Daniel 1:1-7, Setting the Scene (2)

We are continuing with various notes on Dan. 1:1-7.

·      1:2: the land of Shinar.  In Scripture this is the name given to the land of Babylon.  In Gen. 10:10 it was the land where Nimrod established an empire.  In Gen. 11:2 it was the location of Babel, the great city with the tower (ziggurat) to heaven.  It is believed to be the plain between the Tigris and

Euphrates Rivers.  The derivation of the name is uncertain.  This description is used rarely outside the Pentateuch (Josh. 7:21; Isa. 11:11; Zech. 5:11 and here). 

·       1:2: the house of his god.  The god of Nebuchadnezzar was “Bel” (general name) or “Marduk” (specific name).  He was the patron god of the city, and only became known when the city became important politically.  History knows of this temple.  It had three courts: an outer court, central court (where the shrine of Istar was, the goddess associated with Babylon) and the inner court from which rose the ziggurat.  The temple itself contained a forty-foot-high golden image of Marduk.  The treasures of the temple in Jerusalem were not in the “possession of Marduk.”

·       1:3-5: the collegiate life of Daniel and his friends. 

o   1:3: master of his eunuchs.  Heb. rab (master) saris (eunuchs), as in 2 Ki. 18:17.

o   Pre-requisites for success in Babylon were that these captives were of noble or royal upbringing (v3), without defect, good looking and intelligent (v4).

o   1:4: the language and literature of the Chaldeans.  Chaldea was originally the area south of Babylon, at the northern end of the Persian Gulf.  “Chaldean” came to signify “wise man.”  The literature would have included mathematics, natural history, agriculture, architecture as well as the religion of Babylon (polytheistic, so many gods to learn about; myths and epics, including stories of creation, the flood, the temptation/fall; astrology and magic or divination.)  The language was “Akkadian,” written in cuneiform script.  It was considered to be a difficult language to master.

o   1:5: the kings choice food and wine.  We are not told the specifics, but the term refers to delicate food, indicating luxurious living for these in training.

o   1:5: three years.  There was a deadline for learning.  And, three years of constant study is a long time and a strong temptation.  In that sense, it is not so different than college life today in a state university.

There is more to see in this passage so we will continue tomorrow.