Charles Ellicott Commentary Daniel 1

In the third year. —Two questions are involved in this verse:

1. Is it historically true that Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar in the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign?
2. Does the language of the verse imply that he did so?

The second question is rightly answered in the negative.

The word came means went, as in Genesis 45:17 and 2 Kings 5:5, and it is the natural word for a Hebrew writing from Babylon to use and may be translated marched. It is therefore implied in this verse that Nebuchadnezzar started from Babylon in the third year of Jehoiakim.

The rest of the history is easily supplied from other portions of Scripture. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim he conquered Pharaoh at Carchemish (Jeremiah 46:2), and then advanced upon Jerusalem. (See marginal reference.) The name Nebuchadnezzar is sometimes more correctly spelt Nebuchadrezzar, but no argument can be based upon the different modes of spelling the name, as the difficulties of transliteration of Babylonian names into Hebrew characters are considerable.

Part of the vessels. —Literally, from one point to another. He did not take them all at once, but on different occasions. (On Shinar, see Note, Genesis 10:10.)

His god — i.e., Bel-Merodach, who was originally an Accadian deity, the signification of the second part of the name being “he that measures the path of the sun.” The planet Jupiter was worshipped under this name. He was the tutelary god of Babylon, and in his honor Nebuchadnezzar dedicated a temple. For a further description of this deity see Baruch 6:14-15.

Ashpenaz ... his eunuchs — that is, the courtiers or attendants on the king. (See the marginal translation of Genesis 37:36; and compare Jeremiah 39:3, where a Rab-saris, or chief of the courtiers, is mentioned. See also Isaiah 39:7.)

The king’s seed. — According to the story of Josephus (Antiquities 10.10.1), Daniel and the three holy children were all connected with Zedekiah. The context makes this opinion perfectly admissible.

Children. If the Babylonian customs were similar to the Persian, it is probable that the course of education would begin at an early age. So elaborate a system of science as the Babylonian, whether theological, astronomical, or magical, would naturally require an early training. It is reasonable to suppose that these “children” were quite young. This may be inferred from Nebuchadnezzar’s amazement at what he considered to be Daniel’s precocious genius (Daniel 2:26).

To stand, that is, to act as courtiers or servants. (Compare 2 Kings 5:25 and Daniel 1:19 below.)

Learning of the Chaldeans. Many interesting specimens of this may be seen in the volumes of the Records of the Past, which are devoted to Assyrian and Babylonian subjects. Many more examples may be seen in the British Museum, and among them the large treatise on magic, which originally consisted of no less than two hundred tablets. It appears, from comparing this with Daniel 1:19, that some form of examination was held by the king before he admitted the courtiers into his immediate service. The language of Chaldea at this time was Semitic; but there was also a sacred language in use, which probably belonged to the Turanian family. In both these languages was Daniel educated.

A daily portion. — . The meat was solid food, as opposed to the wine and vegetables which formed so important a part of Babylonian diet. The food appears to have been sent from the king’s table.

Three years. — The king appears to have had sufficient insight into the extraordinary character of these youths, to enable him to prescribe not only the subjects of their studies but also the length of their course of instruction. It appears that Nebuchadnezzar was a man of far higher character than many Assyrian and Babylonian kings. We will see, in the course of the book, that his heart was fitted for the reception of Divine truth, and that in the end he was brought to know the true God.