1:8 But Daniel made up his mind 1 that he would not defile 2 himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. 3 He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself.
9:11 “All Israel has broken 5 your law and turned away by not obeying you. 6 Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatened 7 in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you. 8
1 tn Heb “placed on his heart.”
2 tn Or “would not make himself ceremonially unclean”; TEV “become ritually unclean.”
sn Various reasons have been suggested as to why such food would defile Daniel. Perhaps it had to do with violations of Mosaic law with regard to unclean foods, or perhaps it had to do with such food having been offered to idols. Daniel’s practice in this regard is strikingly different from that of Esther, who was able successfully to conceal her Jewish identity.
3 tn Heb “with the delicacies of the king and with the wine of his drinking.”
4 tn Aram “if there may be a lengthening to your prosperity.”
5 tn Or “transgressed.” The Hebrew verb has the primary sense of crossing a boundary, in this case, God’s law.
6 tn Heb “by not paying attention to your voice.”
7 tn Heb “the curse and the oath which is written.” The term “curse” refers here to the judgments threatened in the Mosaic law (see Deut 28) for rebellion. The expression “the curse and the oath” is probably a hendiadys (cf. Num 5:21; Neh 10:29) referring to the fact that the covenant with its threatened judgments was ratified by solemn oath and made legally binding upon the covenant community.
8 tn Heb “him.”
9 tn Or “a precious treasure”; KJV “greatly beloved”; NASB, NIV “highly esteemed.”
10 tn This sentence is perhaps a compound hendiadys (“give serious consideration to the revelatory vision”).