John Calvin Commentary Daniel 1:10

"And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths that are of your own age? so would ye endanger my head with the king." — Daniel 1:10 (ASV)

Daniel faces a refusal from the prefect; indeed, as I have recently remarked, the prefect's humanity is not praised for listening to Daniel’s wish and prayer, but for burying in silence whatever might have brought him difficulties. His friendship is evident in this: although he denies Daniel's request, he does so mildly and courteously, as if he would have willingly granted it if he had not feared the king’s anger.

Therefore, the meaning is this: the prefect, though he did not dare to comply with Daniel’s request, still treated him and his companions kindly by not endangering their lives. He says—he was afraid of the king who had ordered the food. He is not to be blamed as if he feared man more than the living God, because he could not have had any knowledge of God.

Although he may have been persuaded that Daniel made his request in the earnest pursuit of piety, the prefect did not consider himself authorized to comply, for he believed the Jews had their own particular method of worship, but meanwhile he clung entirely to the religion of Babylon.

This is similar to how many worldly people today think we are quite right in discarding superstitions, yet they remain in this error: believing it is lawful for them to live in the old way, since they were brought up and instructed that way by their ancestors. Therefore, they use rites that they admit we disapprove of.

Similarly, this prefect might have had a correct understanding regarding Daniel and his associates; yet, he was not so moved by them as to desire to learn the difference between the two religions. Therefore, he simply excuses himself, stating he was not free to grant Daniel’s request, as this would endanger his own life with the king.