Daniel

Daniel 1: The Food of The King In 586 BCE, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and took captive some of the people, including those of the royal family and the nobility, to be brought to Babylon.   The vessels of the Jerusalem temples and the people were brought to Shinar, located in Mesopotamia, in the area that is now modern-day Iraq. Shinar was also location where the Tower of Babel was built.  (Genesis 11:1) Some of the young exiles, including Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were ordered to be trained for 3 years in the Babylonian language and literature so that they could serve in the King's palace. They were chosen from those in the royal family, of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace. (v4) The King commanded that these young captives be given a daily portion of the king's food a...

Historical Context The book of Daniel is divided into two main parts: historical narratives and prophetic visions. The historical narratives describe the experiences of the prophet Daniel and his three companions during their time as captives in Babylon, while the prophetic visions contain symbolic interpretations of future events. T he book was written by the prophet Daniel during the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BCE. This estimate builds on the book's own words that Daniel was a contemporary of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. In 609 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar made Judah a vassal state. However, 3 years later, king Jehoiakim of Judah rebelled against him.  "In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him." 2 Kings 24:1 This rebellion caused Nebuchadnezzar to attack Judah. and took the first exiles back to Babylon including Daniel and his friends. This happened in 597 BCE. ...