Discovery BoxDaniel 1:4-5 
Context1:4 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 1:5 So the king assigned them a daily ration 8 from his royal delicacies 9 and from the wine he himself drank. They were to be trained 10 for the next three years. At the end of that time they were to enter the king’s service. 11
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 tn Heb “a thing of a day in its day.”
9 tn Heb “from the delicacies of the king.”
10 tn Or “educated.” See HALOT 179 s.v. I גדל.
11 tn Heb “stand before the king.”
