Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 1:19

"And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king." — Daniel 1:19 (ASV)

And the king communed with them—Hebrew, “spoke with them.” He probably conversed with them on the points that had constituted the principal subjects of their studies, or he “examined” them. It is easy to imagine that this must have been a severe ordeal for these young men.

And among them all was found none like Daniel...—Daniel and his three friends had pursued a course of strict temperance; they had come to their daily task with clear heads and pure hearts—free from the oppression and lethargy of excess and the excitement of wine; they had prosecuted their studies in the enjoyment of fine health and with the buoyancy and elasticity of spirit produced by temperance, and they now showed the result of such a course of training. Young men of temperance, other things being equal, will greatly surpass others in their preparation for the duties of life in any profession or calling.

Therefore stood they before the king—It is not said, indeed, that the others were not also permitted to stand before the monarch, but the object of the historian is to trace the means by which “these youths” rose to such eminence and virtue. It is clear, however, that whatever the result may have been for the others, the historian means to say that these young men rose to higher eminence than they did and were permitted to stand nearer the throne.

The phrase “stood before the king” is one that denotes elevated rank. They were employed in honorable offices at the court and received peculiar marks of the royal favor.