Daniel 1: When Has Cultural Assimilation Gone Too Far?
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The Historical Setting: The Kings of Judah
| King of Judah | Dates | Biblical Texts | Empire | Invasion |
| Jehoiakim | 609-605 BCE | 2 Kings 23:30, 34 | Egypt | 609 BCE |
| Jehoiakim | 605-597 BCE | Dan 1:1; Jer 25:1 | Babylon | 605 BCE |
| Jehoiachin | 597 BCE | 2 Kings 24:8 | Babylon | 597 BCE |
| Zedekiah | 597-586 BCE | 2 Kings 24:18 | Babylon | 586 BCE |
Historical Questions
Daniel 1:1 – “In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.”
Jeremiah 25:1 – “The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah (that was the first year of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon.”
- Which year?
- Babylonians counted the first year of the king’s reign as beginning on New Year’s Day of the next year. (For example, using modern a calendar, if the king began to reign in July 2024, his first year would begin on January 1, 2025.)
- Egyptians and Syro-Palestinians counted the first year of the king’s reign on the date the rule began, and the New Year began a second year. (For example, if the king began to reign in July, 2024, his second year would begin on January 1, 2025.)
- Apparently, Daniel used the Babylonian method of counting while Jeremiah used the Egyptian and Syro-Palestinian method.
- Did Nebuchadnezzar “besiege” Jerusalem in 605 BCE?
- Babylonian records explicitly state he besieged Jerusalem in 598-597 BCE and in 587-586 BCE. But there is no explicit statement that he besieged Jerusalem in 605 BCE.
- 2 Kings 24:1 and 2 Chronicles 36:6 indicate that Jehoiakim became the servant of Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BCE. Further, after Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharoah Necho II of Egypt in 609 BCE, the Babylonian Chronicle says Nebuchadnezzar subjugated “the whole area of Hatti-land” (which is Syria-Palestine).
The People
The Names of the Exiled Young Men
| Hebrew Name | Meaning | Babylonian Name | Meaning |
| Daniel | God is my judge | Belteshazzar | Bel protects his life |
| Hananiah | Yahweh has been gracious | Shadrach | Command of Aku |
| Mishael | Who is God? | Meshach | Who is Aku? |
| Azariah | Yahweh has helped | Abednego | Servant of Neg[b]o |
The Challenge
- The young men accepted name changes by the Empire.
- The young men accepted training in the Empire.
- The young men accepted their role in the Empire.
- The young men served honorably in the Empire.
- The young men were honored in the Empire.
- But they refused “appointed food and drink” (meat and wine) from the emperor but suggested they receive “vegetables to eat and water to drink.”
- Why? It could not be food laws because wine is not prohibited in the Torah. Probably not idolatry since they received vegetables from the empire.
- More likely, it is directly related to the theological significance of the story, which is their dependence upon God and divine sovereignty.
Theological Significance
- “God gave”
- Dan 1:1 – “The Lord let [gave] King Jehoiakim into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand.”
- Dan 1:9 – “God allowed [gave] Daniel to receive favor and compassion…”
- Dan 1:17 – “God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom”
- “Given vegetables and water”
- Daniel 1:12 – “Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink”
- Daniel 1:16 – “[they] gave them vegetables”
- Upon whom will Daniel and his friends depend for nourishment and wisdom while they live in Babylon?
- Dan 1:8 – “Daniel resolved [literally, ‘set his heart’] that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine.”
- “Royal rations” (Daniel 1:5, 8, 13, 15) parallels the “royal rations” of Daniel 11:26 where those who are presumed loyal to the king eat “royal rations.”
- Daniel refuses royal rations to testify to his dependence upon God for his sustenance and wisdom rather than upon the Empire.