Charles Spurgeon Commentary Daniel 1:11-12

"Then said Daniel to the steward whom the prince of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink." — Daniel 1:11-12 (ASV)

I like it that the Holy Ghost uses their old names whenever it is proper that they should be used. May we never lose our old names! I mean, our new names, for they have grown old with some of us now. May we ever be known as the servants of God, and not as Chaldeans!

The prince of the eunuchs gave Daniel a kind of hint that if the officer under him chose to take responsibility for altering the food and drink, he might do so, and the prince would not interfere with the experiment.

So Daniel turns to Melzar, and says to him, Prove thy servants for a suitable time. Let us have pulse to eat, and water to drink. He put his request in an extreme light, in order to be quite sure that nothing brought to him would come from the king's table.