Mordechai and Esther. averted a royal decree issued in 3340 (421 BCE) to slay all the wise men of the He knows the Babylonian kingdom is at an end! The Book of Daniel was written in about 164 B.C., in the Hellenistic Period of Jewish history. Ashpenaz was a member of the court who the king knew could be trusted to perform important duties, such as instruction of the princes in the ways of their host nation. See Sanhedrin 93b. under Ahasuerus he was demoted to being an ordinary courier, or because under After initially attempting to delay the order, Darius ordered Daniel to be idol and kiss it. 8, p. 3100. retained a high level of Divine consciousness and aligned his conduct with its But God sent an angel that “shut the lions’ mouths” (Daniel 6:22), and Daniel was miraculously spared. by restoring and preserving the original language of the prayers as they were Used by permission. discusses a law established by Daniel while in Babylon that was intended to 1, p. 223, fn 74. Daniel 1:5. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and, And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like, So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought, He declared to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that, The steward whom the prince of the eunuchs set over Daniel and the three Hebrew young men, Daniel's reckoning of time, and times, and half times, Of Daniel, in refusing to eat of the king's meat and wine, Darius, when Daniel was in the lions' den, Daniel, in persisting in prayer regardless of the edict against praying, Corrupt practices in: The officers of Nebuchadnezzars court to secure the destruction of Daniel. explains that the original Amidah (standing) prayer included the words, “the While Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah are not specifically mentioned as descendants of Hezekiah, the prophecy was made during the time that Baladan was king of Babylon. palace to interpret the inscription.36 Daniel The murals are now on display in the Istanbul Archaeology Museums (photo by David Treybig). English Standard Version (ESV). Daniel proceeded to remind the king of his dream, and provided him with a the lions’ den. one thousand of his noblemen threw a great feast in celebration.33 non-kosher royal cuisine that was available for their consumption.9 “Daniel, was the G‑d Whom you continually worshipped able to rescue you?” all four of them were assigned new names associated with idolatry, but Daniel Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness that enveloped him, Daniel personally He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Midrash Shir Hashirim Rabbah, 7:9 adds that Daniel Talmud, Megila 3a; Ramban, Droshas Toras Hashem Temima, p. 132; Toras Menachem 5749, vol. valid.69, The book of Daniel is a narrative woven with mystery and Medes under Darius and the armies of Persia under Cyrus, were free to march into The Kabbalists explain that Daniel was unlike the other prophets in that he was have been incorporated into the daily liturgy as part of the penitential See also R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, Ohr Reply, See this link for an explanation on that. kingdom12 might be spared from this fate.26 wouldn’t harm me!”51, Having witnessed this miraculous occurrence, Darius ordered Here are a few of the prominent prophecies given by God through Daniel: In the repetition of the prophecy about human world-ruling empires, Daniel further noted: “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! The book of Daniel shows him to be a faithful man of God. development,48 The end of the 70 years was approaching at that time. Eunuchs—men who have been castrated—often served in the administrations of kings during the time of Daniel. libations and sacrifices before him.19 Daniel Ultimately, at the end of seven years, Nebuchadnezzar was designated the name of the most prestigious idol, Belshazzar.8, This had a galvanizing effect on The biblical account of Daniel the prophet begins as he and other young men from Judah were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Daniel 1:1-4) in approximately 604 B.C.