Charles Ellicott Commentary Daniel 1:12

"Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink." — Daniel 1:12 (ASV)

Ten days.— The number “ten” is treated as a round number here, and in Daniel 1:20. . By adopting this mode of life, Daniel resumes the simple diet commonly used by his ancestors before their entering Canaan (Deuteronomy 12:15–16; Deuteronomy 26:5; Deuteronomy 26:9). This simplicity of life prevailed until the early times of David (1 Samuel 17:17–18). At the Persian court, in later times, Daniel changed his rule of life (Daniel 10:3), the infirmities of age beginning to affect his constitution.