very end, without spot or blemish, and has transferred all of His righteousness to the spiritual bank account of those who trust in Him by faith (First Peter 1:19). What is more, Yeshua has already returned from His time in “exile” and now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Psalm 110:1). He has prepared a home for us there, and has given us the Ruach Ha’Kodesh as a downpayment, guaranteeing that one day we will be with Him there as His people (see the commentary on Second Corinthians An – God’s Seal of Approval). The cross is the means by which Ha’Shem’s faithfulness redeems the unfaithful; the resurrection and ascension are the guarantee of our inheritance in heaven.

Remind yourself often of this Gospel. Fix your eyes on Yeshua Messiah crucified, raised, and exalted. He has not only prepared the route home; He is the route home. Trust in Him and ask Him to work in you a true faithfulness. Ask Him to put you in places where you can be a blessing to your community. Be a breath of heavenly wisdom in your home, your school, your workplace. Be constantly dependent upon His sanctifying work, looking to Him to keep you faithful, not to your best efforts to “Be a Dani’el.” Finally, long for the day when His heavenly Kingdom will invade this earth and bring the fullness of your inheritance.³⁵

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that You are always faithful and Your steadfast love is always watching over me. You are with me, wherever I go (Hebrews 13:5c). It is so comforting that You are never too busy to listen to me, for You abide within those who trust in You (John 14:23). Though sometimes close friends are busy, or sleeping and cannot talk, You are always right there to hear, listen and to guide me. Behold, the Keeper of Isra’el neither slumbers nor sleeps. (Psalms 121:4). What a joy that you are always faithful to your promises! You have promised to live with those who love you. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23).

To those who receive You as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-11), You promise to give them eternal life. The Father always opens the door wide, and You promise to make those who trust you to be your child. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His Name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). What a secure and trustworthy hope it is, for me to look forward to living with You forever and ever in complete joy and peace in Your heavenly kingdom. Though there are many trials and problems here on this earth, someday soon the problems and tears will all be gone.  For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).

Replacing earth’s trials will be a life so perfect that I cannot really comprehend it. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4). Thank You so much for being such a wonderful Father, who promises an eternal life. When trials come, I can follow the example of Dani’el and his three friends and keep my eyes on the eternal and secure future of life in heaven with You. I love You, and You have blessed me so much. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Dani’el’s Devotion to God
1: 8-16

Dani’el’s devotion to God DIG: Why did Dani’el ask his Babylonian captors for a vegetarian diet? What happened as a result? Why do you think this incident was included in inspires Scripture? Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence?” How does this apply to what Dani’el and his friends faced?

REFLECT: Dani’el proposed in his heart not to defile himself. In other words, he resolved not to compromise his principles. Dani’el and his friends determined which parts of the Babylonian culture they could live with, and which parts they could resist. How do you make that determination in your own culture?

How were Dani’el and his friends to live without being swallowed up by Babylonian culture?

Dani’el and his three friends had to decide how they were willing to adjust to living in an environment unsympathetic to their religious convictions. Like everyone caught in a cross-cultural change, they had to think through all the principles involved in their actions, and decide how they were going to act.²⁶

The request (1:8): Dani’el and his three friends were under intense pressure. Their principles were under attack. No doubt there were others, Jerusalem-born like themselves, who laughed at their sensitivities. What harm would good food do them? Dani’el had accepted his Babylonian schooling and a new name, but drew a line in the sand regarding food supplied from the royal table. The king’s food was of the best quality anywhere in the nation; yet, it did not meet the standards of the Torah. Notice also that Dani’el didn’t leave his actions to a spur-of-the-moment response. So Dani’el purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked Ashpenaz, master of the eunuchs (1:3), for permission not to defile himself this way. He made a decision for God.

What made food kosher for Jews was both its origin and its preparation. The royal food might have included meat that was not kosher (see the commentary on Leviticus, to see link click Bl – Ritually Clean and Unclean Beasts). It may also have included kosher meat that was prepared in such a way that would have defiled it. For example, the Torah required that the fat (Leviticus 7:22-25) and the blood (Leviticus 7:26-27, 17:10-13) be removed. In addition, the Torah prohibited eating meat dedicated to false gods (Exodus 34:15; Numbers 25:2). The second problem was drinking the king’s wine. The Torah did not prohibit drinking wine. In Babylon, however, it was part of the ritual of idol worship (5:1-4). First Century believers faced a similar dilemma (see the commentary on First Corinthians Bt – Using Freedom for God’s Glory).²⁷ Drinking wine from the king’s table would have defiled Dani’el.

Not only that, but by eastern standards, to share a meal was to commit oneself to friendship . . . and they took it very seriously (Gen 31:54; Ex 24:11; Neh 8:9-12). That meant that if you ate at the king’s table, you were obligated to be loyal to the king. It would seem that, aside from the biblical reasons above, Dani’el rejected this symbol of dependance on the king because he wanted to be free to fulfill his primary loyalty to ADONAI.

The request granted (1:9-14): So, for all those reasons, Dani’el requested permission from Ashpenaz to be excused from the king’s table. But he told Dani’el, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your 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” (1:10). So, Ashpenaz refused to give permission. His reluctance was understandable if Dani’el’s motive was to remain free from commitment to the king. Nebuchadnezzar would have certainly interpreted the motive as treasonable and would have held Ashpenaz responsible.

But like any royal court, the king’s household had different levels of power and authority. Ashpenaz was the most senior official of Nebuchadnezzar’s eunuchs and reported directly to him. Stewards were appointed under him to care for the Jewish captives. Now God had caused (Hebrew: nathan, meaning to give) the steward to show chesed (see Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed) and mercy to Dani’el (1:9).²⁸ This was an explicit answer to King Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple. On that occasion, Solomon prayed that when the Israelites ended up in exile, as they would surely do because of their sinfulness, then Ha’Shem would cause their captors to show them mercy (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon Bn – Solomon’s Prayer of Intercession). And mercy was exactly what the steward showed to Dani’el and his three friends.²⁹

So after his initial request to be excused from the king’s table was rejected, Dani’el tried another approach. A steward served as Dani’el’s immediate supervisor. Assigned by Ashpenaz, he was personally responsible for providing food and drink to Dani’el and his friends. However, unlike Ashpenaz, he did not report directly to Nebuchadnezzar and was, therefore, more willing to attempt a compromise. Dani’el then said to the steward, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” After ten days, the steward was to compare the appearance of Dani’el and his friends with the other young Jewish men who continued eating the proposed Babylonian diet. Then he could make a decision. So the steward agreed to this and tested them for ten days (1:11-14).³⁰

The result (1:15-16): At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. However, this positive result cannot be attributed to Dani’el’s proposed vegetarian diet, but to the intervention of God. Vegetables are certainly healthy, but this verse does not prove that a vegetarian diet is preferable to one that includes meat and dairy. Vegetarians tend to lose weight on their diets, not gain weight. Hence, the verse makes another point: Obedience is better than disobedience. Had Dani’el and his friends eaten from the king’s table, they would have broken the mitzvot of the Torah. So the steward took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables and water instead. Since the ten-day test was successful, the steward agreed with Dani’el’s suggestion to maintain the vegetarian diet throughout the three years of training (1:5a).³¹ This is not a diet for us today; Dani’el and his three friends did not prosper because of the food, they prospered in spite of the food.

Why did Dani’el propose such a test to begin with? He had good reason to believe that ADONAI would reward their faithfulness because the issue at stake was God’s Kingdom and glory. Living for His glory produces a spirit of humble confidence that He will act. Such confidence marked the heroes of faith in the TaNaKh (Hebrews 11:1-31), and marks men and women of faith even to this day. Those whose hearts are set on self-glory rather than on God’s glory can never have any confidence that their heart’s desire will be granted. On the other hand, those who strive to align their purposes with His will never be disappointed.

We need such confidence not only for its own sake, but because it is a necessary function of God’s power. One of the many stories about Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), the great Victorian preacher in London, illustrates this rather well. On one occasion a young preacher was lamenting to him about how few people seemed to be converted under his preaching. “What?” said Spurgeon, “You don’t expect people to be converted every time you preach, do you?” Taken aback that he might have appeared presumptuous to the great Spurgeon, the young preacher replied, “No, of course not.” To which Spurgeon responded, “Perhaps, then, that is the very reason you have seen so few converted.”

Is it possible to turn the idea of the confidence of faith into a kind of magic trick: If only you convince yourself that something is going to happen, then it will happen? That is far from the spirit that characterized either Dani’el or Spurgeon. The confidence of faith is an assurance based on what God has the power to perform and what He has promised to do. If we know what He has promised to do, and trust in His power to do it, we can expect that He will hear, and answer, the prayers of our hearts in His timing.³²

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that You always hear my prayers. ADONAI will hear when I call to Him (Psalms 4:3c). Praise You also for so wisely and tenderly caring for me. You know the future and what is the best, so you always answer in the wisest and best way – sometimes “Yes,” sometimes No, and sometimes “Wait.” Dani’el requested permission from Ashpenaz to be excused from the king’s table, but he was told No. When Dani’el tried another approach, asking for a test for Dani’el and his friends in their appearance after a vegan diet for ten days, he was told “Yes.” When David prayed for Your help and protection from Sha’ul, You said both “Yes” protection for now but “Wait” till later, which turned out to be several years, until the problem was completely solved.

You do not give in to what Your children prays for when we ask, prompted by selfish motives. You crave and have not. . . You do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives so you may spend it on your passions (James 4:2a, c-3). Dani’el and David were able to live with positive attitudes because, even in the midst of trials and problems, they had already resolved to set their hearts on Your almighty character before the problem even came up. Dani’el resolved not to defile himself (Daniel 1:8) and David wrote My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing, yes, I will make music (Psalms 57:7). Dani’el and his friends and David were committed to following You, no matter what the cost, for they knew that You are the one who holds the future! It is wise to live trusting and following You, Abba Father, for You are almighty and all-loving and hold the future in the palm of Your hand! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of Him who sits at Your right hand. Amen

Dani’el’s Deportation to Babylon
1: 1-7

Dani’el’s deportation to Babylon DIG: What actions by Hezekiah led to Dani’el’s exile to Babylon? What four areas did Nebuchadnezzar use to brainwash his captives in exile? What purpose did the king have for bringing the young Israelites into his palace? What qualities did the Babylonians look for when selecting candidates from among the Hebrews for potential loyal service? Why did the king change their names?

REFLECT: What’s the most difficult situation you’ve ever had to face? How did you handle it? What did it reveal about your faith? What tests or trials are you facing right now? Are you clinging to God and continuing to faithfully live as He commands? Or are you compromising? Grade yourself and explain why you gave yourself that grade? How does the world try to rename you, and mold you into its image?

The same pattern employed by Satan to draw Dani’el away from God is still used today.

The fate of Dani’el and his friends being dragged off into exile was not merely a fulfillment of the general covenantal curse of the Torah (see the commentary on Leviticus, to see link click Ey –Discipline for Disobedience: the sixth stage – exile). It was also the specific fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. Judah’s king Hezekiah had received emissaries and a gift from Merodach-Baladan, king of Babylon. In response, Hezekiah showed them everything that was of value in his storehouses and all of his treasures (Second Kings 20:13). For this, he was severely condemned by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 39:5-6).

Why was ADONAI so upset with Hezekiah? What was the problem with giving the emissaries from Babylon a royal tour of the palace? The answer is that in the world of ancient diplomacy, nothing came free. When Merodach-Baladan sent emissaries and a gift to Hezekiah, it wasn’t merely a friendly gesture of goodwill on his recovery from sickness. Rather, he was soliciting Hezekiah’s help and support in his ongoing struggle against Assyria. So, when Hezekiah showed his emissaries around, he was responding to the king of Babylon’s overtures of alliance, seeking to show him that he had the resources to be a useful ally against Assyria. In spite of ADONAI’s miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the surrounding armies of Sennacherib and the Assyrians (see the commentary on Isaiah Gw – Then the Angel of the LORD Put to Death a Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand Men in the Assyrian Camp), Hezekiah was looking to a political means for solving the Assyrian problem through an alliance with Babylon. Politics had replaced trust in God.

Therefore, far from assuring the security of Hezekiah’s descendants, the foolish alliance with Babylon would only result in some of his own offspring being shipped off to become eunuchs in the palace of the Babylonian king. God’s judgment upon the line of Hezekiah had been faithfully carried out, just as Isaiah had said: And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon (Isaiah 39:7). It was this specific word of judgment that was fulfilled in the opening verses of the book of Dani’el.¹⁶

The deportation (1:1-2): In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah (see the commentary Jeremiah Ca – Jehoiakim Ruled For 11 Years from 609/608 to 598 BC), Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it (1:1). The third year, 606-605 BC, the third year by Babylonian dating, which did not count a king’s initial (accession) year, but began with the following year; so the third year is in harmony with the same year labeled as “fourth” by the Judean system of dating.¹⁷

And ADONAI delivered (Hebrew: nathan, meaning to give) Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels from the Temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god Marduk in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god side by side with other ornaments used for idol worship (1:2). An analogy is the placement of the Ark of God in the temple of Dagon after the Philistines defeated the Israelites (see the commentary on the Life of King Sha’ul Bf – The Ark at Ashdod). To the Philistines, it appeared that Dagon had defeated YHVH, but they soon realized that wasn’t the case and quickly changed their minds. However, the reality of the situation would take much longer to develop in Babylon. The next time we see these vessels in the hands of drunken Babylonians, it will be on the eve of their destruction (see Cq – Dani’el Interpreted the Handwriting on the Wall).¹⁸

More often than not, the items carried off were statues of idols. However, when the Babylonians entered the Temple in Jerusalem, there were no idols to be found. YHVH was the invisible God who did not require that images of Him be made by human hands. In fact He prohibited that exact thing (Exodus 20:4). Therefore, the Babylonians had to carry off vessels of brass, gold, and silver. A parallel passage to verse 2 is Second Kings 24:1-2, which states: During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled. ADONAI sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of ADONAI proclaimed by His servants the prophets.

But when Nebuchadnezzar carried off the Temple vessels, he unwittingly sowed the seeds of Babylon’s destruction. His grandson Belshazzar would use those holy vessels as an act of worship before the Babylonian gods. When he did so, God decreed the fall of Babylon (see Co – The Great Banquet of Belshazzar and the Fall of Babylon). After conquering the Babylonian Empire, Cyrus the Great returned the Temple treasures to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:7-11 and 6:5).¹⁹

Isolation (1:3): Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the master of the eunuchs (Hebrew: saris, meaning a man who has been castrated, often employed in royal courts as a trusted official), to bring into the king’s service some of the sons of Isra’el. Therefore, whoever Ashpenaz chose would be castrated. Nebuchadnezzar demanded that the chosen come from the royal family and the nobility (1:3). The royal family was the House of David, and Dani’el was a member of that dynasty. In this context, it is important to note that throughout the book, Dani’el is consistently distinguished from his three friends, who were probably from the nobility of Isra’el. They were isolated from the influences that would mold their lives and characters in the ways of ADONAI. In Babylon they were separated from the regular public worship of God, the teaching of the Torah, from the fellowship and wisdom of the people of God, and from the daily illustration of what it meant to be a citizen of Jerusalem. Separated from the furnace of godliness, Nebuchadnezzar anticipated that the last dying embers of true faithfulness to the LORD would die out.

Indoctrination (1:4): Those young men (Hebrew: yeledim, referring to young men between the ages of fifteen to twenty) were superior in every way, “the best and the brightest,” prepared by God for a strategic ministry far from home. They were without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning (Hebrew: sepher, meaning massive, document, writing, or a book), well informed, quick to understand, qualified, and expected to serve in the king’s palace. Their reprogramming included studies in the language and literature of the Babylonians, who prided itself as the “city of wisdom” (1:4). That might seem harmless enough. After all, there is surely nothing wrong with God’s people studying foreign literature. The aim, of course, was not merely academic.²⁰ Babylon was the center of idolatry. In the case of Dani’el and his friends, the term sepher encompassed both science and the occult. As a result, they were required to study Babylonian theology. Those young men from Jerusalem’s court needed to be secure in their knowledge of YHVH to be able to study this literature objectively without allowing it to undermine their faith. Evidently the work of Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk had not been in vain.²¹

Compromise (1:5): The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. This would have been a luxurious manner of living for these Hebrew young men, quite in contrast to what they had been accustomed to, and to the extremely plain diet that Dani’el requested for himself and his companions (see Al – Dani’el’s Devotion to God).²² They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service (1:5). Young men would generally be more teachable and would be in a position to give more years of fruitful service to the king. The good life that Dani’el was offered was intended by the king to wean him away from the hard life to which God had called him. It would encourage him to focus on himself and on a life of enjoyment. No mention is made of Dani’el having to agree with Babylonian theology or to argue against the teachings of the Torah. The attack was far more subtle than that, and therefore, potentially far more lethal. Somebody in Nebuchadnezzar’s palace knew enough about the human heart to see that most men can be bought, and that in good times, comfort, self-esteem, and a position in society are usually a sufficient price for a soul.²³

Confusion (1:6-7): The fourth element in the process of weaning those young men from the truth of the Torah was the changing of their names. Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Dani’el, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (1:6). The chief official gave them new names: to Dani’el (meaning, God is my Judge), the name Belteshazzar (meaning, Bel Protect the King); to Hananiah (meaning, beloved of the LORD), the new name Shadrach (meaning the command of Aku, another Babylonian god); to Mishael (meaning, who is as God), the new name Meshach (meaning, who is what Aky is); and to Azariah (meaning, ADONAI is my help), the new name Abednego (meaning, the servant of Nego, the god of wisdom) (1:7). This tactic illustrates an important principle for us: The way we think – about God, ourselves, others, and the world, determines the way we live. If Nebuchadnezzar could only change those young men to think like Babylonians, then they would live like Babylonians. That principle is still true today. The secret of faithfully living for ADONAI lies in the way we think. We are not to be conformed to the world (First John 2:15-16), but to have our lives transformed by the renewing of our minds (see the commentary on Romans Bq – The Background of the Messianic Mikveh: Five ways to win the battle of the mind).

The same pattern employed by the Adversary to draw Dani’el away from YHVH is employed all around us today: isolation from God’s influence to produce holiness in our lives; indoctrination with the worldly ways of thinking; compromise with the riches of this world instead of commitment to God, and confusion about our real identity and purpose in life. Yes, too many of us would have found quite excellent reasons for compromise in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. After all, “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”²⁴

Babylon and Jerusalem represent the two cities, two kingdoms, to which men and women belong. They symbolize the two loyalties of which the Bible speaks in several word pictures: two gates (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dw – The Narrow and Wide Gates), and two masters (see The Life of Christ Dr – Store Up Treasures in Heaven). How can we learn from these two kingdoms and maintain our dual identity of being in the world but not of the world (John 17:16)? Surely one way is by taking every opportunity that we can to celebrate our heavenly citizenship with others. It is a well-observed phenomenon that exiles are often more profoundly patriotic than those who have never left the mother country. St. Patrick’s Day is certainly celebrated with more enthusiasm in Boston than it ever is in Dublin, and the Fourth of July means more to Americans abroad than it does at home. Exiles desire and need opportunities to celebrate and preserve their true identity. So, as citizens of heaven, we need to take every opportunity to gather with our fellow exiles, so that we can remind one another of “home.” We cannot preserve our heavenly identity on our own: left to ourselves, the pressure of the world will inevitably crush us into its mold. But together we can help one another to keep the memory of heaven strong.²⁵

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for going everywhere with me. You are the God of Isra’el, but You are also the Sovereign Ruler over all the world (Dani’el 7:27). What a comfort it is for me to know that You are everywhere in the world, at the same time. There is nowhere I can go and be alone, for God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or abandon you.” You were with Dani’el and his friends in Babylon and You are with me wherever I go. How wonderful that You never sleep nor slumber (Psalms 121:4). You never leave me to go and do something else. Your power is right there to help, protect and to guide me. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Personal History of Dani’el
1: 1-21

Elizabeth Elliot, a Christian missionary, author, and speaker, was twice widowed; first by the martyred death of missionary Jim Elliot and then by the death of her second husband, theologian Addison Leitch. She tells of how helpful the Apostles’ Creed was to her as she mourned the loss of Dr. Leitch. She used it to answer the question: What things have not changed even though my husband has died? One might imagine Dani’el and his friends asking a similar question after being hauled off to Babylon in 605 BC, far from Judah and all that was near and dear and clear. They might have wondered, what had not changed even though they had been carted to Babylon? And the text of Dani’el Chapter 1 answers that question. ADONAI has not changed; He is still there, wherever “there” is. Dani’el Chapter 1 hammers this point home three times with the theological note: ADONAI gave, in verses 2, 9, and 17 (Hebrew: nathan, meaning to give). Dani’el will stir our souls in Chapter 2 with his ringing declaration to Nebuchadnezzar, “but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries (2:28a).” Indeed, it is the foundation of Dani’el Chapter 2. But in Dani’el Chapter 1 the writer makes a similar, yet different, point. He is saying, “There is a God in Babylon.” How, then, do we recognize His Presence.¹⁴

The book of Dani’el is also significant because it bridges the gap between Isra’el’s historical writings and the B’rit Chadashah. It records events in Jewish history during the Babylonian Captivity (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule) that would have otherwise gone unrecorded because no other biblical author covered the topic as extensively as Dani’el. A rabbinic commentary on Dani’el provides the following concise historical background for the book. The declining years of the kingdom of Judah were turbulent and bloody. They marked the end of the glorious period that began with the crossing of the Jordan into Eretz Yisra’el (the Land of Isra’el) and reached its zenith with the reigns of David and Solomon. The decline led to the tragedy of the Temple’s destruction and Isra’el’s exile to Babylon. There, laying the groundwork for the future rebirth of Jewish national greatness, was a boy being groomed for royal ministry in the academy of Nebuchadnezzar’s court. His name was Dani’el.

The book of Jeremiah extensively covers the reasons for the divine punishment of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. Dani’el records the perspective of those who were already in captivity. The book begins with a description of Dani’el’s life and time in exile. Verses 1-7 provide information about the deportations of Jews to Babylon and the selection of exiles by Nebuchadnezzar (see Ak – Dani’el’s Deportation to Babylon); verses 8-16 describe the testing of Dani’el and his friends (see Al – Dani’el’s Devotion to God); and verses 17-21 conclude with Dani’el’s blessing (see Am – Dani’el’s Reputation in Babylon).¹⁵

Ha’Shem

And it will come about that whoever calls on the Name of YHVH
will be delivered (Joel 2:32).

What is the “Sacred Name?” It is a term that is widely accepted as the “Personal Name” of God: YHVH, sometimes called the Tetragrammaton. It is the most prolific Name for God, found in Scripture over 6,800 times. In no less than three places, the Torah warns us how to regard this Name (Hebrew: shem). In Exodus 20:7 (and its parallel passage in Deuteronomy 5:11), the Third Commandment is often rendered as follows: You must not take the name of ADONAI your God in vain, for ADONAI will not leave unpunished anyone who takes His Name in vain. The word in vain translates the Hebrew word shav which means emptiness, nothingness or vanity. The NIV uses the word misuse. So the person guilty of rendering the Name null and void is to receive punishment. Leviticus 24:15-16 helps to clarify this command: Tell the people of Isra’el, “Whoever curses his God will bear the consequences of his sin; and whoever blasphemes the name of ADONAI must be put to death; the entire community must stone him. The foreigner as well as the citizen is to be put to death if he blasphemes the Name.” The word blaspheme is the Hebrew nakav, which means to pierce or bore. In tandem with the instructions given in Leviticus 15 about if anyone takes His Name in vain, the idea of blaspheming the Name seems to be something akin to doing violence to it, essentially abusing it, hence rendering it ineffective or useless. Given the seriousness of the mishandling of such a Name and the penalty of death associated with it, this eventually led to the practice within Judaism to greatly limit its use – the practice of avoiding the literal speaking of the Name.

Historical avoidance of pronouncing the Name: The Encyclopedia Judaica concisely tell us that “at least until the destruction of the Temple in 586 BC, this Name was regularly pronounced with its proper vowels, as is clear from the Lachish Letters, written shortly before that date. But at least by the third century BC the pronunciation of the name YHVH was avoided, and ADONAI, The LORD, was substituted for it, as evidenced by the use of the Greek word Kyrios, LORD for YHVH in the Septuagint,” the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures and was presumably made for the Jewish community in Egypt when Greek was the common language throughout the region from the third to the first centuries BC.¹¹

It was this avoidance of pronouncing the Name that led to writing the Name with special vowels by the Jewish scribes, the Masoretes, during the Middle Ages. This written notation of dots and lines in and around the Hebrew letters was developed to enable people who were unfamiliar with the language to read it, much in the same way the phonetic spelling of words in our modern dictionaries accurately depict how English words are to be pronounced. However, when it came to the Sacred Name, the Masoretes deliberately used vowel points, which simply reminded any reader to speak the name ADONAI in place of YHVH in keeping with the tradition. However, after the destruction of the Second Temple (so called Herod’s Temple) there remained no trace of the pronunciation of the Name.¹²

Is speaking the Name a biblical command? The hot debate over the exact (or approximate) pronunciation of the Name is centered on the idea that the Bible commands us to speak (or do our best to speak) the Name. Such an understanding comes from passages that tell of calling upon or proclaiming the Name of YHVH. This idea of calling upon the Name, proclaiming the Name, praising or blessing the Name or anything like that does not mean that one must pronounce the Name, that is, to speak it audibly. It has to do with making known the Person and works of ADONAI, proclaiming His character, His fame, promoting His great reputation. We see this in Deut 32:3, which says: For I proclaim the name of YHVH; come declare the greatness of our God! where proclaiming the Name is parallel to declaring the greatness of God. Proclaiming or declaring the greatness of God means to rely upon, or declare His attributes as He has revealed to us through His Word.

While many champions for audibly pronouncing the Name will concede to this understanding, the pervading perception is that it fails to address the rudimentary concept of the purpose and use of having a name in the first place. Therefore, it seems incomplete to say that proclaiming or calling upon the Name does not contain the element of pronunciation. Indeed, there are many Torah commands that we don’t know exactly how to do – why should saying the Name be any different? Shouldn’t we simply do the best we can to speak the Name of YHVH? As important as the sacred Name is to God’s redeemed, it was apparently not so vitally important in the lives of some key biblical characters that the pronunciation of YHVH overshadowed the importance of the relationship between the Creator and the created.

For instance, in one of the most dramatic passages of Scripture, ADONAI says to Moshe, “I will make My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the Name YHVH . . . [then] YHVH descended in a cloud; He stood there with Moses as he called upon the Name of YHVH. YHVH passed before him and proclaimed, YHVH, YHVH God! a God of compassion and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness (see the commentary on Ruth,  to see link click Af – The Concept of Chesed) and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet does not permit the guilty to go unpunished, but visits the iniquity of the parents upon their children to the third and fourth generations.” Moses then quickly bowed down low to the ground in worship (Exodus 33:19 and 34:5-8).

ADONAI audibly spoke His Name, YHVH, no less than three times while Moses stood in His presence. Moshe responded quickly to the proclamation of the name of YHVH with worship in reverent fear. When Moses would speak next to ADONAI in one of the most profound, intimate moments of his life, He would surely be with the spirit of the moment to address the Creator according to His Name, now clearly spoken in Moshe’s ears. In the very next verse, Moshe speaks to the Creator and says: If now I have found favor in Your sight YHVH (ADONAI), I pray, let YHVH (ADONAI) go along in our midst . . . (Exodus 34:9). In the presence of the Creator, having audibly heard God Himself pronounce His Name mere seconds before, Moses responded by calling Him YHVH (ADONAI).

Even Yeshua participated in the Jewish tradition of not speaking the Name, and instead used the substitutions. For example, twenty-nine times in Matthew’s Gospel, Messiah is reported as using the substitute word Heaven. From the time Yeshua began to preach and say: Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17). Perhaps more importantly, when Yeshua would directly address YHVH in prayer, He would speak the name, Father, and even the most intimate term of all, Abba. The Master taught His apostles to pray by addressing the Creator . . . Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name (Matthew 6:9), and in His hour of desperate need, the Son cried out: Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but Your will be done (Mark 14:36). Therefore, given the examples of Moses and Yeshua alone, we can state with confidence that neither salvation, nor relationship, nor the ability to fulfill ADONAI’s commands are in any way jeopardized by not pronouncing YHVH. On the contrary, Yeshua may very well have taught us the fullness of revelation in approaching YHVH by calling Him Father.

Is YHVH His only Name? ADONAI does not have many names, He has only one Name – YHVH (Yud Hay Vav Hay). All the other names in the Bible, like ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot (the LORD God of heaven’s angelic armies), ADONAI Elohim (LORD God), ADONAI Nissi (the LORD my Banner), ADONAI Tzidkenu (the LORD of Righteousness), or ADONAI Shalom (the LORD of Peace), describe His characteristics and His attributes.¹³

The Testimony of Messiah, and Writers of the Gospels

When examining any issue, whether it is doctrinal or critical in nature, Yeshua’s view is of the greatest importance. Strong evidence for the traditional view of authorship and date comes from the testimony of Messiah Himself. In Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14 our Lord stated: So when you see the abomination that causes desolation standing in the Most Holy Place spoken of through the prophet Daniel, let the reader understand. Four very important points concerning Messiah’s assessment of the authorship and date of Dani’el’s prophecy may be observed from this statement. First, Messiah demonstrated His belief that Dani’el was a real, historical person who was an instrument of divine revelation. Second, our Lord held that the prophecies contained in the book of Dani’el came from Dani’el himself, not from a later anonymous person. Third, Yeshua assured us that this prophecy describes future events, for the context shows that the abomination that causes desolation, to which Messiah referred to is in the future (see Revelation, to see link click Dr – The Abomination That Causes Desolation). This means that arguments based on the premise that the prophets never foretold the far eschatological future are invalid. Fourth, apparently the only view vogue during the time of Messiah for the setting of the prophet Dani’el was the sixth century BC; thus, Yeshua treated Dani’el as a historical person, so He also assumed the sixth-century date.

In Matthew 26:64 (also see Mark 14:62 and Luke 22:69) Messiah alluded to Dani’el 7:13-14, when He said: I tell you that one day you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Powerful One (or Ha’G’vurah, a common substitute for the actual name of God) and coming on the clouds of heaven. Again, Yeshua treated Dani’el as speaking in the far eschatological future by indicating that the passage in Dani’el 7 refers to Himself and His future Second Coming (see Revelation Ai – Look, He is Coming with the Clouds).¹⁰

Cyrus and Darius

As we study the books of Ezra-Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Isaiah, and Dani’el, we encounter two kings, Cyrus and Darius. It is important to understand the differences and similarities between the two Persian kings. Cyrus was born around 590 BC, succeeded to the throne in 559 BC following his father’s death. However, Cyrus was not yet an independent ruler. Like his predecessors, Cyrus had to reorganize Median overlordship. He died in 529 BC. Darius was born in 550 BC, began to rule in 522 BC, seven years after Cyrus’ death, and died himself in 486 BC.

Cyrus was named and identified almost two hundred years before Isaiah prophesied that the Persian king would bring an end to the Babylonian Empire and give the Jews the right to return to Judah (see the commentary on Isaiah Ic – This is What the LORD says to Cyrus His Anointed).

In 539 BC, the first year of Cyrus (Dani’el 1:21) was the year in which the decree was issued that enabled the Jews to return home (see the commentary on Ezra-Nehamiah Ai – The Decree of Cyrus), some seventy years after the time when Dani’el and his friends were taken into exile. Also in 539 BC, Darius, viceroy to King Cyrus, captured Babylon without a fight. King Belshazzar was killed (see Dani’el Ct – Belshazzar was Killed) and Darius ruled over the province of Babylon, while Cyrus ruled over the entire Medo-Persian Empire. Later, Darius became king and endorsed the rebuilding of the Temple after it had been stopped for many years (see Ezra-Nehemiah Bc – King Darius Endorses the Rebuilding of the Temple). Dani’el served in his role of governor of the province of Babylon until he was at least about eighty-five years old.

538-515 BC First Return under Zerubbabel Ezra 1:1 to 6:22

538-537 BC Cyrus’ decree to begin construction of Temple Ezra 1:1-4

537 BC Return under Sheshbazzar Ezra 1:11

536 BC Zerubbabel returns with 49,897 Ezra 2:2

536 BC Zerubbabel began to build the altar Ezra 3:1-3

536 BC Zerubbabel begins building the Temple Ezra 3:8

536 BC Samaritan opposition during Cyrus’ reign Ezra 4:1-5a

522 BC Darius begins his reign

521 BC Opposition in the days of Darius Ezra 4:5b and 24

520 BC Haggai calls the people to build God’s House Haggai 1:1-2:9

520 BC Work resumed on the Temple Ezra 5:1-17

520 BC King Darius Endorses Rebuilding the Temple Ezra 6:1-12

518 BC Zechariah calls for obedience and observance Zechariah 7:1-8:23

515 BC The Temple is completed and dedicated Ezra 6:15

486 BC Cyrus died and was succeeded by his son Ahasuerus

486 BC Opposition in the days of Ahasuerus Ezra 4:6

A 57 year gap between the First and Second Return

480 BC Ahasuerus was defeated by the Greeks at the Battle of Hellespont

478 BC Esther becomes Queen between Ezra 6 and 7

478-474 BC Esther’s deliverance and Mordecai became Prime Minister

465 BC Accession of Artakh’shasta to the throne

458-457 BC The Second Return under Ezra Ezra 1:1 to 6:22

458 BC Artakh’shasta issues decree for Ezra to return Ezra 7:1-6

458 BC Ezra departs from Babylon Ezra 7:7

458 BC Ezra arrives in Jerusalem Ezra 7:8-9

458 BC The book of the Torah is read Nehemiah 8:1-12

458 BC Feast of Sukkot Nehemiah 8:13-18

445 BC The Israelites Confess Their Sins Nehemiah 9:1-37

458 BC The people are assembled Ezra 10:7-15

458-457 BC Ezra reforms carried out Ezra 10:16-44

A 12 year gap between the Second and Third Return

445 BC The twentieth year of King Artakh’shasta Nehemiah 1:1

445 BC Nehemiah approaches the King Artakhshasta Nehemiah 2:1

445-432 BC The Third Return under Nehemiah Nehemiah 7: 12-13

445 BC Artach’shashta issues decree for Nehemiah’s return Nehemiah 2:1

445 BC Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem Nehemiah 2:11

445 BC Nehemiah appointed governor of Judah Nehemiah 5:14

445 BC The walls around Jerusalem were completed Nehemiah 6:15

433 BC Nehemiah returned to Persia Nehemiah 13:6

445-433 BC Malachi rebuked the Jews Malachi 1:1-2:17

432 BC Nehemiah returned to Tziyon and final reforms Nehemiah 13:7

400 years of silence until the coming of John the Immerser in Mark 1:4

Structure and Unity of Dani’el

The book of Dani’el breaks down into two halves: Chapters 1 through 6 are clearly biographical in nature, tracing Dani’el’s witness in the royal court of Babylon. Chapters 7 through 12 contain a record of his visions of God’s purposes for the future. The actual structure of the book, however, is more complex. For one thing, Dani’el 2:4b-7:28 is written in Aramaic, which was the international language as early as the ninth or eighty century BC. It has therefore been suggested that this section in Dani’el would be of special significance to those who were not Jews and was written in the international language. It is important to notice that the Aramaic section does not neatly dovetail with the simplest division of the book into biography (Chapters 1-6) and visions (Chapters 7-12). In fact, rather than separate them, it links them together. It has been suggested that by doing so, it is made clear that Chapters 2-7 represent the core of the book. Chapters 2 and 7 represent the four world empires; Chapters 3 and 6 present narratives of mighty deliverance; and Chapters 4 and 5 describe the judgment of ADONAI on world rulers. The widely recognized chiastic arrangement of the Aramaic section of the book as seen below is often cited in support of a language-based approach to the structure of Dani’el.

A a dream about four world kingdoms replaced by a fifth (2:4b-49)

B three Hebrews in the fiery furnace (3:1-30)

C Dani’el interprets a dream for king Nebuchadnezzar (4:1-47)

C Dani’el interprets the handwriting on the wall for Belshazzar (5:1-31)

B Dani’el in the lion’s den (6:1-28)

A a vision about four world kingdoms replacing by a fifth (7:1-28)

If this pattern reflects the intention of the author, then we also see the significance of the opening and closing sections of the book: Chapter 1 sets the scene in Babylon for what follows, and Chapters 8-12 describe the earlier pattern of world history in detail, but especially from the viewpoint of God’s people, explaining the LORD’s purposes for them.

Many of us have a tendency to prefer things to start at the beginning, continue without interruption, and finish at the end. It is often said, with good reason, that this is a distinctively Western mind-set. We must unlearn this linear view of things if we are to feel the full force of the book of Dani’el. Here we encounter a structure that can be described in different ways. It has been called “progressive parallelism,” a style of presentation in which the author takes us from the beginning to the end of a sequence of events, and then returns to the beginning to describe them again, this time in different terms or from another perspective. One might liken the structure to a spiral staircase, turning around the same central point on more than one occasion, yet raising higher and higher at the same time.

Therefore, in the book of Dani’el we keep returning to the same general outline of world history (compare Chapters 2 and 7). Yet, we are presented with different viewpoints, or the material is presented through different imagery, or our attention is focused on a particular cross-section (for example 9:20-27). This explains what may seem to some readers a certain monotony in the message of the book. It says the same thing over and over in different ways. That is something the reader has to recognize in order to focus on each new perspective presented on the central theme.⁸

The Historical Background of Dani’el

The book of Dani’el contains eight important dates (1:1 and 21; 2:1; 5:30; 7:1; 8:1; 9:1; 10:1). The earlies date refers to the third year of Jehoiakim (see the commentary on Jeremiah Ca – Jehoiakim Ruled For 11 Years from 609/608 to 598 BC), and reports the first Babylonian invasion of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar (1:1). This means Dani’el was among the first of the Hebrews taken captive by the Babylonians and deported to Mesopotamia, a fact that has significance for his later prayer (9:2-3). The latest date places Dani’el in the Persian royal court during the third year of the Persian king Cyrus (10:1). This means the historical setting for Dani’el is the Babylonian exile in the royal courts of Babylon, Median, and Persian kings between 605 and 536 BC.

The dated portions of Dani’el are as follows:

1:1 the third year of King Jehoiakim of Judah 609/608 BC

1:21 the first year of King Cyrus of Persia 539 BC

2:1 the second year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia 604 or 603 BC

5:30 the last year of King Belshazzar of Babylonia/first year of Darius the Mede 539 BC

7:1 the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylonia 553 BC

8:1 the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylonia 551 BC

9:1 the first year of Darius the Mede 539 BC

10:1 the third year of King Cyrus of Persia 537 or 536 BC

King Josiah of Judah died in battle near Megiddo (see Jeremiah Ai – Josiah Ruled For 31 Years from 640 to 609 BC). Perhaps obligations to the Babylonians motivated his attempt to intercept the Egyptian forces of Pharaoh Neco en route to Carchemish (Second Kings 23:29). Josiah was the last reformer and “good” king of Judah, and his death triggered the rapid decline of the southern Hebrew monarchy. The last twenty-plus years of the southern kingdom of Judah saw four kings ascend to the throne.

Jehoahaz Ruled For 3 Months in 609 BC

Jehoiakim Ruled For 11 Years from 609 to 598 BC

Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC

Zedekiah Ruled For 11 Years from 597 to 586 BC

After Josiah died in battle, the people then chose Jehoahaz, Josiah’s fourth son, who was only 23 years old, as the new king of Judah (see Jeremiah Bm – Jehoahaz Ruled For 3 Months in 609 BC). When Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt assumed control of the Israelite territories, he set up headquarters at Riblah. Necho II then called Jehoahaz to meet him there, but removed him from the throne and sent him in chains back to Egypt (Second Kings 23:31-35; Second Chronicles 36:1-4). Then, Jehoiakim was installed by Pharaoh Neco II (Second Kings 23:34). He later surrendered to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, but rebelled three years later (see Jeremiah Ca – Jehoiakim Ruled For 11 Years from 609/608 to 598 BC). Nebuchadnezzar was unable to resume his military campaigns in Isra’el until 598 BC, but then moved swiftly to punish the disloyal king. By the time Nebuchadnezzar reached Jerusalem, Jehoiakim had died and Jehoiachin succeeded him as king of Judah (see Jeremiah Du – Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC). As a result of the second Babylonian invasion of Judah, Jehoiachin was deposed and exiled along with ten thousand of the best and brightest of Jerusalem, including Ezeki’el (see Jeremiah Gt – In the 37^th Year, Jehoiachin Released from Prison).

Zedekiah was installed by Nebuchadnezzar as a puppet king of Babylonia after the exile of Jehoiachin (see Jeremiah Dz – Zedekiah Ruled For 11 Years from 598/597 to 586 BC). Zedekiah foolishly rebelled against the Babylonian overlord and allied Judah with Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt in 589 BC. The third Babylonian invasion of Judah was swift and decisive. Nebuchadnezzar surrounded Jerusalem in 588 BC, and after a lengthy siege the city was sacked, ADONAI’s Temple was destroyed (see Jeremiah Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC), and the Davidic kingship ceased, awaiting the return of the Messiah (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah).⁷

Suggested Timeline for Dani’el:

605 BC Jerusalem taken by Nebuchadnezzar,
Dani’el and his three friends taken to Babylon

602 BC Dani’el and his friends complete their three years of training,
Nebuchadnezzar has his dream and Dani’el interprets it (Dani’el 2)

586 BC Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed by the Babylonians
(see the commentary on Jeremiah Ga – The Fall of Jerusalem)

539 BC Belshazzar’s feast (Dani’el 5)
Cyrus, king of Persia, conquers Babylon and reigns until 530 BC

538 BC Cyrus decrees that the Jews can return to Judah and rebuild the Temple
(see Ezra-Nehemiah Ah – Cyrus Decrees: Rebuild the Temple)

537 BC About 50,000 Jews returned, led by Sheshbatzar and Zerubbabel
(see Ezra-Nehemiah Ag – The First Return)
Dani’el had his prophetic vision about the end times (10:1 to 12:13)

458 BC About 2,000 Jews returned, led by Ezra the teacher of Isra’el,
purifying of the people by the reading of Deuteronomy
(see Ezra-Nehemiah Bf – The Second Return)

445 BC A small group returned, led by Nehemiah
(see Ezra-Nehemiah Bt – The Third Return)
The walls around Jerusalem were completed.

432 BC Nehemiah returned to Tziyon and final enacted his final reforms.

Abba: An Aramaic word used as an affectionate term of address to someone’s father. Yeshua used it to refer to God as His Father, and believers in Jesus also use it today to address God as Father. In modern Hebrew, this common name means Dad, Daddy, or Papa (also see Mark 14:36 and Romans 8:15).

Adar: the twelfth month of the Jewish biblical calendar.

Adonai: literally, my Lord, a word the TaNaKh uses to refer to God.

ADONAI: The Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter name of YHVH (Yud Hay Vav Hay). Since its pronunciation is not known, and also out of respect for God’s name, Jews traditionally substitute the words ADONAI and Ha’Shem. ADONAI, however, is more of an affectionate name like daddy (also see Exodus 3:15; Jeremiah 1:9; Psalm 1:2; Matthew 1:22; Mark 5:19; Luke 1:5; John 1:23).

ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot: the LORD God of heaven’s angelic armies. God does not have many names, as seen here and below, He has only one name – YHVH (Yud Hay Vav Hay). All the other names in the Bible describe His characteristics and His attributes.

ADONAI Elohim: This is the Hebrew word for LORD God. This title links Isra’el’s God, the God of the Covenant, with God as Creator of the universe (also see Genesis 2:4; Isaiah 48:16; Psalm 72:18; Luke 1:32; Revelation 1:8).

ADONAI Nissi: the LORD my Banner (see Exodus 17:15; Psalm 20:1).

ADONAI Shalom: the LORD of Peace.

ADONAI, The Angel of: He is called the Angel of ADONAI 58 times and He is called the Angel of God 11 times. This is never a common angel, but the second Person of the Trinity, Yeshua. This is always a reference to the pre-incarnate Messiah. Significantly, the rabbis teach that the phrase the Angel of ADONAI is sometimes used to denote God Himself.

ADONAI Tzidkenu: the LORD our Righteousness.

ADONAI-Tzva’ot: The LORD of heaven’s angelic armies (see Joshua 5:13-15; Second Kings 19:31; Psalm 24:10; Second Corinthians 6:18).

Adversary, The: Satan, the devil, the prince of the power of the air, and the old dragon.

Afikomen: Literally, “That which comes after.” Piece of matzah that is hidden during the Seder, to be found and eaten after the third cup of redemption.

Amen: At the end of a prayer, this word means, “It is true,” or “Let it be so,” or “May it become true,” indicating that the readers or listeners agree with what has just been said. Although everything Yeshua said was true, “amen” adds special emphasis (also see Deuteronomy 27:25; Jeremiah 28:6; Psalm 41:14; Nehemiah 8:6; Matthew 5:26; Mark 10:15; Luke 23:43; John 10:1).

Anti-missionaries: Today they are Orthodox Jews who champion Jews for Judaism. They do not limit their mischief to harassing missionaries; any Jewish believer is a target. It is unfortunate that so many of these anti-missionaries feel their ends justify certain unethical means. In order to “protect” Judaism, they do or encourage others to do what Judaism condemns. In Paul’s day, they were the Judaizers who wanted Gentile believers to add obedience to the 613 commandments of Moshe, circumcision, and eating kosher to Paul’s salvation equals faith-plus-nothing gospel.

Ariel: lion of God, or fireplace on God’s altar.

Aviv: the first month of the biblical year, corresponding to the modern Jewish month of Nisan.

Avraham: Abraham

Azazel: a scapegoat or goat demon sent out in the wilderness on Yom Kippur.

Ba’al: the chief male god of the Phoenicians and Canaanites. The word means lord or master.

Bar Mitzvah: Hebrew for “Son of the Commandment.” Although not specifically mentioned in the Bible, it is a Jewish coming of age ritual in which a young man, or Bat Mitzvah for a young woman, chooses to follow the commandments of their forefathers and takes responsibility for their own relationship with the God of Isra’el. This ceremony normally takes place at age 13 for boys or age 12 for girls. Afterwards, he/she is theoretically considered to be an adult, but in modern Judaism this is mostly symbolic, and a twelve-year-old is not treated like an adult.

Beit-Lechem: Bethlehem, the birthplace of David and Yeshua, meaning house of bread.

Ben-Elohim: the Son of God (also see Genesis 2:19; Isaiah 61:11; Matthew 4:3; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:35; John 11:4).

Bnei-Yisrael: The children of Isra’el.

B’rit Chadashah: Hebrew for the New Covenant. Christians commonly call it the New Testament.

Challah: Challah is a special bread of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays. Ritually acceptable challah is made of dough from which a small portion has been set aside as an offering.

Chesed: “mercy,” “lovingkindness,” and/or “covenant-loyalty” (see the commentary on Ruth, to see link click Af – The Concept of Chesed). It is a complex word that summarizes God’s complex and overwhelming love for His people, going beyond the concepts of love, mercy or kindness all together (also see Isaiah 63:7; Zechariah 7:1; Psalm 13:1; Psalm 86:1; Psalm 107:1; Psalm 118:1; Psalm 136:1).

Clear oil: In the oil pressing process this would have been oil from the first of three or pressings. The first pressing, most likely done by adding one stone weight to a wooden beam which then put pressure onto a bag of olives by being forced downward by the weight, was the one which produced the purest oil. This was traditionally the oil used in the Temple.

Cohen of Ha’Elyon: Priest of the God Most High.

Cohen: A priest, a man who offered sacrifices and performed other religious rituals at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Cohanim: The Cohanim were descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses. The Sadducees were from the priestly sect of Judaism.

Cohen Rosh Gadol: The Great High Priest who served as the head religious official, the only one to enter the Most Holy Place. Aaron, the brother of Moses, was the first man appointed as the Cohen Gadol. In later times, the Cohen Gadol was in charge of the Temple and its administration. The Cohen Gadol Caiaphas, played a key role in questioning Yeshua at His trial. The writer of Hebrews describes Messiah as our great Cohen Gadol, who gives us access to God’s throne in the heavenly sanctuary (also see Leviticus 21:10; Haggai 1:14; Nehemiah 3:1; Matthew 26:57ff; Mark 14:61ff; John 18:19ff; Hebrews 4:14ff and 10:19-22).

Covenant: Theologically, it speaks of the contractual relationship between God and His people. The Hebrew term is b’rit. Also see B’rit Chadashah, Hebrew for New Covenant (see Genesis 6:18 and 17:2; Jeremiah 31:30; Nehemiah 9:32; Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 1:72).

Defile, or tam’ei in Hebrew: This is not a sinful condition, but a condition of life. From this we can see that being tam’ei is merely a state of being unable to participate in the Temple service until cleansed because the person has come into contact with the realm of sin and/or death, not necessarily because the person has sinned himself.

Diaspora, the Dispersion: the scattering of the Jewish people in exile throughout the world. Today almost 7 million Jews live in Isra’el, and over 8 million more Jews live in the Diaspora (also see Isaiah 11:10; John 7:35).

Diviners, Babylonian: Hebrew: gezar, primarily means to cut or divide. The term conveys a sense of separation or determination, often implying authority or finality in a decision being made. They were important in a theocratic society that was shaped by divine and royal decrees.

Drash: A drash is a long d’var.

D’var: Is a short talk on topics relating to a parashah, the weekly Torah portion.

Echad: The Hebrew word for “one” or “unity.” Echad is used in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Elyon: A title for God, meaning the Most High God (see Luke 1:35 and 76; Acts 7:48). A longer form is El Elyon, God Most High (also see Deuteronomy 32:8; Isaiah 14:14; Psalm 91:1; Acts 16:17).

Elohim: “God” in general terms, or as Creator. Compared with ADONAI, God’s “covenant name” is used especially in His relationship to the Jewish people. Elohim is the plural form of El, also found in the Bible occasionally with the same meaning. Yeshua is sometimes called Ben-Elohim, the Son of God (also see Genesis 2:19; Isaiah 61:11; Matthew 4:3; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:35; John 11:4).

ELOHIM Adonai: The Sovereign LORD

El Shaddai: God Almighty

Emissaries: Apostles

Enchanters, Babylonian: Hebrew: ashshaph, refers to a class or wise men who were often consulted for their ability to interpret dreams, signs, and omens, and as such, were key figures in the king’s advisory team.

Gehenna: The word for “hell,” the place of perpetual misery and suffering after this life. It comes from the Greek word Genna and the Hebrew word Gei-Hinnom, which means the valley of Hinnom. There was actually such a valley by that name south of the Temple in Jerusalem. It was used as a garbage dump, and fires were always burning there, making it a suitable picture of life in hell. In Jewish sources, the term is used as the opposite of Gan-Eden, or the Garden of Eden or Paradise (Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:43).

Gentiles: A term for individuals or groups who are not Jewish. In Hebrew a common word for Gentile is goy or goyim is the plural form (see Isaiah 8:23; Matthew 10:18; Mark 10:33).

God-fearers: These were Gentiles who became convinced that ADONAI was the only true God, they abandoned their paganism and idolatry, but they did not choose to become a proselyte in any form, and hence there was no adoption of Jewish customs or practices (see the commentary on Acts Bb – An Ethiopian Asks about Isaiah).

Go’el: Literally, a redeemer, used both for God and of people. In the book of Ruth, go’el means the kinsman-redeemer, a close relative obligated to defend and protect his kin. The go’el could buy back (redeem) land or someone who sold himself into slavery, and could marry a widow in the family in order to protect her future. The human go’el is a picture of God the greater Go’el who protects and redeems us, the members of His family (see Ruth 3:9-12).

Goyim: Nations, non-Jews, Gentiles

Hag ha’Matzah: The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Halakhah: are mitzvot governing Jewish life and comes from the Hebrew root to walk. The rabbis used the term to refer to the legal way to walk out the commandments of the Torah. It can also refer to the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law). A (one) halakhah is a specific ruling given regarding a particular issue, “the halakhah” being the ruling accepted and observed by the Jewish community.

Hametz or Chametz: The Hebrew word for leaven, or yeast, which makes bread rise. God commanded Isra’el not to eat hametz during Passover, Yeshua teaches that both good and evil spread, the same way hametz leavens the whole batch of dough (Also see 16:6-12; Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1 Exodus 12:20; Leviticus 7:13; Amos 4:5; Matthew 13:33 and 13:21).

Hanukkah: Meaning dedication, the feast lasts eight days and commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the armies of Antiochus Epiphanes in 165 BC and the rebuilding and dedication of the Temple after its desecration by Syrian invaders.

Hanukkiah: a candelabra specifically designed to hold the nine candles on Hanukkah, one candle for each night and an extra candle in the middle, with which to light the other candles. The candles are lit from right to left.

Ha’Shem: The Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter name of YHVH. Since its pronunciation is not known, and also out of respect for God’s name, Jews traditionally substitute the words ADONAI and Ha’Shem. While ADONAI is more of an affectionate name like daddy, Ha’Shem is a more formal name like sir (also see Exodus 3:15; Jeremiah 1:9; Psalm 1:2, Matthew 1:22; Mark 5:19; Luke 1:5; John 1:23).

Hellenist: In the B’rit Chadashah, it refers to Jews who lived in the Diaspora, or had moved to Isra’el from the Diaspora, spoke Greek, and were more Greek in their culture, than traditional Jewish people brought up in Isra’el (Acts 6:1, 9:29, 11:20).

Immerse: To dip the whole body under water as an act of dedication to the LORD, or as a profession of faith in Yeshua. The word is often seen in other translations as “baptize.” The ceremony of dipping is called “immersion” or “baptism.” Yeshua’s cousin was known as John the Immerser (Matthew 3:1; Mark 6:14; Luke 7:20).

Imputation: To reckon or charge to one’s account. When the Spirit gives life (John 6:63a), that means that all the righteousness of Christ is transferred to your spiritual account at the moment of faith. What is true of Messiah is true of you, minus His deity.

Incarnation, The: The divine revelation (Hebrews 1:1-2) of YHVH becoming one with humanity as an ordinary human being in the person of Yeshua Messiah. He was one-hundred percent man and one-hundred present God. The Triune God knew that the Second Person would come to earth to be subject to numerous evils: hunger, ridicule, rejection, and death. He did this in order to negate sin, and therefore, its evil effects.

Judaizers: Jewish false teachers, who taught that obedience to the 613 commandments of the Torah were necessary to have a relationship with God, and opposed Paul at every turn. Everywhere Paul went, the Judaizers were sure to follow. Once Paul established a church in Galatia, as soon as he left, they would come in and distort the gospel of Messiah (1:7).

Justification: The act of God whereby, negatively, He forgives the sins of believers and, positively, He declares them righteous by imputing the obedience and righteousness of Messiah to them through faith (Luke 18:9-14). It is not a reward for anything good we have done. It is not something we cooperate with God in (in other words, it is not sanctification). It is an utterly undeserved free gift of the mercy of ADONAI (Romans 3:24; Titus 3:7). It is entirely accomplished by God, once and for all, at the moment of salvation. It results in good deeds (James 2:14-26) and sanctification over our lifetime.

Kadosh: The Hebrew word for ‘holy.” This term describes the people set apart for God. ADONAI Himself is kodosh (Leviticus 19:1-2). Many letters to Christ’s newly formed communities (churches) address Yeshua’s followers as the Kedoshim (also see Jeremiah 2:3; Nehemiah 8:10; First Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2).

Kedoshim: The holy ones

Kippah: Known as a yarmulke or skullcap, a kippah is a head covering for Jews. The tradition to wear a kippah does not come from any biblical passage. Rather, it is a custom which evolved as a sign of recognition that there is Someone “above” who watches our every act.

Korban: The root of the word korban, can be translated to bring near. A korban, then, should be defined as something brought near. The reason it is so named is that the person bringing an offering did so in order to be brought near to God. It was a sacrifice or offering dedicated to God, especially to fulfill a vow. If something was to be dedicated to God, it generally could not be used for other purposes. Some Pharisees and teachers of the Torah wrongly used this as an excuse not to provide for their parents in their old age, even though Jewish teaching insisted that the commandment to honor one’s father and mother extended to providing for their physical needs (see Mark 7:11).

Kosher: Kosher foods are those that conform to the Jewish dietary regulations of kashrut, primarily derived from Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Food that may be consumed according to halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér, meaning “fit”.

Levite: Descendants of the tribe of Levi, who served in the Tabernacle and Temple as gatekeepers, musicians, teachers, and assistants to the priests. The scribes, or Torah-teachers, originally came only from among the Levites and were the forerunners of the Pharisees. They later expanded to include members who were from all tribes, with no affiliation with Levi required. (Also see Exodus 4:14; Ezeki’el 48:12; Ezra 1:5; John 1:19).

LORD: When the translators of the King James Bible in the 1600’s came to the Hebrew word YHVH, they needed to distinguish it from the word Lord, meaning master. So, they capitalized it. Therefore, LORD is actually the Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter name of YHVH.

LXX (Septuagint): The “official” Greek translation of the TaNaKh, dating from the third century BC through the fourth century AD. The original translation was of the Torah (the five books of Moshe), which the Letter of Aristeas records was allegedly made by seventy Jewish scholars in Alexandria (Egypt) from which it gained its name (Septuaginta). It is commonly referred to by the abbreviation, LXX (70).

Midrash: An ancient commentary on part of the TaNaKh, attached to the biblical text. It also offers existing and potential interpretations of Jewish halacha.

Magi, Babylonian: Hebrew: chartom, refers to a magician or wise man, often associated with the practice of interpreting dreams, or performing magic.

Malki-Tzedek: Melchizedek.

Mashiach (Hebrew): Messiah, the Anointed One (Matthew 26:63; Mark 1:1; John 20:31).

Matzah (singular) or Matzot (plural): Unleavened bread, which is made without yeast, eaten especially during the feast of Passover. Also see hametz (also see Exodus 13:6; Leviticus 2:5; Ezeki’el 45:21; Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; John 13:26).

Masoretic Text: The official text of the TaNaKh edited by the Massoretes, or Jewish grammarians, during the sixth to tenth centuries AD. This text is “pointed” with various vowel signs and accents which were lacking in the previous texts.

M’chitzah, the: The middle wall of separation (see the commentary on Acts Cn – Paul’s Advice from Jacob and the Elders at Tziyon).

Megillah (singular) or Megillot (plural): The five books in the Writings used for special readings during the holidays: Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther.

Menorah (singular) or Menorot (plural): It is simply the Hebrew word for “lamp.” The seven branched lampstand(s) designed and commanded by God for service in the Tabernacle/Temple (Exodus 25:32; First Kings 7:49; Zechariah 4:2).

Messiah (Greek): Christ, the Anointed One, often used in speaking of a Redeemer sent from God to free His people from exile and oppression (also see Matthew 1:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 2:11 and John 1:41).

Midrash (singular) or Midrashim (plural): allegorical interpretation or application of a text. The listener is expected to understand that the writer of the midrash is not expounding the plain meaning of the text, but introducing his own ideas.

Mikveh: a bath or pool with a flow of fresh water; used in Orthodox Judaism to this day for ritual purification or ceremonial cleansing, performed at various times in a person’s life (see Matthew 3:13 and Titus 3:5).

Mishnah, The: is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Law (see below). 

Mitzvah (singular) or mitzvot (plural): Primarily a commandment from God in the Torah. (Deuteronomy 11:22; Second Kings 17:37; Proverbs 6:20; Matthew 26:10; Mark 14:6). Today, a more modern meaning would be “a good deed,” more broadly, a general principle for living.

Moshe: Moses.

Olam haba: “The age to come,” or “the world to come.” It describes a time after the world is perfected under the rulership of Messiah. This term also refers to the afterlife, where the soul passes after death. It can be contrasted with olam ha-zeh, “this world” (Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30 and 20:35; Ephesians 1:21; Hebrews 6:5; Revelation 20-21).

Omer: Meaning “sheaf,” the bundle of barley used in the Firstfruits offering. After the Temple period it came to be identified with Sefirat ha’Omer, or the counting of the omer, the counting of the days from Firstfruits to Shavu’ot.

Oral Law: The Oral Law refers to the Talmud, which is a compilation of rabbinic commentaries on the first five books of Moses, called the Torah. The Talmud, completed around 500 AD, consists of the Mishnah as well as a commentary on the Mishnah called Gemara (Mishnah + Gemara = Talmud). The tradition grew to include a further compendium called Midrash until about the 12^th century. The rabbis taught that when the Messiah came, He would not only believe in the Oral Law, but He would participate in the making of new Oral Laws (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law).

Pesach: Passover. The Jewish festival commemorating deliverance from Egyptian bondage. In Biblical times Jews used to journey to the Temple, sacrifice lambs there, and eat a special meal commemorating the departure of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. It was one of the three “pilgrimage festivals” that all able-bodied Jews were expected to celebrate before YHVH in Yerushalayim. Today, Passover is celebrated at home with a special meal called a seder. Yeshua celebrated Passover with His apostles (Matthew 26:18; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7; John 13:1).

Pharisees: One of the sects of Judaism in the first century. The Pharisees had their own views of how exactly to keep Torah. They were especially concerned with ritual impurity and (unlike the Sadducees) they believed in the resurrection of the dead. While the Sadducees were more involved with the Temple, the Pharisees were concerned more with home and synagogue life.

Progressive revelation: Is the idea that ADONAI reveals the various aspects of His will and overall plan for humanity in different periods of time, or stages. For example, the cone of Isaiah (see Isaiah Hl – The Cone of Isaiah) and the suffering Servant (see Isaiah Iy – The Death of the Suffering Servant) are examples of progressive revelation.

Propitiation: The averting of God’s wrath by means of the substitutionary and efficacious (producing the desired effect) sacrifice (death) of Yeshua Messiah (the atonement). It is the work of Messiah that satisfies every claim of God’s holiness and justice so that Ha’Shem is free to act on behalf of sinners.

Proselytes at the Gate: There were three levels of Gentile relationship to Judaism. After God-fearers and proselytes of the Gate were the second level. The Gate was the middle wall of separation (Ephesians 2:14) in the Temple compound that Gentiles were not allowed to go beyond under penalty of death (see the commentary on Acts Bb – An Ethiopian Asks about Isaiah 53). These were Gentiles who adopted many Jewish practices like celebrating Shabbat and the feast of Isra’el, but did not become a full proselyte. Most of these were men because it didn’t require circumcision.

Proselytes of the Covenant: In the third level of Gentile relationship to Judaism (see above), there were proselytes of the Covenant. They entered into the Covenant of Sinai as a full Jew, so to speak. Most of these were women because this level required circumcision.

Purim: Meaning “lots,” is the holiday based on the story of Esther.

Qumran: A site overlooking the Dead Sea where Jewish sects lived in religious communities from 135 BC to 70 AD and from which we have numerous documents which are frequently referred to as the Dead Sea Scrolls. These texts include partial copies and fragments of most of the biblical books (the only whole copy is Isaiah), apocryphal writings such as Enoch, and texts produced by the community itself (the manual of Discipline and the Thanksgiving Hymns). The texts are referred to according to the number of the cave in which they were discovered (for example, 1Qs [Community Rule], 11Q Temp [Temple Scroll]).

Rasheet: One of several names for the Festival of First Fruits.

Redeemed: Setting free from slavery, buying back something lost, for a price.

Righteous of the TaNaKh: Old Testament believers.

Rosh Ha’Shanah: Hebrew for “Head of the Year.” Known as the Jewish New Year, or the Feast of Trumpets.

Ruach: The Hebrew word for “spirit,” “breath,” or “wind.” Yeshua explains wind and Spirit to Nicodemus in John 3:5-8. Scripture frequently refers to the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, the Holy Spirit (Exodus 35:31; Numbers 11:25; Malachi 2:15; Acts 2:2 and 10:44; Romans 8:4-17).

Ruach Ha’Kodesh: The Hebrew name for the Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:11; Psalm 51:13; Matthew 1:20; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:16; John 14:26).

Sadducees: One of the sects of Judaism in the first century. From the Sadducees came the leading priests who managed the affairs of the Temple. In contrast to the Pharisees, they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (Matthew 16:12; Mark 12:18; Luke 20:27).

Sanhedrin: Literally, the gathering of the seated, like being a judge seated on a bench – a legal term for an officiating judge. This was the Supreme Court of ancient Isra’el. It exercised legislative and judicial authority (Matthew 26:59; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66; John 11:47).

Sanctification: To be set apart, specifically, to the holy use and purposes of God. It is a process that takes a whole lifetime. It is the work of God in which you cooperate (Romans 12:1-2; First Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 12:3-4; First Peter 5:8-9); and is a process Ephesians 4:11-16), trusting in God, apart from whom we can do nothing (John 15:5; Ephesians 3:16; Colossians 1:11; Hebrews 2:18 and 4:14). He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).

Septuagint: The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures and was presumably made for the Jewish community in Egypt when Greek was the common language throughout the region. It is also called the translation of the Seventy because tradition states that the Septuagint was translated by seventy rabbis. In academia, the Septuagint is often abbreviated as LXX (the Roman numeral for seventy) in honor of this translation.

Shabbat: The Sabbath Day, the seventh day of the week, when work ceases. On this day God’s people are beckoned to rest and renew our relationship with our Creator, who also rested on the seventh day. Shabbat begins on Friday evening at sundown and ends Saturday evening after three stars appear (Exodus 20:10; Nehemiah 9:14; Matthew 12:10; Mark 1:21; Luke 23:56; John 9:14).

Shaddai: A common name for God in the TaNaKh, usually translated as Almighty. The name is often used in a combination such as El Shaddai, or God Almighty (Genesis 17:1; Ezeki’el 1:24; Job 11:7).

Shall be cut off: This phrase may mean that the person is stoned to death, or that he is barred from returning to the Tabernacle or Temple to offer sacrifices. This person would be cherem, literally set apart for destruction, either physically or culturally.

Shaliach: A legal representative, meaning one who is sent.

Shalom: The Hebrew word for peace, wholeness, wellness and true happiness; it is a greeting used when meeting or departing (Genesis 26:31; First Samuel 16:4; Second Chronicles 18:16; Matthew 10:13; Mark 9:50; Luke 1:28; John 14:27).

Sh’khinah glory: The visual manifestation of the glory of God.

Shavu’ot: the festival of Weeks (Hebrew) or Pentecost (Greek), since it comes seven weeks after Pesach; also called Pentecost, from the Greek word for fifty because one counts fifty days after Passover. It is one of the three “pilgrimage festivals” that all able-bodied Jews were expected to celebrate before YHVH in Yerushalayim. It originally celebrated the harvest, but later commemorated the day God gave the Torah to Isra’el. After Yeshua’s resurrection, the disciples waited for God’s gift of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, which also came on Shavu’ot (Exodus 34:22; Second Chronicles 8:13; Acts 2:1 and 20:16; First Corinthians 16:8).

Sh’ol: The Hebrew equivalent of the Greek “Hades,” the place where the dead exist.

Shofar: A ram’s horn, used in the Bible for summoning armies, calling to repentance, and in other situations. Blasts of various lengths and numbers signified different instructions. Metal trumpets were also used for similar purposes, but exclusively by the cohanim. Today, the shofar is used on Rosh ha-Shanah of Yom Kippur, the Jewish High Holy Days. The shofar also ushers in the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:9-10; Zechariah 9:14; Matthew 24:31; First Corinthians 15:52; First Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Sinai: the mountain in the desert between Egypt and the land of Isra’el.

Shuwb: turn, turning, and the big idea of Jeremiah.

Son of Man: A name that Yeshua commonly used to refer to Himself. It comes from Dani’el 7:13-14, in which the Son of Man is given all authority. This name sometimes emphasizes Yeshua’s humanity and sometimes His deity (Matthew 9:6; Mark 9:31; Luke 21:36; John 6:27).

Sorcerers: Hebrew: kashaph, refers to the use of drugs, potions, or spells and is associated with “sorcery” or “witchcraft.”

Sukkot: the festival of Booths or Tabernacles, celebrating the forty years when the people of Isra’el lived in booths, tents, shacks, in the desert between Egypt and the land of Isra’el. The Hebrew word sukkah means booth and sukkot is the plural and means booths. Sukkot is one of the three “pilgrimage festivals” that all able-bodied Jews were expected to celebrate before YHVH in Yerushalayim (Leviticus 23:34; Zechariah 14:16; Second Chronicles 8:13; Matthew 17:4; Mark 9:5; Luke 9:33).

Synagogue: A place of assembly for Jews for hearing the Torah, praying and worshipping God. There were many synagogues throughout Isra’el and the Greco-Roman world (Matthew 4:23; Mark 5:22; Luke 4:16; John 9:22).

Tabernacle: A temporary dwelling, such as the booths constructed during Sukkot. It is also used in the TaNaKh of the tent in which God dwelt among the Jewish people, both in the wilderness and in the land of Isra’el. When the word is used as a verb, it refers to Yeshua coming to dwell among His people (John 1:14), reminding us of the wilderness Tabernacle and also of the Feast of Tabernacles (Exodus 25:9; First Chronicles 6:17; John 1:14 and 7:2).

Talmid (singular) or Talmudim (plural): Student or students.

Talmud: The codified body of Jewish Oral Law; includes literary creations, legends, scriptural interpretations, comprised of the Mishnah and the Gemara.

TaNaKh: The Hebrew word TaNaKh is an acronym, based on the letters T for “Torah”,N for “Nevi’im” (Prophets), and K for “Ketuv’im” (Sacred Writings). It is a collection of the teachings of God to human beings in document form. This term is used instead of the phrase, “the Old Testament,” which sounds “old” and outdated.

Torah: Literally, this Hebrew word means teaching or instruction (Exodus 13:9; Isaiah 2:3; Psalm 1:2; Matthew 5:17; Mark 1:22; Luke 24:44; John 7:19; Romans 7:1ff; First Corinthians 9:20-21; Galatians 3:21). It can be used for the five books of Moshe, or more generally to God’s commandments, or the whole TaNaKh (John 10:34). Uncapitalized, torah can be understood generally as a law or principle (Romans 7:21-8:2).

Torah-Teacher: A Torah scribe engaged in interpreting and transmitting the Torah. They wrote Torah scrolls, bills of divorce, and other legal documents. The Hebrew term is sofer.

Tree of Life: The tree at the center of the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9, 3:24), the source of eternal life. Scripture points to a future in the B’rit Chadashah, with access to the Tree of Life. In the meantime, the Torah is like the Tree of Life to those who embrace her, and blessed will be all who hold firmly to her (Proverbs 3:18 also see Revelation 2:7, 22:2 and 14).

Tzedakah: Is a Hebrew word meaning righteousness, but commonly used to signify an ethical obligation to do what is right, and is commonly used to signify charity.

Tzitzit: A fringe that was put on a garment in accordance with Numbers 15:37-41.

Tziyon: Zion, Mount Zion, was originally the City of David, south of the modern Old City of Yerushalayim. Later the name Tziyon came to refer metaphorically to the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, or the people of Isra’el. The hill now called Mount Tziyon was given its name in the fourth century AD (Isaiah 1:27; Psalm 65:2; Matthew 21:5; John 12:15).

Yarmelkes: see Kippah.

Yeshivah: The Hebrew word yeshivah comes from the word that means sit and it signifies a place for learning Torah. The Greek word schole, which gives us the English word school, means lecture hall. No English word really comes close to the real meaning of yeshivah, but the Yiddish word shul, or school, comes the closest.

Yeshua: The Hebrew name for our Messiah, known in English as Jesus, and is a masculine form, and a word play on yeshu’ah (salvation) (Matthew 1:21; Mark 6:14; Luke 2:21; John 19:19).

Yerushalayim: Jerusalem.

Y’hudah: Judah.

YHVH: The Tetragrammaton, meaning the Name, the four-letter name of God. Therefore, God does not have many names, He has only one name – YHVH (Yud Hay Vav Hay). All the other names in the Bible describe His characteristics and His attributes.

Yisra’el: Isra’el.

Yochanan: John.

Yom ha’Bikkurim: One of several names for The Feast of Firstfruits.

Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement, the close of the High Holy Days, and considered the holiest day of the year in traditional Judaism.

Dani’el from a Messianic Jewish Perspective

To my great granddaughter Olivia, may she grow up strong in ADONAI, and like Queen Esther, stand up for herself and her Lord. May she grow up to be wise and a wife of noble character (Proverbs 31:10-31), like her mother.

Author and Date: Several verses indicate that Dani’el, whose name means God is my Judge, wrote this book (8:15 and 27, 9:2, 10:2 and 7, and 12:4-5). He wrote in the autobiographical first person from 7:2 on and should be distinguished from the three other Dani’el’s in the TaNaKh (First Chronicles 3:1; Ezra 8:2; and Nehemiah 10:6). As a teenager, possibly around fifteen years old, Dani’el was taken captive, virtually kidnapped, from his noble family in Judah (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Gt – In the 37^th Year, Jehoiachin Released from Prison). He and other young Jewish men were deported to Babylon to be brainwashed into the Babylonian culture for the task of assisting in dealing with other imported Jews. There, Dani’el spent the rest of his life (eighty-five years or more) and made the most of his exile, successfully praising ADONAI by his character and service. Dani’el quickly rose to the role of statesman by official royal appointment and served as a confidante of kings as well as a prophet in two world empires – the Babylonian Empire (2:48) and the Medo-Persian Empire (6:1-2). Dani’el lived beyond the time described in 10:1 (536 BC). It seems more probable that he wrote the book shortly after this date, but before 530 BC in the sixth century.¹

Purpose: Three main purposes of Dani’el may be listed. First, the book describes how Jews should live in a Gentile world, particularly while the Torah is still a blueprint for living (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bk – The Ten Words). Second, the book gives us a valuable lesson about YHVH, the God of Isra’el. He was, by pagan standards, a defeated god. In general, Gentiles viewed the wars he fought with other nations as wars between national gods. If one nation triumphed over another, its god triumphed over the other god. Therefore, in the minds of the Babylonians, the God of Isra’el had been defeated by their god, but Dani’el showed them that the opposite was true. Third, the book demonstrates ADONAI’s provision for His people. Ha’Shem placed Dani’el in a unique position. The prophet spent all of the Babylonian Captivity in Babylon (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule). His prominent position at the court of both Nebuchadnezzar and his successor, allowed him to consider the welfare of the captive Jews. This, in turn, proves that the LORD does not forsake His people.²

Theme: The primary theme of the book of Dani’el is the period known as the Times of the Gentiles. The book also deals with God’s program for Isra’el during this period. It’s focus, however, is on the development of world history from the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Captivity in 586 BC to the Second Coming of Messiah – from the dethronement of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, to the enthronement of Yeshua Messiah, the last King of Isra’el.³ To see a short video summarizing the book of Dani’el click here.

The Chronology: Dani’el is one of the most significant books in the Bible in terms of the chronology of future events because it contains essential information concerning the key figures and time sequences of the far eschatological future. It is difficult to understand prophetic chronology without consulting the book of Dani’el. There are visions in Dani’el that detail what YHVH would do beginning in the sixth century BC until the Messianic Kingdom. Thus, Dani’el can be seen as the foundation for the key themes of biblical prophecy. Dani’el did not attempt to write history when he wrote his book; rather, he was developing a theme. Therefore, the book was not written in chronological order. The fact that Dani’el dated his prophecies, provides insight into the order in which the events took place, but they were not written in that order. So I have written this commentary in this order: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 5, 9, 6, and 10-12.⁴

Languages: An unusual feature of the book is that it is written in two languages. From Chapter 2 verse 4 to Chapter 7 verse 28, the book is written in Aramaic because the focus is on the Gentile nations. But Dani’el Chapter 1 verse 1 to Chapter 2 verse 3 and Chapter 8 verse 1 to Chapter 12 verse 13 are written in Hebrew. It seems that this was a deliberate device on Dani’el’s part. The sections of the book written in Aaramaic include the majority of Dani’el’s personal history (Chapters 2-3 and 5-6), the fall and rise of Nebuchadnezzar, and the prophecy about the four kingdoms (Chapter 7).

Since Aramaic was the common language of that period, it seems logical that Dani’el would have recorded most of his personal history in that language. In fact, Aramaic was probably the language that he spoke. Official decrees were issued in Aramaic so that people from all parts of the empire could read them. So, it is not surprising that Chapter 4 was written in Aramaic. Not only that, but Chapters 2-6 concern Gentile kings whose activities would have been of interest to a world audience, so that material was written in a language that non-Jews could understand. Finally, the messages concerning the four Gentile kingdoms of Chapter 7 involved not only Isra’el, but the whole world and thus were written in Aramaic.

Regarding the Hebrew in Dani’el, the introduction in Chapter 1 was likely written in the prophet’s native language because it reports the fate of three Jewish youths sent to Babylon in the final days of the southern kingdom of Judah, an account that would have been of little interest to a Gentile audience. Likewise, Chapters 8-12 speak primarily of the fate of the Jews under tyrannical rulers, like Antiochus IV and the eschatological Antichrist, and would not have been relevant to the Gentile world of Dani’el’s time. Dani’el, therefore, wrote this section in Hebrew, the language of the Jews.⁴

Literary Form: The prophecy of Dani’el is the first great book of apocalyptic literature in the Bible. The Greek word apokalypsis, from which comes the English word “apocalypse,” means an unveiling, a disclosing, or a revelation. Though all Scripture is revelation from ADONAI, certain portions are unique in the form by which their revelations were given and in the means by which they were transmitted. Apocalyptic literature in the Bible has several characteristics: (1) In apocalyptic literature a person who received God’s truths in visions and recorded what he saw. (2) Apocalyptic literature makes extensive use of symbols or signs (see the commentary on Revelation Ae – The Use of Symbols in the book of Revelation). (3) Such literature normally gives revelation concerning God’s program for the future of His people Isra’el. (4) Prose is usually employed in apocalyptic literature, rather than the poetic style which was normal in most prophetic literature.⁶

Key verse: Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the 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 Place (Dani’el 9:24).

The use of ADONAI: Long before Yeshua’s day, the word ADONAI had, out of respect, been substituted in speaking and in reading aloud for God’s personal name, the four Hebrew letters yod-heh-vav-heh, variously written in English as YHVH. The Talmud (Pesachim 50a) made it a requirement not to pronounce the Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter name of the LORD, Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, since the ancient manuscripts do not give any vowel sounds, and this remains the rule in most modern Jewish settings. In deference to this tradition, which is unnecessary but harmless, I will be using ADONAI where YHVH is meant. In ancient times when the scribes were translating the Hebrew Scriptures, they revered the name of YHVH so much that they would use a quill to make one stroke of the name and then throw it away. Then they would make another stroke and throw that quill away until the name was completed. His name became so sacred to them that they started to substitute the phrase the Name, instead of writing or pronouncing His Name. Over centuries of doing this, the actual letters and pronunciation of His Name were lost. The closest we can come is YHVH, with no vowels. The pronunciation has been totally lost. Therefore, the name Yahweh is only a guess of what the original name sounded like. Both ADONAI and Ha’Shem are substitute names for YHVH. ADONAI is more of an affectionate name like daddy, while Ha’Shem is a more formal name like sir. Therefore, Jews, being respectful of the Third Commandment, use these words as replacements. The Talmud explains, “In the Sanctuary, the Name was pronounced as written; but beyond its confines a substitute Name was employed (Tractate Sotah VII.6). God has only one name, YHVH. All His other “names” like ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot, ADONAI Elohim, ADONAI Nissi, ADONAI Tzidkenu, and ADONAI-Tzva’ot, merely reflect His attributes.

Contrary to what some religious groups say today, no one can say with confidence how to pronounce God’s Name. The “name” Jehovah, for example, is a made-up word by a Franciscan monk in the dark ages. He took YHVH, and inserted vowels between the known letters to invent a new word: YeHoVaH. Jews never, NEVER, use this made-up word. The last book of the B’rit Chadashah tells us that when Yeshua returns to the earth, He will reveal the Name that no one knew but Himself (Revelation 19:12). It seems best to leave this lost pronunciation unresolved until the Messiah comes.

The use of TaNaKh: The Hebrew word TaNaKh is an acronym, based on the letters T (for ”Torah”),N (for “Nevi’im,” the Prophets), and K (for “Ketuvim,” the Sacred Writings). It is the collection of the teachings of God to human beings in document form. The term “Old Covenant” implies that it is no longer valid, or at the very least outdated. Something old, to be either ignored or discarded. But Jesus Himself said: Don’t think I have come to abolish the Torah and the Prophets; I have not come to abolish but to complete (Matthew 5:17 CJB). I will be using the Hebrew acronym TaNaKh instead of the phrase the Old Testament, throughout this devotional commentary.

The Use of the phrase, “the righteous of the TaNaKh,” rather than using Old Testament saints: Messianic synagogues, and the Jewish messianic community in general, never use the phrase Old Testament saints. From a Jewish perspective, they prefer to use the phrase, “righteous of the TaNaKh.” Therefore, I will be using “the righteous of the TaNaKh,” rather than Old Testament saints throughout this devotional commentary.

Outline of the Book of Dani’el

Introduction of Dani’el from a Messianic Jewish Perspective (Ac)

Glossary (Ad)

The Historical Background of Dani’el (Ae)

Structure and Unity of Dani’el (Af)

Cyrus and Darius (Ag)

The Testimony of Messiah, and Writers of the Gospels (Ah)

Ha’Shem (Ai)

I. The Personal History of Dani’el – 1:1-21 (Aj)

A. Dani’el’s Deportation to Babylon – 1:1-7 (Ak)

B. Dani’el’s Devotion to God – 1:8-16 (Al)

C. The Blessing of Dani’el – 1:17-21 (Am)

D. The Significance of Dani’el Chapter 1 to the Times of the Gentiles (An)

II. The Times of the Gentiles – 2:1 to 7:28 (Ao)

III. Dani’el’s Interpretations of Dreams – 2:1 to 4:37 (Ap)

A. Nebuchadnezzar’s First Dream – 2:1-49 (Aq)

1. The Demand of Nebuchadnezzar – 2:1-30 (Ar)

a. The Challenge to the Magi – 2:1-13 (As)

b. Dani’el’s Plea – 2:14-16 (At)

c. Dani’el’s Prayer – 2:17-23 (Au)

d. Dani’el’s Witness – 2:24-30 (Av)

e. The King’s Dream – 2:31-35 (Aw)

2. Dani’el Interprets the King’s Dream – 2:36-45 (Ax)

a. The First Empire: A Head of Gold – 2:36-38 (Ay)

b. The Second Empire: Chest and Arms of Silver – 2:39a (Az)

c. The Third Empire: Belly and Thighs of Bronze – 2:39b (Ba)

d. The Fourth Empire: Imperialism – 2:40-43 (Bb)

(1) The United Stage – 2:40 (Bc)

(2) The Divided Kingdom Stage – 2:41 (Bd)

(3) The One World Government Stage – 2:42-43 (Be)

(4) Summary Statement about the Fourth Empire (Bf)

e. The Fifth Empire: The Kingdom of God 2:44-45 (Bg)

f. The Dispensational View of the Kingdom of God (Bh)

3. Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Dani’el – 2:46-49 (Bi)

4. The Significance of Dani’el Chapter 2 to the Times of the Gentiles (Bj)

B. Nebuchadnezzar’s Statue of Gold and the Fiery Furnace – 3:1-30 (Bk)

1. Nebuchadnezzar’s Decree to Worship the Statue – 3:1-7 (Bl)

2. The Accusation Against the Jews – 3:8-12 (Bm)

3. Dani’el’s Friends Questioned – 3:13-15 (Bn)

4. The Jews Confess Their Faith – 3:16-18 (Bo)

5. Dani’el’s Friends Punished – 3:19-23 (Bp)

6. The Vindication of the Jews – 3:24-27 (Bq)

7. Nebuchadnezzar’s Decree Honoring the Jews and Their God – 3:28-30 (Br)

8. The Significance of Dani’el Chapter 3 to Times of the Gentiles (Bs)

C. The Dream of the Great Tree – 4:1-37 (Bt)

1. Agitation: The King’s Dream – 4:4-18 (Bu)

2. Interpretation: The King’s Danger – 4:19-26 (Bv)

3. Exhortation: The King’s Decision – 4:27 (Bw)

4. Humiliation: The King’s Discipline – 4:28-33 (Bx)

5. Restoration: The King’s Deliverance – 4:34-37 and 1-3 (By)

IV. Dani’el’s Vision of Four Beasts – 7:1-28 (Bz)

A. Understanding Apocalyptic Literature – 7:1 to 12:13 (Ca)

B. Dani’el’s Visions – 7:1-14 (Cb)

1. The Kingdoms of This World – 7:1-6 (Cc)

2. The Kingdom of Satan – 7:7-8 (Cd)

3. A Vision of the Heavenly Court – 7:9-12 (Ce)

4. The Kingdom of Messiah – 7:13-14 (Cf)

5. The Second Exodus (Cg)

C. The Interpretation of Dani’el’s Visions – 7:15-28 (Ch)

D. The Significance of Dani’el Chapter 7 to the Times of the Gentiles (Ci)

V. Dani’el’s Vision of the Ram and Male Goat – 8:1-17 (Cj)

A. The Ram and the Male Goat – 8:1-14 (Ck)

B. Living in the Valley of Darkness – 8:15-26 (Cl)

C. How to Wait for God – 8:27 (Cm)

D. The Significance of Dani’el Chapter 8 to the Times of the Gentiles (Cn)

VI. The Great Banquet of Belshazzar and the Fall of Babylon – 5:1-31 (Co)

A. Belshazzar’s Great Banquet – 5:1-4 (Cp)

B. The Handwriting on the Wall – 5:5-9 (Cq)

C. The Advice of the Queen Mother – 5:10-12 (Cr)

D. Dani’el Interpreted the Handwriting on the Wall – 5:13-28 (Cs)

E. Belshazzar was Killed – 5:29-31 (Ct)

F. The Significance of Dani’el Chapter 5 to the Times of the Gentiles (Cu)

VII. Dani’el’s Vision of the Seventy Sevens – 9:1-27 (Cv)

A. ADONAI’s Word – 9:1-2 (Cw)

B. Dani’el’s Prayer – 9:3-19 (Cx)

C. Gabri’el’s Intervention – 9:20-23 (Cy)

VIII. The Great Tribulation and the Second Coming (Cz)

A. The Seventy-Sevens – 9:24-27 (Da)

B. Events in the First Half of the Great Tribulation (Db)

C. Events in the Middle of the Great Tribulation (Dc)

D. Events in the Second Half of the Great Tribulation (Dd)

E. The Basis of the Second Coming of Yeshua Messiah (De)

F. The Second Coming of Yeshua Messiah to Bozrah (Df)

G. The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon (Dg)

H. The Seventy-five Day Interval (Dh)

I. The Government of the Messianic Kingdom – Isaiah 9:6-7 (Di)

J. The Nine Missing Articles in the Messiah’s Coming Temple (Dj)

IX. Dani’el in the Lion’s Den – 6:1-28 (Dk)

A. Dani’el is Promoted – 6:1-3 (Dl)

B. The Plot of the Royal Administrators – 6:4-9 (Dm)

C. Dani’el’s Prayer in the Lion’s Den – 6:10-15 (Dn)

D. Dani’el Saved by the Angel of ADONAI – 6:16-24 (Do)

E. Darius’ Wise Decree – 6:25-28 (Dp)

F. The Significance of Dani’el Chapter 6 to the Times of the Gentiles (Dq)

X. Dani’el’s Vision of Isra’el’s Future – 10:1 to 12:13 (Dr)

A. The Vision of a Man – 10:1 to 11:1 (Ds)

B. The Revelation of the Sixty-Nine Weeks – 11:2-35 (Dt)

1. Alexander the Great – 11:2-20 (Du)

2. Antiochus Epiphanes – 11:21-35 (Dv)

C. The Mystery of the Olive Tree (Dw)

D. The Antichrist – 11:36-45 (Dx)

E. The Future of Isra’el – 12: 1-13 (Dy)

End Notes (Dz)

Bibliography (Ea)

Dani’el, Where Life and the Bible Meet . . .

1. Look at the outline (Ab), and the Introduction (Ac) before starting on the commentary itself.

2. The DIG and REFLECT questions are in bold green and will help to give you a deeper understanding of the book and make it more personal to you. Go slowly and give yourself time to answer these questions. They really strike at the heart of the commentary. What are the DIG questions for? To dig into the Scripture “story.” To find out what’s going on, to figure out the main idea, the plot, the argument, the spiritual principle, and so on. What are the REFLECT questions for? To apply the “story” in the Scripture to your own life; to take personal inventory and to decide what you are going to do about it! Many of the DIG and REFLECT questions are taken from the Serendipity Bible.

3. I would strongly suggest that you look up the references that are given in each section. Many times, this will greatly enhance the background, and hence, your understanding of the Scriptures that you are reading on a particular day. Take your time, read only as much as you can digest.

There are times when I refer you to either another file in Romans, or a file in another book of the Bible, to give you more detail on a particular person, topic, concept or theology. An example might be something like the Great Sanhedrin (see my commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Lg – The Great Sanhedrin). If you feel you already know enough about the Great Sanhedrin, you can skip the reference and continue reading. But if it interests you, or if you don’t know what the Great Sanhedrin is, you can go to that file and read it first before continuing. It’s your choice. 

4. All Scripture is in bold print. The NIV is used unless indicated otherwise. However, sometimes the purpose of the bold print is merely for emphasizing a certain point. When bold maroon is used, it is for special emphasis. The words of Yeshua are bolded in red.

5. When bold teal is used in the text, it is quoted from one of the two Jewish commentaries listed in the bibliography. This will give you the moderate Orthodox Jewish interpretation. It is useful for word studies, but it’s Christology is obviously entirely wrong. Where rabbinical interpretation is cited, I will add, “The rabbis teach. . .” in front of the passage. Although it is not a Christian interpretation, I think it is interesting to see how the rabbis interpret these passages.

6. Read the Scriptures for a particular day first, then skim the DIG or REFLECT questions, read the commentary and reflect on it; answer the DIG or REFLECT questions, then read your Bible again. Hopefully, it will have greater meaning for you the second time you read it. Then live it out.

7. We have added two new features to our site. First, at the top of the page you can choose to “Save This Pages as a PDF” by simply clicking on the red rectangle; secondly, at the bottom of the page we have added a “text to speech” feature. Just click on the triangle in the middle of the black circle and you can hear the entire file. To go to the next paragraph, either forward, or backwards, click on the double arrows.

8. If you come to a Jewish word or phrase you do not understand, see the Glossary at the beginning of the book (see Ad – Glossary).

9. To download a pdf file, click on the red rectangle on the top of the page.

10. To hear the file read to you from the Ttsreader click on the triangle at the bottom of the page.

11. You can download anything you want from this devotional commentary for bible study. Nothing can be sold © 2025 all rights are reserved by Jay David Mack, M.Div.