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 6:5
6:5 So these men concluded, 5 “We won’t find any pretext against this man Daniel unless it is 6 in connection with the law of his God.”
Daniel 8:6
8:6 It came to the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed against it with raging strength. 7
Daniel 8:11
8:11 It also acted arrogantly against the Prince of the army, 8 from whom 9 the daily sacrifice was removed and whose sanctuary 10 was thrown down.
Daniel 10:21
10:21 However, I will first tell you what is written in a dependable book. 11 (There is no one who strengthens me against these princes, 12 except Michael your 13 prince.
Daniel 11:9
11:9 Then the king of the north 14 will advance against the empire of the king of the south, but will withdraw to his own land.
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 Aram “were saying.”
6 tn Aram “unless we find [it] against him.”
7 tn Heb “the wrath of its strength.”
8 sn The prince of the army may refer to God (cf. “whose sanctuary” later in the verse) or to the angel Michael (cf. 12:1).
9 tn Or perhaps “and by him,” referring to Antiochus rather than to God.
10 sn Here the sanctuary is a reference to the temple of God in Jerusalem.
11 tn Heb “a book of truth.” Several English versions treat this as a title of some sort (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although the NAB’s rendering “the truthful book” regards “truth” as an attributive adjective, as does the present translation.
12 tn The word “princes” is supplied for clarity.
13 tn The pronoun is plural in Hebrew, suggesting that Michael is the angelic prince of Daniel and his people.
14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king of the north) has been specified in the translation for clarity.