Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

DANIEL

(Heb. dāniʾēl, dānîyēʾl)

1. David’s second son, according to the Chronicler (1 Chr. 3:1). The author of the books of Samuel remembers his name as Chileab. Since he does not figure in the struggle for succession to David’s throne (2 Sam. 9–1 Kgs. 2), he possibly died before reaching maturity or was physically or mentally incapacitated.

2. A postexilic priest who returned to the land of Israel in the time of Ezra (Ezra 8:2). He was a descendant of Ithamar and is possibly the same Daniel as the priest who supported Nehemiah’s covenant (Neh. 10:6).

3. A righteous and wise individual whom Ezekiel places in the company of Noah and Job (Ezek. 14:14, 20; 28:3). Although the name is vocalized “Daniel” by the Masoretes and by most English translations, the Hebrew spelling suggests “Danel” is more correct. Thus, there may be a connection between Ezekiel’s Danel and the Danel of the Aqhat text from Ugarit (2nd millennium b.c.), an esteemed judge who protected the rights of widows and orphans. The connection is more plausible when one considers that Ezekiel alludes to Danel in an oracle against Tyre (Ezek. 28), for the cultures of Ugarit and Tyre were both Canaanite.

4. The hero of the book that bears his name. The book of Daniel tells of a Jewish youth who was taken into exile in Babylon, where the Babylonians trained him to serve as one of the king’s counselors.

Although some stories about Daniel might date to earlier centuries, the book of Daniel was completed in the 2nd century b.c. While there may have been a Daniel of the 6th century, the traditions have been shaped by concerns of the later era. The book was written to encourage Jews who were being persecuted by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. His officers forced Jews to eat unclean food, such as pork, and thus the story of how Daniel and his friends would not defile themselves with the king’s food was a reminder to the Jews to observe the dietary laws (ch. 1). Soldiers required Jews to worship the Greek gods or die, and thus the stories of the fiery furnace (ch. 3) and Daniel in the lions’ den (ch. 6) encouraged faithfulness to God, which would lead to divine deliverance, or martyrdom (3:17-18) with the hope of resurrection (12:1-4).

Like the Danel of old, Daniel was noted for his righteousness and wisdom. Like Joseph, he could interpret dreams, which resulted in his promotion to a high position at court (Dan. 2:48; 5:29). Just as Moses and Aaron displayed more power to work wonders than the Egyptian magicians, Daniel exhibited more power to reveal secret things than all of the Babylonian magicians, conjurers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans (chs. 2, 4, 5). God also gave Daniel his own visions (chs. 7-12), which predict the end of the Seleucid kingdom, the coming of God’s kingdom (ch. 7), the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment (ch. 12). Daniel is mentioned in the NT at Matt. 24:15.

Bibliography. J. J. Collins, Daniel. Herm (Minneapolis, 1993); J. E. Goldingay, Daniel. WBC 30 (Dallas, 1989); L. F. Hartman and A. A. Di Lella, The Book of Daniel. AB 23 (Garden City, 1978).

William B. Nelson, Jr.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

DANIEL

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)