Daniel 1:1

Daniel Finds Favor in Babylon

1:1 In the third ¹  year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar ²  of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem ³  and laid it under siege. ⁴ 

Daniel 10:3

10:3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine came to my lips, ⁵  nor did I anoint myself with oil ⁶  until the end of those three weeks.

Daniel 10:20

10:20 He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? ⁷  Now I am about to return to engage in battle with the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece is coming.

Daniel 8:5

8:5 While I was contemplating all this, ⁸  a male goat ⁹  was coming from the west over the surface of all the land ¹⁰  without touching the ground. This goat had a conspicuous horn ¹¹  between its eyes.

Daniel 10:13

10:13 However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was opposing me for twenty-one days. But ¹²  Michael, one of the leading princes, came to help me, because I was left there ¹³  with the kings of Persia.

¹ sn The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim would be ca. 605 B.C. At this time Daniel would have been a teenager. The reference to Jehoiakim’s third year poses a serious crux interpretum, since elsewhere these events are linked to his fourth year (Jer 25:1; cf. 2 Kgs 24:1; 2 Chr 36:5-8). Apparently Daniel is following an accession year chronology, whereby the first partial year of a king’s reign was reckoned as the accession year rather than as the first year of his reign. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is following a nonaccession year chronology, whereby the accession year is reckoned as the first year of the king’s reign. In that case, the conflict is only superficial. Most modern scholars, however, have concluded that Daniel is historically inaccurate here.

² sn King Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon from ca. 605-562 B.C.

³ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁴ sn This attack culminated in the first of three major deportations of Jews to Babylon. The second one occurred in 597 B.C. and included among many other Jewish captives the prophet Ezekiel. The third deportation occurred in 586 B.C., at which time the temple and the city of Jerusalem were thoroughly destroyed.

⁵ tn Heb “mouth.”

⁶ sn Anointing oneself with oil (usually olive oil) was a common OT practice due to the severity of the Middle Eastern sun (cf. Ps 121:6). It was also associated with rejoicing (e.g., Prov 27:9) and was therefore usually not practiced during a period of mourning.

⁹ sn The question is rhetorical, intended to encourage reflection on Daniel’s part.

¹³ tn The words “all this” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.

¹⁴ tn Heb “and behold, a he-goat of the goats.”

¹⁵ tn Or “of the whole earth” (NAB, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

¹⁶ tn Heb “a horn of vision” [or “conspicuousness”], i.e., “a conspicuous horn,” one easily seen.

¹⁷ tn Heb “and behold.”

¹⁸ tc The Greek version of Theodotion reads “I left him [i.e., Michael] there,” and this is followed by a number of English translations (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT).