Daniel 1:4

1:4 young men in whom there was no physical defect and who were handsome, 1  well versed in all kinds of wisdom, well educated 2  and having keen insight, 3  and who were capable 4  of entering the king’s royal service 5  – and to teach them the literature and language 6  of the Babylonians. 7 

Daniel 2:24

2:24 Then Daniel went in to see 8  Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). He came 9  and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Escort me 10  to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!” 11 

Daniel 3:12

3:12 But there are Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – and these men 12  have not shown proper respect to you, O king. They don’t serve your gods and they don’t pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”

1 tn Heb “good of appearance.”

2 tn Heb “knowers of knowledge.”

3 tn Heb “understanders of knowledge.”

4 tn Heb “who had strength.”

5 tn Heb “to stand in the palace of the king.” Cf. vv. 5, 19.

6 sn The language of the Chaldeans referred to here is Akkadian, an East Semitic cuneiform language.

7 tn Heb “Chaldeans” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV). This is an ancient name for the Babylonians.

8 tc The MT has עַל עַל (’al ’al, “he entered upon”). Several medieval Hebrew MSS lack the verb, although this may be due to haplography.

9 tc The LXX and Vulgate, along with one medieval Hebrew MS, lack this verb.

10 tn Aram “cause me to enter.” So also in v. 25.

11 tn Aram “the king.”

12 sn Daniel’s absence from this scene has sparked the imagination of commentators, some of whom have suggested that perhaps he was unable to attend the dedication due to sickness or due to being away on business. Hippolytus supposed that Daniel may have been watching from a distance.