Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · Daniel Kabanata 1

Daniel 1:1. In the third year— It was in the eighth year of Jehoiakim that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against him, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon: 2 Chronicles 36:6. But promising fidelity, the king of Babylon restored him to his kingdom, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: 2 Kings 24:1. Daniel numbers the third year of Jehoiakim from this beginning of his renewed kingdom. In Jeremiah 25:0 it is said to be the fourth year; which fourth year is called the first of king Nebuchadnezzar. These are easily reconciled, if in this place the word came be understood of the beginning and setting out upon this expedition; so that Nebuchadnezzar arrived at Jerusalem in the fourth year only.

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Daniel 1:2. With part of the vessels— And part of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them, &c. Shinar was the original name of the country of Babylon.

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Daniel 1:5. So nourishing them three years— That after they had been educated for three years, at the end, &c. Houbigant; or, And that they should be thus bred up three years, and at the end thereof they should stand, &c.

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Daniel 1:7. Unto whom, &c.— This change of names was a mark of dominion and authority: masters imposed new names upon their slaves. Daniel signifies, God is my judge, or the judgment of God; Belteshazzar—the treasurer of Baal, or, "The depositary of the secrets, or treasure of Baal." Hananiah signifies, God has been gracious to me; or, "That which is gracious and acceptable to the Lord:" Shadrach signifies, according to some, The inspiration of the sun: or, according to others, God guard us from evil. Mishael,—He who comes from, or is of Meshach, "He who belongs to the goddess Sheshach:" A celebrated divinity of the Babylonians, whereof Jeremiah speaks, Jeremiah 25:26. Azariah signifies, God is my succour;—Abed-nego, the servant of the god Nego, which was the sun, or the morning-star. See Calmet.

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Daniel 1:8. Daniel purposed in his heart— Daniel had two reasons for refusing the meat from the king's table: first, because the heathens ate indiscriminately all sorts of food, and consequently such as was forbidden by the law of Moses: the second, because it was the custom of most nations before their meals, to make an offering of some part of what they were to eat or drink to their gods: so that every entertainment had something in it of the nature of a sacrifice. This practice generally prevailing, made Daniel and his friends look upon the provisions coming from the king's table as no better than meats offered to idols, and consequently polluted and unclean. See Calmet.

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Daniel 1:9. Tender love— רחמים rachamim, Bowels of compassion. It has a like sense also at ch. Daniel 2:18. The word is of very strong import, and denotes a kind of parental compassion. St. Paul has an expression somewhat like it, if not stronger, in his epistle to Philemon, Daniel 1:12. "Receive him, that is mine own bowels." And we read of bowels of mercies, &c.

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Daniel 1:12. Pulse— Pulse here signifies all sorts of roots or herbs.

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Daniel 1:17. Dreams— Namely, those sent from God to portend future events; which were easily distinguished from fortuitous dreams; if, for instance, they had nothing in them preposterous, nothing irregular, nothing monstrous; and if the whole order and consequences of things were regularly preserved in them, from beginning to end: for nothing of this kind happens in fortuitous dreams; which generally exhibit irregular, unconnected appearances, and which greatly depend upon the disposition of the body, as well as of the mind. The Chaldeans were very much attached to the study of dreams; but the Scripture gives us to understand here, that Daniel's attaining to any distinguished knowledge of these things, was by the immediate gift of God. See Houbigant and Calmet.

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Daniel 1:20. Magicians and astrologers— These names may perhaps be taken in a good sense, as the wise men in St. Matthew; and the astrologers perhaps were then in general the same as astronomers with us. However, it cannot be collected from these words, that Daniel applied himself to the study of magic arts; but to the sciences of the Chaldees; in the same manner as Moses, long before, had applied himself to the study of the wisdom of Egypt. See Houbigant. The word אשׁפים ashaphim, rendered astrologers, possibly, says Parkhurst, might be derived from ףּנשׁ neshep, to breathe, on account of the divine inspirations that they pretended to. Others have given a different account of the word: צפא tzapha, or sapha, as the Assyrians and Babylonians commonly speak it, signifies to speculate, look about, inquire nicely; which being part of the office of the prophets, they were called zophim. For the same cause, such as spent their time in contemplating the works of nature, the situation of the stars, and their influence on the earth, as the magi (by which word, except in one place, the LXX render אשׁפים ashaphim,) and astrologers did, were named assaphim at Babylon; as much as to say, contemplative men. See Vindic. of Defence, chap. 1: sect. 2.

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